[Alypius]

So my shiny new cans arrived! I gotta say the T1.2 is the best headphone I've heard. That's not saying a lot, mind, since I've only really listened to the DT990/600, HE560, HE440i, and HD-650. The best description that I can come up with is a "grown-up DT990." The resolution and staging is better, the bass is tighter (it still rocks though), and I don't hear any harshness in the treble (didn't hear it in the 990 either. YMMV.)
 
I've listened to my favorites and even found a new bass test track: "The Greatest Show on Earth" on Nightwish's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" CD. Opens with a solo piano followed by what sounds like the broadside of an Iowa-class battleship. Fantastic. The 990 performed as expected: rich, Richter-scale bass. The T1.2 had a different presentation with a faster decay but reaching a lot further down the register and with a lot more detail than the 990.
 
I've done all the mods on the 650 and I still don't like them. I like bright-sounding speakers (Klipsch) and BD headphones; the HE560s were also excellent, but they don't play nice with my Crack. The 560 and 650 will be on the "For Sale" forum shortly, alas.
 
The T1.2 displaces my beloved DT990 as my favorite 'phone. The bigger question, though, is the price delta worth it? The 990's go for about $250 on Amazon while the T1.2 is more than four times that at $1100. My setup is JRiver > Modi 2 Uber > Bottlehead Crack. The Crack is modified with a choke and bypass cap in the power supply and Mundorf film output caps. It's also running a Tung-Sol 5998 and Gold Lion 12AU7. I can see myself maybe upgrading to a Bifrost multibit, but that won't happen for a while. I'll have to listen to the T1.2 some more, but I'm not yet convinced they're worth the price.

 

[Peter Hyatt]

If I could only have one headphone, and it must be for everything from classical to rock, it would be the T1.2
 
It does all things well.  
 
I am in love with its IEM counterpart, the AK T8 ie.    This is the closest I have come to enjoying on the go music after listening only through the T1.  
 
With warm weather upon us, the T8 is getting more playing time.  

 

[Lord Raven]

Guys, T1 Gen 1 with my tube amp does not sound harsh or anything like that. I wish those claiming Gen 1 highs to be harsh could comment about their sources? Is it harsh with solid state amps?

 

[thatonenoob]

Guys, T1 Gen 1 with my tube amp does not sound harsh or anything like that. I wish those claiming Gen 1 highs to be harsh could comment about their sources? Is it harsh with solid state amps?

I think it also depends on serial number greatly. Early iterations up to the 3000 or 4000 point really doesnt do the t1 any favors. I suspect this is where a good amount of bad press is generated. However, the late iterations in the form of 15000+ are great. It represents the refinement of the classic t1 sound. Tube amps definitely help, though solid states dont make the late t1s sound particularly harsh either.

 

[Lord Raven]

Hi,

I just ordered a T1 and don't know it's serial number. I was talking about a friend's T1 in my amplifier.

What was the last known serial number that you know of? If I get something early 4000, would mine be harsh?

Best Regards
LR

I think it also depends on serial number greatly. Early iterations up to the 3000 or 4000 point really doesnt do the t1 any favors. I suspect this is where a good amount of bad press is generated. However, the late iterations in the form of 15000+ are great. It represents the refinement of the classic t1 sound. Tube amps definitely help, though solid states dont make the late t1s sound particularly harsh either.

 

[borrego]

Actually the early T1s with low serial numbers were sort after by some people, who considered them to be the best sounding T1. Those people claim these early T1s give fantastic sound after 1000 hours of usage.

 

[Alypius]

1000 hours?? That seems an excessive burn-in time. That's like listening to the same 'phones for eight hours a day for six months (based on 2000 hour work-year).

 

[Lord Raven]

I bought Focal Utopia, they told me burn in time is 1500 hours, it's been years, I am still burning in
 
Fingers crossed, let's see what serial number I get

 

[Alypius]

Hahaha! When I bought my Klipsch KLF-30's, I was talked into buying MIT Terminator 3 cables because of their "demonstrably greater soundstage and resolution." That was 15 years ago and while SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed) forced the sale of the KLF's, I still have the MIT's feeding my DefTech Mythos STS, but soundstage and resolution? Pfft. They split their time between Grey's Anatomy and The Blacklist. I may as well have Bose mains. This is why I have headphones. And drink bourbon.

 

[thatonenoob]

  Actually the early T1s with low serial numbers were sort after by some people, who considered them to be the best sounding T1. Those people claim these early T1s give fantastic sound after 1000 hours of usage.

While I can't say for certain -I think 1000 hours is more brain-in than burn-in.  I would take excessive burn-ins with a pinch of skepticism.  Also, there seemed to be build issues with the early ones.
 
Mine is around 20000+ (gotta check for certain), so it is the latest iteration before the 23,000 mark which saw the change of baffle housing (iirc).  

 

[Alypius]

That's what I was thinking. Over the last few weeks I've listened to half a dozen different 'phones as test drives. I rejected most outright because I'm a cranky person who's set in his ways, but I was happy with the HE-560 and T1.2. Would've kept the 560 if it played nicely with my Crack, but it'll be on my shortlist for my next office rig (sounded great with the Asgard 2). Still, it took some getting used to coming from my DT990. Point is, I think the "brain-in" is easier if the cans are closely matched. It's probably why I could never get used to the HD-650; always sounded like I was listening with water in my ears.

 

[thatonenoob]

  That's what I was thinking. Over the last few weeks I've listened to half a dozen different 'phones as test drives. I rejected most outright because I'm a cranky person who's set in his ways, but I was happy with the HE-560 and T1.2. Would've kept the 560 if it played nicely with my Crack, but it'll be on my shortlist for my next office rig (sounded great with the Asgard 2). Still, it took some getting used to coming from my DT990. Point is, I think the "brain-in" is easier if the cans are closely matched. It's probably why I could never get used to the HD-650; always sounded like I was listening with water in my ears.

HD-650 just wasn't very good in my opinion.  I think its sound sig is now bested by Audeze...which sounded much nicer as far as I was concerned.

 

[moriez]

  I think it also depends on serial number greatly. Early iterations up to the 3000 or 4000 point really doesnt do the t1 any favors. I suspect this is where a good amount of bad press is generated. However, the late iterations in the form of 15000+ are great. It represents the refinement of the classic t1 sound. Tube amps definitely help, though solid states dont make the late t1s sound particularly harsh either.

 
This is new to me. Is what you're saying based on own experience or repeatedly mentioned somewhere?

 

[thatonenoob]

   
This is new to me. Is what you're saying based on own experience or repeatedly mentioned somewhere?

It's been going around for a while amongst T1 Gen 1 owners. I've spent quite a while researching the various iterations of T1 through the serial numbers, and there is definitely solid evidence that the product is being updated both physically and sonically though its lifetime.  As far as I can tell, my S/N T1 is definitely better sounding than the older S/N (around 4000 iirc) that I had the opportunity to use for various purchase auditions.  

 

[Abupa]

Is it normal that almost no headphone has a perfect match in frequency response? Because I can hear it on almost every headphone, but on the other hand I almost never hear somebody else talk about it. 
My first T1.2 had an audible difference, the right side sounded louder on some higher frequencies and had more sibilance. I got a new one, even though they said it was within the specifications. This one is better but still one side is a bit louder, on movies voices come a bit more from the left.
I listened to other headphones in stores, and they sounded imbalanced too. I had the same problem with my previous sennheiser hd700: both times. 
 
So I guess it's normal? Part of the reason I sold my sennheiser hd700's was because of the imbalance. But it's always there with headphones. And not just one side, so it's not my hearing or equipment.