So what's the word on the new Ultrasone HFI-780???? - Page 47

Overpowering treble, maybe. Has been stated before. But overpowering mids...nope. From the things I've read the mids appear to be or enjoyable to people or recessed, but not overpowering.

Just posted my mods on the PROline 2500 with pics at this link: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/ult...9/#post3881857

It may just be my ears, but the mids on my 2500's sound a little upfront. However, after listening to them for a couple of hours I got used to it and started really enjoying the detail in the bass and mids. Treble was still a bit harsh to me, but after I did the mod posted above the phones just sounded so much more relaxed in the treble but still had that punch in the bass and detail in the mids.

This is part of headphoneaddicts PM to me which leads me to believe that the 780 mids are more than the 2500s....

"I think the PL2500 are very good, but don't have the up front and exciting sound of the 780, or the huge bass - but the PL2500 have nice bass and are kinda like a high end Grado but with a better sound stage than Grado (which seem to have a shallow and narrow soundstage). The soundstage I said was also wider than the HD25-1."

There's in fact a pretty significant dip in the response from around 2KHz to 5KHz on the PL2500, and a smaller dip in the midrange slightly below 1KHz, at least with the two I'd heard (one of which I measured to verify). To my ears they sounded dull and boring because of these dips, despite the very peaky treble.

It seems to me that of the various aspects of soundstage (height, width, depth) the HFI-780 excel the most at depth. There is a kind of sensation that's hard to describe. It's almost like I could "fall in" to the music.

So that would mean a tad laid back in the mids and a little above if I understand your post correctly?
I've read a lot of comments on the 2500 but I think you're the first calling them dull and boring. Not a bad thing though
It's a long time ago since I heard those 2500's, over a year even, so can't remember their exact sound anymore. They did sound quite on par with the 750's and they are a tad laid back in the mids as well, though not disturbing to me. The rest makes more than up for it

More bass than the 2500 Wonder if that's overkill since the 2500 already has a LOT. I'll find out pretty soon I guess.

Yes, the upper mids and lower treble are recessed on the PL2500. I also find the K340 to sound a bit dull for having a dip in a similar place (it took me a while to figure out why they sounded that way to me). I don't know what the general comments on here are because I rarely read reviews/impressions on the site anymore, but I've heard similar impressions of the PL2500 from other people in person and in PMs. I believe the huge peaks in the treble just tend to mask this attribute, as it was much more noticable after eliminating the treble peaks. The bass is indeed very good on the PL2500, even if it is more prominant than necessary, that's the one part they did get right, but Ultrasone needs to be able to get the upper mids and treble right too before they will ever be a serious consideration for me.

I will be getting mine on Tues, maybe Monday but these better be really, really good or Johnny is calling out the FOTM guys!! :^)

I don't have any real doubts. I do wish the build was a step up, from what I have read but then sometimes you can have a silk purse from a sow's ear.

Damn... all these great products coming out all at once... how is a high school student going to survive all these temptations??

Has anyone compared these to Denon D2000s markl modded yet?

Hey guys, I hope I can help with more info about what I have observed.

Regarding BASS: The HFI780 bass is not overpowering due to it's lack of coloration. There is no boomy or boxy sounding bass like I got from my shallow cup Darth Beyers. The Proline 2500 have good bass, but it seems to be different, like the upper bass is not filled in, or the sub-bass is not filled in, I am not quite sure how to put a finger on it. Now that I have my RSA Predator back I ran the Bink Audio Test WAV files and the PL2500 16-25Hz range is pretty much lacking, and the 30Hz is still rolled off - while the 780 are still audible at 16Hz, strong at 25Hz and gut wrenching/sick at 32Hz.

Regarding MIDS: Elsewhere in this thread (or the ALO-780 thread), I have said the 2500 has more distant or recessed mids, which don't need EQ like the SR-Lambda Pro or Darth Beyer shallow cup. The somewhat recessed mids sounds okay without ANY EQ and probably helps in portraying a bigger soundstage. And, while I agree the more distant mids can sometimes be less exciting, I would never call the PL2500 dull.

Regarding SoundStage/HeadStage (aka mids cont.): I think it is hard to have a forward midrange and intimate sound at the same time as a big soundstage, but the HD600 or D2000 with APS V3 cable, or STAX SR-Lambda Signature, and the stock Edition 9 seem to manage that trick better than many other headphones. The Darth Beyer WITH EQ seemed to get more forward without losing a big soundstage. But, I'd bet most "stock" headphones straddle the fence on either the side of "more forward less big soundstage" (780/RS-2) or "less forward and bigger soundstage" (PL2500/HF-1).

The ALO re-cabled 780 is clearly much closer to the ideal than the stock HFI780 or PL2500. I want to say that the soundstage of the re-cabled 780 past 200 hours is indeed deeper than stock. I only just got my Predator back from Skylab last night, and I have to say the sound is simply delicious with the RSA predator and Macbook with lossless files!

Regarding HIGHS: I've also stressed that my PL2500 since after 400 hours (almost 500 hours now) on them DO NOT have overpowering treble. I hate to say the 780 are brighter (which they are) because then people will start talking about laser beam treble that will drill into your head, and that IS NOT the case. On a brightness scale, the STAX SR-Lambda are brighter, and the 780 when stock are no brighter than a Grado 325i.

I have documented the much improved treble of the HFI780 with the ALO-re-cable in the other thread. By 200 hours the sibilance is gone, unless the recording has it, and I can hear it in other headphones too. I believe it is the diode board and/or cable that screw up the sound, not the driver.

Other Miscelaneous observations:

I also PM'd dononus about soundstage.

Here's what I have PM'd to Jamato8

I still like my RP21. I bought them used when the initial FOTM was wearing off and they were starting to get some bad reviews. For the price, I wasn't expecting them to blow me away as some of the hype suggested. I'll probably buy these in a couple of months. I'm intrigued, but not enough to rush out and buy them.

I can't wait till the fotm settles and i can buy a used alo 780

There is always people who don't like something for whatever reason.

Mine are probably around 100 hours now and they have smoothed out but I'm still not sure if it's enough for me. Sibilance has calmed down a bit.

They do drums very well.

I will receive my ALO-780 next Monday, I'll let you know how they sound with Prog-Metal

I was hearing my Denon 2000's for a few days and starting to think I preferred them. Then last night I put on the Ultrasones and dang if they just sound so good! They are smoother and I never hardly ever heard much sibilance in mine. Likely I lucked out with good synergy on my little dac/amp, go vibe petite, which I remember when I first got it I thought, hmm a bit dark or warm but heck its just perfect for the HFI 780's, like it was meant for each other hehehe