The Bottom Line: I really can't think of a reason why you'd purchase these considering that there are headphones which are better then these, in every way, in this price range.
zoogelsnof's Full Review: Beyerdynamic DT 131 Headphones
I need to start with a small preface, I love sound, I’m obsessed with it, and I listen to sound all day and all night on all different speakers and TV’s and car systems. Due to my audiophile nature it is very possible there are things that would bother me in a set of headphones that most people wouldn’t notice, or care about.
Real World Experience:
Tired of the horrible listening experiences I had with the AKG’s I decided it was time to pull down a name that couldn’t fail: Beyerdynamic.
Whoops.
I hate it when I’m wrong.
Testing Environment
These were tested with my friendly Sony D-EJ2000 personal CD player, unamplified.
The listening experience
I tested these with two CD’s, first a CD entitled, 𤃶 Dance Mix” which is a CD a girl named Meg made for me full of top 10, 1990’s dance hit style songs. Britney, Nelly, etc. Mostly just standard pop, plus this really strange Arabic song that I can’t really classify. Tested second with what I call my, “Good Cirque” mix, which is a CD filled with my favorite Cirque De Sole` songs. Mostly fast paced instrumental stuff, largely brass instruments, drums, and a keyboard.
Sound Quality:
To most people, this is the most important element for obvious reasons. These headphones are either overpriced for their sound, or have bad sound for their price, depending on if you see the glass half full, or…uhm…the other way.
The bass gets progressively worse the deeper it is. The deepest, “thud base” simply isn’t there. As you move up the base spectrum it becomes more present, but never pleasant. With the bass response turned up to, “Level 2,” which is the max for my CD player, it sounds tinny, and out of focus at the middle-high end of the bass spectrum.
The mid range is muddy and mediocre. Similar instruments tend to blend together, and it’s hard to pick out distinct sounds and distinct notes. The middle area lacks the crisp sharp edge on its notes that I expect from a set of headphones in this price range.
The highs are the only thing that reminds me these are made by the same company that makes my favorite pair of headphones, Beyerdynamic DT250’s. The highs are pretty, far better then the mids, and vastly better then the lows. That being said however, they’re far in away not good enough to save these headphones from the, “don’t buy” bin.
Comfort:
The headphones feature a four-piece design consisting of the two earpieces, the headband, and a second, “overarching” headband. These are spring-loaded auto adjusting headphones, a style I’ve never liked. I prefer to be able to determine the fit I want manually. Self-adjusted headphones are eternally more comfortable on my head then auto adjusting. Comfort wise the headband was okay, it was comfortable while I was wearing it, but I also have a very thick head of hair to pad them further. The ear covers are large and padded. They’re reasonably comfortable, but nothing special.
Other Notes:
These are open headphones, and they leak a fair amount of sound, but no more so then the average open headset.
They look, and seem to be rather cheaply constructed, especially for something of this price level. It’s a simple plastic construction, and not terribly attractive either.
They feature a 10-foot long cord, which is a good deal longer then the average cord and can be a hassle or a benefit depending on the situation they’re being used in. I find cords of this length get tangled easily and can be nasty to unknot. The cord is singlesided however, which is a nice touch. I hate "Y" shaped cords.
Bottom Line:
**note, these are related to price, EG, it’s not sound quality related to the best sound in the world, it’s sound quality related to the other things in this price range.**
Sound Quality:D
Portability: C+
Comfort: B
Overall:C/C-
I recommended the following headphones instead of these for this price range; however, as a note, these suggestions are based only on my very limited knowledge. There are, almost certainly, other, better recommendations out there.
Open, dynamic headphone designed for any type of portable audio device Adjustable headband and soft cotton jersey ear pads for all-day comfort Natural...More at Amazon
Open, dynamic headphone designed for any type of portable audio device Adjustable headband and soft cotton jersey ear pads for all-day comfort Natural...More at Amazon Marketplace
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