[maniacal71]

That is a DT48E, since there is no more A & S models being sold, they must be calling them just that, with those comfy fat far pads, not the true DT48 sound.

The screwed distance for the drivers to the end are to be negligible, engineered to fit and not to be meddled, case to our ears to be as negligible as well, so fat pads are out. if you could clamp them to you ear canal, that would give you the visceral & earth shattering bass that everyone is looking for, I am fortunate to have the pads for my precious. ............ Kudelski.

 

[thodo67]

Here is my comparison of the DT48A (pink/light blue) from 2001 to the DT48E-200 from 2012

These are my own impressions, others might experience it differently, and I don't know if there are production variances. Many of the sound descriptions of the 48E in the 274 previous pages, I can only hear comprehensibly in my DT48A with oval E pads.
The original clamping force was way too strong for me, so I reduced it by over-bending the steel head band, so that the distance between the pads is now ~3cm when it's not on my head. I also should admit that my own hearing above 12kHz is rolled off, which I think can have an effect on my perception of airiness in sound.

DT48E-200:
With the 48E I mostly have the impression that something is not right with the soundstage. At times, I find it too extreme left/right and depth is lacking = only 2D. However, this varies with the recordings. Really good ones can also shine, but never reach the effortlessness, spaciousness and clarity as with the DT48A (oval).

DT48A with round rubber earpads:
The rubber pads weren't that uncomfortable as I feared, I could even get a perfect seal after some minutes. The strange effect I'm sometimes feeling with the oval pads were gone, that I can hear and feel my own heart beat.
The bass was there but very weak and gone below ~80Hz (roughly). The still audible bass was very dry and precise though. The highs were cut off from ~10kHz up. So, the frequency extremes were essentially rolled off in comparison to the 48E.
But these mids... ! Unparalleled by anything else I've ever heard, extremely clear and detailed, above the resolution of the 48E, which sound a little veiled by comparison, and yes, also above of the Sigma Pro, I had not expected this. To some extend, this transparency may have been enhanced by a psycho-acoustic effect, i.e. there were no "distractions" from the mids by the higher highs and the lower lows. The overall experience was more that of an acoustic microscope (someone already previously mentioned this), rather than listening to a music piece as a whole.
The soundstage however, was 3D vs 2D on the 48E. On the DT48A, there was depth and a pin point focus of the instruments and voices. In an opera, I could even hear when the singer on the stage turned sideways, never heard that before.
However, these sound characteristica were only possible with perfect seal and perfect placement over the ear canal (only 3mm could make a noticable difference). During the first minutes I always needed placement corrections until it was right. This was the annoying part and since it is possible to also use the oval pads, I gave them a try.

DT48A now with new oval ear pads:
To me, all positive properties of the 48A with rubber pads described above, are retained and the not so good ones are 'fixed'. I found that the frequency response is now similar, if not more extending than on the 48E. Yes, I also sometimes would like to have a more extended (sub)bass, but not at the price of detail loss or other drawbacks. I have accustomed to the bass in a way that I find the bass on other headphones sometimes too dominant, like on the DT150, which in direct comparison are fun headphones and the Sigma Pro sound even bloated...
The DT48A with oval pads sound sooo right in most aspects (other than subbass), with excellent recordings they disappear. They don't add anything, no color, no artificial soundstage (like with solo instruments on the HD800, which I had for a weekend when it came out, so this is just from my memory). It all depends on the recording, if it has spaciousness, it is delivered on the DT48A, it makes me feel being there, on stage with the singers and musicians. I think, the best thing is a live recording anyway.

In a nutshell, if I could only have one, the DT48A with oval pads would be it. It feels like coming home meanwhile. I don't need the 48E anymore...

thodo

 

[lejaz]

That is a DT48E, since there is no more A & S models being sold, they must be calling them just that, with those comfy fat far pads, not the true DT48 sound.

The screwed distance for the drivers to the end are to be negligible, engineered to fit and not to be meddled, case to our ears to be as negligible as well, so fat pads are out. if you could clamp them to you ear canal, that would give you the visceral & earth shattering bass that everyone is looking for, I am fortunate to have the pads for my precious. ............ Kudelski.

No, the DT48A is specifically mentioned in the literature that was included in the box, as the audio metric version of the dt48. It was still available when the set I purchased was manufactured. Plus they came with the thin, floppy pads. I put the pads from my old set over those and added some foam inside to make a nice seal. Perhaps I'll hear back from Beyer U.S. after Christmas. I sent them the serial number plus a couple of photos.

 

[maniacal71]

Not sure what you meant, but if it ain't red blue it ain't an audiometric A, check other ENT Otorhinolaryngology cans

 

[Carlos42]

That is a DT48E, since there is no more A & S models being sold, they must be calling them just that, with those comfy fat far pads, not the true DT48 sound.

The screwed distance for the drivers to the end are to be negligible, engineered to fit and not to be meddled, case to our ears to be as negligible as well, so fat pads are out. if you could clamp them to you ear canal, that would give you the visceral & earth shattering bass that everyone is looking for, I am fortunate to have the pads for my precious. ............ Kudelski.

 

[Carlos42]

I would be interested as to where you got that Kudelski quote from. The method of
determining the correct distance between the magnets and the diaphragm has been
of great concern to me. As yet, no one has come up with the answer to this question.
It would seem that this quote from Kudelski attempts to answer this question, But it
seems a bit garbled to me and I am a loss as to what he is trying to say here. I do understand
that this distance is set at the factory and should not be messed with but I have five sets
of DT 48's and I know that some of the factory adjustments have been changed. I would
like to get them adjusted correctly.So if anyone can point me to where this statement
came from so I could see it myself,I would be most grateful.Or if anybody could decipher
what Kudelski meant , I would be really grateful.

 

[MDR30]

I would be interested as to where you got that Kudelski quote from. The method of
determining the correct distance between the magnets and the diaphragm has been
of great concern to me. As yet, no one has come up with the answer to this question.
It would seem that this quote from Kudelski attempts to answer this question, But it
seems a bit garbled to me and I am a loss as to what he is trying to say here. I do understand
that this distance is set at the factory and should not be messed with but I have five sets
of DT 48's and I know that some of the factory adjustments have been changed. I would
like to get them adjusted correctly.So if anyone can point me to where this statement
came from so I could see it myself,I would be most grateful.Or if anybody could decipher
what Kudelski meant , I would be really grateful.

That Kudelski quote looks like a Google translation. Anyone got the German original?

 

[rlisin]

I have an opportunity to buy the DT48S pictured below. Not sure whether they are in a working condition (will inquire), but assuming that they are:

1. Is it possible to determine the production period they're from? I guess the 60s or the 70s, but that's as much as I can figure out. One hint is thet they're described as "Typ Nr III 48S", and their serial number starts with 68.
2. What is a sensible price for them? Would around $150 be an OK price, a steal, or overpaying?

 

[rlisin]

HF crowd turned out to be as helpful as usual so I made up my own mind and got them (for a bit less).

They came without a box, but with original bag, a set of round rubber pads, leaflet and warranty card. Unfortunately no date stamp, so I can't tell which year they're from.
But they are in a rather good condition, clean and most importantly: they work and actually sound much better then expected. The stock pads are way too shallow for comfort (my ears touch the baffles), but I get a good seal and a decent amount of bass. They definitely do not sound like an AM radio to me. I've tested them directly from speaker outputs of an amp for now, so they pick up a lot of background noise, but are definitely not underpowered Will test with a headphone amp and a headphone output of a vintage integrated amp after I make a converter. I do not want to replace the original plugs, I would prefer to keep them as close to their stock form as possible (but I will probably buy new earpads to improve the comfort). I hope that the original earpads can be taken off without getting damaged, so that I can go back to the original form. I guess normally they should, but it is a 4-5 decades old material after all.

I must say it is awesome to own these. Sound quality aside, it is a huge piece of audio history.

 

[mindblownDt48]

Hey,


rlisin
, so you got them for less than 150$ ? I think you got a lucky deal... They look mint and people never get tired of listening about dt48, once i got them, i understand why
So feel free to give your opinion on their sound, maybe compare them to something else, once you get used to them and put enough time into judging

 

[rlisin]

Yes, I got them for about $110, I'm going to get EDT48S earpads for them so it will be closer to $140-150 total.
I'm definitely happy with their condition, maybe not mint, but as good as they get. Only a few very minor scratches on the cups, really clean, they actually look like they've spent a better part of the last 50 (?) years neatly packed. somewhere. The cable is in a perfect shape, even the pads are clean and usable (it's possible to get enough seal for some bass to appear). But these pads are not comfortable and I read that there's better comfort and more bass with EDT48S, so that's my next purchase. I've already checked, I can remove the original pads without damage.
I was out of jack plugs so I made an RCA to speaker DIN adapters and now I can connect them to anything now with a jack to RCA cable. They sound better from a regular amp's headphone out or speaker outputs than from Fiio X5, probably because of output impedance. In addition to dependence on good seal they are very sensitive to vertical alignment.
I'll see how they sound after some getting used to and with EDT48S pads, but I don't think they will become my main headphones. But they are interesting and I'm keeping them, not just because of their historical value.

 

[mindblownDt48]

rlisin
Some people claim the pads >you have on them provide the best sound for dt48, some swear by the circular small ones but almost all agree that edt48s takes away the magic and detail... i would never sacrifice that over comfort, tho you can get them and judge it yourself.
If you dont think these will become your main headphones, just wait once you are used to small soundstage and "lack" of bass...
Also, i hope you are listening to lossless music, no need to say it, but i do because with those, you can get disgusted by smallest production mistakes let alone mp3s n shee

 

[rlisin]

I've seen various opinions, some in favor of ETD48S, so yes, I have to test it myself. In any case, the lack of comfort of the current pads prevents me from using these headphones for more than 30 minutes because I hate the metal baffle pressing against my ear. So I have to find a solution if I want to use them more. I'll also try putting a spacer ring between pad and baffle.
I would not say they lack bass, with a good seal and alignment they have the amount of bass I can live with. Sure, I would like a bit more, but that's not my main reason for wanting to try EDT48S.
I listen to lossless music with very few exceptions (obscure recordings I can't find in a lossless format). Never liked mp3s.

 

[LaCuffia]

I just got the DT 48. No idea what year this is from but I am guessing it’s on older model (perhaps the 70’s) because the Beyerdynamic lettering doesn’t mirror the newer 48E version. Only have limited time on them but my initial impression is that they sound great. Amazingly clean and detailed. Pure for lack of a better word. I was expecting to be a little disappointed and get some type of AM radio sound too dependent on seal but that’s not the case at all. Really impressed so far.

 

[rlisin]

I think at least some of the "AM radio sound" reputation is due to old earpads. My DT 48 S were not easy to position well and get a good seal with old grey pads, but once I switched to new ETD48S pads it's much easier and the headphones sound much better.

almost all agree that edt48s takes away the magic and detail

Now that I've tried both, I can say that compared to old grey plastic pads, the ETD48S are a huge improvement for me in terms of comfort and sound and they do not take anything away (except earache).