Have to say...after a long road of searching, I believe these are my end game closed phones for a while. Within the last year I've had the Oppo PM 3, Audeze Sine, Audeze EL-8 Titanium, TH-X00, Momentum 2, Bose QC25, NAD HP50, P7, Beyer DT1770, and some of the other recommended closed phones, but all were either sold or returned for one reason or another. I think I can finally stop (for a while) and just enjoy these.
So I have to ask... are you still holding on to your T5p.2s? If not, what followed and what's on your head right now?
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In my experience, the DT1770 has definitely got more bass quantity ... Furthermore the sound seems to be more direct on your ears which is due to the angled driver in the T5P. Therefore the soundstage on the DT1770 seemed smaller, but still large for a closed headphones ... On higher levels the treble on the DT1770 got more harsh. I guess the signature is a slight v or u curve.
The resolution of both headphones didn't differ to much, I guess the T5P had a slight edge. However, that could also be attributed to the different emphasis on the bass and treble.
The T5P seemed more natural to my ears, having a more balanced, though still little warm signature. This also meant less tiring in my case. I absolutely loved its holographic soundstage. ... The bass was great and much better than on T5P first gen which I didn't like as much as the dt1770 in a first comparison. The second gen however seemed perfect to my ears on that aspect. The build quality on both was great. The clamping on the dt1770 is noticeably higher, probably resulting in a better resolution...
First off, great analysis, thank you
I had the opportunity to try the DT 1770 Pro along with the T5p.2 T1.2 and A&K T1p. Coming from an open-can background I couldn't manage to fully appreciate the 1770s finding them "slightly" dark and veiled. On the other side of the spectrum, the T1.2 and A&K T1ps were too "thin" for my taste. While the T1p is a 32-ohm version of the T1.2, they seemed to be much closer in character than either one is with the T5p.2. FYI, I was using a Chord Mojo for the auditions.
Bass is perfect on the T5p.2s while the treble seems to be ever-so-slightly rolled off so I can understand why many describe them as
balanced. Personally, I'm hoping for a bit more HF over time as they break in.
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I haven't tried a portable amp but the T5p's seem to be sensitive to source/amps. I was using a good quality amp/source (Yulong A18/D18). The T5p's sounded very good but my Audeze LC2's sounded better. I recently switched to a Burson Conductor Virtuoso. The Audeze continue to sound great but not much change. The T5p, on the other hand, now sound sublime. They are blowing the doors off my Audeze. The T5p and the Burson is the best combo I've ever heard. Both amps have plenty of power so I don't think the wattage has anything to do with it. It just seems like the T5p's gel better with some equipment than others.
I agree. I don't have your level of HW but simply going from the Mojo to the AK320 changed the T5p.2's signature enough that I was taken by surprise. My comments above were based on the Mojo as DAC but with the AK320 I'd have to claim a slight veil and more of a roll-off of HF. I even started to question the soundstage which felt like it was closing in with the AK320. Now in the AK320s defence, none of these issues are apparent when paired with the JHA Angies, Etymotic ER-4S or Grado SR225. Maybe these have a surplus in both HF and soundstage so that they pair well with the "warm" AK320...
I also own a Dragonfly Red but haven't had the opportunity to try that combo and tbh I can't imagine anything good can come from that pairing... . So again, I am right behind you and your assessment - the T5p.2 needs proper pairing with source!
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... As for the bass reproduction, yes there's a big difference. T5p.2 has really rich and deep bass that doesn't get "muddy" (if that is the correct term to describe it) I enjoy the bass section of T5p.2 with almost every genre I listen to... T1.2 is another story. I find it to be better tuned than T5p.2 The bass is not as deep as T5p.2 but it doesn't mean that it is lacking. It is as punchy as T5p and I tend to enjoy rock and especially heavy metal more with T1.2. Being an open-back headphone, the overall feel is airy, including the bass. All in all they are both exceptional headphones and I think they compliment one another ... The three biggest difference would be, 1 - The bass, 2 - The airy sound and as a result better imaging or sound stage of T1.2 and 3 - T1.2 is a little bit brighter than T5p.2 ...
Yes, the T1.2 is quite a bit brighter - in a good way (imho). Reading all of the above opinions including yours and I find myself day-dreaming of a T5p.3 with the HF of the T1.2s, the LFs of the T5p.2s and maybe just a tad larger soundstage than the T5p.2 - which already has a very impressive soundstage for closed cans. After listening to them for a while and then switching to my old but faithful Grado 225s, I feel a bit "lost", as if the 225s have too much air (is that even possible?).
Owning both JH Audio's Angie and Etymotic ER-4S IEMs, I think I am getting used to "bright" signatures... . Thus it is very easy for me to produce a frown when wearing something like the Oppo PM-3s. The combination of a smaller (closed-can) soundstage and slightly rolled-off HF make such cans way too dark. The Grado 225s aren't as bright per se, but the airy, expansive soundstage makes it easier to distinguish the higher frequencies, if that makes any sense...
Congrats!
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