[PopZeus]

Been looking for a closed-back ever since I sold the 99 Noir. That is a nice headphone ofc but I prefer the more rugged, studio monitor style of the Signature X for most common closed-back scenarios.

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

I really have a hard time deciding whether to order or not, the pricing makes it interesting but idk, feels like I've already ordered so much stuff this BF season and I've already got quite a few headphones I need to get rid of as well, decisions, decisions...

 

[TWerk]

I really have a hard time deciding whether to order or not, the pricing makes it interesting but idk, feels like I've already ordered so much stuff this BF season and I've already got quite a few headphones I need to get rid of as well, decisions, decisions...

Maybe order and just return if you don't like em?

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

Maybe order and just return if you don't like em?

Returning to drop outside US costs and I imagine it's fairly costly shipping and have to deal with customs twice. To me selling is probably the better option as these are already heavily discounted headphones so should be able to sell onwards for a very little (if any) loss. Still it's some extra effort, I would have sold all my extra headphones already if I thought it had been a simple and quick process.

 

[TWerk]

Returning to drop outside US costs and I imagine it's fairly costly shipping and have to deal with customs twice. To me selling is probably the better option as these are already heavily discounted headphones so should be able to sell onwards for a very little (if any) loss. Still it's some extra effort, I would have sold all my extra headphones already if I thought it had been a simple and quick process.

Ah sorry didn't realize you were outside the USA. But yeah I hear you, selling has become a PITA lately. Didn't used to be like that in the good old days but lately, absolutely.

 

[TWerk]

Returning to drop outside US costs and I imagine it's fairly costly shipping and have to deal with customs twice. To me selling is probably the better option as these are already heavily discounted headphones so should be able to sell onwards for a very little (if any) loss. Still it's some extra effort, I would have sold all my extra headphones already if I thought it had been a simple and quick process.

Ah sorry didn't realize you were outside the USA. But yeah I hear you, selling has become a PITA lately. Didn't used to be like that in the good old days but lately, absolutely.

 

[Dramlin]

Ordrered and really looking forward to this. I'll disagree with the thoughts here that Ultrasone is behind the competition in SQ, but they are making a few mistakes along the way. In my experience there's always two truths to every Ultrasone:

1) Their price isn't ever an indication of the sound quality. Some cheaper models sound better than more expensive ones, and some of their headphones in the same price range differ greatly in quality. That has me excited for the Sig X since it could end up being better sounding than more expensive models.

2) The stock cable always significantly limits the sound quality of the headphone. It's like they tune the sound to perfection, then lean and flatten the sound substantially with the wrong cable materials. All of the Ultrasones I've ever tried have been transformed to a more delicate and balanced sound with the right cable. I've had major success using Oyaide 102SSC wire with authentic Aeco copper connectors on the amp end.

Looking forward to comparing these Sig X's to the rest of the Signature and Edition lines to see where they fit.

 

[TWerk]

I'm sure these will sound good and be fun to listen to, however for me I am going to pass because I already own a HFI 780 (which I do really enjoy).

Awesome bass, sparkly treble. They are fun headphones, they don't need an amp either.

The S logic board looks basically the same minus the little fin part. I paid $80 for my 780, which is quite a bit saved vs. the X if they are as similar as they look.

I pulled up a measurement of the 780 vs this new signature X, IMO it looks almost identical.


I really do wonder if these are a re-branding of the older HFI series with new removable cables, fancy case, etc. Maybe this is totally wrong, but it basically looks the part.

And don't get me wrong, I would still like my 780, even for $250. It's just it wasn't and that's even better.

I think this may even be closer to the lower model 580 than the 780 since the 580 was the one with the 50 MM driver like these.

MSRP on 580i is $199, would make sense that they take that base, add the new fin, retune a bit, pack along a case and a few removable cables, fresh design, $250.

Again, not sure (by any means) this is the case but possible theory.



\

 

[Dramlin]

I've got both the 580 and 780 so I can confirm where the X stands later this month. I'd actually be perfectly happy with an upgraded 780. The 780 is tuned very well, only lacking refined technical ability to be great. Drop did say these were based on the Pulse, which should just be a modified DXP. If all that is true, these should be a few levels better than the 780, but we'll see in time.

 

[TWerk]

I've got both the 580 and 780 so I can confirm where the X stands later this month. I'd actually be perfectly happy with an upgraded 780. The 780 is tuned very well, only lacking refined technical ability to be great. Drop did say these were based on the Pulse, which should just be a modified DXP. If all that is true, these should be a few levels better than the 780, but we'll see in time.

I'll be interested in seeing your comparison, especially when it comes to those 580/780 models.

I really like 780 as a plug and play, was less in love with the 580. I think the 780 is a clear, worthwhile upgrade over it.

780 has such a fun punchy low end with just the right sparkle, great imaging etc.

It is my definition of a fun tuning and a go to when I am in that mood.

 

[Evshrug]

My DROP + Ultrasone Signature X impressions from drop.com:
Early Impressions:

Pros:

• +No harsh treble
• +Fun but clear bass
• +warm lower mids and polite upper mids.
• +low masking and decent resolution for the price
• +S-Logic works, fairly clear and good soundstage in a closed headphone
• +High sensitivity = easy to drive from laptop or smartphone dongle.
• +cushy headband
• +lightweight
• +most of the weight and clamp is distributed.
• +folding
• +easy to clean, pads aren’t sticky
• +my sample came with a 6.5mm coiled “studio” cable, a 3.5mm cable, and another 3.5mm cable with TRRS connector and an inline microphone on the cable for smartphone and gaming use.
• +sparkling gray circles around “Signature X” logo add fun pizazz.

Cons

• -“No Nonsense” studio build reminiscent of Sennheiser HD 280 Pro, tough and light plastic but creaks when adjusting.
• -Firm clamp.
• -Folding mechanism allows earcups to flop around when not in use.
• -The type of circumaural pads that press the edge of the outer ear flat on your head, so some of the clamp pressure is on your ears.

Overall: I think people looking for a closed-back headphone that sounds more open than cheap closed headphones ought to take a look. It’s a good headphone to wear while walking around. The warmer sound signature was not what I was expecting from the brand, the tone is overall a pleasant surprise. The S-Logic 3 does seem to add a more “speaker like” feeling of soundstage, combined with the bass grunt. My first two cons aren’t really a problem while wearing the headphone, and I feel like it would survive school life or most studio life (folds to fit into a small bag, but the included case is nice!). If you want a artsy object, get the Meze Noir… but the rough and tumble Ultrasone sounds less “small space” and more open. I think it’s important people expect this to be a closed headphone that probably touches the outer edge of the ear, making YMMV very true here: I know some people can marathon this style of earpad, but with these firm earpads that touch my ears, I like to take a break and let my ears relax some soreness after every hour of listening. Anecdotally, my wife specifically found these earpads MORE comfortable and less weird than my fully circumaural headphones like the HD 560S. I have kept coming back to it because I’ve been enjoying the sound.

Disclaimer: I started consulting for DROP in December, but my opinions are my own. Honest description and is more important to me in the long-term, and DROP too.

 

[Evshrug]

I get less interested here when I see that in Zeos review, the baffle on this new headphone looks IDENTICAL to that old line minus that little weird triangle thing they added. It makes you wonder if this is just basically recycled model to help push new sales. A fresh design, some advertising and new coat of paint? Perhaps they had too many of those old parts lying around that were not moving sales?
...

Ultrasone signature is great for gaming too, especially if needing closed back. The S-logic gives great imaging and the dynamic tuning with the enhanced bass is fun.

I wrote my impressions before seeing Zeos' review for the first time yesterday... and that actually gave me hope! My main con about the Signature X is the pin-back, smaller ear pads with firm foam. They're not comfortable for me to wear them more than an hour, though I realize that is a YMMV thing. The same issue kept me from using my V-MODA LP2 and M-100 much either. But I didn't even think... I used to do the pad swap demo videos for Dekoni Audio, so I have a bunch of their pads laying around! I think I might try the Beyer pads first, or maybe the angled Fostex pads since my ears won't be pinned flat against my head anymore? I've also noticed that my 2.5mm twist-lock cables from my Sennheiser HD 560S work with the Ultrasone, so I might actually try out an aftermarket cable too. The amount of included cables are generous, but I think it's kind of cool that the Signature X could become a platform for customization.

By the way, my sample of the Signature X also has three "pyramids" attached to the black part of the baffle. Looking at Zeos' video and my unit in hand, I notice that the Signature Xs also have a thinner, see through (silk? cotton?) parts of the baffle that are opaque on Zeos' old Ultrasone that he was using for comparison to his Signature X. With all the very specific baffle work I can see from just taking off the pads (baffles make a huge difference to tuning!!!), for all I know there could be significant changes "under the hood" too that differentiate it from the older models. I remember when people speculated that the HD 58X Jubilee was the same headphone and driver as the HD 660S because it had the same impedance rating and looked similar... but nobody measured that the driver in the Jubilee has a smaller diameter, or recognized that it had a different design. I've learned to expect surprises in the audio world, hahaha!

Since my sample is a loaner (I think?), I won't risk damaging it, but if anyone wants to request photos or listening impressions of a particular song, I'm happy to describe and share!

 

[Beagle]

Am I the only person that thinks the Signature X looks like hot garbage? Look at that huge spike at 8 kHz. That's so close to 7 kHz (sibilance).

 

[Beagle]

I'd like to introduce our latest collab, the Drop + Ultrasone Signature X. This is our first collab with the German brand Ultrasone, who've been around for quite some time. They are known mainly in Europe for their professional DJ headphones and some uber high-end models like the Edition 10.

After listening to several models within their Signature Series line-up we decided to try and make our own tuning that used the Harman curve as a reference point. The goal was not to get as close as possible, but rather use it as a template. The engineers at Ultrasone went through several iterations before we landed on the tuning for the Signature X. The result is a slightly dark but wonderfully punchy sounding headphone that still has some shimmer to the highs. The Signature X is well suited to many modern recordings and bass-heavy genres, but we also found them to be great with live recordings where the high energy and room acoustics shine. We think it’s time to give Ultrasone another shot. Let us know what you think.

Additional info:

• You can check out Zeos’ early review here:
• Measurements - coming soon!

Slightly dark? I’m in!

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

@Evshrug Would gladly hear more comments how you picture the bass in this headphone, is it the more punchy fast type with good sense of impact or slow and lose/boomy type? The biggest problem I've had with bassy closed headphones rarely it comes with good quality, it's usually more boomy than tight. Campfire Cascades were very boomy, my $120 M-Audio Q40 have almost the same quantity of bass but it's a day and night difference when it comes to stuff like how fast, controlled, punchy, textured etc. the bass response is. For Cascades it didn't help either the fact there's some upper-bass ~ lower-mid range emphasis further making it appear like it would bleed all over the place, slight EQing would help somewhat but not fully fix it.

Another thing I'd gladly hear more about as I think you were the one comparing it with Cascades on the Drop page, is how do they compare like in brightness? Despite Cascades are overall considered slightly on the dark side of things, I still occasionally found some sibilance that peaked through eventhough on the general level it seemed roughly quite suitable.

These are my two pet peeves finding a replacement for the discontinued M-Audio Q40 headphones for my EDM style music enjoyment needs that I tend to not find the punchy but impactful bass that I can feel (compare feeling the impact of a drumstick hitting the drum) without it bleeding all over the place and have a "softer" treble tone (similar to many open headphones) without that occasional sibilance appearing through. I've only either had sibilance issues or that they were too dark again so lacked detail level, Q40 seems to hit that very optimal spot for me, never any problems with sibilance unless the track has been mastered/mixed very out-of-standard level or that it would be too dark to mask important details. Listening to Twitch streams commentators in e-sports also it generally seems to fall that the voices sound exactly like how you'd picture them sounding in real life sorta.

Ideally I'd want some good semi-closed headphones I guess as the bass ports tends to both help the bass response if it's been tuned correctly but also give some slight soundstage benefits while still being able to provide decent amount of passive noise isolation.