Review: Beyerdynamic Amiron Home – Yum!

Sources & Amplification

Beyerdynamic says the Amiron Home is the ideal partner for a high-quality hi-fi system or headphone amplifier. However, because their 250-ohm transducers still deliver a sufficiently high output level even on a tablet, you can enjoy the high-fidelity sound anywhere around the home. I mostly used the Amiron with a dedicated (portable) amp but even straight out of the AK380 and Cayin i5, it sound remarkably good for a 250Ohm headphone.

From my favorite portable DAP, the Astell&Kern AK70, the Amiron sounds good but not best. Bass is a little bigger and not the tightest but all in all it’s an enjoyable experience. The Amiron can sound a lot better though. The Cayin i5 (one of next week’s reviews) has full bodied and good bass and mids and it makes the Amiron a little heavier in the lower regions but in a musical way. Bass isn’t the tightest and body-wise it isn’t over the top, there’s just more. What I’m missing most with the i5 are some spaciousness and treble extension.

beyerdynamic-amiron-0

Straight out of the AK380 the Amiron plays reasonably well too but you feel there’s some power missing to make the Amiron Home really shine. Bass comes in a little lighter (like everything else) but the overall sound actually is pretty enjoyable. Hook up the Bakoon International to that and you get great, powerful sound. The HPA-01M was one of our favorite amps for the T90 as well and it scores good with the Amiron Home as well. On the current output bass becomes a lot bigger and sounds more bloated, on the voltage output you get a more balanced sound with tight bass and good clarity. This amp really transforms the Amiron in opposite directions. I myself prefer the balanced sounding voltage output with tight bass, transparency, better clearness and good speed. The current output gives everything more body where especially bass rules.

On the Cypherlabs Duet (balanced from source to amp and with lowest gain), the Amiron Home sounds very spacious with excellent separation. Bass is perfectly under control (tight and fast, with gorgeous rich mids and lively yet never harsh treble. The Duet sounds a lot cleaner and clearer than the Bakoon and in the end you get a more reference sound tuning. A great combination and I for one think this combination sounded best.

With the AK70 USB out to the Mojo, the Amiron Home sounds very dynamic and more like the Duet makes it sound: clean and clear. Bass (tight and fast) and mid body is a bit lighter but music is very balanced and precise, also a great combo but I still give the edge to the Duet. With the ALO Audio CV5, the Amiron is like the Duet, but with a hint of added tube smoothness. Good layered bass that never is overly present, very rich and sweet mids and lively yet smoothed out treble. A very relaxed sound that’s easy on the ears and that’s detailed at the same time.

The Violectric V281 (with the V850) as DAC has more than enough power to drive the Amiron Home to its full potential. Unfortunately I could only try the single ended output as none of my balanced cables have a double 3.5mm termination. Sound stage width and depth are good and bass is great. There’s a very high level of detail but the warmer character of the V281 makes me miss the clarity and cleanness of the Duet. I’m pretty sure it in balanced configuration would sound even better. Don’t get me wrong, the V281 and Amiron sound really good, detailed and musical but the clarity could be a little better.

beyerdynamic-amiron-5

On Cayin’s HA-1A mkII tube amp the Amiron really shines and the big advantage here is that you can slightly influence its sound by switching to another impedance setting. The Amiron here is musical and tube smooth, yet detailed and clear at the same time. Bass is just right while the mids are very rich with good and lively tube treble. Detail, depth and layering are very good overall. Next to the portable Cypherlabs’ Duet, the desktop sized Cayin amp is my other favorite for this headphone.

Conclusion

With the Amiron Home, Beyerdynamic has launched yet another great headphone in a very short time. Beyerdynamic wanted this headphone to be easygoing, musical (open – concert) and smooth for use at home, for watching movies and for listening to music and I think the Amiron is exactly that. It’s an easy to listen to headphone and it’s quite different from the T90 which I don’t think anyone sees as a warmer smooth headphone for relaxed listening. That does make it a bit weird to see the Amiron Home as the T90 successor, so I’d rather say they’re complimentary headphones.

It’s true that the Amiron Home doesn’t need a big amplifier to sound good but with one, it logically sounds better and/or different .  The Amiron is a headphone that displays vocals in a very natural and realistic way and with the spacious sound and good sound stage it does make for a good “concert” headphone at home if you want to call it that. A while ago I said the DT1990PRO was my favorite open headphone (T90 vs DT1990PRO) and now the Amiron Home is here making that more difficult. I still like the DT1990PRO a lot but depending on my mood, location (office/home), the music I’m listening to or the movie I’m watching, I can see myself picking up the Amiron more often than the DT1990PRO. For some it might be a little soft, especially for those coming from the T90 and expecting the same sound signature, but I’m convinced the general crowd and especially the non-audiophiles will prefer the smoother Amiron Home for their use at, well, home.

 

4.1/5 - (108 votes)
Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedin

Lieven is living in Europe and he's the leader of the gang. He's running Headfonia as a side project next to his full time day job in Digital Marketing & Consultancy. He's a big fan of tube amps and custom inear monitors and has published hundreds of product reviews over the years.

47 Comments

  • Reply November 17, 2016

    John Read

    Lieven are they doing an Amiron Travel? Closed back design?

    • Reply November 17, 2016

      Lieven

      Haven’t heard anything about that…

  • Reply November 17, 2016

    ML

    Thanks for reviewing. Any idea how Amiron compares to Beyerdynamic T1.1 or T1.2?

    • Reply November 17, 2016

      Lieven

      I don’t have the T1 as I don’t like it. But I like the Amiron Home. Yes, they’re that different

      • Reply June 19, 2017

        Khloe

        If one is looking for a crisp sounding headphone that had a slightly warm sound, lush mids, detailed punchy bass should one go with these or the nighthawk carbons?

        • Reply June 20, 2017

          Lieven

          I’d go with the NightOwl then actually

  • Reply November 17, 2016

    mika

    Thanks a lot for the review.
    Do you have any thoughts on the Amiron vs HE400i comparison?

    Right now I use HE400i / HD1770PRO as open/closed combo and wonder if Amiron could make it’s way in 🙂

    • Reply December 8, 2016

      Boostergold

      Would like to see this as well, if possible.

    • Reply January 25, 2017

      tungt88

      I have a HiFiMan HE-400i, and recently bought an Amiron.

      1) Amiron really feels like there’s a speaker right next to your ear (in terms of soundscape); broad and detailed. The 400i is detailed, too, but I do get treble fatigue if I’m listening to movies/music past the 3hr mark. 400i also has a smaller and more intimate soundscape. No treble fatigue whatsoever with the Amiron. Where the Amiron pulls away from the 400i is in the mids — everything is just a full level nicer, and the mid/sub-bass is tighter and punchier. There’s just more impact on everything from treble to bass (perhaps that Tesla technology is the key?).
      I like the 400i’s sound quality a lot, but the Amiron gets the nod here.

      2) Amiron blows away the 400i in terms of comfort (I have a big head). 400i is actually pretty comfortable for me, but the Amiron is 2.5 levels above (for that matter, the Amiron is more comfortable to me than the Fostex T50RP MK3 w/Shure Alcantara mod, HiFiMan HE-400s, or even the Sony MDR-1A). It even beats out the Philips SHP9500 in this dept (while the SHP9500 is lighter, the pads on the Amiron are a lot better). Easy win for the Amiron here.

      3) Amiron has some very nice quality materials — it feels well manufactured and relatively durable (I’m really glad to see Beyerdynamic not making any compromises in the materials, as I think this is one of the big distinguishing features of a Beyer). I don’t have an issue with the materials of the HE-400i, but the Amiron beats it readily in this regard. Another win for the Amiron.

      4) The dual 2.5mm jacks are really nice to see on the Amiron (one of the reasons I shied away from getting a T90). Slightly snug fit on the Amiron; the 400i’s 2.5mm jacks were slightly easier to fit on. A tie for both headphones, as no one was a clear winner this category.

      5) The 400i has swivel cups, which is a very nice feature that I wish the Amiron had, so I guess the 400i wins in the “convenience” category.

      Overall? Ever since I bought the Amiron, it has replaced the 400i as my primary headphone of choice for all applications (movies, music, gaming). IMO, it’s a full 1.5 levels of improvement over the 400i, without being nearly as treble fatiguing (not that the 400i is as bad in that dept as other models I have tried). I’m very glad to have bought the Amiron; for me, it just pleases on every level and gets better with every listen. Bravo Beyerdynamic!

      • Reply January 25, 2017

        Lieven

        Thank you for the contribution.I liked reading it.
        The Amiron is a sweet headphone indeed, I use it a lot as my nightstand headphone

  • Reply November 17, 2016

    Kanzuk

    Good article Lieven.

    You mention that Cayin amp a lot. Any reviews coming soon?

    • Reply November 17, 2016

      Lieven

      oh yes! Soon, probably not as this is a long term amp thing

      • Reply November 17, 2016

        KANZUK

        You loved it that much then! Looking forward to it.

  • Reply November 17, 2016

    Natsukawa

    Your Review is very interesting, especially for T90 owners. On some records (especially nowadys) the T90s treble can be pretty harsh and piercing. Thats why i use an EQ (minimally) to tame the treble. Now the interesting part: Using an EQ (minimally) does not have a negative effect on the T90s soundstage. The T90 builds that rare bridge between fun-listening and analytical listening. It sounds lively, has an intimate but airy, holographic soundstage while maintaning those fantastic details.

    Can the Amiron home keep up with this fantastic, rare combination the T90 offers? Or is it a completely different headphone? I’m worried that the Amiron may have a hard time offering the same transparenct-fun-holographic soundtage the T90 has.

    • Reply November 17, 2016

      dale thorn

      I wondered that because I had the T90, but as I read this review, it looks even worse than the DT1770 Pro, which I have, and am not completely satisfied with.

      • Reply November 17, 2016

        Lieven

        It depends what you want in a headphone, to me they’re too different. neither is bad or worse

    • Reply November 17, 2016

      Lieven

      Not completely no, that’s why I concluded these are compatible headphones

  • Reply November 17, 2016

    Petros

    Well how do they compare to the HD650?

    • Reply November 18, 2016

      Lieven

      The HD650 need a good amp to sound their best while the Amiron does not. The HD650 doesn’t have the voices jump out, it’s cleaner and more precise when properly used.

  • Reply November 18, 2016

    John

    Have you tried this headphone on Theorem too? I think the larger sound stage of Theorem might make it a better amp for this headphone compared to Duet, don’t you think?

    Having read the review, I get the impression that the T90 sound stage is better than that of Amiron, is that right?

    Cheers

    • Reply November 18, 2016

      Lieven

      95% of the time everything sounds good out of the Theorem. Haven’ tried it though

  • Reply November 20, 2016

    Christoffer

    Thanks for this great and detailed review.
    Can you please tell me which combo performs better in movies, games and metal music?

    1-HE-560 + Duet
    2-HE-560 + Meridian Prime
    3-Amiron + Duet
    4-T90 + HPA-01M

    Cheers

  • Reply November 23, 2016

    BattousaiX26

    Which is smoother: the amiron or the LCD 2-F? also which has larger soundstage?

  • Reply December 1, 2016

    obsidyen

    Is Amiron good for EDM?

  • Reply December 25, 2016

    Al

    How do these compare to the Dt 880 and 990? Is the Amiron a complete step above?

    What about compared to HD 700?

    • Reply December 26, 2016

      Lieven

      I don’t like the 880 as it sounds bright and thin’ish to me. The 990 is V shaped and the amiron isn’t as it has good body in the mids. The HD700 isn’t as warm ar smooth as the amiron

  • Reply January 1, 2017

    symphonyofblase

    will this be okay if plugged in to an onkyo ht-r695 avr?

  • Reply January 1, 2017

    Lieven

    I couldn’t possibly tell without listening to it first. Sorry

  • Reply January 18, 2017

    Tibor

    I am a mid-range guy, So is it better now to buy T90? (price wise) Than Amiron Home?
    I have TH-X00, could anyone compare please?

  • Reply February 15, 2017

    Adrian

    When you say “mid-bass,” what frequency range do you mean? I tend to think of 100Hz as the beginning of the mid-range, since a peak here has the tendency to thicken and sometimes veil both male and female vocals… depending on the size of the peak. A response peak in the 60Hz range usually gives a nice punchy, rich low end without veiling vocals.

    • Reply February 16, 2017

      dale thorn

      If you listen to singers, when they sing 100 hz, it’s approx. ‘G’ below one octave below middle ‘C’. It’s definitely bass. In my purely personal view, the midrange starts somewhere around ‘A’ at 220 hz.

  • Reply February 18, 2017

    chopstix

    i think there is such a need for good sounding quality cans in the $1k range, give or take.
    headfi is going nuts price wise (hifi man’s 1000x v2 or their new 6 series, the audeze lcd4)…
    i mean i get it: you often do get what you pay for…but when prices are 2-3x the price of these new amiron cans is the SQ matching?…i might check these out to try something other than my senn 650s….but the new Sony Z1R admittedly DO look enticing, as well.
    …would love to see comparisons of this against some more $$$ cans to see how they hold up.

    • Reply February 19, 2017

      dale thorn

      You will get a different sound with planars, and the $1000 Focal Elear is also very different. I haven’t heard the new AudioQuest yet, but I thought the NightHawk offered a really different experience from the Beyers. I have the Beyer DT1770, and I can’t compare it to these other headphones, because the 1770 doesn’t have that same musical quality – it’s good technically though. Maybe the Amiron is different, but knowing Beyer, I doubt it – it’s probably still more of a technical sound.

      • Reply February 19, 2017

        Lieven

        Actually, like the COP, this one is different from the Beyer trend, yet it is still audible

  • Reply July 1, 2017

    paul

    If i power the amiron with a woo wa6 amp would things be to smooth compared to hd650?

  • Reply July 23, 2017

    AmirMS

    Hi, I recently bought a T 90 and I am wondering whether Amiron is suitable for my tastes. My favourite genres are classical, metal and progressive rock and I’m interested in cymbals, kick drums, electronic guitar solos + violin solos.

    I also have a Fiio EX1 and really like its bass (with red tips) although it can be too dark sometimes.

    I use iFi Nano iDSD as my daily driver and I am planning to buy iFi Micro iDSD BL in the future.

    You think I should consider Amiron for my next purchase?

    Thanks a lot…

    • Reply July 24, 2017

      AmirMS

      I mean is it worth buying Amiron when you already have T90? I enjoy T90 and don’t find it sibilant at all

      • Reply July 24, 2017

        Lieven

        oh yes, absolutely. They’re very different

        • Reply July 26, 2017

          AmirMS

          Thanks for the reply.

          Just another question (sorry if it’s not the place for it):
          Which one do you recommend for coupling with T90 between iFi Micro iDSD BL and Mojo? I personally find Mojo’s treble sharper and more refined than iFi (iFi’s treble sounds odd -you say, splashy, as is the case with iFi Nano iDSD) but it seems that iFi’s amp section is better than Mojo (I mean, for future-proofing). So I was considering Beyer A20 for coupling with Mojo (you know, for likes of HD 650 and HD 800s).

          So what do you suggest? iFi BL alone or Mojo+A20? Or maybe something else?
          And is A20 a good amp for other headphones other than Beyers?

  • Reply July 27, 2017

    Lieven

    I recommended the beyer A20 a lot as entry amp for the HD650, I used it for a long time in my office (now I’m running the SP1000/Hugo2/Utopia in that office)

    I’d go for the Mojo (not a big fan of the ifi sound myself) and then you can add in another amp later, like the A20. But seriously ofr T90, HD650 and HD800, why don’t you go for the Lafigaro 339 or the Bottlehead Crack together with the Mojo (or the HERUS)

    • Reply July 27, 2017

      AmirMS

      Thank you so much I’m a big fan of your website and I actually bought T90 and E10k based on your reviews.
      By the way, about your question, I live in Iran and many audiophile devices are unavailable. I don’t have many choices.

  • Reply November 7, 2017

    Dan

    The Amiron Home is the hidden gem of the hi-fi world currently. I’ve heard lots of headphones, but it just blows anything out of the water for enjoyability while remaining very detailed. There’s a reason you rarely see them for sale used (or the 1990 too), they are just that amazing. Grab one if you can and sell everything else.

  • Reply January 11, 2018

    tungt88

    Hi Dan, I absolutely agree that the Amiron Home is the hidden gem of the hi-fi/headphone world. I’ve used them for about a year now, and they are a fantastic all-around, long-listening headphone (having compared the Amiron Home to the HiFiMan HE-400i, Sennheiser HD 630VB, Sony MDR-1A, Fostex T50RP-Mk3, and Beyerdynamic Custom Studio).

    Around this time last year, I did a comparison comment (see above), and I will leave a comment here with my results comparing them to my incoming Audeze LCD-2 Classic (I’m really looking forward to the comparison!)

  • Reply April 7, 2018

    Siva

    Hello Leiven,

    Very nice review. I bought Amiron Home and it’s Awesome. I feel the cable lentgh 3m is too large. I thought of reducing the cable length by re-terminating 2.5mm balanced cable. Will it impact any sound quality if I reduce the cable length? Thanks

  • Reply September 12, 2018

    John

    Please reply. I really want this, but want to know if it will be a good choice listening to trance music with chord / poly combo. Thanks.

    • Reply September 12, 2018

      John

      I mean mojo / poly combo.

  • Reply September 19, 2019

    Oli

    Hi Lieven, thanks for the good reviews…

    I just read the ones for Amiron and DT1990PRO, because i am looking for a good headphone for my tube amp (LD MK-IV SE) which delivers ~ 500mv @ 300 Ohm, given my Focal Clear, AKG 712 PRO and Denon AH-MM400 they all have low impedance (< 64 Ohm) so i have the impression I never could get the best of my Little Dot.

    I tried once the DT1990PRO with a solid state amp and i loved it, but never on a tube amp.

    Which one of these two Beyers would match better a tube amp? (I guess the DT1990 because the Amiron it's already smoothed). Any other brand/model would you recommend?

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.