Astell&Kern AK T1p Balanced Semi-Open Back Stereo Headphones with Tesla Drivers by Beyerdynamic

It's difficult to quantify all the merits of a really good pair of headphones because at the end of the day, the sound they generate is subject to user preference. There are, however, expectations and baseline specs that should be met to be classified as a pair of audiophile/professional headphones even before beginning to critique the finer characteristics that make each headphone unique.Performance:Astell&Kern re-engineered Beyerdyamic's very accurate, 2nd generation T1 Tesla tranducers to perform at a lower impedance of 32ohm without losing its 5hz-50khz frequency range. The lower impedance allows the listener to drive the headphones with pretty much any portable player or amp. The sound characteristics stay consistent through different levels of amplitude and distortion is not an issue even beyond uncomfortable listening levels. Its nominal sound pressure level is 102db for anyone curious. The performance is bookended by its precice audio imaging and exact stereo separation.Construction & Materials:This set is hand-built in Germany. It features the Tesla T1 drivers which are seated at an angle inside the baffle behind a metal construction. The housing is a combination of hard plastic and metal that is capped by a delicate, woven, metallic grill with the Astell&Kern badge. The sliding arm and hangers are also made of metal that extend to the very supple, top-grain leather headband. The arm has two points of articulation that allow for pivot and swivel. High grade metal parts of the housing have a soft touch tinanium finish contrasted with a brushed titanium finish on the arm. Earpads are made of slow recovery foam covered by velour. The entire package is topped off by two professional grade, detachable audio cables; a 3-pole cable that terminates to 3.5mm connector and a balanced 4-pole cable that terminates to a 2.5mm connector.Ergonomics:The AK T1p headphone is light. Even with the large drivers and the metal construction, Beyerdynamic and Astell&Kern are able to create a portable pair of headphones for long listening sessions without neck fatigue. The earpad has been engineered to draw heat away from the listener for extended comfort. Out of the box caliper pressure is decent. It's neither too tight nor too loose. The cables are made of light materials which don't add too much to the total weight of the headphones. The distance between the listener's ear and the audio drivers is also quite nice and reduces listening fatigue.Sound Quality:This is where things start to lean towards subjectivity, but let's talk about my listening experience. The headphones provide an pretty nice sense of space and staging. The sound stage isn't so wide that it alters the intent of the recording; it feels just right. Sound imaging and location properties are quite precise and very distinguishable. It is able to render three dimensionality and clear stereo separation. The sound signature has a nice balance through its frequency range. It has great extension at the highs and provides air and sparkle at the appropriate frequencies. Unwatend sibilance is non-existent. The highs are crisp and pleasant. Mid frequencies provide some warmth, but not enough to classify these as warm sounding headphones. It's just enough to lay down a nice foundation for the high frequencies and maintain a natural sounding balance with the lower frequencies. The very controlled mids result in clarity in the vocal range and little to no bleed into the bass. Bass response is fast, controlled, and very tight. It's able to extend to sub frequencies without over emphasizing the sound. The sound signature is well balanced, but definitely not neutral. As accurate as these headphones are, they are more appropriate and made for critical music listening. I wouldn't recommend these for professsional mixing.All things considered (including the price) these headphones mark every checkbox of what an audiophile class pair headphones should deliver and have the bonus of being made with portability in mind. This is one of the best out there.

I found particular it to have more plastic parts then the Beyerdynamics headphone it is based on. I found the sound to ne warm but not very resolving and not great for the reference work we I do.

Very well made, super sound quality

Still my reference for mobile devices