Ultrasone HFI-780 S-Logic Surround Sound Professional Headphones

I really love these 'phones due to their bright sound, extended treble and punchy bass.

The frequencies range from a very deep sounding sub-bass to almost harsh highs, which to me sound very sparkling, though.

Whenever I wear these headphones I never have the feeling that the sound is altered and they feel very natural to me. With warmer sounding cans like the Beyerdynamic, I have the feeling that I cut myself from real life and I can easily tell if somebody is talking to me. With the HFI-780, outside noise could just as well be part of the record - I couldn't tell the difference with people speaking in the same room (with live recordings anyway).

I ripped my eardrum open last year, that's why I decided in favor for Ultrasone's products and their S-Logic (Plus) models that do not send the waves directly into your ear but actually onto your ear, which creates a more distanced sound. My doctor said, however, that earphones can never be as loud as to damage the eardrum so in my case, at least, S-Logic is but a sound preference.

ULE metal shielding sounds fancy and it's slightly calming to know it's there, but in the end it might be just another gimmick.

However, the S-Logic sound makes the music sound much further away. In case of the HFI-780, soundstage is great and separation of instruments pleases. S-Logic seems to be a "love it or hate it" kind of thing and in my case, as I love it, I have a very hard time to adapt to IEMs for portable use.

The sound signature is mostly recommended for electronica and other electronic genres of music. However, I'm very pleased with the sound when listening to Neo-Classical (violins especially because of the sparkly treble), Vocal (great resolution) and Rock (punchy bass is magical for kick drums). Ironically, I mostly listen to Jazz. Although soundstage and timber get the most out of great recordings, the overall sound signature could be warmer for Jazz and the bass boomier for sub-genres like Lo-Fi, Ambient, Jazz-Fusion, etc. But as soon as a high note kicks in I forget about that!

I've often heard that people think the mids are recessed and bass is too strong. I can't agree at all and also looking at the frequency graph I can't see why people think so. The DT770, for example, has way(!) more emphasis on bass than the HFI-780.

Speeking of Beyerdynamic, comfort is a field in which Ultrasone as a lot to improve in. The majority thinks that the pads are too stiff and thus the pressure is uncomfortable. I have a small head and I can't agree. However, the headband is too big for me, so that I've put a piece of cloth between the headband and my head to prevent the pads pushing my left ear down. Others say that the headband does not extend far enough. Everybody says that it's not comfortable enough.

Like I've stated before, this is a love it or hate it headphone. Personally, I've fallen in love on day one and I don't see me switching to another brand anytime soon. I'll eventually upgrade to another model because of comfort issues, but soundwise I'm fully pleased. Personally, I think this is the way music is meant to be heard. I really can't speak in favor of darker sounding headphones because the HFI-780 nailed the sound of a violin, which is my favorite Classical instrument.

Edit/Update (03/2011): I've had the HFI-780 for almost two years now. Naturally, with increased experience and testing of different models, my perception has changed or evolved.

As for what I thought was a great timbre, I still do think it's appropriate for the price level, but it's definitely not it's strong point. Once you get used to the HFI-780, instrument separation is easy and instruments sound natural, but if you switch headphones often, the timbre might be lacking a little authenticity.

Meanwhile, I am a bit bothered by the recessed and flat mids. It's not a biggie, but something that will grow apparent after some time.

As for the comfort, I have replaced the headband's pleather with an Ultrasone velours strip, which improves it a lot.

Finally, these are still a great set of cans, especially for movies and I couldn't find a better headphone for the same price.

Ultrasone headphones are getting a lot of attention all over the internet due to probably very good marketing efforts. Before buying it for some reason I thought that I will be getting one of the best headphones on the planet in the price range.

After having it for a month or so and having at least 175 hours of burn in on them I still can't decide if I like them or not. If I had to describe sound signature of this headphone I would use one word: aggressive. It seems to attack your ears with very powerful bass and extremely bright high frequencies at the same time. Some will say that its not a bad thing and generally I would agree because usually I like such sound signature. At home I have Energy C series speakers that produce similar type of very bright and accurate high frequencies. I like them and dislike them at the same time. I know from experience that the sound produced by titanium or aluminum tweeters makes me tired. I know more about speakers than about headphone drivers, so I really wonder what exactly Ultrasone is using in these. In my car I have Focal KR speakers which are also very bright but not tiring at all, because the material used in the tweeter is kevlar which is a type synthetic fiber. Coupled with powerful woofer my car system has very similar sound signature but at the same time its very different.

Back to Ultrasone sound:

BASS: the bass is very punchy, powerful, tight and well controlled. However its not soft pleasant type of bass that I like its more on the aggressive side. Some may like it, some may not.

MIDS: slightly recessed, get better with burn in. I don't think that the main problem of this headphone is the mids, I think its the sibilance of the high frequencies and too powerful presence of the bass that somehow overshadow the mids. Comparing it to Grado SR-225 my impression was that Grados have much more forward mid and much more overall balance.

HIGHS: extremely bright to the point of being fatiguing especially at higher volumes. The highs sound very metallic, its a bit hard to describe but there is a particular sound in the highs which you can hear regardless of the track. However the highs of HFI 780 don't really make Rock/Heavy Metal sound good the best as its often the case with other bright headphones. Bass guitars IMHO don't sound as realistic as they should. Having said that I really enjoyed "Wheel Of Time" by Blind Guardian (orchestral version) in these. This is a killer track on my opinion.

DETAIL: this headphone reveals incredible detail, I guess this is why it has the reputation that it has. On detail level it outperforms many headphones out there including Grado.

SOUNDSTAGE: its quite wide, which makes it a lot of fun for some records. S-Logic is something that is hard to describe it needs to experienced. I think it does more good than bad overall. Again using Grado as reference HFI 780 soundstage is wider and surround effect promised by marketing is present indeed. One of the things I didn't like about SR 225 is that its very close to my ears. So Ultrasone really made an improvement with its S-LOGIC.

MUSIC: It sounds the best for electronic music. Vocals sound great, there is plenty of detail and to me everything aside from Rock/Heavy metal sounds not bad in these. However the sound seems to be kind of synthetic at times.

COMFORT: The headband is too big, they are clamping too tight (could be corrected by stretching), but no matter what you do, you still very much feel them on your head. The only thing I can say is that Ultrasone should really learn from DENON and Beyerdynamic because they are miles away from them in terms of comfort.

Like I said I can't make up my mind on these headphones, I have mixed feelings about them. My experience is ranging from ecstasy while listening to certain tracks to fatigue and frustration listening to others. There is no question that this is unique headphone and there is no question that it is a high quality headphone but its really not universal and not for everybody.

If you want to enjoy these the key is to listen to them at low volumes. At low volumes they are quite enjoyable. At higher volumes the sibilance of highs and too powerful bass at time can get very fatiguing.

UPDATE: After 300+ hours of burn in it becomes much better headphone, much more balanced, highs calm down, midrange becomes more forward. Initially I thought 150-200 hours are enough but it wasn't even close.

After owning and using the HFI-780 for almost a year I am happy with the headphones. Sound Quality is good, bass is just ok but not powerful like some claim. Comfort is the weaker area but not that bad for me, that is compared to Senn HD-600's which are very comfy. Headphones can be worn for long periods of time but I found the top of band that rests on my head causes discomfort and I need to readjust them periodically. I found the clamping to not be an issue, It clamps nice and tight but not to tight. Construction is solid they will hold up with heavy use. The cord is nice and short about 3 feet and extension included, length is perfect for use with a laptop, I really hope more headphones do this.