[thespazticbear]

First off, let me express that I'm not limited to just the T1 as an upgrade, but my focus in this post is understanding the similarities/differences between the two, and if it would be a suitable upgrade for me. That said...
 
I have owned a pair of Beyer DT770 250ohm's for about 8 years now. I recall ordering 6 different pairs of mid-high end headphones from different companies in my quest to find "the one". I was at the time a complete novice in audiophile lingo, and was fooled into think $ = Quality. My mind was blown when that 6th pair, which was my 770's, came in. I remember closing my eyes and forgetting where I was in the world, wrapped up in audio bliss, and being puzzled why a $200 set of cans sounded so much better than the $600 pair of Sennheiser's I'd just sent back.
 
To this day, my 770's are serving me well. However with the time I have always wondered if there was something better. I've been slowly upgrading my hardware over the years, and I'm at the point where I would be willing to go all out and say to heck with the cost, I want the best I can get, so I can enjoy my tunes with that peace of mind. \
 
I spend the majority of my time in front of my computer, so when I decided to buy a quality headset to game with, I read a nice set of reviews with the majority of them comparing it to the DT770's 32ohm version, and was sold instantly. But when I got them, and even still, they sound NOTHING like the the 32ohm version. They're exceedingly flat response curve, which I later found Beyer did intentionally, was more oriented to letting you hear things in a game environment rather than a musical one. Once I EQ'd the living heck out of it, I came to a sound that was similar to my 770's, but lacked that soundstage I so desperately crave.
 
Because I have grown very attached to the Beyer style signature, my preference is to stick to Beyer headphones if possible. After my aforementioned escapade with my MMX300's, I'm also now weary of many reviews I read even about Beyer's products.
 
I listen to a varied array of musical genres, but my primary crutch is Instrumental Progressive Metal. Bands such as Scale the Summit, Animals as Leaders, and the like. I love how I can hear something for the first time, then listen again and hear something completely new because the quality of the DT's is so impressive. I play a drumset as well as a bass guitar, so I fell in love with my 770's initially because I wanted to be able to not only hear each instrument as a separate unit, but for instance on the drums, Hear every single cymbal as if it's own instrument, without having to pump up the treble and have everything else heard as well. I on even some recordings, if they mastered it correct, can tell in which way a cymbal hits the stick, and I want that type of quality if I'm to spend the 1ishK on a T1 Tesla set...
 
Now that I've described what I have, and what I'm looking for in a premium set, I ask would the T1 be a good upgrade for me? I want that lush texture the 770's bring, so i can enjoy listening to that aspect, as well as be able to enjoy hearing the complexity of these band's recordings in full detail.

 

[Saren]

The t1 has the ability to seperate the instruments and play complex passages far better than the dt770. I listen to metal a lot and my main go to is the t1 and he500. The t1 has a brighter treble spike from memory though, but a well matched amp stops silibance. Sorry that I can't be more detailed at current (on holiday).

 

[thespazticbear]

Ok thanks for your input! Yes, it's very hard to find like-minded listeners that have high end gear. If you have the time when u return from your holiday, a much more detailed comparison would be appreciated, but either way, thanks again.
 
I forgot to mention in my original post my hardware. I currently play all .flac files through my computer, and I use the Asus Essence STX sound card, and it's built in amp, with these current EQ settings on the Asus side.
 

 
I know the bass is a little jacked, but the way this eq feels is weird, and to compensate for the increased treble i bumped up the sub-bass, since it has plenty of thump from being just the 770's.

 

[Saren]

The T1 has:
A bigger soundstage
Better seperation
Clearer treble
Better detail
Better Imaging
More "neutral"
Instruments sound more realistic
 
The DT770 will have a more robust bass response from when I had them.
 
There is not too much else I can say though, I sold my DT770 3 years ago as such it is hard to describe it. The T1 is much much more high end though. I do enjoy it a lot for metal music, and it handles the likes of Gojira, Tool, Iced Earth etc very well. Just be aware poor recordings will sound unforgiving with these and a good amp/dac is in order.
 
For example listening to Tool, the instruments and all the different percussion have sizable gaps between each of them much more than lower headphones. You can follow the bass, 2-3 guitars, drums, cymbals vocals and effects all separately and focus on one most the way through well recorded music.

 

[thespazticbear]

Thanks again for taking the time to get back to me with basically exactally the type of information I needed to make my decision. I will give the T1's a shot. Tool is very much a part of my music library, and I know the percussive dynamics you speak of. To hear that type of thing to it's fullest is exactally the sort of thing i'm looking for.
 
I want to continue to use my PC as the Media hub source if you will, and I am intending to purchase the Beyer A1 Amp to go with the T1. Now the question is what is everyone's recommendation for a DAC would you recommend?
 
I want to upgrade to a good DAC up from the ASUS Essence STX?

 

[Saren]

I very much enjoy the Audio gd products and Woo WA7 with the beyer t1 personally. Adds a bit more warmth to the t1. I'm not really going to be of a help with DACs though, I'm very much objective when it comes to them.

 

[ostewart]

T1 paired with Icon Audio HP8 MKII is brilliant, much prefer it over the HD800. Only headphone I like over the T1 is the hifiman HE-6. All powered by the Icon Audio amp.
T1 is spacious, detailed and more on the neutral side.

 

[thespazticbear]

I've been reading a lot of good things about the WA7, However this will likely be "THE" setup I stick with for many years to come (at least thats my goal). If spending more and going DAC & Amp seperately is the way to go, that's what I'd like to do. Since the WA7 is both, I'd have to weigh if it was the best decision for me.