[Chodi]

Quote:

I have always been surprised so many people consider the T1's bright. Maybe I got lucky with mine but there is no excessive brightness with the Woo6se, Audio-gd Roc or balanced out of my Audio-gd Master-6.
 
I know they have that 'peak' (8-10khz if I remember correctly)  in the highs but I have read before that apart from cymbals and some high pitched vocals very few other instruments play in that range.
 
In comparison to my other phones, all balanced on the Master-6, the T1's are only slightly brighter than the HE6's and the HE6's are also fractionally brighter, on some but not all disks, than the LCD2.2 with Twag silver cable.

Well, we don't all hear with the same set of ears. In my case I was sensitive to that peak in the 8-10k area but it only showed up on some recordings not all. It appeared as a slight edge on recordings that had harmonics in that region. A little eq fixed it for me so I don't even have to think about it. I see some folks actually modding their T1's to arrive at the same effect which I think is a little excessive. Just a modest 3bd cut in that range did it for me. Don't get me wrong, I love these headphones and would not part with them. I have compared them to the HD800 in  my home and I kept the T1's. Enough said.

 

[SHAHZADA123]

Quote:

 
I remember when I first got my HE6 and I commented that they had more sibiance than the LCD2.1 (that I had at the time) and the T1's.
People generally replied that it is only showing the sibilance my system already had. Considering neither of my other phones emphasised any sibilance I dismissed that assumption out of hand.
Since I got my Master-6 excessive sibilance on the HE6 has been eliminated. Maybe it was a power issue or the Master-6 is just a better amp which obviously it is!!
In fact I feel that the HE6's can be warmer than my LCD2.2!
I have ordered a Toxic Audio Silver Poison cable for the HE6's to actually try and brighten them up a bit.
 

Yes, the HE-6s do need to be properly set up, preferably with a powerful speaker amp.
I will be giving it another try with the speaker taps of my Stingray iTube. 
After which I'd really like to try the RSA Dark Star.
Will do a bit of research on the Master-6 before buying the DS
Thanks for the tip

 

[nigeljames]

Quote:

Yes, the HE-6s do need to be properly set up, preferably with a powerful speaker amp.
I will be giving it another try with the speaker taps of my Stingray iTube. 
After which I'd really like to try the RSA Dark Star.
Will do a bit of research on the Master-6 before buying the DS
Thanks for the tip

 
The Master-6 has been replaced by the Master-8. Exactly the same amp but the Master-8 has a gain switch to make it more versatile with different phones.
However I love the Master-6 with ALL my phones and have no issue with the amp being overpowered or any hiss.
 
The Dark Star was never an option for me. I mean 50% of the cost is the case, please $1750 for the case thanks but no thanks.
In fact if you take the cost of the respective casework out of the picture and then equalise the manufacturing cost ( the Master-6/8 is made in China) I would expect the Master-6/8 to actually cost more than the Dark Star with regards to parts.
 
I did try a speaker amp before I purchased the Master-6. I bought the Virtue Audio Sensation M451 amp with tube buffer and battery power supply. Its a 89wpc amp that cost around $1500. It was good, had good PRaT and was very clean and detailed, but the Master-6 blows it away for weight and body, bass and is just far more musical.
Synergy will be an important factor with a speaker amp not just power specs.

 

[jsplice]

Quote:

Well, we don't all hear with the same set of ears. In my case I was sensitive to that peak in the 8-10k area but it only showed up on some recordings not all. It appeared as a slight edge on recordings that had harmonics in that region. A little eq fixed it for me so I don't even have to think about it. I see some folks actually modding their T1's to arrive at the same effect which I think is a little excessive. Just a modest 3bd cut in that range did it for me. Don't get me wrong, I love these headphones and would not part with them. I have compared them to the HD800 in  my home and I kept the T1's. Enough said.

 
The peak in the treble region is definitely there with the T1s.  However, because everyone hears differently and enjoys different sound signatures, this is why we have a debate that goes "T1s are bright!"...."No they aren't!"......."Yes they are!".....
 
But the fact is, if you look at any frequency response graph (and yes I know, you can't judge sound just on a graph alone), there is clearly a peak in the treble region of the T1s.  Whether or not an individual is sensitive to it or loves it, is a matter of personal taste and hearing.
 
Nevertheless, I was very sad to have to send back the demo pair of the T1s.  If I had enough money to justify owning multiple expensive headphones for different genres of music, I'd certain own a pair of T1s.  But right now for me, because of that treble peak, I will have to look elsewhere in the "$1k+ Club" for my high-end cans.

 

[tashlin]

Quote:

 
The Master-6 has been replaced by the Master-8. Exactly the same amp but the Master-8 has a gain switch to make it more versatile with different phones.
However I love the Master-6 with ALL my phones and have no issue with the amp being overpowered or any hiss.
 
The Dark Star was never an option for me. I mean 50% of the cost is the case, please $1750 for the case thanks but no thanks.
In fact if you take the cost of the respective casework out of the picture and then equalise the manufacturing cost ( the Master-6/8 is made in China) I would expect the Master-6/8 to actually cost more than the Dark Star with regards to parts.
 
I did try a speaker amp before I purchased the Master-6. I bought the Virtue Audio Sensation M451 amp with tube buffer and battery power supply. Its a 89wpc amp that cost around $1500. It was good, had good PRaT and was very clean and detailed, but the Master-6 blows it away for weight and body, bass and is just far more musical.
Synergy will be an important factor with a speaker amp not just power specs.

+1 for the Audio-GD Master-x combination with the HE-6.  I actually have the Master 5, which I find more than adequate to drive it (volume about 40-50% for most music).  Before using this amp, I used to find my HE-6 too bright and thought the sound was a bit thin and fragile (to the point I almost got rid of them).  However, when properly driven, as mine now are, I agree the HE-6 is actually slightly darker than the T1, which I bought a couple of weeks ago and also run balanced from my Master 5.  However, I find the T1 has a more realistic sound stage and images better.  Plus, the lusher midrange just seems to get my head nodding and toe tapping more frequently!  The HE-6 still has slightly better clarity, separates instruments and voices more clearly, has more bass punch and deeper bass extension though.  I think it depends on what you like listening to and, more importantly, HOW you like to listen that determines which is better! i.e. Do you want to get lost in the music (T1) or sit there thinking about all the different musical components you can hear on the recording (HE-6)?  I think both headphones have an equally broad genre bandwidth.
 
I do think the T1 treble peak is an issue.  Not for all recordings, but it does make certain cymbal hits, some female sss sounds and certain percussion instruments (e.g. triangles!) quite painful to listen to for long periods.  I also find it makes some modern mainstream recordings/artists sound almost unlistenable (E.g. Beyoncé).  EQ is fine if your source is a computer but not an option for my modded Sonos unit!  I am therefore doing a bit of experimentation with non-destructive/reversible mods to see if I can tame the treble just a little bit.  If I can, I think the T1 will be my perfect headphone...
 
(I have also tried driving the HE-6 with speaker amps.  Overall I was not a big fan.  Yes, the bass improved and the treble became smoother, but on the amps I tried, the sound also became more grainy and clarity suffered significantly.  For me, the overall package wasn't that enjoyable.)

 

[dragoonv]

I think when people says BRIGHT....there are some factors we need to take into account. First, being what sort of headphone are they referencing from? also what tracks they are referencing from. A lot of the recordings now days have been tuned in the higher register which with the T1, they will sound bright, only because T1 is revealing.

 

[LogicalDisconnect]

I agree. As I've said, I do find the T1s bright and harsh sometimes, but I'm very sure that's because of (a) the music I listen to; and (b) my particular hearing and sensitivities. I don't think it can be described as any kind of 'fault'. It's just a different sound signature, and your enjoyment of it will depend on a large number of factors other than the headphones themselves.
 
In the end, I think it's always easier to describe sound relative to something else than in absolute terms. I can say that I find the T1 far less bright than the K701, MS2i and ER4S, for example, but brighter than my DT250. On the other hand, I wouldn't feel comfortable making the absolute statement that 'T1s are bright'. I might find them sometimes harsh, but I think that's down to personal preference more than anything else.

 

[delusionist]

Quote:

I agree. As I've said, I do find the T1s bright and harsh sometimes, but I'm very sure that's because of (a) the music I listen to; and (b) my particular hearing and sensitivities. I don't think it can be described as any kind of 'fault'. It's just a different sound signature, and your enjoyment of it will depend on a large number of factors other than the headphones themselves.
 
In the end, I think it's always easier to describe sound relative to something else than in absolute terms. I can say that I find the T1 far less bright than the K701, MS2i and ER4S, for example, but brighter than my DT250. On the other hand, I wouldn't feel comfortable making the absolute statement that 'T1s are bright'. I might find them sometimes harsh, but I think that's down to personal preference more than anything else.

I think the treble is just right for me at least. They appear laid-back to me (though this is not the case) because I have many bright headphones.
But yes, the T1 is far less bright than the K701/Q701/DT800/etc.

 

[Kees]

Quote:

I think when people says BRIGHT....there are some factors we need to take into account. First, being what sort of headphone are they referencing from? also what tracks they are referencing from. A lot of the recordings now days have been tuned in the higher register which with the T1, they will sound bright, only because T1 is revealing.

And, even more important, HOW LOUD they are played. Louder is brighter (more u-shaped).

 

[Dubstep Girl]

am i the only one that doesn't consider the k701 a bright headphone?

 

[delusionist]

Quote:

am i the only one that doesn't consider the k701 a bright headphone?

Interesting, I have always seen some odd reviews of the K701, in which they are described as warm. Not that I am disagreeing, they don't sound warm to my ears.

 

[Dubstep Girl]

i don't think they're warm either though. they're very neutral with their so called "clinical" sound. i just don't find the highs to be bright or harsh or anything, they're just there. with my wa6-se, the midrange also seemed to sound slightly dark. not warm. and not overly done, just very slightly noticeable on some songs.

 

[preproman]

Quote:

 
The Master-6 has been replaced by the Master-8. Exactly the same amp but the Master-8 has a gain switch to make it more versatile with different phones.
However I love the Master-6 with ALL my phones and have no issue with the amp being overpowered or any hiss.
 
The Dark Star was never an option for me. I mean 50% of the cost is the case, please $1750 for the case thanks but no thanks.
In fact if you take the cost of the respective casework out of the picture and then equalise the manufacturing cost ( the Master-6/8 is made in China) I would expect the Master-6/8 to actually cost more than the Dark Star with regards to parts.
 
I did try a speaker amp before I purchased the Master-6. I bought the Virtue Audio Sensation M451 amp with tube buffer and battery power supply. Its a 89wpc amp that cost around $1500. It was good, had good PRaT and was very clean and detailed, but the Master-6 blows it away for weight and body, bass and is just far more musical.
Synergy will be an important factor with a speaker amp not just power specs.

 
I was also thinking about the Master x along with the Ref. 7.1 - Then I just happened to try my Emotiva UPA-1 mono blocks @ $25o each Class A A/B.  They was being used in my HT system.  I said what the heck, let me give them a try.  They put out 300 watts each.  I know the HE-6 don't need that much, but that's what I had on hand.  Before I was using them on my 4 channel Fully Balanced B22.  I always felt like something was missing.   I ordered a banana clip pig tail with a 4-pin XLR at the other end.  It was all she wrote.  From that point I had a little mini meet with a couple of head fi'ers.  One brought over a B24 speaker amp the other brought over duel Rotel 125 watt mono block that he used for his HE-6s.  We had a really good shoot out between all the amps.  We all agreed that the B22 did not have what it took.  We also agree that the HE-6 will scale up to what ever power you can provide it.  On the UPA-1 mono blocks they sounded like I never heard them before.  Everything just opened right up.  The bass and instrument separation was out of this world, it improved the sound stage dramatically as well.  I have not moved the UPA-1s back to the HT system yet.  I think this setup is the way to go for these headphones.

 

[Blisse]

Hi guys. Does anyone know if the Beyer T1's are larger than the DT990 series? The DT990 was a bad fit, but I'm interested in the T1's.

 

[Zombie_X]

Hi,
 
They are the same size, but the T1 seems to clamp a bit more than the Premium beyers.
 
Quote:

Hi guys. Does anyone know if the Beyer T1's are larger than the DT990 series? The DT990 was a bad fit, but I'm interested in the T1's.