Beyerdynamic DT150

The DT250-250 is indeed really good. HD600 good, K240 DF good, MDR CD900 ST good in a way.

Thing is, Beyerdynamic made the DT48 and that thing is the Godwin of headphones. Even when I found a way to make it sound like a good headphone, I was not convinced it was worth it.

Beyerdynamic at least supplies spare parts. Some headphone/audio manufacturers (Sony, who happened to make some great headphones) do not bother. I would hate Sony more.

 

I do hate Sony

never heard a Sony headphone I liked

 

I am still going to get that DT150. My Brainwavz HM5 fell apart and I really miss a sturdy headphone for casual listening.

 

Be prepared to listen to music in a desert. I highly advise you to bring extra water with you while using DT-150.

 

Kyuss check \m/

 

I don't have a problem with the 150 and don't find it too dry either. I see it as an inoffensive work horse you can play LOUD without taking your head off like a treble axe murderer unlike their other models.
A monitoring headphone you can use all day, basically what it's designed for.
You can inject some sweetness into it with the right gear. Bonus points if it has some power. Mind you my DT150 is slightly modified.

I also own a DT290 which is basically a 250 with a mic that i also like but haven't tried on a better amp yet. Agreed that the build quality isn't as good as the DT150 and the designflaw with the connector doesn't help it's impression of build quality either.

Only two Beyers i like really from what I've tried.

 

I use my Asgard 2 with the 150 as it's a rather warm, smooth amp and no issues with them sounding dry together. I actually find the DT150 quite thick, humid.

Headphones with a warm, thick, smooth tone are all I can listen to as I like to hear the resonant tones of wood instruments done justice and the human voice to lack the grittiness of leaner, drier phones.

 

I debated with myself if I should post my impressions on the DT150, given that's it's an old thread and an old headphone. Hopefully, this post does not come on as "low SNR."

Noise:
I've been looking for a set of closed cans to use at work. I have the V-Moda Crossfade M100*** pulling this duty up until now. But earlier this year, with COVID forcing us to work from home, I got into headphone listening. I bought the gear listed below + an HD 6XX. So, naturally I compared the M100 to the HD 6XX. No contest. The HD 6XX is more to my liking in every way. I even grew to dislike the M100's bass as I now know how bloated bass (M100) compares to a less impactful but more refined bass (HD 6XX).

So I started researching on what cheap, closed back headphones would sound most like the HD 6XX for casual listening at the office (that is, whenever we go back to the office). DT 150 kept coming up. Found an open box deal for $110 and bought them. Have about a month with them so far.

Signal:
Chain: PC -> Schiit Eitr -> Modi Multibit -> Asgard 3 and Vali 2

The first thing that I noticed was the soundstage. As others have mentioned here, it does have a fairly wide and decently deep soundstage, for a closed back. Better than the M100. HD 6XX is slightly wider but noticeably deeper, specially on binaural recordings. Wasn't expecting much for a closed back so this was a nice surprise.

Overall tonality is similar to the HD 6XX but definitely not as "good" as the HD 6XX. Similarly to the M100 / HD 6XX comparison, the HD 6XX is more to my liking in almost every way than the DT150.

• Bass: As others have said, that upper bass / low mids bump can be problematic. On certain songs with male vocals and/or bass guitars, the bass sounded weird. I hesitate to call it bloated but it was a bit too thick and boomy. Pad swapping fixed this (read below).
• Mid-range: Inviting, warm sound with forward presentation. Not as lush or intimate as the HD 6XX but it is a similar experience. The DT150 did not sound as lush as the HD 6XX but it wasn't dry either. Could be my choice of amps too. No, the DT150 is NOT a "closed HD 6XX" but it's a taste of it. For my use case and the price I paid this is as much as I could hope for.
• Treble: I should probably say that describing treble is a huge weakness of mine. I tend to like a slightly dark sound (i.e., through my current gear and the HD 6XX). To give you an idea, I borrowed the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x for a weekend and used it with my current gear; the treble brightness was borderline. A bit more and it would have been uncomfortable for me. Anyway, I guess I can summarize the DT150 treble as a bit grainy and not as smooth as (slightly more peaky than) the HD 6XX. Still enjoyable, though.

Pad Swap:
I swapped to the DT100 velour pads (EDT 100 P / Beyer part # 945.576) for $38. The upper bass bump was definitely reduced. I still hear a bit more mid/upper bass compared to the HD 6XX but there is no more boomy feeling. The drawback of the new pads was slightly reduced soundstage width but not by much. Worth the compromise, given the improved bass presentation, at least to my ears.

Disclaimer: I just started this year on headphone listening so I'm not well versed or practiced on critical listening All these impressions could just be placebo or new-toy syndrome so take this with a grain of salt.

_____
***Yes, yes I know these are not exactly audiophile headphones. I bought them years ago because they looked cool. I guess I fell for the marketing common to consumer-oriented headphones.

 

Been owning them for 2 years now, first had them in 2017 but sold them at that time because of the way the sound changes with different fits.

With the Shure 1540 pads, they’re extremely close to a closed HD650.

 

Do I need to screw to screw in all the way in the cable to secure it, or just around 60% or less/slightly more of the way down? I’m getting stronger bass in the right channel than the left, could this be because I screwed the screw all the way down, and thus loosing the sealed connection?

Any help would be greatly appreciated