Telefunken headphones: a first look at a new product for an old brand
My grandparents had a Telefunken radio. Huge, of expensive wood, with ivory keys, he settled with them immediately after the war, and was released at all in the late thirties. The quality of the materials and the assembly was such that he waited for me, who was born in 1977, worked perfectly all my childhood and then, when there was more interesting entertainment, I just stood silently in the corner of the room. Honestly, I don’t know where this Telefunken is now. But I am almost sure that even if he is inundated with things in a back room, it is enough to shake off the dust from the receiver, plug it into the socket, click on the keys - and he will start talking again, as if nothing had happened.
It is obvious that in the 21st century, companies that survived to the present times are very different from themselves at the beginning of the century of the past. And yet, until you stumble upon something very bad, the magic of the old brand lives and makes treat its products with respect and even trembling.
The fact that Telefunken plans to start producing headphones, I learned at the end of summer. This news was extremely excited - no joke, to the market, where the trademark plays a huge role, there is such a legend! I was the first Russian journalist to see prototype headsets alive during the IFA exhibition. At the Telefunken stand they were not shown, however, when I began to torture girls in uniform, they first took me to the middle manager, he, in turn, took me to the chief heads, and he took me to a secret room, where in small windows they were Telefunken products have not been announced anywhere else. I can explain this ... gullibility only by surprise caused by my awareness, because at that time about ten people knew about the upcoming announcement in the whole industry. In any case, they showed me everything, they were even allowed to take a picture, but they didn’t give me a listen, citing the dampness of the prototypes.
')
And only at the end of September, the secret envoy of the Telefunken brand arrived in Moscow, called me to a safe place and, laying a pile of headphones on the table, gave me an hour to listen. Today, the embargo on information has been lifted, and I can share my impressions.
Start over. In total, in early November, 7 models will be on sale. Although, to be honest, four different headphones are really different, and three more are about the same, but with a remote control and a microphone.
The younger model is called the Telefunken TH-100. There are several colors and option for apple growers called TH-100i. Inside there is a dynamic 8-millimeter driver, an impedance of 16 ohms, a sensitivity of 93 dB.
Made very soundly - metal body, the cable is flat and not prone to tangling. Includes 6 pairs of tips for different size ear canals. But in terms of sound, nothing special at all. An option for those to whom the exterior is more important than acoustic delights. The price tag, however, for such beauty is quite humane - around 1600 rubles.
Next I was advised to listen to the model of the TH-130. It does not go in order from the point of view of the digital index in the title, but, as explained by the messenger Telefunken, according to the sound characteristics, it is at the next level compared to the TH-100.
Telefunken TH-130 is very small. So much so that it seems to produce a decent sound incapable in principle. At first I took a white model in my hands and suggested that the case was made of ceramics. But no, it turned out to be metallic, just covered with white enamel. He was not upset about his mistake: to take any material for ceramics is now a common thing among the best local journalists. For those who do not believe in the metal origin of the TH-130 case, there is an unpainted version that pleasantly cools the hand. The characteristics of this model are the same as those of the TH-100, but the smaller driver is 6 mm.
So, what is the most funny, the sound of the kids is much better. Yes, there is no special bass, but you can seriously talk about the detailed transmission of mid and high frequencies and some kind of panoramic sound. I have never seen anything like this among such small models. Perhaps the matter is in a well-designed form of the corps or a special telefunken magic. That's just the cable, it seems thinish. Will it sustain user enthusiasm long enough? Given the price tag (1,800 rubles), this is important.
I'm starting to listen to the TH-120. Against the background of the previous model, they look like real giants, and in general they are far from small. Brutal metal case with notches, durable double-insulated cable, 10 mm drivers, sensitivity 102 dB ... And this model also has almost ready-made packaging.
You put them in your ears, expecting to hear something absolutely amazing, and there ... No, you cannot say that the sound is bad. He is normal. But it does not meet the expectations of such a brutal design and size of the sound chamber. Seeing my disappointment, the envoy Telefunken suggested that the whole thing was in a pre-sale sample, and in the final version everything would be hoo. Yeah, they all say that. It seems that the Germans in this case are not wise.
Taking into account the price tag (about 2600 rubles), I would advise the Telefunken TH-120 only to guys with a severe appearance, who are not so much interested in sound as the design of the accessory. Here with him everything is in perfect order. But only.
I take in the hands of Telefunken TH-140. They still have the same durable cable, and the case is made of some kind of resin of natural origin. Where the tar comes from is not spoken. And in vain. Here, in Monster Cable, they would surely invent a legend, as Noel Lee, together with Lady Gaga and Xzibit, personally climbed one of the mountains of Tibet and found several tons of life-giving Resins of Tibetan Lam, providing a warm LAMP sound. Well, the Germans, what imagination to expect from them ... The driver inside is also 10-millimeter, and the sensitivity of this model is 100 dB. I don’t mention impedance, because it is the same for all models, 16 ohms.
To be honest, this model was inserted into the ears with skepticism - what else are these tars ... But after the very first sounds of music, there was no trace of skepticism. Headphones are great! Elastic bass, excellent medium and high, accurate positioning of the instruments and the overall "sense of the scene" ... Well, the general feeling is the same, warm and lamp. It seems to me, in terms of sound, it is worth the money. But here's the design ... Personally, I (personally, I) wouldn’t decorate myself with such headphones - they are too obligatory in terms of the selection of glasses, shirts, etc. But girls will probably like it. Probably, they will get them as an expensive gift. As for the expensive, I'm not ironic - the recommended retail price is 3,000 rubles. Apparently, the resin is really not easy.
And finally, Telefunken's main hope is the TH-110T model. This is quite a rare case when you buy one pair of headphones, but in fact - three, and completely different ones. Is this achieved due to replaceable ... caps? covers? I do not know how to call them correctly. But the essence of the design is as follows. The body is made of hardened metal. The back of it is on the thread, and the set includes three variants of the plugs (so be it, ok?) - closed, half-open and open. The sound from each of them changes radically.
The closed version did not inspire at all. I know that many people love only this, but when the music sounds muffled, but there is no bass, this is not for me. When screwing in the half-open lids, the situation improved dramatically - the clarity of the sound increased, there were hints of bass and volume. And I was delighted with the open option. The sound is extremely balanced, the bass is strong and elastic, the medium work is luxurious, the high ones are just good. Perhaps the TH-110T is one of the most balanced headphone models I've heard. By the way, this is a prime example when it is not necessary to pay attention to the technical characteristics. It would seem that the 9-millimeter driver, the sensitivity of 98 dB - well, who will surprise with this? And in fact, we have an excellent balanced solution, where you can literally adjust the sound for yourself, and the exterior is suitable. At retail will sell for 3000 rubles. Given the sound quality and the original design - tolerable. I will definitely take such ones myself - and as an interesting artifact, and just for the soul.
I will not waste readers' time on the description of models with remotes and microphones - they sound the same, they just cost more. And, despite the positioning for Apple gadgets, for some reason, they work great with my Google phones (Samsung Galaxy SIII, MegaFon Mint). They only cost 200-300 rubles more expensive than analogs without a remote control.
What can be said in the end? The first pancake at Telefunken is far from lumpy. Along with the usual models, "like everyone else", they immediately have two pairs of headphones that can surprise. These are pitch TH-140 and collapsible TH-110T. It is believed that the press will be interested in them, because there is something to write about, unlike most headphones on the market. And this is quite a lot for a good start.
Sales of the entire line of Telefunken headphones should begin in November. So let's listen.
PS Messenger Telefunken asked to clarify that the photographs are preliminary samples, and the final versions of the headphones will look somewhat neater. So check it out. Also, according to secret data, closer to the end of the year should appear full-size models.
It is obvious that in the 21st century, companies that survived to the present times are very different from themselves at the beginning of the century of the past. And yet, until you stumble upon something very bad, the magic of the old brand lives and makes treat its products with respect and even trembling.
The fact that Telefunken plans to start producing headphones, I learned at the end of summer. This news was extremely excited - no joke, to the market, where the trademark plays a huge role, there is such a legend! I was the first Russian journalist to see prototype headsets alive during the IFA exhibition. At the Telefunken stand they were not shown, however, when I began to torture girls in uniform, they first took me to the middle manager, he, in turn, took me to the chief heads, and he took me to a secret room, where in small windows they were Telefunken products have not been announced anywhere else. I can explain this ... gullibility only by surprise caused by my awareness, because at that time about ten people knew about the upcoming announcement in the whole industry. In any case, they showed me everything, they were even allowed to take a picture, but they didn’t give me a listen, citing the dampness of the prototypes.
')
And only at the end of September, the secret envoy of the Telefunken brand arrived in Moscow, called me to a safe place and, laying a pile of headphones on the table, gave me an hour to listen. Today, the embargo on information has been lifted, and I can share my impressions.
Start over. In total, in early November, 7 models will be on sale. Although, to be honest, four different headphones are really different, and three more are about the same, but with a remote control and a microphone.
The younger model is called the Telefunken TH-100. There are several colors and option for apple growers called TH-100i. Inside there is a dynamic 8-millimeter driver, an impedance of 16 ohms, a sensitivity of 93 dB.
Made very soundly - metal body, the cable is flat and not prone to tangling. Includes 6 pairs of tips for different size ear canals. But in terms of sound, nothing special at all. An option for those to whom the exterior is more important than acoustic delights. The price tag, however, for such beauty is quite humane - around 1600 rubles.
Next I was advised to listen to the model of the TH-130. It does not go in order from the point of view of the digital index in the title, but, as explained by the messenger Telefunken, according to the sound characteristics, it is at the next level compared to the TH-100.
Telefunken TH-130 is very small. So much so that it seems to produce a decent sound incapable in principle. At first I took a white model in my hands and suggested that the case was made of ceramics. But no, it turned out to be metallic, just covered with white enamel. He was not upset about his mistake: to take any material for ceramics is now a common thing among the best local journalists. For those who do not believe in the metal origin of the TH-130 case, there is an unpainted version that pleasantly cools the hand. The characteristics of this model are the same as those of the TH-100, but the smaller driver is 6 mm.
So, what is the most funny, the sound of the kids is much better. Yes, there is no special bass, but you can seriously talk about the detailed transmission of mid and high frequencies and some kind of panoramic sound. I have never seen anything like this among such small models. Perhaps the matter is in a well-designed form of the corps or a special telefunken magic. That's just the cable, it seems thinish. Will it sustain user enthusiasm long enough? Given the price tag (1,800 rubles), this is important.
I'm starting to listen to the TH-120. Against the background of the previous model, they look like real giants, and in general they are far from small. Brutal metal case with notches, durable double-insulated cable, 10 mm drivers, sensitivity 102 dB ... And this model also has almost ready-made packaging.
You put them in your ears, expecting to hear something absolutely amazing, and there ... No, you cannot say that the sound is bad. He is normal. But it does not meet the expectations of such a brutal design and size of the sound chamber. Seeing my disappointment, the envoy Telefunken suggested that the whole thing was in a pre-sale sample, and in the final version everything would be hoo. Yeah, they all say that. It seems that the Germans in this case are not wise.
Taking into account the price tag (about 2600 rubles), I would advise the Telefunken TH-120 only to guys with a severe appearance, who are not so much interested in sound as the design of the accessory. Here with him everything is in perfect order. But only.
I take in the hands of Telefunken TH-140. They still have the same durable cable, and the case is made of some kind of resin of natural origin. Where the tar comes from is not spoken. And in vain. Here, in Monster Cable, they would surely invent a legend, as Noel Lee, together with Lady Gaga and Xzibit, personally climbed one of the mountains of Tibet and found several tons of life-giving Resins of Tibetan Lam, providing a warm LAMP sound. Well, the Germans, what imagination to expect from them ... The driver inside is also 10-millimeter, and the sensitivity of this model is 100 dB. I don’t mention impedance, because it is the same for all models, 16 ohms.
To be honest, this model was inserted into the ears with skepticism - what else are these tars ... But after the very first sounds of music, there was no trace of skepticism. Headphones are great! Elastic bass, excellent medium and high, accurate positioning of the instruments and the overall "sense of the scene" ... Well, the general feeling is the same, warm and lamp. It seems to me, in terms of sound, it is worth the money. But here's the design ... Personally, I (personally, I) wouldn’t decorate myself with such headphones - they are too obligatory in terms of the selection of glasses, shirts, etc. But girls will probably like it. Probably, they will get them as an expensive gift. As for the expensive, I'm not ironic - the recommended retail price is 3,000 rubles. Apparently, the resin is really not easy.
And finally, Telefunken's main hope is the TH-110T model. This is quite a rare case when you buy one pair of headphones, but in fact - three, and completely different ones. Is this achieved due to replaceable ... caps? covers? I do not know how to call them correctly. But the essence of the design is as follows. The body is made of hardened metal. The back of it is on the thread, and the set includes three variants of the plugs (so be it, ok?) - closed, half-open and open. The sound from each of them changes radically.
The closed version did not inspire at all. I know that many people love only this, but when the music sounds muffled, but there is no bass, this is not for me. When screwing in the half-open lids, the situation improved dramatically - the clarity of the sound increased, there were hints of bass and volume. And I was delighted with the open option. The sound is extremely balanced, the bass is strong and elastic, the medium work is luxurious, the high ones are just good. Perhaps the TH-110T is one of the most balanced headphone models I've heard. By the way, this is a prime example when it is not necessary to pay attention to the technical characteristics. It would seem that the 9-millimeter driver, the sensitivity of 98 dB - well, who will surprise with this? And in fact, we have an excellent balanced solution, where you can literally adjust the sound for yourself, and the exterior is suitable. At retail will sell for 3000 rubles. Given the sound quality and the original design - tolerable. I will definitely take such ones myself - and as an interesting artifact, and just for the soul.
I will not waste readers' time on the description of models with remotes and microphones - they sound the same, they just cost more. And, despite the positioning for Apple gadgets, for some reason, they work great with my Google phones (Samsung Galaxy SIII, MegaFon Mint). They only cost 200-300 rubles more expensive than analogs without a remote control.
What can be said in the end? The first pancake at Telefunken is far from lumpy. Along with the usual models, "like everyone else", they immediately have two pairs of headphones that can surprise. These are pitch TH-140 and collapsible TH-110T. It is believed that the press will be interested in them, because there is something to write about, unlike most headphones on the market. And this is quite a lot for a good start.
Sales of the entire line of Telefunken headphones should begin in November. So let's listen.
PS Messenger Telefunken asked to clarify that the photographs are preliminary samples, and the final versions of the headphones will look somewhat neater. So check it out. Also, according to secret data, closer to the end of the year should appear full-size models.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/153737/
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