Ultrasone Pro 900 - Ultimate Review w/ pictures
1)Equipment and cabling
A)Headphones
Ultrasone PRO 900
Type: Closed, over-ear, big, dynamic driver monitor
Frequency response: 6 - 42.000 Hz
Impedance: 40 Ω
Efficiency: 96 dB
Weight: 295 g (without cable)
Fun, colored, bass heavy, unforgiving, aggressive, extended, V shaped.
The midrange is recessed with very potent bass and extended aggressive highs. Prone to sibilance, but can provide a very special sound signature. Takes a lot of time to get used to and has a long burn in process. Adds a bit of extra bass to everything. They complement neutral headphones very well.
Works really well for gaming. Also really good when traveling [even unamped] but a slightly warm amp [ex. Fiiio E11 works really well] would be recommended.
Doesn't cope well with neutral amps.
B)Amplifiers, Digital to Analog Converters, Preamplifiers and more
Fiio E11
A very versatile little amp.
Slightly warmer tonality with smooth highs. Decent instrument separation and soundstage. Ideal for most portable headphones. Fits your pocket nicely. The stock battery lasts about 8 hours.
Packs lots of power. For 60 bucks it is hard to beat. Fully aluminium casing (like all amps here). Has a bass boost switch as well as a low/high gain one. Fiio is getting very popular among audiophiles these days because it offers good quality throughout for the price. The E11 is no exception
Pros
+ Small
+ Decent battery life
+ Price
+ Works with most headphones
Cons
- Cannot charge while playing
Overall 9/10
[A/N - The amplifier was not tested with the IEM, though I imagine it'd work well together. Not that it is necessary though, as these are pretty sensitive and don't really require amping to sound great]
C)Cables
Pro 900 stock 1/8 cable
Very sturdy stuff but also somewhat flexible
Also comes with a 1/4 cable
It is coiled. I also think those huge 1/4s are really pretty [much more than the 1/8s] as they feel more audiophile.
You can also get a 1.2m straight cable for portable use if you want [sold separately]
2)Unboxing and accessories
It comes in your standard packaging. Card-box, manual, a sample CD, the two cables, an extra pair of earpads and of course the headphone.
Nothing fancy but all the accessories you need are included. The cables are good, the earpads are soft the CD is a nice touch too.
If all headphones came like that, I'd be happy.
But as we know, some headphones come in a more bare-bones package, so kudos to Ultrasone here!
Package overall 9/10
Fiio not included.
3)Design, build quality and comfort
a)Design/Build quality
The Pro 900 is build like a tank. I actually had an accidental crash test with these. I accidentally pulled them down from a counter [around 1m in height]. It was absolutely in tact afterwards, as if nothing happened.
Pros are made entirely of plastic and come in at 280g, very durable, they can certainly take a beating, though the aluminium plates on the cups are prone to scratches.
As far as looks go, they look quite intriguing, unique indeed. They are not what I'd call sexy, but interesting looking nonetheless. No mistaking these for other headphones.
Build overall 9/10 (Build quality 9/10 Design 9/10)
b)Comfort
It is a very comfy headphone. Their lighter nature makes for very comfortable listening. The headband's padding does extort a bit of pressure on the top of one's head. The pads, while a bit shallow, are soft and seal well, one of the better made velour materials. They are also interchangeable, though the Ultrasone's proprietary mounting mechanism makes using third party pads difficult.
Comfort overall 8/10
4)First and further impressions
First off, the burn-in/brain adjustment period is very long with these. It's important to keep this in mind.
The highs were initially very strident and metallic, even harsh. Yes they were detailed but at the same time aggressive and during the burn-in period it was really hard to listen to female vocals for instance as these were just very sibilant and unnatural [way too pronounced] and not inviting at all. They smoothed out a bit over time.
Mids,what mids? No just kidding but the midrange is definitely recessed. String guitars and basically any background instruments are pushed back a great deal. Now, that doesn't mean you can't hear them. Because you can. Just not clearly enough due to the highs and lows taking preference. These did not improve with burn-in unfortunately... But it's their signature after all... A big V-shape.
In the other hand, bass is the next best thing. Really, it is phenomenal. It can do anything and drop as low as ever. It can do subwoofer bass... somehow.
In general the bass is very deep, impactful, nicely defined and detailed. It can be very satisfying as it can make the earpads resonate, so no change there.
Great for movies and video games as it can reproduce every explosion to the deepest note, no roll-off.
Right, but one's biggest strength can also be its weakness. The bass is not tight and very intrusive. It is more than slightly overpowering.
It doesn't sound particularly real at times [with drums,etc]. It does the oomph, it is not very audiophile and the extra oomph masks some texture and definition. Where the bass wants more texture than oomph, you still get more oomph. Nonetheless, the satisfaction factor is great if you crave for the boom
More in Sound category.
First impressions overall 7/10
5)Sound
I will put a graph here, should anyone be interested :]
A)Low-end/bass
Pros
+ Incredibly punchy and deep bass
+ Detailed
+ Reproduces both rumble and sub-bass effortlessly
+ Incredibly fun and satisfying
+ Mini subwoofers in your ears
Cons
- Too much of it for certain genres
Overall 8.5/10 – The bass is very satisfying as stated earlier. There are times when you simply can’t have enough of it. It hits as hard and deep as anything. Perfect for hip hop and such but less so for different genres like rock and others as it can sound quite unnatural and overpowering. Nonetheless, this is a bass-head can and as such it delivers. No matter how much bass, it is reproduced with authority and with detail mostly in tact.
B)Midrange
Pros
+ Detailed
+ When it’s there it sounds quite nice
Cons
- Most of the time it’s not there
- Gone for vacation (recessed)
- Pondered by bass and treble
- Lots of detail is hidden, even instruments
Overall 2.5/10 – The midrange is only amazing if you can hear it. If you can’t, it’s hard to judge. It’s amazing just how much of it is missing here. You get plenty of drums and bass and lots of vocals and cymbals but you only hear hints of guitars and pianos.
It’s V-shaped at it’s finest. The headphone was made like this for the reason of it’s fun signature, but I have to rate the mids as well and because there is very little of them and thus you can only hear little of the overall information that lies there, the rating will be representative of that. A recessed 2 and something.
C)Vocals
Pros
+ Extended and detailed
+ A hint of air
+ Pleasant (to a certain volume level)
Cons
- Unnatural
- Too much presence
- Sibilant and harsh
Overall 6/10 – for a closed pair of cans, the vocals are nice. They are finely extended with a smidge of air. The problem is the balance between them sounding pleasant and harsh is rather delicate. It’s normal for the whole frequency spectrum to get stronger with volume but the vocals are somewhat pronounced by default due to the V shaped sig. Once you cross a certain level they become hard to tolerate and very tizzy. With most singers the sibilance is there but the amount varies depending on whether the song is bright or dark by default.
D)Highs/treble
Pros
+ Detailed
+ Aggressive/exciting
+ Extended
Cons
- Unnatural
- Fatiguing
- Cymbals
Overall 7/10 - The highs sound fine. However, they do are, much like vocals, unnatural and fatiguing. Some call it metallic. Cymbals are an issue of their own, they sound way too emphasized, to the point, where their echo goes through your ears, up to your brain, where it causes a mini sensation [as in seizure] and then darts through your skull. The highs are the vocals in black and white. Cross a certain volume or pair them with the wrong source and you'll be wishing to take them off.
E)Soundstage/Instrument separation
Pros
+ Good soundstage width and depth
+ Colored tonality }alters the soundstage in a "fun" way]
+ Okay instrument separation
+ S-Logic?
Cons
- Not coherent
- Isn't transparent
- Not a good all-rounder
- instrument separation suffers due to V shaped signature
- S-Logic?
Overall 7/10 - It would be really good for a closed can, but the V-shape always ends up ruining the soundstaging. It is really nice that the song has strong bass and prominent treble but too bad I can't hear that guitar in the background or the piano behind it.=. The headphone is not good with many genres where midrange is important. However, it excels in genres like hip hop, rap, electronica and dubstep, where midrange isn't very present. If you listen to these exclusively, perhaps this is the can for you. If you don't, then look elsewhere.
S-Logic does nothing for me. No enhancements anywhere, nothing different from other headphones... If it is some proprietary technology build into the driver, I sincerely hope it wasn't too expensive.
F)Recordings sensitivity
Overall 2/10 - Let me say that Pro 900 is much less forgiving of bad files than any other headphone I've tried. Well to be fair, all headphones with analytic treble do tend to be less forgiving by nature but headphones, where the treble is inherently flawed [like this one], certainly enhance the issue.
Bright recordings are a nightmare. Vocals are most problematic due to increased sibilance. A little sibilance is okay, this is not.
It is hard to listen at loud volumes to virtually anything, let alone less stellar songs. Your only hope for loud listening is a warm amp/source or dark recordings.
My ears did not fancy this. Not cool, Ultrasone, not cool!
Sound overall 6/10
6)Gaming
This HP provides surprisingly good spatial cues and soundstaging here, where the issues are much less prominent.
The V-shaped signature is much less apparent than with music.
The midrange is luckily not too important for immersive gaming.
Highs are nice and extended and detailed as well, albeit not as airy or natural but still very engaging and less fatiguing.
The bass is again phenomenal here. It can reproduce the deepest explosions, no matter how deep or rumbly it is, 900 will reproduce it effortlessly
Pros are definitely very fun sounding and some might actually prefer it to other cans here, like with music.
In conclusion, the Pro 900 definitely works better with games and movies than it does with music.
Substantially so
Gaming overall 8.5/10
7)Portability
The Pro 900 is also great for portable use. With the Fiio E11 for example [not that you ever have to use the bass boost... but you can :]], which is my go to amp for the Pros. They isolate quite well and if you don't mind their size, put them on and go. Don't mind the people staring at you, just enjoy the music!
I never really found full-size headphones to be too obtrusive for walking, travelling or commuting, as long as they are driven reasonably by portable sources.
Portability overall 8/10
My current portable player [Clip+] not tested with the PRO 900 [Back then it was Ace II -> E11]
8)Unique trait
Pro 900 - Bass
As a whole the bass is their strongest point, very punchy and strong. has nice definition and detail and it can reproduce subwoofer like tones and even give the feeling of pushed air. It can do anything bass. Faithfully or not, it always also adds some extra everywhere. I never had it distort and the balance between quality and quantity is more than fine for suitable applications.
I know this is somewhat reminiscent of all bass heavy cans but it is not always executed as well as it is here.
10)Value
Again if we evaluate the Pros as an entity, it can fill many gaps except for the all-rounder gap.
It is great for gaming and likewise nice for portable use. However with regards to music only,you can't listen to everything you have in your collection, without scratching you head. Certain instruments and genres just don't cut it and others might sound unnatural. You are left with a mixed bag in the end. Due to the titanium drivers, there is much longer burn-in than necessary and due to the aggressive sometimes even shrill presentation the brain adjustment is longer as well. You can't do one without the other.
Chances are, by the time you burn them in, you might be on the verge of selling them, like me, but if you persevere, you will be rewarded.
They have an edge in the build quality, while not necessarily in the design and looks. Nonetheless, their appearance is definitely unique and the headphone is quite functional.
For 500 bucks, you might want to have a HP that can do it all, or perhaps not... Either way, 7.5 is the value here. It is a very decent headphone for various kinds of music, be it at home or outside and they perform quite remarkably when used as a gaming can.
Overall value 7.5/10
Titanium drivers - very long burn-in...
11)Conclusion
I think the Pro900 is a good headphone of a bit overpriced for its original MSRP. The street price has gone much lower, however, and as such I think around 300$ it is a much better value than it originally was. It is great for gaming and suffices for portable use as well. It is of course U-shaped and as such it is quite restrictive in which genres it performs well. If you are an Electronica/EDM/Rap/Hip-Hop or a gaming fan, these are the great immersive and involiving headphones for you. If you want an all-rounder, neutral headphone though, I'd look elsewhere.
Pro 900 final score 7/10
Thanks for reading!
1)Equipment and cabling
A)Headphones
Ultrasone PRO 900
Type: Closed, over-ear, big, dynamic driver monitor
Frequency response: 6 - 42.000 Hz
Impedance: 40 Ω
Efficiency: 96 dB
Weight: 295 g (without cable)
Fun, colored, bass heavy, unforgiving, aggressive, extended, V shaped.
The midrange is recessed with very potent bass and extended aggressive highs. Prone to sibilance, but can provide a very special sound signature. Takes a lot of time to get used to and has a long burn in process. Adds a bit of extra bass to everything. They complement neutral headphones very well.
Works really well for gaming. Also really good when traveling [even unamped] but a slightly warm amp [ex. Fiiio E11 works really well] would be recommended.
Doesn't cope well with neutral amps.
B)Amplifiers, Digital to Analog Converters, Preamplifiers and more
Fiio E11
A very versatile little amp.
Slightly warmer tonality with smooth highs. Decent instrument separation and soundstage. Ideal for most portable headphones. Fits your pocket nicely. The stock battery lasts about 8 hours.
Packs lots of power. For 60 bucks it is hard to beat. Fully aluminium casing (like all amps here). Has a bass boost switch as well as a low/high gain one. Fiio is getting very popular among audiophiles these days because it offers good quality throughout for the price. The E11 is no exception
Pros
+ Small
+ Decent battery life
+ Price
+ Works with most headphones
Cons
- Cannot charge while playing
Overall 9/10
[A/N - The amplifier was not tested with the IEM, though I imagine it'd work well together. Not that it is necessary though, as these are pretty sensitive and don't really require amping to sound great]
C)Cables
Pro 900 stock 1/8 cable
Very sturdy stuff but also somewhat flexible
Also comes with a 1/4 cable
It is coiled. I also think those huge 1/4s are really pretty [much more than the 1/8s] as they feel more audiophile.
You can also get a 1.2m straight cable for portable use if you want [sold separately]
2)Unboxing and accessories
It comes in your standard packaging. Card-box, manual, a sample CD, the two cables, an extra pair of earpads and of course the headphone.
Nothing fancy but all the accessories you need are included. The cables are good, the earpads are soft the CD is a nice touch too.
If all headphones came like that, I'd be happy.
But as we know, some headphones come in a more bare-bones package, so kudos to Ultrasone here!
Package overall 9/10
Fiio not included.
3)Design, build quality and comfort
a)Design/Build quality
The Pro 900 is build like a tank. I actually had an accidental crash test with these. I accidentally pulled them down from a counter [around 1m in height]. It was absolutely in tact afterwards, as if nothing happened.
Pros are made entirely of plastic and come in at 280g, very durable, they can certainly take a beating, though the aluminium plates on the cups are prone to scratches.
As far as looks go, they look quite intriguing, unique indeed. They are not what I'd call sexy, but interesting looking nonetheless. No mistaking these for other headphones.
Build overall 9/10 (Build quality 9/10 Design 9/10)
b)Comfort
It is a very comfy headphone. Their lighter nature makes for very comfortable listening. The headband's padding does extort a bit of pressure on the top of one's head. The pads, while a bit shallow, are soft and seal well, one of the better made velour materials. They are also interchangeable, though the Ultrasone's proprietary mounting mechanism makes using third party pads difficult.
Comfort overall 8/10
4)First and further impressions
First off, the burn-in/brain adjustment period is very long with these. It's important to keep this in mind.
The highs were initially very strident and metallic, even harsh. Yes they were detailed but at the same time aggressive and during the burn-in period it was really hard to listen to female vocals for instance as these were just very sibilant and unnatural [way too pronounced] and not inviting at all. They smoothed out a bit over time.
Mids,what mids? No just kidding but the midrange is definitely recessed. String guitars and basically any background instruments are pushed back a great deal. Now, that doesn't mean you can't hear them. Because you can. Just not clearly enough due to the highs and lows taking preference. These did not improve with burn-in unfortunately... But it's their signature after all... A big V-shape.
In the other hand, bass is the next best thing. Really, it is phenomenal. It can do anything and drop as low as ever. It can do subwoofer bass... somehow.
In general the bass is very deep, impactful, nicely defined and detailed. It can be very satisfying as it can make the earpads resonate, so no change there.
Great for movies and video games as it can reproduce every explosion to the deepest note, no roll-off.
Right, but one's biggest strength can also be its weakness. The bass is not tight and very intrusive. It is more than slightly overpowering.
It doesn't sound particularly real at times [with drums,etc]. It does the oomph, it is not very audiophile and the extra oomph masks some texture and definition. Where the bass wants more texture than oomph, you still get more oomph. Nonetheless, the satisfaction factor is great if you crave for the boom
More in Sound category.
First impressions overall 7/10
5)Sound
I will put a graph here, should anyone be interested :]
A)Low-end/bass
Pros
+ Incredibly punchy and deep bass
+ Detailed
+ Reproduces both rumble and sub-bass effortlessly
+ Incredibly fun and satisfying
+ Mini subwoofers in your ears
Cons
- Too much of it for certain genres
Overall 8.5/10 – The bass is very satisfying as stated earlier. There are times when you simply can’t have enough of it. It hits as hard and deep as anything. Perfect for hip hop and such but less so for different genres like rock and others as it can sound quite unnatural and overpowering. Nonetheless, this is a bass-head can and as such it delivers. No matter how much bass, it is reproduced with authority and with detail mostly in tact.
B)Midrange
Pros
+ Detailed
+ When it’s there it sounds quite nice
Cons
- Most of the time it’s not there
- Gone for vacation (recessed)
- Pondered by bass and treble
- Lots of detail is hidden, even instruments
Overall 2.5/10 – The midrange is only amazing if you can hear it. If you can’t, it’s hard to judge. It’s amazing just how much of it is missing here. You get plenty of drums and bass and lots of vocals and cymbals but you only hear hints of guitars and pianos.
It’s V-shaped at it’s finest. The headphone was made like this for the reason of it’s fun signature, but I have to rate the mids as well and because there is very little of them and thus you can only hear little of the overall information that lies there, the rating will be representative of that. A recessed 2 and something.
C)Vocals
Pros
+ Extended and detailed
+ A hint of air
+ Pleasant (to a certain volume level)
Cons
- Unnatural
- Too much presence
- Sibilant and harsh
Overall 6/10 – for a closed pair of cans, the vocals are nice. They are finely extended with a smidge of air. The problem is the balance between them sounding pleasant and harsh is rather delicate. It’s normal for the whole frequency spectrum to get stronger with volume but the vocals are somewhat pronounced by default due to the V shaped sig. Once you cross a certain level they become hard to tolerate and very tizzy. With most singers the sibilance is there but the amount varies depending on whether the song is bright or dark by default.
D)Highs/treble
Pros
+ Detailed
+ Aggressive/exciting
+ Extended
Cons
- Unnatural
- Fatiguing
- Cymbals
Overall 7/10 - The highs sound fine. However, they do are, much like vocals, unnatural and fatiguing. Some call it metallic. Cymbals are an issue of their own, they sound way too emphasized, to the point, where their echo goes through your ears, up to your brain, where it causes a mini sensation [as in seizure] and then darts through your skull. The highs are the vocals in black and white. Cross a certain volume or pair them with the wrong source and you'll be wishing to take them off.
E)Soundstage/Instrument separation
Pros
+ Good soundstage width and depth
+ Colored tonality }alters the soundstage in a "fun" way]
+ Okay instrument separation
+ S-Logic?
Cons
- Not coherent
- Isn't transparent
- Not a good all-rounder
- instrument separation suffers due to V shaped signature
- S-Logic?
Overall 7/10 - It would be really good for a closed can, but the V-shape always ends up ruining the soundstaging. It is really nice that the song has strong bass and prominent treble but too bad I can't hear that guitar in the background or the piano behind it.=. The headphone is not good with many genres where midrange is important. However, it excels in genres like hip hop, rap, electronica and dubstep, where midrange isn't very present. If you listen to these exclusively, perhaps this is the can for you. If you don't, then look elsewhere.
S-Logic does nothing for me. No enhancements anywhere, nothing different from other headphones... If it is some proprietary technology build into the driver, I sincerely hope it wasn't too expensive.
F)Recordings sensitivity
Overall 2/10 - Let me say that Pro 900 is much less forgiving of bad files than any other headphone I've tried. Well to be fair, all headphones with analytic treble do tend to be less forgiving by nature but headphones, where the treble is inherently flawed [like this one], certainly enhance the issue.
Bright recordings are a nightmare. Vocals are most problematic due to increased sibilance. A little sibilance is okay, this is not.
It is hard to listen at loud volumes to virtually anything, let alone less stellar songs. Your only hope for loud listening is a warm amp/source or dark recordings.
My ears did not fancy this. Not cool, Ultrasone, not cool!
Sound overall 6/10
6)Gaming
This HP provides surprisingly good spatial cues and soundstaging here, where the issues are much less prominent.
The V-shaped signature is much less apparent than with music.
The midrange is luckily not too important for immersive gaming.
Highs are nice and extended and detailed as well, albeit not as airy or natural but still very engaging and less fatiguing.
The bass is again phenomenal here. It can reproduce the deepest explosions, no matter how deep or rumbly it is, 900 will reproduce it effortlessly
Pros are definitely very fun sounding and some might actually prefer it to other cans here, like with music.
In conclusion, the Pro 900 definitely works better with games and movies than it does with music.
Substantially so
Gaming overall 8.5/10
7)Portability
The Pro 900 is also great for portable use. With the Fiio E11 for example [not that you ever have to use the bass boost... but you can :]], which is my go to amp for the Pros. They isolate quite well and if you don't mind their size, put them on and go. Don't mind the people staring at you, just enjoy the music!
I never really found full-size headphones to be too obtrusive for walking, travelling or commuting, as long as they are driven reasonably by portable sources.
Portability overall 8/10
My current portable player [Clip+] not tested with the PRO 900 [Back then it was Ace II -> E11]
8)Unique trait
Pro 900 - Bass
As a whole the bass is their strongest point, very punchy and strong. has nice definition and detail and it can reproduce subwoofer like tones and even give the feeling of pushed air. It can do anything bass. Faithfully or not, it always also adds some extra everywhere. I never had it distort and the balance between quality and quantity is more than fine for suitable applications.
I know this is somewhat reminiscent of all bass heavy cans but it is not always executed as well as it is here.
10)Value
Again if we evaluate the Pros as an entity, it can fill many gaps except for the all-rounder gap.
It is great for gaming and likewise nice for portable use. However with regards to music only,you can't listen to everything you have in your collection, without scratching you head. Certain instruments and genres just don't cut it and others might sound unnatural. You are left with a mixed bag in the end. Due to the titanium drivers, there is much longer burn-in than necessary and due to the aggressive sometimes even shrill presentation the brain adjustment is longer as well. You can't do one without the other.
Chances are, by the time you burn them in, you might be on the verge of selling them, like me, but if you persevere, you will be rewarded.
They have an edge in the build quality, while not necessarily in the design and looks. Nonetheless, their appearance is definitely unique and the headphone is quite functional.
For 500 bucks, you might want to have a HP that can do it all, or perhaps not... Either way, 7.5 is the value here. It is a very decent headphone for various kinds of music, be it at home or outside and they perform quite remarkably when used as a gaming can.
Overall value 7.5/10
Titanium drivers - very long burn-in...
11)Conclusion
I think the Pro900 is a good headphone of a bit overpriced for its original MSRP. The street price has gone much lower, however, and as such I think around 300$ it is a much better value than it originally was. It is great for gaming and suffices for portable use as well. It is of course U-shaped and as such it is quite restrictive in which genres it performs well. If you are an Electronica/EDM/Rap/Hip-Hop or a gaming fan, these are the great immersive and involiving headphones for you. If you want an all-rounder, neutral headphone though, I'd look elsewhere.
Pro 900 final score 7/10
Thanks for reading!