Beyerdynamic’s 2014 lineup of new earphones are something to look at – especially the DX series, which they claim are premium pair of earphones. Now, this does look and a lot like the DX 120 iE, but I can assure you that this pair of earphones is something that just blew my ears apart.
Let’s quickly get on to how awesome this pair of earphones is!
Offered in a style which I would say is their signature packaging design for this year’s new lineup of earphones, the size of the box is exactly the same as its younger sibling, the DX 120 iE, but touts a hard carrying case right off the bat.
At the back there’s a spec sheet that says the DX 160 iE has a frequency range of 10-25,000Hz, a nominal impedance of 47Ω and a sensitivity of 107dB. Nothing has changed much from the DX 120 iE, but that’s for a later part of this review.
Obviously it has the “ENJOY” tab. That really got me enjoying what they are offering.
[nextpage title=”In the package”]
The DX 160 iE has a bunch of accessories included in it – a hard carrying case, many sizes and a two different types of eartips, earphones themselves, an extension cable, a Y-split cable, and a pair of Comply foam eartips for free.
The eartips offered are the same as the DX 120 iE, where you get 5 different sizes of single-flanged eartips, one double-flanged eartips and another triple-flanged eartips. Personally, I couldn’t use the double- or triple-flanged ones at all as they just hurt my ears more than anything.
The hard carrying case is small enough and it seems like the size of it is about 67mm in diameters – the same as my camera lens cap which I used to compare for the DX 120 iE’s soft carrying pouch too.
You get a small partition to put some of the sizes of eartips or foam eartips too, whichever swings your way of course.
The other accessories is the same as the DX 120 iE, with the same flaws and strengths that I have talked about. Go check out my review of the DX 120 iE right here.
[nextpage title=”Sound test”]Now onward to testing, I’ve used this pair of earphones the longest compared to the MMX 102 iE and the MXP 50 iE, because I couldn’t find the time to squeeze in a this review, and also the reason that I don’t want to return this pair of earphones at all. I’ve been enjoying it a little too much everyday, and I seriously got addicted to the sound it produces. I just want to listen to my entire library of songs again with this the DX 160 iE.
Why did I say that? Here’s my results in my list of chosen songs.
Adventure Time – Rogue (Monster 010 – Conquest) [FLAC]
- Lows : Punchy bass with no aftermath
- Mids : Each note is crisp
- Highs : Excellent and clear
Girls Just Want To Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper (Bioshock Infinite Soundtrack) [320kbps MP3]
- Lows : The bass is very clear
- Mids : Vocals sound crisp
- Highs : High pitched sound is pleasant
Orpheus Of The Underworld – Adya (Adya Classic 2) [215 kbps MP3]
- Lows : The wave of bass at the beginning is excellent
- Mids : Instruments sound fantastic
- Highs : Electric guitar is a little lower than it should
An Accent Beyond – Aperture Science Psychoacoustics Laboratory (Portal 2: Songs to Test By) [320kbps MP3]
- Lows : Bass just keeps coming nicely
- Mids : Every note struck is played nicely
- Highs : High notes are great, not muffled
Rosen aus dem Suden, op. 388 – Orchestra Of The Viennese Volksoper (Great Strauss Waltz, Polkas & Marches) [320kbps MP3]
- Lows : Drums and tuba are clear
- Mids : Brass and woodwind instruments are distinguishable
- Highs : Flutes are amazing and crisp
Salome – The Johann Strauss Orchestra & Andre Rieu (Andre Rieu In Wonderland) [320kbps MP3]
- Lows : Each struck of the drum can be heard; gong is surreal
- Mids : The harp sounds amazing
- Highs : Crisp and clear
The Entertainer – Scott Joplin (The Entertainer – The Very Best of Scott Joplin) [320kbps MP3]
- Lows : Every note from the tuba and drum is heard
- Mids : Piano is great
- Highs : Flute sounds like it’s poking the ears
Skyliner – The BBC Big Band (The Age Of Swing, Volume 1) [FLAC]
- Lows : Bass strings are audible
- Mids : Background mids are not suppressed; saxophone is outsanding
- Highs : Trumpets sound clear and crisp
The Ballad Of Mr Steak – Kishi Bashi (Lighght) [FLAC]
- Lows : Every struck of drums is a punch to the ear
- Mids : Violin’s micro-movements are heard
- Highs : Keyboard sounds great
In The Mood – The BBC Big Band (The Age Of Swing, Volume 1) [FLAC]
- Lows : Bass string plucks are heard
- Mids : Saxophone and trumpet is outstanding
- Highs : Trumpet highs are amazing
Comparing it with the MMX 102 iE (which we reviewed) that is priced RM200 lesser and has an in-line switch with a microphone, the DX 160 iE has a lot more punch to the bass, and the highs just outperforms the MMX.
With that out of the way, I have to exclaim that they’re light. Very light, to the point where it feels surreal – as if it’s not there, but you’re listening to something as if there are instruments beside you. The sound quality is just better than other earphones I’ve used so far. Think about this – in classical music, it sounds like there’s an orchestra in front of you, and you’re sitting on the front seat. Sure, it’s not particularly surround sound, but I actually did perceive the directions and the sound so clearly that I can just close my eyes and there’s the orchestra in front of me!
So the sound quality is magnificent, how about carrying it everywhere? The hard carrying case is indeed small and that’s a big hit-and-miss point for me personally. The case is just too thin to put in anything other than the earphones and the extension cable.
If you do put all the accessories together in the case, closing it is nearly impossible, and it’s highly probable to even damage the earphones while forcing to zip it shut, then putting it somewhere that will squish the entire case, for example a bag or your cargo pants pocket.
Secondly is this. You’ll really need to tie the cable nicely and then zip it close or else you’ll end up with this spaghetti monster when you unzip the case. Seriously, this needs an alternative – at least for those who doesn’t have another carrying case lying around like me.
[nextpage title=”Wrap up”]
After all that, I can only conclude with four major points. It has :
- All the flaws in terms of design from the DX 120 iE
- Big problem with the carrying case
- The best earphone sound quality I have ever used
- Very comfortable to use
So what’s the big finale for the Beyerdynamic DX 160 iE that costs RM499?
Rating : 9/10
It’s just excellent. For those who’re always buying new pairs of earphones for the fun of it, please be a little like Rosmah and save up some money to buy this. It will be the only pair of earphones you’ll ever want to use for now. The price is justified by the sound quality and build quality for sure. They even provide a hard carrying case for protection, so there are tonnes of reasons for this pair of earphones to last for years.
Sure, the DX 160 iE lacks a lot more added functionality with the in-line switch and also the microphone and costs RM200 more, but this is a pair of earphones just for music to your ears.
So, if you’re looking to buy a pair of premium earphones and you don’t really have time to research, just go get a pair of these earphones from Jaben Malaysia’s online store.
Thanks to Jaben Malaysia for letting us review the Beyerdynamic DX 160 iE!
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I save up money twice the price of this to always buy new pairs of earphones just for the fun of it.