Beyerdynamic has earned a reputation for superb closed-back headphones over the years, so it’s safe to say we were looking forward to reviewing the T5 (3rd Generation) ever since we learned of their existence. Back in 2012, we called the preceding model the best closed-back headphones we’d heard at their price.
Due to those wired over-ears' more compact size, Beyerdynamic introduced them as its ‘first high-end mobile headphones’. But in a headphones market where untethered wireless connectivity, charging on the go and noise-cancelling are in vogue, size alone is no longer enough to warrant such a label.
These flagship T5 (3rd Gen) are, like their T1 (3rd Generation) open-back siblings, designed for home use. You wouldn’t want them simply connected to your mobile, at least not without a decent DAC in the middle.
Build
The T5 (3rd Gen) are serious headphones aimed at those who value serious sound quality – and their design suggests as much. While they may look relatively unassuming next to the more extroverted Focal Elegia and refined Audio-Technica ATH-AWAS Zakura, there’s no mistaking their luxurious handiwork.
Encasing their tilted Tesla drivers are brushed, lacquered aluminium housings, complemented by matching, anodised yokes, a classy strip of Alcantara on the headband, and replaceable ear pads made from protein-coated leatherette that have a multi-layer filling to, Beyerdynamic says, help fine-tune the sound.
The German manufacturer has also chosen copper conductors for the 1.4m fabric-covered, double-sided cable in a bid to ensure optimum signal transmission.
Comfort
This amounts to a pair of headphones that not only look the part but feel it too – both in the hand and on the head. The enveloping pads clasp just right, providing decent noise isolation, while the headband is cushioned to take the relatively modest burden of the headphones’ 360g weight. If you are determined to venture into the outside world with the T5, they are relatively compact as high-end over-ears go.
Those acquainted with previous versions of the T5, or indeed the T1 (3rd Gen), which are nigh-on identical save for the perforations on their open-back ear cups, won’t be surprised by the Beyerdynamics’ familiar aesthetic. Nor should they be taken aback by their sound signature.
