Pioneer31
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2005
- Posts
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- 13
[size=medium]I’ve just obtained some Ultrasone 780’s and on first impressions am not overly impressed. Do I need to burn them in and if so, what changes am I likely to hear.[/size]
[size=medium]My other phones include Sennheiser HD595 and AKG601’s (and I used to own Grado SR80). I’m not in love with either of them either, in fact I feel like I’m going to end up going back to Grado and living with the awful comfort of those things.[/size]
[size=medium]Each time I get a new phone, I lose something in exchange for something else......[/size][size=medium]The Senns definitely have the best tonal midrange, it big and full and sounds the most real. Sadly the bass is woolly and the treble is too rolled off. So I try the AKG’s. I gain detail and clarity (or lose the Sennheiser veil) but lose 'weight' to the sound. It's very lightweight, the audio equivalent of a soufflé. Even with an integrated amp I can get enough bass to make much of a difference. [/size]
[size=medium]Now onto the 780's. I gain bass and general 'body' over the AKG's but lose the mids, they really are quite recessed, so much so that I feel part of the musical picture is missing. Lots [/size][size=medium]of people say that the 780's are unbeatable for bass but I’m sure from memory that my old Grado SR80’s (a cheaper phone) had harder/tighter bass and more open/forward mids. They do have a better soundstage than I'd imagined..and better than Grado (which has virtually none) I sold the Grado's because of the bowls, it must be my ears but they seem to 'nip' them and it was uncomfortable.[/size]
[size=medium]So each phone has a major weakness:[/size]
[size=medium]Senn - annoying veil, poor quality bass[/size]
[size=medium]AKG - too lightweight for most music[/size]
[size=medium]Grado - no stereo image worth speaking of, uncomfortable[/size]
[size=medium]Ultrasones (not burnt in) more recessed mids than any phone I've heard yet[/size]
[size=medium]What I want is a Sennheiser 595 with much tighter/punchier bass and more treble bite but does anybody make one?[/size]
[size=medium]My other phones include Sennheiser HD595 and AKG601’s (and I used to own Grado SR80). I’m not in love with either of them either, in fact I feel like I’m going to end up going back to Grado and living with the awful comfort of those things.[/size]
[size=medium]Each time I get a new phone, I lose something in exchange for something else......[/size][size=medium]The Senns definitely have the best tonal midrange, it big and full and sounds the most real. Sadly the bass is woolly and the treble is too rolled off. So I try the AKG’s. I gain detail and clarity (or lose the Sennheiser veil) but lose 'weight' to the sound. It's very lightweight, the audio equivalent of a soufflé. Even with an integrated amp I can get enough bass to make much of a difference. [/size]
[size=medium]Now onto the 780's. I gain bass and general 'body' over the AKG's but lose the mids, they really are quite recessed, so much so that I feel part of the musical picture is missing. Lots [/size][size=medium]of people say that the 780's are unbeatable for bass but I’m sure from memory that my old Grado SR80’s (a cheaper phone) had harder/tighter bass and more open/forward mids. They do have a better soundstage than I'd imagined..and better than Grado (which has virtually none) I sold the Grado's because of the bowls, it must be my ears but they seem to 'nip' them and it was uncomfortable.[/size]
[size=medium]So each phone has a major weakness:[/size]
[size=medium]Senn - annoying veil, poor quality bass[/size]
[size=medium]AKG - too lightweight for most music[/size]
[size=medium]Grado - no stereo image worth speaking of, uncomfortable[/size]
[size=medium]Ultrasones (not burnt in) more recessed mids than any phone I've heard yet[/size]
[size=medium]What I want is a Sennheiser 595 with much tighter/punchier bass and more treble bite but does anybody make one?[/size]
