Customizability is not something new, however, this is probably the first time I see this feature on a big manufacturer like Beyerdynamic. Moreover, we can customize both the look and sound of the headphones. Let’s take a look at the Beyerdynamic Custom Street on-ear headphones.
Unboxing Video
Design & Features
I really like the simple packaging of Beyerdynamic products as the unboxing experience is totally frustration-free and everything can be recycled. The Custom Street and accessories are put neatly inside a tough carrying case. You are provided with a 1.3m cable with built-in microphone and one-button remote, 16 design covers, and a hexagon screwdriver.
I’m quite impressed with the compact design of the Custom Street headphones. They are fairly small after being folded, you can either fold flat or fold up for easy storage in the carrying case.
What makes the headphones stand out is the versatile changeable design. You can easily change the faceplates on the outside of the earcups with any of the 16 design covers. There are some beautiful graphics there, so you will be able to find suitable covers for your headphones. Even when you don’t, you can create your own design and place on the earcups. The extra design covers are nice but I hate that they are made of plastic, only the preinstalled covers are make of aluminum, so they look a lot more durable and fit the overall design. I can already see some scratches on those plastic faceplates.
Another notable feature of the Custom Street is the sound slider. There are 2 sliders placed on the 2 earcups and they provide 3 different audio profiles. The sliders are totally different from the one on Skullcandy Crusher Headphones because they use bass reflex vents in the earcups instead of a powered amp. To change the bass level, you will need to adjust both of the sliders, this is a little inconvenient in my opinion. We will discuss more about the audio profiles in the next section.
An advantage of the headphones is that the audio cable is detachable and you can plug it into any socket on the 2 earcups. You can also share music with your friend by plugging other headphones to the remaining socket.
The Custom Street is obviously not a fashionable pair of headphones, especially in the back color. However, the build quality is still impressive, even when these are low-budget headphones and many parts are made of plastic. That’s what I love about the German brand.
The earcups and headband are very well-padded to make your ears comfortable. The headphones manage to stay tight on my head and won’t be able to drop easily. It will help block ambient noises better but also make your ears unpleasant for long listening sessions.
Audio Quality
As most of my previous Beyerdynamic headphones have the over-ear design, I was a little disappointed when testing the on-ear headphones. However, when I compare them to other on-ear headphones at the same price range, they are still an excellent choice.
As mentioned earlier, there are 3 sound profiles on the headphones, Analytical mode when the slider is fully closed, Vibrant-bass when the slider is half open and Heavy-bass when the slider is fully open. The headphones were set to Analytical mode by default but I prefer using the Vibrant-bass mode for a richer sound.
Right before testing the Custom Street, I was using the cheap Edifier M710, therefore, I can see a huge difference between the two. The Beyerdynamic delivers a much brighter and cleaner sound without ruining the fun factor. Although I didn’t increase the bass to the maximum level, it is still good enough for my taste. Notably, the bass is fairly tight and punchy. The manufacturer obviously emphasizes on lows and highs on the headphones, fortunately, the mids are just a little recessed, so they are not as muddy as V-shaped sound on many other headphones.
The sound signature reminds me of the Beyerdynamic T51i, the mids on these headphones are more present but the treble is not as bright and crisp as the Custom Street. I was a little worried that the sound could be too bright and cause treble spikes, which happen on some other Beyerdynamic headphones like T90. That’s not the case here, so you will totally have a smooth and enjoyable music experience.
Conclusion
Pros
- Compact design
- Customizable earcup covers
- Adjustable bass slider
- Rich sound
- Great isolation
Cons
- Not really comfortable
- Extra design covers are made of plastic
You can’t go wrong with the Beyerdynamic Custom Street. The headphones are customizable in both design and sound, so they will be suitable for a lot more music listeners.
Aditya says
Your review really helped me.
Can you please tell me that, is it better than Sony mdr xb650bt.
Thank you.
Cyril says
It sure is better than that Sonys out there at a marginally higher budget.
Nave says
Can you tell if this one is better in term of sound quality or 1More MK801 ?