Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphones (full-size) › There's Something About Ultrasone…
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

There's Something About Ultrasone… - Page 242

post #3616 of 5935
6/7/07 at 5:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by digitalmind View Post
Indra, very nice pictures. Though, don't you have them on the wrong way around in the first picture?
You, my friend, have a very sharp eye!
I was expecting people to notice that a little earlier! As a matter of fact it has been the wrong way around in all the pics
I had to write the text at one side since otherwise the shade would have disturbed the text. Only the cable would have hung in its way so I decided to turn the hp around and the cable would be out of the way!

Very good!
Reply

Head-Fi's Best Sellers

post #3617 of 5935
6/7/07 at 5:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by digitalmind View Post
Indra, very nice pictures. Though, don't you have them on the wrong way around in the first picture?
You, my friend, have a very sharp eye!
I was expecting people to notice that a little earlier! As a matter of fact it has been the wrong way around in all the pics
I had to write the text at one side since otherwise the shade would have disturbed the text. Only the cable would have hung in its way so I decided to turn the hp around and the cable would be out of the way!

Very good!
Reply
post #3618 of 5935
6/7/07 at 6:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Contrastique View Post
And while you are going through the balanced versus SE ed 9's I just keep telling myself...I love my Prolines, I really do lol
I really do though haha!
Indra please, the more pictures you post, the more pictures I see, the more attractive I found the first lady of Ultrasonia. OMG those blue eyes are killing me....OH!!! those blue eyes!!!! ....

Please post more!!!!
Reply
post #3619 of 5935
6/7/07 at 8:20pm
off topic, but I just ordered parts for a pimeta and a steps too for the m^3 I should have parts for soon too.. looking forward to some electron shoving meanwhile, tonight I'm continuing the same superposition of white and pink noise, same sine wave sweep, but playing sin signals at bout 380 and 350 hz. tomorrow I'll play 2 higher frequencies. I like to keep them close for the beats, not quiet sure I want to feed a constant sin all night.. lol.. like ppl wouldt think we're crazy anyway :P
Reply
post #3620 of 5935
6/8/07 at 1:52pm
These 750's are also the perfect medicine for a hang-over
Recipe:
Have a crazy night. Next day get up for work. Have a coffee..go walking with the hp's, buy an apple (to eat) and listen to "Too Much" from The Dave Matthews Band over and over again. I guarantee you a perfect start of the day with much adrenaline kicking in Moehaa
(Well, the adrenaline could also be due to the coffee, but anyways....I had a geat day!)

Reply
post #3621 of 5935
6/8/07 at 10:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by stevenkelby View Post


Yesterday I thought the bass was slightly muddier and boomier than when I first plugged in, on tracks like Exit music by Radiohead. Thoms voice was resonating and overpowering the music.

24 hours later the reverb is almost gone and the music sounds more as it should.

The treble was a bit harsh, almost sibilant at first (I have a high tolerance for highs and I like grados) but that has improved steadily and linearly.

I don't really want the L3000 or R10 as badly now, these will keep me occupied for a very long time. Couldn't be happier with these, thanks guys.

Well they have about 200 hours burn in time now, been quite a journey! They have improved a lot but I am sure there is a bit more to come.

Biggest differences, according to my scientifically organised notes , is that after 70 hours, (edited, quoted posted above) the treble was definitely a little sibilant and bright. Sometimes wince inducing at high levels. My notes refer to Heartstopper by Emiliana Torrini in particular, S sounds are harsh.

Now, listening to the same track at even higher levels, the S sounds are reproduced far more accurately, the sounds are believable now and no longer (very mildly!) offensive but I think there may still be a tiny bit more smoothing out to come.

I should note that I have "good" high freq. hearing, maybe thats relevant? In the test you can do on the PC I hear up to 18'000 which I don't believe but anyway, there you go. That was with the UE9 after 3 days.

I tested again with the UE9 just before and noticed no difference in freq. extension.

Also, the bass has improved control now. I can't see this getting much better but you never know! It was good to begin with but I did notice some boominess, or bloat on Radioheads Exit Music. This has completely gone now and it sounds exactly as I would expect it to. Very nice!


The number one thing I love about these is the staging and imaging, soundstage, headstage, whatever you want to call it, you know what I mean!

My home stereo is excellent in that respect, I can point to the different instruments in orchestral, for example. I never believed any headphones could have a soundstage at all, others all sounded like they were on my ears and the sounds all come from the sides or behind (to my brain anyway). With the UEP I can believe I am not wearing headphones, and for the first time with cans I can hear sounds coming from in front, among other places!

I guess it's the "s-logic" magic doing it's thing, whatever, It works for my ears!

I still haven't heard all my music through them, I have about 11'000 tracks that I like, plus about 2'000 that I just have but don't want to listen to, in another folder so that they won't get played if I ever shuffle. I get new stuff constantly.

I have been shocked with new details in some of the stuff I thought I knew intimately, albums I've heard at least a few dozen times each, like SEAL, Push Barman To Open Old Wounds, August And Everything After, Kind Of Blue, Life For Rent, Sunrise Over Sea, Shostakovich Strings 1, 3 and 12, Dark Side Of The Moon, Shpongle Remixed, Joshua Tree, Dvorak Symphonies 7, 8 and 9 etc etc etc. All as I have never heard before in some way.

Good value! $1200 US for hearing all that music in a new, better, way!

Now I just cannot wait for my RPX-33, I can imagine the differences it will make over my Xin SM IV. Will be great to find out!

Thanks to all who un-wittingly convinced me to buy, with your posts here, and extra thanks to Jimmy, wouldn't have been possible without you!
Reply
post #3622 of 5935
6/8/07 at 11:12pm
^Steven: Great review, keep the impressions coming at least till 500 hours. I think you will continue to see improvement even if smaller in nature. More fluid and more hypnotic as I like to say.
Reply
post #3623 of 5935
6/9/07 at 4:14am
Great impressions Steve. Keep it up. It's always fun to read! And above all enjoy!
Reply
post #3624 of 5935
6/9/07 at 5:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Contrastique View Post
Great impressions Steve. Keep it up. It's always fun to read! And above all enjoy!
Thanks Indra, just looked at your sight, some excellent work there.

And I certainly am enjoying! You know, it used to be about the music, then it was about the gear for a while, now it's about the music again!
Reply
post #3625 of 5935
6/9/07 at 8:43am
Quote:
Originally Posted by stevenkelby View Post
Now I just cannot wait for my RPX-33, I can imagine the differences it will make over my Xin SM IV. Will be great to find out!
Now wait for it, and you will hear another couple of things that you were missing as well, along with the music, till now all that you are just enjoying is just the sound, but let Dr. Rudi and Dr. Florian join forces and show you the music...
Reply
post #3626 of 5935
6/9/07 at 12:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by stevenkelby View Post
Thanks Indra, just looked at your sight, some excellent work there.
Thanx

Quote:
Originally Posted by stevenkelby View Post
And I certainly am enjoying! You know, it used to be about the music, then it was about the gear for a while, now it's about the music again!
I think it will always be like that. First before I joined headfi it was mostly music for me. But I needed to replace my hp and wanted it to be something good. And from one thing you end up in the other. Nice thing is that good equip leads to more satisfaction when you listen to good music. It gives you more and let's you hear / experience more. I like that. It's just noone should never forget it started because of the music, and that remains the most important thing.
But I guess I am rambling too much now (as so many times ) so'll leave it like this
Reply
post #3627 of 5935
6/9/07 at 1:52pm

Many thanks to Dex!!

Well, Dex was so kind to come over to my place and have me anjoy the ED9's.
In one word: Astounding! I had not expected them to be that good.
I will need to sleep before I can finally compare them, but as said: They beat my expectation.
Here you can see them in action in my shop:



In good company as you can see, the power was there to drive them.
Sources used:

Naim CD555
Wilson Benesch Circle (vinyl) (phono stage Tag Mclaren PPA20)

The last one I believe even 'shook Dex his ears' but that is for him to state.
They sounded beautifull. I just whish I had had more time with them.

Rgds Hans
Qables Insider

It is our philosophy to manufacture true High End cables for specialized connections in headphone, MP3 player, and HiFi component interconnections ...

» Get the latest news and updates at the Qables sponsor page.
Reply
post #3628 of 5935
6/10/07 at 7:19am
Nice Hans! How did you think of them compared to the GS1000?? Or was it too little time to make a comparism? Would love to know your impressions!
Nice Dex you have done this in such little time! It is definately a must-hear-hp.
Reply
post #3629 of 5935
6/10/07 at 11:12am

The ED9 versus Grado

Well let me try to summarise my findings of about an hour and half with the Ultrasone ED9 (My personal opinion and findings!)

I compared the Grado RS1 and GS1000 with the ED9 using the Heed Canamp and the Lehmann Black Cube lineair. (I used the two amps to check whether the differences I noticed were apparent with both amps so to be sure it were the HP differences and not amp differences). I will not dicuss the difference about the amps here tough.

(I also had the ED9’s on the Sugden, Xcan V3 and the Naim Headline but I did not use those in the comparison.)

Music used: Chris Jones, Jennifer Warnes, Tuck&Patty, Dave Brubeck (XRCD).

Vinyl set up: WB Circle, Tag Maclaren PPA20, Heed Canamp, Music: Tracy Chapman.

General soundstage HP’s:
The Grado’s perform definitively better, a more wider and airier sound. You can hear the Grado’s having more breathing space. But both cans very nicely trail the notes into the void when the notes end (a very controlled and natural decay) and both cans have no problems placing the voices and instruments were they belong. The music really seems to extend outside your head when it needs to and that is something that only the very best HP’s will do.
Also do not forget that we are comparing closed and open cans! So for the ED9 that is very good considering the amount of breathing space the drivers have.

The attack of the Grado’s is really outstanding it handles even the most complex and multitude of sounds. Both HP’s play complex music with relative easiness, you can feel they are easy up to the job. And this is were the ED9 come in and do their stuff: The attack in the bass section.
This is were the Grado’s very nicely displays control but were the ED9 really excels.
Yes the bass: Well to be short the ED9 wins here. The ED9 displays much more definition and control here and extends deeper then the Grado’s. Although with very bass heavy music (eg Jennifer Warnes, Way down deep) they do tend to become woolly, but only slightly so.

Overall, for a closed can the ED9 is without hesitation very good but it can’t beat the Grado’s.
Voices clearly stand much more out in the Grado’s, they have a much better definition in the mid and highs while the ED9 controls and performs better in the bass.

After the head-on I just changed HP’s and randomly played some music and then it became apparent that the ED9 pleased me more and I kept them on longer then the Grado’s.
And that is what really stood out for me: The ED9’s made me ‘enjoying’ the music while the Grado’s made me more ‘listening’ to the music. The Grado’s demands that you listen and are very analytical. That could make you tire more easily then the ED9.
This is why in the end I would rate the ED9 a better HP, but keep in mind why you are using it.

Wasn’t there a difference between the RS1 and the GS1000, yes but I was comparing them to the ED9’s and just kept it to that. The RS1 – GS1000 have been talked about enough and the difference I found gave no change to my general opinion wrt the ED9’s. With both the RS1 and the GS1000 the differences were there.

Vinyl….. Just one Word FANTASTIC. The ED9 showed it could do so much more. The detail of the background vocals. With CD you don´t realize they are there but now they are so nicely placed in the background and so present without ever being disturbing as if they have always belonged there but you never knew you were missing them. And the control of the mid-bass was really a heart’s joy. Oh man, this is how music must be heard, I tell you.

Now overall, the price is steep, even maybe too high, but knowing what they can do, they for sure belong in the 1000+ category. (euro that is)

Writing reviews is not something that I daily do so I hope it makes sense.

Thanks for reading. Hans.
Qables Insider

It is our philosophy to manufacture true High End cables for specialized connections in headphone, MP3 player, and HiFi component interconnections ...

» Get the latest news and updates at the Qables sponsor page.
Reply
post #3630 of 5935
6/10/07 at 11:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hoosterw View Post
Well let me try to summarise my findings of about an hour and half with the Ultrasone ED9 (My personal opinion and findings!)

.........

Vinyl….. Just one Word FANTASTIC. The ED9 showed it could do so much more. The detail of the background vocals. With CD you don´t realize they are there but now they are so nicely placed in the background and so present without ever being disturbing as if they have always belonged there but you never knew you were missing them. And the control of the mid-bass was really a heart’s joy. Oh man, this is how music must be heard, I tell you.

Now overall, the price is steep, even maybe too high, but knowing what they can do, they for sure belong in the 1000+ category. (euro that is)

Writing reviews is not something that I daily do so I hope it makes sense.

Thanks for reading. Hans.
Very good impressions and one very good answer as to why some people prefer one headphone to another. In this case the Grado sound vs. the UE9. Some may prefer the more technical sound of the Grado while others may prefer the more engaging, involving and as I have said hypnotic sound of the UE9s.

I would like to have had one of Rudi's amps in the rotation since they seem by others to have some special synergy together. But I doubt that would have made much difference since you were speaking toward the essential differences of these headphones. If you could it would support this contention if you were to speak toward any differences noted when using your other amps.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Headphones (full-size)

Head-Fi's Best Sellers

Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphones (full-size) › There's Something About Ultrasone…