DT531?

[ampgalore]

If memory serves, there were a couple of negative professional reviews on this set of cans. Yet lately the DT531 seems to be all the rage.

Hype or fiction? You opinions please.

 

[ampgalore]

I for one am guarded against these enthusiastic reviews. I have seen too many examples of this happening on headfi. The most recent example being the Sony Eggos.

 

[pbirkett]

Well I guess I am deaf then....

I had the Beyer DT931, DT880, DT770, DT990.

I had the Sennheiser HD497, HD580, HD650

I had the Grado SR80

I had the AKG K240S and K271S

I had the Sony MDR-CD1700 (borrowed) and MDR-CD3000

Somewhere in between all them I had the DT531, and sold it (to pay for the 650).

Then I ended up buying it again.

But yeah, your right, its a **** pair of cans.

 

[ampgalore]

pbirkett, if memory serves, you are the one that started this whole DT531 crave. It's not personal, but I am just weary of all these flavor of the month cans, amps, etc.

 

[lini]

It's always good to be a little sceptical. However, I've already started recommending the DT531 a few years ago, when it was regularly available for ~ 100 Euro over here. Unfortunately, it wasn't widely offered internationally at that time, so hardly anyone outside the EU (or especially Britain and Germany) could have a try. And people rarely listen to my advice, anyway.

I'd assume the late rage we experience now would have been a lot calmer and more spread, if the availability situation had been a different one...

Greetings from Hannover!

Manfred / lini

 

[pbirkett]

Being serious though, at the end of the day, there is not really that many genuinely bad bits of hifi. You have to account for taste.

Did the review say what kit they listened to the 531 on? No. Did it say what persons tastes were? No.

I've heard the DT531 sound pretty bad out of one or two amps. The bad reviews may be justified if they used the same amp.

The amp I use for the DT531 makes it sound really, really good for the money (IMO). It does all of the things right in the areas that matter to me, and the things it doesnt do right are not that important to me.

For what its worth, I feel like I am mostly responsible for the hype (by replacing them with the CD3K and HD650 and then going back), but please remember, I have NEVER said that they were on a technical equal to the others. Just that for my tastes, on my system, and for my circumstances, its proved to be the only choice for me.

Its comfortable, sounds lively, is forgiving, and always makes me smile. Aint that what matters?

But no, its not as realistic, smooth, refined or natural as a lot of better cans, but then I never claimed it was

It may be a fad, but I'd like to think that they'll still be with me. They give me what it is I was looking for, and to me, it matters not if they fall out of favour now. They do it for me, and thats what counts.

 

[ampgalore]

Let's see,

Headphone wise,
The Eggos hype has died down


Amp wise,
The Pocket Reference hype has died down quite a bit
The XP-7, SR-71 hype is just beginning to be debunked


And I am sure there will be many many more hyped products in the time to come. I am just wondering if the DT531 is one of them.

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

I think the hype is at least somewhat merited, since it does sound better (to me) than some more expensive cans, and can sound very good from lesser quality sources. Now if you can afford a big-time amp and $200 replacement cable for your Senns, woodie treatment and a killer source for your CD3K, or RS1/MSPro/PS1pro Grados, a K1000 with good amp, etc. the DT531 will have a hard time keeping up in terms of sound quality, though it is nice to have as a fun listen. But for $200> cans I think you'd be hard pressed to find one that is more enjoyable on the type of system most people looking for $200> cans will have (I know the A900 has that type of reputation as well).

ampgalore, you are on the DT880 right now, right? The DT531 isn't quite as detailed, nor does it have quite the same timbre or soundstage, but comparing the 2 I found the DT531 to have just what the DT880 was missing, fun. It might be worth looking in to for you if you find the DT880 a bit dry or boring like I did. That said I do think the DT880 is a great headphone, and if I had lots of moeny I'd have one, just because they seem so accurate, they would be quite useful.

 

[ampgalore]

My DT880 is not here yet.

This whole "fun" thing is what bugs me. People rave and rave about smoothness and such. Well, HD650 is smooth, but I couldn't stand that smoothness. The XP-7 is smooth, and I couldn't stand it either.

To me, neutrality is much more important than that "smoothness," which equate to loss of detail.

 

[ampgalore]

HD580 brand new goes for less than $200. A used pair of HD600 goes for below $200 as well.

I think the stock Sennheiser cable is just fine the way it is. If you really want to change the sound signature, you have to change the transducer, not the cable. If bet you if Sennheiser had not designed the HD580/600/650 cans to have easily replaceable cables, we would never have this replacement cable myth. $150 for some copper and insulation is sheer robbery.

 

[pbirkett]

Regarding the 580, in my little review of the Rega Ear, I persuaded someone to replace his 580's with the 531's and he said it was in no way close in terms of fun - the 531 walked it.

http://www.zerogain.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4874

 

[ampgalore]

How do you define fun?

I looked at the frequency response curve of the DT531, there is bass roll off and trebble roll off. Is this what you consider fun?

A digital equalizer is more suited to throwing the whole frequency response curve out of whack.

 

[swmtnbiker]

I'll echo Paul's sentiments.

I had the DT880.

I had the HD580 and HD595.

I had the SR80 and SR225.

I had the K240S.

The DT531 is easily the best of this bunch for me. Much better than the Sennheisers and the Grados, better than the AKGs, marginally better to my ears than the DT880. It has guts and punch that the DT880 lacks. I just love the sound of the DT531. It's really that simple. So no, I don't think it's hype.

In my opinion you can look at all the frequency graphs that you want to, but until you wrap those cans around your head you'll never know how they sound TO YOU. Specs are one thing. The perception of sound is a completely different matter.

 

[pbirkett]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ampgalore How do you define fun? I looked at the frequency response curve of the DT531, there is bass roll off and trebble roll off. Is this what you consider fun? A digital equalizer is more suited to throwing the whole frequency response curve out of whack.

Well, if you judge "fun" by neutrality and frequency response charts, then simple solutiion is, dont bother. You look like your trying to talk yourself out of it, so I'll say it again. Get something else, the DT531 does not have what you are looking for.

These ears like what they hear, so to be honest, I couldnt give two hoots about its frequency response.

I have had all kinds of "superior" headphone, and only that one provides the (I'll resist saying fun ok?) sound I am looking for

So where did you find this frequency response anyway?

 

[ampgalore]

Those charts are burried somewhere in one of the threads. They are recent, but I can't seem to find it.