Ultrasone PRO 750

I have owned the Ultrasone Pro 750 for approximately 6 years and to say that I am familiar with the sound of this particular headphone would be an immense understatement.
As a highly experienced listener to the Pro 750 I can readily assure all of the people who have written negative reviews about this headphone that there is something wrong with either the way you are using the Pro 750 (such as improper placement on the ears or faulty or inappropriate amplification) and not with the Pro 750 itself.  The only exception to this would be a case, a rare case, involving your having had a defective pair of the Pro 750 or possibly another type of rare case involving the particular listener having a "incompatible" pair of ears.
There will probably be not only those who claim to disagree with me but who also disagree vehemently.  I used to post on this website frequently approximately 2 years ago and I read many reviews of various headphones.  What these reviews taught me is that headphone preference is highly individualistic.  I remember one particular Head-Fi member who asked me to make comparisons of the Pro 750 to other headphones.  I answered that member rather vaguely simply because I did not want to insult those who preferred other headphones or argue with those who claimed that the Pro 750 has some type of offensive sound. 
Once again, I can attest from personal experience that merely by changing the position of the headphones on one's head thereby affecting the positioning of the cups on the ears dramatically changes a negative opinion of the sound of the Pro 750 to a very positive one relating to the aforementioned conditions inclusive of appropriate amplification. There is most definitely a proper way to wear the Pro 750 and that positioning on the head and ears could well be different from the position to which you are accustomed.
In my opinion, appropriate amplification for the Pro 750 is the most neutral "flat" response possible.  The Pro 750 will render a very realistic sound under the right conditions.  If your preference is to not hear what the recording producer and engineer intended you to hear, either listen to the Pro 750 with an amp that alters the sound or use a different headphone that either has a completely "flat" frequency response or one that alters the sound differently than the Pro 750 does. 
Whoa! What did you just read?!  Did Peter Pinna actually write that the Pro 750 alters the sound?  Yes, I did but the Pro 750 alters the sound in such a way as to cause what you hear through them to sound like "flat response" audio coming from recording studio monitor speakers in a controlled ("dead") room environment.   I used to have the mistaken belief that the Pro 750 were "flat" response headphones.  The reason I held this belief was because there was very minimal (hard to detect) difference between the sound coming from studio monitors in a controlled environment compared to the sound given by the Pro 750.   It was pointed out and exemplified to me that the sound of audio as one hears through the Pro 750 has to be altered to cause that sound to come across as what our ears hear as a "flat" response from an acoustically controlled room speaker.  Actual "flat" response from a headphone does not "sound" like a "flat" response as the sound would come from a speaker in a controlled environment. 
If you want to hear what an actual "flat" response headphone would sound like, go to a store that sells very small speakers and buy two of them.  Only buy speakers and not speakers in a housing. Put the speakers simultaneously by each ear and listen to some music played directly from the built-in amplifier of a sound source such as a phonograph.  It sounds dull and annoyingly "colorless" doesn't it?  Well, that's what a "flat" response headphone would sound like and that is the reason that "flat" response headphones are not sold generally to those who want to use them for music listening.   “Flat” response headphones are used in industries for only voice communication such as the Aviation Industry.
If you are able, take those two aforementioned speakers with you to a recording studio and have one of the engineers play some music for you. I suggest a classical piece played by a Symphony Orchestra. You might try Brahms “Double” Concerto for Violin and Cello in A Minor because there is a fairly wide spectrum of high and low frequencies in this piece of music. First have them play the music through their monitor speakers in their control room. The control / listening rooms in most professional recording studios are acoustically balanced so that there is no or extremely little resonance (an acoustically “dead” room) detectable.
Listen to their monitor speakers for awhile so that you become accustomed to the sound. Then have them turn off the monitor speakers and play the music through the two little speakers you brought with you. Hold the speakers next to your ears as if they are headphones. It sounds awful doesn't it? Once again, you would be listening to small speakers that are rendering a “flat” response. One reason they sound awful is because they are right next to your ear. Part of the reason the “flat” response monitor speakers sound so much better is because they are a distance from your ears allowing the sound that you perceive to be affected by and radiated off the pinna of your ears.
Next, ask the Sound Engineer to play the music through the monitor speakers again. Once again, become accustomed to the sound they produce. Then, put on a pair of well “burned in” Ultrasone Pro 750 headphones and have the engineer run the sound through them after turning off the monitor speakers. You will be amazed at how extremely similar your perception of the sound from Pro 750 is compared to the sound you heard from the monitor speakers. The audio coming from the Pro 750 sounds very similar to the audio coming from “flat” response monitor speakers in an acoustically controlled (“dead”) room.
The Pro 750 is an extremely revealing headphone. When properly worn and with the correct neutral amplification, through them you will hear musical detail you've probably never heard before. The sound textures are rich and vibrant. The high, middle and low frequency range is well balanced and very “alive” sounding. The realistic sounding music surrounds and captivates you as it plays beautifully through the Pro 750. Yes, let there be no misunderstanding, I am emphatically stating that the S-Logic effect is definitely heard from the Pro 750 and some recordings reveal this effect more than others.
If you are considering the buying of a headphone, I strongly suggest that you hear whatever headphone you are considering before buying it. Make a decision based on how your ears and brain perceive sound.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Ultrasone PRO 750 S-Logic Surround Sound Professional Headphones
 
Straight out of the box and I would say these headphones are really harsh, sound quality is not nice at all, lots of bass in there but really muddy & overall definition of sound is really poor, I think I like the sonic signature of these phones, the overall balance of sound is near what I’m seeking, just about the right quantity of Bass to Mid to Top’s (lol).
 
8 hours later, sound quality has definitely improved, still not good though!
 
20+ hours & they really have come a long way, the clarity is superb, I love the bass, plenty of it but never overpowering, you can immerse yourself in a sea of sub bass, the overall definition of sound is amazing, the stereo imaging and soundstage is impressive, I really want to like these headphones but  there’s a proviso, there’s way too much treble & at high volumes it can be rather painful, sharper than a razor blade the treble is so vicious. This could be a deal breaker?
 
40+ hours.......... For a set of headphones the ‘Ultrasone Pro 750 has some of the best Clarity & Detail imaginable, it has a slightly metallic sound to it which is not unpleasant. They are remarkably comfortable, the build appears to be of very high quality, the carry case is amazing, spare velvet ear-pads, 1 short cable  3.5mm stereo mini jack for MP3 players/phones, a longer coiled cable for professional use terminating with a 6.33mm stereo jack plug.
 
The Sub-Bass on these cans is phenomenal, I just love the bottom end on these cans, whatever device you plug them into you will be astounded by the bass & clarity. The low frequencies are so clearly defined and they don’t detract at all with the mids/highs. It’s close to listening to high end speakers. Most of the listening sessions were done using ALAC (Apple Lossles) files with an iPod connected to my Sony PHA-1 Headphone Amplifier/DAC,  a few hours listening to FLAC’s on my Hisoundaudio Studio-V. I tried several iPods on their own the bass even sounds powerful straight out of the iPod and they all sounded good un-amped (Shuffle 4G, Touch 4G + 5G,  iPod Video 5G, iPod Classic 7G + a Microsoft Zune 80gb). Some of the songs I’ve listened to sounded absolutely incredible, best I’d ever heard them. When the circumstances are right, the headphones are amazing performers, sometimes they sound like the best headphones I have ever listened to.
 
I’m really sorry about this part of the review, I thought that just maybe I had found a perfect pair of headphones, but things are not all good. These are one of the worst headphones I have ever listened to...... Sometimes (quiet frequently) ...... The treble is so vicious that at loud volumes I can only describe it as painful. At quiet volume the sound quality is ok but still not right. But, and a big but, once your turn up the volume you are immediately rewarded with torture, ear piercing treble/top-end, so far forward it takes away the enjoyment of the music, it’s really fatiguing and you find yourself lowering the volume, the frequencies are wrong on these, why have you done this Ultrasone? I wanted to love them so much, those beautiful basslines and the lovely clean detailed sound. At ear-splitting levels they still sound good but I can’t take the pain anymore. I’ve dusted them off, put everything back in the original packaging, 3 days of painful bliss over....
 
At 0.8m the cable is a little short, only good if you can keep your Music Player/Phone in a top pocket.
The left-hand side velvet ear-pad unscrewed itself and fell off several times.
 
Verdict: OUCH!!!!! If it wasn't for the 'Highs' I would have scored them well........... However.. In reality whats the point owning a pair of headphones if you can't wear them, I have gone for the no pain route.
                                                                                                                         
 
 
 

I've had quite a few of Ultrasones, which include the HFI 580, HFI 2400, PRO 900 and the PRO 750. I prefer the 750 over all of these. They have a very balanced sound with amazing tight bass and an edge in the highs. Mids are very forward for an Ultrasone, though I find the highs to be slightly too aggressive and overbearing at times, though it's not as bad as most people say they are. It's a very fun headphone, without the bass drowning the music like the PRO 900 and the ultra recessed mids of the HFI 580. I also think they are very comfortable because of the velour padding and that they look badass. These are extremely easy to drive headphones, and I don't understand why people say these need a lot of power to run, as I can run it directly through my MacBook Air and get amazing results. Out of my EF2A amp, I don't hear much of a difference at all compared to unamped. I will buy a small E6 for these to maybe get a slightly louder sound out of my smartphone, but if you cannot afford an amp for these, don't worry, they run fine without one. I need to get a cable extender because the straight cable is very short. Comes with a sturdy carrying case, two cables (one straight, one coiled), a manual, a test CD and an extra set of velour pads. It's an amazing headphone, highly recommended.

I will keep this short. I couldn't find many reviews so I decided to take a gamble and try these out for size. The gamble did not pay off! The Pro 750s have a horrible unnatural sound that defies belief. They do work with some electronic music but everything else just sounds wrong. It is not even a matter of taste, responsiveness etc, it is just a very poor technical design. I even let them burn in for around 20 hours to see if that would take off their horrible hard edged treble and overkill bass but it didn't work. They remained unnatural and just overbearing at either end of the spectrum. If you want mega bass and really pronounced highs then give these a try. I gave them to my colleagues to try and all returned them within seconds complaining of the treble hurting their ears. Sorry Ultrasone

Amplifiers used: Fiio E7 and Woo Audio WA3
 
Alright so several weeks ago i purchased the Ultrasone Pro 750 headphones. I paid $225 on Amazon along with a Fiio E7. I've had them for almost a month and i believe i can now form a solid opinion on these headphones. I'll give a brief overview and then go a little more in depth. Let me say these headphones are CLEAR and CRISP. These are ridiculosly detailed. The highs are crisp, the midrange is radiant, and the lows are exceptional. The highs although are piercing, not neccesarily in a bad way but they are legitametly PIERCING. The midrange could definatly use a little more umph. I feel like they are a bit recessed. Overall the sound quality is quite exceptional, these make for a very fun pair of cans too listen too. 
 
The build quality is very well done. The ear cups are plated with aluminum, i heard another user say they were plastic, which is untrue. The rest of the build is plastic. The plastic is very solid, it's more of a high density plastic which lends a high quality appeal to the headphones. The comfort is good but not great. The ear cups are a very soft velvet. I think that the circular design makes for not the best comfort compared to the stretched cups of most headphones. 
 
Overall for $225 these things are a great buy, especially compared to something in the $200 dollar range. These kill the dt770. And to be honest i can say that these sound better than the AHD2000. And on that bombshell i end this review.

    First of all, I bought these on eBay when a online store is doing a clearance, I paid $300USD, Which is a huge bargain. For many of us, price might be a bit on the expensive side even at $300(MSRP$425). But I got to say, they are truly worth it.
    The package is one of the better once I have seen(part from Monster's product which has packaging, even tho the product are crazily overpriced.) Open the box, you will find another box, which is the carring as, and it's as big as the package, and that to me, its a bit too big, they fit everything into the case(really well made no doubt), comes with 2set of earpads, the one on the headphones are slightly thinner than the once under the package, also comes with a shorter 1/8 to 1/8 (0.8m length) cable and a coiled 1/8(connects to the headphone) to 1/4(to source) cable(>3m length), both detachable. A Demo CD and a menu.
    The earpads which has the "speed-switch" design are really good, becasue Ultrasone has got suggestion that DJs are only given a set of earpads instead of their own headphones, so they have to spend half and hour to get the earpads on, therefore they design this earpads which takes me about 3second to put on, Great Design!!
   The cable are heavy duty, really nice cable(not much to talk about)
    Now, the headphones, before the burn in, it was harsh and the treble are really"spiky", sounds like you are being stab inside your ears. But, after 40hours of burn in, the Ultrasone sound is starting to come. The detailing is amazing, you will be surprised by how much more detail it reveals than many other headphones in this price range. This headphones have a 40 mm titanium-plated driver, which Ultrasone claims that it's the stiffiest driver you can get and it deliveres deep and well defined bass, and they are not making it up, the bass is deep, and it "pinch and release" really quickly. The treble is smooth like silk. These headphone have what Ultrasone call the "S-Logic" technology, which they off set the dirver to the bottom front of the cans, which creates a more natural sound, this sort of works, as I tried the Demo CD which show case the S-Logic surround sound, and compare to the Shure 840 and the Monster Beats PRO, it does much much better. They also have MU Metal bufferboard, which reduce this radiation by up to 98%, compared to conventional headphones.(I can't test that but I think it should work as they claimed).
 
In general, these headphone delivers a better performance than almost any other headphones in these price range, great comfort over long lisenting period, well balanced sound and exceptional clarity and detailing.

As the Ultrasone Pro 750 arrived, I really wanted to like them.  After all, these headphones embody just about everything I've claimed to like in the past few months of acquisition and experimentation with various headphones.  They have a very balanced sound signature, they are detailed, and bright rather than dark.  I was waiting for that Ultrasone bass that I kept hearing about, and I was prepared to give them enough time to really get a sense of them.

Well, it's been over a week, and I've put quite a few hours on the 750s.  Do I like them?  I'm still not sure.  There are a lot of things I like about them, but there are some troubling areas as well.

I really like the build quality and packaging.  It's great to have a choice between the coiled and straight cord, the headphones themselves are well-built without feeling bulky, I find I can wear them comfortably for hours, they have the right amount of clamping pressure, and the replacement pads are a nice touch.  The hard case will definitely keep them safe when not in use, and I'd really like to see more companies include a good transportation option.

On a first listen, though, I was a lot less impressed.  As I've already said, I like bright headphones.  I got rid of the Shure SRH-840 because I found them bland.  I like the Beyer DT-990 Pros and never found them too harsh.  None of this prepared me for the sharpness that is Ultrasone treble.  My first impression was that sharp glass was being jammed into my ears.  I gave them some time, because I knew it might just need some further breaking in or that perhaps I would just need to spend some time getting used to the overall sound signature.  For a few days, I kept trying, and was getting increasingly frustrated.  I couldn't begin to understand why anyone would like this sound.

One afternoon, I was in the basement with my laptop, and I didn't have my usual amp setup--just my humble Hotaudio Bitperfect.  Although it's not the best amp in my inventory, it is significantly warmer than my other sources, and it made a huge difference.  The warmth of this amp cut the edge off the treble, and brought a bit of warmth to the midrange.  Suddenly, the 750's sound signature started to make a bit more sense.  The rest of the review is written as the headphones sound out of a warm source.  I still can't listen to these cans out of my custom DAC/Amp, which sounds better for all of my other headphones.

There's no question, these are still treble-heavy cans.  What consistently impresses me is their detail retrieval.  Even when stacked up against the DT990/600, the DT150, and Fostex T50RP, the Ultrasones consistently reveal details that the other headphones obscure.  I've never heard cymbals like this, and they create a truly impressive feeling of sparkle and space around instruments and vocalists.  When I use Massive Attack's Angel as a test track, it's always the bass that stands out.  With the Pro 750, the bass is there, but what really stands out is the clarity and punch of the drums.  That clarity and punch is true of other instruments as well.  I used to play trombone in jazz bands, which means I stood right in front of rows of trumpets.  Loading up tracks like The Mingus Big Band's Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting reminded me exactly how that used to sound.  They make trumpets and alto saxes sound spectacular.  These are hugely energetic headphones.

Detractors of the Ultrasone sound always talk about the metallic midrange, and it's a fair criticism.  That brightness that creates such clarity and punch in the high end also draws warmth out of the midrange, where it's needed most.  Jeff Buckley's Lilac Wine is one of my other test tracks, and while the Ultrasones do a great job of creating space between the instruments, it doesn't showcase his voice as well as some of my other headphones.  This is a bigger problem for female vocals.  Fiona Apple's voice should sound rich and warm, not sharp.  Ironically, what isn't perfect for vocals proves to be excellent with both piano and guitar, though, and it makes me wonder if I'm not just used to warmth being added by most headphones.

The Pro 750s have exceptional bass, but it's also very balanced.  That means these are definitely not the Ultrasones to recommend to serious bassheads.  In tracks with lots of bass, the Pro 750 delivers with ease, diving as deep as the track demands.  They lack the muscle of the Beyerdynamics at the bottom end, but deliver some of the tightest bass I've heard.  Even with low electronic bass, individual notes are always clear.  They pass both the Angel test and The Chemical Brothers' Under the Influence test with ease.  Still, with both these tracks, by the time the bass is up where I want it to be, I find myself overwhelmed by the bright treble.  The bass is a reminder that these are meant to be studio tools, not DJ headphones and not for casual listening.

The other big question with Ultrasones is whether or not the S-Logic works.  For me, the answer is "sort of".  The effect is surprisingly subtle, and does place the sound slightly outside the skull, but certainly doesn't perform any magic.  I think people go in expecting the S-Logic to live up to the marketing hype, and it really doesn't.  It's just another way to create a slightly more open sound from a closed pair of headphones.

I have a few other things I want to make sure make it into this review for people who are curious about the 750.  First, their ability to resolve detail makes them extremely source-dependent.  They sound like total crap on tracks that were poorly mastered, and they reveal compression in low-bitrate MP3s better than any other pair of headphones I've ever put on.  These are a bad choice for anyone who is unwilling to commit to seeking out high quality copies of well-mastered music.  Pop music that suffers from the loudness wars are particularly painful--keep these headphones far away from contemporary radio pop.

In addition to being source-dependant, I've already pointed out that they are quite amp-dependant.  They sound unbearable out of my custom DAC/Amp, unpleasant out of my Cute Battery II, and completely wrong out of the Musical Paradise tube amp.  I had high hopes for that combination because of the warmth of the tubes, but no luck.  They sound better from my Yamaha Home Theatre receiver, but best out of the Hotaudio Bitperfect, which I can't say is true of any of the other cans I own.  I also usually hate software sound modification.  I almost never use equalizers, dislike crossfeed effects, and always find software virtualization just muddies up the sound.  Strangely enough, I find that the Izotope Ozone plugin for Winamp really improves the overall tone of the Pro 750s, which means they respond quite well to equalization.  I'd be interested to know what percentage of Ultrasone owners use software mods compared to fans of other brands.

They also don't isolate particularly well for closed headphones.  Even at moderate listening levels, these leak quite a bit of noise, especially when taken off.  They don't leak as much as Grados, of course, but I wouldn't use these if you need to wear headphones next to someone that's trying to sleep.

Again, the Pro 750s make for a tough recommendation.  It's taken a week, but I am starting to hear what makes these headphones so polarizing.  I understand why Ultrasone spawns rabid fanboy enthusiasm, because I've never heard clarity quite like this, especially from dynamic headphones.  They are bold, brash and uncompromising, and I suspect that getting too used to this sound would spoil you for most other brands.  I also understand why some people have described these as the worst headphones they've ever heard.  They are sharp and icy cold, and I find they take getting used to every time I've been listening to other headphones.  After listening to them for an hour, though, they make most of my other headphones sound muddy and flabby, which is actually pretty impressive.  I'm not trying to say that either side of this debate is right, but I will say that we won't see this argument go away any time soon.

For now, I'm going to hang on to the 750s.  They do some things stunningly well, and even though they are never easy headphones to listen to, they are magical with certain tracks.  I'm not sure yet whether they will be a permanent addition to my collection, but I at least admire how uncompromising Ultrasone were when they designed these.  Will you like them?  Your guess is as good as mine.  Do everything you can to hear a pair before you drop the money on them, though, because there are definitely no guarantees.
 

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I am doing a quick follow-up.  Last week, I completed the well-documented Kees mod on the Ultrasone Pro 750, and I'm pleased to say it has made an absolute world of difference.  The bass has been brought out a bit, the mids have been sweetened, and it tamed the highs nicely.  They are still very cold headphones, but are now genuinely enjoyable with almost every track I've tried them with.  They have maintained their analytical qualities and balance, and could now be used for professional monitoring and mixing if needed.  Because of the ease of modding these, I have adjusted my score accordingly.