[shipsupt]

I thought I'd share day one with the 1350 for me as it was pretty interesting...
 
Wow.  Where do I start.  I have been up and down a roller coaster today/tonight!  I'll try to bring you along on the journey...  Remember that this process took hours!!!
 
I listened most of the day (when I wasn't stuck in meetings, work always gets in the way of audio!) using my iPad-CLAS-ALO MKII rig.  My impression was that these things are just too flat sounding for me.  The bass extension is there, but simply no impact.  How are they getting these rave reviews?  After being quite excited about these headphones, I'm left pretty unimpressed at the end of the work day.

Fast forward to getting home... Ok, let me get off the portable and use the Gilmore Lite for comparisons between the HD-25 and the 1350... Same impression.  Flat.  Uninspired.  Non-musical.  25 hands down is better sounding to my ears.  Maybe I'll just return them and get a second pair of 25's.  Am I seriously thinking of sending back a pair of headphones after one day of listening??

Give 'em more time... let your ears adjust... Hey, I know this track, and it is not enjoyable at all... what gives?  In a random effort to try everything I start adjusting position all over the place and then I press the cups hard against my ears.  Wait!  What was that?  They just came to life... But how do I keep them like that...  

I settle in for some straight 1350 listening, no more back and forth with the 25's.  Each time I press the cups down hard on my ears I hear something I like, but I don't get it when I just let them ride on my ears...  How do I keep THAT sound.

I read Tyl's review again.  Are we listening to the same headphones?  I shift to impressions in this thread.  I start at the first post and work my way through. (forgive my paraphrasing posters impressions here if they are not entirely accurate)  A few folks are finding them bass shy... yeah, I'd say that's what I am hearing.  Maybe I just don't have the audiophile ear...  Then a few posters say that position is critical and start describing how they position the headphones on their head.  Split the headband, really split it like 90 degrees.  Rotate the whole thing forward so the forward band is almost on the forehead.  Come on, really?   Of course, I do it.  Wait, what's that I'm hearing?  Here comes the bass.  Things are filling in.  I'm on to something.  I read more about how folks are adjusting and how it's critical to get the bass to fill in, to get rid of the flat sound.  I adjust the cups up a few clicks and this provides some more clamping pressure with the odd forward rotated 90 degree split rig.  I must look silly... but, but, there it is.  These things just filled in and there is BASS!  Not slamming bass, but there is some impact, proper full, controlled, deep, detailed bass.  THIS is how these things should sound.  Back to those reference tracks... there it is... now I'm hearing it.  Night and day.  Still a more laid back sound vs. the 25, but now we are talking!!

So, now they are out in the living room burning in on the G-Lite (for whatever that will be worth).  And I'll give them another go tomorrow using the new found critical listening position.  I'm expecting a much better impression.  

Wow, I was close to packing these things up!  I'm already glad I stuck it out.

Let me say this... even when bass shy these things do amazing things for vocals.  So natural sounding.  With bass... things should get really interesting.

Assuming I have found the "secret", there are questions that remain for me:
1.  Do I want a pair of portables that are so critical of position and seal?  I mean, they are not IEM's right?  This may be due to my particular head shape, but the 25's just slap on my head and sound really good...
2.  Will the heavy clamping and odd position required for good sound make them uncomfortable to wear for any real duration?  I like having a portable like this to mix things up at work with my customs... but the beauty should be that they are off and on my head with minimal fuss.
3.  Will the sound grow on me to a point where I will put up with some finicky fit issues in order to enjoy the quality?
4.  Tyl didn't mention any of these position/fit issues... Is my head just not compatible?
 
It was a frustrating but eventually rewarding day.  I'll post up again when I've had some more time.  And thanks to those early posters who shared the details about getting the position correct, what a great help you were to me today!

 

 

[CEE TEE]

HA!!!  What a process!!!  (And a thought-process.)  
 
Yep, I like to see what my first <quick> impression is of some phones but I think I do better in multiple passes at different times and keeping this kind of "balance" between skepticism/excitement/expectation/openness to a new fit/sound.
 
Nice to read someone else wrestling phones to see what all the fuss is about!
 
Can't wait to hear how you answer your questions...those seem SPOT ON for this kind of can (if I would use them for work too).
 
Erm, just a little concerned about how the "correct" positioning looks on the head...please keep us posted!  

 

[roma101]

Quote:

I thought I'd share day one with the 1350 for me as it was pretty interesting...
 
Wow.  Where do I start.  I have been up and down a roller coaster today/tonight!  I'll try to bring you along on the journey...  Remember that this process took hours!!!
 
I listened most of the day (when I wasn't stuck in meetings, work always gets in the way of audio!) using my iPad-CLAS-ALO MKII rig.  My impression was that these things are just too flat sounding for me.  The bass extension is there, but simply no impact.  How are they getting these rave reviews?  After being quite excited about these headphones, I'm left pretty unimpressed at the end of the work day.

Fast forward to getting home... Ok, let me get off the portable and use the Gilmore Lite for comparisons between the HD-25 and the 1350... Same impression.  Flat.  Uninspired.  Non-musical.  25 hands down is better sounding to my ears.  Maybe I'll just return them and get a second pair of 25's.  Am I seriously thinking of sending back a pair of headphones after one day of listening??

Give 'em more time... let your ears adjust... Hey, I know this track, and it is not enjoyable at all... what gives?  In a random effort to try everything I start adjusting position all over the place and then I press the cups hard against my ears.  Wait!  What was that?  They just came to life... But how do I keep them like that...  

I settle in for some straight 1350 listening, no more back and forth with the 25's.  Each time I press the cups down hard on my ears I hear something I like, but I don't get it when I just let them ride on my ears...  How do I keep THAT sound.

I read Tyl's review again.  Are we listening to the same headphones?  I shift to impressions in this thread.  I start at the first post and work my way through. (forgive my paraphrasing posters impressions here if they are not entirely accurate)  A few folks are finding them bass shy... yeah, I'd say that's what I am hearing.  Maybe I just don't have the audiophile ear...  Then a few posters say that position is critical and start describing how they position the headphones on their head.  Split the headband, really split it like 90 degrees.  Rotate the whole thing forward so the forward band is almost on the forehead.  Come on, really?   Of course, I do it.  Wait, what's that I'm hearing?  Here comes the bass.  Things are filling in.  I'm on to something.  I read more about how folks are adjusting and how it's critical to get the bass to fill in, to get rid of the flat sound.  I adjust the cups up a few clicks and this provides some more clamping pressure with the odd forward rotated 90 degree split rig.  I must look silly... but, but, there it is.  These things just filled in and there is BASS!  Not slamming bass, but there is some impact, proper full, controlled, deep, detailed bass.  THIS is how these things should sound.  Back to those reference tracks... there it is... now I'm hearing it.  Night and day.  Still a more laid back sound vs. the 25, but now we are talking!!

So, now they are out in the living room burning in on the G-Lite (for whatever that will be worth).  And I'll give them another go tomorrow using the new found critical listening position.  I'm expecting a much better impression.  

Wow, I was close to packing these things up!  I'm already glad I stuck it out.

Let me say this... even when bass shy these things do amazing things for vocals.  So natural sounding.  With bass... things should get really interesting.

Assuming I have found the "secret", there are questions that remain for me:
1.  Do I want a pair of portables that are so critical of position and seal?  I mean, they are not IEM's right?  This may be due to my particular head shape, but the 25's just slap on my head and sound really good...
2.  Will the heavy clamping and odd position required for good sound make them uncomfortable to wear for any real duration?  I like having a portable like this to mix things up at work with my customs... but the beauty should be that they are off and on my head with minimal fuss.
3.  Will the sound grow on me to a point where I will put up with some finicky fit issues in order to enjoy the quality?
4.  Tyl didn't mention any of these position/fit issues... Is my head just not compatible?
 
It was a frustrating but eventually rewarding day.  I'll post up again when I've had some more time.  And thanks to those early posters who shared the details about getting the position correct, what a great help you were to me today!

 

Great post and I loved reading through your thought process!  Your concerns are definitely spot on if I decide to get the DT1350's (especially #1 as I love that I can just throw the HD-25's on and be done with it). How do you feel the detail retrieval is compared to the HD-25's? I read an impression here where someone would just sit down and take in all the details as opposed to rockin' out to his HD-25's (paraphrasing here). 
 

 

[RapidPulse]

Once you start to use these for a week or two, I think you will find that you don't need to go through a lot of effort to get these sounding like they should.  I also had some trouble with this at first, but no trouble now.
 
Here is what I do (for what it is worth....I have a small head)
I put them on with a 1-2 inch separation in the headband, with headband towards center of head (the way you might expect to wear them).   I can usually get the bass coming in properly by just twisting the cups slightly, to adjust the rotation and where they press on my ears, rather than just pressing down in the center.  I put a little more pressure towards the front of my ear.  This also helps my comfort level. I think the pads soften after a few seconds of body heat...which helps too. 
 
Now, it takes less time than any IEM to get proper sound. 
 

 

[MayaTlab]

Quote:

Great post and I loved reading through your thought process!  Your concerns are definitely spot on if I decide to get the DT1350's (especially #1 as I love that I can just throw the HD-25's on and be done with it). How do you feel the detail retrieval is compared to the HD-25's? I read an impression here where someone would just sit down and take in all the details as opposed to rockin' out to his HD-25's (paraphrasing here). 
 

Detail retrieval is, in my opinion, quite unmatched at this price range and this category (portable closed headphones). However, many headphones can appear as more detailed when giving them a superficial listen. But I call that "false details" : it's mainly because they have in comparison an edgier / grainier sound.
 
I quite agree with the comment that the DT 1350 is a more contemplative listen. On the other hand, it depends IMHO on recording quality (well recorded rock can be as much fun as the HD-25), and genre. For example, I listen a bit of minimal techno (Max Cooper, Extrawelt, etc.) and the impressive bass of the Beyer makes me jump in all directions more than the other portable headphones I tried - it goes lower, hits harder (surprisingly, as I find the upper bass to hit less), is tighter, etc. On the other hand I do not think dirty / grungy / punk rock can be as much fun as with the Senn.
 

 

[Anathallo]

Agree 100% with the last 4-5 posts.
 
For me, I initially heard them on demo at a local store here, but it was a little loud, so I pressed my hands on my ears to get a good seal and they sounded so great.  That bass extension!  Sure, they're not boomy, but it extends. so. deeeeeep.  And tight, too!
 
Anyways, I get home with my fresh pair and I slap them on - they sounded completely different!  Anyways, to avoid repeating shipsupt's story, I eventually learned how to get them on properly.  
 
I will admit, since they're the only portable can I use now, it is somewhat annoying when you take them off frequently, trying to get them on properly every time (with proper headband split and positioning on ears), but they're so worth it in my opinion.  Same as RapidPulse (I have a size 6 1/2 head if anyone wears ball caps), I separate the headband by a couple inches and position the cups towards the front of my ear, but I wear the headband closer to the back of my head, with the metal extending from the cups over almost my entire ear.  I guess everyone will be different.  And I definitely agree that, for me at least, IEMs take way longer to get a proper seal/sound that is equal in both ears.
 
 
As for comfort, I found them unbearable for more than an hour when I first started wearing them.  Now I wear them for extended periods with no discomfort.  Longest session so far has been 6 hours.  Just takes some time to find the best position, and it's worth it when you do.
 
 
 
 
 
One thing to mention, though, is that I'm finding they aren't as durable as some reviewers made them out to be.  The headband cushion is already starting to peel a bit and the cups are a little looser in the metal brackets than I'd like.  Small issues, but I personally feel I take exceptional care of my cans in general, so for those that want to just throw them into a backpack, it might not work out so well.
 
 

 

[shipsupt]

Quote:

 
One thing to mention, though, is that I'm finding they aren't as durable as some reviewers made them out to be.  The headband cushion is already starting to peel a bit and the cups are a little looser in the metal brackets than I'd like.  Small issues, but I personally feel I take exceptional care of my cans in general, so for those that want to just throw them into a backpack, it might not work out so well.
 
 

 
I do prefer the case that the 1350 comes with vs. the soft bag that comes with the 25.  Sure, the 25's seem indestructible, but when I toss them into my messenger bag I feel better with the Beyer semi-rigid case than the unprotected Senns.
 
Quote:

Great post and I loved reading through your thought process!  Your concerns are definitely spot on if I decide to get the DT1350's (especially #1 as I love that I can just throw the HD-25's on and be done with it). How do you feel the detail retrieval is compared to the HD-25's? I read an impression here where someone would just sit down and take in all the details as opposed to rockin' out to his HD-25's (paraphrasing here). 
 

I'm going to hold off on getting too into comparisons until I've had a little more time with the 1350's.... but I think I can safely say that the 1350 excel at separation, almost to a fault.  Good separation helps with details...  For me, this gives the definite leg up to the 25's on sounding musical, i.e. rocking out!
 
Leads me down the road of thinking there is room for both headphones in my collection.
 
I will certainly post some more impressions when I have had a little more time to listen.
 
 
 
 

 

[Mr.Sneis]

Just got my pair in, been waiting since June to get my hands on these!
 
So far unimpressed by the build quality -- don't be fooled by the stock photos which make these seem a little nicer than they really are.  The finish on the Aluminum is not as nice as I was expecting ~ little imperfections here and there just like how the HD800's had in the silver paint and finishing lines on grills.  In this case the slots where adjusters click were pre-adjusted top and bottom making it look pre-worn right out of the box.  The cable screams cheap portable but that's the nature of the headphone.  The leather on the headband looks like a glued on afterthought and the plastic parts are very meh.
 
The fit, like shipsupt has found above is a pain in the rear.  Narrow heads I presume will have the same "not enough clamp" issue while round/big heads will have a nice clamp providing the optimal listening seal.  Lucky me I fit in the narrow head category
 
I'm only half an hour in to listening but I like the neutral signature of these but my brain wants more pronounced mids.
 
Despite seal problems I'm sold on the on-ear fit for longer listening sessions.  Pleather for over-the-ear phones like Sony v6 and Shure srh440 seems like it tends to get hotter faster and thus gets uncomfortable very fast. The dt1350 on the other hand should be no problem.
 
I think these are keepers so far.  I was relatively unimpressed with my time with the T1's so Beyer must be doing something right over there!

 

[pietcux]

the metal parts are stainless steel for sure, not Aluminum you can bend them carefully without breaking them

 
Quote:

 
 
 The finish on the Aluminum is not as nice as I was expecting

 

[Mr.Sneis]

Quote:

the metal parts are stainless steel for sure, not Aluminum you can bend them carefully without breaking them

 

Ah, my bad   My main point is that the metal finish on these will scuff very easily and will likely come to you brand new with minor marks.
 

 

[metalsonata]

Quote:

One thing to mention, though, is that I'm finding they aren't as durable as some reviewers made them out to be.  The headband cushion is already starting to peel a bit and the cups are a little looser in the metal brackets than I'd like.  Small issues, but I personally feel I take exceptional care of my cans in general, so for those that want to just throw them into a backpack, it might not work out so well.
 
 

 
Yeah, I'm beginning to have minor durability problems, as well. My first impression of them was that they were built like a tank, albeit a somewhat imprecise one. As I've broken them in however, the cups have become progressively looser, the right one especially, which easily spins within its entire range of motion upon picking the cans up. And just now, pulling them off of my head after a short listening session, one of the pads on the headband peeled almost entirely free, starting from the middle, of all places, and working towards the ends. I re-centered it and stuck it back in place, and now it seems pretty well stuck, but for who knows how long. The padding on the headband has been my least favorite part of the DT1350 since I first un-boxed it, so I'm not terribly surprised to see it be the first thing to give me troubles.
 
 

 

[aamefford]

Finicky fit for sure.  I've gotten used to where they should go, and I have fiddle a lot less.  I still love them.  I have played with adding a bit of boost (3 - 4 db) centered on about 7500 hz.  It does add back what seems to be missing, just a bit.  That said, I generally don't bother.  It also seems to add sibilance.  I've just come to appreciate the signature they have.  I'm still only good for a couple of hours, then they get uncomfortable.  I sure wish the earpads and headband pad were real leather, not pleather.

 

[Il Mostro]

Mine came in today.  I think I lucked out fit-wise.  After fiddling a bit I have a comfortable but completely tight seal.  Just started listening ("Garcia Plays Dylan" CD on the big rig with CI amp).  I am digging these already.  I have a had an easy time dialing in the fit and getting ample, very well controlled bass.  The 1350's are a very nice change from the pleasantly colored ESW9's.  I am charging up the other new arrival, Fostex HP P-1, so maybe I'll get in some portable listening later tonight -- tomorrow for sure.  The "padding" on the head-pad looks really sketchy.  Otherwise, the build quality is pretty much what I expected for this type of phone.  Mine have no marks whatsoever on the metal portions.  I already know they are keepers for me. 

 

[roma101]

Quote:

Detail retrieval is, in my opinion, quite unmatched at this price range and this category (portable closed headphones). However, many headphones can appear as more detailed when giving them a superficial listen. But I call that "false details" : it's mainly because they have in comparison an edgier / grainier sound.
 
I quite agree with the comment that the DT 1350 is a more contemplative listen. On the other hand, it depends IMHO on recording quality (well recorded rock can be as much fun as the HD-25), and genre. For example, I listen a bit of minimal techno (Max Cooper, Extrawelt, etc.) and the impressive bass of the Beyer makes me jump in all directions more than the other portable headphones I tried - it goes lower, hits harder (surprisingly, as I find the upper bass to hit less), is tighter, etc. On the other hand I do not think dirty / grungy / punk rock can be as much fun as with the Senn.
 

Ah well that gives me hope, since I'm all for details - the more the better. Looks like the DT 1350's and HD-25's compliment each other nicely when covering all genres. Like a portable headphone tag team of sorts. Can't wait to try the Beyers already. 

 

[JamesMcProgger]

Quote:

 
Assuming I have found the "secret", there are questions that remain for me:
1.  Do I want a pair of portables that are so critical of position and seal?  I mean, they are not IEM's right?  This may be due to my particular head shape, but the 25's just slap on my head and sound really good...
2.  Will the heavy clamping and odd position required for good sound make them uncomfortable to wear for any real duration?  I like having a portable like this to mix things up at work with my customs... but the beauty should be that they are off and on my head with minimal fuss.
3.  Will the sound grow on me to a point where I will put up with some finicky fit issues in order to enjoy the quality?
 

 
that pretty much nails, word by word, how I feel about the DT1350, after over 1 month of use.