Thought I would share, I have this tool with my ifixit kit that makes this easy:
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So I own both the Elex and the T1 Gen3. The Elex will have a more round soundstage than the T1 and the T1 will still be a tad warmer even with the dampener removed.
Listening to the T1 Gen3 is like listening to music with some soundstage but in a well sound proof room. Like @Falenkor said, using the T1 Gen3 takes a bit of time to get used to.
As far as game goes, if you are only playing games that are not FPS and something more casual like single player games, these would be good there. I do use them when playing WoW and sounds pretty good there due to some sound effects can be a bit shrill with the wrong headphone.
They are also pretty great when watching shows or movies. You get that real cinema feel, due to them being a bit of a darker headphone.
I had to think about that for a moment. Yeah, this is actually pretty accurate as an example.
tried it in competitiveā¦ donāt do it lol.
I actually have a jimmyā¦ Will have to get this a shot I didnāt think about it.
Edit: yeah that works surprisingly easy. Thanks for that one @Rick_Jones
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I should clarify that many of the headphones that I listed are enjoyable to listen to (HD800s is a bit of stretch since itās a lot of treble and not much enjoyment with the rest of the frequency range). They just donāt sound impressive to me besides the ZMF and Meze Empyrean. I think in general, I really like the intimacy and detail that IEMs provide. I forgot to mention that I listened to most of the Audeze line up as well and it gives me same feelings as the rest of the headphones I mentioned. Also Audeze headphones are way too heavy for being a daily driver for me. I think Iāll try the T1 (3rd Gen) since I have the option of dark or bright side and is really good for gaming when on bright side.
@Rick_Jones Do you have a personal preference between the Elex and T1 (Gen 3)? How are vocals on the bright side of T1 gen 3?
ah okay, so a bit of misunderstanding.
Thatās one thing I definitely donāt like about them. That weight gets to me. I donāt have that issue with this headphone so definitely a plus.
yeah, not a bad idea. Might become your new favorite. I have been using it as my own daily driver of late. Itās just one of those I frequently actually want to pick up over the other headphones.
Yeah @Rick_Jones wheres your thoughts on the headphone.
I donāt now how to feel about thisā¦ 
I want to try them so badā¦ LOL
I mean, if it makes matters worse(for the laughs), I am planning to retire my Tygrs(no longer needed as this was just for movies and some casual gaming so I find gen 3 better), Nighthawks(this is a similar signature but the gen 3 I feel is a hell of a lot better tuned), and LCD-2(love the rich planar sound but they are so damn heavy meanwhile this is light with a bit of a similar signature for me and I can just wear it all day every day without concern).
I still want to get around to listening to LCD-X but I feel itās just going to be weighty and not for me. I do however, wish this responded a little better to some pad swaps. Granted I do use pad swaps when the dampeners are out. I am more inclined to use this due to that idea of using the jimmy. Makes swapping them out pretty effortless outside of the pad but I just use dekoni velours on them so its not a big fight to put the pad back on.
I definitely recommend people to try this headphone if they like the signature it has. It should start popping up in other places with return policies though. I would keep my eyes peeled on that one man. Plus I would think christmas sales may cause it to dip a little later on.
I had the nighthawk. I like it ,but the vocals for some reason sound different ( i didnāt like it).
I was planning to keep the tygr. Until today, my dt880 600ohm(second time) arrived. I am leaning more toward the dt880.
I think I am going to sell 2 of my other headphones and go for this one.
Currently, own:
- T1.2nd (keep)
- Dt1990
- Tygr
- Dt880 600ohm (keep)
Itās an acquired taste thatās for sure.
Suddenly start liking bright headphones? lol.
if possible, I would wait on selling that 1990. The 2nd gen is rather close to this one without that dampener and I do think the 1990 is a better companion to this headphone since itās more neutral bright and aggressive. Would say sell it later after testing this one if you can.
The truth is that I always liked bright headphones lol. I had the dt880 before the covid, but had to sold it. The dt880 600 make me buy almost all the Beyerdynamic headphones. I think my ear shape are a perfect match for the dt880. I donāt find the dt880 bright at all. I have been using it since it arrive with my thx789 for 6h straight. The tygr, sundara, dt1990, ananda, hd650 and hd58x fatigue more than dt880.
I would like to keep my dt1990. but, at some point after having more than 3 headphones I start rejecting them ( I tell myself I can only listen to one at a time lol).
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surprised you find the tygr and sennheisers more fatiguing than the DT 880. I find the DT 880 nice and extremely detailed but I just hate the bass and the low mids it just sounds so hollow and lacking to me so I guess thatās outside my preference. I donāt get that sound from the DT 1990s and I like vocals so DT 990 definitely wasnāt the most ideal for me despite my enjoyment in the headphone.
Thatās been my thought process of late. I try not to seperate things into specific genre and more along the lines of preferred sound signature.
With the dampeners out, how much does the sound change with the Dekoni pads on the 3rd gen?
Doesnāt the Beyerdynamic website already have a return policy or is it pretty bad?
with the velour pads? not much at all. Any other pad variety? quite a bit. Iāve just left my dekoni velours on it. Works well. I will put my suedes on it sometimes if the dampener is out to balance it out a bit more for my own preference just depends on what I feel like having on them at the time.
They do but itās decent. If you devalue it in any way they can charge you for restocking it because they will claim itās no longer in factory or new conditioning. I will put it this wayā¦ if they count that headband, it definitely indents and takes a shape quick much like the clamp force change.
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Nothing says āpassā to me faster than telling me I should mod (removing things like a dampener is a mod to me) a headphone to get the best out of it. Especially when weāre talking four figures for the headphone.
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Yea soā¦ to my ears, with the dampening off the vocals are going to be a tad more forward and a little bit more bright and airy.
I will also add with the dampening on that the soundstage can feel a bit smaller. But I will also say thisā¦ with the dampening on you can turn up the volume a bit more and in a way feel as though you are getting a bit more detail due to the highs not seeming shouty or sibilant. Basically if you are looking for some particular instrument or sound in the music you can find it.
I will add this as well since you own a lot of Audeze headphones that I do own the LCD-GX. (Only high-end Audeze I own.) In comparing the two, I will say that the LCD-GX is less forward with vocals, and the sound stage is a bit different in that it seems like it is float above me a tad. Whereas the soundstage on the T1 Gen3 seems more precise in itās direction around me. I prefer the soundstage with the T1 Gen 3. The overall sound on the T1 Gen3 will be a bit darker with the dampener in vs it being out. They are a bit more on par with each other sound with it out.
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Idkā¦ one could argue that having more options in the way you can change up the sound with a headphone depending on your mood, having the option to change of the characteristic of a headphone could mean the value is warranted. Meaning instead of buying two opposite sounding headphones that compliment one another, you get it in one headphone purchase.
Just a thought, but if youāre open to buying used and like what you previously heard from Elex, Clears may be an option. IIRC, @SpeleoFool mentions that he does some gaming in Clears. I imagine with the tier of IEMs you have, that your source gear is also high enough to give the Clears what they want.
Its not for me, brother.
I could go into a whole long essay about why its personally not for me, but Iāll just leave it as personal taste.
Pretty sure nobody said that to get the best out of this headphone you have to remove the dampener. Itās just an extra.
+1
he mentioned he already tried the clears and itās a no go. Unfortunate as I really liked the clears.
see you say a bit more but I can really raise mine by a good amount. Weird.
the imaging and seperation on this headphone is quite superb I will give it thatā¦ with or without dampener I can definitely pick out my instruments and particular sounds.
I honestly think this may just be due to that warmth causing some sort of weird effect like putting up walls in a big room.
Though, Granted I feel I may be getting a bit more brightness then you are when I remove the dampener which seems odd. Mine definitely becomes much brighter as one can expect from a Beyer. Itās definitely above neutral just smooth in sound
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Well this could either be due to my age or I am not as sensitive to highs. Maybe a bit of both? lol
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