ATH-A900 vs HFI-780

[soulesschild]

So I've narrowed down my choices of headphones to these two choices from a previous thread.

Both seem to be very comfortable, and both seem to be very good quality cans. Now the question comes down to which one would you guys pick?

I'll have a FiiO E5 and a X-Fi that I'll mod later on to use in conjunction with these headphones.

Priorities (In no particular order)
1. Music from PC and from Blackberry Storm, music type : Trance/Hip-Hop/Rap/House
2. Gaming
3. Comfort for extended periods
4. Closed design for use in work place

Questions to rank them
1. Reading some reviews, it seems the HFI construction feels cheap and plasticky, how are the A900s?
2. Both use crappy pads correct? Can you replace either one?

 

[soulesschild]

On a second off hand note, do the Ultrasone Pro 750 and 900 need really good amps? The price difference's aren't that much between the A900 and the Ultrasone 750.....

 

[KromaXamorK]

A900 is much more comfortable than the HFI-780.
Ultrasone is very punchy for your music style and have more isolation and for an extented period, it is tiring (???)

I just know that you can take leather pad from ATH-W5000 for pad's compatibility for A900.

 

[soulesschild]

Mm...I seem to understand what you're saying in a weird way

I just wish the A900 was as good of a deal as the ATH-A900's =[ But there is always a price to pay for comfort and quality

 

[ThePredator]

I would say that the HFI-780 construction is a good bit above cheap/plasticy, mine feel completely solid and have yet to give out despite relatively harsh treatments.

They definitely do have the Ultrasone sound (some love, some hate, few in the middle) and despite a preference for velor pads, the stock ones are acceptable. The isolation is superb though, I even use them while drumming (85dB+) to hear click tracks and the like.

 

[soulesschild]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThePredator /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would say that the HFI-780 construction is a good bit above cheap/plasticy, mine feel completely solid and have yet to give out despite relatively harsh treatments. They definitely do have the Ultrasone sound (some love, some hate, few in the middle) and despite a preference for velor pads, the stock ones are acceptable. The isolation is superb though, I even use them while drumming (85dB+) to hear click tracks and the like.

So would you agree with Kroma's statement that it might be a bit too "punchy" for something like trance music or hip-hop? I definitely understand why sound like that would get tiresome but I'd like to hear other people's opinions as sound is a very personal preference.

 

[somestranger26]

Quote:

Originally Posted by soulesschild /img/forum/go_quote.gif On a second off hand note, do the Ultrasone Pro 750 and 900 need really good amps? The price difference's aren't that much between the A900 and the Ultrasone 750.....

No, they don't need really good amps at all. I used my Pro 900 directly from my sound card for a while without issues, and the same goes for using my Zune with my Icon Mobile amp. If you're considering the 750, I definitely think the extra $$ would be worth it, and then down the road you can get an amp. They don't need one but the sound will still improve greatly.

 

[KromaXamorK]

Quote:

Originally Posted by soulesschild /img/forum/go_quote.gif So would you agree with Kroma's statement that it might be a bit too "punchy" for something like trance music or hip-hop? I definitely understand why sound like that would get tiresome but I'd like to hear other people's opinions as sound is a very personal preference.

I've got both and like both of them in different way, it's really pity that the HFI-780 is not as comfortable as the A900.
The A900 will accommodate with all styles of music cause is smoother than the HFI.

 

[ThePredator]

Quote:

Originally Posted by soulesschild /img/forum/go_quote.gif So would you agree with Kroma's statement that it might be a bit too "punchy" for something like trance music or hip-hop? I definitely understand why sound like that would get tiresome but I'd like to hear other people's opinions as sound is a very personal preference.

For trance maybe, but hip-hop (listening to Sage Francis right now) sounds excellent through them (a bit bass heavy, but that changes markedly when changing the rest of the chain).

Jazz sounds excellent through them also (Joe Morello's solo on Take Five will tell you everything you need to know about the phones). On some baroque/classical/romantic (violin concertos especially) the non-accuracy can be annoying, but for some symphonies (Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture for a famous example) they sound amazing.


All that being relative to cost and personal preferences.


[EDIT]: Another thing to consider is the soundstage, using Charles Mingus's album Mingus Ah Um, the headphones puts you right up with the performers. Note that this can contribute to fatigue unless you use a crossfeed.

 

[soulesschild]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThePredator /img/forum/go_quote.gif For trance maybe, but hip-hop (listening to Sage Francis right now) sounds excellent through them (a bit bass heavy, but that changes markedly when changing the rest of the chain). Jazz sounds excellent through them also (Joe Morello's solo on Take Five will tell you everything you need to know about the phones). On some baroque/classical/romantic (violin concertos especially) the non-accuracy can be annoying, but for some symphonies (Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture for a famous example) they sound amazing. All that being relative to cost and personal preferences. [EDIT]: Another thing to consider is the soundstage, using Charles Mingus's album Mingus Ah Um, the headphones puts you right up with the performers. Note that this can contribute to fatigue unless you use a crossfeed.

Ah okay, well since trance is mainly my listening base, it seems the Ultrasone's may not be what I'm looking for. Defintely glad I checked before I went and bought them over the ATH-A900s

 

[scytheavatar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by soulesschild /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ah okay, well since trance is mainly my listening base, it seems the Ultrasone's may not be what I'm looking for. Definitely glad I checked before I went and bought them over the ATH-A900s

Pure utter nonsense. If the HFI 780 is too 'puchy' for your music style, the A900 has too little bass. If the A900 is 'smooth', that should give you a clue that it's dark. The HFI 780 is undeniably the better headphone in every way compared to the A900, except maybe for soundstage. It is an awesome Trance/Hip Hop phone and is in no way bass heavy, the control of its bass is top notch. The A900 has a too polite bass, and recessed mids.

You might want to consider the D2000 too.

 

[genclaymore]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KromaXamorK /img/forum/go_quote.gif A900 is much more comfortable than the HFI-780. Ultrasone is very punchy for your music style and have more isolation and for an extented period, it is tiring (???) I just know that you can take leather pad from ATH-W5000 for pad's compatibility for A900.

Actually, if the AD700 and A900 is using the same Velvet padding, some people ears hate velvet padding where it itch there ears bady.
I one of them, I cant stand Velvet at all made my ears itch and made my head felt like It was in a spa, i sweated like no tommow within 30 mins.While Pleather pads I can wear all day without my ears getting hot and my ears love Pleather. I know I not the only one with ears like that.

I remember seeing pad covers that was used to put over the normal headphone pads to make them soft, but I dont remember what thread it was that linked to them, if he finds them not liking his ears.

 

[Almoxil]

Maybe some AT can has a impactful bass, but I've got three different models (the rather pricey ATH-AD2000, the "mid-priced" ATH-ESW9 and the cheap ATH-SJ5). Neither of them have the slam of my HFI-780s (same source and amp). Maybe the ATH-M50 has it, but after buying the AD2000s and ESW9s, I'm not willing to buy another AT can, since I can't try them before buying. Sones rules!

 

[scytheavatar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by genclaymore /img/forum/go_quote.gif Actually, if the AD700 and A900 is using the same Velvet padding, some people ears hate velvet padding where it itch there ears bady. I one of them, I cant stand Velvet at all made my ears itch and made my head felt like It was in a spa, i sweated like no tommow within 30 mins.While Pleather pads I can wear all day without my ears getting hot and my ears love Pleather. I know I not the only one with ears like that. I remember seeing pad covers that was used to put over the normal headphone pads to make them soft, but I dont remember what thread it was that linked to them, if he finds them not liking his ears.

I think as a whole people hate the comfort of pleather pads a lot more than that of Velvet pads. The pleather pads are a sweat traphole.

 

[Carlsan]

Ultrasone: HFI-780 | Headphonic: Australian Headphone Specialists: Buy Etymotic, Alessandro, Audio Technica, Ultimate Ears, Talisman, Meier Audio and more Headphonic doesn't care for the 780 much for music: Quote:

This model appears to be based on the HFI-700. With fairly bright treble, reasonable midrange and an emphasis on midbass, they'd be a decent choice for movie watching and some games, but unfortunately the bass tends to a little boomy and slow sounding, overwhelming finer details, and treble tends to be a little sharp. If you're after a closed model that's easy to drive and fairly bassy, these might be a reasonable choice, but for a balanced sound they aren't a great pick. As usual, Ultrasone do a good job of making a closed headphone sound much less boxed in, so soundstage is very nice for a closed model. Comfort levels and durability are reasonable, and it appears that the infamous Ultrasone headbands are now made out of a more flexible material that isn't as prone to cracking.

Anybody want to comment?