A word of warning before you read this, if by any chance you review audiophile gear keep in mind that I’m probably not writing about you.
With that out of the way, I’m totally against people who say they are reviewers or make review blogs just to get free samples or even money for their opinions.
In fact this post came to be because I started to notice a pretty awful trend on so called headphone reviewers, most of them do it because they receive free stuff which they get to keep after their reviews.
Bloggers know it’s wrong and the companies who supply them often make a blind eye, because it brings them more customers already primed by word-to-mouth hype.
In fact this kind of marketing strategies were one of the reasons the FTC made US bloggers disclose any kind of endorsements or free samples.
No wonder we never read truly negative reviews on some audiophile sites or blogs.
Those writers refuse to review bad products because it would ruin their relationship with the merchant who’s giving them free samples! Sad but true.
Sure some bloggers will disclose they are receiving free gear but it’s all for nothing if they are reviewing just to receive the gear, thus they lack the main thing any reviewer amateur or professional needs above all, integrity.
I totally understand the rush of receiving new stuff on the doorstep, but these writers are literally selling their opinion to the lowest bidder.
Because of them most who are serious about their work or hobby are faced with the sad reality of being pressured by those very same companies for positive reviews. After all if one reviewer sells out everyone else will surely will!
I totally suck as a reviewer and I lack the necessary wine tasting vocabulary most use on their articles, but I do strive for honesty on my opinions.
For example in my KZ earphones guide I disclosed this:
– All earphones are bought with my money from various online shops.
– I’m not endorsed by KZ in any way nor do I want to be.
I can fairly bash any KZ earphone I bought because of this, It’s my money and I’ll give my blunt opinion on the gear. Until now I never gave a negative opinion on any KZ product, but I don’t know what the future holds.
In this niche everyone has their fair share of blame for the problem.
Some reviewers are addicted to free stuff and sadly some consumers need to confirm their purchases with positive reviews.
Reviewers are very important to the current consumer society but they are also accountable for their words.
It’s up to each one of us to understand what’s bullshit and what’s not.
I updated the KZ earphones guide with the new ZS5 model.
I’m not a reviewer so my opinion is a blunt one. If the KS5 fits your ears go buy them.
KS5
– Currently the best KZ IEMs I own. Sure there is some hype on the community about these, because after all we are talking about a 2 dynamic driver + 2 balanced armature IEM for less than 30€.
– Their sound has all the good vibes of the KZ IE8, plus one amazing bass that doesn’t overtake the music even if you are hearing metal. They are detailed and very fun to hear but they can cause some fatigue in the long run with some types of music.
– Noise isolation is decent but the fitting inside the ear is not for everyone, some adjustments need to be made for a comfortable fit and even so they can hurt a little in long listening sessions. In terms of comfort these IEMs are not for people with small ears.
– The shells are mode of plastic, they are sturdy enough but not amazing.
– Detachable stock cable is ok but I prefer the silver cable for some comfort around the ears.
I’m a fan of Beyerdynamic headphones since I had the chance to try the DT 880 in the 90s, right now I have some models from the brand in my collection and they are a joy to hear, so what comes next is a labour of love of an enthusiast and should be viewed as such.
I tried to be accurate on my research and I’m always open to corrections and constructive opinions. Any help is welcome so please feel free to leave a comment.
This article will focus on headphones I find relevant for the hobby and will be edited when needed.
It’s quite difficult to date some models without the original launch dates from Beyerdynamic, thus most release dates are approximated. I did my best but I can only do so much with the material available. A reference is provided in the end of the article.
Eugen Beyer and Beyerdynamic.
Eugen Beyer was born St. Petersburg in 1903. His German parents would later move to Stockholm, Sweden and at the age of eighteen the future electrical engineer moved from Stockholm to Berlin, a land of opportunity for a young intelligent mind.
In 1924 he founded in Berlin the “Elektrotechnische Fabrik Eugen Beyer”, a company that would start by manufacturing / developing amplifiers and loudspeakers for the first movies with sound circa 1926, a decade later in 1937 the company would release the DT 48 the first dynamic headphones. The DT 48 model would be manufactured for 56 years with only a very few modifications.
Many other technical achievements in recording and reproduction of sound would lay the foundations to a now global company.
Beyerdynamic building at Heilbronn 1965.
With approximately 350 employees in various departments , their research and
development is made “in house” and Beyerdynamic still manufactures products in Heilbronn, Germany. The company takes pride on the handcrafted work that goes it to their products and the “Made In Germany” logo further accentuates the importance given to their specialized employees who not only manufacture but also keep a close eye in the quality of the final product, something very few companies can do these days.
Eugen Beyer died in 1959, his family still owns the company after more than 90 years, an unusual practice by today’s business standards, but in my opinion also one of the reasons the company respects and listens to their clients.
Chronology
1937 > DT 48 – A 75 years old legend.
Manufactured from 1937 to the end of 2012 the DT48 is an unusual sight in the consumer oriented world. Few companies can brag about having made a consumer product for so long.
The DT 48S model was released circa 1964, at the time it had a frequency response from 16 to 18000Hz just like the DT48, in 1971 the frequency response would go up to 20000Hz. These headphones are still avidly collected and have a massive community behind them. Tyll Hertsens from the site Innerfidelity.com measured the DT 48 E if you wonder about the sound and quality.
The historical Beyerdynamic DT 48.
1969 > DT 480 Sound Juwel / DT 100 – The modular construction. The DT 480 model had a impedance of 200 Ohm, with a frequency response from 20 to 20000Hz (Circa 1971), these Stereo headphones are in many ways similar with the DT 100 model which had an impedance of 400 Ohm and frequency response starting at 30Hz, much like the DT 202 model.
I still associate their modular construction with the 70’s and 80’s radio / TV broadcast headphones and headsets like the DT 102, or the DT 108 and DT 109 that would later be the exclusive headsets of the Olympic games in Seoul/Korea (1988).
1970 > DT 900 – The 70’s child.
The DT 900 model had a impedance of 600 Ohm, with a frequency response from 30 to 18000Hz. The DT 900 came in a very 70’s red colour and even the ads were a product of that time.
1973 > DT 204 – Quadrophonic surround headphones.
A product of the sound advances of the 70’s these quadrophonic headphones would allow the reproduction of surround sound encoded media.
1976 > ET 1000 & N1000 – The electrostatics made in Germany. The ET 1000 electrostatic model had a frequency response from 10Hz up to 25000Hz.
The N1000 was needed to push the power hungry electrostatics, in fact it could push two pairs if necessary. Sadly these were the only electrostatics Beyerdynamic ever did, they were made at least until circa 1984.
Looking at the quality of their current Tesla technology I can only imagine the amazing things they could have achieved had they continued developing electrostatic headphones.
The Beyerdynamic ET 1000 & N1000.
1976 > DT 220 – A closed back with a lot of personality. The DT 220 model had a impedance of 400 Ohm, with a frequency response from 20 to 20000Hz. These very robust closed back headphones probably were the inspiration for the DT 770 design.
1976 > DT 440 / DT 444 Infraphone – The silver twins.
Both models are similar in design, the DT 440 was a wired dynamic stereo headphone with a impendance of 600 Ohm and a frequency response from 20 to 20000Hz. The DT 444 Infraphone was a wireless model that needed a infrared emitter to work.
There was also a model called the DT 441. Sadly I couldn’t find more reference specifications about the 444 and 441 models.
1980 > DT 880 – A legend is born.
The release of the DT 880 would prove to be an advance in the quality of dynamic headphones. Beyerdynamic compared the performance of this model with electrostatic headphones something unheard at the time.
In the 80’s 3 versions of the DT 880 model were manufactured, the “Studio”, “Monitor” and standard versions, each had a different target market. They differed slightly between each other on design, construction choices and frequency response.
The “Studio” model had a frequency response from 5 to 35000Hz, the “Monitor” went from 5 to 30000Hz and the standard version went up to 25000Hz. All models had a 600 Ohm impedance. The vintage DT 880 is now a collectors item, after more than 3 decades some still sound amazing for their age.
The Beyerdynamic DT 880 during the 80’s.
1980 > DT 660 / DT 550 / DT 330 – The forgotten ones. In the 80’s Beyerdynamic had models that were sadly eclipsed by the DT 880 legend.
(Circa 1984) The DT 660 MKII had frequency response from 15 to 25000Hz with a 600 Ohm impedance. The DT 550 had a frequency response from 10 to 22000Hz also with a 600 Ohm impedance and finally the DT 330 MKII had a 40 Ohm impedance and a frequency response from 15 to 18000Hz. All the models had very respectable specifications so I’m sure many collectors still want them.
1985 > DT 770 – The musician best friend. The DT 770 closed back model would also become a legend on it’s on right. The very robust Pro version is still cherished by musicians in every part of the world. The 10 to 30000Hz frequency response and 600 Ohms impedance (Circa 1993) were also probably very good reasons this model achieved a cult status in recording studios.
1985 > DT 990 – An open dynamic reference.
The DT 990 was for a time the best open back model Beyerdynamic had to offer, the 600 Ohm impedance and 5 to 350000Hz frequency response made these flagship headphones a professional reference.
The Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro and DT 770 Pro during the 90’s.
2006 > Headzone – Surrounded by sound. A technology for reproducing 5.1 virtual surround sound via headphones, mostly a tool for professionals that would later be released to the mainstream public.
2009 > T1 – Tesla technology unleashed. The T1 model was the first headphone to bring the new tesla technology to the table, the new flagship model had a frequency response from 5 to 50000Hz and a impedance of 600 Ohm.
2015 > DT 1770 Pro Inspired by the DT 770 the new DT 1770 Pro is a closed back studio flagship which uses the same tesla technology as the T1. The frequency response goes from 5 to 40000Hz and the impedance is 250 Ohm.
2016 > DT 1990 Pro The DT 1990 Pro are the evolution of the DT 990 open back model. The specifications are the same as the DT 1770 Pro.
2024 > The Future.
Beyerdynamic will be 100 years in the year 2024.
I’m sure many good things are still yet to come.
Editor notes and acknowledgements.
Again please note the chronology above only refers to relevant headphones, the Beyerdynamic timeline is full of important achievements, for more information please visit beyerdynamic.com. Also I’m well aware I didn’t include the famous DT 49 used in Plattenbars (record-bars) in the 50’s.
The frequency response and impedance are there just to give an very general idea about the specifications of the headphones. You can visit the wegavision website and research the old Beyerdynamic catalogs or again go to Beyerdynamic.com and access their specification pages.
This article would not be possible without the help of many collectors who contributed with catalogs on the wegavision website and many others who devoted their time to collect, restore and measure Beyerdynamic headphones. To all of them my sincere thank you!
My sincere gratitude goes also to Beyerdynamic for letting me use in this article the photographs of the Beyerdynamic building in Heilbronn and the DT48.
Last but not least for the correction on the city of birth of Eugen Beyer.
Copyrights: For legal reasons all images belong to their respective owners and are not included on the main Creative Commons license of my blog.
If you want to use any image of this article please contact their respective owners.
The Beyerdynamic building in Heilbronn and DT48 photographs are used with permission from Beyerdynamic.
All other photos belong to the Beyerdynamic catalogues found at Wegavision, they are used to depict old models of historical interest.
If you dedicate enough time to this hobby you’ll sooner or later ask for advice about a headphone you never had the chance to hear.
Inexperienced hobbyists will try to help because everyone likes to help and you’ll probably buy a product only to find out it doesn’t really have the sound signature, comfort or practical utility you needed from it, thus the cycle starts again.
Some sites and forums I shall not name here actually make a living from this kind of advice and they prosper.
Sadly more often than not people giving advice never actually heard the product but use the reviews of others to help you the best way they can.
This is not wrong per say but can make you lose time, money and sadly even make you give up on you newly found headphone hobby.
I admit sometimes a headphone or brand is so bad that everyone in a group agrees you should stay away from it. You just need to be careful to know if it’s not a biased opinion. So you should search review sites, online shops reviews and get your hand on everything related to what you want to buy, this includes measurements made by reputable sources and fans alike.
You should always try to hear a headphone before buying it, specially if it’s your first foray in to the hobby! This rule is THE rule!
Your first serious headphone is the base for everything else you’ll buy later, and believe me this hobby can be dangerously addictive if you go in to the rabbit hole. Your first headphone is also very important because it gives a reference point to experienced users who want to help you. There are people out there who dedicate a lot of listening time to this hobby and their opinion should be respected specially if they take time from it to help you find a great pair of cans.
If someone really wants to help you, he or she will say if they intimately know the product, whats their favorite headphones or sound signature and their favorite music genres.
One thing is someone who heard the product, the other completely different is someone who gives an opinion based on specs, frequency response and opinions from their favorite reviewers who might have a different taste in the sound signature of a headphone and might also be in to different music genres.
People who only listen to bass heavy music are not the best ones to give you advice about good cans for the classical genre. Then again some musicphiles might actually surprise you.
To end this now long opinion of mine, keep the following in mind before buying gear or requesting help from other hobbyists.
– You should always try to hear a headphone before buying it, specially if it’s your first foray in to the hobby!
– Your first headphone is very important because it gives a reference point to experienced users who truly know their gear.
– If someone really wants to help you, he or she will say if they intimately know the product, whats their favorite headphones or sound signature and their favorite music genres.
It’s up to you to decide if you should follow my advice, because after all it’s all from my perspective of things.
First of all, please have some important things in consideration:
– I only write about the earphones I have on my collection.
– All earphones are bought with my money from various online shops.
– I’m not endorsed by KZ in any way nor do I want to be.
– If you want to buy their gear, google is your friend.
– Finally don’t expect these earphones to compete with products priced above 100€, you get what you pay for. I’m not bashing the brand, I do use and collect their earphones after all.
– I’m a consumer not a reviewer, if you want “wine tasting” style reviews I’m sure you’ll find lots of great stuff online, some people can be very professional on their description and are by far better writers than me.
– I test my earphones on commutes, it’s a great way to stress the gear in real life situations.
– The test setup source is my Sony Walkman NWZ-E580 (Sound output on level 20) using lossless and lossy classical, pop and hard n’ heavy music. With my Walkman I don’t have the need to use a stand alone headphone amp with these earphones, unless I feel they actually need juice and that was never the case.
KZ IE 8
Now I’ll write a little about the company.
KZ also known as Knowledge Zenith is a Chinese company based in the city of Shenzhen and established in 2013. As for it’s size, they claim to have from 11 to 50 employees on their official site. That’s about all that is officially known about KZ. Some sites claim that one of the founders worked for Audio Technica, but I don’t have solid evidence about that.
Besides that I can tell you that they made the IE8, a model cloned very inspired on the IE80 from Sennheiser.
I now present to you dear reader with the Journeyman’s fast guide to KZ earphones in all it’s boring glory!
To be sincere all the models below do sound great, that’s why I bought them after all.
The earphones are “reviewed” in order of purchase, the bottom of the list has my newest acquisition.
ED2 Special Edition
– Decent balanced sound.
– I found them easy to insert in my ears, mileage might vary.
– Made of metal but the back mesh might fall because the glue sucks, it’s a closed back design so no worries.
– Cables are not detachable.
– So cheap you can actually give them to coworkers and kids.
ATE S – The sport version of the ATE, not sure if they sound the same because I don’t have the ATE model.
– A really good detailed sound for the price, specially if you buy them on sale.
– Decent fitting on my ears.
– Basic plastic construction but solid, they are a sport version after all.
– Cables are not detachable.
ATR
– Some say this model has more bass than the ATE, it’s up to you to decide if that’s an upgrade or not.
– In a very subjective way I find the sound more polished than the ATE S.
– Similar construction to the ATE S.
KZ ZST
ZST Pro
– If your version doesn’t come with dead balanced armatures drivers and you enjoy the
presence of high frequencies on your songs this model is great, but the bass feels a bit flat and might need EQ to boost it. It’s one of my favorite models from KZ but it’s an acquired taste and can cause fatigue on long listening sessions. Some people really hate it because it’s not a flat sounding earphone, but I find it fun for my style of music.
– The fitting is ok but beware if you don’t get a good seal.
– Decent plastics for the price, my wife loved the pretty pretty colors. Jokes aside they are really nice to look at if you like the colors.
– Detachable cables and yes the “silver” upgrade might be a good idea if you want to tame that wire above your ears, plus from user measurements the cable does have a slighter lower impedance.
– Due to the fact they have balanced armatures inside they are a little more fragile than most KZ earphones, so keep that in mind.
ED12 – ZST without the balanced armature, these sound more balanced than the ZST Pro but they are more veiled and sometimes very plain sounding. Note that they are not bad sounding but are not fun for my style of music.
– Similar in construction to the ZST Pro but in a more discrete color theme.
KZ ZS3
ZS3
– I find these earphones veiled, then again I might have defective units. I’m serious, something is off with the sound of these earphones. I just can’t like them compared with other KZ models.
– Best fitting of all models I tried from KZ, massive sound isolation.
– Construction is decent but I don’t like the way those plastic tubes look inside my units.
– Detachable cable but not compatible with the ED12 or ZST models, yep you’ll have to buy another silver upgrade for this one.
IE8 (IE80 Clones)
– I can’t compare them with the original IE80 but some frequency response graphs claim a very similar sound signature.
– Sound wise these are the second best KZ earphones I own. Clear highs and mids with an adjustable bass response. These are not for bass lovers, but they are pretty amazing with hard n’ heavy , pop and classical music. I never felt fatigue in long listening sessions with this model.
– The fitting on my ears feels great but I changed the tips for soft foam ones. Please note that these earphones don’t provide much noise isolation, keep that in mind if you want to use them in your commutes.
– The IE8 plastics feel sturdy, the side housing plates have the KZ logo engraved, something I found pretty nice for such cheap earphones. – Detachable plain black cable. I don’t like the quality of the cable but it’s possible to change it if needed.
KZ ZS5
ZS5
– Currently the best KZ IEMs I own. Sure there is some hype on the community about these, because after all we are talking about a 2 dynamic driver + 2 balanced armature IEM for less than 30€.
– Their sound has all the good vibes of the KZ IE8, plus one amazing bass that doesn’t overtake the music even if you are hearing metal. They are detailed and very fun to hear but they can cause some fatigue in the long run with some types of music.
– Noise isolation is decent but the fitting inside the ear is not for everyone, some adjustments need to be made for a comfortable fit and even so they can hurt a little in long listening sessions. In terms of comfort these IEMs are not for people with small ears.
– The shells are mode of plastic, they are sturdy enough but not amazing.
– Detachable stock cable is ok but I prefer the silver cable for some comfort around the ears.
The “silver” cable upgrade.
The original cable is a bit hard if you want to keep it around the ears, but the silver one has a metal wire near the 2 pin connectors that can be shaped to the contour of the ear. The upgrade feels lighter but it also looks a bit more fragile. technically it does measure less impedance. As for the silver, it does look silver but I’m sure there’s none of that metal inside the cable.
Getting a good seal. All KZ earphones bring silicone and or soft foam tips depending on the models.
You’ll need a correct set of tips to make a good seal, keep that in mind and search for good tips that feel comfortable to your ears. Bad sealing equals really bad bass.
The Future.
Rumors say the ZTR will be amazing, but I feel it will not be cheap compared with other earphones of the brand.
Final thoughts about KZ.
Being a low cost Chi-Fi brand KZ doesn’t really need to step up their game mostly because their earphones are already pretty amazing for their price range.
If they really want to price their earphones higher they should solve some details first:
– The balanced armature line needs to be better tuned, tame those highs and most people will love them.
– The tips that come with the earphones need to be soft foam or triple flange ones. Simple silicone tips don’t work with these kind of in-ear headphones.
– KZ needs to sell normal replacement cables, I shouldn’t need to buy a silver one if my normal cable brakes.
– The brand needs to improve their Quality Check department, I’ve seen some really bad assembled ZS3 out there, and those ZST models with dead balanced armature drivers make the brand look bad, a simple last QC makes wonders for a brand.
– The brand should find a good Chinese to English translator, some bad translations look awful on the boxes.
– Last but also very important, KZ needs a decent website to show their products, a sales site just doesn’t cut it.
Last updated on 29 June 2017 The ZS5 was added to the list. Some editing and clarification on some statements.
If you dedicate enough time to this hobby you’ll sooner or later ask for advice about a headphone you never had the chance to hear.
