bhanja_trinanjan
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2006
- Posts
- 530
- Likes
- 14
Folks,
I might have become somewhat of a broken record by preaching how ordinary the Beyerdynamic Tesla T1 is.
Thankfully, I finally discovered what the T1 is capable of.
It's been a long journey but I have to admit: the T1 is an excellent headphone.
So what was wrong all this while?
Did somebody pay me a fat $ to endorse the Teslas? Hell no.
Have I suddenly started to dislike the AKG K-702? Negative.
Am I on a trip?
No again.
The point is that the Teslas are just as finicky as the K-702 and need the right set of conditions to show what they stand for.
These conditions are:
1.High gain. I did not try this option much before. They need loads of brute power to come alive. My HeadRoom Ultra Micro @ High Gain breathes life into the T1. The higher gain helps to clean up the sloppy bass which I had talked about.
2.Good seal between the ear and the ear-cups and optimal adjustment of the headband. This seems to make a LOT of difference to the T1. No spectacles with this headphone please. The snug fit brings the midrange closer and helps the bass to grip. Imaging improves too. Fit is just as important as amplification.
So, do the T1 blow the K-702 away? No.
But they can do things that the K-702 cannot. And vice versa.
The K-702 has been one of my favorites and remains so for a number of reasons.
And the T1s do not scale strength for strength.
In my book, the K-702 still has better timing and bass control. Very accurate pitch and goes low, low and low with absolute control and no hint of smearing.
In fact the K-702 is outstanding with ONE SEMINAL flaw. I have always said that it has a weird transition from the upper midrange to the lower treble with certain recordings.
Violins are produced with an emphasis on string sound and less wood. B-flat clarinets seem to lose some of their fullness. Rapidly bowed violin can take on a screechy character with some recordings and this is where the K-702s begin to fall short.
Otherwise, they are state of the art.
What does the T1 bring to the table that the K-702 cannot?
It removes that upper midrange weirdness and has a fuller midrange (only if driven properly).
It can also be listened to at higher volumes with very low ear fatigue and never ever sounds screechy or harsh.
Both headphones have the same resolution.
But you simply hear more low level detail on the T1 as you can play it louder with lesser fatigue.
The T1 also has a vividness that the K-702 cannot match.
However, the mid lushness of the T1 is not ideal either and I have heard speakers with more lit up midrange.
But it is not all aces for the Tesla.
It sacrifices some of the electrostat like speed of the K-702; some of its bass grip.
With the K-702 you can virtually measure how long each note of a piano lasts.... not so with the T1.
But the T1 has a very nice sense of bloom in the midrange which makes it a pleasure to listen to.
Also, I still hear some disturbing smearing in the T1's bass. Bowed bass has an emphasized plumminess that detracts from absolute neutrality.
But, proper fit and proper amplification has finally allowed me to overlook this flaw just in the same way that I overlook the K-702's edginess with certain solo violin pieces.
The Teslas have finally arrived. I am not letting them go!
I might have become somewhat of a broken record by preaching how ordinary the Beyerdynamic Tesla T1 is.
Thankfully, I finally discovered what the T1 is capable of.
It's been a long journey but I have to admit: the T1 is an excellent headphone.
So what was wrong all this while?
Did somebody pay me a fat $ to endorse the Teslas? Hell no.
Have I suddenly started to dislike the AKG K-702? Negative.
Am I on a trip?
No again.
The point is that the Teslas are just as finicky as the K-702 and need the right set of conditions to show what they stand for.
These conditions are:
1.High gain. I did not try this option much before. They need loads of brute power to come alive. My HeadRoom Ultra Micro @ High Gain breathes life into the T1. The higher gain helps to clean up the sloppy bass which I had talked about.
2.Good seal between the ear and the ear-cups and optimal adjustment of the headband. This seems to make a LOT of difference to the T1. No spectacles with this headphone please. The snug fit brings the midrange closer and helps the bass to grip. Imaging improves too. Fit is just as important as amplification.
So, do the T1 blow the K-702 away? No.
But they can do things that the K-702 cannot. And vice versa.
The K-702 has been one of my favorites and remains so for a number of reasons.
And the T1s do not scale strength for strength.
In my book, the K-702 still has better timing and bass control. Very accurate pitch and goes low, low and low with absolute control and no hint of smearing.
In fact the K-702 is outstanding with ONE SEMINAL flaw. I have always said that it has a weird transition from the upper midrange to the lower treble with certain recordings.
Violins are produced with an emphasis on string sound and less wood. B-flat clarinets seem to lose some of their fullness. Rapidly bowed violin can take on a screechy character with some recordings and this is where the K-702s begin to fall short.
Otherwise, they are state of the art.
What does the T1 bring to the table that the K-702 cannot?
It removes that upper midrange weirdness and has a fuller midrange (only if driven properly).
It can also be listened to at higher volumes with very low ear fatigue and never ever sounds screechy or harsh.
Both headphones have the same resolution.
But you simply hear more low level detail on the T1 as you can play it louder with lesser fatigue.
The T1 also has a vividness that the K-702 cannot match.
However, the mid lushness of the T1 is not ideal either and I have heard speakers with more lit up midrange.
But it is not all aces for the Tesla.
It sacrifices some of the electrostat like speed of the K-702; some of its bass grip.
With the K-702 you can virtually measure how long each note of a piano lasts.... not so with the T1.
But the T1 has a very nice sense of bloom in the midrange which makes it a pleasure to listen to.
Also, I still hear some disturbing smearing in the T1's bass. Bowed bass has an emphasized plumminess that detracts from absolute neutrality.
But, proper fit and proper amplification has finally allowed me to overlook this flaw just in the same way that I overlook the K-702's edginess with certain solo violin pieces.
The Teslas have finally arrived. I am not letting them go!
