Thinking of trying out Ultrasones... bad idea?

[luvdunhill]

but did anyone ever try to make headphone elevating blocks for burn-in?

I hear ceramic works well

[HeadphoneAddict]

I read on Head-Fi that Edition 8s sound just like Focal Grand Utopias.

Speaking of the monstrous Focal Grand Utopia - for anyone that heard them at RMAF in October, I and many others thought they sounded dark and muddy in the demo room. But they sound SO much better when properly set up in Dinan's living room rig with his MBL source and amps. The speakers are only on loan to him, but he is a very lucky guy to get to listen to them regularly.

Too bad the Edition 8 don't really sound that good, or I would have bought a pair in a heartbeat. Fortunately, an O2 on a 717 amp does get closer, except for the smaller soundstage (Dinan's stat rig, but in a different room).

[randerson3024]

I read on Head-Fi that Edition 8s sound just like Focal Grand Utopias.

I have pair of 9's, that while colored, do sound OK from time to time depending on my mood and the music. I bought some re-cabled 8's, and they sounded like absolute shit compared to the 9's, much less any good electrostat. Conventional headphones I have come to appreciate are the HD 800's. The cost is about the same, and the performance outclasses any Ultrasone I have ever heard.

[Sherwood]

If anyone made that statement about the Ed. 8s, I would have assumed it to be Dinan. His gushing over the ed. 8 was something of a disappointment to me, truth be told.

[manaox2]

If anyone made that statement about the Ed. 8s, I would have assumed it to be Dinan. His gushing over the ed. 8 was something of a disappointment to me, truth be told.

X2

[Raez]

I had a pair of Ultrasone PRO 900 for a while, and I like them very much. I ended up returning them because I decided they were far too large for portable, but I liked them still. I ended up only getting to hear them with ~100 hours of burn-in, but I thought they were by far in a way the most involving headphones I had ever had. I still want to pic up another pair, now that I don't need portable.

Edited December 12, 2009 by Raez
edited for peace :)

[pomme de terre]

I thought they were by far in a way the most involving headphones I had ever had. I still want to pic up another pair, now that I don't need portable.

And what other headphones have you had?

[jpelg]

HFI-780 - Couldn't stand them. Shouty sound on top & bottom. Very uncomfortable physically.

Proline 650 - Nice mid-level cans. A bit rolled off compared to the top models, but well-matched for properly priced components.

Proline 750 - Loved them. Miss them. May have to buy them again when I have some spare cash. Great for low-level listening. Demand good source. Bass-boosted material sometimes sounds too much so. Still don't believe the 900's are different, but I haven't heard them to confirm.

PRO2500 - Never warmed up to these nearly as much as the 750's. Technically capable, but just not as "right" for some reason.

Edition 9 - A refined version of the 750's. Smoother, but without losing detail. Better soundstage. Luxurious leather pads are particularly nice. Wish I could afford them.

Still want to hear the Edition 8's.

[randerson3024]

Definately audition the 8's first. I was really disappointed in them, even with cable improvements.

[robm321]

Ultrasones are the most overrated headphones going. I cant stand them period. Bad highs, odd mids and no sense of coherency at all. I would take a lowly SR-60 over ANY Ultrasone anytime.

Pretty much how I felt. They have a very synthetic sound with very unpleasant highs. And this is coming from a GS-1000 owner

That being said, some seemed to like them, so what do I know.

[randerson3024]

How do you like the GS 1000's? I heard the new PS 1000's in Singapore and liked them enough to order a pair recently, but they have yet to arrive. The only other Grados I had that had any real playing time on them were RS-1's, and they were just uncomfortable as hell. The PS 1000's seemed very promising and comfortable. He suggests recabling with Crystal cables.

[robm321]

I like the GS-1000s a lot. I bought them when they first came out. They have a colored, romantic sound that gives life and energy to the music.

That being said, they are very unique sounding, and I can see how some really don't like them. They can sound horrid in the wrong system or on a recording with nasty highs. With tubes and vinyl the GS-1000 is in it's prime. They fall under the "must listen to first" category without a doubt.

I look forward to your impressions of the PS-1000.

[randerson3024]

I just checked your setup link. Nice rig!

[Fitz]

They can sound horrid on a recording with any highs.

FTFY

I was very disappointed with the GS-1000 when I heard them, but it was only under meet conditions so what do I know.

[Raez]

And what other headphones have you had?

Senn HD595

Senn IE8

AT ATH-AD700

Grado GS1000

Shure E4C

And when I say most involving, I don't mean best, I mean most involving.

[robm321]

I just checked your setup link. Nice rig!

Thanks

FTFY

lol

[Azelais]

Hello

I am an owner of a few Edition 9 for one year. For my sound a few excellent earphones. They have a very special sound that they they all will not like. The serious ones are controlled well and the means are fluid; the sharp(acute) ones, probably a bit scanty. On the other hand, I do not like the sound Degree. My other earphones of reference are the K1000 and the modified D5000.

I believe that they are ear that it is necessary to try before buying.

[Currawong]

I thought that ED9s sounded like Denons, but with all the problems fixed, making them boring. Since Denons are about as popular here as suppositories, take from that what you will.

I guess some people's brains are fooled by the S-Logic, but mine weren't, so music sounded like it was playing on a stage in the middle of my head, not around my head. I reckon the only reason the ED9s were FOTM for so long was because of the fancy metals and strong, tight bass.

[mmr9]

I have a pair of pro900 which I find to be excellent for reference monitoring. I bought them to produce on the go while on tour this summer. The freq reponse is a bit bulgy on the bottom but I got used to it, and the top is bit harsh at times but still manageable. Overall I would say they exhibit remarkable clarity in all bands.

When I listen to pro900 mixes on Mackie HR824s I am often surprised by the absence of a lot of typical earphone-mix issues, especially in the low end. Imho pro900 are a better buy than equivalently priced monitors.

My previous monitoring cans where Sennheiser's HD280 64 Ohm. So a big jump in quality of course.

However from previous studio work I know Beyerdynamics DT770 and Sony 7509 and personally I prefer the Ultrasones pro900s, also because the design, albeit closed, is optimised for long hours of listening.

That being said, I have been thinking to buy my girlfriend a pair of 2500 but I keep reading terrible reviews everywhere on the net, so I presume that if you want to get the right value for money from Ultrasone perhaps you need to jump to the very expensive models.

[morphsci]

...

I guess some people's brains are fooled by the S-Logic, but mine weren't, so music sounded like it was playing on a stage in the middle of my head, not around my head. ...

This is a great point, that I will continue to annoy everyone about. Individuals vary greatly in how well their brain allows them to suspend belief and allow them to listen to the music as if it wasn't coming from earmuffs strapped to their heads.

[Voltron]

That being said, I have been thinking to buy my girlfriend a pair of 2500 but I keep reading terrible reviews everywhere on the net, so I presume that if you want to get the right value for money from Ultrasone perhaps you need to jump to the very expensive models a different brand of headphones.

Fixed.

[LogicBomb]

The Ultrasone HFI 780s are what an abortion would sound like if it were a pair of headphones. I have never gotten a migraine from a pair of cans before. The bass felt like I was being curb stomped American History X style while the noise produced by treble is how I imagine what it would sound like to have porn star style raunchy intercourse with the "Janice" character from the TV show friends. The mids are akin to Casper the friendly ghost, practically transparent and all together annoying as fuck.

Seriously.

[Hopstretch]

LogicBomb StringSimile, I presume?

[LogicBomb]

LogicBomb StringSimile, I presume?

I do not want to be a dick, and it is probably the fault of my own ignorance, but I have absolutely no idea what this sentence means.

[morphsci]

^^^ You used a lot of comparisons (similes) in your description.

I did find your description eerily similar to mine on my one and only listen to the 780. Absolutely the worst headphone I ever listened to, bar none.

Oh, welcome to Head-Case and read (with comprehension) your welcome PM.