9Beyerdynamic is a name you should know if you are in any way connected to pro-audio. The DT Series is no secret tip anymore. Beyerdynamic rules the market for pro users with their incredible line of linear studio headphones. Especially regarding the price point. To get anything even closely comparable to the DT series you normally have to pay easily 500 Bucks. So we have a special company here. They are well known among professionals worldwide and you will find their products in almost any semi-professional to professional music or media studio.

Exploring new realms

This time though Beyerdynamic9 aims for the casual user. The custom street is a small foldable headphone that reminds me a lot of the HD 25 by Sennheiser. They have a closed architecture, which will cancel noises around you or enable you to DJ with the headphones. They aim for a rather linear frequency response and they do not emphasize the lows as much as you would think. On the bottom of the headphones, you can find a little mechanical slider that functions as a controller for the bass output of the headphones. Surprisingly I liked them the most “fully open”.

Classical Beyerdynamic Sound in super small package

The weird thing is, their biggest strength is as well their biggest weakness. They totally aim for the classical linear sound of bigger Beyerdynamic models while having a vastly more compact form factor. While being always accurate I sometimes wished for a more enjoyable listening experience and a slightly bigger soundstage. I know it is possible to achieve that. Just take a look at Sennheiser`s PX100II, which sadly is discontinued by the company(why they did that is an absolute phenomenon to me).

Biggest issue: comfiness

unfortunately, the streets aren’t comfy. Actually, the opposite is the case. When I used them for an extended video game session my head started to hurt pretty bad after about 2 hours. I am a tall guy, so maybe my head is pretty Big. Anyway, I could not imagine one carrying those headphones all day long,

How is the Value?

At the moment, it is amazing. Normally they were sold for 149€ but currently, you can get the black model for around 40€ on Amazon. And in this case, it`s a steal. You get some quality Headphones, with a  hard-shell carrying case for only 40 bucks. The original price point was too high but this is not only reasonable, it`s a great buy.

The Verdict

I am happy that Beyerdynamic tried something new here. They aimed to bring the classic Beyerdynamic sound to not only a more portable format, they also tried to introduce themselves to a new crowd. While this is a great piece of hardware I hope that they continue digging into the consumer market more. I really love the concept of bringing reliable sound for on the go. The exchangeable plates are a neat feature, that gives you the possibility to adjust the look of the HPs. This is rather gimmicky but since it`s optional that’s fine with me.

Two alternatives: The Custom One Pro or the DT series

Originally the streets have been intended to be sold for 150 euros. In my opinion, this is heavily overpriced. I guess the folks from Beyerdynamic aimed to be a competition for the famous HD 25s from Sennheiser, but being the new kid on the block, they didn`t really have a chance.

August EP 650

DT 880 Pro ( I personally use this Headphone in my studio)

Beyerdynamic Custom One