Introduction
This is a follow up review of the smaller sibling of the Audio Technica T series headphones. The other one reviewed was the younger brother T200 - http://www.techenclave.com/reviews-and-previews/audio-technica-ath-t200-review-195517.html
And while the T200 was a entry level budget headphone the T500 is definitely in the mid tier category along with the likes of Sennheiser HD515, JVC RX900 and Audiotechnica's own M35.
Build quality and comfort
Definitely the T500 is the most comfortable of all the Audio Technica headphones that I have heard which includes the M50, M35, M20 and T200. It may not match the A700 which is reportedly more comfortable but rest assured comfort is not a problem with these headphones.
Build quality is definitely a notch or two higher than the T200 with sturdy plastics used. The ear cups can be swiveled around but the headphones itself cant be folded like the M35 and M50 for portable storage.
The main USP is the aluminum enclosed drivers which Audio Technica claims improves the damping and the overall sound.
It comes with a standard 3.5mm jack and has a 6.5 snap in adapter.
Specs
Type: Dynamic
Driver: 53mm
Output: 106dB/mW
Frequency response: 10 - 25,000Hz
Largest input: 1800mW
Impedance: 40 ohms
Plug: 3.5mm gold-plating stereo mini-plug
Cord length: 3m
The biggest headline is the driver size - 53mm. These are among the biggest drivers in use. In comparison most headphones have only a 40mm driver.
My main worry was that the bigger driver will require more power and the headphone will not work well with portable sources. However rest assured there is hardly and difference between running the T500 from my main amplified desktop rig and from my BlackBerry mobile phone. In fact I am still 3 notches away from maximum volume on my phone and I am still feeling the sound is loud !
Sound
They were burned in for about 10 hours before reviewing and I found very little (if any) changes in the sound during that time so they do not require any significant burn-in time to sound their best.
My test setup was either my BlackBerry phone or my Music Streamer II DAC --> Audio-GD Compass Amp. To my surprise they sounded great straight out of the BlackBerry and the amp added a slight coloration to the sound with maybe a bit more detailing and bass. In a blind test I probably wouldn't be able to test which source is playing which means the source is not very important (in this case) though of course a better source will help.
These cans are priced practically the same as the M35 which is also from Audio Technica and the M35 were more or less neutral so I wondering what Audio Technica would do with the T500.
Bass - Bass has got decent punch AND extension. It doesn't hit the lowest of the lows but bass performance is definitely not a weakness of the T500. Its not the focus of the sound but I can't find too many people being disappointed with the bass. Its fast paced and linear. It doesn't have a mid bass hump which causes the boom that you hear in some coloured sounding headphones. So to summarize the bass has got good impact and speed with extension but it won't please die hard bassheads.
Mids - Mids are slightly recessed though its still more or less neutral. Vocals have good amount of detailing though a slight harshness creeps in from time to time. The T500 still manages to make the mids sound rich and detailed.
Treble - Treble is the main USP of the T500 and it doesn't disappoint here. Plenty of detail is available for treble lovers this side of Rs 5000. Detailing is the best I have heard among the 5 closed Audio Technica cans I listened to, beating even the M50. There is plenty of sparkle with little harshness and thankfully sibilance is minimum and will show itself only if sibilance is present in the recording.
Soundstage - The T200 is a closed can but manages to portray an above average soundstage with decent width, depth and height. Imaging is very good and pin point. The T500 manages to portray a rather spacious soundstage which is a good feat for a budget closed can.
The overall sound is neutral-bright but unlike bright cans like Grados, the slightly recessed mid-range makes for a less engaging performance. However the T500 mostly neutral sound makes it a good match for almost all genres. Classical music especially sounds great on the T500 as there is plenty of detailing and an expansive soundstage to boot.
Compared to M35
With a total of Rs 100 separating the T500 and the M35 I was really interested to see how both compared.
After spending a good amount of time with the T500 I was almost taken aback when I heard the M35s. The M35 sounded rather dark for my tastes. On further listening I realised that the T500 was perhaps on the brighter side of neutral while the M35 is on the darker side of neutral. The mids of the M35 are also more neutral and not slightly recessed as on the T500. The M35 sounds smooth and relaxed but while it has a nice smooth treble, detailing is definitely slightly below the level of the T500. The M35 also sounds a bit more 'closed' than the T500. The T500 sounds more spacious and expansive with a more enveloping soundstage. Bass performance is about the same for both though I swear the T500 sounds like it has a 'bit' more sub bass while the M35 has a 'bit' more mid bass.
So which one do I prefer ? Good question ! I cannot pick a winner because both sound different enough to have their own strengths. The M35 is the one I would pick for the smoother fatigue free sound. The M35 has the plus point of being more portable as it can be folded.
The T500 has a more expansive soundstage and slightly more detailed sound. The T500 also sounds great at low volumes due to its slightly bright nature.
Conclusion
A great buy IMO at the price its retailing at. Detailing is very good and the detailing is pretty close to my HD650 at 1/5th the price.
The only slight weakness it has is that there is a bit of harshness here and there that people looking for a completely fatigue free sound may not be happy with. However even with my low threshold for harshness I did not find them offensive enough to cause any problems and I had no problems listening to the T500 for hours at a stretch. However I did run into some problems with my low bitrate music as they started to pick the flaws in the recording. I did a slight EQ to the 7hz and 10hz band to practically eliminate whatever little harshness I heard for the low bitrate stuff.
Bass and mids are good and the treble and soundstage are excellent. At just 3500 its a great VFM headphone and I am sure it will give its higher priced closed can rivals a run for their money.
FOR : People looking for a can with good soundstage, bass and treble. For those that like slower paced music.
NOT FOR : Bass heads, those looking for lush vocals. Those who have lots of low bitrate music.
