Since the SoundMagic E10’s were released in 2011, I am yet to hear something nearly as good for a similar price, until now. There may just be a new sheriff in town, as here come the Beyerdynamic Byron in-ear headphones. Riding into town to takeover an already crowded in-ear headphone market.
The first thing I notice is how well put together the Byrons are. They’re lightweight at only 13g and this fact doesn’t detract from the build quality. A 1.2m good quality rubber cable is included, but I found it could become tangled up over time. There’s also a clothes clip and 3 sets of ear buds included in the box. Listening is really comfortable and you hardly feel you are wearing them at all.
Each ear bud has an aluminium casing that houses a 9mm neodymium speaker. Trebles are precise without being harsh and the bass is clean and tidy. Playing “Hurt” by Johnny Cash is handled well and that gravelly deep voice comes through with ease and the result is a really enjoyable listen. The midrange sounds balanced and is consistent throughout. There’s a surprising amount of bass coming though when you put something a bit heavier on. The claim of a frequency response of 0-23,000 Hz is definitely proving itself. I really don’t have any issues at all at this price.
No music genres seems to present a problem. I put on Spotify and listened to bit of old school Blink 182 to see how they handle the furious pace. An albeit bad recording of “Carousel” by Blink gets blasted through them and they seem to effortlessly take control of the upbeat tempo and harsh sounding vocals perfectly.
What Hi-Fi gave these earphones a 5* review back in January and I can definitely see why. There’s even an in-line remote included. Sadly this only works with Android devices so Apple users will have to make do. You’re also provided with a soft pouch to store the headphones in when you’re not using them. I’ll be honest the pouch would rarely be used as I’d take these everywhere with me.
It wouldn’t surprise me if these earphones took home the “product of the year” title at the end of 2017 in their category. These really are that good. If you want to see what these they sound like then pop along to your local Richer Sounds for a demonstration, we’ll be happy to help you find the right pair of headphones that match your needs.
Click to find out more about the Beyerdynamic Byron headphones.
Author: Bradley, Plymouth Store
Compared with the SoundMAGIC E10C I have to say I’m not really impressed by the Byron.
To me the sound is not very natural – quite mushy! Also the quality of cable and jack with the Byron are pretty average compared with the E10C. The SoundMAGIC is all metal components, the cable is really well made and the earphone itself is built to last (I’ve had my E10 for 3 years and still going strong). I’d recommend the E10C over the Byron.