Just received Beyer DT231 today...Most underrated headpones ever?!
Mar 20, 2006 at 8:31 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 14

c0mfortably_numb

Headphoneus Supremus
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Well I purchased a set of AKG K26P back around October last year do to the stellar review and Headroom and sense been looking for something better for portable use.

I then discovered the Beyer DT231, and the only place I could really find them in stock was a seller in England....Fast forward 4 days they got here today. So far I only have about 30 minutes on them and they sound great
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and I am defintley more then happy with them for portable use, and heck I will probally use them for my computer as source when Im not useing the Grado's

Why aren't more people talking about these cans? I always see mention to the Akg K26P's and Sens PX100/200 (to which I tried on and didnt find comfortable) These Beyers are so comfortable its crazy. At first I thought the self adjusting headband sounded tacky at best. I have to admit it is nice to throw a set of cans on and each time they are perfectly adjusted and ready to jam
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Now the only negative well not for me per se but for others that do not have amps. The cans are rated at 32 Ohms but they seem rather hard to drive efficiently, I had my Nano on max and felt that was a comfortable listening volume
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So if you don't have an amp you may not be as happy with them as if you did have one.
 
Mar 20, 2006 at 9:02 PM Post #4 of 14
The problem I found with the Dt231 is that the headband makes noise as you walk along if you wear it for portable... not just an annoying tick, but a louder-than-the-music-and-ruins-all-the-fun-type-noise.

But, maybe that was just me and my pair. Other than that I completely agree with the comfort thing, they are great for that, and the sound quality is not bad either.

But, the senn/grado tag-team i have now means that I have no real use for mine any more... sigh...
 
Mar 20, 2006 at 9:16 PM Post #5 of 14
i've been recommending the dt231 every chance i get (see the $60 headphone thread).

i found the adjustable headband a pain too. you can easily remove it by unscrewing the the tabs on the headband. i removed mine and stuck a small bit of padding on top. this way if you change your mind you can re-attach the headband later.
 
Mar 20, 2006 at 10:09 PM Post #6 of 14
DT231s aren't bad, upper mids a bit recessed and somewhat on the bright side, rather inefficient indeed (I'll have to check whether they at least play as loud as the 600 ohm HD540s one of these days - they do require more juice than HD590s, though less than HD420SLs), and yes, the headband noises can be a problem. As opposed to the HD497, they actually do have a soundstage, if only a small one. The main problem I had with them is that they don't isolate much at all... even less so than HD497s, which are open.
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My hearing really thanked me when I got K26Ps for portable use instead.
 
Mar 21, 2006 at 8:49 AM Post #9 of 14
The self-adjusting thing isn't what makes the noise I don't think, it's the headband rotating against the cups. That said, a more firmly padded headband might solve that problem by making it more secure.

Have fun experimenting..
 
Mar 21, 2006 at 6:34 PM Post #11 of 14
I'm posting this not to pour cold water on the people who have these and like them, but to add another viewpoint to this thread for the benefit of people who are still making up their minds.

The DT231 has deep and clear bass, and some nice extreme highs. In those respects it really stands out, both against other headphones in its price range and against some closed headphones at higher price points.

But in between those lows and highs -- at least on my sample -- lay a vast swampland of mush. Vocals were muddy. String plucks - except on the highest strings -- were unclear, lacking definition. Nothing had crispness or clarity. (I'm speaking in past tense because I gave them away to a nonaudiophile friend six months ago. He's happy with them, hearing only a "very subtle" difference between them and the other cans I tried to interest him in.)

I did try amping them -- various portables and desktops up to Gilmore Lite -- and this only shone a brighter light on their lack of distinction.

Another problem I had with them was their leakiness. I bought them thinking they were closed headphones; they certainly looked closed. But they leaked a good deal, and instantly failed the "spouse trying to read a book on the other end of the couch" test. And I wasn't playing them loud.

HeadRoom charges $60 for this headphone, and at that price there's nobody to whom I'd recommend it. To someone who can afford more, I'd say to get something better instead. And to someone who can't afford more, I'd say don't deplete your limited funds on this very, very limited headphone.

Just my $0.02. Obviously some others have higher opinions of these than I do. But I want to say to those who may buy it and hear it the way I do: you're not alone and you're probably not crazy.
 
Mar 21, 2006 at 8:08 PM Post #12 of 14
Maybe yours were broken ? I've eq'ed mine a bit, and that does make a difference, especially in the mid-range. Comparing them to a more expensive piece of headphone, the DT660, i prefer the sound of the DT660, but at the price of the DT231 it cruches it's bigger brother into little pieces.

What you've said about isolation is true. They don't really isolate at all, and doesn't keep sound in either, unless you have quite a low volume.

Still, with all the weak points, a really strong performer IMHO. Underrated. And rated 9+ out of 10 by the largest hi-fi mag in Norway !

And it's indestructible ... and ... and ...
 
Mar 21, 2006 at 8:50 PM Post #13 of 14
Quote:

Originally Posted by johang
Maybe yours were broken ?


While I can't rule that out, the fact that both sides sounded equally and identically poor seems suggestive to me of something systematically wrong.

I will grant, though, that I have not read other DT231 reports that are as negative as mine. Usually there are at least some people out there who agree with me. So it may be that my pair was anomalous.
 
Mar 22, 2006 at 7:09 AM Post #14 of 14
Quote:

Originally Posted by episiarch
But in between those lows and highs -- at least on my sample -- lay a vast swampland of mush. Vocals were muddy. String plucks - except on the highest strings -- were unclear, lacking definition. Nothing had crispness or clarity. (I'm speaking in past tense because I gave them away to a nonaudiophile friend six months ago. He's happy with them, hearing only a "very subtle" difference between them and the other cans I tried to interest him in.)


I can not say that I hear that in my paricular pair, granted the mids maybe a lil off nothing that severe though.

The only real problem I have come across is trying to drive them. Neither my Pimeta nor Go-Vibe seem to be able to. I have the volume almost at full, and I would never attempt that with my grados
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LOL

Suprisingly the only thing that I found to drive them was my Sony D-33 vintage PCDP
 

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