The SA5000 are a great technical achievement in many regards. Speed. Clarity. Detail. All 3 shine through greatly. Extreme high detail in the upper frequencies due to the treble emphasis. This headphone is for treble lovers. Can sound harsh to others.. Treble isn't the smoothest & can be offensive. to some.
 
Detail & transparency is 2nd only to the DT48 out of the headphones I owned. The SA5000 does a magnificent job at spot lighting detail, maybe in a un natural way. The DT880 has almost the same type of detail, but doesn't derail the music just to show you it. It can be a hinders to some & a blessing to others. They are very good at being the chameleon, & upgrade nicely to better components.
 
I would label them 'neutral', but feel the DT880/DT48/K1000 are more worthy of that title.. Tonality is really a hit or miss with the SA5000. I find them too lean in general, which is un realistic, & some instruments sound synthetic. But IMO they get the bass, impact, & weight of the kick drum just right. If you think these lacking in bass you probably are a bass head.. The bass is fine & extends deep with pretty good texture, better with tubes..
 
Their sound sig is pretty cold & sterile with a wonky mid range that reminds me of a old car that you need to kick to start.. Someone they are on, other times the mids are not.. In any case, the mids are far from the worst I heard, & are more then adequate.
 
Speed is controversial. Some claim it's due to the 'lite bass' & leanness.. To my ears they are fast, but a bit artificially fast compared to my reference DT48..
 
Sound stage is small compared to other open Audiophile headphones in their price range.. But I find them fine. Stereo imaging is very good, but won't make you forget about the CD3000 in that regard. Separation of instruments is very crisp & clean.. No blurring or smearing.. For dynamics, they are exceptional in that regard.
 
The cabling is utterly worthless.. & worst out of any headphone priced at 700.. In a yr or two one channel will go dead due to the faulty wiring.. This is a fact..
 
In the end this is a great headphone for those looking for technical achievement over a fun & forgiving headphone.

I'm very fond of the DT880, but oddly enough, not when it comes to music. I find music with them dry & a bit sterile.. The DT880 demands tubes for musicality, Although, they are hard to fault in terms of technical merit. They offer excellent resolve, detail, & separation of the instruments.. The resolve is a bit superficial & docile compared to the DT48, but is still stellar in their own right, & what you would expect from a hi quality headphone worthy of it's 489.00 MSRP.
 
Unlike the SA5000, the detail isn't in the spotlight, getting in the way of the music.. You get just about the same amount of detail, but it doesn't take away your focus from the music. Detail isn't pushed in your like like the SA5000.
 
I find the DT880 to be the smoothest dynamic headphone I ever owned. Just butter smooth, only my Ortho's are smoother.. The treble high octane, plentiful, smoother & better extended then my DT48, which IMO, lacks the overall smoothness & treble energy that I really enjoy with the DT880.
 
The Sound stage has more depth then width from my experience, & has a un canny ability to project sound in front of you, while at the same time projecting a very convincing out of 3D imaging that can actually cover my room.. But not in the 4 corner sense, but in the triangle sense. I never had this experience with a headphone before.
 
The DT880's bass is the most pleasurable I have heard SE.. It just has a mind of it's own mentality with authoritative drive & impact.. Under amped the bass can sound a bit loose, flabby, plodding. Well driven, it's truly as pleasure to listen too.. Full, textured, & well extended.
 
The most glaring flaw is the DT880 Mid range.. I find it a bit recessed, brittle, lean, & dry... Tube amps help, but still is not the headphones strong suit.
 
The highs are sweet with some bloom & sparkle.. But treble sensitive listeners will find the highs more harsh & sharp.. This is a area, where most problems occur with the majority of DT880 owners.
 
In general.. The DT880 are linear & neutral sounding compared to the majority of other popular hi fi headphones under 500.. For gaming & movies the DT880 are A number 1 in my book.. But for music, with the gear I used them with, they didn't do much for me.. Still highly recommended.

First off, this oppo 83SE arrived very well packaged. I mean very well.. Beyond the call of duty. Everything is neat & tightly, & comes with a carrying bag & two calibration disc, one for audio, one for video. They also include a 6FT HDMI cable which is un heard of.
 
The special in the special edition is the SABRE32 DAC along with a better Power supply. To fully benefit from the SABRE DACS you need to use a 2 channel system. The SABRE32 DAC chip reads like Fantasy football. 32bit. Dynamic range over 130 & THD a mind numbing -125. You really don't need a out board dac with this thing.
 
To put it bluntly, this DAC rocks & is arguably the best on market today. Very cutting edge, only a few commercial players use this DAC & they cost much more then the oppo.
 
Sound is of the up most clarity, with a clear, no frills focus on the music.. I would label it analytical & neutral. This could be in part due to my gear. I have neutral headphones & amp.. The noise floor is nearly non existent, & is about as black as you can get.. Very low distortion. Revealing detail & ambient nuances is this players Hallmark. It's a vacuum that just sucks every ounce of detail out of a recording. Bad recordings be damned. Pristine recordings have you one with the artist. Instrument timbre is well done.. If you like rich timbre, or a tonally rich sound in general, I would suggest combining a tube amp & 650 with the oppo83. This is the sort of player that has you scrambling to listen to your whole CD collection over again.
 
With the oppo83 all you hear is the music. Nothing gets in the way.. Very palpable. Hi rez audio pushes the envelope enough further.. Listening to 96hz recording material on the included demo disc is as close to the real thing as possible. Very impressive. I still prefer listening to HDCD on my Denon 5900.. IMO it just takes better advantage of the technology.
 
If you are looking for a hi end Blu ray universal player this is it. Of course there are better, but will cost you much, much, more, & the improvements won't be enough of a jump to satisfy those potential buyers.

I feel I was destined to get these headphones. I bid on them & lost. Luck would have it another Head fier was the winner bidder. He too admires the DT48 & has owned as least 13 pairs himself. Due to the unique headband I had to have them! They are also the 200 ohm version. DT48e. The Ebay seller claims they were his fathers. He founded Stereophile & used these as his reference headphone.
 
Me & Jroth PMed each other back & fourth 3-4 times. He told me these DT48's sounded different then any model he has heard. This speaks volume since he owned 13. He tols me they have a certain warm & musicality to them that other DT48 models lack. After hearing them first hand I agree. I also noticed that they eek out a bit more detail. I'd rate them behind the DT48A/NAGRA DT48S in detail retrieval. But rank them first in Musicality detail. I never understood or could grasp the difference before gearing these headphones. Instruments just have that certain oompth to them.. The edge of a violin, piano key so delicate & palpable you can almost see the finger print, along with the reverb that accompanies it.
 
The sound stage is wider & are more tonally rich. While the timbre is still neutral, it has a slight hint of warmth. Think 701, but to a lesser extent. It still shares the same strength as other DT48 models. Mid range, coherency, accuracy, balance, & speed.. But this model isn't as good with complex passages as my other DT48's.. There's a hint of congestion & smearing when things get rough. If you never heard the DT48 before you might not catch it.
 
Like other vintage DT48 models you will get a lack of treble strength & bass depth.. Bass is quick, tight, snappy, & nicely controlled, but lacks in quantity compared to other hi end headphones. Highs are slightly rolled off, but not as bad or as noticeable as the DT48a
 
I noticed a 3 tier sound stage with the Fraken 48. Think of a vertical line with a start, middle, & end. The instruments upfront will be at their loudest, then the instrument behind then become less loud. This continues until the end of the instruments playing. This is seamless & happens simultaneously. Very interesting & unique. I will need to give this more time to see if it's the headphone or the music, but, any how, I found it very enjoyable.
 
I'm still not sure what to make of these headphones. Were they internally modded? I can't say. & the previous own is deceased. As I stated early in my review, the original headband was removed. The new headband is a very thick plastic & less sturdy then the original headband. But it's much more comfortable & lighter. The original pads are very warn out, which makes them extra comfortable IMO, albeit a bit to flat.
 
Even though these headphones are 200 ohms, I find then easier to drive then my 25ohm DT48 models. I can't explain this. I just know they mate very well with my Goldpoint Pro headphone amp. Are these truly one of a kind? I can't say. Jroth has experience with a variety of vintage 200 ohm DT48e headphones, & claims this pair in review sounds different.
 
They are a nice alternative to the analytical, & what some would describe as dry sounding. They add a little sparkle to the music. They will never be as warm & musical as say, a RS1, but for a DT48 any sense of warmth & musicality is a true blessing.

I asked Hector (owner of SWZ) to make me a 4pin to 1/4 plug adapter cable. He is a perfectionist. I sent him my other 4 pin to 1/4 adapter cable so he can look it over & do some testings. He also fixed my original adapter cable at no extra cost. He is very good at responding to emails & is a perfection gentlemen who takes his job serious. He loves what he does & it shows. He has great passion for his work & truly enjoys mingling with other headfiers & AVSers.. He's just one of the guys who is extremely talented with a great work ethic. He built/Shipped my cable in 2 days. & sent me a email when it shipped.
 
The cables were nicely packaged & very secure. In other words, he cares about your cables. The build quality, as I stated is exceptional.. The cable design itself might not be as good as the best exotics, but SWZ customs is still very new, & their work is getting better & better. Plus their price to performance ratio is through the roof. & that's where it counts..I asked for a futurtech plug & they delivered. The cable does what it is suppose to do, & works flawlessly.. Mono price & Blue Jean has a hungry, young, builder in Hector, who is taking names & kicking ass.. Highly recommend.
 
I will try to get a pic of my cable.

The NAGRA DT48S represents the last blood line to the formidable & father of all headphones, the original DT48. Never hearing the original DT48, I can't say for sure if they share the same sound & sonic characteristics. They were modified before being released to the public. The original DT48 was used for professional applications for nearly 20 yrs. I would assume Beyer didn't sway too much from the original. Does the apple fall far away from the tree? Only a side by side comparison will tell how close they sound to each other. Are they siblings, or is the NAGRA DT48S a person child. I won't know until I hear the original.
 
What I do know is, the NAGRA DT48S is a hybrid of the DT48a & vintage DT48e. I noted the flaws of the DT48a in my review of them. The DT48S doesn't have those flaws nor does it sound like a clear AM channel. It sounds like stereo, without a hint of the audio metric sound. On the technical side, the DT48S is top notch. The clarity is the best I heard, even better then the K1000 from memory. This could change if I get a chance to A/B them side by side. When I listen to them I can only image what a hi end Electrostat's clarity would sound like. Very black & white with nothing getting in the way. Headphones like the DT880/SA5000 sound veiled in comparison.
 
The DT48S seems more free flowing, with a greater sense of transparency & neutrality. I would not call them airy, but come as close as you can get being a DT48 headphone. I find all DT48 headphones to feel 'grounded.' The new DT48e models actually sound a bit colored in comparison. They offer a even greater no frills look at the audio picture.. Resolve reaches out a bit further, along with picking up more audio nuances. They still lack some treble extension, which have been addressed with the newer models, & the highs are also slightly rolled off. They also offer more bass weight & impact compared to other DT48 models.. The distortion is ridiculously low, especially for a Dynamic headphone.
 
The mid range is a lot like other DT48 models. Meaning, realistic, faithful, clear, & life like, but the mids are a bit more liquid, effortless, & free flowing.. The new DT48e headphones feel a bit thick & congested in comparison. The black ground is more impressive with the newer models, but doesn't feel as genuine. The DT48S' canvas is more truthful & truth telling. Sound stage is a bit more open with he same coherency of other DT48 models, but with a sense of a fresh breeze in between the notes.
 
All DT48 headphones are blazing fast. This headphone is no different, & sound just as fast as my other DT48a/e/s headphones. There are different versions of the DT48S. The later DT48S models cannot hold a candle to the original NAGRA DT48S. I have a late 60's DT48S & is my least favorite DT48 out of the 10 I own. The music sounds like it's being pushed to the center with hands. Just sounds compressed. The mid range is a bit unique sounding, but that's for another reviewer.
 
Comfort is so so.. The plastic padding is deflated, & one can easily have his or her ears touching the cold steel protecting the driver. The headband is a bit lethargic. The pads also creek at times. I'm sure you could use other pads to replace the plastic ones, but I prefer to keep them as authentic as possible. The cable does look every bit of 50 yrs along with the 1/4 plug. The cable is silver, straight, & dual entry.
 
I find the NAGRA DT48S (50's edition) to be the pinnacle of sound that all DT48 models aspire to become. They are the last link to the first Hi Fi stereo headphone ever created. & do them great honor. They were a technical giant then, & 50 plus yrs later still are in many regards, which leads me to believe that sometimes intelligence & innovation can overcome the lack of technology. They were way before their time, & I would easily put them in the high end category based on technical merit alone.
 
When you listen to these headphones you are listening to a part of history, & you are transported back to the 50's when 2 channel audio was a big deal, & Surround sound was just a dream. If you dig deep enough, you get the sense of what the engineers wanted.. They wanted to replicate the music as it was. No audio gimmicks or tricks, just a authentic reproduction of the music. Simple & to the point.
 
Edit & update June 20th 2010
 
I had sent my headphones to Alex at APS. There was no sound in the left channel. Later I found out that the driver needed to be fixed. Alex repaired the drivers & in stalled a new cable. His V3 headphone cable with the futurtech plug.
 
The headphones sound like new & have a new life & vigor to them. They still had great clarity & cleanness in their 'broken' state, but now they feel more complete & have come full circle. They are my favorite closed headphone to date. Instruments are a bit more distinct & upfront without sounding up front. The subtleties of the music become more apparent with a flair of easiness not found prior to the fix & recable. Musical detail was more abundant. I listened seriously for almost a hr.. & can hear detail what was masked that is now audible a big part being in the mid range range & highs.
 
These are the epitome of neutral. I keep hearing 'bright side' of neutral, or on the 'lush side' of neutral. To me that's like saying a women is kind of pregnant. The NAGRA DT48S IS NEUTRAL. No if and's or buts.. They were made to fit NAGRA's strict standard. Headphones who are considered neutral by most are still bright sounding, to many IE HD800/4070.
 
The 50's NAGRA DT48S technical prowess is in one word legendary, when you take everything into account. In terms of dynamics headphones in production I'd rank them 2nd only to the HD800 in that area. Sometimes Genius or whatever you want to call it transcends technical advancement. The Best architects of today cannot build a better pyramid made millions of yrs ago.. Maybe not enough is made on a certain group of people or individuals who create something way before their time. I believe the 50's NAGRA DT48s fall into this rare category. It's unique in build quality & sound quality.
 
This is what APS had to say about the NAGRA DT48S
 
TwinTurboZip 5:44 pm
(5:44:52 PM):     the construction of these headphones is quite amazing really
(5:46:32 PM):     disassembly of the driver was quite unsual for sure
TwinTurboZip 6:32 pm
TwinTurboZip 4:58 pm
(4:58:25 PM):     that it was all milled and screwed together instead of plastic & clips
(5:00:16 PM):     the diaphragm and magnet system is seperate
TwinTurboZip 5:00 pm
Kivlehen2012 5:00 pm
(5:00:31 PM):     [size=small]is that unique?[/size]
TwinTurboZip 5:00 pm
(5:00:36 PM):     yes
(5:00:47 PM):     normally the diaphragm is glued
 
Why the rating change?
I felt the improvements was were an extra half star which gave the sound quality a 5. A 5 is based on headphones I owned. It's not absolute. Ala.. The NAGRA sounds just as good as the R10/HP1/K1000/HD800 ie. Comfort also got a 1/2 star boost. I no longer hear any creeking since the repair, which effected the comfort IMO.
 
 
 
 

The DT48a was my first taste of the DT48. These are audio metric headphones. They sound vastly different then non audio metric DT48 models. Some could argue they sound 'laid back,' 'polite,' & lean on the dark side IMO. Usually headphones get burned in. The opposite is true with the DT48a. They burn in your ears. At first listen I didn't know what to think of them, but they reminded me of the K1000 in certain ways.. I found that odd since in some ways they are the total opposite of each other.. But both share great transparency, instrument timbre, neutrality, & offer a very life like mid range.
 
I listened to the DT48a for 4 days straight. After this I listened to the 650/Sextett/SA5000. All 3 sounded fake & un natural in comparison.. The DT48a trained my ears. Acoustics are scary accurate. They are made for acoustic investigations & it shows, while other phones like the 701 present acoustics in a more pleasurable manner with a slight layer of warmth. The DT48a just presents them how they were recorded. One can argue accuracy all day long. But the DT48a was made for scientific studies, ENT doctors, hearing test, & used in hospitals.. So I'm more inclined to believe they are highly accurate..
 
The DT48a is very un forgiving, over analytical, dry, & 'suck the emotion' out of music. But they offer a glimpse into the music few if any headphone can. The SA5000, as detailed as it is, is like examining the music, the DT48a takes it a step further. It's like you are performing a autopsy on the music. Every note, string, piano key have their own identity.
 
The Sound stage is small, but no headphone can do more per space then the DT48a IMO.. The sound stage is the most coherent I have heard.. For a sound stage to be so small, yet be able to place the instruments where they should be is short of amazing. Each instrument has their own sense of space.. You can easily follow even the most obscure & faint instrument through a song. Instrument separation is excellent, especially when you consider they are closed & have a small sound stage. The instruments & notes stay in tact & full bodied. The sound stage is very flat, but the imaging is very real & 3D like. It's like playing a video game where the environment is 3D but the characters are 2D
 
Detail. Resolve. Transparency. Mid range. Separation. Are on a much higher plane then the price you can get for them used. On the down side, they are even more polarizing then non audio metric DT48's. They sound like a very clear AM station with a hearkened sense of fidelity. Bass for the most part can sound a bit anemic, but certain songs can waken them.. Some Rap/R&B. Bass is still of good quality & very fast & snappy.. It blends in near flawlessly with the music.
 
One of the best qualities of the DT48a is the fact that nothing stands out. Every instrument falls into place like a piece to a puzzle. Great balance. To sum it up, it just sounds right.
 
Comfort is bad for long periods. It took me two weeks of my ears burning before they got used to the rubber padding.. Now I can listen pain free for 3-4 hrs.. Bass impact does increase with pads that cover the entire ear, but they are made to stay put since the DT48a rubber padding has a slit that connects to the headphone. The DT48e ear padding has a sticky substance that sticks to the headphone. Some have found a way to over come this. I choose to keep the rubber padding. YMMV.
 
The DT48a is not shy about exposing every single flaw in the recording.. Even flaws that are so insignificant will show up. Studio quality, mic placement, sibilance, artifacts, etc.. If a flaw is there the DT48a will find it.
 
The Mid range is the DT48a bread & butter.. Very authentic when it comes to human voices.. Realistic & natural sounding comes to mind.. The DT48a puts a magnifying glass on the mid range on a hot sunny day.. They will expose any nuance in the vocalist. I find them to be very faithful. The DT48a mid range is a bit more prominent then the DT48e
 
The DT48a is the definition of genre specific headphones.. Folk. Opera. Jazz. Classical. Or any music that focus' on voice & acoustics.. They excel in the above areas.
 
The DT48a are ultra transparent. One member feels the DT48e is more transparent & neutral then his K1000.. & the DT48a ups this by a good margin. Give it a bad recording, & they can at worst sound like 20.00-30.00 headphones.. With pristine recording I find the sound to be price less. They scale very well to upstream components, & will easily expose the weakest link in your system. They also demand ample drive to sound their best.. Even at only 5ohms, feed them with a quality, high powered amp & you will be rewarded.
 
If you love to evaluate, dissect, & examine your music, IMO the DT48a can't be beat by another dynamic headphone in the under 1,000 range.. This includes the new DT48 models. You really need to listen to them over a long period to fully understand & appreciate them for what they are. Their technical merit far exceeds many high end headphones today (minus the HD800/4070/010 & a few others) They are a niche product for a certain group of audiophiles who dare to use a medical instrument as a form of musical entertainment.
 
There has been many advancements since 1937.. The DT48a still being in demand today by specialist is a testament to their quality, accuracy, success, & sound. If there was a better alternative I'm sure they would be used instead. Apparently there is none, which just helps to solidify the DT48a as a true legend in a demanding hi tech world where advances are made daily.

I was first introduced to the Goldpoint Pro thanks to Kee's thread on the amp. He has a lot of quality amps, & his high praise got me interested, especially, when I'm driving distance to Goldpoint's place of business. I emailed Arn. (The Maker) He was very good at getting back to me, within 24 hrs. After exchanging a few emails I purchased his amp & it arrived nicely packaged & secure.
 
This is a SS amp, & as such you inheret the SS strength's. (Detail, speed ie) To sum up my intial reaction, This amp does a great job of grabbing a hold of the music to the point where you never lose focus. It was also brighter then I expected. The highs, at times, were a bit harsh.. Burn in (I'm slowly becoming a beliver) does help in this area. (30hrs) The brightness is toned down along with the harsh highs. Component selection was the real key. My Bel Canto DAC 2 compliments the Goldpoint Pro well. The overall sound is more neutral & the highs are now smoother & better extended. They took the 'edge' off the amp so to speak.
 
IMO, this amp compares very well to the stock GS1. I only auditioned the GS1 at a meet, but the Goldpoint Pro & the GS1 noth share some notable traits. Clarity. Detail. Neutrality. The GS1 has more drive, a gain switch, pre amp functions, so in versatlity, the GS1 offers you a buffet of choices that the Goldpoint doesn't. 2 RCA inputs only. I understand this thinking. This allows for a lower price point without having to gut elements of your design. I know for certain this amp betters the HR2 in most areas.. Some of it is prefernce based. The HR2 seemed to sugar/syrup the music, & lacked some sonic attributes that a 875.00 should have IMO. I did love the beefy external PS. That was the HR2's halmark. Sadly, the Goldpoint only comes with a wall wart. But, don't shoot it down for that. The SQ is marvelous.
 
Arn also upgraded his amp to V5 (V6 has just been introduced. Will edit my review when I get his V6 upgrade.) This upgrade adds clarity with a greater sense of resolve. Reduced noise floor. Pitching a more convincing black ground. Notes & harmonies seem to slowly fade into blackness with better refinement & in a more realistic fashion. Bass also got a boost. Sounds tighter with a bit more kick to it. Quanity seems to have stayed the same. The quality improves.
 
In the sea of good bang for the buck headphone amps, one can most certainly drown if not careful..But if you are able to stay above water & within budget, you will find your sunken treasure of audio bliss in the form of the Goldpoint Headphone Pro.
 
UPDATE 8/5/10
 
I received my amp yesterday. V12. V5 is a great bargain in itself. But V12 is serious audio muscle on nitro.. If you can get the V12 version for the retail price of 549.00, which I paid for my GP V5 amp, you would be a fool not to buy one. No offense. I just feel so strongly about the GP V12. It embarrasses the HR2 price to performance, unless you like your musicx sugar coated. I no longer long for the SPL auditor.
 
Arn made a small, effective, & effecient universal PS.. Very small foot print, but the difference is BIG compared to the wall wart, & less bulky. It's slick & cool looking.
 
Improvements:
Even greater control of the bass. Tighter & better textured.
Even better clarity, resolve, micro detail retrievel. A veil has been lifted compared to my V5 model.
Mid range supremecy
Overall coherency of the music
Most impressive improvement is instrument separation, & a blacker then black back ground...Noise floor has been reduced to nil.
 
Of course, I am using my oppo83se as my source, which DOES play up to the GP V12 strength, but even with a lesser source, you will notice a good improvement. I am very impressed with Arns latest version.. Truly breaks the over 1,000 SQ IMO..
  
 
 

I guess it's fitting that I be the first one to review the DT48e. There are numerous versions. The model I am reviewing is the current one. This headphone brings out emotions that I never seen before. It seems peoples feelings towards the DT48e go to extremes. One person thinks they sound wonderful, another will tell you they are the worst headphones ever made. How is that for polarizing!!
 
First off, the new models are more conventional sounding then prior models. More audiophile friendly. I owned 12 pairs. I currently own 10. 8 of which sound different. This is both good & bad. You can say the new DT48e is a 'upgrade' over the older models. The highs are less rolled off. Treble is better extended. Bass is a bit more impactful. They also throw a better black ground, albeit, feels a bit manufactured. The tip of the highs sound a little too sharp or a bit artifical. Think of DNR applied to DVD/Blu ray. The mid range defines the DT48e. The model I'm reviewing does a wonderful job with vocals, but are a bit more restrained & conjested compared to other models I own. The word thick comes to mind. The mid range is un forgiving & resolves any nuances in the artist voice. Lush, sweet, romantic does not apply here. I do find their mid range to be authentic & faithful to the vocalist. Their mids won't give the listener a slight push to get a emotional response, or to better connect with the artist.
 
All audio is subjective. Give 10 musicans the same headphone & they will come to 10 different conclusions. In general I find the DT48e to be timbre accurate, especially with the piano, Sax, bongo drums, & tamberine. As one member puts it, they sound like real life. I agree. But many listen to music to escape from reality, & want a bigger, larger then life sound. That certain wow factor that makes music more fun, regardless if the sound of the music has been altered to get that desired effect. You get no wow effect upon first listen. You will more then likely give a What type of gesture.
 
The DT48e sounds very different then other headphones, especially the older DT48 models. The DT48e is just a blank canvas & scribes a picture to what it hears. They are truthful & unforgiving to the recording. You will hear everything wrong or right, mic placement, hiss, reverb, etc.. I know reference grade studio headphones like the 4070 do this better. But for dynamic & under a grand they are very hard to top in that area.
 
Their pedestrian & plain Jane sound won't win over many fans. They are for a niche market. They are a acquired  sound. They are more a enigma then anything else. Many regard them as cold, lifeless, & analytical. I disagree. I always felt the music along with the emotion & passion it brings transcends beyond the sonic characteristics of any headphone.
 
I truly believe the technical merits of the DT48e stand on their own, & bettered the SA5000/701/DT880 in speed, clarity, resolve, detail, & neutrality. I am amazed at the level of space given to each instrument considering their lack of a big sound stage & being closed headphones. You can follow each instrument & every instrument down to a individual string. This is due to their amazing speed. Smearing is a after thought. Complex passages? They ace. Are they as fast as the HD800? No. Upper end Stax? No..But I feel they are faster then the SA5000, & in terms of closed dynamic headphones, right up there with the Pro 900/W5000.
 
The DT48e is a metal beast high on testosterone. All metal, with nuts & bolts, that would make Iron man blush. Their drivers is encased in a 1/4 thick aluminum housing. Their durability is a thing of myth & legends. IE being run over by a car. Only suffering cosmetic damage. If you want to hear music after a nuclear holocaust, I fully endorse the DT48e.
 
Even though they are 25ohm, they do require more then a portable device to do them justice. They scale very well with upstream components, & will expose any weakness in your chain. The DT48e is a vintage headphone that is still in production. A span of 73 yrs. Beyers themselves admit their engineers out did themselves in making the DT48. I, for one, agree with them.