Beyerdynamic XP Series XP3

Hi guys,

whoever in Audiophile section, will know that beyerdynamic has been a great headphone manufacturer for past many years. They are the inventor of first dynamic headphone DT48, and continue innovate their technology into current Tesla system.

I always wonder why they never put attention into their IEM line, do they hate IEM? Or they are not expert in IEM design.
Don’t get me wrong, they do sell earphone, model such as DTX101, DTX71iE, MMX101 iE are selling well, but not as good as their headphone series, and people usually don’t recommend them as the “value for money”, “hot and great” compare with their headphone line.

So today, they popped out a brand new series, the “XP” series, not exactly sure what’s that mean, but I’m quite surprise by their design concept.
3 models with same price and design but different sound, it looks familiar that you can see in the market such as Superlux and V-sonic GR02 which going for multiple sounds, while XP series going for bass, balance and clear design.

I picked up a XP3 from Jaben, not too much of a bass fan, so I get the clear version for my liking.

Packaging and Accessories

Packaging is pretty normal, I can conclude they are having pretty awkward design, minimum information have printed on the box which only revealed such as specification, model name. I believe they are cutting cost to get this model moves out. Outside of the box you can see the unit of XP 3 slot into pre-cut foam for product showcase.

open the box and slide out the foam, you get very limited accessories, 4 sizes of sleeves, a pair of double flange, an airplane adaptor and a pouch for earphone protection, that is quite Beyer alike such as their DT770pro, DT231pro, accessories are always not their strong advantage.

Luckily I’m not a packaging and accessories fanatic, necessity is what I looking for, excessive such as usual manual, warranty card, complicated box etc are not my cup of tea, they doesn’t make sense to me anyway.

 

Design and Fitting

It seem beyer is focusing on combine all the great features and sound in the market into one monster.
Famous feature such as flat tangle-free cable really does make the different on daily usage, it has the same concept with monster and jays design. However I did a measurement, it has slightly smaller width compare with Jays earphone, which is a big plus for people who hate big cable slapping on you.
Angle fit provides better & deeper insertion to your ears, it stays much more solid and longer when you move around.
L-Shape design 3.5mm Jack does well in earphone storage and prevents cable twisting due to connection angle.
Fitting is comfortable, the round shape of the inner housing really does help for long hour listening.
I had tried a continuous of 2 hours demo testing, everything seem fine to my ears.

Sound Impression

It is a 3 version product, hopefully my impression on XP3 won’t be a direct reflects for XP1 and 2, but I believe they are having close signature.
I did a basic 10 hours burn in session and the source will be ipod > direct out XP3, to keep everything as neutral as possible.

Beyerdynamic XP3 main sound signature :
-Great and tight bass, impactful and accurate
-Amazing detail
-Forward and fast speed
-Rich and smooth presentation
-Balance handling


Treble 4/5
Treble handle is there, but slight lack on the extension part, compare with their headphone line, it doesn’t have the sparkly and bright signature, treble reached the top just nice without extras induced. It is rich and smooth to be exact; the sonic texture in top end is well presented. However there is slight curve at the transition part from mid high to high, it has a “hiccup” which initially will makes mid high felt minor recessed.  Overall presentation in treble spectrum is fast and forward, high note provides the live synergy.

Mid 4/5
Mid has rich and thick body, well presented and smooth sounding. I tried with pure vocal and fast music vocal.
XP3 performs great in pure audiophile vocal music, you get the presence nicely done and everything sounded correct, it is sweet and musical, there is no harsh to be spotted. However when it reached on fast Pop vocal, the mid high will started to take control on certain parts, not all, but it is noticeable.

Bass 4.5/5
It is accurate, outstanding and fun “if” your music has the correct amount of bass. You technically will get shocked on how much it can produce when you tuned on the correct bassy song, it is untraditional compare with their headphone, but I will say its leans toward dt770pro on low frequency segment. Bass is strong, pretty much I’m wouldn’t expect XP3(Clear) will have this amount of bass, but frankly I’m enjoying this earphone a lot! It is tight, deep and punchy enough for everything. I wouldn’t get bassy and muddy bass when I don’t need that, I’m still able to enjoy rock to the night bass when I’m in need for that.      

Conclusion 

It is cheap to be frank, with the selling price of 60USD from Jaben.net, it is a freaking steal in any form of sense I can think of.
Comparison wise? Yes it can ranks well even in the price range of USD 100 – 150 earphone. Besides, you are ensured to find a sound that suits you so well among the 3 models.
With extra features designed into the model, it puts out a fair fight with famous model such as Klipsch s4, shure SE215, Jays A-Jay 4, Futuresonic Atrios or even more.
Bass head spotted? Get the XP1
Balance with good detail? My bet will be on XP2 or 3
Value for money? Hell yes it is best recommendation from me, get one for yourself if you don’t believe me, it doesn’t cost a lot anyway =).