Beyerdynamic T1 review

Best home on-ear headphones £800+, Awards 2010. If you want to hear every last nuance of sound from a recording, we haven’t come across a better way o Tested at £880

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

Best home on-ear headphones £800+, Awards 2010. A stunning pair of headphones that dig deeper into the recording than anything else we’ve heard at this price level

Pros

  • +

    Class-leading resolution, control and precision

  • +

    impressive bass

  • +

    well made

Cons

  • -

    Demanding of source and cables

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.

There are two parts to this review: here we have Beyerdynamic's T1 headphones, which need to be paired with the company's A1 headphone amplifier. This pairing represents great value. No, we haven't taken leave of our senses – we know that spending near £1900 on headphones and partnering amplifier is a touch extreme – but let us explain.

If you want to hear every last nuance of sound from a recording, we haven't come across a better way of doing it than this Beyerdynamic combination.

Certainly, no sub-£20,000 amp and speaker pairing we've heard has got anywhere near unravelling a complex recording like Radiohead's In Rainbows as well as this duo.

That's before you consider the limitations any normal room places on performance. Every instrumental thread of 15 Step is scrubbed clean, and remains easy to track regardless of how complex the rest of the production gets. Each note is defined: the ability to stop and start really has few rivals in the speaker world, regardless of cost.

All that detail combines to produce an addictive, harshness-free whole that'll see you revisiting every corner of your music library. Over-played albums such as The Dark Knight OST and Kanyé West's 808s & Heartbreak sound fresh again, and have us listening to the end.

Musical control and precision
Timing and dynamics are as good as the price suggests, though Beyerdynamic's sound is more about control and precision than excitement.

There's no attempt to liven-up a recording: you get whatever's on the disc, that's it. But with a charging track – say, Florence and the Machine's You Got the Love – the A1/T1 pair delivers the full dose of energy.

The T1 deliver far more bass than any sub-£1000 headphones we've heard. The A1 mirrors this achievement, making even top-class (if cheaper) amps from Chord and Lehmann sound insubstantial in comparison.

Comfort and build-quality levels are high; the T1s strike a fine balance with well-padded ear cups and headband.

But there are still the unavoidable limitations of conventional headphones (at any price). The stereo image is stuck in the middle of your head, and there's little of the sense of scale speakers offer.

Also, don't skimp on the source or cables, or you'll never hear the A1/T1 combo at its best. A £1500 CD player or DAC equivalent is the bare minimum. Match well and you'll know how your music really sounds – like it or not!

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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.

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