[Mjolnir125]

   
I have the 80 Ohm. I never had m50 but compared to cans like T1, HE-400i, SR-325e then the DT250 has recessed treble.  DT250 has a mid bass hump then rolls off the sub bass. So I don't see where the extension is coming from. It's a unique characteristtic of Beyer cans but its bass extension do not even come close to T1. If you want to hear what a really good bass extension try any of the planar headphones.
 
I'd say DT250 has similar treble with T51P but with emphasized mid bass. I would put DT250 to neutral with a hint of warmness depending on what music is playing. It could be fairly neutral sounding if the music don't call much for bass response. But with music that has prominent bass, the treble immediately goes to the backseat.

 
 
The 80 ohm allegedly sounds a bit different than the 250 ohm; many people say the 250 ohm has better bass extension than the 80 ohm. It definitely has better bass extension than any of my open headphones.
 
 
Anyway, I got my replacement pair of DT250's and they have a noticeably different sound signature... The original pair had an obnoxious peak somewhere around 1 khz that made voices sound very annoying sometimes. The new pair doesn't seem to have that, and it also seems to have more bass and possibly slightly less emphasized treble. It also has a cord that has smaller diameter coils and the cord coating itself seems be less shiny than the original pair.
 
The original pair has a higher serial number which makes me think it is newer, but the replacement pair seems to sound better overall so I really don't know what is going on with these.

 

[Greeni]

 
 
If you search on the web, you can find measurements just how much absurd product variance there is between certain models of Beyer headphones. Just look for Beyer Inconstancies, and you'll find tons. The DT250-250ohm and the DT1350 seem particularly prone to this type of variance. (Check my sig and see just how many tries on each it took for me to find decent pairs >.< 5 on the DT1350 and 4 on the DT250-250.) A good pair of DT250-250's sounds like a rolled-off, more closed in, less resolving, more grainy/gritty HD600. The tonality really matches up well. A bad pair, and there are a lot of them out there, can sound mismatched and confused (the most common problem - one you've encountered), shrill, or mid-bass heavy.
 

Astute observation. One drive of my first pair of DT250 ceased to function on its own within 3 months of purchase. I swear I did not misuse or drop the phone which caused this, it just went away on its own. Contacted Beyer twice for repair but no replies. Another member in these forum related to me, as I understand it, that certain batches of the DT250s has internal wiring problem, which is exactly the case found by the paid technican that do the repair work for my pair, but then the sound deterioate after the repair work and it was now essentially trashed. I guess I happen to got a bad pair you mentioned.
 
As I cherish the tonality of the first pair before the driver went away, I brought another pair but then the second pair sound somewhat different from my first pair. Nothing wrong as such, but it just did not sound the same as my first pair, and missed the tonal richness of my first pair. Meanwhile, I found the AKG K712 which IMHO share some strength of my first pair while being more open, more fun and has noticably better resolution and soundstage, so I went for that and my second pair is up for sale. The caveat is that the K712 requires more amplification power than the DT250 and has a long run in time, plus some will find the DT250 do sound fuller and arguably more natural than the K712 though.

 

[markanini]

Too lean in the bass range, headband digs into my skull after a few hours. Glad I got rid of them.

 

[plakat]

  Too lean in the bass range, headband digs into my skull after a few hours. Glad I got rid of them.

Very interesting how different we hear and perceive comfort... I can relate to neither point, to me they have plenty of bass and are very comfortable.

 

[markanini]

I thought the bass quantity was sufficient too, until I heard better things. IMO Beyer should retire this model. As for the comfort I guess it's down to individual physiology rather than perception...

 

[plakat]

  I thought the bass quantity was sufficient too, until I heard better things. IMO Beyer should retire this model. As for the comfort I guess it's down to individual physiology rather than perception...

Comfort is always a very personal thing, depending on preferences, head and ear shape etc. One aspect thats almost impossible to read out of descriptions... I know people who actually prefer on-ears due to their intimate presentation. Me... not so much.
 
Regarding bass: I don't think I'm short on models to compare to Its also a matter of taste... and yes, I'm not into lots of bass, prefer a clear and, optimally, deep reaching presentation. Despite my love for EDM and electronics...
 
This is still a model thats used a lot in studios, its primary target audience... plus reading through this thread I don't think I'm the only one enjoying it. To me its a very welcome, low-cost, light and quite compact headphone I think I can live with for quite some time. I used them exclusively while moving, everything else already packed up, except for the DAC2.

 

[lejaz]

I agree with plakat. The dt250 has plenty of bass for the genres I listen to....classic rock, acoustic, and jazz. In fact I think mine may have just a bit too much mid bass to be strictly neutral. But whether neutral or a bit too heavy handed, mine are definitely not bass shy.

 

[markanini]

It might give a the illusion of sufficient bass quantity due to the warm mids. You might like the sound signature nevertheless and I'm not here to take that away from you. But don't kid your self about bass quantity. Compared to a current flagship such as Shure SRH1540 the bass is too lean. Even compared to the on-ear classic Sennheiser HD25-1 it has a lesser bass quantity.

 

[headwhacker]

Bass quantity is lean compared to T1. I think the bass is ok especially for bass heavy tracks. The problem is the treble is lean as well. Depending on your preference or where you are coming from the 250 can be a good warm to neutral-ish headphone. But if you are looking for detail resolution and wider stage headphone DT-250 is not the phone for you.

 

[markanini]

That's the thing, people tend commit the fallacy that any given headphone they happen to like is the jack of all trades. I remember some years back when the DT48 was trending, where are all those DT48 owners today?

 

[CJG888]

IMO, the chief merit of the DT250 is that it offers a similar "flavour" to the HD600 (albeit with a reduced bandwidth) in a sealed, portable and robust form factor. Also, if you are after a high-impedance portable can, there aren't many alternatives out there.

 

[markanini]

Focal Spirit Pro isn't far off from HD600 when measured and has the advantage of a well defined sub-bass.

 

[Mjolnir125]

  Focal Spirit Pro isn't far off from HD600 when measured and has the advantage of a well defined sub-bass.

The DT250 has pretty well defined subbass, at least in the 250 ohm version.

 

[CJG888]

Quite, it just needs a decent amp.

These cans are designed to work off a studio mixing desk, not a mobile phone...

 

[markanini]

I heard tight punchy mid-bass on the 250Ohm version amped. Subass? No.