The Official Beyerdynamic T1 Impressions and Discussion Thread
Feb 26, 2019 at 11:36 PM Post #10,741 of 10,994
Congrats, do you like them better than your HD800’s?

More than the HD800's? Hm.. Hard to say. I really enjoy both but the T1's presentation slightly edges out the HD800.
 
Feb 27, 2019 at 1:01 AM Post #10,742 of 10,994
More than the HD800's? Hm.. Hard to say. I really enjoy both but the T1's presentation slightly edges out the HD800.
The T1’s and to an even bigger degree the T1.2’s are the more musical headphone
 
Mar 12, 2019 at 6:54 AM Post #10,743 of 10,994
Hi everybody!

I have two T1.1 on the table. Many mention the sound signature differs between serial numbers of T1.1, so I would like to share the comparsion of the S/N 8448 and the S/N 20952. I expected a smoother treble with the late 20952, but the 8448 is the one little bit less sibilant and with a little bit smoother treble. The 20952 is noticably more mid forward with a less sense of air in comparsion and better bass presence.

The 8448 have more flattened pads, so i changed them with the 20952 pads. Now both models are more similar, the 8448 have more forward mids and better bass now and the 20952 lost a little in mids and bass. Treble of both remains and also the sense of lack of air of the 20592.

After all i think i will keep the 8448 model.

I have listened to them with Bifrost Multibit with Valhalla 2 with different tubes and also Vali 2.
 
Mar 12, 2019 at 8:46 AM Post #10,744 of 10,994
Hi everybody!

I have two T1.1 on the table. Many mention the sound signature differs between serial numbers of T1.1, so I would like to share the comparsion of the S/N 8448 and the S/N 20952. I expected a smoother treble with the late 20952, but the 8448 is the one little bit less sibilant and with a little bit smoother treble. The 20952 is noticably more mid forward with a less sense of air in comparsion and better bass presence.

The 8448 have more flattened pads, so i changed them with the 20952 pads. Now both models are more similar, the 8448 have more forward mids and better bass now and the 20952 lost a little in mids and bass. Treble of both remains and also the sense of lack of air of the 20592.

After all i think i will keep the 8448 model.

I have listened to them with Bifrost Multibit with Valhalla 2 with different tubes and also Vali 2.


I have a similar experience like yours: Later S/Ns aren't necessarily smoother.
My 1201 have a lot more even treble response than relatively later S/Ns: against 19xx and 10xxx.
It was definitely something to keep and I have never made any comparisons since then.
So I don't have any idea about S/Ns over 20000 and 2nd gens...

And it also seems true, that stiffness of pads contributes to treble harshness.
When I replaced my 1201's pad to a new pair (EDT1V for 1st Gen) in 2016,
they brought some harshness and unwanted tension in mid-high frequency range and upper highs sounded like one-noted.

So I choose to put them between thick books for weeks...
Voila! I got my smooth T1 again!

... Never know how those comparisons ended up, if I changed pads between 1201, 19xx and 10xxx.

P.S. I just realised that I posted almost almost same report in January. I forgot it's still there in the last page! That's why I felt weird deja-vu. Lol... How embarrassing...!
 
Last edited:
Mar 12, 2019 at 12:39 PM Post #10,745 of 10,994
Maybe it's not a serial number thing, but simple unit to unit variation.
My Tesla T1 (2nd Gen) for instance is brighter than my Tesla T1 (1st Gen) - s/n16.xxx
 
Mar 25, 2019 at 1:59 AM Post #10,746 of 10,994
I will throw this out there. At long last, I finally acquired a T1 Gen 1, serial 11101, and I could not be any happier. Contrary to what some may say, the extreme treble extension (10 KHz+) is superior to the likes of the HD 800, where cymbals, air and edges are more finely and crisply defined. Plus, unlike the HD 800 which has an annoying upper midrange dip that sucks the life out of music, the T1’s midrange is nicely neutral with energy and immediacy and control and finesse. I will go out on a limb and say that the the T1 is actually the first headphone I have ever heard that has no meaningful detectable flaws and that just makes everything sound so right.

Yes, there is a very, very tiny slight 9-10 KHz peak but this is the least flawed (or most perfect) sound response I have experienced on this planet out of any headphone, AKG (e.g. K812), Beyerdynamic (DT 880 Premium 600-ohm, DT 990 Premium 600-ohm, and T90), Denon (e.g. AH-D5000 and AH-D2000), HiFiMAN (HE 1000, Edition X, and Sundara) and Sennheiser (e.g. HD 800, HD 700, etc.) included, to date. For once, I actually feel like I am dead center in the sweet spot of a perfectly aligned private listening area. That is the end game that I have sought for from the very beginning and no other headphone accomplished it so magnificently. All in all, the T1 is a genre master, a legend, and the king.

Best of all, the T1 is the perfect foil to my T90. The T90 are my go-to fun or guilty pleasure cans, Grado-like with a tasteful mild boost top and bottom but cleaner and more detailed than any Grado including the PS1000, perfect for keeping up the spirits until the tailend of the day at the office. At the end of day, for serious listening, though, the T1 is perfect and I do mean it, for when I get home from work and I want to get serious and immerse myself in the elegantly woven tapestry of my music and other media.
 
Last edited:
Mar 25, 2019 at 2:18 AM Post #10,747 of 10,994
I will throw this out there. At long late, I finally acquired a T1 Gen 1, serial 11101, and I could not be any happier. Contrary to what some may say, the extreme treble extension (10 KHz+) is superior to the likes of the HD 800, where cymbals, air and edges are more finely and crisply defined. Plus, unlike the HD 800 which has an annoying upper midrange dip that sucks the life out of music, the T1’s midrange is nicely neutral. I will go out on a limb and say that the the T1 is actually the first headphone I have ever heard which has no significant detectable flaws and just does everything right.

Yes, there is a very, very tiny slight 9 KHz peak but this is the least flawed (or most perfect) sound response I have experienced on this planet on any headphone, AKG (e.g. K812), Beyerdynamic (DT 880 Premium 600-ohm, DT 990 Premium 600-ohm, and T90), Denon (e.g. AH-D5000 and AH-D2000), HiFiMAN (HE 1000, Edition X, and Sundara) and Sennheiser (e.g. HD 800, HD 700, etc.) included, to date. For once, I actually feel like I am dead center in the sweet spot of a perfect private listening area which is the end game that I have sought from the beginning and no other headphone has accomplished—it is a solid win and a keeper.

Best of all, it is the perfect foil to my T90. The T90 are my go-to fun or guilty pleasure cans, Grado-like with a tasteful mild boost top and bottom but cleaner and more detailed than any Grado including the PS1000, perfect for keeping up the spirits until the tailend of the day at the office. At the end of day, for serious listening, though, the T1 is perfect and I do mean it, for when I get home from work and I want to get serious and deep dive into the elegant harmonic beauty of my music and other media.

My same thoughts, I don't find the T1s to be screamingly bright. They are clear and detailed, I found my old DT-1990 way more screeching, one of the reasons I parted with them. At first I thought it could use more bass, but after tinkering with the gain settings on my V200 and Hugo, I stroke a sweetspot: delicious bass and amazing detailing. I'm still considering to get something with more bass, like the Fostex TH900 but in the meantime, these are just right. And stock pads are the best, maybe when the Vesper Audio pads I ordered eventually arrive, I'll get another opinion, but in the meantime stock for me and no EQ; which is a first for me, I usually EQ the crap out of my headphones, not these ones, I take them raw.
 
Last edited:
Mar 25, 2019 at 3:48 AM Post #10,748 of 10,994
My same thoughts, I don't find the T1s to be screamingly bright. They are clear and detailed, I found my old DT-1990 way more screeching, one of the reasons I parted with them. At first I thought it could use more bass, but after tinkering with the gain settings on my V200 and Hugo, I stroke a sweetspot: delicious bass and amazing detailing. I'm still considering to get something with more bass, like the Fostex TH900 but in the meantime, these are just right. And stock pads are the best, maybe when the Vesper Audio pads I ordered eventually arrive, I'll get another opinion, but in the meantime stock for me and no EQ; which is a first for me, I usually EQ the crap out of my headphones, not these ones, I take them raw.
I also have the same experience with DT1990 being brighter than my T1. Somehow more saturated. T1 is more natural and also more neutral. T1 treble spike is somehow isolated and appears only sometimes. DT1990 have wider spike present all the time and little bit ruining timbre for me. Thats my experience.
 
Mar 25, 2019 at 5:17 AM Post #10,749 of 10,994
I will throw this out there. At long late, I finally acquired a T1 Gen 1, serial 11101, and I could not be any happier. The T1 is perfect and I do mean it, for when I get home from work and I want to get serious and immerse myself in the elegantly woven tapestry of my music and other media.

I love my T1.1 I was lucky enough to get one in 2011 second hand.

I have just bought a second hand mint HD800, they both are incredible. I can not pick one over the other they both sing with the R2R11. A great predicament to have :)

But new toy syndrome has me using the HD800 for now.
 
Apr 30, 2019 at 1:41 PM Post #10,750 of 10,994
Apr 30, 2019 at 2:26 PM Post #10,752 of 10,994
well i heard both t1 v1 it was awful for me, but t1 v2 was good, so my question is the ak massdrop sounding like gen2
 
Apr 30, 2019 at 5:13 PM Post #10,753 of 10,994
I own a very early T1.1 and have liked it from day one .... I assume there is some sample variation with T1s ... plus I always used my T1.1 balanced and properly amped.
The T1 is 600 Ohms and needs a big voltage swing but not overly much power. If the amp is not able to provide that, T1s will sound thin...

Another improvement for the T1.1 is "Loquah's Cube Mod": https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the...scussion-thread.508836/page-540#post-10992251
I strongly recommend that mod, it eliminates the 8kHz (or 9-10 kHz ?) peak quite efficiently without changing the general sound signature, transparency or sound stage.

Driving the T1.1 balanced (you just have to change the Neutrik plug to XLR as the stock cable has all the necessary wires) gives the T1 more speed and impact, a cleaner, more liquid sound IMHO.

The T1.2 seems to have most of these improvements already integrated, the exchangeable cable is really a big plus.

I just think that there is no reason to write about the T1.1 in a depreciatory way.
The T1.1 was the first Beyerdynamic headphone introducing the Tesla technology, may be it was a little overpriced because the technology was new .... and the adjustment of the sound signature was a little premature.
 
Last edited:
Apr 30, 2019 at 5:22 PM Post #10,754 of 10,994
I own a very early T1.1 and have liked it from day one .... I assume there is some sample variation with T1s ... plus I always used my T1.1 balanced and properly amped.
The T1 is 600 Ohms and needs a big voltage swing but not overly much power. If the amp is not able to provide that, T1s will sound thin...

Another improvement for the T1.1 is "Loquah's Cube Mod": https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the...scussion-thread.508836/page-540#post-10992251
I strongly recommend that mod, it eliminates the 8kHz (or 9-10 kHz ?) peak quite efficiently without changing the general sound signature, transparency or sound stage.

Driving the T1.1 balanced (you just have to change the Neutrik plug to XLR as the stock cable has all the necessary wires) gives the T1 more speed and impact, a cleaner, more liquid sound IMHO.

The T1.2 seems to have most of these improvements already integrated, the exchangeable cable is really a big plus.

I just think that there is no reason to write about the T1.1 in a depreciatory way.
The T1.1 was the first Beyerdynamic headphone introducing the Tesla technology, may be it was a little overpriced because the technology was new .... and the adjustment of the sound signature was a little premature.

all what I mentioned is just my own impression and of course all you say is valid

do you know if the massdrop version sounds like T1 2nd gen
 
Apr 30, 2019 at 5:30 PM Post #10,755 of 10,994
all what I mentioned is just my own impression and of course all you say is valid

do you know if the massdrop version sounds like T1 2nd gen

The massdrop version of the T1 is the Astell & Kern AK T1p that is a modification of the stock T1.2 (that is rather expensive in Germany compared to the stock version).
I am sure it is based on the T1.2 because of the exchangeable cables (in Germany the AK T1p includes two exchangeable cables and a custom made head band).

https://us.astellnkern.com/products/ak-t1p

The AK T1p seems to have only 32 Ohms, so the drivers are not the same as in the T1.2

The Beyerdynamic T5p has also 32 Ohm Tesla-type drivers, so either the AK T1p uses custom made drivers based on the T1.2 for 32 Ohms or the T5p drivers.
 
Last edited:

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top