Hello all,
Since I have got some time left before I have to hop on the bus to go to uni today, I thought I would tell you about my new purchase that has arrived yesterday! Namely, the ultrasone edition 9 modded/recabled and bought new from aloaudio.
It has been recabled with Ken's new sxc (silver and copper) cable and it has the seem mod as his modded hfi780.
I am not sure if recabling really makes a difference and wont start a discussion about it here, but I could make a good deal, and at least its easy if I ever want to go balanced, just have to change the plugs.
I did a lot of research before buying this headphone and I was very anxious the few days before receiving it because this is my total first experience with ultrasone. The reactions to ultrasones were rather mixed on this board so it was a wild guess for me in the end if this would be the right headphone for me.
I like the grados (bu tnot their claustrophobic soundstage) and the akg k701 but Ido no tlike the senn hd650 or the denon d5000. Since sound/enjoyment of sound is such a personal thing it is of course always best to audition stuff first.
See my profile for what equipment I use at home, I havent been able to try them with imod/iqube yet since the iqube still has to charge and the charging cable will hopefully be here today.
So, i was rather worried when the headphone arrived at my home yesterday and hardly dared put them on (they have already had 3 days of burn in on a burn in generator at aloaudio).
But when I actually put them on I was very surprised at how comfortable they are, certainly more comfortable then the grados and the senn hd650. Their genera lbuild reminded me of the sennheiser hd280pro. I actually like it that they are not too classy looking because I want to take them with me on the go...
I like a mechanism that has solid clicks to change the adjusment of headphones, this is a bit finicky but it certainly isnt the only headphone that has this adjustment system.
These headphones actually block sound, unlike the denons and they seal well on my head. I feel no pain or pressure from them and they dont get that hot, though in general I prefer velour over leather or pleather. They are not heavy or light to me, theu just sit fine on my head.
I wa s very worried about comfort before these headphones arrived but luckily they are fine for me. They cannot touch beyer comfort of course! They might be a bit more comfortable then the akg k701 because that headband is painful with my hair.
I of course also did some listening, yesterday evening and this morning after continued burn in. I dont know if burn in actually works but better safe then sorry...
First off, I dont hear anything from the s-logic. I did not expect to so I am not disappointed in this... They sound like any other headphone to me in this regard.
You do not really hear tha tyou are listening to closed headphones, which is a big plus... They do not have the negative boxy/resonant/boomy ejffects that some closed headphones do have...
Soundstage is good but not great, i think the beyer dt880/600 has a more coherent/3d soundstage. the ultrasones might have a bit broader/wider soundstage but the beyers have more depth i think.
Instrument separation might be a bit better then with the beyers, but it cant touch the akg k701.
these headphones might not be as bright as I am used too... I think I like my headphones a bit brighter/more upfront (I think the beyer dt880/grado sr325i and akg k701 have all a bit deeper soundstage and are a bit more upfront and thats why I might prefer them more in this regard).
I in general like listening to music at low volumes, but with good sound quality. I think you have to play the ed9 fairly loud for it to sound its best, I really heard a difference when cranking the volume up. I have to play it a bit louder then i am accustomed to/then I like in order for it to sounds its best/most impressive.
I think the midrange is a bit laid back/recessed but this might be because of the bass, anyway its not senn-like. I think senn is much darker-sounding with a different kind of bass and way more recessed mids.
I was very much impressed with the ed9s bass. But it was not overpowering to me... I find though that I have to play the ed9s louder then I like to get them to sound right...
edit: after listening to a bit more volume I am not totally sure about the ed9s bass. It is not overpowering the midrange in the way that for example the dt990/600 does, so the biggest part of my worries where bass was concerned were luckily unfounded, but in some tracks its rather prominently there... as if I am using speakers with an added subwoofer again... (fyi i sold my speakers+sub and went for fulsize 2.0 speakers) The bass seems to be a bit alone from the rest of the music, not totally overpowering but a bit distracting at times, as if have a subwoofer... I think the ed9 has more bass then the denon d5000 (I did have the d5000 with the markl mod though) and this ed9 is modded in order to give it a tighter bass response I think...
conclusions so far: Luckily many of my fears were unfounded. This headphone does not give me the wow-effect like the grado sr325i beyer dt880/600 and most importantly the akg k701, but it does not disappoint like the denon d5000 or the senn hd650 did for me. I would personally not keep it if it was an open headphone BUT it is closed! this means it will have a different purpose in my rig. I will use it mostly on the go where I want noise blocking. And if I look at the closed field it is a totally different story. The hd25-1 might isolate a bit better still and be a bit more portable but the ed9 sure sounds better! It is the best closed headphone I have heard upto this point and it actually blocks noise/keeps the sound of your headphones in/is sturdy and fairly portable... So, since I am using it as a portable headphone on the go, it will stay with me....
Greetings, Anouk,
Since I have got some time left before I have to hop on the bus to go to uni today, I thought I would tell you about my new purchase that has arrived yesterday! Namely, the ultrasone edition 9 modded/recabled and bought new from aloaudio.
It has been recabled with Ken's new sxc (silver and copper) cable and it has the seem mod as his modded hfi780.
I am not sure if recabling really makes a difference and wont start a discussion about it here, but I could make a good deal, and at least its easy if I ever want to go balanced, just have to change the plugs.
I did a lot of research before buying this headphone and I was very anxious the few days before receiving it because this is my total first experience with ultrasone. The reactions to ultrasones were rather mixed on this board so it was a wild guess for me in the end if this would be the right headphone for me.
I like the grados (bu tnot their claustrophobic soundstage) and the akg k701 but Ido no tlike the senn hd650 or the denon d5000. Since sound/enjoyment of sound is such a personal thing it is of course always best to audition stuff first.
See my profile for what equipment I use at home, I havent been able to try them with imod/iqube yet since the iqube still has to charge and the charging cable will hopefully be here today.
So, i was rather worried when the headphone arrived at my home yesterday and hardly dared put them on (they have already had 3 days of burn in on a burn in generator at aloaudio).
But when I actually put them on I was very surprised at how comfortable they are, certainly more comfortable then the grados and the senn hd650. Their genera lbuild reminded me of the sennheiser hd280pro. I actually like it that they are not too classy looking because I want to take them with me on the go...
I like a mechanism that has solid clicks to change the adjusment of headphones, this is a bit finicky but it certainly isnt the only headphone that has this adjustment system.
These headphones actually block sound, unlike the denons and they seal well on my head. I feel no pain or pressure from them and they dont get that hot, though in general I prefer velour over leather or pleather. They are not heavy or light to me, theu just sit fine on my head.
I wa s very worried about comfort before these headphones arrived but luckily they are fine for me. They cannot touch beyer comfort of course! They might be a bit more comfortable then the akg k701 because that headband is painful with my hair.
I of course also did some listening, yesterday evening and this morning after continued burn in. I dont know if burn in actually works but better safe then sorry...
First off, I dont hear anything from the s-logic. I did not expect to so I am not disappointed in this... They sound like any other headphone to me in this regard.
You do not really hear tha tyou are listening to closed headphones, which is a big plus... They do not have the negative boxy/resonant/boomy ejffects that some closed headphones do have...
Soundstage is good but not great, i think the beyer dt880/600 has a more coherent/3d soundstage. the ultrasones might have a bit broader/wider soundstage but the beyers have more depth i think.
Instrument separation might be a bit better then with the beyers, but it cant touch the akg k701.
these headphones might not be as bright as I am used too... I think I like my headphones a bit brighter/more upfront (I think the beyer dt880/grado sr325i and akg k701 have all a bit deeper soundstage and are a bit more upfront and thats why I might prefer them more in this regard).
I in general like listening to music at low volumes, but with good sound quality. I think you have to play the ed9 fairly loud for it to sound its best, I really heard a difference when cranking the volume up. I have to play it a bit louder then i am accustomed to/then I like in order for it to sounds its best/most impressive.
I think the midrange is a bit laid back/recessed but this might be because of the bass, anyway its not senn-like. I think senn is much darker-sounding with a different kind of bass and way more recessed mids.
I was very much impressed with the ed9s bass. But it was not overpowering to me... I find though that I have to play the ed9s louder then I like to get them to sound right...
edit: after listening to a bit more volume I am not totally sure about the ed9s bass. It is not overpowering the midrange in the way that for example the dt990/600 does, so the biggest part of my worries where bass was concerned were luckily unfounded, but in some tracks its rather prominently there... as if I am using speakers with an added subwoofer again... (fyi i sold my speakers+sub and went for fulsize 2.0 speakers) The bass seems to be a bit alone from the rest of the music, not totally overpowering but a bit distracting at times, as if have a subwoofer... I think the ed9 has more bass then the denon d5000 (I did have the d5000 with the markl mod though) and this ed9 is modded in order to give it a tighter bass response I think...
conclusions so far: Luckily many of my fears were unfounded. This headphone does not give me the wow-effect like the grado sr325i beyer dt880/600 and most importantly the akg k701, but it does not disappoint like the denon d5000 or the senn hd650 did for me. I would personally not keep it if it was an open headphone BUT it is closed! this means it will have a different purpose in my rig. I will use it mostly on the go where I want noise blocking. And if I look at the closed field it is a totally different story. The hd25-1 might isolate a bit better still and be a bit more portable but the ed9 sure sounds better! It is the best closed headphone I have heard upto this point and it actually blocks noise/keeps the sound of your headphones in/is sturdy and fairly portable... So, since I am using it as a portable headphone on the go, it will stay with me....
Greetings, Anouk,
