pbirkett
Headphoneus Supremus
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- Jun 12, 2002
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Beyerdynamic DT531 Review
Associated equipment: Rotel RA-01 Amplification, Terratec EWX24/96 soundcard source, Van Den Hul The Bay C5 interconnect.
As you all know, I have been something of a Beyer addict over the last few months, and I have been through the DT770 Pro, DT880, DT931 and DT990 Pro. In between those, I have also had the AKG K271 Studio in my possession, and the benchmark headphone of sorts, the Sennheiser HD580. There are some bloody good headphones here, but the fact is, the Beyer DT531, the cheapest and most understated of all these headphones, is the only one left that I still possess. The rest have either been given back to their owners, or sold.
Firstly, when I bought these headphones, I was using Sennheiser HD580s which I had borrowed off a friend. I had used these for 3 weeks, and they were pleasant headphones, both comfortable, and had a nice sound, that I believe to be one of the best I have heard from headphones. The DT990 Pro was also flavour of the month at Chéz Birkett
due to their excellent bass performance and lively sound.
The problem was, the HD580 were not mine, and the DT990 Pro I found to sound unnatural, dark and fatiguing on my system. That’s not to say the DT990 Pro were bad headphones, far from it, it’s just that the synergy was not there with my system. I suspect it would take a decent valve amplifier to bring the best out of the DT990 Pro’s, something like an X-Cans at least. They just didn’t gel with the Rotel.
So I gave the HD580s back. I now had 3 choices. I was thinking of plumping for the HD600, or getting something different. I had 2 main contenders. The Beyer DT531 was one such contender; the Sony MDR-CD1700 was the other. After reading several lukewarm CD1700 reviews, I decided to plump for the groovalizer™ DT531
Out of the box, the DT531 feels cheap and flimsy in comparison with almost all other headphones I had before. The cable is extremely thin but on the plus side, it’s not coiled. The cans themselves look quite small, and for those with large ears, it may cause a little discomfort as I feel someone with large ears may end up with the padding resting on their ears. For me however, the cans are light, my ears fit perfectly inside the cans, and I like the headband which makes them feel lighter still. Clamping pressure strikes the right balance of tightness and comfort, and apart from the HD580s, these are the most comfortable headphones I’ve worn yet. Just a little note on the HD580s, the pair I had were stretched as they were several years old. If you get too much clamping force, simply bend the headband until its looser, they are *extremely* comfortable then. Anyway, back to the DT531, I find them more comfortable than any other Beyer I’ve tried so far – the DT770 and 990 being the least comfortable, with their small headbands. The DT770 was the least comfortable, their pads seemed slightly harder and less furry than on other Beyers I’ve owned. The DT990 had the nicest pads, but were still plagued by the small headband. The DT880 has a better headband than both, but it had a tendency to burn my scalp. The DT931 was ok, but I had a minor niggle with the comfort of that which escapes me, being as it was 6 months ago since I last heard them.
Unfortunately, by the time I had got these cans, I had sold off my Corda HA-1 which would have been nice as a comparison to the Rotel. It has been my experience that I preferred my Rotel for the vast majority of headphones that have been in my possession, except perhaps the HD580’s which sounded cleaner and more detailed from the Corda, and also the K271’s which sounded more open. However, experience told me that whatever differences existed, they were always relatively small and subtle (we’re talking no more than 10% either way). Experience taught me that HD580 and Corda share a great synergy though, and I’d recommend it for any HD580 owner searching for a nice low cost amp for their cans. And given the similarity in signature between the HD580 and DT531, it would have been nice to have the opportunity to compare.
Nevertheless, the DT531 seems to share a superb synergy with my existing equipment. If I could sum the sound up in a paragraph, I’d say they were warm, relatively bassy and quite forgiving cans that are capable of carrying a tune. To some people and on some equipment, the DT531 may come across as having slightly rolled off treble, but on the end of my Rotel, I can’t say that I’ve noticed any such problems. At worst, it sounds a teeny bit restrained, but it can do really bright recordings a big favour, sounding a lot more balanced, and never harsh or fatiguing.
The midrange sounds smooth, warm and relaxed, and is a good performer at most genres. While it lacks the air guitar factor of a Grado, I’d say the DT531 makes a better rock can than the Sennheiser. There is naturalness on display here with my equipment that has eluded all comers so far, even the Sennheiser, and it’s fair to say that it is a very “organic” sounding headphone.
The bass is also smooth, relatively punchy, if not the deepest around on any can. The likes of the Sennheiser, or any of the other Beyers I mention will dig that little bit deeper than the DT531, but there is no way one could describe the DT531 as bass light. It’s still managed to hit the lowest notes in all of the music I listen to, and only bass tests have revealed a slight disadvantage over the other phones here. In terms of bass punch, it’s on par with a Sennheiser HD580, maybe slightly more impacting if anything. It cannot match a DT770 or DT990 for bass punch. It exceeds the bass punch of a K271 or DT880.
The soundstage on the DT531s is smaller than all the other cans I mention here except the K271. The soundstage that exists is accurate and focused, but doesn’t sound as big as most Beyer cans I’ve heard, including the closed DT770. The soundstage on the DT531 sounds a lot more spacious than on the K271 which sounds very closed in to my ears, even on the Corda which did a nice job of opening it up a bit.
Possibly the best thing about the DT531 though is its ability to make one relax and enjoy the music. Its non fatiguing presentation means hours of listening can be done without any loss of enjoyment. The headphone is detailed, but not forced unlike some (DT931), and it carries a tune extremely well, and displays a level of coherence that almost every other headphone I’ve ever heard can only hint at. This allows one to hear the music as a whole rather than a collection of individual sounds.
If I was being critical, if there is one thing wrong with the DT531, it is that it cannot let its hair down in the same way as some headphones. What I mean by that is that it is musically enjoyable, but it doesn’t really ROCK out the way some headphones can (Grado’s). However, even on some hard hitting genres I prefer it to the DT770 and DT990 because it simply sounds so much better overall.
In the next fortnight or so, I hope to have a Sony MDR-CD3000 at my disposal. I plan for the DT531 and CD3000 to be the cans that I settle with, the CD3000 will hopefully offer what I miss from the DT531, that is, a bigger and more tangible soundstage, more slamming bass, more detailed highs and a generally more forward and aggressive sound. These will then make good compliments for each other. However, I must say, that the CD3000 has a tall order on its hands to sound much better than these DT531s, and considering the DT531 can be had for around $100 or so, I would say that the DT531 is one of the greatest headphone bargains going today.
Mini Comparisons
DT531 v DT931
The DT531 is more comfortable, and lighter. The DT931 has a faster sound, deeper bass, is more dynamic and has a larger soundstage, but sounds unnatural, overly bright and tinny and lacks bass impact. Fatiguing to listen to for a long time at anything more than a moderate volume.
DT531 v DT770
The DT531 is a lot lighter and more comfortable, doesn’t burn the scalp. The DT770 has more deep bass and bass impact, but also this colours the midrange and makes it sound dark and muddy; the highs on the DT770 are unrefined in comparison. And although DT770 has a larger soundstage, the DT531 sounds superior in almost every respect by virtue of being a lot more balanced.
DT531 v DT880
The DT531 is more comfortable as it is lighter and doesn’t cause scalp burn. The DT880 has more deep bass, brighter highs, a much bigger soundstage, greater dynamics, smoother overall sound and more detail than the DT531. The DT880 however, lacks bass impact (without something like an RKV anyway), and the musicality of the DT531 eludes the DT880, which sounds too much like a collection of individual sounds in comparison. On some equipment, the DT880 can sound a bit metallic compared to the DT531.
DT531 v DT990
The DT990 is much like the DT770 but sounds more open, slightly less bassy and thus less muddy. This is a closer match, but on my equipment it sounds unnatural and fatiguing, the DT531 still sounds the superior headphone to my ears. Comfort issues of the DT990 much the same as DT770.
DT531 v HD580
Comfort is about equal on both. These two headphones sound more alike than any of the other headphones here. The highs of the DT531 are less harsh than the HD580 (not that HD580 has harsh highs), and the bass slightly more punch on DT531. There doesn’t seem to be that veil on the DT531 (a veil which was more or less cured using the Corda HA-1). The soundstage on HD580 is much bigger and they sound more speaker like. This is a close battle indeed, but DT531 is possibly less fussy about the partnering components than HD580. The Beyer possibly sounds that bit more bouncy to my ears though.
DT531 v K271S
Comfort on the K271s is not bad at all, excepting my hot ears, and if not for that issue would be on par with the DT531. The highs on the K271 are stronger but also grainier than DT531, the midrange on the K271 sounds closed in, but also echoes at the same time, leading to a somewhat strange sound. Bass lacks impact and depth, but the K271 is very neutral for a closed headphone. All the same, the DT531 is the more enjoyable headphone to my ears.
Associated equipment: Rotel RA-01 Amplification, Terratec EWX24/96 soundcard source, Van Den Hul The Bay C5 interconnect.
As you all know, I have been something of a Beyer addict over the last few months, and I have been through the DT770 Pro, DT880, DT931 and DT990 Pro. In between those, I have also had the AKG K271 Studio in my possession, and the benchmark headphone of sorts, the Sennheiser HD580. There are some bloody good headphones here, but the fact is, the Beyer DT531, the cheapest and most understated of all these headphones, is the only one left that I still possess. The rest have either been given back to their owners, or sold.
Firstly, when I bought these headphones, I was using Sennheiser HD580s which I had borrowed off a friend. I had used these for 3 weeks, and they were pleasant headphones, both comfortable, and had a nice sound, that I believe to be one of the best I have heard from headphones. The DT990 Pro was also flavour of the month at Chéz Birkett
The problem was, the HD580 were not mine, and the DT990 Pro I found to sound unnatural, dark and fatiguing on my system. That’s not to say the DT990 Pro were bad headphones, far from it, it’s just that the synergy was not there with my system. I suspect it would take a decent valve amplifier to bring the best out of the DT990 Pro’s, something like an X-Cans at least. They just didn’t gel with the Rotel.
So I gave the HD580s back. I now had 3 choices. I was thinking of plumping for the HD600, or getting something different. I had 2 main contenders. The Beyer DT531 was one such contender; the Sony MDR-CD1700 was the other. After reading several lukewarm CD1700 reviews, I decided to plump for the groovalizer™ DT531
Out of the box, the DT531 feels cheap and flimsy in comparison with almost all other headphones I had before. The cable is extremely thin but on the plus side, it’s not coiled. The cans themselves look quite small, and for those with large ears, it may cause a little discomfort as I feel someone with large ears may end up with the padding resting on their ears. For me however, the cans are light, my ears fit perfectly inside the cans, and I like the headband which makes them feel lighter still. Clamping pressure strikes the right balance of tightness and comfort, and apart from the HD580s, these are the most comfortable headphones I’ve worn yet. Just a little note on the HD580s, the pair I had were stretched as they were several years old. If you get too much clamping force, simply bend the headband until its looser, they are *extremely* comfortable then. Anyway, back to the DT531, I find them more comfortable than any other Beyer I’ve tried so far – the DT770 and 990 being the least comfortable, with their small headbands. The DT770 was the least comfortable, their pads seemed slightly harder and less furry than on other Beyers I’ve owned. The DT990 had the nicest pads, but were still plagued by the small headband. The DT880 has a better headband than both, but it had a tendency to burn my scalp. The DT931 was ok, but I had a minor niggle with the comfort of that which escapes me, being as it was 6 months ago since I last heard them.
Unfortunately, by the time I had got these cans, I had sold off my Corda HA-1 which would have been nice as a comparison to the Rotel. It has been my experience that I preferred my Rotel for the vast majority of headphones that have been in my possession, except perhaps the HD580’s which sounded cleaner and more detailed from the Corda, and also the K271’s which sounded more open. However, experience told me that whatever differences existed, they were always relatively small and subtle (we’re talking no more than 10% either way). Experience taught me that HD580 and Corda share a great synergy though, and I’d recommend it for any HD580 owner searching for a nice low cost amp for their cans. And given the similarity in signature between the HD580 and DT531, it would have been nice to have the opportunity to compare.
Nevertheless, the DT531 seems to share a superb synergy with my existing equipment. If I could sum the sound up in a paragraph, I’d say they were warm, relatively bassy and quite forgiving cans that are capable of carrying a tune. To some people and on some equipment, the DT531 may come across as having slightly rolled off treble, but on the end of my Rotel, I can’t say that I’ve noticed any such problems. At worst, it sounds a teeny bit restrained, but it can do really bright recordings a big favour, sounding a lot more balanced, and never harsh or fatiguing.
The midrange sounds smooth, warm and relaxed, and is a good performer at most genres. While it lacks the air guitar factor of a Grado, I’d say the DT531 makes a better rock can than the Sennheiser. There is naturalness on display here with my equipment that has eluded all comers so far, even the Sennheiser, and it’s fair to say that it is a very “organic” sounding headphone.
The bass is also smooth, relatively punchy, if not the deepest around on any can. The likes of the Sennheiser, or any of the other Beyers I mention will dig that little bit deeper than the DT531, but there is no way one could describe the DT531 as bass light. It’s still managed to hit the lowest notes in all of the music I listen to, and only bass tests have revealed a slight disadvantage over the other phones here. In terms of bass punch, it’s on par with a Sennheiser HD580, maybe slightly more impacting if anything. It cannot match a DT770 or DT990 for bass punch. It exceeds the bass punch of a K271 or DT880.
The soundstage on the DT531s is smaller than all the other cans I mention here except the K271. The soundstage that exists is accurate and focused, but doesn’t sound as big as most Beyer cans I’ve heard, including the closed DT770. The soundstage on the DT531 sounds a lot more spacious than on the K271 which sounds very closed in to my ears, even on the Corda which did a nice job of opening it up a bit.
Possibly the best thing about the DT531 though is its ability to make one relax and enjoy the music. Its non fatiguing presentation means hours of listening can be done without any loss of enjoyment. The headphone is detailed, but not forced unlike some (DT931), and it carries a tune extremely well, and displays a level of coherence that almost every other headphone I’ve ever heard can only hint at. This allows one to hear the music as a whole rather than a collection of individual sounds.
If I was being critical, if there is one thing wrong with the DT531, it is that it cannot let its hair down in the same way as some headphones. What I mean by that is that it is musically enjoyable, but it doesn’t really ROCK out the way some headphones can (Grado’s). However, even on some hard hitting genres I prefer it to the DT770 and DT990 because it simply sounds so much better overall.
In the next fortnight or so, I hope to have a Sony MDR-CD3000 at my disposal. I plan for the DT531 and CD3000 to be the cans that I settle with, the CD3000 will hopefully offer what I miss from the DT531, that is, a bigger and more tangible soundstage, more slamming bass, more detailed highs and a generally more forward and aggressive sound. These will then make good compliments for each other. However, I must say, that the CD3000 has a tall order on its hands to sound much better than these DT531s, and considering the DT531 can be had for around $100 or so, I would say that the DT531 is one of the greatest headphone bargains going today.
Mini Comparisons
DT531 v DT931
The DT531 is more comfortable, and lighter. The DT931 has a faster sound, deeper bass, is more dynamic and has a larger soundstage, but sounds unnatural, overly bright and tinny and lacks bass impact. Fatiguing to listen to for a long time at anything more than a moderate volume.
DT531 v DT770
The DT531 is a lot lighter and more comfortable, doesn’t burn the scalp. The DT770 has more deep bass and bass impact, but also this colours the midrange and makes it sound dark and muddy; the highs on the DT770 are unrefined in comparison. And although DT770 has a larger soundstage, the DT531 sounds superior in almost every respect by virtue of being a lot more balanced.
DT531 v DT880
The DT531 is more comfortable as it is lighter and doesn’t cause scalp burn. The DT880 has more deep bass, brighter highs, a much bigger soundstage, greater dynamics, smoother overall sound and more detail than the DT531. The DT880 however, lacks bass impact (without something like an RKV anyway), and the musicality of the DT531 eludes the DT880, which sounds too much like a collection of individual sounds in comparison. On some equipment, the DT880 can sound a bit metallic compared to the DT531.
DT531 v DT990
The DT990 is much like the DT770 but sounds more open, slightly less bassy and thus less muddy. This is a closer match, but on my equipment it sounds unnatural and fatiguing, the DT531 still sounds the superior headphone to my ears. Comfort issues of the DT990 much the same as DT770.
DT531 v HD580
Comfort is about equal on both. These two headphones sound more alike than any of the other headphones here. The highs of the DT531 are less harsh than the HD580 (not that HD580 has harsh highs), and the bass slightly more punch on DT531. There doesn’t seem to be that veil on the DT531 (a veil which was more or less cured using the Corda HA-1). The soundstage on HD580 is much bigger and they sound more speaker like. This is a close battle indeed, but DT531 is possibly less fussy about the partnering components than HD580. The Beyer possibly sounds that bit more bouncy to my ears though.
DT531 v K271S
Comfort on the K271s is not bad at all, excepting my hot ears, and if not for that issue would be on par with the DT531. The highs on the K271 are stronger but also grainier than DT531, the midrange on the K271 sounds closed in, but also echoes at the same time, leading to a somewhat strange sound. Bass lacks impact and depth, but the K271 is very neutral for a closed headphone. All the same, the DT531 is the more enjoyable headphone to my ears.