go for it. if you like the sound, you get a good deal. if you dont, you can resell it and not lose a cent.
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$500 cans on, this is how you dream right - Official Headphone Thread
- Thread starter HiResDes
- Start date
go for it. if you like the sound, you get a good deal. if you dont, you can resell it and not lose a cent.
Keylime
ÏÎ¯Î»Ï á¼Î¾ÎµÏÎγλοÏÏον καί ÏεÏδολÏγον οá½Îº εἰÏÏν
My take on the Ultrasone Pro 900's:
Looks
I'm lame like that, so I have to comment on their looks. I think they're a nice blend of subtle and flashy. The cans themselves have that nice shiny logo on the outside, but people will have no idea what Ultrasone is about (hell, I wouldn't have until last week). Much less crazy than the Beats Pros I was rocking to work this past week.
Don't think they will turn that many heads...which increases the likelihood that I won't get mugged while waiting for my trains in the morning. Which is a plus.
Grade: Good
Comfort
I will easily be able to wear these for as long as my heart desires. The cups are padded with this felt-like material wrapped around foam, and the head cushion appears to use the same stuff. The headphones themselves are so much lighter than I would have expected (but coming from Beats Pros, I imagine everything will seem like a feather).
Grade: Great
Sound
Going into this section reviewing the headphones being driven by my E7 dac/amp with my Macbook Pro as the source using Apple's 256kbps .aac files.
First let me comment on the bass since that is the main reason I even buy headphones. Without any adjustment to the EQ, the bass in these headphones is well shaped. You hear all the bass the song has to offer which is great. Very clear and well formed. What isn't so great (for me) is that without any adjustment to the EQ on the amp, they don't exactly rattle your skull like I was hoping for. The great news is that by just moving the bass boost from 0 to 1 on the E7, I get exactly what I'm looking for. At higher volumes you can feel the cups shake on your ears which makes me grin. Admittedly this seems to muddy the lower frequencies a bit, but not at the cost of mids or highs from what I can tell. You trade a bit of low end clarity for the extra "oomph", which is a fair trade in my opinion.
Compared to the Beats Pros I had before these, I'd say they are actually fairly on par bass-wise to my ears. Edge to the Pro 900s in terms of bass quality, but fullness and punch factor they are a lot closer than I would have expected.
I'm not so great at describing what's going on in the upper frequencies. What I can say about the upper end of the spectrum, however, is that all the electro effects in the songs I listen to have never sounded as sharp and present as they do in these 900s. This is a dramatic difference than the Beats Pros I'm coming from. The detail and clarity around the highs on these 900s destroy the Beats Pros soundly. The effects in the songs I listen to are now equally the stars of a lot of songs where before they used to take a step back and let the bass dominate them. The result for my music is that I have a newfound appreciation for a lot of songs that previously seemed fairly mediocre to me. Listening to Incubus or The Beatles or Fun. or even M83, I can sit back and feel sucked into the music in a way that I just haven't before. Shitty explanation, I know...but I just know they're better. And a lot better than anything I've listened to in the past, from my V-Moda M-80s, Beats Solo HDs and Beats Pros.
Grade: Unamped - Good... Amped - Excellent
Overall
So I'm that guy that fell prey to the Beats hype. I've always been drawn to bass and Beats actually do a great job in that department...but at the cost of the rest of the spectrum. I'd convinced myself that if Beats are great at bass, they've probably done everything they can to get the rest of the sound to be as good as it can while still maintaining the teeth-rattling power of the low end...
...well let me tell you that I've (finally) been shown the light. I get why everyone jumps on people who buy Beats without giving the other guys a shot. Admittedly I took a shot in the dark on these 900 Pros, but based on the way everyone was talking about them on Head-Fi I was pretty confident that I was "one of them"...a basshead audiophile (or at least a wannabe of one).
I got these for $320ish off Amazon and I can say with full confidence that I'm in love with these headphones. I feel like I need to listen to every song in my library over again because I'm truly hearing them for the first time...and that's about the best thing I can say about a set of headphones.
Looks
I'm lame like that, so I have to comment on their looks. I think they're a nice blend of subtle and flashy. The cans themselves have that nice shiny logo on the outside, but people will have no idea what Ultrasone is about (hell, I wouldn't have until last week). Much less crazy than the Beats Pros I was rocking to work this past week.
Don't think they will turn that many heads...which increases the likelihood that I won't get mugged while waiting for my trains in the morning. Which is a plus.
Grade: Good
Comfort
I will easily be able to wear these for as long as my heart desires. The cups are padded with this felt-like material wrapped around foam, and the head cushion appears to use the same stuff. The headphones themselves are so much lighter than I would have expected (but coming from Beats Pros, I imagine everything will seem like a feather).
Grade: Great
Sound
Going into this section reviewing the headphones being driven by my E7 dac/amp with my Macbook Pro as the source using Apple's 256kbps .aac files.
First let me comment on the bass since that is the main reason I even buy headphones. Without any adjustment to the EQ, the bass in these headphones is well shaped. You hear all the bass the song has to offer which is great. Very clear and well formed. What isn't so great (for me) is that without any adjustment to the EQ on the amp, they don't exactly rattle your skull like I was hoping for. The great news is that by just moving the bass boost from 0 to 1 on the E7, I get exactly what I'm looking for. At higher volumes you can feel the cups shake on your ears which makes me grin. Admittedly this seems to muddy the lower frequencies a bit, but not at the cost of mids or highs from what I can tell. You trade a bit of low end clarity for the extra "oomph", which is a fair trade in my opinion.
Compared to the Beats Pros I had before these, I'd say they are actually fairly on par bass-wise to my ears. Edge to the Pro 900s in terms of bass quality, but fullness and punch factor they are a lot closer than I would have expected.
I'm not so great at describing what's going on in the upper frequencies. What I can say about the upper end of the spectrum, however, is that all the electro effects in the songs I listen to have never sounded as sharp and present as they do in these 900s. This is a dramatic difference than the Beats Pros I'm coming from. The detail and clarity around the highs on these 900s destroy the Beats Pros soundly. The effects in the songs I listen to are now equally the stars of a lot of songs where before they used to take a step back and let the bass dominate them. The result for my music is that I have a newfound appreciation for a lot of songs that previously seemed fairly mediocre to me. Listening to Incubus or The Beatles or Fun. or even M83, I can sit back and feel sucked into the music in a way that I just haven't before. Shitty explanation, I know...but I just know they're better. And a lot better than anything I've listened to in the past, from my V-Moda M-80s, Beats Solo HDs and Beats Pros.
Grade: Unamped - Good... Amped - Excellent
Overall
So I'm that guy that fell prey to the Beats hype. I've always been drawn to bass and Beats actually do a great job in that department...but at the cost of the rest of the spectrum. I'd convinced myself that if Beats are great at bass, they've probably done everything they can to get the rest of the sound to be as good as it can while still maintaining the teeth-rattling power of the low end...
...well let me tell you that I've (finally) been shown the light. I get why everyone jumps on people who buy Beats without giving the other guys a shot. Admittedly I took a shot in the dark on these 900 Pros, but based on the way everyone was talking about them on Head-Fi I was pretty confident that I was "one of them"...a basshead audiophile (or at least a wannabe of one).
I got these for $320ish off Amazon and I can say with full confidence that I'm in love with these headphones. I feel like I need to listen to every song in my library over again because I'm truly hearing them for the first time...and that's about the best thing I can say about a set of headphones.
Thanks for this. If i just want something portable, would going with just an amp instead of an amp/DAC be the route to go?
yes, for sure. depending on the types of headphones you’re using, you may want the small Fiio E6, the powerful E11 or an altoids tin JDSlabs cmoy amp (tons of power). beyond this, there gets to be some really expensive options out there but I would not recommend spending more than 60-80 bucks on a first time portable amp, to be honest.
edit: nice post, Rubxqub. good to see that you’ve found it’s possible to have fun bass without totally sacrificing the rest of the frequency range.
If it's anything like the HFI-580 the isolation would be great. Now, since it uses velour instead of pleather, I'd say the isolation may be diminished a bit in exchange for comfort.
I'm really glad these worked out for ya. I had an inkling that these would satisfy your needs.
It's a shame they sell for nearly $600 in Canada, otherwise I'd consider getting a pair.
Totally recommend you start listening to some house music with these. I never liked house music until I got my HFI-580, but daaaamn that bass is addictive.
It looks like it has some nice clamping force, I'm interested in seeing how it works in outside environments. Good review also, thanks
Keylime
ÏÎ¯Î»Ï á¼Î¾ÎµÏÎγλοÏÏον καί ÏεÏδολÏγον οá½Îº εἰÏÏν
Isolation isn't that bad. Leakage isn't that great. Definitely spills a bit more than I'd like and probably absorbs more than I'd like...but typically at the volumes I listen to music it doesn't really matter.
Whether the person sitting next to me on the train agrees tomorrow will be another story!
Probably my only concern about them, but shouldn't be a dealbreaker for me.
I've seen someone with Pro 900s out in the wild and I couldn't hear them, though I was at a bus stop.
Here's a test. Play music at the level you would listen to, and take the headphone cups and push them together. See if you can still hear it or not. With my HFI-580, I can barely hear a thing.
Here's a test. Play music at the level you would listen to, and take the headphone cups and push them together. See if you can still hear it or not. With my HFI-580, I can barely hear a thing.
Not sure how the subject is approached here but I'm a believer in burn-in, or at least adjusting to the headphones, so I'm curious how you'll enjoy the sound after a few days.
And I'm glad that they're working out for you so far; kind of worried in the back of my mind that these wouldn't have been good enough :x
And I'm glad that they're working out for you so far; kind of worried in the back of my mind that these wouldn't have been good enough :x
Keylime
ÏÎ¯Î»Ï á¼Î¾ÎµÏÎγλοÏÏον καί ÏεÏδολÏγον οá½Îº εἰÏÏν
Yeah, you can definitely hear it. I'd say it's the material they used for the padding almost certainly since it's pretty porous.
Yeah, I wasn't entirely confident that these would do the trick for me since it seems like I like my bass a bit harder than most, but luckily I've got a bit more control of that now with the E7 bass boosting. I'm still experimenting with whether I want it on 0 or 1 for the longterm. That tangible shake on my head is addicting but it doesn't come for free in terms of sound quality so I have to figure out what is more important.
It's not like the bass disappears without the boost, it's just that it takes monstrous levels of bass to get the cups rattling.
I think burn-in is more of a psychological thing than anything, but I've experienced it regardless. Bass gets tighter, things open up a bit...at least that's been my experience with the HFI-580 and AKG K702.
Yeah that's kind of what I expected. To be honest, it's totally worth the comfort though. While the pleather blocks sound quite a bit, it's just not all that comfortable in the long run. As long as you don't have to turn them up too loud on your end to drown out the outside world, it should be fine.
Yeah that's kind of what I expected. To be honest, it's totally worth the comfort though. While the pleather blocks sound quite a bit, it's just not all that comfortable in the long run. As long as you don't have to turn them up too loud on your end to drown out the outside world, it should be fine.
The Ultrasones are notorious for needing many more hours of burn-in out of any brand. Average around a hundred. Even up to 400 hours for one specific Ultrasone model. I forget which one.
We're talking weeks if one is casually listening to them everyday. In short, don't worry about it.
I also believe in burn-in but not enough to bother with pink noise, etc.
Dynamite Ringo Matsuri
Member
Nice impression RubxQub, though I honestly wouldve waited at least a week before forming any opinions, but I get that you're crazy excited over them. Welcome to the world of higher end audio friendo, now that you've had a taste, you have no choice but to become one of us... And I'd like to apologize for your wallet in advance.
Oh... And don't be surprised if you find yourself craving different parts of the sound spectrum or different kinds of presentations over bass in the long haul. Budding audio enthusiasts almost always start with wanting to experience more bass, but usually end up gravitating towards other facets of audio along the way as a result of finally hearing more of the audio spectrum (as you stated with the ubiquitous exclamation of "it's like everything sounds new again"
Oh... And don't be surprised if you find yourself craving different parts of the sound spectrum or different kinds of presentations over bass in the long haul. Budding audio enthusiasts almost always start with wanting to experience more bass, but usually end up gravitating towards other facets of audio along the way as a result of finally hearing more of the audio spectrum (as you stated with the ubiquitous exclamation of "it's like everything sounds new again"
Yeah, that's basically why I brought it up. I remember reading up on them needing more burn-in time (or just "general use" time). Just wanted to get that out there since I'm legitimately curious how he'll find the sound after a week/few weeks.
More or less this, I suppose. If I remember, I'll put some pink noise (or just forget to ever stop the music >>) through things that I leave home while I'm at work. Not necessarily bending over backwards for it but something I keep in mind before fully commenting on a set. "Give it some time, don't be rash on judging it" sort of thing for me.
Wooooowwwww...
My dad is auditioning an Invicta DAC (~$4000) for his speaker system, but it also has its own headphone section. I tried it with my HFI-580 not expecting much as these are not known to be source dependent, but holy shit. The bass definitely wasn't as loud, but it was incredibly quick and controlled. The recessed midrange was suddenly no longer recessed and pleasantly forward. I never thought these babies could sound so good.
He's sending it back tomorrow or the day after...man, I'm really tempted to pick up a pair of AKG K701/K702 again so that I can hear their full potential.
My dad is auditioning an Invicta DAC (~$4000) for his speaker system, but it also has its own headphone section. I tried it with my HFI-580 not expecting much as these are not known to be source dependent, but holy shit. The bass definitely wasn't as loud, but it was incredibly quick and controlled. The recessed midrange was suddenly no longer recessed and pleasantly forward. I never thought these babies could sound so good.
He's sending it back tomorrow or the day after...man, I'm really tempted to pick up a pair of AKG K701/K702 again so that I can hear their full potential.
Honestly, the only time I'll bring up burn-in is if they're really enjoying their phones and curious. Otherwise, I not a fan of ever bringing it up. I also don't like those who say, "Oh wait until you burn them in. You won't hate them anymore than you already do now!" Case exceptions of course.
I still can't decide whether my left channel is bust (MEE CC51P). Is there no sure way i can test them out (i'm gonna assume not)?
It seems much more prominent in certain songs..
I've noticed that i have some hearing loss on my left ear which might have started all this nuance, though i have tried switching between left channel and right channel on my right ear only and there seem to be a (slight) difference. It might be because i can't get a proper seal though.
I still haven't asked anyone to test them out yet but i will get to that. Will probably send them in anyhow just for peace of mind.
One thing's for certain though, they are extremely comfortable. The bass is much more enjoyable than my AKG K370. I'm no headphone expert but i do feel that the AKG K370 have somewhat higher treble, which i enjoy. Again, i'm no expert so i'm not sure if i'm using the correct lingo.
Have had some complaints with the mic on the CC51P as well, and i think it's because it's located somewhat far away. It might just be that my cable is somewhat twisted so the mic hole isn't directly located underneath my mouth.
Oh btw, this song make my brain melt. I can only imagine how it sounds with a proper amp and amazing headphones.
http://soundcloud.com/stranger249/bedtime-crumbs
It seems much more prominent in certain songs..
I've noticed that i have some hearing loss on my left ear which might have started all this nuance, though i have tried switching between left channel and right channel on my right ear only and there seem to be a (slight) difference. It might be because i can't get a proper seal though.
I still haven't asked anyone to test them out yet but i will get to that. Will probably send them in anyhow just for peace of mind.
One thing's for certain though, they are extremely comfortable. The bass is much more enjoyable than my AKG K370. I'm no headphone expert but i do feel that the AKG K370 have somewhat higher treble, which i enjoy. Again, i'm no expert so i'm not sure if i'm using the correct lingo.
Have had some complaints with the mic on the CC51P as well, and i think it's because it's located somewhat far away. It might just be that my cable is somewhat twisted so the mic hole isn't directly located underneath my mouth.
Oh btw, this song make my brain melt. I can only imagine how it sounds with a proper amp and amazing headphones.
http://soundcloud.com/stranger249/bedtime-crumbs
Bitmap Frogs
Mr. Community
You are just getting used to the sound signature of the headphones/loudspeakers. Measurements of frequency response don't change before or after burn in.
Applied to electronics, it just means the time it takes your brain to get over the cognitive dissonance caused by the fact your brand spanking new 5k amp isn't doing anything better than a 200 bucks yamaha.
So, what's the opinion on the LCD-2 at this point? Still the kind of headphones? Or did it end up being just a flavor of the month?
edit: meh, I should just get the LCD-2 out of my head. Too much money when I know I really enjoy the AKG K701 as is. They're a great complement to my HFI-580.
edit: meh, I should just get the LCD-2 out of my head. Too much money when I know I really enjoy the AKG K701 as is. They're a great complement to my HFI-580.
Which is why I was a little hesitant on bringing it up; burn-in always seems to be a trouble zone :/
But, as far as that last bit goes, ... hmm. Not sure if that's towards what I said but I just think there's no reason to not take some time before making a judgment, burn-in or no. Plenty of factors to muddy up first impressions and, barring some circumstances, there's no reason to not give them a few days of use before making a call.
Really wish I had the kind of money to just get a pair of these.
zephervack
Member
So sad, my Shure SE500 cords are so broken that it takes me like 5 minutes to jiggle them around so that they both produce sound, I talked to Shure and there is nothing they can do because I bought them over 3 years ago. So $500 headphones in my drawer and currently using crappy Apple earbuds... sigh
So sad, my Shure SE500 cords are so broken that it takes me like 5 minutes to jiggle them around so that they both produce sound, I talked to Shure and there is nothing they can do because I bought them over 3 years ago. So $500 headphones in my drawer and currently using crappy Apple earbuds... sigh
You could get them reshelled if you are in the US. Maybe $150 all told.
Unless they are dynamic and not BA.
I looked at the LCD-2's. I knew I couldn't afford the amp to make them worth it. I just need to find a way to make my K701's more comfortable for every day use (they've got maybe 10 hours on them total in over a year. Ten fantastic hours for sure though.)
Deadly Cyclone
Pride of Iowa State
Rubx, I'll buy your Beats Pros for $100. Final offer.
Keylime
ÏÎ¯Î»Ï á¼Î¾ÎµÏÎγλοÏÏον καί ÏεÏδολÏγον οá½Îº εἰÏÏν
Rubx, I'll buy your Beats Pros for $100. Final offer.
I'm just straight up returning them for $400 since I only got them a few days ago...so I'll have to think about it
Deadly Cyclone
Pride of Iowa State
I'm just straight up returning them for $400 since I only got them a few days ago...so I'll have to think about it
Damn, thought it would work!
I really need some earbuds. Now contemplating the ibeats or beats tour, but am wary of the beats brand name cost to actual sound quality ratio...
zephervack
Member
Keylime
ÏÎ¯Î»Ï á¼Î¾ÎµÏÎγλοÏÏον καί ÏεÏδολÏγον οá½Îº εἰÏÏν
I'll tell you this much: if you're into bass like I am, you want to avoid the Etymotics that they have at Best Buy. Very flat buds.
I actually have a pair of Beats Tour as well that I always have in my bag just in case. Usually forget I even have them!
So reading up more on headphones and decided to spend more money. Narrowed it down to Audio Technica M-50 or Sennheiser HD25-1 II. Leaning more towards the HD25 since they look to be more portable. Which would be better for just plugging straight into my laptop or iPhone? Don't want to lug around an amp.
If he's going HD25's, then I would say go TMA-1's. Same price, and I feel the sound is better on the TMA-1's and they are the same kind of headphones as far as they are both DJ focused, but that's just my opinion.
my opinion of them is not very favourable.
1) they have a real shelved treble and focus on bass. the people who like them say they sound more like speakers but that was not the impression I had at all. they seemed to lack a lot of energy up top. my speakers sparkle way more than the LCD2. they sounded shockingly dull to me.
2) they are heavy, huge and clamp super tight on the sides of the head. very uncomfortable headphone. the cable is also very stiff and can dig into your chest if you lower your head.
Id say the king (for under two thousand) is still the HD800. best soundstage, incredibly detailed, incredibly comfortable and great bass when driven with enough power. But they can sound a bit boring if you dont get massive gear to power them right. theyre not an easy choice to recommend at all.
I think if youre looking for something more laid back than the HFI-580, you might want to consider the Senn HD650 (or maybe the 600 for something less warm).
Another good option might be the Hifiman HE-500. check out this shootout of high end headphones at inner fidelity. the HE-500 (now 700 bucks) came out smelling like roses.
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/comparing-world-class-headphones
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/comparing-world-class-headphones-hifiman-he-500
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/comparing-world-class-headphones-0
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/comparing-world-class-headphones-audeze-lcd-2
Im in Canada unfortunately
Find the exact model number, then check Shure's website.
The reshell companies may allow Canadians to use their services. You'd have to ask.
http://www.inearz.com/ (Fisher Audio, Lake Mary Florida) HF thread
http://kozeesolutions.com/product/42/universal_reshell (Kozee Solutions, in Illinois I believe) HF Thread
There are other options (like 1964 EARS) but they are about double the price.
For what it's worth, I'll probably be going with Fisher.
Deadly Cyclone
Pride of Iowa State
sixteen-bit
Member
Fairly sure he was joking. Same company/brand.
Keylime
ÏÎ¯Î»Ï á¼Î¾ÎµÏÎγλοÏÏον καί ÏεÏδολÏγον οá½Îº εἰÏÏν
Actually, the Turbines have been fairly highly rated from what I've read. Like in a real way.
sixteen-bit
Member
I don't doubt that. But the joke was about the brand.
Deadly Cyclone
Pride of Iowa State
Oh I fully understand Monster makes Beats too, I just thought there may actually be a difference.
What earbuds are recommended here then?
How's the build quality for the TMA-1? The HD25 reviews indicate they're tough as nails. Want something I can throw in my bag and not worry about them breaking. Which would be easier to drive on my iPhone or laptop?
Keylime
ÏÎ¯Î»Ï á¼Î¾ÎµÏÎγλοÏÏον καί ÏεÏδολÏγον οá½Îº εἰÏÏν
The OP has a ton of options in it, but it's hard to say what type of sound signature each of them is going to give you without a bit of reading.
Might want to pop over to head-fi's in-ear section and cross reference it with the list HiRes has in the OP.
Monster Turbine, I think they were discontinued so you should be able to find them on close out for cheap, otherwise they're $50 refurb from Monster.
zephervack
Member
oh wow i had never considered remolding, thats crazy, how much is it on average?
The TMA-1 as a unit is literally an unbreakable object. Unless your express goal in grabbing them is "I'm about to fuck these up", you will never find a way to do it in day to day use.
I'd say the HD25 and them are both equal in being easily driven by any device.
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