Beyer T50P review

[rayk]

Well I had no interest in them before, but now I kinda almost want to hear them out of morbid curiosity

It's not worth it, I did the same thing - they are as terrible as people say. That and it's impossible to get a good fit if you have a small head.

[Nebby]

You mean they're not as good as people say?

I'm also interested in hearing one just out of morbid curiosity...

[Wmcmanus]

Maybe you wouldn't recall, but once you called me a jerk at HF for saying that some guy there, raving madly about the DT-48, then selling them, was a disgusting thing to do hahahaha. I think you purchased those DT-48, now I know your opinion

Ehh, don't remember that. Sorry if I called you a jerk and you're not, in reality, a jerk. I must have been looking for like company.

As for the DT-48's, Matt (NightWoundsTime) can confirm that I broke my pair before I had listened to them for 10 seconds. They're not as indestructible as people claim they are! I tried them on at a meet (somewhere, can't remember where, probably Tampa) and they squeezed my head so badly that I figured, "Hmmm, maybe if I stretch them out a bit." But they seemed to bounce right back no matter what I did, until I stretched them with a wee bit too much force and snapped the indestructible headband in two. So I never did listen to them.

I've still got them, and was hoping that maybe one day I'd run across a headband solution that works. Beyer doesn't have any of the originals as best I can tell from the limited amount of research I did, but even if they did, the clamping force would be way too tight for my comfort. In any case, I eventually found another pair at another meet and gave them a quick listen. They're really nowhere near as bad as the T50P.

[Wmcmanus]

No, but I've surprised more than one flight attendant when handing back crushed Diet coke cans. It's quite easy, actually. Just give them a twist and then squish 'em into a neat and compact little package... chicks dig it. They call Godzilla all the time.

[rayk]

You mean they're not as good as people say?

Oh yeah, sorry I forgot to mention I didn't give them the 200 hours "burn in" people say they need.

[Torpedo]

Never mind Wayne. At that moment I felt bad but now it's long gone. I like to think I'm not a jerk, but as everything in life, it's debatable

I've never listened to music using the DT-48, just test tones and sweeps. Those phones are a reference for psychoacoustic studies in medicine. I happened to work at a place that had them about 18 years ago (more or less). I found them very uncomfortable and didn't feel tempted to try them with the Discman I had by those days. When I read about people using them for music... To each one his/her own I guess

[kirkwall]

I dunno. We have a pair of the T50ps in the lab I'm in at the moment and they sound pretty good to me. Definitely an odd balance off the top, with a relatively low-impact bass, but there's a fair bit of detail and they present a decent soundstage for their size. The only other phones used there are the AT-M50s and AKG 240s and some cracked Equations so difficult to draw meaningful conclusions but I'd say the Beyers are good, if idiosyncratic performers, capable of musical involvement and, depending on what's upstream, an extended but slightly uptilted treble. Comfort seems fine for the category, despite the headband padding resembling a fridge seal. Don't know if I'd own 'em, but don't think they suck.

best,

k

[rudy99]

that was amusing , lol thanks, i almost got the t5p but i read a really bad review as well, i am waiting for the new beyer 600 ohm closed

cheers

[dalethorn]

I've never listened to music using the DT-48, just test tones and sweeps. Those phones are a reference for psychoacoustic studies in medicine. I happened to work at a place that had them about 18 years ago (more or less). I found them very uncomfortable and didn't feel tempted to try them with the Discman I had by those days. When I read about people using them for music... To each one his/her own I guess

Things have changed. The 3 sets of DT-48's I had in the 70's were very rolled off in the highs and lows, and not just uncomfortable - they pressed on certain ear parts and were painful. Enter the new DT-48E (and only the 'E' version). It looks exactly the same. The thicker ear cushions, and extra padding inside next to the driver screen, eliminated the comfort issue. Unless you're claustrophobic.

But the sound. You wouldn't expect something that sounded like the old DT-48 to sound like a Sennheiser HD-800 today. And they don't. But they're very nearly as good. The bass is still shy, but not rolled off like the old 'phones. You don't get the impact of the really deep stuff, but it sounds really good otherwise. The highs are there, and clear. And the mids are spectacular. You would probably never hear another 'phone like the DT-48E. Very highly recommended.

One little caveat - the new DT-48 still collects sweat in the earcups - same as the old version.

[HeadphoneAddict]

Ohmygodhedidnt

[manaox2]

To play devils advocate, the ears continue to grow and hearing change throughout your lifetime. 40 years might change some things.

[dalethorn]

To play devils advocate, the ears continue to grow and hearing change throughout your lifetime. 40 years might change some things.

It's a valid thought, but in this case I did my homework. The sealed pads on the new 48E (the previous 48's weren't sealed - you could rotate them 360 degrees) make the difference in the bass. Just put the 48E on and get a good seal, play some music with bass, then yawn really wide, which breaks the seal, and listen to the bass disappear. The much better highs I can't account for yet. Although I can tell you this - when I yawn to kill the bass, the highs also sound much more like the old DT-48's. Currently my hearing goes flat to 10 khz and drops maybe 3 db at 12 khz, so with the DT-48 and my Sennheiser 800's I can make a pretty good judgement about the sound. When I had the Soundcraftsmen equalizer I could equalize headphones to within 1 db of the Koss ESP9's. I could do that now. Piece 'o' cake.

[Wmcmanus]

I talked with Todd about this briefly last night (the TTVJ Todd). He said that he sent his pair of T50P back to Beyer and they apparently confirmed with him that there was something "wrong" with them (whatever that means) and have since sent him a replacement pair. He said that the new pair arrived the other day but he hasn't listened to them yet. I asked him if he was afraid to listen to them, and his response was "No comment". Too bad he doesn't still have the original pair on hand to make comparisons.

[Dusty Chalk]

To play devils advocate, the ears continue to grow and hearing change throughout your lifetime. 40 years might change some things.

And headphones wear out. My beloved first headphones sounded...well, worn out, when I ran across them several decades later.

[Fitz]

To play devils advocate, the ears continue to grow and hearing change throughout your lifetime. 40 years might change some things.

Tastes change too. I know I like very different things than I did only 5 years ago.

[swt61]

^

Penis?

[Tyll Hertsens]

:lolers

[HeadphoneAddict]

I wanted to say that you owe me a keyboard after making me spit soda all over mine,

...but in reality you made milk come out of my nose!

[Dusty Chalk]

^

Penis?

Thank you for saying what I was thinking.

[Fitz]

[dalethorn]

Tastes change too. I know I like very different things than I did only 5 years ago.

My tastes haven't changed since 1974. I knew what live music sounded like then, and thanks in no small part to J. Gordon Holt, I've been pursuing that ever since. Some headphones wear out. The Beyer DT-48 does not. Hearing changes for some people, but mine hasn't changed at all below 12 khz. I find that the Sennheiser HD-800 is a good reference point from which to judge other 'phones, and the DT-48 provides balance in that judgement as well.

[atothex]

Dude, are you the reincarnation of KBI?

[dalethorn]

Dude, are you the reincarnation of KBI?

I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm here to learn and share information, not to socialize.

[Aimless1]

I'm not sure you're in the right forum then.

[morphsci]

I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm here to learn and share information, not to socialize.

I'm not sure you're in the right forum then.

Heh, beat me to it.