[jamato8]

Yes, on the 780 we can agree. I modified it and that helped some but please. . . 

 

[pcf]

Quote:

Yes, on the 780 we can agree. I modified it and that helped some but please. . . 

 


I know.

Are you tempted by the newer Ultrasone offerings( Ed8,10 etc)?
  

 

 

[jamato8]

Sadly, yes, but I feel too much of the money is in the bling and not in the fidelity, no matter how they sound. 

 

[Dynamic74]

I think that the edition headphones are not all blings and no fidelity either. Let's look at the much joked-about Ethiopian sheep skin leather. Although it is a luxury leather, it helps much in the isolation of sound and comfort for the Edition 9 too. Without the sheep skin leather, the Edition 9 will not sound like what it sound like too. I read from some sources that if you fit the same sheep skin leather ear pads to the HFI-780, it will improve the sound quality and isolation too.
 
For the Edition 10, the one-piece machined aluminum headphone bracket contributed to the lightness and rigidity of the headband. Even the butterfly gills outer earcup machined from a one piece ruthenium-plated metal contributed to lessening the resonance of the ear cup that I think is slightly present in the Edition 9. The matching of the drivers and hand assembly also resulted in a more precise and high quality device that would be otherwise be of lesser sound quality if 100% assembled by the assembly line.

 

[Jose C]

...

 

[jamato8]

Quote:

I think that the edition headphones are not all blings and no fidelity either. Let's look at the much joked-about Ethiopian sheep skin leather. Although it is a luxury leather, it helps much in the isolation of sound and comfort for the Edition 9 too. Without the sheep skin leather, the Edition 9 will not sound like what it sound like too. I read from some sources that if you fit the same sheep skin leather ear pads to the HFI-780, it will improve the sound quality and isolation too.
 
For the Edition 10, the one-piece machined aluminum headphone bracket contributed to the lightness and rigidity of the headband. Even the butterfly gills outer earcup machined from a one piece ruthenium-plated metal contributed to lessening the resonance of the ear cup that I think is slightly present in the Edition 9. The matching of the drivers and hand assembly also resulted in a more precise and high quality device that would be otherwise be of lesser sound quality if 100% assembled by the assembly line.

I didn't mean to imply that it was all bling. What I meant was the money invested in some of the wood inlay and metal work, for me, and that is me and my opinion, would have been better invested in upgrading any possible area of the musical reproduction. It's all good. I enjoy reading any impressions on the sound and look forward to reading more. I also enjoy reading about the quality of materials, fit and finish. 
 

 

[Dynamic74]

Hi Jamato8, I agree with you that the wooden inlay and ruthenium plating are blings and do not contribute to the music reproduction. What I am trying to say that certain parts of the headphones described as 'blings' may have certain useful functions. I am glad you are enjoying your Edition 9, the Edition 10 is more solidly built and comfortable when compared to Edition 9. Have a pleasant day ahead!

 

[Uncle Erik]

Quote:

What I am trying to say that certain parts of the headphones described as 'blings' may have certain useful functions.

 
Those are more like lame excuses.  Vinyl would work 99.999% the same as Ethiopian Leather.  It's just sales copy and, well, bling.  Same with all the platings, coatings, etc. that don't contribute to the sound.  They are only there to make a big sales fuss over.
 
No comment on the Ed. 10, because I haven't heard it, but I've listened to the rest of the Ulrasones and haven't ever felt an urge to buy one.

 

[Dynamic74]

Whether they are lame excuses or not, those are my observations. I have the Sennheiser HD-25 1 which uses pleather. They isolate well but are not just as comfortable as real leather. I agree with you that the platings and coatings do not contribute to the sound, but the structure of the ear cup does. I also agree with you that quite a number of these are sales gimmicks to attract the 'well-heeled' to purchase these 'limited' edition items. But then again, they also sounded better than many other headphones and iems that I had auditioned. You may want to audition the Edition 10 because IMO they sounded quite different from other Ultrasones. But as with the other Ultrasone that I had experienced, it is better to try one with at least 300 hours of burn-in to have it sound its best. Have a pleasant day ahead!
 
Quote:

Quote:
Those are more like lame excuses.  Vinyl would work 99.999% the same as Ethiopian Leather.  It's just sales copy and, well, bling.  Same with all the platings, coatings, etc. that don't contribute to the sound.  They are only there to make a big sales fuss over.
 
No comment on the Ed. 10, because I haven't heard it, but I've listened to the rest of the Ulrasones and haven't ever felt an urge to buy one.

 

 

[daveDerek]

Quote:

I'm aware many oop headphones sell for more.  But is the 2750 MSRP the highest price on a dynamic transducer headphone so far?
How much did the R10, Qualia and L3000 sell for new?
I truly hope the Edition 10 do something magical in comparison to the other flagships in the $950-$1700 range.
Is the transducer redesigned from the ground up, or is it essentially an Edition 8 transducer with a few tweaks?
Price will certainly be worth it if it's a clear game changer, otherwise I wonder if it will phase out due to the substantially lower prices of other company flagships.  Certainly looks very nice and comes with a really nice case and accessories.

to address the original topic, iirc prices for the phones were:
R10     $4000
Qualia  $2800
L3000  $1500
Ed. 7    $3000
 
afaict much of the price of the ed10 is related to aesthetics and limited production. i'm hoping that they can produce and sell a similar sounding  mass produced can that sells in the $500-$1000 range. i'm not sure that they will do so but if the ed 10 is as good as the early reports then it may put them in the good graces of the high end headphone crowd, and hence prove profitable for them to do so. it may therefore be a reasonable business model.
 
the ed7, by most reports i'd seen (it's been aquite a whle since i've read about that can), was a disappointing sounding can. a number of the older (in terms of membership) h-f crowd had heard them but i'm only aware of a couple that have actually owned them. i doubt that they've appreciated in resale value despite their ltd status.
most of us are aware of what's happened to the prices of those other aforementioned cans.

 

[ilia7777]

Before you waste your money read on the internet there should be thread by somebody who compared frequency response of various headphones to each other including Edition 9. Edition 9 was not accurate at all, but regular ultrasone with modified frequency response for "wow" factor. What is interesting in this test that HFI 780 showed on of the best frequency responses while having the highest THD (total harmonic distortion).

 

[jamato8]

The 780 had pure garbage for cable. A disgrace to even cheap headphones. I replaced the cable, when I had them, with the cable for the Sennheiser HD650 and this helped the sound. I like the Ed. 9 but Ultrasone, IMO, isn't a company that really cares about the consumer. That is my opinion based upon the questionable quality of the Ed. 9, which have the exact same headband as the 780 and materials that would have it sell for maybe 600 at the most. Yes I paid over 1000 and for the most part enjoy the sound.
 
On wow factor, I don't care if I like the music. I have never been to a neutral venue, never. Either the air temperature can change the sound, humidity, people and placement of people and of course the stage or lack of. That is all ok that is why having a few different phones is good. Some suit a certain venue more than others. You have no control over the venue but you can control, to an extent, the reproduction on your end. 
 
With that I am looking forward to the Ed. 10 though I still think they are overpriced and don't need all the bling, just a little. :^)

 

[shnitz]

While it is "bling" that inflates the price, I don't think it's unwarranted, or that people that buy are going to be angry that the headphones don't hold their value.  Looking at Los Angeles Craigslist and Houston Craigslist, I can buy a 1990+ Rolls Royce for less than $30K.  That's like 1/10 of its original value.  Mercedes, BMW, Jaguar, etc. all look the same.  For someone looking to get luxury, he or she isn't expecting to get a performance return on the investment.  They understand that a cheaper car, by the numbers, does the same thing.  They just want the added niceties.  Is is justified?  Well, everyone's different.  For me, if I can buy a 3 year old car (when leases run out) for 1/3 of the original sticker, then I'm all for it.  Is it worth paying 3 times as much for a headphone, so that it is made out of Ethiopian Leather and whatever semiprecious metal?  Well, it produces nigh identical sound, but the necessity of the luxury is up to the end user.

 

[jamato8]

Quote:

While it is "bling" that inflates the price, I don't think it's unwarranted, or that people that buy are going to be angry that the headphones don't hold their value.  Looking at Los Angeles Craigslist and Houston Craigslist, I can buy a 1990+ Rolls Royce for less than $30K.  That's like 1/10 of its original value.  Mercedes, BMW, Jaguar, etc. all look the same.  For someone looking to get luxury, he or she isn't expecting to get a performance return on the investment.  They understand that a cheaper car, by the numbers, does the same thing.  They just want the added niceties.  Is is justified?  Well, everyone's different.  For me, if I can buy a 3 year old car (when leases run out) for 1/3 of the original sticker, then I'm all for it.  Is it worth paying 3 times as much for a headphone, so that it is made out of Ethiopian Leather and whatever semiprecious metal?  Well, it produces nigh identical sound, but the necessity of the luxury is up to the end user.

Your reasoning does not sway me. That is ok though. We are talking about a hobby that for the most part is fun. 

 

[shnitz]

Quote:

Quote:

While it is "bling" that inflates the price, I don't think it's unwarranted, or that people that buy are going to be angry that the headphones don't hold their value.  Looking at Los Angeles Craigslist and Houston Craigslist, I can buy a 1990+ Rolls Royce for less than $30K.  That's like 1/10 of its original value.  Mercedes, BMW, Jaguar, etc. all look the same.  For someone looking to get luxury, he or she isn't expecting to get a performance return on the investment.  They understand that a cheaper car, by the numbers, does the same thing.  They just want the added niceties.  Is is justified?  Well, everyone's different.  For me, if I can buy a 3 year old car (when leases run out) for 1/3 of the original sticker, then I'm all for it.  Is it worth paying 3 times as much for a headphone, so that it is made out of Ethiopian Leather and whatever semiprecious metal?  Well, it produces nigh identical sound, but the necessity of the luxury is up to the end user.

Your reasoning does not sway me. That is ok though. We are talking about a hobby that for the most part is fun. 

Don't get me wrong, unless I was rolling in money and it would cost me more to actually take the time to learn the differences between Ultrasone's lineup, and take time testing out the various models, you won't find me buying any Edition headphones.  But for some people it's important.