Just wanted to add that I'm comparing the AD with the Shure 1840, and there really is no comparison. The AD just does absolutely everything better, other than the 1840 sounding more airy (which was obvious being open), and the 1840's upper range being better easier on the ears than the Alpha Dogs.

Both are very, very neutral, both have excellent mids, but the Alpha Dog makes the 1840 cry with it's bass, which in comparison makes the 1840 sound like it has none (mind you, it does, but not what I'd say hits neutrality).

I find the 1840 to be a really good headphone with a few shortcomings (mainly the bass being light and distorting a bit), as well as sounding thin overall in comparison to the AD.

Very interesting review, expecialy happy to read " I actually prefer Ultrasone Signature DJs/Pros over them... "

Indeed, I am still searching for my " totaly NON LEAKING" headphone to complément my TH900 when I need to not disturb my sleeping wife ( and when i'm not in à mood to use my JH ROXANE cIEM)

- does the SIG Pro leak a lot less than the Alpha ? ( or the nex Audeze XC ? )

- How to choose between Sig. PRO & DJ ? What are the différence of sound or usage ?

Thanks.

bmichels said:

Very interesting review, expecialy happy to read " I actually prefer Ultrasone Signature DJs/Pros over them... "

Indeed, I am still searching for my " totaly NON LEAKING" headphone to complément my TH900 when I need to not disturb my sleeping wife ( and when i'm not in à mood to use my JH ROXANE cIEM)

- does the SIG Pro leak a lot less than the Alpha ? ( or the nex Audeze XC ? )

- How to choose between Sig. PRO & DJ ? What are the différence of sound or usage ?

Thanks.

Click to expand...

 
That comment got my interest too since I have both the SigDJ & the ADs now. At a high level, they're apples to oranges to me 'cos the SigDJ is quite U shaped. Will need more time with the ADs still.
 
About leak & isolation, I think the ADs takes the crown in both over the SigDJ, M100, & definitely over the TH-900. I could say anything to (or about) my wife when she was trying out the ADs earlier in the evening and would get away with it. She didn't even hear her phone ring next to her. I couldn't hear what she was listening until she lifted the headphones off her head - we're 5 feet apart and the only sound is the reverse cycle wall airconditioner/heater.
 
You may wanna ask the SigPro/DJ on the Ultrasone thread or have a read of my review of it.

I use Sig Pros most days and love them. the isolation is ak and leakage isn't too bad but they are not in the CIEM class for either.
 
I have Alphas on order and look forward to comparing them myself...

bmichels said:

Very interesting review, expecialy happy to read " I actually prefer Ultrasone Signature DJs/Pros over them... "

Indeed, I am still searching for my " totaly NON LEAKING" headphone to complément my TH900 when I need to not disturb my sleeping wife ( and when i'm not in à mood to use my JH ROXANE cIEM)

- does the SIG Pro leak a lot less than the Alpha ? ( or the nex Audeze XC ? )

- How to choose between Sig. PRO & DJ ? What are the différence of sound or usage ?

Thanks.

Click to expand...

 
The Alpha Dogs are non-leaking as well as both Ultrasones (Sig DJs and Pros). But they feel more bulky, more heavy, so it depends on which one you'd prefer out and about or in an office setting or at home. The Sig DJs leak a bit but at really LOUD levels... at least that's the feedback from my co-workers (I work in a cubicle setting/environment).
 
Main differences from the Sig Pro and the Sig DJs, the Sig DJs have bigger bass and their soundstage is improved by a LOT (to my ears). The Sig Pros sound more laid back than the DJs, more neutral-ish, less U-shaped. Both provide good clarity and defined sound overall. It depends if you want the more "fun" sound of the DJs against the bit more neutral Sig Pros.
 

anakchan said:

   
That comment got my interest too since I have both the SigDJ & the ADs now. At a high level, they're apples to oranges to me 'cos the SigDJ is quite U shaped. Will need more time with the ADs still.
 
About leak & isolation, I think the ADs takes the crown in both over the SigDJ, M100, & definitely over the TH-900. I could say anything to (or about) my wife when she was trying out the ADs earlier in the evening and would get away with it. She didn't even hear her phone ring next to her. I couldn't hear what she was listening until she lifted the headphones off her head - we're 5 feet apart and the only sound is the reverse cycle wall airconditioner/heater.
 
You may wanna ask the SigPro/DJ on the Ultrasone thread or have a read of my review of it.

Click to expand...

 
Yeah, my preference is due to the "fun" experience and overall good sound from the Sig DJs, not which ones are more neutral, more natural sounding, etc. Though I feel that the Sig DJs are not bad at detail extraction, mids presence (yes, they are more recessed but not so much that I don't enjoy my Fiona Apple, Esperanza Spalding or my metalcore ) and overall sound reproduction.
 
Again it will all depend on preference. Sound-wise I enjoy the more fun signature if I was to have just one headphone. But like I said, the Alpha's can also tackle most genres without problems and they are MORE COMFORTABLE than either Ultrasone but, I guess I like to have even a bit more slam on the low-end!

mad lust envy said:

I don't own the Mad Dogs, I borrowed them from Dan, just as I have borrowed the Alpha Dog from Dan.

The Alpha Dog does Chillstep justice. I may prefer the tonality on the Mad Dog myself, but the Alpha Dog doesn't do anything particularly wrong. It's detailed, neutral, and super fast. Plenty of body too.

Click to expand...

oh, I love the Alpha's and Mad Dogs for chillstep, ambient house, underground tech house - 
killer cans for all that stuff.
 
Hell - maybe it's because Dan is a fan of all that music too!
We were gonna head to Bearport's club in Denver during CanJam - but we were both just too beat I think...

happy xmas

mikemercer said:

 

mad lust envy said:

I don't own the Mad Dogs, I borrowed them from Dan, just as I have borrowed the Alpha Dog from Dan.

The Alpha Dog does Chillstep justice. I may prefer the tonality on the Mad Dog myself, but the Alpha Dog doesn't do anything particularly wrong. It's detailed, neutral, and super fast. Plenty of body too.

Click to expand...

oh, I love the Alpha's and Mad Dogs for chillstep, ambient house, underground tech house - 
killer cans for all that stuff.

Click to expand...

I am enjoying the Mad Dog and the Schiit Vali amp combination with just that sort of music...

mad lust envy said:

If those graphs are accurate, I'm guessing that sudden rise at what 7.5khz or so is what bothers me on both the MD and AD.

Click to expand...

 
I can't imagine that graph is even remotely accurate.  It shows a 6db peak at 4k and a 12db mountain in the curve at ~7k.  People scream bloody murder about a 3db peak in the hd800's curve in that region.  Something here is amiss.

skeptic said:

   
I can't imagine that graph is even remotely accurate.  It shows a 6db peak at 4k and a 12db mountain in the curve at ~7k.  People scream bloody murder about a 3db peak in the hd800's curve in that region.  Something here is amiss.

Click to expand...

What do you know.  You're just a skeptic.
 
 
 
 
Sorry, had to do it.

Touche!  In this case though, I'm actually among the faithful.  After following Dan's work way back when in the fostex thread, it doesn't seem like he would tune his flagships as depicted in those graphs.  I'll run a sweep when my pair arrives in a couple weeks though and will let you know if my head blows off my shoulders when I hit 7khz lol.

So what about the graph that Dan gave us himself last couple months ago? Seem like if innerfidelity or I mean Tyll measures the Alpha Dog then we will know more precisely but I think each company has at least one or two dedicated methods to measure. At some old posts recently someone, who received a mail from Dan, showed that maybe there will be an announcement in the future about soft re-tune the Alpha Dog or some hardware upgrades but could take half of a year or longer from now.

It will be sad to part with the Alpha Dog. I love almost everything about it. It, and the MD are the only two closed headphones with non-cloth pads I can basically wear all day. The AD is heavy, but the comfort is still top notch. The Alpha Pads, well, I'm sure most of you are aware of how amazing those pads are. Literally the only non-velour/alcantara pads I don't have a problem with.

Nice, Mad Lust Envy and I have been waiting for your review for so long until now since the Alpha Dog has been released.

I'll probably begin writing tonight, though it probably won't be done for a few days. Expect around 8s-8.5 all across the board, remembering that 8 = Great, and not the bastardized 8s that seem to mean 'good not great' today on the internet.