zerogorgor
100+ Head-Fier
beyerdynamic T1 90th Anniversary Version
It surprised and still surprises me when I found little discussion on beyerdynamic T1 90th Anniversary (T1B) on head-fi. This is a limited (to 600 units) edition with a hardwired 4-pin balanced Cardas cable. So taking this opportunity I would make my debut discussion thread on head-fi!
I have long been a fan of beyerdynamic. I find the sound signature of T1 especially congenial to me, but with a tight budget and the temperament of a perfectionist I have refrained from buying one till I have figured out a good enough desktop setup. After quite some time spent on doing my own due diligence this very special edition popped up, and with unanimous support from my audiophile friends, I have got one.
A Brief Self-into
As you can see I have been inactive on head-fi so here comes a brief introduction of myself. I listen only to classical music with a tilt towards piano solo and orchestral music. A frequent concert goer. A subjectivist head-fier. A long time portable head-fier but a desktop newbie.
I treat head-fi as head-fi, nothing more, nothing less. I don’t look for any perfect reproduction of sound or blah blah blah. I am heavily influenced by the Romanian conductor Sergiu Celibidache, who resisted producing commercial recordings due to his ‘ichi-go ichi-e’ philosophy and contended that listening to recordings to get the satisfaction of a concert experience is just like getting sexual pleasures from making love with pornography (please excuse this citation). But I think he has a point. So, head-fi is head-fi, no more, no less.
I look for comprehensiveness and balance in gears. Pretty much like I will go for a setup with a 70 mark in each area (if you score different aspects of your setup) instead of one with all 70 but one 80.
Thoughts here are preliminary as the T1B has just been broken-in for some 200 hours.
Setup
DAC: Violectric V800
Amplifiers: Bakoon International HPA-01/Violectric V181/Violectric V200
USB Cable: Furutech GT2
RCA Cable: Furutech Alpha Line-1
XLR Interconnect: MIT StyleLine SL3
Power Cables: Furutech G-320AG-18
I would like to thank my friend Linus who has temporarily exchanged his Violectric V181 for my Violectric V200 and lent me his Bakoon International HPA-01.
T1 versus T1B
I would say the most noticeable difference is in tonal balance. This change in tonal balance, however, is quite different from replacing the original HD600 cable with Cardas Clear. The change in tone is a lot subtler in T1B. The Cardas signature does not overwhelm the sound signature of T1B – it only tinges T1 with a bit of mellowness.
T1B has
(1)a slightly warmer tone;
(2) a slightly stubbier bass; and
(3) dimmer highs
This unfortunately makes T1B difficult to pair up with many widely-used setups. This tinge somehow just make T1B dull at times. It also makes a Steinway piano sound like a Yamaha piano. It is not bad or unbearably distortionary, but the change in tone is noticeable.
Having sketched out my thoughts on T1 versus T1B, I will focus my energy on describing my thoughts of different T1B setups as they are instead of doing a further T1-combination-versus-T1B-combination. The difference, I reckon, will be a noticeable but not overly distortionary dim tinge on T1B.
T1B with Violectric V800/V181: Single-ended Out versus Balanced Out
A key feature of this anniversary version is its balanced cable. I am not sure of the mainstream argument on head-fi, but users in a forum I frequent tend to agree that while headphones perform better technically when driven balanced, they sound better when driven single-ended (or more forgiving, at least). I agree.
T1B sounds richer, fuller, more powerful, more dynamic with better imaging and clearer distancing when driven by the balanced out of the Violectric V181. However, it sounds more forgiving using the single end out. I feel like as if I am listening to sound instead of music using the balanced out. Or in yet another way of putting it, the difference is similar to getting T1B overdriven versus okay-ly driven.
In terms of pairing, I think with V181’s less well-bodied lower spectrum, the setup exhibits a lack of synergy. It feels like the V181 is doing its own job and the T1B is doing its own job as well. The setup is so bad that I decided to ask Linus to give me back my V200.
As a side note on SE vs BL out, I think the Violectric combination is a threshold setup for high end head-fi gears so the above impression is personal and is restricted to the Violectric V800+V181 pairing. I have tried the Linnenberg VIVACE+MAESTRO combination and I prefer the balanced out. Yet I was only able to audition this setup for some two hours so I couldn’t say for certain.
T1B with Violectric V800/V200
This is the most preferred setup I have on hand. The sound quality is fair. There is nothing ‘wrong’ with it. There is no wow-factor. Its dynamics, soundstage, imaging, treble extension are all doable.
I think a particular reason that I prefer Violectric V200 over V181 when driving my T1B is that the slightly thicker and darker presentation of V200 gives open cans a more solid sound. Interestingly, T1B does not sound overly dark with V200. It, however, sounds dull occasionally. I tend to attribute this to the Cardas cable.
T1B with Violectric V800/Bakoon International HPA-01
There is synergy between T1B and HPA-01.
In terms of sound signature, this is the most forgiving setup from the three. There is an apparent synergy. The soundstage is wider and more expansive. Distancing and imaging are better, more 3-dimensional but not necessarily clearer when compared to V181 balanced out. The presentation is relaxed and comfortable. There is excellent control. T1B sounds more energetic (but not necessarily livelier). This setup really sounds nice and it is very forgiving (excuse the repetition here but this setup is really forgiving!).
This synergy, unfortunately, comes with a price. There is compression in the height of the soundstage. My friend Linus noted this was more likely the problem of HPA-01. This major downside makes me prefer my Violectric V200 over Bakoon International HPA-01.
Wrap-up
As I said, I consider myself a beyerdynamic fan boy though not a hardcore one. The 90th Anniversary Special Edition tag has considerable value to me. However, the balanced cable does not come in handy for my threshold level setup. And with ordinary T1s available at 606 euros occasionally, I think it is more doable for non-fans to get this instead of a T1B. Anyway that’s just my 2 cents.
I am inclined to think that my Violectric V800/V200 setup, while scoring an overall pass, fails to fully capitalise on the potentials of my T1B and am currently considering an upgrade. Could be a Bakoon Japan 5210 MKIII or a Linnenberg VIVACE/MAESTRO combination. Could be something else. I am patient so will just wait and see.
TL;DR Version
T1B is really ‘an anniversary product’ that has a warmish tinge and I would recommend non-beyerdynamic fans to get a normal T1 instead.
It surprised and still surprises me when I found little discussion on beyerdynamic T1 90th Anniversary (T1B) on head-fi. This is a limited (to 600 units) edition with a hardwired 4-pin balanced Cardas cable. So taking this opportunity I would make my debut discussion thread on head-fi!
I have long been a fan of beyerdynamic. I find the sound signature of T1 especially congenial to me, but with a tight budget and the temperament of a perfectionist I have refrained from buying one till I have figured out a good enough desktop setup. After quite some time spent on doing my own due diligence this very special edition popped up, and with unanimous support from my audiophile friends, I have got one.
A Brief Self-into
As you can see I have been inactive on head-fi so here comes a brief introduction of myself. I listen only to classical music with a tilt towards piano solo and orchestral music. A frequent concert goer. A subjectivist head-fier. A long time portable head-fier but a desktop newbie.
I treat head-fi as head-fi, nothing more, nothing less. I don’t look for any perfect reproduction of sound or blah blah blah. I am heavily influenced by the Romanian conductor Sergiu Celibidache, who resisted producing commercial recordings due to his ‘ichi-go ichi-e’ philosophy and contended that listening to recordings to get the satisfaction of a concert experience is just like getting sexual pleasures from making love with pornography (please excuse this citation). But I think he has a point. So, head-fi is head-fi, no more, no less.
I look for comprehensiveness and balance in gears. Pretty much like I will go for a setup with a 70 mark in each area (if you score different aspects of your setup) instead of one with all 70 but one 80.
Thoughts here are preliminary as the T1B has just been broken-in for some 200 hours.
Setup
DAC: Violectric V800
Amplifiers: Bakoon International HPA-01/Violectric V181/Violectric V200
USB Cable: Furutech GT2
RCA Cable: Furutech Alpha Line-1
XLR Interconnect: MIT StyleLine SL3
Power Cables: Furutech G-320AG-18
I would like to thank my friend Linus who has temporarily exchanged his Violectric V181 for my Violectric V200 and lent me his Bakoon International HPA-01.
T1 versus T1B
I would say the most noticeable difference is in tonal balance. This change in tonal balance, however, is quite different from replacing the original HD600 cable with Cardas Clear. The change in tone is a lot subtler in T1B. The Cardas signature does not overwhelm the sound signature of T1B – it only tinges T1 with a bit of mellowness.
T1B has
(1)a slightly warmer tone;
(2) a slightly stubbier bass; and
(3) dimmer highs
This unfortunately makes T1B difficult to pair up with many widely-used setups. This tinge somehow just make T1B dull at times. It also makes a Steinway piano sound like a Yamaha piano. It is not bad or unbearably distortionary, but the change in tone is noticeable.
Having sketched out my thoughts on T1 versus T1B, I will focus my energy on describing my thoughts of different T1B setups as they are instead of doing a further T1-combination-versus-T1B-combination. The difference, I reckon, will be a noticeable but not overly distortionary dim tinge on T1B.
T1B with Violectric V800/V181: Single-ended Out versus Balanced Out
A key feature of this anniversary version is its balanced cable. I am not sure of the mainstream argument on head-fi, but users in a forum I frequent tend to agree that while headphones perform better technically when driven balanced, they sound better when driven single-ended (or more forgiving, at least). I agree.
T1B sounds richer, fuller, more powerful, more dynamic with better imaging and clearer distancing when driven by the balanced out of the Violectric V181. However, it sounds more forgiving using the single end out. I feel like as if I am listening to sound instead of music using the balanced out. Or in yet another way of putting it, the difference is similar to getting T1B overdriven versus okay-ly driven.
In terms of pairing, I think with V181’s less well-bodied lower spectrum, the setup exhibits a lack of synergy. It feels like the V181 is doing its own job and the T1B is doing its own job as well. The setup is so bad that I decided to ask Linus to give me back my V200.
As a side note on SE vs BL out, I think the Violectric combination is a threshold setup for high end head-fi gears so the above impression is personal and is restricted to the Violectric V800+V181 pairing. I have tried the Linnenberg VIVACE+MAESTRO combination and I prefer the balanced out. Yet I was only able to audition this setup for some two hours so I couldn’t say for certain.
T1B with Violectric V800/V200
This is the most preferred setup I have on hand. The sound quality is fair. There is nothing ‘wrong’ with it. There is no wow-factor. Its dynamics, soundstage, imaging, treble extension are all doable.
I think a particular reason that I prefer Violectric V200 over V181 when driving my T1B is that the slightly thicker and darker presentation of V200 gives open cans a more solid sound. Interestingly, T1B does not sound overly dark with V200. It, however, sounds dull occasionally. I tend to attribute this to the Cardas cable.
T1B with Violectric V800/Bakoon International HPA-01
There is synergy between T1B and HPA-01.
In terms of sound signature, this is the most forgiving setup from the three. There is an apparent synergy. The soundstage is wider and more expansive. Distancing and imaging are better, more 3-dimensional but not necessarily clearer when compared to V181 balanced out. The presentation is relaxed and comfortable. There is excellent control. T1B sounds more energetic (but not necessarily livelier). This setup really sounds nice and it is very forgiving (excuse the repetition here but this setup is really forgiving!).
This synergy, unfortunately, comes with a price. There is compression in the height of the soundstage. My friend Linus noted this was more likely the problem of HPA-01. This major downside makes me prefer my Violectric V200 over Bakoon International HPA-01.
Wrap-up
As I said, I consider myself a beyerdynamic fan boy though not a hardcore one. The 90th Anniversary Special Edition tag has considerable value to me. However, the balanced cable does not come in handy for my threshold level setup. And with ordinary T1s available at 606 euros occasionally, I think it is more doable for non-fans to get this instead of a T1B. Anyway that’s just my 2 cents.
I am inclined to think that my Violectric V800/V200 setup, while scoring an overall pass, fails to fully capitalise on the potentials of my T1B and am currently considering an upgrade. Could be a Bakoon Japan 5210 MKIII or a Linnenberg VIVACE/MAESTRO combination. Could be something else. I am patient so will just wait and see.
TL;DR Version
T1B is really ‘an anniversary product’ that has a warmish tinge and I would recommend non-beyerdynamic fans to get a normal T1 instead.
