[knorris908]

You're using FiiO gear to power (and as a source) your T1s?

No. The e17 amp doesn't have enough power. If I max it out to 60 it can make them listenable in a quiet room, but never fully powered either version of the T1. I was only referring to the DAC portion vs the DAC of my iDSD. I use the ASGARD2 as the amp after the e17. Apologies For being unclear.

 

[technobear]

They are perfect for relaxed numbers, but put some pop music on and most of the time they don't sound good at all. 

The solution here is the iFi Audio micro iCAN.

Level 3 XBASS is the perfect anti-dote to thin sounding pop.

 

[OmidelF]

people who listened to both of them please help!
 
so i wanted to buy a t1 with A20 amp but i found out that that's the old version and the 2nd generation of T1 is not available in my country
 
 
so is there a big difference between them ? does it worth to wait maybe 5-6 month to get the new one instead of the old version ? like 5% difference between them or what ?

 

[raypin]

mmmm.....the 2nd gen is worth the wait. I like it a lot. Beyer fixed what's wrong with the T1 and, a big plus for me, the option to replace the stock cable with 3rd party cable. I don't miss the T1 at all.

 

[Peter Hyatt]

 

I agree.

 

[knorris908]

people who listened to both of them please help!

so i wanted to buy a t1 with A20 amp but i found out that that's the old version and the 2nd generation of T1 is not available in my country


so is there a big difference between them ? does it worth to wait maybe 5-6 month to get the new one instead of the old version ? like 5% difference between them or what ?

Here you can see both T1 versions and the mobile rig I use in hotel rooms during business trips. Both are EXCELLENT headphones. I personally like the version 2 better, but only because I got to listen to them back to back while purposely trying to decide which one I liked better. If the version 2 had never existed, I would have been quite happy with the version 1. Yes, there is a more "refined" handling of treble in the version 2, but the big differentiator for me is I wanted the removable cables so I could easily transition to balanced in the future.

The version 1 IS NOT BAD. I place it neck&neck with the HD-800. The version 2 just places itself ahead of the HD-800 is all. Hopefully that puts it in perspective.

 

[Peter Hyatt]

KNorris, what is "balanced" that you might switch over to?  Thanks! 

 

[Peter Hyatt]

I seen onecall advertising on amazon an open box headphones for $844. I got them to drop it to $800. I think i grabbed the last one.

 
Were you happy with the open box purchase?  

 

[knorris908]

   
KNorris, what is "balanced" that you might switch over to?  Thanks! 

 
Oof...  There are MUCH better-qualified members than me who can explain this, but I'll offer-up my BASIC understanding:
 
1 - Unbalanced audio paths have 2 conductors. 1 conductor carries the audio signal & the other conductor serves as the the shield, or "ground".  An unbalanced signal can at times can be susceptible to interference from radio frequencies or electro magnetic fields resulting in noise or "buzz" or even radio chatter!.

2 - A balanced signal has 3 conductors. It relies on a "sum & difference" principal. (Sum & difference is the combining "summing" of 2 signals that are out of phase from each other. Whatever doesn't cancel out is what you get to hear "difference".
 
So, if you have a TRUE balanced audio path, in theory, it should sound cleaner, and with less distortion than an unbalanced audio path.  I say TRUE, because I have recently learned that there are units that are "UNBALANCED" inside, yet have balanced outputs and inputs.  This I'm trying to learn more about before I make any final decisions on purchases myself. 
 
Please take this with a grain of salt, as I'm learning that there is a LOT of "mis-information" out there, and I've no wish to contribute to it.  So far as I can tell, this is a close approximation to the truth.  Others will correct me if not, and I welcome it as I will learn in the process.
 
 
Ken N. 

 

[GoSUV]

While it's true in general regarding the difference between single-ended vs. balanced, but in reality, component design and cable length also contribute. For example, if a device's design is optimized for single-ended, its balanced performance may not be ideal. Since you need twice the number of components to properly do balanced over SE, there's more chance of distortion and the result may not be necessarily better - it's all in the design. Furthermore, there's the issue of the length of the cable run. For professional applications where the run is usually quite long, the benefits of balanced will be obvious. In typical home audiophile use, when the cable run usually doesn't extend more than a few meters, often it is not worth the extra components and cost to do balanced over SE. Of course in the end a lot of factors come into play, but the ultimate driver being the design of the device, and which mode it was optimized for.

 

[MacedonianHero]

No. The e17 amp doesn't have enough power. If I max it out to 60 it can make them listenable in a quiet room, but never fully powered either version of the T1. I was only referring to the DAC portion vs the DAC of my iDSD. I use the ASGARD2 as the amp after the e17. Apologies For being unclear.

 
The Asgard 2 is better, but you're still leaving a lot of cards still on the table. I'd recommend a local meet...a great way to hear what's out there.

 

[OmidelF]

Here you can see both T1 versions and the mobile rig I use in hotel rooms during business trips. Both are EXCELLENT headphones. I personally like the version 2 better, but only because I got to listen to them back to back while purposely trying to decide which one I liked better. If the version 2 had never existed, I would have been quite happy with the version 1. Yes, there is a more "refined" handling of treble in the version 2, but the big differentiator for me is I wanted the removable cables so I could easily transition to balanced in the future.

The version 1 IS NOT BAD. I place it neck&neck with the HD-800. The version 2 just places itself ahead of the HD-800 is all. Hopefully that puts it in perspective.

 
 
thanks for the replay , so if the big difference is just the removable cables and there is just a little more refined handling of treble i don't think its worth waiting couple of months 
to get it , considering i'm switching from a denon d2000 to this ! and that i mostly listen to pop and hip hop and dance so i dont think i would notice a big difference between them or regret not going for new version , right ?! 
 
 
also what amp do you use with it , i research a lot and i heard that beyerdynamic A20 is very good with t1 (100mW@600ohm ,also this is the only good amp available in my counter , this and A2 which is very expensive for me ) do you think using this with a A20 will make me go "wow i'm really glad that i spend this much on a headphone and amp ! " ?

 

[plakat]

   
 
thanks for the replay , so if the big difference is just the removable cables and there is just a little more refined handling of treble i don't think its worth waiting couple of months 
to get it , considering i'm switching from a denon d2000 to this ! and that i mostly listen to pop and hip hop and dance so i dont think i would notice a big difference between them or regret not going for new version , right ?! 
 
 
also what amp do you use with it , i research a lot and i heard that beyerdynamic A20 is very good with t1 (100mW@600ohm ,also this is the only good amp available in my counter , this and A2 which is very expensive for me ) do you think using this with a A20 will make me go "wow i'm really glad that i spend this much on a headphone and amp ! " ?

Coming from a D200 be prepared to less bass... The T1 has very good and clean, structured bass but the amount is not as with the D2000. I've always found it very satisfactory with electronic music though.
Personally I slightly prefer the old version (most people seem to disagree though). Plus I think the T1 (as well as the old T5p) sounded best with Beyerdynamic amps, of which the A2 is a bit of a stretch (i.e. not really cheap), the A20 being the sane choice.
 
For starting out I'd suggest to get a used original T1. If you love it -- problem solved. If you want a touch softer treble and a bit warmer mids -- try the T1.2. If the sound signature is simply not for you -- sell it at minimum loss (reselling used is always better than selling an item you bought as new) and get something different.

 

[OmidelF]

 
Coming from a D200 be prepared to less bass... The T1 has very good and clean, structured bass but the amount is not as with the D2000. I've always found it very satisfactory with electronic music though.
Personally I slightly prefer the old version (most people seem to disagree though). Plus I think the T1 (as well as the old T5p) sounded best with Beyerdynamic amps, of which the A2 is a bit of a stretch (i.e. not really cheap), the A20 being the sane choice.
 
For starting out I'd suggest to get a used original T1. If you love it -- problem solved. If you want a touch softer treble and a bit warmer mids -- try the T1.2. If the sound signature is simply not for you -- sell it at minimum loss (reselling used is always better than selling an item you bought as new) and get something different.

so if i want to test a T1  with A20, what sound quality i should use ? are 320kbps mp3's that are easily found on the net enough ?or i should get another format ?
 
 
because i only have mp3 formats that are around 320kbps  , is that enough to find the real quality of T1 ? and i also don't know how to get other formats

 

[plakat]

  so if i want to test a T1  with A20, what sound quality i should use ? are 320kbps mp3's that are easily found on the net enough ?or i should get another format ?
 
 
because i only have mp3 formats that are around 320kbps  , is that enough to find the real quality of T1 ? and i also don't know how to get other formats

320kbps is not bad per se and, depending on music and mastering, most people will not be able to reliably tell the difference to CD quality. Plus if your collectino is comprised of that format -- thats what you should test drive it with. It does not help you if the combination does CD-quality perfectly but drops out on your actual music after all
 
Personally I don't use anything above Red Book (i.e. CD quality 16bit/44.1kHz) which I either buy as CD and rip myself or buy electronically from Qobuz.com, and a lot of my EDM stuff is 256kbps AAC bought off iTunes Store.
 
I don't care how good (or bad) a system sounds with the en vogue Test CDs / titles, it has to sound good with the music I actually listen to. Which leads to the fact that other people might enjoy different combinations -- there's no single system to satisfy everyone.