Question about Beyerdynamic T5p's

[KingOfTheWild]

This is extremely important to me . . . how transparent are these headphones? Do these headphones add something to the music you are listening to that isn't really there? How natural sounding are these? Also I have read reviews for these that state that these headphones have an 'r' shaped frequency response . . .  If you were to raise the amount of bass with EQing or an amp to make the FR more flat would lows, mids, highs or the overall sound be worse? ( less clarity or  increased distortion or something? ) I own the Incase Sonic's over-ear which actually from what I've heard from other reviews are excellent phones for their price/price range [ I wouldn't really know because I have only ever owned 2 pairs of HEADphones. I used to have the B&W P5's and I liked the sound quality ( however I didn't have many audio products I had heard to compare them to ) but I returned them to my local apple store because I found them uncomfortable and plus they did NOT stay on my head AT ALL, seriously whenever I walked I had to walk at the pace of a snail and I couldn't shake my head in answer to anybody or else they would fall off! ]. Things that people say they like in their reviews of this pair of headphones is that they are natural sounding and don't try to add things/elements to the music you are listening to (I guess that could just be called 'coloration' of the sound right?) [ these headphones are EXTREMELY comfortable ( WAY more comfortable than crappy beats solo and solo hd headphones that are just short of making me bleed from my ears! Yeah I used to be a brainless idiot who liked beats! ) seriously I could have those headphones sewn to my head permanently and I wouldn't care! ] Anyway I am getting off topic so I will finish here, if anyone can answer the above questions it would be greatly appreciated!

 

[obobskivich]

You won't change the fundamental sound of a headphone through EQ - it isn't magic. Amps are not tone controls. Here's the T5p datasheet:
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/BeyerdynamicT5p.pdf
 
I believe Tyll used the words "abomination of harshness" talking about the T5p - other users seem to love them; makes me think they're a fairly polarizing piece. For the price, I'd suggest trying before you buy - or buy from somewhere that lets you send them back if you're unhappy. 
 
Perhaps you'll get some owner impressions, which is always helpful, but I'm guessing you'll get polarized responses.
 
 
 
 

 

[KingOfTheWild]

Thanks for helping me out but I have no idea how to read those charts or what they mean! I am not really an audiophile . . . I'm just one of those people who are obsessed with having the best. I have never even heard high quality music, I have only heard stuff like mp3's and aac's. I just want to hear what good quality music sounds like coming from a good pair of headphones, amp, dac etc. A lot of people don't want to spend a lot of money on good audio products and cd's and vinyls and stuff but I don't like missing out on luxury's.

 

[ssrock64]

The graph you'd want to look at is the frequency response graph. It shows you (on the y-axis) the volume of the sound, with the horizontal measurements being the frequency of the sound. Those frequencies are from sub-bass to high treble. So, looking at the FR graph for the T5p you can see that it has plenty of sub-bass, but has a slight dip in the bass right before 100Hz, meaning that some bass will be a bit quieter. It also has ever so slightly recessed mids and an accented treble range.

 

[obobskivich]

I would not suggest the T5ps (or anything in the flagship range) as a first-time purchase just because you want a luxury item. I don't mean to be rude, but I would spend time educating yourself before you just dump money into a hole. The T5p are not "the" best - they're very expensive and for some people they are probably the best. I can list probably a half-dozen other products for the same price (or near enough) that are also "the best." 
 
And I would not even CONSIDER buying something like the T5p (or even something at HALF the price) if you're listening to highly compressed garbage. If that's what you've got, look at something that will be more forgiving. Additionally (And this is more of a general piece of advice), look at what you want the headphone to do - and look at getting a headphone that satisfies that. In other words, if you're into bassy music and want a lot of bass response, get such a headphone. Don't just grab the most expensive thing you see and assume it will be the best (and if that's really what you're going to do, don't pick a Beyerdynamic; pick something that isn't as polarizing - like the Denon AH-D7000).
 
Also, here's a great analysis of headphone graphs from another thread - I think it applies here as well: http://www.head-fi.org/t/539510/my-best-sony-headphones-to-date-mdr-sa5000#post_7275555 (this is from a thread about the Sony MDR-SA5000). 
 
From reading the T5p graph, I see something colored and potentially slow sounding, with a mid-range suckout; I see something I would probably hate. Other people probably adore them (I've read a couple of praise posts for sure) - all depends on the listener. I know for certain that my personal favorites are not universally loved - some of them are quite expensive as well. It's just the nature of things.
 
Quote:

Thanks for helping me out but I have no idea how to read those charts or what they mean! I am not really an audiophile . . . I'm just one of those people who are obsessed with having the best. I have never even heard high quality music, I have only heard stuff like mp3's and aac's. I just want to hear what good quality music sounds like coming from a good pair of headphones, amp, dac etc. A lot of people don't want to spend a lot of money on good audio products and cd's and vinyls and stuff but I don't like missing out on luxury's.

 

 

[KingOfTheWild]

Thanks for the advice. I plan to buy higher quality music in the near future I am just waiting because of an article I saw on MacRumors that said that the recording artist Neil Young met with Steve Jobs before his death to discuss putting an extremely high quality format on the iTunes Store ( He said that it would be 100% of the original recording from the studio so better than CD). It was disappointing to hear that progress wasn't really being made since Steve's death though .                                     

 

[KingOfTheWild]

I was going to say something else but I left and went to church for 3 hours so I forgot.

 

[obobskivich]

I wouldn't worry too much about this. CD quality is more than good enough (it qualifies as "transparent") - and even if you have some silly high bitrate "lossless codec" configuration doesn't mean the mastering/recording was done properly; it doesn't guarantee fidelity. Just buy CDs (or whatever you want - SACD, DVD-A, Vinyl LPs, etc).
Quote:

Thanks for the advice. I plan to buy higher quality music in the near future I am just waiting because of an article I saw on MacRumors that said that the recording artist Neil Young met with Steve Jobs before his death to discuss putting an extremely high quality format on the iTunes Store ( He said that it would be 100% of the original recording from the studio so better than CD). It was disappointing to hear that progress wasn't really being made since Steve's death though .                                     

 

 

[GL1TCH3D]

I don't know if you're still looking for answers...
I upgraded from the P5s to the T5p. It's a very big jump. Overall it's a huge improvement to my ears. You definitely don't want compressed crap. Even 320kbps vs alac makes a difference to me through these. They do need some amping. I find they respond very well to the EQu app on my iPhone. I'll be receiving a fiio e17 soon. Using the Asus Xonar U3 sound card on my laptop, they're very good. Though the sound card produces a very noticeable hiss during quieter parts, still better than the built-in sound card.
If you have questions about them, feel free to ask me.

 

[razmalai]

I purchased new Beyer T5P's from an online site I had good experience with in the past and received headphones with a straight, not right-angled plug.

Is it possible I received a pair someone else previously bought and modded then returned to them??

The # is 7464 so I don't know if this means it is older or newer in terms of production date.