[mr man]

i was wondering how the beyer dt931 compares to phones like the akgs (i have the 401), and ms-1 (grado sr-80-125). i'm either going to buy an ms-1 to compliment my 401 or sell the 401 and buy a dt931 (or another hp that u guys can recommend under 200). i listen mainly to rock, and i don't plan on getting a high-end amp which is why i'm comtemplating selling my 401. i still like listening to it on my H-K receiver, i just want the impact that grados are known the have. so my real question is whether the 931 can do what my akg and the grados do.

 

[Suedama]

It's my favorite from among Senn HD 600s, Grado SR 80s and Etys ER4P. Your milage may vary.

 

[The Quality Guru]

Take a look at (or a listen at, rather) the Senn HD-580 (around $200), HD-600 (around $300), and the Etymotic ER-4P/ER-4S (around $290). Go to the headroom website @ www.headphone.com if you have't already and get 'enlightened' about headphones at this site- peruse it like mad and absorb all the good advice you can from the headphone experts out there.
Oh, and one more thing. Not that you ever would, but don't get the B&O A8 earphone; it is one of the more extreme examples of a wolf in sheeps clothing. Enjoy the search.

 

[Snufkin]

I've read a lot of good things about the dt931 but never had a chance to hear them myself, I'd like to compare them to the dt831.
Best thing to do is try to get a listen!

 

[pedxing]

You can purchase them at Meier audio for a good price.

I remember there was a really good reivew of the AKG 501, Beyerdynamics DT931, Senn HD600, and a Grado last year. Does anyone remember the link to that review?

 

[kelly]

The Beyerdynamic DT931 is one of the most underrated headphones by folks in these parts.

I haven't heard the stuff you listed, but maybe I can compare it to other things that might be familiar to you.

Compared to the 501, the 931 has less detail and less air. With the Headroom Max (the one I compared the two on briefly), the 501 sounded thin with shallow bass to me. It sounded a lot like other headphones sound when they are underpowered (imagine the Sennheiser through a headphone jack). The 931 was,, in my opinion, much better suited to the Max and sounded full and complete.

The Sennheiser HD600 is like a sister headphone to the DT931. They're over the same class and sound similar in some ways. Major differences include the DT931's having very forward vocals compared the the HD600's somewhat recessed vocals. The DT931 is not as warm as the HD600 but seemed to be more "realistic" in its frequency response (it's hard to use the word flat when they're both nowhere near flat). With the Headroom Max and Melos SHA-1, the HD600's bass was sloppy compared to the tightly managed DT931. The HD600 did, however, have slightly deeper bass extension and the sloppiness of the HD600's bass yielded a more "full" sounding bass that many people prefer. This also caused the HD600 bass to be slightly more tactile.

In my experience, the HD600 benefitted greatly from using a larger amp. The bass tightened up and became really nice with the RKV. I never had the luxury of listening to the DT931 on the RKV amp. I imagined that it would pair nicely but still not have the bass extension of the HD600 and still have more forward vocals (something I feel the HD600 is in need of, but perhaps not as much as the 931 has).

Hope this helps.

 

[mr man]

i've decided to either stay with the k401 and get a creek ob11 or get the dt931 plus a jmt amp, then upgrade later. if anyone sees which way i should go feel free to post

is the dt931 fatiguing? i've heard it's somewhat bright. but hopefully i can get an amp and interconnects that will smooth out the sound.

 

[Tim D]

Beyer DT931 out of a typical CHA47 is not that great a combo and will come across analytical. However the DT931 is one of the better phones to pair with a receiver jack as long as it is a decent jack(which definitely isn't the case half the time). I personally think Szekeres amps also work well with DT931.