So what's the word on the new Ultrasone HFI-780???? - Page 138

.......

Mr Incredible Northernsound.net has them for 161 but you have to join the club. Its only a one time fee of a dollar. But its worth it.

This is my first post. Audiophile newbie though long-time music listener and maker (classic rock / jazz drummer).

I've read postings on various headphones and amps for probably a day straight after listening to a friend's HFI-700s. Curse him.

I'm attracted to the 780s because they appear to be a fun all-around phone for quite a good price ($161 -- cheers to genclaymore for the link to northernsound.net). I'd be extremely tempted to send them straight over to S2 for re-cabling with the reviews given. So $250+ later, I supposedly have a pretty good intro into the world of head-fi.

I'm an all-around listener. 5000+ songs ripped onto my machine cover a rather broad range of (in somewhat order of preference) 60s-80s classic rock, hard rock, jazz (trios to quintets), big band (e.g. Buddy Rich), vocal jazz, indie rock, alternative, R&B, hip-hop, classical, trip-hop/acid jazz/ambient.

I'm trying to stay around the $150-300 range and get the best bang for the buck. I'll consider older phones, especially since it seems that newer is not even close to meaning better.

At some point I will purchase an amp, but I would like a versatile phone that can sound decent hooked up to a stock ipod or laptop when I travel for work.

A couple questions for which I can't seem to find a clear answer (and mind you, "answers" to me are generally "well-argued preferences"):

(1) I can get the PRO 750 for around $250 (If you know of a place where I can get it cheaper, let me know). I've only really seen one or two people have much to say by way of comparison between these two headphones. Is the 750 a better purchase for all-around listening vs. the S2 recabled 780 (keeping in mind that about makes them equal in price)?

(2) I have not been able to track down anyone who's had a recently manufactured PRO 750 recabled to see if there is anywhere near the apparently marked improvement the 780 gets by recabling.


A couple off-topic questions for those kind enough to answer or comment on any of the above:

(3) Amazon shows beyerdynamic DT 880s on sale for $188. Quite the price break. They're 250 ohms. I see some misgivings about this older phone, particularly in the bass dept, but it looks and is (am I wrong?) an incredibly comfortable phone. Any thoughts?

(4) The Sennheiser HD-280, while apparently entry-level, is only $90. Is it completely below the phones discussed in this thread in every way? Any advice from long-timers on starting out with incremental upgrades, or is it just best to buy the best you can afford and never worry about what the lower end might offer?

(5) Any other all-around phones I ought to consider for a first purchase between $150-300?

Much thanks for any responses or comments.

Welcome. Generally speaking, an upgrade of a phone will have show greater improvement than a recable. That said, the 780 cable is quite poor, and this is evident when you see it. The 780 is a great bargain at 160 without any modifications. My advice would be to try out the 780 stock, and if you really like it, you can try a recable later, or sell it to upgrade.

For reference, the "new" Pro 750 appears to be exactly the same as the old Proline version, aside from aesthetics. In case you're looking for information on them.

Another popular phone in your price range is the Denon AH-D2000, they're very popular around here.

I wouldn't bother with stuff like the Senn 280 if you can afford to go higher. You'll just end up upgrading later, so why add an extra upgrade step? That's the way this place works.

It is? What are the visual queues that tell me it's poor quality?

It's very stiff and plastic-like. You can see the cable running through the headband if you look on the underside of it right above the cups. It's extremely thin. If this is the same cable used in the rest of the chord, that would mean that it's mostly plastic. To me, it just seems cheap. I've never been impressed with the materials present in the 780, it seems like they cut several corners that I don't think they should have. But at the price it sells for now, the sound you get from it is a bargain. This is all really nitpicking, but I can't really help it. I think you'd be happy with the 780, netcomorg.

off topic, but thanks for pointing me towards the headsix a while back, dfkt. I'm really enjoying mine.

YES!

Forgot to add: welcome to Head-Fi, and "sorry about your wallet"....

The 750 or 780 are both great-sounding cans with the stock cables (to me, anyway) -- I have both and will keep both.
Both are very good cans.
It might be most cost-effective to try either of them with stock cables first, and then you may find that you have no need to spend more for cable changes.
You can always re-cable later, if desired.

Thanks for the responses so far. Is there a real great benefit to having the detachable cable on the 750? That would seem to make switching/replacing cables quite easy, though I'm wondering in real life whether I would care. I can foresee taking these things around quite a bit since I travel and might want them at work with me as well.

I think whether or not a detachable cable is a benefit depends on your needs. It could just be a hassle, or you may end up leaving it in one day. It makes it easier to replace, but then you still have the stock cable running through the headband.

My advice would be to get something in your budget that you think suits your tastes and needs, stock, don't worry about a recable. You'll probably see better improvements upgrading to a better headphone than replacing the cable. It's really not worth sweating about.

Anyway, that's just my view on it. There are many here with much more experience than I have.

So I got some 780's with S2 audio cables, over 300 hours on them. And the highs are MUCH to harsh for me. Is there anyway to make them less harsh? preferably a cheap way?

One on each side.

Sadly it seems like you just don't like their sound sig.
You could sell the 780s and get something with a slightly more warm sig, like Sennheiser HD580/600/650 for example.

Just to be clear: I'm not here to defend my work. That being said, the 780s are bright headphones compared to most. Jumping from a warm headphone to the 780s can be jarring. You should give your ears time to adjust to their sound sig. If you still don't like them then they obviously are not your cup of tea. Many tend to make snap judgments with headphones without giving their ears time to get accustom to the sound sig.

And for the record, I personally don't like the 780s in stock form. I, to, find them to be too bright for my tastes though I tend to be pretty sensitive to treble. I think only after recabling - no, not necessarily mine - do they become much more listenable.

Um... Rob? I believe you meant to say "everyone".