Ultrasone Edition8 Palladium Special Edition Headphones (Black and Silver)

So, my Edition 8 LE headphones have had about 48 hours of burn in and here are my thoughts (i.e. mini review).

First off construction:

Absolutely stunning! These are the most beautiful closed headphones I've ever had the pleasure of owning. Everything from their outstanding leather box, to the headphones themselves. I understand why the cable is NOT more "industrial" as these are supposed to be also portable, but another foot or two in length on the main cable would have been more ideal for me.

They feel very well built (or should I say crafted) and exude luxury. They are also incredibly light to hold and even lighter on my head. Not as comfortable as the Denons...but still quite comfortable.

Noise isolation/leakage:

Previous to the Edition 8s, the best closed headphones for noise isolation where the Shure SR840s and closely followed by the DT770/600s. But neither can isolation outside noise as well as these. They are on par with my Shure IEMs in that regard. As well, they leak very little (my wife appreciates this attribute).

Unfortunately the Denon D7000s where almost like an open headphone in this regard and the only reason I ended up selling them off.

How do they sound?:

Really, really good. They are not what I would classify as balanced/neutral, but they do sound very good to my ears. I would still classify them as more balanced than the D7000s, but they are still more "fun" headphones overall.

Their bass is subwoofer like, similar to the Denon's (with the J$ pads), but with slightly more control and definition. I think the Denon's might go a bit deeper though.  If you like your bass, then you'll love these.

The mids are very liquid (listening to Patricia Barber - The Cole Porter Mix as I write this) and the vocals are front and center...more so than the Denons (mids were slightly recessed). Very nice and organic mids that sound like they should...real life. The best mids I've heard still go to the LCD-2s and T1s, but these are almost on par with the HD800s in that regard.

The treble is very extended with no roll off that I can detect. Initially cymbal smashes were just too much for me, but thankfully after 24-48 hours of burn in, they now sound as they should. Very nice.

Sound stage wise they have among the best imaging of any closed headphone I've heard. Not sure if it's the S-Logic, but it seems that the sound is all around me and as good as the D7000s and DT770/600s where (especially with the J$ pads), these are a cut above. The sound stage champs for me are still the HD800s, but that's an unfair comparison for closed headphones.

I've tried them on my Concerto and they sound really, really good. But I do find them more fluid with my MAD tube amp. Simply breath taking combination!

They are expensive and certainly not the greatest at bang for your buck at $2000 MSRP, but I was able to sell of some surplus gear that wasn't getting the attention that it deserved to take a bite out of my final bill.

Overall, they are awesome closed headphones and my new favourites (closed headphones that is ). LCD-2/T1s still hold the overall heavy weight titles.