Beyerdynamic DTX 501P Mobile Headphone White

This headphone is excellent for the relatively low price and sounds great driven directly by a digital audio player or smart phone, and still even better with a proper headphone amplifier, though that's not necessary to enjoy them and they aren't difficult to drive or inefficient.I am not the typical super picky/critical headphone aficionado, certainly not at this pricing where nothing is perfect and you can't expect the world. For that have a look at the higher-end Beyerdynamic T51p.At very real world pricing this DTX 501p is an excellent value you don't have to worry about when traveling, they are well made.Very balanced in overall sound, not bass heavy so bass addicts may want to look further, however the sound of any headphone will be different given different source players and headphone amps, so no one can tell you ahead of time exactly how it will sound tonally unless they are using the exact same source player, headphone amp, and cables as you are. Even then subjective "taste" comes into play.At this price don't lose any sleep over what one internet post or another claims is "best", just get a solid brand with a reputation and pedigree for good sound quality such as Beyerdynamic.I like the DTX 501p as much as my aging AKG K 420, which is very high praise for folding travel 'phones at a budget price point.I think the DTX 501p is a little bit better/more refined than my even older Sennheiser PX100.

This headphone is a big upgrade over my previous set of JBL J-55 headphone.Not that the JBL J55 sounds bad, it's just that this headphone sound quality is so much better. But keep in mind this headphone also cost twice as much as the JBL J-55. If your budget for buying a headphone is under $20, I do recommend the JBL J-55, but if your budget is under $40, then you won't go wrong with this DTX501P headphone.What I like about this headphones:-Compactness, really compact. The sound volume and quality this headphone provide is really disproportionate with its size. It's great for traveling use.It folds and packs well inside the sturdy traveling case that comes with the package. The airliner plug also handy if you happen to be in one of those older passenger jets and need to use it to listen to those in-flight entertainment.-The sound quality is really excellent. I am not an audiophile by any means, but I do care about what goes into my ear especially as a person with only one functional ear left to enjoy music. I use my headphone to listen to pop music, classical, movie soundtracks, and for watching Blu-rays on my laptop.The sound is crystal clear at the highs and very grand in the mids. The lows are rich and the bass is strong and solid but not overwhelming. If you want a comparison, listening to the bass on Beats Solo HD feels like having a dish of really good but extremely spicy Thai dish while the bass on the DTX 501P feels like having a big piece of rich and chewy dark chocolate cheese cake with a thick solid dark chocolate lower crust . The bass will keep you fulfilled but not covering up all other favor like spicy food does.This is the best I could describe the difference between both sets in words-Having just one cable on the left side earpiece instead of two thin cables on both sides of the ear pieces like those lower price Sony MDX headphones.Headphones with cables on both sides are really cumbersome to manage especially when you try to take them off your head. Those headphones with two cables are usually very thin and easy to break as well. The cable on this DTX501P, while not perfect, seems to be thick enough to withstand some abuse.The 90' degree angle 35mm audio plug is also a good design for use with laptops, tablets, and cellphones.-Comfort. The DTX 501P is quite light weight and comfortable to wear for a long time. I was able to easily find the perfect wearing position and adjustment to have the headphone on my head comfortably. Because of the thin and light headband, I don't feel much pressure on top of my skull at all. It clamp my ears just right with the right amount of tightness to keep it sitting stable on my head without falling off easily like some bigger headphones.-Finally, it looks good. Looks may not be as important as sound quality but we all know it is very important these days. Nobody wants to buy something he or she doesn't like the look of it. The DTX501P looks good while keeping a low profile unlike some flashier design. Quite mature looking but not old fashion. I personally like the white color but it is a matter of personal taste. It is hard to imagine any headphone manufacturers that would not provide customers with the choice on color these days.I would like to see the headband to be a little wider while keeping the same thickness but that is just a very minor cosmetic gripe.And now, for things that I would love to see them improve on this headphones.-More sturdier. As mentioned above I would love if the headband were wider. No only a wider headband will make the headphone look slightly better but it will also allow them to put thicker and stronger hinges for the earpieces.Due to the compactness of this headphone, the hinges and folding parts are really thin and seem to be easily breakable. There are already other reviews complaining hinges, folding parts, or wire connections to ear pieces being broken.I know I will have to handle this headphone with extreme care but I really wish I wouldn't have to worry about breaking it and have to look for a new set.-The cable. The comparatively thin cable on this headphone is round shaped and non-detachable. This is a rather backward design.Thin and round cable is easier to tangle up and breakable. Non-detachable design also make it non-replaceable if it breaks.This is where the JBL J-55 or most JBL headphones do better than the DTX 501P. The JBL set use a detachable flat cable that is not easy to tangle up and replaceable it broken. Flat cable would also make it easier to fold up when you need to put it away into the travel case.With only some minor design grips, having such excellent sound quality in such a compact headphone at such low price, I highly recommend anyone who is looking for a cheap headphone to seriously consider the DTX 501P.

I bought these after reading reviews. I think the opinions are just that- opinions. Each to their own, but there seems to be pro monitoring type reviews, enthusiasts, more common music listeners, more bass lovers, then there is the anti-beats badgers reviews lol! This last group some of the comments I've seen IMHO is simply feeding off from others- it's questionable if some of them have properly listened to a pair of Beats with an open mind ( & ears ).I say this because all listeners are different-they base their opinion of quality based on what they can compare that. I listen to music recreationally and so far only have a Beats HD SOLO to compare to this recently bought Beyer DTX501P.THESE ARE EXCELLENT HEADPHONES, but they are not the one-for-all portables out there. For one, out of the box-the packaging was soft cardboard box, no warranty papers, instructions or other candy wrapping, very Spartan, a little cheap. The semi hard nylon zippered box was unwrapped, the Beyer unwrapped inside it with the nice extra airline adapter there but again loose n banging around. Spartan comes to min do again. But put that aside, the case is great quality. The Beyer's very light, ear cups fold out n in with strong clicks, lightish clamp force around your head. It all sits well, looks like some thought went into its design. Pleather ear muffs great, as good as the Beats.But hey, there's no mistake, they will look abut cheap sitting on ya head. Make no mistake they feel/look like entry level headsets (why couldn't Beyer use aluminium or at least solid plastic on the back earmuffs casing? The fake metallic look plastic is verrrrry lightweight). The plastic hinge that locks so well you know will just disintegrate if sat on - so great thing the case is good. Goes without saying the Beats Solo HDs-the packaging, headset materials, cable thickness, feel, looks of course -all superior to the Beyer.The Beyer's sound won't disappoint-its clearly sounding more crisp on the pianos, vocals have more detail-the soft breaths you might catch, cymbles sparkle abit clearer, bass strong n overall sound is warm enough to enjoy, for both songs/ music and movie use which I tested. But these did crack a little on Phantom of The Operas Movie DVD most loud section with full instruments- I think they 'clipped'... just using standard TV out (as many consumers would). May be solved with an Amo but point is other reviewers mentioned these will crackle slightly running off smartphone outputs if u crank it ridiculously high.... maybe it's the sensitivity, which at 104db is very good, not great. Case in point, the Beats Solo by Dr Dre IMO performed differently but better as a movie headset- it immersed you more than the Beyer's. The Beyer's bass was good, but nx 2 the Beats, the bass impact thumps home, more representative to a cinema. Likewise, the vocals, cymbles, pianos r brighter on the Beyer but they are by no means poor on the beats-clear, details present, just different, darker, and a pronounced impactful bass which imo rocks 4 the RnB, providing immersion.So the Beyers r great but not the leaps n bounds ahead of the Beats that some reviewers hv expressed. It's worth mentioning though these R the 2nd Gen Beats Solos by Dre after the split W Monster-not original Beats Monster Solo HDs. These Beyer's r excellent, and 5 stars for the portability but I kind of expected more from them after the reviews and the price which is slighty on the higher side of this genre. Expecting a pair of Audio Technical ES-700 soon, can't wait to test how they sound compared to these.UPDATE: Completed review of the Athletic ES700. Those are superior to these in EVERY aspect of audio quality. You gotta own both to compare them to know just how far ahead they are to these-let your ears tell the story. There is a large gap between that and these two other headphones which audibly has their respective pros and cons but once you've heard the Audio Technicas you won't want listen to either the Beats nor the Beyer's- blows them away. However, comfort and portability go to the Beyer's.