Daydreaming: HFI-780? PRO 900? PRO 750?

[KONAKONA]

Well I'm putting together a nice list of stuff to save up for, audio wise. I'm thinking about some nice high end ultrasones for my next set of cans.

So I've read the comparisons and what not, but I'm still not sure. I'm looking into just saving up and getting the 900s, but the 750s and 780s are significantly cheaper. The 900s sound better than the 750s, but are more expensive and I've heard the 750s even run well without a amp. There wasn't much on the 780s in that post, but I really have a thing for round headphones, and the HFIs are a bit ovaly. Unfortunately I'm afraid my liking of the roundness will ward me away from the 780s no matter how good they are.

Also, all of these being better headphones, I'm afraid they are going to make a major part of my music collection unlistenable due to its quality level (96-192kbps mp3). Will it make the songs sound absolutely horrible or is there still hope for being able to listen to the song without being drawn to the defects in quality?

[Antony L]

I have the hfi780s and i love them they sound so open and spacious with amazing seperation and texture the fiio helps them as as well bringing out more detail.(i also find them less sibilant than my px100s)
I believe the pro 750s are harder to drive ,not sure about the 900s though but i must admit i find the 900s quite tempting at a shade <£300 in the uk

[lutwey]

im set on getting the several cans before any of the ultrasone. but knowing doesnt hurt. well, maybe on the wallet. im also intereted. im curios why the 2500 is not included on your list

[oqvist]

Neither the 750 or the 900 is that forgiving on poor recordings. But just gives you a reason to upgrade your bit rates doesn´t it. They are low impedance headphones so no problem running without an amp... You just won´t get nearly the max out of them but is still enjoyable in a sloppy way ...

900 is 750s warmer cousin with bass boost What really is the dealbreaker for me is the KeeS mod. You can pretty much alter just how much bass you want. Even with KeeS mod just a tad warmer/darker I would say but these are transparent headphones for sure. But well sibilance is a problem.

I haven´t heard the 780 but well if you can use them at home with a nice source/amp you will probably not get disappointed with the PRO 900 I suspect. But maybe a bit overkill for such use I would feel... Though if you are a real bass head you may like stock better

In comparison to the HD 650/DX 1000 the KeeS modded PRO 900 feels almost as bright as the K701... though it still manages to have better bass extension and impact just tighter... I think the speed of the Ultrasones is really what sets it apart. Same for K701 but it lacks bass just a bit.

[lutwey]

can you please clarify the kees mod. re they being done on the 750 or the 900?when you said that the 900s is 750s warmer cousin, are you saying that thats the only major difference? sorry for asking a couple of questionsim just really interestd

[oqvist]

Yes I think that´s the main difference. KeeS mod brings them actually a bit closer to the 750 in term of balance. Apart from that the 900 being a bit smoother and laid back with a bit wider soundstage. Otherwise they share about the same pros and cons.

PRO 900 may actually be the headphone I end up with but will see. I am never going into the 1000$ market and upwards anyway that´s for sure.

[Almoxil]

Originally Posted by KONAKONA

Well I'm putting together a nice list of stuff to save up for, audio wise. I'm thinking about some nice high end ultrasones for my next set of cans.

So I've read the comparisons and what not, but I'm still not sure. I'm looking into just saving up and getting the 900s, but the 750s and 780s are significantly cheaper. The 900s sound better than the 750s, but are more expensive and I've heard the 750s even run well without a amp. There wasn't much on the 780s in that post, but I really have a thing for round headphones, and the HFIs are a bit ovaly. Unfortunately I'm afraid my liking of the roundness will ward me away from the 780s no matter how good they are.

Also, all of these being better headphones, I'm afraid they are going to make a major part of my music collection unlistenable due to its quality level (96-192kbps mp3). Will it make the songs sound absolutely horrible or is there still hope for being able to listen to the song without being drawn to the defects in quality?

Don't let the looks shy you away from an awesome pair of headphones. If you like a fun sound with plenty of detail and a thumping and tight bass, the HFI-780s won't disappoint. Took my 780s to the job yesterday and some of my co-workers tried them with a variety of music genres (rock, metal, R&B). Everyone loved the sound and the sheer punch.

[haloxt]

I think maybe s-logic plus is a substantial improvement over s-logic regular, so I wouldn't recommend the Pro 750. Comparing HFI-2200 and Pro 900 the Pro sounds more natural in regards to sound positioning. The Pro 900 stock may be a godsend to people who need critical listening headphones (what it was made for), but the Kees mod will make it more engaging and forgiving on bad recordings, much better for normal listening.

But if you don't need the detail of the Pro 900's, I'd say go for the HFI-780, they were designed for pleasure listening.

[aamefford]

I had the Proline 750's. They were to me very accurate, with the exception of either thin in the midrange, or a bit fat top and bottom. On good recordings, base was sublimely good. On poor recordings, it was poor. Treble was a bit too shimmery sparkly for me. In the end, I sold them for 2 reasons - I couldn't get past the blue color, and I wanted a slightly smaller form factor. I bought a pair of AT ESW10's, which are tiny and perfect for my in bed cans. I traded my Senn 580's for a pair of HFI 780's, which had about 200 hours. I'm up north of 250 on them now, mostly burn in, with a bit of spot listening. Bass is tight and DEEP - chest rattling at times, out of headphones - I don't get how that works. The mids seem better, and the highs are forward, and still a bit brittle. I like them, and plan to add damping material, a recable (DIY) and a pair of Beyer pads (search, there is a thread in the ultrasone area). I got the 780's specifically to mod, sort of step by step, for fun. The 750's are a very intimate can, female vocals whispered from across the table. The 780's are more like female vocals whispered with her lips in your ears at least right now. A bit too forward for me... I believe the modding will help this, from all I've read. I know that is a bunch of random information, I hope it helps. No experience with the 900's, but my inital plan was to get those after the 750's, but I got blinded by lacquered cherry wood...

[oqvist]

hehe I know what you mean... I could hardly listening to Norah Jones on the 750s it got to real... With the PRO 900 I could keep here at safe distance lol.

[KONAKONA]

Didn't list the 2200/2500 because they are open.

If the 780s are less critical then I might end up getting them. I can work on getting better quality stuff but there are some things that I'm not sure I'll be able to get any better (Afraid that's the really low stuff as well. ><)

I am a bit worried about sibilance, my q40s have a bit of sibilance and it gets annoying sometimes, mainly on a few lower-bitrate recordings. I'll go back and listen to the same thing on my portapros and the sibilance will magically disappear, makes a little bit of me die inside. I quite enjoy bass but I don't like it when it starts covering up the mids and the highs. I recently had some problems with my E5 and Q40s doing this and ended up EQing out a good bit of the bass impact.

I will be getting a amp for whatever I get, looks like right now it might be a mini^3 or a minibox E+, something like that.

I'm open for suggestions for other high end closed cans, just seems like most of them are ultrasones, or in the 1000$ range. :\

[oqvist]

sibilance is a problem I would say. However the only headphone that I don´t have any problem at all with sibilance is the sennheiser HD 650. All my closed headphones have it to some degree. PRO 900 definiatly have quite a bit of it. I remember the 750 having it but not as much I believe. In general they don´t do good with poor recordings the HD 650 is a bliss here . It´s open and sennheiser is not really known for making good closed headphones though...

bottom line if you are looking for something forgiving look elsewhere

[haloxt]

I mentioned the HFI-2200 to compare s-logic and s-logic plus.

There's no reason to think the HFI-780 are unforgiving, KONAKONA. People are referring to the Pro headphones with titanium drivers when they say that. My advice is get the HFI-780's if you are worried about sibilance. Get the Pro 900's if you really want the superior SQ, mod it to your own preference, but keep in mind they were designed for the studio and sound sterile and boring as stock. I'm staying with stock Pro 900 for a while though it's scary how accurate and life-like I have the bass now with EQ and stuff, headphones aren't supposed to shake like this.

[lutwey]

so are you guy saying get the hfi line if it will be used for casual listening and get the pro(line) line if it s for critical listening. yeah more of this please. im kinda leaning towards hfi 780. they are cheaper and suit my needs better than the pro 750.

[Rakooon]

Originally Posted by KONAKONA

Also, all of these being better headphones, I'm afraid they are going to make a major part of my music collection unlistenable due to its quality level (96-192kbps mp3). Will it make the songs sound absolutely horrible or is there still hope for being able to listen to the song without being drawn to the defects in quality?

Honestly, im listening to my 192kbps and lower mp3s with either my PRO900 or HFI 780,and they sound great to me.Its not THAT worst with ultrasone headphones .Of course 192Kbps will sound better than 128 , 320 better then 192 and WAV. will seem out of this world , its just the differance between these quality that is even more noticable with such headphones IMO.I would'n worry to much about that.Personally , one thing a could mention about PRO900 with "lower quality" mp3 are high freq. , they tend to be strident,sharp and kinda annoying, espacially for metal/punk related music and long listening sessions.It can be fix with some parametric EQing though.(There's a great thread about that going on recently) Finally if i can give you my idea between these two headphones i'd say, if its for home/computer listening ,go PRO900, these thing sound just INCREDIBLE(need to love deep vibrant bass though).If your using alot for portable use i'd definitly go HFI780 as its forward sound will always keep you "enthusiast"(i dont know if its the right word) even if your not focusing on your music.When portable the PRO900 really miss that "in your face" feeling.Hope that will help !