Naim.F.C
1000+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- May 20, 2008
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So I got my T1.2's a few days ago and after several hours of testing and doing back and forth's, I'm pretty sure I still prefer my T1.1's. However I suspect preferences will be subjective, and as such I thought I'd explain the differences I noticed.
Did the T1 even need improving?
Now I should mention, my copy of the T1.1's are what I'd class as pretty much ideal. I've never thought they suffered from any kind of sibilance, harshness or thinness of any kind, and they've always felt very smooth to me. In-fact, they're noticeably smoother than my HD800's, which can actually sometimes sound slightly thin and ever so slightly artificial in comparison. I'm confident there are some frequency differences amongst different copies of the same cans, simply due to manufacturing variance. The only thing I've ever felt was ever so slightly lacking with the T1.1's that I have, is sub bass quantity, but even then only in some tracks, and this is fairly easily remedied with some EQ'ing. When I need that extra bass, in Amarra I use an EQ with 32+4, 62+1 and 250-1, and that pretty much perfects them for those tracks that need the added sub bass oomph.
With all that said, with the T1.2's all I really wanted was something similar to what my EQ above essentially offers with my T1.1's, which is a slight boost to bass quantity, with limited loss of detail or change in overall sound signature.
Physical differences.
Before I get to the sonic differences, I thought I'd just spend a tiny bit of time explaining some of the physical one's. The most obvious is the new detachable cable, which is still high in quality, though a little less chunky than the old one, and now covered with what feels like a soft braided material instead of the rubber from the old one. The cups themselves I believe are exactly the same, minus the new ear cup material which to me doesn't look or feel quite as nice, and seems to make my ears get hotter quicker.
The headband also feels and looks different. It seems slightly chunkier, and is slightly less premium to the touch. I don't think the headband is actually made of real leather any more. Likewise, the bit that connects the leather and the metal clasps together on the old model is made of actual metal (albeit smaller in size), unlike with the new model where these pieces are now a chunkier plastic. On the plus side, the new headband has a much sturdier and stiffer size change clicks, which is great, and an improvement from the loose feeling clicks on the old version.
Overall whilst the new cans are essentially the same basic design as the old one, the new headphones seem just a touch less premium than the old version, and seem slightly lighter to hold too.
Sonic differences, detail retrieval.
So how do the T1.2's fair sonically? Well, naturally they are actually similar sounding to the T1.1's, however there are definitely some noticeable differences in how they both sound.
The most apparent difference overall is that the newer second generation model is slightly less open sounding, and a little less airy or detailed overall. I generally find it a touch harder to separate instruments and different sounds with as much precision as I can with my old T1.1's. Instead, with the T1.2's things sound ever so slightly more congested and intimate. I can't tell you exactly what causes this, though if I had to guess, it could be a combination of more subdued mids and highs, as well as a tiny bit more sub bass quantity, but after doing A/B comparisons with dozens and dozens of tracks, it was something I noticed recurringly. I'd often hear more tertiary background elements and sounds in tracks with the old version T1's compared to the new version, even though if I actively sought to hear the same sound or instrument with the T1.2's, I could generally find it, just not as easily.
Sound stage
On occasion, the soundstage with the T1.2's can sound a little deeper or more encapsulating, surrounding you more spherically, however it is definitely not as wide sounding as the original T1's, and this for me personally is a negative. I prefer width over depth, as I usually like to picture myself listening to a band, or listening to music as if the artist(s) are close in-front of me but spread out horizontally, as if on a stage, rather than only the main singer in-front, and the rest of the people playing the instruments surrounding me from all sides, some even from behind me. The T1.2's make the latter easier, and the former harder, whereas with the T1.1's it's the opposite. The T1.1's let you picture a wider and larger horizontal stage, where the T1.2's offer a soundstage that is a bit more intimate. Which you prefer will likely come down to subjective preference.
Bass
I was expecting the 2nd Generation T1's to have a noticeable bass emphasis over the originals, but in all honesty the bass is very comparable. I do feel like on occasion I can feel more sub bass quantity with the T1.2's, but it's only a very, very slight boost, and not really particularly noticeable or stand out. With certain tracks you'll feel a touch more impact down low, mostly with hip hop or other tracks that have subtle b-line of low bass in the background, but I have to re-iterate the fact that the difference is minor. I think in this sense it's a missed opportunity for Beyerdynamic.
Mids and highs
Mids sometimes seem ever so slightly more subdued with the new version, in the sense that vocals can at times sound a little less up-front or dominant. Highs seem mostly comparable, though there is a possibility they could be a little less crisp or defined with the T1.2's, as detail retrieval as mentioned earlier, is often easier on the old version. Whilst both the T1.1's and T1.2's are overall smooth sounding cans (at least my copies), I actually on very rare instance, heard more sibilance with newer version when compared to the older version. I'm not sure if the new version has more of a peak somewhere in it's frequency range or not, but this might explain it. In any case, neither sounds crass or harsh, and are both smoother sounding than my HD800's. I'd imagine instances where they have sounded overly sibilant, are more a fault of the recording than the headphones themselves, especially given how rare sibilance is with either.
Perhaps I was lucky with my original T1.1's, as I never felt they ever needed further smoothening or tempering up top, contrary to the opinions of others.
Other sonic pick ups.
One thing I noticed was that with a few tracks, male vocalists sounded more honest and realistic on the T1.2's, whilst it was female vocalists that sometimes sounded better on the T1.1's. Also, as mentioned earlier, when listening to the same tracks on both headphones over and over, I often felt it was easier to make out subtle background sounds and tertiary instrumentals with the T1.1's compared to the T1.2's, though I still wouldn't class the latter as lacking in detail, it just doesn't have quite the imaging potency as the T1.1's. Having said that, the more intimate presentation the T1.2's offer did actually benefit a few tracks, which sounded a tad more atmospheric as a result.
Overall thoughts.
I'm not really sure if some of the changes with the T1.2's are necessarily positive, from the physical design differences, through to the sonic tweaks. Perhaps for those who had T1.1's that were overly sibilant or peaky, the new version will come as a Godsend. I personally never suffered these issues, and in that sense I'm not really sure the T1.2's bring much to the table. Sacrificing a little bit of imaging, soundstage width and overall detailing, for a more intimate soundstage and a smoother overall presentation, for me personally aren't enticing trade offs. The bass differences are a little too negligible to really count, which is a shame, as a slight sub bass boost is all that the original T1's ever really needed.
Despite feeling the second generation version of the T1's still sound absolutely fantastic, and are a joy to listen to, I still prefer the sound of my original T1's. They just seem that little bit more precise and open sounding. Having said that, to those who love cans like the Audeze LCD's 2's etc, which tend to have warmer, smoother more intimate presentations, maybe the T1.2's will be for you?
For now, my 5 year old pair of T1.1's are still my favourite cans, even if the logo and type has faded from the sides, and the sizing adjustments have become loose, and the leather headband is a little worn. The day it kicks the bucket is a day I never want to see.
Did the T1 even need improving?
Now I should mention, my copy of the T1.1's are what I'd class as pretty much ideal. I've never thought they suffered from any kind of sibilance, harshness or thinness of any kind, and they've always felt very smooth to me. In-fact, they're noticeably smoother than my HD800's, which can actually sometimes sound slightly thin and ever so slightly artificial in comparison. I'm confident there are some frequency differences amongst different copies of the same cans, simply due to manufacturing variance. The only thing I've ever felt was ever so slightly lacking with the T1.1's that I have, is sub bass quantity, but even then only in some tracks, and this is fairly easily remedied with some EQ'ing. When I need that extra bass, in Amarra I use an EQ with 32+4, 62+1 and 250-1, and that pretty much perfects them for those tracks that need the added sub bass oomph.
With all that said, with the T1.2's all I really wanted was something similar to what my EQ above essentially offers with my T1.1's, which is a slight boost to bass quantity, with limited loss of detail or change in overall sound signature.
Physical differences.
Before I get to the sonic differences, I thought I'd just spend a tiny bit of time explaining some of the physical one's. The most obvious is the new detachable cable, which is still high in quality, though a little less chunky than the old one, and now covered with what feels like a soft braided material instead of the rubber from the old one. The cups themselves I believe are exactly the same, minus the new ear cup material which to me doesn't look or feel quite as nice, and seems to make my ears get hotter quicker.
The headband also feels and looks different. It seems slightly chunkier, and is slightly less premium to the touch. I don't think the headband is actually made of real leather any more. Likewise, the bit that connects the leather and the metal clasps together on the old model is made of actual metal (albeit smaller in size), unlike with the new model where these pieces are now a chunkier plastic. On the plus side, the new headband has a much sturdier and stiffer size change clicks, which is great, and an improvement from the loose feeling clicks on the old version.
Overall whilst the new cans are essentially the same basic design as the old one, the new headphones seem just a touch less premium than the old version, and seem slightly lighter to hold too.
Sonic differences, detail retrieval.
So how do the T1.2's fair sonically? Well, naturally they are actually similar sounding to the T1.1's, however there are definitely some noticeable differences in how they both sound.
The most apparent difference overall is that the newer second generation model is slightly less open sounding, and a little less airy or detailed overall. I generally find it a touch harder to separate instruments and different sounds with as much precision as I can with my old T1.1's. Instead, with the T1.2's things sound ever so slightly more congested and intimate. I can't tell you exactly what causes this, though if I had to guess, it could be a combination of more subdued mids and highs, as well as a tiny bit more sub bass quantity, but after doing A/B comparisons with dozens and dozens of tracks, it was something I noticed recurringly. I'd often hear more tertiary background elements and sounds in tracks with the old version T1's compared to the new version, even though if I actively sought to hear the same sound or instrument with the T1.2's, I could generally find it, just not as easily.
Sound stage
On occasion, the soundstage with the T1.2's can sound a little deeper or more encapsulating, surrounding you more spherically, however it is definitely not as wide sounding as the original T1's, and this for me personally is a negative. I prefer width over depth, as I usually like to picture myself listening to a band, or listening to music as if the artist(s) are close in-front of me but spread out horizontally, as if on a stage, rather than only the main singer in-front, and the rest of the people playing the instruments surrounding me from all sides, some even from behind me. The T1.2's make the latter easier, and the former harder, whereas with the T1.1's it's the opposite. The T1.1's let you picture a wider and larger horizontal stage, where the T1.2's offer a soundstage that is a bit more intimate. Which you prefer will likely come down to subjective preference.
Bass
I was expecting the 2nd Generation T1's to have a noticeable bass emphasis over the originals, but in all honesty the bass is very comparable. I do feel like on occasion I can feel more sub bass quantity with the T1.2's, but it's only a very, very slight boost, and not really particularly noticeable or stand out. With certain tracks you'll feel a touch more impact down low, mostly with hip hop or other tracks that have subtle b-line of low bass in the background, but I have to re-iterate the fact that the difference is minor. I think in this sense it's a missed opportunity for Beyerdynamic.
Mids and highs
Mids sometimes seem ever so slightly more subdued with the new version, in the sense that vocals can at times sound a little less up-front or dominant. Highs seem mostly comparable, though there is a possibility they could be a little less crisp or defined with the T1.2's, as detail retrieval as mentioned earlier, is often easier on the old version. Whilst both the T1.1's and T1.2's are overall smooth sounding cans (at least my copies), I actually on very rare instance, heard more sibilance with newer version when compared to the older version. I'm not sure if the new version has more of a peak somewhere in it's frequency range or not, but this might explain it. In any case, neither sounds crass or harsh, and are both smoother sounding than my HD800's. I'd imagine instances where they have sounded overly sibilant, are more a fault of the recording than the headphones themselves, especially given how rare sibilance is with either.
Perhaps I was lucky with my original T1.1's, as I never felt they ever needed further smoothening or tempering up top, contrary to the opinions of others.
Other sonic pick ups.
One thing I noticed was that with a few tracks, male vocalists sounded more honest and realistic on the T1.2's, whilst it was female vocalists that sometimes sounded better on the T1.1's. Also, as mentioned earlier, when listening to the same tracks on both headphones over and over, I often felt it was easier to make out subtle background sounds and tertiary instrumentals with the T1.1's compared to the T1.2's, though I still wouldn't class the latter as lacking in detail, it just doesn't have quite the imaging potency as the T1.1's. Having said that, the more intimate presentation the T1.2's offer did actually benefit a few tracks, which sounded a tad more atmospheric as a result.
Overall thoughts.
I'm not really sure if some of the changes with the T1.2's are necessarily positive, from the physical design differences, through to the sonic tweaks. Perhaps for those who had T1.1's that were overly sibilant or peaky, the new version will come as a Godsend. I personally never suffered these issues, and in that sense I'm not really sure the T1.2's bring much to the table. Sacrificing a little bit of imaging, soundstage width and overall detailing, for a more intimate soundstage and a smoother overall presentation, for me personally aren't enticing trade offs. The bass differences are a little too negligible to really count, which is a shame, as a slight sub bass boost is all that the original T1's ever really needed.
Despite feeling the second generation version of the T1's still sound absolutely fantastic, and are a joy to listen to, I still prefer the sound of my original T1's. They just seem that little bit more precise and open sounding. Having said that, to those who love cans like the Audeze LCD's 2's etc, which tend to have warmer, smoother more intimate presentations, maybe the T1.2's will be for you?
For now, my 5 year old pair of T1.1's are still my favourite cans, even if the logo and type has faded from the sides, and the sizing adjustments have become loose, and the leather headband is a little worn. The day it kicks the bucket is a day I never want to see.
