T5P (mk2)
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Published: Jul-16-2017
NO SMOOTHING is applied to the shown plots. Most measurement sites have some smoothing applied which ‘irons flat’ sharp peaks and ‘wiggles’. I do not use smoothing because some info about sound quality is lost when plots are smoothed.
Aside from a small correction of the microphone itself also some correction in the lowest frequencies is applied to the plots to compensate for the perceived loss of bass when using headphones. This is described HERE in more detail.
A ‘horizontal‘ frequency response curve on the shown frequency response plots on this website thus indicates a perceived ‘flat’ tonal signature.
ALL measurements are made with a good SEAL on a flatbed measurement rig.
The shape of your head, bone structure, pad size, pad ‘softness, (compliance), hair or no hair and or wearing glasses may (drastically) change the frequency response of some headphones, so… your personal experience may differ substantially from these plots.
Frequency response (tonal balance) is the most sound-determining aspect of headphones. A horizontal line shows audible neutral response in the plots on this website. Deviations in different severities at different frequency bands have an effect on the sound character.
The bigger the deviation the stronger the effect.
Below an aid to help determining the sound character of headphones with relation to the frequency response.
Beyerdynamic T5P (mk2)
The Beyerdynamic T5P (2nd generation) is a closed over-ear (circumaural) headphone with a Tesla-driver.
This headphone is intended for portable usage as the impedance is low (32Ω) it can be driven directly from phones/tablets and small DAP’s. It is also suited for home and studio usage.
With an MSRP of around € 1200.- it is quite expensive. It is Beyerdynamics ‘flagship’ headphone along with the T1.
As usual also this Beyerdynamic headphone is very comfortable.
specifications:
Type: Over ear, closed
Usage: Portable, home, studio
Driver type: dynamic (Tesla)
Pads: replaceable pleather (fake leather) with memory foam
Foldable: No
Headphone connector: locking 3,5mm TRS (color coded for L and R)
Cable entry: double sided
Cable: 1.4m with gold plated 3.5 mm TRS plug and 6.3 mm adapter
but also available is a 1.4mm balanced TRRS to 2x TRS cable and a 3m cable to 4-pin XLR for balanced operation.
Driver size: 45 mm
Nom. power rating: 0.3 W
Max. S.P.L. 126 dB (3.1Vrms)
Impedance: 32 Ω
Efficiency: 102 dB @ 1mW (500Hz)
Sensitivity: 117dB @ 1V
Weight: 350 g.
Clamping force: medium
Accessories: hard storage box, 6.3mm adapter
measurements:
Below the frequency response of the T5P (mk2) (Left, Right)
This T5P has quite some channel imbalance in the bass response. Maybe the left pad wasn’t mounted entirely correct. Did not check this (lack of time). The tonal balance is ‘warm-realistic’. The ‘dip’ between 1.5kHz and 3,5kHz may be less ‘deep’ in reality as the plot suggests. This is due to the angled drivers and their placement. Because of this arrangement the Concha-gain of the Pinna mostly ‘compensates’ this by boosting frequencies in that frequency band. As this testrig does not have a Pinna the dip thus measured more recessed compared to how it sounds. This is fairly ‘warm-ish-neutral’ sounding headphone with a small bass emphasis and slightly elevated treble with a small ‘edge’ to some recordings due to the (narrow) 8kHz peak.
The T5P also has a high impedance home/studio semi-open version. This one is about equally expensive as the T1 and looks like it as well. Below the T1 (mk2) compared to the T5P (mk2)
Below the tonal balance difference between the T1 and T5P (both 2nd generation)
The T5P has somewhat more bass and is less ‘warm’ in the mids. Slightly elevated bass is a good thing in portable headphones. The fact that the 150Hz portion only has a narrow boost can make the ‘accuracy’ of bass instruments sound a bit ‘off’. The treble part is less boosted. This makes the T5P slightly less ‘edgy’ and a bit more ‘subdued’ yet still detailed enough because of the boosted 9kHz band. The T1 has more pronounced treble.
Below the distortion measurements of the T5P (Left channel).
Note that this headphone was measured at 
where background noises were present in the demo room. As this is a closed headphone the distortion levels and spectrum plot performance may thus be slightly better in reality than as shown on the plots due to ambient sounds being measured along with the headphone.
The 2nd harmonic distortion level (below 1%) in the bass is very low. The distortion around 8kHz is only 0.3%. These distortion numbers are excellent.
Don’t mind the slow rise in the higher harmonics above 1kHz this is actually the rising noise floor of my cheap homemade microphone front end…
Below the distortion plot but displayed in percentages.
Below the CSD of the T5P. (Left and Right are superimposed)
The mids seem reasonably well damped for a closed headphone. At 8kHz there is some ringing visible but not very long lived.
output resistance / damping-factor
As this is a low impedance dynamic headphone the frequency response might be amplifier output resistance dependent when certain higher output resistance amplifiers are used. In the high-end desktop amp world chances are higher that you can encounter a high output resistance amplifier.
To test this the headphone is measured via a low impedance amplifier (0.2Ω) and a high impedance amplifier (120Ω). On a higher output resistance amplifier the output level will be slightly lower. To compensate for this the amplifier is cranked up a bit to the same level (at 1kHz) as the low impedance amplifier. This way the plots are overlay-ed and it is easy to see how the tonal balance changes.
There is ‘only’ a 1.5dB boost in the lows. (Right channel is measured). This is not very audible so quite safe to connect it to desktop amps as well as all portable equipment.
The CSD below shows the mids also aren’t affected much by the higher output resistance. The driver remains well behaved in the mids. From (0.2Ω) and (120Ω) amplifier.
The lower mids are slightly less well-damped.
Below the spectrum plot of the T5P which doesn’t show any alarming issues.
The spurious signals in the upper middle part of the plot are ambient sounds and not from the headphone itself. At 8kHz the peak is visible.
The step response (Right channel) below shows the bass is well extended. There is quite some overshoot and some reasonably fast damped resonances. 
Below the step response of the left channel. I suspect the Right channel is correct though.
I still show it because it shows what sub-bass roll-off looks like. Most likely a pad seal issue.
summary
The Beyerdynamic T5P (2nd generation) is the Beyerdynamic flagship for portable usage. The sound is pleasant, well extended in the bass and slightly bassy. This is a good thing for portable headphones. The mids sound quite realistic and detailed.
Some recordings may have a slight ‘edge’ to it due to the narrow 8kHz resonance.
When you are annoyed by the typical (Beyer) treble peak then this headphone will sound better to you.
Overall a very expensive but nicely made and looking closed headphone which is also quite comfortable.
DIY-Audio-Heaven 