Beyerdynamic T50P review

Best portable on-ears £200+, Awards 2012. Oodles of detail make the Beyerdynamic T50p a joy to hear. Tested at £240

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

Best portable on-ears £200+, Awards 2012. As suited to home use as they are to commuting, the T50ps are superb all-rounders

Pros

  • +

    Stylish, light and comfortable

  • +

    detailed and well integrated right through the frequency range

  • +

    fluid but punchy

  • +

    cracking dynamics

Cons

  • -

    A remote and mic would be nice

Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.

We started a gargantuan collection of headphone reviews, in the September 2011 issue, with the Beyerdynamic T50 p, one of our favourite pairs of headphones in the entire test.

Arriving with minimal fanfare right at the tail-end of 2010 these premium cans caused an instant stir. The company has used a couple of different alloys to come up with a design that’s thin but solid, and functional but elegant.

They’re comfy, too – the leatherette earpads are kept snugly in place by the grippy band, but at 174g they’re light enough to be ignored.

And thanks to a closed-back design that leaks almost no noise, they’re perfect for commuting.

The sound they produce, on the other hand, is entirely unignorable. Start with Bon Iver’s brilliantly haunting Perth and the T 50 ps prove to be incredibly insightful, finding nuance in all of the many vocal strands.

They’re superbly punchy and precise, too, hammering out the thumping drums as the track builds, and throwing out the intentionally cacophonous crescendo with serious, dramatic force.

Seamless integration

There’s real weight and depth to the bass, but it’s integrated seamlessly with the midrange, which in itself is convincingly solid and full-bodied.

At the top-end the treble is twinkly but controlled, with cymbals sounding detailed and striking without ever sounding bright or harsh.

This ability to combine punch and attack with control and fluidity means they won’t overly expose the more compressed tracks in your digital library, but you’d be doing these excellent headphones a disservice if you didn’t switch to a lossless or uncompressed format – once you do, you’ll likely never switch back.

Our only wish is that there was a mic and control unit, given the £240 price and the inexorable rise of the mobile phone as a music device, but otherwise we have no complaints – these are seriously superb.

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What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.

Read more about how we test