[nickchen]

I think it doesn't make much sense to discuss if he HP is bright or not, a truth simply doesn't exist. It's all about listening habit and genres. I can imagine that the DT48 sounds perfectly right if you listen to singer/songwriter stuff and like an airy and transparent sound. But I am electronicahead and like the sound to be warm, fluffy and grounded, such a preference leads nowhere in respect of the DT48.

 

[lejaz]

Quote:

I think it doesn't make much sense to discuss if he HP is bright or not, a truth simply doesn't exist. It's all about listening habit and genres. I can imagine that the DT48 sounds perfectly right if you listen to singer/songwriter stuff and like an airy and transparent sound. But I am electronicahead and like the sound to be warm, fluffy and grounded, such a preference leads nowhere in respect of the DT48.

Well, that explains it! They are probably not the best phones for electronica...agree %100. I wouldn't call them airy by any means...they hit hard with a lot of weight....almost too much for my taste. There's no comparison between those and the k70X. Now those are light and airy....not the dt48. The dt48 to MY ears, is about as 'grounded' as you can get. But,we all have different ears and subjective  preferences. I guess when we criticize ANY phone we should list our listening preferences....rock, classical, acoustic jazz, etc. That would help people who are trying to decide which phone to purchase.

 

[mobbaddict]

Quote:

If you can find one, that's exactly how I describe my DT480.  It has a similar driver, and so it has that clinical detail that the DT48 has, but it actually has bass as well.  It's the only thing I've heard that's really close in terms of detail, though I have come to prefer my DT250 (which sacrifices a bit of of that detail for low range as well)  
I'm not just saying that because I'm trying to sell mine, either.
 

Thanks for the advice joel, I'll search more info about this model. What do you think about the DT150, could it be a good choice as well?. The few descriptions I've read made me very curious.
 
Quote:

Speaking of the Clip, I wonder if anyone has tried them with a decent portable amp. I'm thinking of trying a portable to use with the Clip, but don't know if a cheap one like the fiio will bring much improvement....maybe one of the RSA portables would be a step up.Anyone tried a portable amp with the dt48?

The Fiio is definitely useless with the DT48. I wish I had the Headsix when I auditioned it (it was useless with my DT880 though). I'm not very confident about the improvement these portable amps are supposed to bring.

 

[lejaz]

@ mobbaddict:
Thanks for the advice on the portables. I almost sprung for a cheap portable but I thought better of it. Maybe something like the Mustang would do the job, but it's way over my budget for now.
 
I had the dt250 at one time and I think I prefer the Fostex T20 v2 over the beyer. I listen to a lot of songs where the vocals are featured and prefer the Fostex and the AKG's for voice....the DT48 too of course!

 

[joelpearce]

The DT150 is a monster: tons of fun, rich powerful bass, a shockingly big soundstage for a closed headphone, and a pleasantly cohesive sound.  In A/B tests with the vintage ones, though, it has this graininess in the midrange from the drivers being overwhelmed by bass.  It isn't that the midrange is bad, but if you're even seriously reading the DT48 thread, the DT150 probably isn't what you're looking for.  They aren't at all mid-centric, as most of your gear seems to be.
 
It's true, the Beyer DT250 doesn't have that sweet midrange that the vintage studio Beyers, electrostats or orthos have.  It is so nicely balanced, though, that I find they are getting about as much head time as my T50RP.  Serious midrange fanatics would be less impressed, I'm sure, but I also really like my bass and treble.

 

[lejaz]

I feel like I'm getting the best of both worlds with my modded Fostex T20 v2. Awesome mids, plus way more bass and better treble than the dt48. The dt250 is very balanced...agreed...great for rock and instrumental jazz...just not my first choice for vocals.
Quote:

The DT150 is a monster: tons of fun, rich powerful bass, a shockingly big soundstage for a closed headphone, and a pleasantly cohesive sound.  In A/B tests with the vintage ones, though, it has this graininess in the midrange from the drivers being overwhelmed by bass.  It isn't that the midrange is bad, but if you're even seriously reading the DT48 thread, the DT150 probably isn't what you're looking for.  They aren't at all mid-centric, as most of your gear seems to be.
 
It's true, the Beyer DT250 doesn't have that sweet midrange that the vintage studio Beyers, electrostats or orthos have.  It is so nicely balanced, though, that I find they are getting about as much head time as my T50RP.  Serious midrange fanatics would be less impressed, I'm sure, but I also really like my bass and treble.

 

[Drosera]

Wow, the DT48 is bright, now I've heard it all. 

 
No, I don't think the DT48 can in any way be called bright, what my modern DT48E (25) does have is a strong peak in the mid-highs. And this can become very grating after extended listening. My more vintage DT48E(25) has far less of a peak there and is a much easier and more balanced listen because of it.

 

[mobbaddict]

Quote:

The DT150 is a monster: tons of fun, rich powerful bass, a shockingly big soundstage for a closed headphone, and a pleasantly cohesive sound.  In A/B tests with the vintage ones, though, it has this graininess in the midrange from the drivers being overwhelmed by bass.  It isn't that the midrange is bad, but if you're even seriously reading the DT48 thread, the DT150 probably isn't what you're looking for.  They aren't at all mid-centric, as most of your gear seems to be.
 
It's true, the Beyer DT250 doesn't have that sweet midrange that the vintage studio Beyers, electrostats or orthos have.  It is so nicely balanced, though, that I find they are getting about as much head time as my T50RP.  Serious midrange fanatics would be less impressed, I'm sure, but I also really like my bass and treble.

Thanks again. I definitely treasure midrange transparency (I guess I didn't like the HE60 for nothing). I need to read more about the DT480, I might buy yours (I still have a few interesting headphones to audition soon though).
 
ABing my stats & my CD900ST, I must say I'm definitely impressed with this typical studio headphone presentation.

 

[REB]

I tried them with the graham slee voyager which has a lot of juice (it almost drives the hd600s). It sounded allright, but it was no match made in heaven.
 
Quote:

Speaking of the Clip, I wonder if anyone has tried them with a decent portable amp. I'm thinking of trying a portable to use with the Clip, but don't know if a cheap one like the fiio will bring much improvement....maybe one of the RSA portables would be a step up.Anyone tried a portable amp with the dt48?


 
Quote:

I dont find them bright, but thats just me. 1. many modern recordings are bright to begin with, the DT48 shows this 2. Treble with headphones is very dependent on the shape of your ear and distance from driver to ear canal. It changes so much from person to person, and even a centimeter makes all the difference 3. Its been well documented that they roll off at both ends.  
 
All im saying is that treble is a hit or miss with ANY headphone, and alot of it comes down to the shape of your ear and the fit you achieve, not the driver. If you compare the same headphone on 2 different dummy heads, the bass and mids look similar but the treble peaks will be at different frequencies, different amplitudes.  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  

 

 

[lejaz]

Yes, I imagine that would be so....if your idea of 'heaven' is 'warm and soft and cuddly'. If it's cold and hard and clinically transparent, then the dt48 will sound like heaven....or close to it. Definitely not the phone for everyone though
Quote:

I tried them with the graham slee voyager which has a lot of juice (it almost drives the hd600s). It sounded allright, but it was no match made in heaven.
 
Quote:

Speaking of the Clip, I wonder if anyone has tried them with a decent portable amp. I'm thinking of trying a portable to use with the Clip, but don't know if a cheap one like the fiio will bring much improvement....maybe one of the RSA portables would be a step up.Anyone tried a portable amp with the dt48?


 
Quote:

I dont find them bright, but thats just me. 1. many modern recordings are bright to begin with, the DT48 shows this 2. Treble with headphones is very dependent on the shape of your ear and distance from driver to ear canal. It changes so much from person to person, and even a centimeter makes all the difference 3. Its been well documented that they roll off at both ends.  
 
All im saying is that treble is a hit or miss with ANY headphone, and alot of it comes down to the shape of your ear and the fit you achieve, not the driver. If you compare the same headphone on 2 different dummy heads, the bass and mids look similar but the treble peaks will be at different frequencies, different amplitudes.  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  

 

 

 

[REB]

Maybe it is and I just don't know it yet.... I think I'm more inclined to the clinically transparent sound signature of the vintage akgs (k500 in particular) than to that of the dt48. It's a pity because I was all set to like the dt48 unreservedly. Turns out I like the warm, cuddly sound of audio techniva better (next to the vintage akg and beyers of course). Then again, there is doubt nagging at me whether I've really tried the dt48 sufficiently. Perhaps I should hook it up to a different system to see what happens. Or maybe I should just sell it and indulge in another ath woodie...
 
Quote:

Yes, I imagine that would be so....if your idea of 'heaven' is 'warm and soft and cuddly'. If it's cold and hard and clinically transparent, then the dt48 will sound like heaven....or close to it. Definitely not the phone for everyone though
Quote:

 

[lejaz]

As a vocalist and musician myself I can appreciate the 'cold and clinical' sound signature of the dt48....'analytical to a fault', I suppose is my listening style lately. But for casual listening I find I'm picking up the modded T20v.2 more often than my other phones...even over the DF, which is my long time favorite. I need warmth sometimes, too!

Quote:

Maybe it is and I just don't know it yet.... I think I'm more inclined to the clinically transparent sound signature of the vintage akgs (k500 in particular) than to that of the dt48. It's a pity because I was all set to like the dt48 unreservedly. Turns out I like the warm, cuddly sound of audio techniva better (next to the vintage akg and beyers of course). Then again, there is doubt nagging at me whether I've really tried the dt48 sufficiently. Perhaps I should hook it up to a different system to see what happens. Or maybe I should just sell it and indulge in another ath woodie...
 
Quote:

Yes, I imagine that would be so....if your idea of 'heaven' is 'warm and soft and cuddly'. If it's cold and hard and clinically transparent, then the dt48 will sound like heaven....or close to it. Definitely not the phone for everyone though
Quote:

 

[judy1992]

This headphone seems to bring out emotion in people that I have not read before.. After reading various threads on headphones. They seem so divisive. I read on various blogs that the DT48 was the first hi fi stereo headphone. Does anyone have any pics of the original? The first one made.

 

[lejaz]

Quote:

This headphone seems to bring out emotion in people that I have not read before.. After reading various threads on headphones. They seem so divisive. I read on various blogs that the DT48 was the first hi fi stereo headphone. Does anyone have any pics of the original? The first one made.

If you think the dt48 is divisive you should read the k70X threads sometime. Now those are divisive!

 

[Deep Funk]

In my experience one of the best combinations of critical presentation, clarity, detail and warmth is to be found in the old Sextet-series. I sometimes wonder why I have so many headphones when that headphone sounds so right. Even connected to my 'dull' sounding audio gear the overall warmth and body to the instruments combined with the intimate sounding vocals my Sextet (N6330) sounds amazing with its more warm presentation.