Just an update on my headphones situation.
I had purchased a pair of Ultrasone HFI DVD-Edition from Jan Meier to replace a my old DT250-80s, as I upgraded my upstream set-up from a portable to a Cambridge CD6 + MINT Amp.
From the get go I was very frustated with the blurry and congested lower midrange. They were very airy and extended and had a solid, DEEP, willing bass, but that lower mids just wrecked the whole picture.... After a week of use (and fresh Lithium batteries for my tin box), the midrange came a bit more forward. But the upgraditis bug had already struck and off I was ordering some Beyers DT250-250.
These were recommended by nearly everyone on this board as being a clear improvement on the DT250-80 while keeping their very neutral and dynamic character...
Well.... I have now had the Beyers for a week. And surprise, surprise the Ultrasones have much more potential... The quality of the highs and upper midrange is clearly superior on the Ultrasones. Absent is the slight crispness/harshness of the upper-mids that I find on the Beyers, the upper register are much more fluid and extended. But most importantly the microdynamics are in totally other league. The low-level detail made me rewind some of the songs, and check again that I wasn't imagining things. I have owned Grado's SR60, SR80, Beyer DT250-80, DT250-250, and these Ultrasones were more microdynamically alive and detailed than all of them. It was shocking to me as I had this preconception of the Ultrasones having a cheaper, mass produced feel to them. Let's just say that if these DVD-Editions were that detailed, then God only knows how precise the Trackmasters must be...
The other suprise when comparing my two headphones was how much deeper and resonant the bass on the DVD edition was compared to the DT250-250. I disagree with lini on the potential award of "closed groovalisers" going to the DT250-250s... . They are just way too dry, too in control, and lack extension on both end of the spectrum. Yes they are neutral, but they are not bassy enough to groove with.
The only problem with the Ultrasones remains than blurry lower midrange. I personally live for vocals. I know, it is the hardest thing to get right, both with speakers and cans... But thats were the buck stops. Sometimes I manage to forget about it and concentrate on how transparent the upper mids and highs are... But the contrasts in dynamics makes it hard, and in the end it's frustrating...
Yet, every time I make the side-by-side comparison with the DT250-250s, it is clear that I cannot see myself going back to the Beyers.

HELP!

I could try to go for the Trackmasters, I guess. Because the DVD Edition DO have a bit more bass than I really need. But from what I have read so far Trackmasters have MUCH less bass than the DVD-Edition, and that would probably completely offset the tonal balance. So basically I am stuck; looking for a pair of cans with more bass and groove than the DT250's, but also that extra level of micro dynamics and transparency.

Any Headphoneus Suprema out there that would like to volunteer their wise, elder's advice?

what do the two headphones sound like from a separate amp and a full sized CDP?

hey, what can I tell you? I would like to audition the Ultrasone, K240S and HD650.

you may want to fill out your profile a little more, though. your music preference may jive with others, as things like "bass", "brightness", etc. are all relative terms and are very subjective. synchronisity / synergy is our holy grail. so if you do not find the Ultrasones to be your perfect headphone, you just may have to keep looking. i, like you, want a transparent midrange with a nice overal tonal balance, yet have bass "oomph" and high end sparkle to excite when it is called for. when is it called for? when you are dissatisfied that it is not there, obviously.

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Hi, magatte. I am not of divine origin, but I can tell you that I am enjoying the nonaggressive super detailed presentation of my Trackmasters very much.

Never heard the DVD Edition, so can`t help on the bass comparison issue. Nevertheless, the Trackmasters sound prety well balanced to me - top to bottom.

To wallijonn,

I listen to everything except classical music and country (although I do dabble in blues)... As I mentioned a make-or-break requirement is a pure midrange, and natural, detailed voices. What I listen to most often is generally British rock (Doves, Elbow, Muse), Folk/punk (Ani DiFranco), Rap (Saian, IAM) and Soul/down-tempo (Jill Scott, Everything but the Girl).

mag

I haven't heard any Ultrasone's yet, but I hear that the HFI-500 DJ1 has a sonic balance that lies between that of the trackmaster and the DVD edition...that's what Dr. Meier says, at least...

actually, I'm thinking of getting those...dunno when, though...

I have the Trackmaster as well and I agree totally with Miro. These phones sound very balanced to me and I have no problem with the bass response.

My last set of headphones were the DT 770 Pros and enjoy the more controlled sense of bass with the Ultrasones.

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[size=medium]How weak could the Trackmasters' bass be? The DVD's extend from 25KHz down to 10Hz. However, the TrackMasters' go from 25KHz down to 15Hz. The human hearng range goes from 20KHz to 20Hz, and most people can't hear close to those extremes. Sounds like the Trackmaster's should have you covered if they are linear down to to at least 20Hz. I doubt many can hear that low.[/size]

Unless you're some weirdo bassmonger the HFI-650 should have enough bass for you. It's not really an emphasized part of the frequency, no boom-boom going on here, but it extends very low. I thought they were very balanced as well despite some high-end aggressiveness. The HFI-650 is very detailed, I agree. I really sort of want to own it again, heh.

Jap,

forget about specified frequency response. It probably tested as
-10 or -20 dB at 20 Hz. the same could be said for the treble. J-Curve did a nice thread on curves and their meanings.

what really counts is what they actually sound like. if there is a bass bloat, it could sound bassier even if it doesn't extend well.

Magatte,
Where would you say the DT250-80's fit in overall compared to the 650's and the 250-250's?

Also, are you using an amp? If so, which one?

magatte: Interesting - maybe I should give the Ultrasones another try, too (I've only heard their HFI-2000G, yet, which was quite a disappointment for me (low level detail seemed fairly good, though...). But just another thought: Maybe you should try rechargeable NiMH instead of lithium cells for your amp. Standard lithium batteries are usually designed for low current applications, so you might notice some improvement in punchiness with NiMH cells (or an external power supply).

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini