Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro Review

[Stefano]

The Product

 

The Custom One Pros are low impedance headphones handmade in Germany by Beyerdynamic. Beyerdynamic is famous for high end headphones for both professional and home use.

 

 

 

 

The headphones have the following specs:

• Closed headphone

• Variable bass reflex system

• Versatile design with replaceable accessories

• High efficiency due to 16-Ohm drivers

• Rugged headband made of spring steel

• Single-sided, plug-in type connecting cable

• Soft, replaceable ear and headband pads

• Gold-plated mini stereo jack plug (3.5 mm) & 1/4" adapter (6.35 mm)

 

The Custom One Pros aren't called custom for nothing. The looks of the headphones are fully customizable with interchangeable face plates, which can be removed and repainted or replaced with other plates at $19 a pair. The plates themselves are held in place with four screws. Other rings are also purchased. All padding is removable and replaceable, increasing the possible lifetime of the product.

 

 

The frequency response of the headphones are also adjustable. The slide on the bottom of both headphones change the response of the bass. The further open they are, the more the drivers can vibrate. From a “Light Bass” at position 1 to “Heavy Bass” at position 4, the headphones provide a setting for everyone, ish, I’ll come back to it later.

 

 

 

The packaging of the headphones is minimal. The only thing in the box are the headphones, a cable and, a 3.5mm to 6.3mm jack adapter, of the screw on type. The headphone cable is fully removable and replaceable but uses a proprietary cable with a locking clip to prevent it from being pulled out easily. The 3.5mm to 6.3mm adapter screws on to the cable which is useful as it stops you from leaving it plugged into the hi fi system and spending ages trying to work out why the amp or speakers aren’t working. It would have been nice to see a carrying case or pouch and cleaning cloth.

The drivers (speakers) are rated at 16Ω, which is low. The advantages are numerous. The headphones can be powered by low voltage and portable battery powered amplifiers that are in laptops and mobile phones. It is commonly said that high impedance is better better quality than low impedance headphones, but for an engineering point of view, there is no advantage of having higher impedance headphone, although high impedance amplifiers tend to be better.

The headphones are really comfortable. The circumaural design puts no pressure on the ears and the ear cups are plenty big enough for the larger ears. The soft padding and large surface area distribute the weight evenly, making long music sessions comfortable. They aren’t light, at 290g, they are the heavies headphones I have ever worn, but feel better than the whole Beats by Dre range. The headphones do not fold together, making them bulky for travelling. They are also too big to be worn around the neck comfortably. This make the Custom One Pros pretty much an indoor headphone.

The closed back design of the headphones isolates the users ears from outside sound. This is great for blocking outside noise but also stopping noise getting out. You can happily turn your headphones all the way up without annoying you father who is watching the snooker.

 

The Sound

I listen to music through my phone, a HTC One and a Edirol by Boss UA-25 Audio interface connected to my PC. I listen to Rock, Metal and everything inbetween. Also the occasional Eminem song. The first thing you notice is the tight powerful but not overpowering bass. The bass drum in Shepherd of Fire by Avenged Sevenfold is clear in all positions and with the sliders all the way open, the bass can be felt. It must be said that the bass boost comes at a cost of tightness. The bass will loosen up when the sliders are open. I personally use the regular bass setting for my style of music. When listening to Slashs solo in Sweet Child o Mine by Guns n Roses sounds full and sweet.

The mids however aren’t as impressive. When listening to metal, power chords seem almost lifeless. My Marshall Major on ear headphones have the bite that Rock music needs to come alive.

These headphones are clearly designed for pop music, boosted bass and boosted highs make  Eminem songs shine. I had to manually adjust the EQ of my computer to make the headphones usable. Once the mids were boosted, the cans became a pleasure to listen to. On my phone, I just switched the “beats audio” off, which in effect reduces the bass and the treble.

Conclusion

These are comfortable, good looking, adjustable headphones. The bass is impressive but loses its tightness when turned all the way up. If you listen to pop and that stuff the headphones are perfect. The packaging is bare, which is a petty, but the included cable is high quality and shouldn’t break any time soon. They are pretty much limited to home use as they aren't comfortable to wear around the neck and don't fold together, which is a petty, as they offer decent sound isolation, low impedance and look quite good. They are very comfortable to wear for long periods of time and look quite good. All this for $229. But it all comes down to what you listen to though. If you listen to rock music, look elsewhere as the mids aren’t quite loud enough. But if you listen to pretty much everything else, these are the cans for you.

 

[Stefano]

I originally wrote this for the OC3D forum but their site is a pain, so I decided to post it here.

[Lauen]

snip

This should be posted in "Member reviews" section. mods pls Windspeed36

 

EDIT: and I couldnt agree more, OC3D forums are really a pain to post in and such.

[_ASSASSIN_]

your review is so professional compared to your profile picture

but I might get these for portable use..

[Stefano]

Should I repost it in the reviews?

[JohnnyGrey]

Did you copy and paste this? (Not claiming it's not your own) I'm wondering because half the review is using black colored text, and is impossible to read for those on the Dark Theme without highlighting the text.

[ShearMe]

Should I repost it in the reviews?

 

Some mod will likely end up moving it - post a link to the thread in the audio FAQ so it can get added to the list of audio reviews.

[Stefano]

your review is so professional compared to your profile picture

but I might get these for portable use..

 

The profile pic is epic.

 

Did you copy and paste this? (Not claiming it's not your own) I'm wondering because half the review is using black colored text, and is impossible to read for those on the Dark Theme without highlighting the text.

 

I didn't write it on the forum, I'm not a moron. I wrote it in Google docs and copied it here.

[jiaozi]

Very nice and detailed review.

My issue with these headphones is that Beyerdynamic do not sell a longer replacement headphone cable.

I wanted to give them more money for a 10+ foot cable but they just didn't have one available.

I have gone through two monoprice cables already but they keep breaking.

I suspect that the locking connector outs additional strain on my generic headphone cables.

[dragoon20005]

I'm looking to get this headphones for my daily use

 

but i heard from other headphone review sites saying that you might need to burn in the headphones in order for the drivers to really open out

[Stefano]

I'm looking to get this headphones for my daily use

 

but i heard from other headphone review sites saying that you might need to burn in the headphones in order for the drivers to really open out

 

Well, I hear the difference, whether it is a psycological effect or a change in the magnets, I can't tell. but I'm enjoying them more and more every day.

[Stefano]

Very nice and detailed review.

My issue with these headphones is that Beyerdynamic do not sell a longer replacement headphone cable.

I wanted to give them more money for a 10+ foot cable but they just didn't have one available.

I have gone through two monoprice cables already but they keep breaking.

I suspect that the locking connector outs additional strain on my generic headphone cables.

 

Ehm, I have had no problems with the cable. It is the best cable I have ever used. What you might want is a male to female extension cable of similar quality.

Don't forget that the capacitance of the cable increases as the cable gets longer, reducing the treble. But below 20 ft. you should be fine.