First Impression: Beyerdynamic’s T1

Beyerdynamic T1, the flagship model from Beyerdynamic is claimed to be the first headphone with more than 1 Tesla magnet strength. Strong magnet in dynamic design theoretically will improve the efficiency, speed, and control of the driver coil, which contribute to fast, detailed, and accurate sound.

 

In hand, the T1 feels solid and rather heavy, slightly heavier than Sennheiser HD600 and Shure SRH840 used in this review for comparison.

T1’s ear-cups are big and deep. My ears were totally free from the inner side of the headphone ear-cups, and therefore it feels comfortable for long hour listening. The headband pressure is average, I can feel a bit of pressure under my ears, on the upper jaw. I feel the pressure is alright, but my wife said she felt uncomfortable by the velour pad pressure under the ears. Compared to HD600, the HD600 headband pressure feels more comfortable than T1, while T1 has deeper ear-cups.

The cable used for T1 is thick and heavy. On the cable I find the writing:
Peacock MK II – 2x2x0,22mm2 (AWG24) – Audio [aes/ebu] – OFC – by SOMMER CABLE Germany. The cable is terminated in Neutrik’s 1/4 connector. A surprise, since Beyers usually makes their own connectors. For my daily use, the 3m cable is too long, and could add weight to the headphones when the cable is hanging down.

The setup for this review is as follows:
Desktop PC with iTunes v9.1.1.12 and Foobar2000 v1.0.3. Firewire connection to the Focusrite Saffire LE (Firewire audio interface for the DAC), then a balanced connection to the SPL Auditor headphone amplifier.

 

Other headphones available for comparison are Sennheiser HD600 and Shure SRH840. Even though those headphones are in a lower price level than the Beyerdynamic T1, the comparison here is just to give us some idea how the T1 sounds compared to them.

Out of the box, before burn-in, the T1 sounds lively with very good dynamic, tonal balance lean toward the bright side, and reminds me a lot of my Grado RS1 which I had for about more than a year. I was impressed by the spectrum coverage, very wide from extremely deep bass to top octave. Although the T1 is not bass heavy type of headphones, the bass harmonic is very rich, and it extends quite low. The highs sometime a bit prone to sibilant on relatively bright recordings, but bear in mind that this is T1 before burn-in.

After about more than 110 hours of burn in, T1 sounds a bit smoother and more refined, but not much different, overall still leaning toward the bright side. I prefer headphone that doesn’t change after burn-in, proving that their electro-mechanical construction is good and stable, as well as assurance of consistent sound in the long run.


4.9/5 - (9 votes)
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57 Comments

  • Reply June 8, 2010

    denging

    • Warm, strong bass, and smooth sounding amplifier, with good imaging and detail resolving ability, would be a good match for Beyerdynamic T1

    mike, what would you think of pairing this beauty with WooAudio6 (winsome's) and certainly with His own beauty (Sophia Princess), do you think Beyerdynamic T1 could reveal its full potency with this setup… thx mike

    • Reply June 8, 2010

      Mike

      I think the T1 can be a good pairing with the WooAudio6. At this moment I haven't even heard the heapdhone, man. 🙂

      Personally I'd go with the Burson HA-160 though. From reading the review above (it was done by Bram, not me), I have a feeling the HA-160 and the T1 can be a superb pairing.

      The WooAudio6 is great if you prefer a weightier sound with a lot of vocal in your music.

  • Reply June 8, 2010

    HC

    Hello Mike,

    Thank you for the great review.

    Will there be a comparison between the T1 and HD800?

    Possibly HE5s as well?

    • Reply June 7, 2010

      Mike

      Hi HC, you’re welcome, but actually Bram wrote this one.

      I’ll definitely be writing on the T1 and the HD800, and maybe even with the HE5s. From what I’ve read, it looks like the T1 and the HD800 will satisfy different types of people. The HD800 would be more relaxed sounding, bigger soundstage, where the T1 — from what I’ve read, I can’t help thinking that it sounds like a perfected Grado RS1 type of sound, though perhaps not as forward.

  • Reply June 8, 2010

    Shahrose

    Hey Mike, I was expecting an HD800/HE-5 comparison as well 😉

    I know you'll get to it sometime, I'm looking forward to it.

  • Reply June 9, 2010

    glac1er

    Thanks for the great review, Bram. The pictures and the review are mouthwatering 🙂

  • Reply June 9, 2010

    Earfonia

    Thanks Glac1er! I just realized that my impression might makes people think that T1 sounds bright, it is actually slightly brighter relative to the headphones in comparison, but for my musical preference, T1 is actually sounds natural, not bright, it's just the treble sounds very rich 🙂

  • Reply June 14, 2010

    Earfonia

    Thanks to dw1narso who reminded me to mention that the Sennheiser HD600 used for comparison in this review is the old HD600 with old driver, which according to those who have tried, sounds thicker in the mid bass – low mid region compared to the new version of HD600.

  • Reply June 15, 2010

    Jose

    Greetings Mike!

    "Warm sounding amplifier with good and strong bass, and smooth treble would be a good match for the T1"

    I have read good impressions of the T1 with the EF5, which is pretty much the amplifier you described there. Have you tried them together yet?

    • Reply June 15, 2010

      Mike

      Hi Jose,

      I actually haven't even touched the T1. 😉 It's sitting in a box at my house, but I haven't had the opportunity to listen to it. Talk about too many gears and not enough time to enjoy them.

      I'll let you know when I get the chance. 🙂

      • Reply June 18, 2010

        Jose

        Great, can't wait.

  • Reply June 5, 2011

    Fei

    Hello Mike, I own the Grado RS1 and it’s truly engaging IMO. Would the T1 provide similar signature as my Grado? Or would I miss the excitement of my current cans?

    • Reply June 6, 2011

      Anonymous

      Hi Fei,
      The signature of the RS1 and the T1 is not quite the same, but one thing
      that is certain is I don’t think you’ll feel the T1 to lack the
      excitement your Grado gives. It is just as lively and engaging, punch,
      attack and everything, and the T1’s Tesla driver is far superior to the
      RS1’s in term of resolution. But still, Grados have their own magic, so
      even though the T1 “sounds better” on paper, in reality I can’t say if
      you’ll like it more than the RS1.

      But ultimately I think you’re already looking at the right direction
      with the T1.

      • Reply June 6, 2011

        Fei

        Thanks Mike.
        Did you mean the magical mids of Grado?
        Does the T1 as forward as Grado in presentation?

        Meanwhile, if I’m looking at orthodynamic direction, what would be your recommendation?

        Many thanks.

        • Reply June 6, 2011

          Anonymous

          Fei,
          The mids is not going to be the same as the Grado, and it’s kind of hard
          to say if the T1’s mids is “magical” like the Grado. The T1 is indeed
          quite forward, but again it’s not going to be the same as the Grado. I
          mean, they are two different headphones with different technology from
          two different companies.

          If you’re looking at an ortho, my suggestion would be the Hifiman
          HE-500. The mids are one of the best I’ve heard perhaps only second to
          the Omega 2, and I would even rank it as being better than the RS1.

          • Reply June 6, 2011

            Fei

            Thanks Mike.

            Does the HE-500 have all the punch, attack, liveliness and engaging experience of the RS1 and T1? That’s gonna be a winner then.

            • Reply June 6, 2011

              Anonymous

              Not quite the same attack, but the HE-500 is just as lively and engaging.

          • Reply June 6, 2011

            Fei

            More polite then? Is there any amp you could think-off that able to add some dose of attack and aggressiveness toward the HE-500?

            Last question, out of various amps you’ve tried which one works great with the T1? Tube or SS? How’s the final sound signature of that pairing?

            Thanks so much Mike. 

            • Reply June 7, 2011

              Anonymous

              It’s not as if the HE-500 lack an attack, not at all. But if you’re looking for a rock headphone the T1 is sharper and does the job better. On the other hand you’re not going to get the sweeter HE-500 mids with the T1. I think it comes with the voicing of the headphone.

              What I am saying is that the HE-500 will be better for Eagles, Diana Krall and such, while the T1 for Aerosmith, Linkin Park etc. You probably can’t get a headphone that can master both genres equally well as the type of music is very different. The O2 has an even sweeter mids but the attack is even less.

              So again, I don’t think your objective should be for a perfect headphone here, but as you’ve enjoyed the RS-1 with all its limitations, I think you’ll enjoy both the T1 or the HE-500.

              T1 works great with both SS and tubes. I can’t say what the final signature sounds like as there are so many different types of tubes and solid state, but I enjoyed the T1 out of the Zana Deux the most, and with the Manley Stingray second.

  • Reply June 11, 2011

    Geeraerts Frank

    If it is at least slightly  or realy better than the 990 /600 ohm than it is OK for me!………….much off so called on the bright side or a sibilant caracter is due to the revealing capacity off those headphones off the quality off the signal……tha’s where it goes wrong……..and not in the Beyer..Most judge the poor quality of wat you put in it withouty understanduing that it goes wrong alsewhere………..whenever i heard a Beyer DT 990 going wrong it always was the source material witch failed…………be sure……..you better get it wright before using something to good foor your system…………………..

  • Reply November 22, 2011

    Carlo

    Hi Mike, 

    What solid state amp would match well with the T1?

    Thanks

    • Reply November 22, 2011

      Anonymous

      I recommended a friend of mine to go with the Asgard from schiit.

      • Reply November 23, 2011

        Carlo

        Thanks, Mike.

  • Reply November 23, 2012

    Guest

    Hi Mike,

    I tried the Beyer T1 with Lavry DA11. It’s sounds very artificial and not smooth

    • Reply November 23, 2012

      Mike

      Yes not the best pairing. Try some tube?

      What recordings?

  • Reply August 19, 2013

    Ted

    should make a review of the Beyer T1/A1 combination. I heard the precision is out of this world.

    • Reply August 19, 2013

      Mike

      Thanks Ted.
      The T1 is a very precise headphone. The A1 and A2 amps on the other hand, are not the most precise amplifiers around. They sound warm and nice though.

  • Reply August 25, 2013

    Canadian Maestro

    Decent storyline. But get some proofreading. The English is atrocious.

    • Reply August 25, 2013

      Dave Ulrich

      Many of the writers for this site are not native English speakers.

      • Reply August 25, 2013

        George Lai

        They may not be native English speakers but the website is a godsend to readers in terms of content, frequency of updates, communication with readers, etc. Long live the King.

        • Reply August 25, 2013

          Dave Ulrich

          The content of the reviews always comes across clearly. Not sure what else matters.

      • Reply August 25, 2013

        dalethorn

        Many of my coworkers in Irvine California are Asian and not native English speakers/writers, and there is only a relatively small adjustment needed to connect our individual dialects. You should try to imagine many U.S. “native English speakers” from the South Bronx trying to communicate with people from rural South Georgia (u.s.) – hilarious!! But for Headfonia, the communication here has been as good as or better than what I experience at work in California. So no worries!!

    • Reply August 25, 2013

      L.

      Thanks, I guess. Check out what Dale and George said

  • Reply April 26, 2014

    alan tan

    I’m going to try the T1 with schiit magni, don’t know what to expect, cause schiit support team said it will power the T1 more than enough

    • Reply April 26, 2014

      Dave Ulrich

      It will have enough juice for the T1.

  • Reply May 20, 2014

    meh

    are the T1 and T90 pad the same?

    • Reply May 20, 2014

      L.

      Good question. I would think so size wise but I have no clue if it is the same fabric

      • Reply May 20, 2014

        meh

        do u think the size of the pad would fit the trio(770/880/990)?

        • Reply May 21, 2014

          dalethorn

          At Beyer they have a ‘990V’ earpad for the 880 and 990, and they have a ‘990S’ earpad for the 770. It suggests they may be interchangeable, but you would have to ask them.

    • Reply September 16, 2014

      Igor Sheykin

      Diameter is the same, but pads are very different. T1 have round shape in cross-section, while T90’s close to normal triangle. Fabric is also different.

    • Reply September 17, 2014

      dalethorn

      My T90 (90th Anniv.) pads are covered by a very smooth fabric, and my T1 pads have a slightly rougher fabric. Underneath the fabric they seem to be the same, since they feel (compress) the same when squeezed.

  • Reply July 26, 2014

    Guest

    Cut frequency is the stupid thing. This headphones are perfect!

  • Reply July 26, 2014

    Guest

    Cut frequency is the stupid thing. This headphones are perfect!

  • Reply July 26, 2014

    Aleksandar Kitevski

    Cut frequency with eq is the stupid thing. This headphones are perfect!

  • Reply July 26, 2014

    Aleksandar Kitevski

    Cut frequency with eq is the stupid thing. This headphones are perfect!

  • Reply August 21, 2014

    Igor Sheykin

    What amp do you think pairs better with T1: Crack or A20?
    Or may be there are better solutions in the same price range ~500€ ?

    • Reply August 21, 2014

      L.

      The Crack for sure.

      • Reply August 21, 2014

        Igor Sheykin

        Thank you! Still waiting for my Crack to be shipped.
        off topic: How do you think, can Crack survive the flight in luggage?

        • Reply August 21, 2014

          L.

          You mean before it is put together? Of course. Mine went from the Us to Jakarta as a DIY kit and then from there to Europe as a finished amp. All good

          • Reply August 21, 2014

            Igor Sheykin

            Oh this is good to hear! Thank you! (I meant the finished amp)

            • Reply August 21, 2014

              L.

              Let us know how it is when you get it

            • Reply August 22, 2014

              dalethorn

              Get everything screwed down and soldered tight. If there’s anything loose during shipment, it will get looser.

    • Reply May 23, 2015

      EmilijusJocas

      Igor, as i understood you are from europe – do you use skype or facebook? i would like to chat about crack and t90.

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