Decided to add something to this thread after owning these headphones for the better part of 10~ days, and i think i've just about owned them long enough to give a proper review. Without further ado...
Aesthetics: 8/10I think these actually look pretty good. Not take-outside-and-show-off good, but very respectable. I think its because im quite drawn to duller colours such as black and silver, so the colour scheme really draws me to it. The back of the cups also have a very tasteful grill design rather than the usual mesh and visible driver look of many other open headphones, and doesnt affect how open they are either. I took off a couple points due to the exposed wire (Which im not a complete fan of, but that's up to you, much like all types of aesthetics.) as well as the velour cups. Ill get more in-depth with the cups in the comfort section of this review, however they have an uneven shade, even out of the box. They are mostly silver, with weird dark grey splotches all over. I don't like that, i just wish they would stay the usual silver they're supposed to be.
Comfort 10/10Yeah, you read that right. A perfect score. And that's not even being generous, i would put 11/10 if i wanted to, but to keep this slightly more professional, i wont
The clamp force, headband design as well as the cups are almost all PERFECT. The absolute ONLY gripe i have with the comfort of these headphones are how the cups are circular rather than the oval shape i prefer so that it completely conforms to the shape of your ears, but in this case, it really hardly matters. Want to know why? Its because i can fit 4 of my knuckles into the earpads with a tiny bit of space to spare. To give a little context, my ears are about the size of three. Yeah, there's absolutely massive, and i love it that way.
The foam used in the earpads are not too soft, but not too firm either, probably memory foam. Its super comfortable, although the velour on the earpads doesn't let your ears breathe as much as say, fabric, but far more than faux or real leather.
Lets get to that headband. Im sorry, but why isnt every other company copying this design? Its fantastic, removable with a tiny bit of hassle, made out of a great feeling faux leather, and has the nicest foam EVER embedded in it. I really dont need to say more, you cant even feel it on top of your head after 2 minutes. Same goes for the earpads.
Finally, the clamp is not too light, however not as heavy as some sennheisers. They clamp enough so that quick head movements or a little bit of headbanging wont make them fly off your head, but not as much that you feel like a vice is gripping onto your skull. The pro version of the DT990's i believe has a heavier clamp, but not really anything a little overnight stretching over a chair cant fix.
Sound: 8.5/10For sound, ill start with the bad, and move onto the good.
Ill start with saying that if you're not a fan of slightly sibilant treble and a more warm sound signature, you will not like these, like, at all, unless you feel like EQing quite heavily. The treble on these is quite unforgiving, and if you listen to songs where the vocals are quite upfront, with many "s" sounds, your ears, and eventually your head, will hate you. If you're not a fan of treble, you probably couldn't keep these on your head for longer than 30 minutes, period. However...
Let these burn in, seriously. After 50-100 hours of burn in (Naturally for me) the highs seriously come down and sound far more bearable and accurate, and as well as this, if you're getting anything over the 32 ohm version (I recommend the 32 of 600 ohm, heard of a couple problems with the 250) please amp it. like PLEASE, a good headphone amp, such as the Fiio E09k, Schiit Magni, or O2 can seriously make these things sound way better than if you left them as is. Get a good Dac too.
Another flaw would be how recessed the mids are. The feel so distant compared to the thundering bass and bright highs that vocals seem to be only second to the beat and instruments, rather than being the highlight or being one with them (if that makes sense.)
After quite a rambling, you might ask, how in the heck did these even get a 8.5 rating?
Bass, i say. and no, not that muddy, boomy bass that sounds terrible (looking at you, Beats,) but that tight, banging bass that makes your head vibrate in the right moments, its really quite stunning, and has got to be some of the most satisfying sub-bass i've heard from open cans. Electronic and Hip-hop loving unite. (apart from the treble.)
As well as this, the soundstage on these is very good, like, very VERY good. Not the best, how still very wide, and instrument separation is very accurate too. While listening to a song, i had to quickly take my headphones off to make sure my siblings werent the ones playing piano and it was actually coming out of my headphones. Yeah, good job Beyer.
Build/Design 7/10These things are built pretty darn tanky. Metal everywhere, beautiful velour and faux leather, and a very sparse use of plastic, only on the logo on the hinges and the rim of the earcups.
But, BUT, The cable has GOT to be one of the WORST i've seen on a pair of headphones, like period.
To start with, its non removable, which i could've overlooked if the cable was decent. But its not. Its about the thickness of a average power cord, and its over 10 feet.
Over 10 feet, and they don't give an option for a short cable? If you're taking these anywhere outside, have fun managing that ****er, because its gonna be a nightmare.
To top it off, the connector is pretty large, and all of this together makes a cable that weighs almost as much as the headphones themselves. Ouch.
Conclusion: 8/10A very good pair. Dont really need to say more. Just make sure the sound signature is to your taste, and you'll love them as long as you manage the cable properly. Did i mention that they are the most comfortable ****ing things ever? Yeah, two pillows. Recommended.
