The Beyerdynamic Byron Series (IFA 2016)

[slackerpo]

OK folks here ya go.

I am a bluetooth iem wireless fanatic.  I have tested out these "audiophile" models and here's what I can report: All tested with comply t-isolation tips and iaudiogate (which I have found to be better than relisten, Onkyo, Kaisertone, Canoper, Neutron, NE, all those players) .  Note: None of these should be used for sports.  Get a pair of dull jaybirds for your workout.

1.  Byerdynamic Byron-BTA
     Just opened an hour ago and what a major disappointment.  Very bassy but recessed in mids and highs.  There is no distortion even at high volume and they are the most comfortable of the bunch.  If these were $100 cheaper they would be considered pretty good.  Unless these need some serious burn in, they sound veiled and cloudy with meh instrument separation.  Again bass is great but a set of beats tour got these beat in the upper regions.  That is so said Byerdynamic.  Sending right back to Amazon.

2.  B&O Play H5
On the the other end of the spectrum, we have the brighter than a light bulb.  Cymbals sound awesome.  Where is the bass?  It might be there in another room, but not up here.  If you took these and the BTAs and cross engineered them, then you would have a pretty good pair of buds.  These also are the loudest of the bunch. Some of you might like them but I say if you are going to be that bright and clear, have a great amount of instrument separation and detail to make me feel good.  I did not send them back as I like them for some folk and acoustic rock.  The priciest and most uncomfortable of the bunch.  Pretty pricey for a niche backup pair.  Horrid battery life.

3. RBH EP-SB
God Bless you RBH.  I got these two years ago and if we are talking about sound, I dare say these sound better than the Sennheiser Momentum Wireless 2 that everybody poops their pants about.  The instrument separation on these and detail retrieval on these pups are UNMATCHED by any other bud, headset, anything I own or have ever tested.  The sound that comes out of these is truly amazing.  I hear people complain about bluetooth quality, but these are magical.  I don't know why more people do not have them.  $110-$150 depending on where you buy, I have been trying to find a better pair, and I simply cannot.  I won't stop searching though.  So the negatives are: wish it got a little louder.  This has been a problem in a lot of bluetooth I own.  Also build quality.  They dont have a ton of bass, a liitle more would have been perfect, but I really do find it is enough. I have gone through a couple of pair but I am hard on my gear and RBH has replaced them free every time!   That's it.  Super comfy. Love them.

4. Nuforce BE6
If I never heard the RBH, these would be go to.  I kept them just in case my EPSBs go on the fritz and I need something right away.  Similar sound signature.  Maybe a tad louder.  Great detail, but not as detailed as RBH.  More bass but not a lot of bass by any means.  Close runner up, but not the winner.

very insightful thanks!

 

[lawrence1]

The Byron BT is $100 less and it uses the same drivers.

 
They have a different frequency response, so I don't think they have the same drivers (10 - 25,000 for the BTA vs. 10 - 23,000 for the BT)

 

[akg fanboy]

They have a different frequency response, so I don't think they have the same drivers (10 - 25,000 for the BTA vs. 10 - 23,000 for the BT)

I think that has more to do with the DSP or just a marketing tactic. Highly doubt they would develop an entirely new driver for that, especially since they only marketed features such as a DSP for better sound, charging crate, and other comparatively insignificant features

 

[neb84]

My thoughts on the BTA
 
Design and features: There are two main features that drew me to the BTA. AAC codec support - since iphone does not support aptX. And the 7.5 hour battery life which as far as I know might be the best battery life available for bluetooth IEMs. The BTAs are well designed, very comfortable to wear, and the 3 button controls are simple to use and work well. Hold down the middle button for 2 seconds and they turn on and connect to the phone. They include a microphone for answering calls which seems to work well having used it once so far. When not in use the IEMs snap together magnetically and the included carry pouch is nice.
 
Sound: These definitely have a warm sound. The bass is emphasised but not overwhelming, I think the bass sounds very good and is a highlight of these IEMs. The midrange and highs are also very nice, at first I felt they were a little withdrawn with the warmer sound, they're not bright. But the more music I've listened to the more I enjoy listening to all styles of music with the BTAs, the detail is great and they are a pleasure to listen to, an IEM that you can listen to for a long time with good comfort and a non-fatiguing sound.
 
Competition: I demoed the Beoplay H5 which is probably the closest competitor and thought they sounded very good, although they sound the exact opposite to the BTA. Nice bright sound, but not much bass. I think the Beyerdynamic package is a better buy as the H5 battery life is disappointing and I prefer the lighter weight design of the BTA. Which one sounds better comes down to personal preference as they both sound great but complete opposites.
 
Running: While these aren't designed specifically for sports and not what I bought them for, Beyerdynamic have considered active use and included ear hooks for a tighter fit. I wore the BTAs on an hour run with the ear hooks and found they worked well for me, they did not shift at all during the run. I did notice the right side (the side with the controls) a couple of times as it got blown with the wind but it was never enough to bother me or come loose. There are likely better options out there designed specifically for running and gym use but I found the BTAs to be perfectly capable.
 
Overall I think these are a great bluetooth IEM choice and would recommend them. Excellent battery life, well thought out design, light and comfortable, codec support for both AAC and aptX and enjoyable sound.

 

[slackerpo]

  My thoughts on the BTA
 
Design and features: There are two main features that drew me to the BTA. AAC codec support - since iphone does not support aptX. And the 7.5 hour battery life which as far as I know might be the best battery life available for bluetooth IEMs. The BTAs are well designed, very comfortable to wear, and the 3 button controls are simple to use and work well. Hold down the middle button for 2 seconds and they turn on and connect to the phone. They include a microphone for answering calls which seems to work well having used it once so far. When not in use the IEMs snap together magnetically and the included carry pouch is nice.
 
Sound: These definitely have a warm sound. The bass is emphasised but not overwhelming, I think the bass sounds very good and is a highlight of these IEMs. The midrange and highs are also very nice, at first I felt they were a little withdrawn with the warmer sound, they're not bright. But the more music I've listened to the more I enjoy listening to all styles of music with the BTAs, the detail is great and they are a pleasure to listen to, an IEM that you can listen to for a long time with good comfort and a non-fatiguing sound.
 
Competition: I demoed the Beoplay H5 which is probably the closest competitor and thought they sounded very good, although they sound the exact opposite to the BTA. Nice bright sound, but not much bass. I think the Beyerdynamic package is a better buy as the H5 battery life is disappointing and I prefer the lighter weight design of the BTA. Which one sounds better comes down to personal preference as they both sound great but complete opposites.
 
Running: While these aren't designed specifically for sports and not what I bought them for, Beyerdynamic have considered active use and included ear hooks for a tighter fit. I wore the BTAs on an hour run with the ear hooks and found they worked well for me, they did not shift at all during the run. I did notice the right side (the side with the controls) a couple of times as it got blown with the wind but it was never enough to bother me or come loose. There are likely better options out there designed specifically for running and gym use but I found the BTAs to be perfectly capable.
 
Overall I think these are a great bluetooth IEM choice and would recommend them. Excellent battery life, well thought out design, light and comfortable, codec support for both AAC and aptX and enjoyable sound.

 
thank you for the run down!

 

[SpringBiscuit]

I did compare with Jaybird X2 with BT, as they both pricing is about the same at this moment.


Comfort
I prefer the BT, it is smaller, less bulky and easier to fit into my small ear canal, i don't need to twist around to find the perfect fit, it is just simple plug and play without adjusting much. For long hour using, X2 can cause some pain to my ear due to the size, while BT is just fine, mainly it doesnt chuck in big battery inside the housing. Overall BT > X2

Battery
Both stated around 7 to 8 hours, For full listening both are about the same battery life, so i won't emphasise much on this part, both worth their value. You don't pay luxury for extra battery life.

Sound
Bass structure is much prominent and impactful in BT, X2 has a more flatter low end, i prefer the treble extension on BT, although it is a bit recessed on Mid, slight tilt towards V shape signature with forward sounding, while X2 is more balance in overall presentation. 

Sport
I prefer to use X2 for sport usage, mainly it fit tightly in my ears, i believe it is due to their ear fin design, while Byron BT hooks are pretty horrible, it just fall off from my ears. As mentioned from above, the ear hook fitting is case to case basis, some user are perfectly fine from it for sport usage.

 

[davescleveland]

Skip this get onkyo e700bt way better

 

[SpringBiscuit]

Skip this get onkyo e700bt way better

The remote seem extremely bulky, any reason why this is better?

 

[davescleveland]

Hi spring biscuit. You can take a look through the threads about my extensive Bluetooth iem hunt. I've triedal the top tier bt headsets and now have two recommendations only based on sq. I do t care about sports and sweatproof. Rbh epsb has the absolute most detail, separation and 3D sound. The onkyo is almost as good without the detail being so pronounced. The onkyo gets louder and hasa lot more bass. Thebyerdynamic has wonderful bass and everything else is polite and not very noteworthy. I was very let down. Also look at the specs. Onkyo gets louder and has the widest range at 6-25.5 and 106 db vs any other headset. It's also very comfortable. Not as comfortable as the byer but almost. Yes the remote is a bit strange and big looking but it's really light. I can't believe there isn't more press about the onkyo e700bt and the Rbh epsb. So again for the best details and airy high end Rbh. For clear, great detail loud and great bass onkyo. For just great bass and nothing else byer

 

[akg fanboy]

Hi spring biscuit. You can take a look through the threads about my extensive Bluetooth iem hunt. I've triedal the top tier bt headsets and now have two recommendations only based on sq. I do t care about sports and sweatproof. Rbh epsb has the absolute most detail, separation and 3D sound. The onkyo is almost as good without the detail being so pronounced. The onkyo gets louder and hasa lot more bass. Thebyerdynamic has wonderful bass and everything else is polite and not very noteworthy. I was very let down. Also look at the specs. Onkyo gets louder and has the widest range at 6-25.5 and 106 db vs any other headset. It's also very comfortable. Not as comfortable as the byer but almost. Yes the remote is a bit strange and big looking but it's really light. I can't believe there isn't more press about the onkyo e700bt and the Rbh epsb. So again for the best details and airy high end Rbh. For clear, great detail loud and great bass onkyo. For just great bass and nothing else byer

Are the rbh's bright sounding iems? I don't think bright revealing sound would match very well with Bluetooth compression.
And have you heard of the onkyo w800bt? It is a true wireless iem and the first of its kind to focus on good sound quality unlike the terrible sounding and overpriced bragi dash and samsung icon x

 

[davescleveland]

I would say the rbh are actually a bit midcentric. The treble is just slightly aggressive but I actually really love the treble. They are perfect and analytical to my ears and I hear details I've never heard before popping up all over the place and it is so very 3D. It's really been my favorite wired or non wired. I just wish for a bit more bass and a bit more volume but I listen at ear bleeding volumes. The onkyo is just a bit warmer and bassier and louder. You lose a little 3D spaciousness and a smudge of detail but really I love both and they both blow those crappy jaybirds or the boring buyers amid out of the water. As far as the 800bt, no I haven't heard them but completely wireless to me just means lost somewhere so I can't do it. But I'd love to hear about them. I am really split on my recommendation between rbh and onkyo just what you prefer in sound signature

 

[akg fanboy]

I would say the rbh are actually a bit midcentric. The treble is just slightly aggressive but I actually really love the treble. They are perfect and analytical to my ears and I hear details I've never heard before popping up all over the place and it is so very 3D. It's really been my favorite wired or non wired. I just wish for a bit more bass and a bit more volume but I listen at ear bleeding volumes. The onkyo is just a bit warmer and bassier and louder. You lose a little 3D spaciousness and a smudge of detail but really I love both and they both blow those crappy jaybirds or the boring buyers amid out of the water. As far as the 800bt, no I haven't heard them but completely wireless to me just means lost somewhere so I can't do it. But I'd love to hear about them. I am really split on my recommendation between rbh and onkyo just what you prefer in sound signature

Mid centric+spacious is perfect for me, I think the rbh is a clear winner over the onkyos also because I'm not a fan of extra bass.

 

[davescleveland]

Yes I love them. I dare say they are the most detailed wired or wireless iem I've ever heard. I really wish someone would compare to etymotic as I love the super detailed sound. My Sony z5 and my dunu 2000j for hundreds more don't compare

 

[davescleveland]

Iaudiogate and the rbh epsb with comply tx500 tips is really heaven. I keep hoping someone will show me something better. I like the onkyo as its a change with a detailed but more relaxed sound signature but yeah the rbh will continue to be my go to. You can't go wrong with either. But all the other wireless iems just don't do it as well as these and they have no hype and hardly any reviews.

 

[akg fanboy]

Yes I love them. I dare say they are the most detailed wired or wireless iem I've ever heard. I really wish someone would compare to etymotic as I love the super detailed sound. My Sony z5 and my dunu 2000j for hundreds more don't compare

I own the etymotic er4pts. I'll be buying the rbh's if I ever find a good deal on them. I think the only way to get higher quality wireless iems is to get a high end westone/shure (anything with an mmcx connector) and use it with a wireless adapter.