CJ Song
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2015
- Posts
- 28
- Likes
- 10
Hi all
It's my first post on this forum. I thought i'd give a first impression as I got the T51p today. It's 2nd hand but rather new (been used few weeks by the previous owner), meaning probably if there was some "burn-in", its probably been done by the 1st owner for the most part. Note that my model is 32 ohm (I heard there were some 60 ohm model at the very early days).
I am not really used to listening to headphones (as I've mostly listen to speakers only), I started fiddling around with various in-ears but soon got to find that on-ear / over-ear seems to be better suited for my listening preference (more close to speakers perhaps ?)
Anyway, I spent quite a bit of time trying different models (Momentum, AK550, M100, M50x, P7, MDR-1R..), before deciding on T51p. Main reason being the fact that it isolates as well as any of those over-ear, while keeping a smaller profile, while being comparable (or better) in terms of sound than most of the similar priced over-ear models.
So coming to the impression itself, i noticed that its not as light as it looks (i.e. similar weight to momentum - which to be fair is one of the lightest over-ear model but its quite a bit bigger so T51p feels more "dense"). I've seen many people praise comfort of these headphone, so i had high expectation, but for my ears, i felt the clamping force a little tight and overall less comfortable than most of the over-ears mentioned above. It's probably more an "over" expectation issue as it was much more comfortable than Momentum on-ear and about the same feeling to the P7 (which also has a snug fit for me). I like the carrying case as its quite thin/compact + has form support
For the sound itself, from the perspective of other similar priced headphones i've tried, I found the "timing" of T51p to be really good. I immediately found myself searching for tracks with speedy component (fast guitar solos, certain parts of piano concertos). The bass is on the tight side and sufficiently dynamic without feeling overwhelming (only P7 gave me a sense of more dynamism on the lower part, M100 had more bass but it was "blurred"). The treble (which i worried the most after reading reviews on the sound signature of Beyer) was very detailed but not over-emphasized, nor harsh. The mids does not have any apparant flaws, but perhaps a bit cold (?) for my taste. To be fair, i did not get "amazed" by mids of most of the other models (momentum being perhaps my favourite but coming at the expense of "timing" and a feeling of being non-neutral - meaning it depends on the genre of the music)
I listen to all sorts of music (electronica, alternative rock, classic, jazz ..), without a clear preference of one style. Overall I am quite happy so far with T51p save one exception which is the comfort (i clearly enjoyed the MDR-1R for that aspect), but its a fare trade-off as its not that bad + its much smaller without sacrificing isolation. Sound wise similar feeling, quite happy - the mids are not worse than the competition and both the lows and highs are better than most. The timing is really excellent. On most of the songs, I enjoyed the interpretation of T51p the most, with perhaps the exception of more groovy type songs where I preferred the warmer and less tight interpretation of Momentum (as well as a few other models).
I will provide an update once i listen further of the headphone ! The impression here is based on listening both on my mobile phone (galaxy S4) as well as on my laptop with an entry level onkyo DAC.
It's my first post on this forum. I thought i'd give a first impression as I got the T51p today. It's 2nd hand but rather new (been used few weeks by the previous owner), meaning probably if there was some "burn-in", its probably been done by the 1st owner for the most part. Note that my model is 32 ohm (I heard there were some 60 ohm model at the very early days).
I am not really used to listening to headphones (as I've mostly listen to speakers only), I started fiddling around with various in-ears but soon got to find that on-ear / over-ear seems to be better suited for my listening preference (more close to speakers perhaps ?)
Anyway, I spent quite a bit of time trying different models (Momentum, AK550, M100, M50x, P7, MDR-1R..), before deciding on T51p. Main reason being the fact that it isolates as well as any of those over-ear, while keeping a smaller profile, while being comparable (or better) in terms of sound than most of the similar priced over-ear models.
So coming to the impression itself, i noticed that its not as light as it looks (i.e. similar weight to momentum - which to be fair is one of the lightest over-ear model but its quite a bit bigger so T51p feels more "dense"). I've seen many people praise comfort of these headphone, so i had high expectation, but for my ears, i felt the clamping force a little tight and overall less comfortable than most of the over-ears mentioned above. It's probably more an "over" expectation issue as it was much more comfortable than Momentum on-ear and about the same feeling to the P7 (which also has a snug fit for me). I like the carrying case as its quite thin/compact + has form support
For the sound itself, from the perspective of other similar priced headphones i've tried, I found the "timing" of T51p to be really good. I immediately found myself searching for tracks with speedy component (fast guitar solos, certain parts of piano concertos). The bass is on the tight side and sufficiently dynamic without feeling overwhelming (only P7 gave me a sense of more dynamism on the lower part, M100 had more bass but it was "blurred"). The treble (which i worried the most after reading reviews on the sound signature of Beyer) was very detailed but not over-emphasized, nor harsh. The mids does not have any apparant flaws, but perhaps a bit cold (?) for my taste. To be fair, i did not get "amazed" by mids of most of the other models (momentum being perhaps my favourite but coming at the expense of "timing" and a feeling of being non-neutral - meaning it depends on the genre of the music)
I listen to all sorts of music (electronica, alternative rock, classic, jazz ..), without a clear preference of one style. Overall I am quite happy so far with T51p save one exception which is the comfort (i clearly enjoyed the MDR-1R for that aspect), but its a fare trade-off as its not that bad + its much smaller without sacrificing isolation. Sound wise similar feeling, quite happy - the mids are not worse than the competition and both the lows and highs are better than most. The timing is really excellent. On most of the songs, I enjoyed the interpretation of T51p the most, with perhaps the exception of more groovy type songs where I preferred the warmer and less tight interpretation of Momentum (as well as a few other models).
I will provide an update once i listen further of the headphone ! The impression here is based on listening both on my mobile phone (galaxy S4) as well as on my laptop with an entry level onkyo DAC.
I also listen to music for long hours, day in and day out. Usually I use speakers all the time, but I'm going to be out more often and needed headphones. I have never really used on ear (or full sized) before, ever.