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Agreed...I listened to the stock HFI-780s for a while before I sent them to Drew. I liked what I heard with them stock but the highs and lows sounded far apart. Trust me, they were both there, just not in cohesion. Once re-cabled the sound was uniformed.

Just wanted to make sure you liked their sig. If you do, then a re-cable would benefit on these phones. It's good, however, that you are listening to them stock first, for a while so you can tell the differences once the re-cable is done...

Cheers...

If you DIY with cheaper cable like mogami or canare microphone cable you could spend a lot less money than it would cost to have a professional recabler do it for you. Just a little reminder because people sometimes feel hesitant to spend $200 on a cable for $250 headphones.

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I just don't trust myself doing mods like that

Burn it really mellows those Trebs. I must have 300 hours on them and, lol, see no reason to spend as much as I would spend on another set of cans on recable. But to each his own. .

I just received a pair of DT 250/280 earpads for my set and had the chance to listen to them. I thought that when I replaced my worn pads for new Ultrasone pads, the bass got noticably stronger. On the other hand, this could also have been a placebo.
Today, when I tried the Beyer pads, I had the same change in bass. Just in the opposite direction. The treble was really harsh and bass seemed to have taken some days off. A totally different sound signature to me and absolutely horrible to someone who loves the "original" sound of the 780s.
Went back to the worn original pads and now I'm gonna get some fresh ones from Ultrasone. The sound is much nicer and even though they feel warm and sweaty somewhen, they at least don't show nasty microphonics like the Beyer pads.

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Really? I didn't notice much of a change at all. Just the fake that the 250s are about 10 times more comfortable

Yes, really. I couldn't stand the Beyer pads. Not only the feel reminded me of my old set of Senns but also the sound with its lack of bass.
I haven't found anything better than fresh Ultrasone pads. Sadly they don't stay that "good" very long but they're much better even heavily used than these Beyer pads, at least for me.

If you liked them as you say, then you will love my modded Ultrasones (Not for sale Jeje). They sound similar to them but more open, with much more separation, image, detail. More soundstage/headstage, speed, very forward midrange, but not fatiguing, and a smoother treble.
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After searching for countless of hours for good headphones that will last hopefully more than a year or two I decided to order HFI-780's. I'm really exhilirated to join the world of the "real deal" headphones.

Now I got to do some research on all those burn in's and all the other stuff that normal consumers have never heard about.

My criteria was to find headphones with basshead-level bass, comfortableness (might be compromised with 780's) and moderate price-range. Also I didn't want people to laugh at me if I wear them publicly so appearance was somewhat important. I can't wait to get them!

Edit: Got the headphones now! What can I say? They are simply put awesome. Headband is a bit uncomfortable for the first few minutes but then gets unnoticeable. I find the earpads comfy but after I take them off I notice how hot it gets around my ears Bass is strong and just the way I like it. Amped they are beasts and I tend to keep flat bass level on -5 on the scale from -6 to +6. So there's a lot more available if I want to explode my head or something. I'm in love with these cans.

Edit2: I want to emphasize that I'm completely noob in terms of reviewing headphones. I have next no nothing experience with different cans. Above are the first impressions of a total novice I wonder how these will sound after burn in.

@wilashort: Seems to be a great pair of phones I still hope to find the right moment to have mine recabled. Maybe I can find some lasting earpads somewhen, hopefully. As long as they're really nice and soft, the first two to three weeks roughly, I absolutely love them. I still like them very much afterwards but they're just much better with fresh pads. A pity they start hardening so fast.

Just ordered the Ultrasone HFI 780 today, realy looking forward to hearing what they sound like.

What is the problem with the stock cables and earpads btw? I see that alot of ppl changed or are thinking about changing them...

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Scrivs, I'm keeping the stock cable, but changing out the earpads. The Ultrasone ED 9 pads can be picked up from ALO. My primary reason for getting these, gaming and movies. I also see some portablity with them.

Has anyone documented the ALO mod?

I've been interested in these phones, but I'd like to be able to do the mod myself.

I think I'll want to try a stationary amp with these as I normally use them when I'm sitting at my desk anyhow.
Any special recommendations that would make these really shine?
The Little Dot MK V looks quite nice and would fit into a certain price range.

Radical_53, I'll let you know when I receive mine tomorrow. Will test it with my ALO Rx and RSA Predator; I really like the ALO Rx over the Predator, just a better soundstage and synergy.