Ultrasone HFI-580 Question (Should be a quick one)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fballboy23 

Well. I ordered both the m50 and HFI-580 due to not knowing exactly which one I would like better and just to do a side by side comparison. I got the M50's last week and just got my HFI-580's today but the overall volume of them seems to be drastically low as well as some of the higher bass notes/lowest of the mids dont have that much bass to em. Anyone that can give me an idea if this will fix itself over time or if its just that my source isn't enough to power them? (Its a very bad laptop integrated chip that wasn't able to power the Uptown's properly). I will be giving my impressions and idea of the two headphones side by side later for entry level people but would like to know before hand if my source is an issue with powering these.

Heya,

Eh, it's likely your source. The 580's are just as efficient as the M50's, you should be getting similar volumes.

That said, seriously, if your source on your laptop is that bad, you should look to replace that before spending money on nicer headphones. Pick up a Fiio E10 or something.

Very best,

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fballboy23 

I actually intend to pick up a E17 as soon as I decide on which of the two to keep, more than likely I am going to keep the HFI-580 because I did a test from my mom's PC which has a normal soundcard in it (one that gets enough power) and it sounded superior but still have my own little process to go through to decide which one. Need to get these burned in. 

I believe the same. The HFI 580 is more sonically superior but also not as "fun" and also more metallic and less comfortable. What does that mean? Generally less time spent with it. Keep in mind I only spent minutes with the M50 outisde of my desktop setup.

Basically the HFI 580's have better performance sonically but everything else can be said to be a con. They are much less comfortable, they aren't as fun and engaging, they are metallic and have harsh highs at first, they aren't as initally "awesome", they have a really long cable, they don't have detachable cable and it gets in the way, the clamp on all sides is of a decent amount, and is not recommended for glasses viewers.

However even with that said, I prefer them for actual primary(not background music) audio use as compared to the DT770 80 ohm and M50. 

And yes, you need an amp. And at this point, a DAC would be good too if your card is so bad that it can't even drive an HFI 580. The E10 is $75. E07K, the E7 replacement is comming in a few months.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fballboy23 

Hm. I find it to be a very fun headphone to listen to, but maybe it's because my music is keeping me much more engaged. Out of the two I found the M50 to be more dull in terms of engagement, with these I find myself dancing in my chair and rocking out, all the typical. Comfortability hasn't presented itself as a huge issue to me thus far, I did like the ear padding on the M50 better, not entirely sure why but something about them just felt better and different (Then again these have only about 2 hours or so of headtime thus far). The highs so far have seemed just a tad harsh but nothing so far that has broken my spirit about them. The long cable is actually ok with me, it can become a lil bit of a nuiscense about its good for when I forget im wearing them and get up to turn off my lights etc. 

 

One thing I want to ask you about is the amp. As I said earlier I was intending on buying a E17 as soon as I have decided on which pair I am keeping (which seems to be the HFI 580 depending on any sound changes as they keep burning in but they ahead by far right now), would the E7 replacement likely be better than the E17 and worth the wait? Whats your opinion?

When I say engaging, I meant fun for me. Sorry. It was a subjective opinion I failed to elaborate on. I personally like engaging to be fun not as accurate headphones thta give me that bass and front vocals and just really smooth and well executed sound that fits but isn't as accurate. For example, my K422 or PL11's are like that to me. My studio's aren't. So yeah, I was saying that I PERSONALLY was not as engaged. Again, sorry.

I thought the same about the comfort until I got to 70 hours. After you get new headphones, its not that bad really comparably but none the less, it still isn't a truly long term wearing one.

It took me 140 hours of brain EQ, and real burn in to get to the point of well played sharp(almost there >_< , if they were just a tad bit sharper and higher it would be pretty awesome) and smooth highs. I'm at over 450 hours right now.

E07K is not an UPGRADE. E17 is superior the E7 series but I honestly can not say anything.

What we know

E17 MSRP(there is no enforced price FiiO does) average is $150 USD

E7 MSRP average WAS $100, now its $77. The E07K is supposed to directly replace the aging E7 in the $100 and sub portable amp and DAC price point

FiiO made an announcement that they are NOT intending to replace the E17 in the 2013 year. 

FiiO is continually learning and improving parts of their products. So yeah, I can't say if the E07K is going to be awesome but if I would guess no? $100 is very restricitng even if they are learning more and more and they try to make it as cheap as possible. Seriously!! Their engineers do just that. The E12 was originnally slated for $200+ but now its been dropped to $120(range)! E12 is JUST an amp though.

I don't have an opinion. Just laying out the facts

E17>E7 this is for sure

E17>?=? E07K ??? nobody knows

its up to you. I used my HFI 580's with the E17 for quite a while. The unit did some nice fun coloring to the sound that I enjoyed. I am using the word coloring here very loosley of course. The E17 as a DAC measures a lot better than even the iPhone 4S so its not a low down unit. Just that compared to higher units, its colored

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fballboy23 

Thanks for the clarification amp wise. I think I am going to stick to the original plan on the E17 just because the time I'd go waiting for the E07K isn't worth it to me. And I understand. A lot of things are subjective when it comes to the element of sound, we perceive and hear things different.

 

Edit: Btw, your youtube video + review on here helped me in my choice just thought you might want to know =) very well done.

Which...one? The E17 one? That one itself was not really meant to be a review. I put the words somewhat in their as that is what, understandaly, everyone will search for. It was meant as a comparison between the E17 as an amp with the iPod Touch 2G which is herald pretty high here and the iPod direct out and using it as a DAC with Wolfson chip. Because I can just spout terms and everything but without a down to earth comparison for the viewers at this price point, it means nothing.

Subscribe and what not if you want 

I will hopefully be getting more FiiO units in in the future.