Ammonite Audio
09-01-2015, 17:09
Living in a Victorian terraced house has meant taking headphone listening seriously. The first real step in that direction was a Naim DAC-V1, which I have been enjoying very much, with a pair of cheapy AKG K550 'phones bought at a bargain price from Richer Sounds (they're even cheaper now). Anyone reading the 'Grado £25 Upgrade' thread in Strokes of Genius will know that my old pair of Grado SR60s, re-wired with Cardas cable, were unexpectedly transformed into rather lovely performers; and I'm waiting for the big RS1 ear pads that were the original subject of that thread. Very shortly after re-wiring the Grados, a pair of Beyerdynamic T1s came up on eBay, at a realistic price, so I pressed the button and they arrived yesterday.
The T1s have been in my mind for some time, having savoured their sound and comfort briefly at the Whittlebury Hall show, but up to £900 is a lot of money and I would not have risked buying something that may not have worked out, at that price. Someone on this forum once rather unkindly stated that the Naim's headphone amp was crap and would not cope with the T1s and their 600 ohm load, which I thought at the time to be rubbish; and so it turns out. Not only are the T1s effortlessly comfortable, but their sonic performance via the Naim is so far above that of the (admittedly cheap) Grados that I'm quite stunned. The T1s have a beautifully even sonic balance, but with deep and well-defined bass. They have angled drivers that are supposed to create a listening experience that is not quite so much 'in the head' as with most 'phones - this seems to work, since the soundstage does extend beyond the ears, even if vocals etc remain firmly rooted inside the skull.
The T1s have very lightweight coils and diaphragms, which means they are musically quite agile, something apparent when listening to the drums on 'The End' from Abbey Road where the sound of a skin being thwacked is conveyed beautifully (as good as via my Quad 57s); also various classical pieces that I use for reference where aspects of the performance do vary greatly when heard though different pieces of audio gear. Inasmuch as I know about musical technique etc, the T1s seem to do everything right, conveying performances beautifully, but not at the expense of a beautiful sound. Indeed, they do sound beautiful when powered from the Naim DAC-V1. They also sound beautiful powered by my recently purchased NVA AP10H, which allows me to hear vinyl through 'phones.
The modded Grados are certainly keepers, since they owe me nothing, but I am chuffed to bits with the Beyerdynamic T1s, which are very much worth their (fairly) lofty price tag. It's also nice to buy something that's not made in China.
The T1s have been in my mind for some time, having savoured their sound and comfort briefly at the Whittlebury Hall show, but up to £900 is a lot of money and I would not have risked buying something that may not have worked out, at that price. Someone on this forum once rather unkindly stated that the Naim's headphone amp was crap and would not cope with the T1s and their 600 ohm load, which I thought at the time to be rubbish; and so it turns out. Not only are the T1s effortlessly comfortable, but their sonic performance via the Naim is so far above that of the (admittedly cheap) Grados that I'm quite stunned. The T1s have a beautifully even sonic balance, but with deep and well-defined bass. They have angled drivers that are supposed to create a listening experience that is not quite so much 'in the head' as with most 'phones - this seems to work, since the soundstage does extend beyond the ears, even if vocals etc remain firmly rooted inside the skull.
The T1s have very lightweight coils and diaphragms, which means they are musically quite agile, something apparent when listening to the drums on 'The End' from Abbey Road where the sound of a skin being thwacked is conveyed beautifully (as good as via my Quad 57s); also various classical pieces that I use for reference where aspects of the performance do vary greatly when heard though different pieces of audio gear. Inasmuch as I know about musical technique etc, the T1s seem to do everything right, conveying performances beautifully, but not at the expense of a beautiful sound. Indeed, they do sound beautiful when powered from the Naim DAC-V1. They also sound beautiful powered by my recently purchased NVA AP10H, which allows me to hear vinyl through 'phones.
The modded Grados are certainly keepers, since they owe me nothing, but I am chuffed to bits with the Beyerdynamic T1s, which are very much worth their (fairly) lofty price tag. It's also nice to buy something that's not made in China.