Yea at some point I will have to collect my thoughts and add them here. I will probably wait until the weekend though⊠pretty busy week for me.
Alright, itâs time. Full thoughts. Just got home so lets go.
Disclaimer: these are my thoughts and should be taken as purely subjective. We hear things differently though I try to pick out things I see may be an issue for others if I happen across them. I am by no means an expert nor do I claim to be one. Just a guy who loves his music and quality of sound.
Build Quality & Cables
Like stated previously I think this headphone has a beautiful design to it better than the other headphones. I love the smoother finish to the sides of the cups. To me the feel and aesthetic just feels luxury for a beyerdynamic. At first, I thought they made a bit of a mistake in the sides of the cups as the grills looked closed even in the picture it looks a bit like itâs closed but no those are indeed open. I would have liked a more replaceable friendly headband though thatâs me nitpicking.
Cables are the same as the previous generation without L & R labelling instead it has the colors on the plugs. The headphone is quite sturdy and pretty flexible. Typical screw on 1/4th inch adapter. Balanced cables as one can expect(unfortunately) are sold separately. Cables shown are the stock cables and while they work alright I have my own custom T1 cables for balanced use as such these cables are still in their packaging.
Comfort & Pads
So, the pads are the same size as the other beyers so any other pad should fit these fine. Behind the pad is like the other T1 pads or more like the Balanced pads of the 1990 however these are a lot more firm. This firmness thankfully breaks in after a while but I really would have preferred a softer pad than this from Beyer as out of the box these were extremely uncomfortable for me. The weight is distributed very well however the headphones design plus the firm pads caused a lot of pressure on my jaw line. This took some stretching for about two days and even after that the pads werenât softened up. I ended up leaving the pads stretching each day when I wasnât using them to try and place pressure on the pads and break them in. It did work but they are still quite firm I assume it may take at least a few weeks to really have these soften up more.
The pads are held on by the same pad design as the 1990 where you have to spin the pad onto the ringâs outside lip shown in the picture. The thick dampener in the picture is also removable by removing the plastic clip there and by doing this removal will cause a different sound signature.
The pads are the same size and width as other beyers but my ears do not touch the inside due to the curved drivers. Comfort however, can be questionable as if you have fairly large ears the headphone may not properly seal.
Soundstage
The soundstage on this particular headphone is larger and sounds deeper than the T1.2. This larger stage appears to be more noticeable if you remove the foam dampener. Overall, I think this soundstage may be one of the largest of the lineup from Beyerdynamic on par with Tygr maybe slightly bigger. Definitely not as large as something like an HD800S though. I found the amount of soundstage this has to be quite pleasing and definitely by no means average for an open back.
Imaging
The headphone is actually really good on imaging and sounds very spacious. I can definitely pick out my sounds. Granted I feel that the dark highs made the imaging a bit worse than that of something like the 1990 or T1.2. Regardless, I think the imaging on these is still quite superb I just wouldnât call it something like laser accurate in this case which is rather unfortunate as I think Tygr may actually beat this one in imaging. Could just be me though as I have listened to this extensively of late. Without that dampener I feel the imaging actually sharpens more to what I would expect from this price point.
Sound Signature
Has two sound signatures based on the dampener. Both signatures will be listed starting with the dampener installed
Low End: Tight, Controlled, Deep, aggressive, very punchy with a ton of impact(may be a bit much for some). The bass practically attacks the ears until broken in more removing some of the head clamp(and my guess is once the pads soften up a bit more). It doesnât really bleed nor is it boomy or muddy but itâs right on that edge of too much and just right. There are those saying this is a Warm headphone, these people are dead on accurate as this is easily has some of the most bass in the lineup from Beyerdynamic. The headphone definitely seems to be tuned specifically for those who appreciate low and and the lower frequency mids. If you prefer a leaner bass or something with a more mid centric sound this may not be for your //
Alternative Low End: The bass is no longer in your face and aggressive falling back into itâs lane and staying out of the way allowing the mids and highs to shine more. The lows are still controlled and punchy but about 3/4ths as impactful yet still strike plenty deep. I personally like this bass more as I feel it to be a bit more natural in sound and timbre and it lets the vocals shine a lot more⊠while you still get those low mids sticking out its still a bit more enjoyable for me with this bass. Tight, Controlled, and relaxed.
Mids: This took me some time to adapt to. Out of the box the mids sound a little off unless you have listened to dark headphones before and even then it may seem a bit strange. The warmth to the low mids is very apparent and are one of the first headphones I can say sound âthickâ when it comes to vocals. The treble causes the mids to sound ever so slightly veiled as though theres something covering them slightly. Despite this the vocals are still very present and you can make everything out just fine with plenty of detail and a lot of texture to the vocality. There definitely isnât that sparkle in the sound like you get out of other beyers but the lows and mids sound very full and even what I would call ârichâ in sound. Itâs quite nice and definitely something I can appreciate after all the extremely bright beyers.
Alternative Mids: Mids are now much more present, bright, and sparkly. Very clear, clean, transparent, revealing and analytical. Detail galore perhaps over detailed due to the added highs. This variation of sound signature sounds much more mid centric.
Highs: First listen tells me this is most definitely a dark headphone however, it isnât as dark as say a nighthawk or in some cases audeze⊠if anything it sounds quite balanced out despite the obvious dark tones the headphone has. The highs are definitely not the center point of this headphone like other beyers where it can be uncomfortably bright. There isnât much I can say here other then it sounds nice and nothing really stands out of place or lacks in quality of sound⊠still plenty of detail to go around on the headphone.
Alternative Highs: Polar opposite of above. Bright but without sibilance. This may be uncomfortable for some. Itâs either on par with the 2nd gen or a little less hard call on that. Treble definitely stands out in this signature and takes a more important role in the signature alongside the mids which take center stage.
Personal Notes: Honestly, if you prefer the signature to the 2nd gen and arenât the biggest fan of darker headphones this headphone may not be for you. The removal of the dampener is nice but not $1000 nice. The signature without the dampener is astonishingly close to the 2nd gen and I honestly donât think they did a whole lot to this headphone due to these similarities. I would wager adding this particular felt material to the 2nd gen would give you extremely similar results. I stand by what I said Beyerdynamic slept with Audioquest and had a baby on this one that has multiple personalities one dark and brooding the other bright and loud.
Impedance and Amps
Interestingly enough, the change to Beyerdynamics T1.2 to T1.3 was that they reeled the headphone in to 32 ohms from 600 ohms. As a lot have mentioned this could be a good or bad thing but to some it will be bad. One of the good things, in my opinion, for 600 ohms was that the sound could change quite a lot and it took quite a lot of power to really bring out the best of the T1.2 at the same time the sound could change in a great many ways. Unfortunately, no matter what I plugged this T1.3 into the signature barely changes at all. Using Tube amps I think is honestly a bad idea for this one. The bass is already warm and impactful enough adding more just made the headphone sound a bit too warm to me. If anything you would want a pairing that makes the mids and highs more present. Even setups from the store regardless of what I plugged this into changed the sound much at all, if anything I got minor results which to me is very unfortunate and I see this as a pretty large hit or miss on the selling point less my ears are broken. This headphone can be driven off of pretty much anything I own and even responded to just plugging it into my phone. Note: I really donât feel like typing out all the amps and dacs I tested this to in the audio shop. Just put it this way it was a lot at least 10 or more different ones of different price points even in the thousand brackets.
Equalization
As you guys should know by now I use Peace APO for my pcâs equalizer. Unlike the amps where the sound barily changes this particular headphone responds quite well to equalizing. I am able to pretty much fiddle with it to my hearts content. The only thing that gets out of line really is the bass but considering the signature this should be common sense. This headphone has enough bass and impact I am surprised the drivers donât rattle or have the headphone vibrate when turned up. Regardless, you can freely bring up the mids and the highs without much of an issue provided of course you have enough power to go to it. It doesnât take much at all to drive but I definitely would recommend a good amp if you want to extensively change around the sound.
Gaming
As you guys know, I am quite the gamer and as such when I review something I do look at it from both an audiophile standpoint but also as a gamer. So letâs get a bit into this one as well.
Competitives: It should go without question that this headphone is just horrible in competitive gaming. The large Soundstage and good imaging is nice and all but footsteps and other FPS sounds are completely out of the question. The bass, low mids, dipping upper mids, and dark treble completely destroy the sound you want for this style of gaming.
Alternative Signature: why you spent this much on a headphone for competitive gaming is beyond me but nonetheless this headphone in this signature is superb with just a touch too much bass. Very comfortable sound and quite immersive to boot in this particular signature for competitive gaming.
Casual Gaming: This headphone is phenomenal for casual gaming especially for those dark explosive games like Doom Eternal. The sound signature really caters to this alongside a large soundstage makes games very immersive and enjoyable. Horror games really come to life on this headphone as jump scares and other crazy noises seem to be emphasized here.
Alternative Signature: Just donât⊠save yourself from this. Itâs nice and all but that brightness can screw with vocals in your rpgâs and the like. Your ears deserve better for this pricepoint. Leave the dampener in for casual gaming.
Pad Rolling
I will be honest I tried pad rolling of multiple varieties on this one. Didnât go well lol. All the other pad materials just wanted to make the bass way over emphasized(just like if you wanted to add tubes). You can of course equalize the bass back but really I donât see a big benefit in pad rolling this one outside of just some thicker velours if thatâs your preference. The Dekoni Elite Velours did add a touch more bass and some dark tones but it was quite nice especially comfort wise. Outside of the velours I donât think any other pad is going to cut it here outside of maybe suedes but your really pushing that bass quite far less equalized. If you plan to use another pad use a velour or take out the dampener and tweak to your hearts content in my opinion. This just didnât work out for me like at all.
This or the Tygr for my gaming needs?
Tygr all day any day. You save yourself $800 and tygr is more suited to both casual and competitive both you donât have to worry about any dampener or bad head clamp + firm pads. In my opinion, never spend more than $500 maximum for a headphone you intend to use for mainly gaming ever. Headphones are for music⊠gaming has itâs limitations but in music you have a lot more to be concerned about and to look for. Do I feel this is an upgrade over the Tygr in terms of musicality? Oh most definitely, by a massive margin in fact as it also doesnât sit there and yell at me like my lady when I try to touch the bass settings.
Do you feel itâs worth itâs price tag?
Myself personally? If I had to choose this or one of the other dark headphones⊠thatâs a tough one but I would probably go with my hawks or lcd-2 to save money. This headphone doesnât particularly jump out at me making me scream I WANT IT like a kid in a candy store. While I think if you can afford it rather easily this is definitely one to try for yourself I would only say to try it if you are a bass lover and like a more dark rich sounding headphone. However, comparing this to something from Audeze is a gamble⊠I appreciate this headphones comfort a lot more and like Beyer as a brand but Planars have their own charm to them. I would say if you prefer the T1.2 sound signature⊠do not buy this headphone go to something else like one of the Focals(such as Clear) or Sennheiserâs HD800S instead.
Gen 3 or Gen 2?
I personally prefer Gen 3 as the brightness stays out of the way more but only if I am in the mood for more rock or bassy music or casual gaming but I really donât like having to take the dampener out like this(if it was easier to remove than I wouldnât care). Personally, I think the 2nd gen struck a very beautiful sound that really struck a homerun for me. Especially if you plug the Gen 2 into a Tube amp it can get remarkably close to this particular headphone in low end(even more so if you swap the pads to a suede). I do feel this is a strange direction to take this headphone in and I do not agree with it as I feel this particular signature should have been made into a seperate headphone entirely. Then again, T1.2 and 1990 were very similar so I guess they cut some losses for a new signature flagship.
Some final notes here: I do feel this headphone could be severely a hit or miss to those who are a fan of beyers house sound which is usually Bright. This headphone has a very aggressive low end which may push some people away as well as a signature sound that is dark and more like an Audeze or Nighthawk. It is still clear, comfortable, and very good in sound with a lot of detail and texture to go around. I do think that discontinuing the 2nd gen which was selling at $400 for a while only to jump back to $1000 for the 3rd gen is a bit ridiculous. The headphone may be a hit or miss on the impedance as now you donât need to be majorly concerned with what is connected to it⊠it gets along with a great amount of equipment however if beyer truly wanted to appeal to a more consumer audience and not studio why create something priced at $1000 during a Pandemic? I do think the new signature appeals to a much more broad audience and the 32 ohm appeals even further to more people as now you donât have to worry about someone claiming you need a nuclear power plant to power it to itâs full potential
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Iâve been listening to the T1.2 lately. It surprises me that Beyer thought they had to add yet MORE bass than the 1.2 already had. Thanks for the review! Enjoyed the read.
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I tried to structure it a bit better this time around due to the feedback I have gotten from you and some others. Glad you enjoyed it.
I mean, I can agree that beyer should have some other headphones that appeal to those who canât tolerate brightness but taking the T1 and adding almost twice the bass quantity(well more like half of double as an addition) and removing all brightness is a bit of a stretch. Itâs definitely not even close to what I had expected. Even after reading reviews I will admit I was a bit dumbstruck.
The focus has improved. Keep it going 
I too am puzzled by Beyerâs decisions here. My impression so far is the 1.3 has not been very well received yet. Maybe weâll see a T1.4 thatâs somewhere between the 1.2 and 1.3 sig and higher impedance? But also, I am thinking more and more there is space for a DT-1880 in their lineup. Except that the DT880 is already so damn good that it is still itâs own 1880âŠthey canât beat it for $500-600?
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noticed that, so far itâs a hit or miss on this one.
Something like that but of a higher impedance? That would be great in my opinion as this is a bit too drastic. For all we know they could very well be working on an 1880 or something. Honestly, I would appreciate something more tuned to the harman curve
I definitely think 880 could be improved upon especially considering like the T1 they could just add $800 to it and create a new headphone on the price tag. Granted, I wouldnât say the DT 1990 is a good replacement for the DT 990 either.
DMS has one of these for review now and is going to spend some time with them on Sunday he says:
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Prediction, hes really going to like it.
Yea I think he will
My guess? He may find the low end a bit much but the rest he will enjoy. Zeos on the other hand may really enjoy this⊠He really loved the argons, and I think some audeze?, so this one could be right up his alley. Look forward to hearing their thoughts on it.
Regardless, I was at first considering whether I would tell the guys politely to just take this gift back and exchange it⊠This headphone has massively grown on me and has become a bit of a daily driver. I did switch out the pads to the Dekoni velours though that firmness was getting to me. Still, canât complain too much as someone whos big on Rock, EDM, and other music with a good bass beat. Been playing Alien Isolation with them lately(First time playing it⊠I know its old but I never bothered with it early on) and this headphone is definitely quite something with its signature. The headband already broke in quite a bit as well as the clamp force so should be good. Itâs going to be hard to replace this one though for my collection. Itâs definitely taken the place of my nighthawks and Tygrs and I am still on the fence with the lcd-2. I may see about going a bit further up the chain from Audeze like an lcd-x which I think is in the same price point and see what I think in comparison to these.
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Yea this and they are really good for watching movies and shows. Was just watching The Boys on Amazon and these headphones sounded great.
This is the same for me as well. Been using them every day since I have gotten them.
Yea same. They help a lot. Also the have relaxed their clamp a bit as well.
I can also agree that these are staying with me. They have really grown on me.
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âvery warmâ yeah, sounds about right lol. Look forward to hearing his full thoughts on it. Itâs definitely a headphone that you need to take some serious time to sit with before really getting the full picture of itâs sound signature
Pretty lack lustre video tbh lol
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True haha!
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See, I didnât want to say it because I felt that would be rude⊠but yeah. That was pretty bad lmao
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How would you compare these to the Elex? I found Focal headphones to be a bit heavy for me even though the weight is evenly distributed and pads are really nice to me. I have been looking at Beyerdynamic since I am a competitive gamer and I am looking for something within that $500-1000 range. I do however generally listen to music that favors warmth so these might be up my ally although I found Audeze headphones to be okay imo. I am looking for headphones I can daily drive, game with, watch movies. Musical listening is second since I have IEMs for that.
Canât speak personally on elex. Perhaps someone else can chime in here on that.
I would not recommend these for someone who wants to game competitively despite the filter sound signature swap. Their signature is the polar opposite you want for competition. Secondly, they are insanely expensive for this use case and I would sooner recommend something else.
By chance, have you tried any other headphones outside of the elex? There is a ton of headphones before jumping all the way up to $1,000 territory that can suit somebody just fine.
I would say even more reason to not go throwing $1000 at a headphone for just gaming and movies. Just a suggestion but perhaps go look at Tygr 300R or maybe the Nighthawk Carbon. They are both warmer headphones with the nighthawks being darker and bassier and tygr being better for competitive.
Way too many especially above 1k. I am basically looking for one headphone that is an upgrade over my 650 (doesnât have to be same sound signature) because my IEMs are now above the HD650 in sound quality for me (Like I own Campfire Solstice, soon Legend X, tried many more like Sony IER-Z1R, MEST) and I really need a headphone upgrade. Issue is next headphone that impresses me/I want is either ZMF (donât know which one), Meze Empyrean, Abyss Diana v2. Problem is I donât think itâs smart for me to spend that much for those headphones since I just bought the Legend X for 2k. So I am looking for something below 1k that will hold me until I am in a much better financial state to spend 3k on a headphone. To name a few high end headphones that I have tried, but there are many more (Focal Elex, Clear, Utopia, MDR-Z1R, Aeon 2 Flow Open, HD800s, HD820, Meze Empyrean). Right now, I am debating between Beyerdynamic DT1990, T1 (3rd Gen), Elex, but the Elex is a bit too heavy to really comfortably wear for long periods for me. I might be able to get used to it, but not sure. Reason for these 3 headphones are they look cool and probably sound good enough for me. Issue is, I canât decide which one lol.
I will also listen to music with them, but music isnât the number one priority. Beauty of headphones compared to IEMs is they have that larger sound stage which helps for some situations.
I mean, sounds like you havenât really found your signature you like the most in this case since you are trying so many. 1990s are an aggressive bright headphone meanwhile the T1 gen 3 here is a warm / dark headphone with a lot more bass than the 1990s. Completely different sound.
You tried the Clear and HD800S which makes me feel like you wonât like the 1990s as I find both of those a step up while staying roughly in that same area of sound. However, out of all of that the ones you like are the HD 650 which is a very balanced sound with some slight warmth to my knowledge and you mention the audeze were alright, which are generally warm / dark. most of those you listed all have a bit of a peak on them in the treble outside of the mdr-z1r. Perhaps looking into warm, balanced, or dark headphones suits you a lot more in that case? Even the Campfire solstice is more of a balanced signature with some warmth just not dark as the treble is on a more neutral side. Dunno, just my thoughts on it granted beating the HD 650s is a little hard to do as its a really good headphone.
In this headphones case however, it can switch between a brighter sound without the dampeners, and a very warm yet dark toned headphone with that dampener in. It can fit a huge amount of uses and genres its just a pain in the neck to consistently take out the dampener. Really just depends, this is one of those headphones you really have to pick up and give a good listen to know if your going to like it⊠However, of course you should give a headphone at least a couple weeks of straight listening to really know if itâs right for you in my opinion as initial thoughts arenât worth really anything.
I would say considering there should be return policies on this one that its definitely worth a shot for you coming from the audeze just it will be very different in comparison to that HD 650 as this is definitely not a very neutral sound considering all the bass and that dip in the treble.