[PopZeus]

I’ve been looking at this one…

https://fogcityaudio.com/products/s...ips-next-business-day-made-in-usa-hd599-hd598

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

Speaking of cables, have you tried comparing the stock cables (I wouldn't use the coiled one for sure but what about the other two)? I don't want to go into a long discussion into cables as it's a touchy subject but the reason I think it's especially worth considering testing both to see if there's any difference is the inclusion of a inline mic in the more slim "portable" one which may possibly have some audible effect on the audio, often results in more resistance for example.

I have a 1.3m very thin rubber/plastic cable, probably not far off from 1 mm thick that are included with some headphones I forgot the name of I tend to use with all my headphones as I just prefer the cables "disappearing" from my attention, it's both very light and isn't microphonic at all and best of all it usually sounds good for some reason and the plugs are the slimmest possible so they usually fit into any locking mechanism enabled headphones.

 

[Blackrao]

Wow - this thread just really isn't gaining much traction outside a few folks.

I thought we'd see more comments when they shipped out but apparently like 10 people bought them lol.

one could see also see this as we are just part of an exclusive special club to be one of the 10 people to own them lol....

 

[Evshrug]

Anticipation noted with a drum roll…

you guys know of any better cables that will work with these? would a 4.4 balanced cable work?

I’ve been looking at this one…

https://fogcityaudio.com/products/s...ips-next-business-day-made-in-usa-hd599-hd598

Speaking of cables, have you tried comparing the stock cables (I wouldn't use the coiled one for sure but what about the other two)? I don't want to go into a long discussion into cables as it's a touchy subject but …

Several have asked, many have wondered, we all waited… and now, I present to you, my personalized and customized DROP + Ultrasone Signature X:

I think the headphone has now reached (my) final form! This uses an OpenHeart 4.4mm balanced silver plated cable from AliExpress, Dekoni Sennheiser Momentum 2 pads in Choice Suede, a Sony ZX300 portable player (with 4.4mm balanced output), and at the heart of it all, of course, the DROP + Ultrasone Signature X.

To reiterate some of my previous thoughts, the Signature X is not what I expected, despite being a completely different model from what Tyll reviewed many years ago. There’s a bass shelf, and otherwise the rest of the sound signature has a pleasant laid back quality with surprisingly good separation and “air” considering it is both a bass-emphasized and a closed-back headphone. I found it a lot of fun! And I think it’s good as stock, with an honestly impressive array of included accessories, but I wanted to perfect it by adding a few of my other favorite things!

I honestly am not the best friends with Dekoni, and I quit years ago, but there’s no denying their products are unique, and the Choice Suede may be the best feeling pad material I’ve come across (and their memory foam is really good too). It’s a product that will spoil you, though typically it darkens the sound signature of headphones a bit. Here, I actually feel the sonic performance and any FR changes doesn’t change the strengths of the stock Signature X, but they’re just sooo much more comfortable with the extra diameter opening and depth (my ears are free from touch!) and the vegan suede is softer and less itchy than even velour. They’re still sealed pads too, so I’m not sacrificing any isolation. I will caution that it was quite a stretch to fit on the Signature X (Sennheiser Momentum pads could not stretch to fit!), but the result seems optimal.

I use the Sony ZX300 as both a DAP and a “Bluetooth dongle.” It’s more powerful than most dongles, but the perfect pocketable size for a DAP and a really clean player if I want to play local files stored on MicroSD. Huge DAPs that can’t fit in my pocket just aren’t for me… and I canceled a few Bluetooth dongle purchases because I realized this would be better anyway

Now for the new part: the balanced cable. In my testing, I noticed that the Ultrasone cables on the earcup side were tipped with a 2.5mm connector that looked very familiar… and when I tested them with my 2.5mm TRRS cable from my Sennheiser HD 599 (which I usually use as a short cable for my HD 560S), I noticed the Signature X mated to the balanced connector with no issues. So, I bought a balanced cable with what I consider my “standard” connector tip: 4.4mm Pentaconn.

Why do I like Pentaconn? Well, balanced connections are hardly inherently better than single-ended for short cable runs, but if you have an amp (or DAP) designed around balanced FIRST and adapted to Single Ended, the balanced connection will have the full power and quality of the design, so you may as well use it. And I like 4.4mm because it’s small enough to be portable, robust enough to make a good contact connection and survive for a long time, and it’s easy to use a “ponytail” adapter to connect it to any other balanced or single ended tip (or extension cord)… unlike mini XLR connectors used by some companies’ modular cables (like Hart Audio), I can at least use 4.4mm in many amps without any adapter at all.

At this level, I’m not going to bother A/B comparing with the stock cable, and I’m not too concerned with the fact that this OpenHeart cable has high purity copper, plated with silver… but why not? I also like the “oiled bronze” coloring, an understated aesthetic – not “loud” – but the different dark tints and the braid look IMO sophisticated. I also ordered another soft silver colored cable from HiFi-DIY from AliExpress on the same January 13th… despite costing more, that one has had 0 updates and there hasn’t even been a notification that it shipped at all yet So that’s AliExpress, a mixed experience. I found these by searching for HD 599 and HD 598 balanced cables… the connector has been the same for a long time, which is great (and I’m going to use this cable with my HD 560S too!).

Overall, I feel very satisfied with my setup, and don’t need to change anything now… but will I? Wonderbeard Dylan from Dekoni sent me some Protein Leather (egg membrane protein, it’s another cool product that I think is nicer on Dekoni’s pads than other synthesized leather) M50x/V7506 pads, which may sound even closer to stock and I honestly feel are smoother and more comfortable than sheepskin or cow wallet leather. But right now, these are getting a lot of head time around the park, or in bed when my wife is sleeping next to me, and again I’m pleasantly satisfied.

Koyaanisqatsi sounds AMAZING!

one could see also see this as we are just part of an exclusive special club to be one of the 10 people to own them lol....

Welcome to #ClubSigX!

 

[bauce]

Anticipation noted with a drum roll…



Several have asked, many have wondered, we all waited… and now, I present to you, my personalized and customized DROP + Ultrasone Signature X:

I think the headphone has now reached (my) final form! This uses an OpenHeart 4.4mm balanced silver plated cable from AliExpress, Dekoni Sennheiser Momentum 2 pads in Choice Suede, a Sony ZX300 portable player (with 4.4mm balanced output), and at the heart of it all, of course, the DROP + Ultrasone Signature X.

To reiterate some of my previous thoughts, the Signature X is not what I expected, despite being a completely different model from what Tyll reviewed many years ago. There’s a bass shelf, and otherwise the rest of the sound signature has a pleasant laid back quality with surprisingly good separation and “air” considering it is both a bass-emphasized and a closed-back headphone. I found it a lot of fun! And I think it’s good as stock, with an honestly impressive array of included accessories, but I wanted to perfect it by adding a few of my other favorite things!

I honestly am not the best friends with Dekoni, and I quit years ago, but there’s no denying their products are unique, and the Choice Suede may be the best feeling pad material I’ve come across (and their memory foam is really good too). It’s a product that will spoil you, though typically it darkens the sound signature of headphones a bit. Here, I actually feel the sonic performance and any FR changes doesn’t change the strengths of the stock Signature X, but they’re just sooo much more comfortable with the extra diameter opening and depth (my ears are free from touch!) and the vegan suede is softer and less itchy than even velour. They’re still sealed pads too, so I’m not sacrificing any isolation. I will caution that it was quite a stretch to fit on the Signature X (Sennheiser Momentum pads could not stretch to fit!), but the result seems optimal.

I use the Sony ZX300 as both a DAP and a “Bluetooth dongle.” It’s more powerful than most dongles, but the perfect pocketable size for a DAP and a really clean player if I want to play local files stored on MicroSD. Huge DAPs that can’t fit in my pocket just aren’t for me… and I canceled a few Bluetooth dongle purchases because I realized this would be better anyway

Now for the new part: the balanced cable. In my testing, I noticed that the Ultrasone cables on the earcup side were tipped with a 2.5mm connector that looked very familiar… and when I tested them with my 2.5mm TRRS cable from my Sennheiser HD 599 (which I usually use as a short cable for my HD 560S), I noticed the Signature X mated to the balanced connector with no issues. So, I bought a balanced cable with what I consider my “standard” connector tip: 4.4mm Pentaconn. Why do I like Pentaconn? Well, balanced connections are hardly inherently better than single-ended for short cable runs, but if you have an amp (or DAP) designed around balanced FIRST and adapted to Single Ended, the balanced connection will have the full power and quality of the design, so you may as well use it. And I like 4.4mm because it’s small enough to be portable, robust enough to make a good contact connection and survive for a long time, and it’s easy to use a “ponytail” adapter to connect it to any other balanced or single ended tip (or extension cord)… unlike mini XLR connectors used by some companies’ modular cables (like Hart Audio), I can at least use 4.4mm in many amps without any adapter at all. At this level, I’m not going to bother A/B comparing with the stock cable, and I’m not too concerned with the fact that this OpenHeart cable has high purity copper, plated with silver… but why not? I also like the “oiled bronze” coloring, an understated aesthetic – not “loud” – but the different dark tints and the braid look IMO sophisticated. I also ordered another soft silver colored cable from HiFi-DIY from AliExpress on the same January 13th… despite costing more, that one has had 0 updates and there hasn’t even been a notification that it shipped at all yet So that’s AliExpress, a mixed experience. I found these by searching for HD 599 and HD 598 balanced cables… the connector has been the sale for a long time, which is great (and I’m going to use this cable with my HD 560S too!).

Overall, I feel very satisfied with my setup, and don’t need to change anything now… but will I? Wonderbeard Dylan from Dekoni sent me some Protein Leather (egg membrane protein, it’s another cool product that I think is nicer on Dekoni’s pads than other synthesized leather) M50x/V7506 pads, which may sound even closer to stock and I honestly feel are smoother and more comfortable than sheepskin or cow wallet leather. But right now, these are getting a lot of head time around the park, or in bed when my wife is sleeping next to me, and again I’m pleasantly satisfied.

Koyaanisqatsi sounds AMAZING!



Welcome to #ClubSigX!

can you link that cable? I can only find the mmcx version for some reason.

 

[mik8s]

Yesterday I switched the badly installed metal plate from my Signature X and, to my subjective experience, it improved the headphones' sound.

The first thing that I felt is that the left channel seemed a tad louder than before. I don't perceive this difference in volume any more, but playing ASMR and properly recorded music, I think the spatial properties of the left channel have improved.

The process was relatively easy:
1: Remove the left side earpad.
2: Remove the three little cross-head screws of the left plate so you gain a better angle to do the next step.
3: Carefully and slowly detach the adhesive layer that binds the metal plate to the headphone's paper layer and plastic with a flat screwdriver.
*Make sure you don't rip the cables while pulling!*
4: Remove the adhesive layer from the metal plate with your fingers and clean it afterwards with rubbing alcohol. It's very easy to do so.
5: Apply glue to the opposite side where the adhesive used to be.
6: Attach the metal plate to the headphone so it aligns with the plastic protuberances intended to redirect sound. It should mirror the right headphone.
7: Re-ensemble the headphones and enjoy.

I took a few photos of the process, but I think I can't post them because I'm a new user.

 

[Dramlin]

Yesterday I switched the badly installed metal plate from my Signature X and, to my subjective experience, it improved the headphones' sound.

Nicely done, and thank you for posting the results! I was tempted to try this just to see what would happen, but I thought I would end up ripping the filter behind the plate. That, and I didn't have any glue that I thought would work. Nice to know it can be done succesfully. Which glue did you use in step 5?

 

[Dramlin]

have you tried comparing the stock cables (I wouldn't use the coiled one for sure but what about the other two)? I don't want to go into a long discussion into cables as it's a touchy subject but the reason I think it's especially worth considering testing both to see if there's any difference is the inclusion of a inline mic in the more slim "portable" one which may possibly have some audible effect on the audio, often results in more resistance for example.

Fwiw I think the stock black 3.5mm cable works great. Initially I thought the cable was poorly matched for the tuning, but with different pads on the X it seems to be ideal to me. When I tried the stock (visually) silver cable it seemed to collapse the sound stage noticably towards the center, and leaned out the mids a bit. This could be due to the inline mic, or maybe an issue with TRRS not behaving nicely with my gear.

In the past I have used aftermarket cables on every Ultrasone I've had in order to match the tuning better. I figured Ultrasone just did a poor job of their cable selection. With the new Signature line (Master, Natural, Pulse, X) I've noticed the opposite. All aftermarket cables I've tried end up throwing off the balance of the headphones. In all cases the black stock 3.5mm cable seems to be a perfect match.

 

[Lerrens]

Sad to hear that they didn't fix the wrong plate assembly issue for MP units... I pointed this out waaaay back last november: post
Generally I have a feeling that not even the Drop guys really cared for this product / cared to look into the already scarce community feedback
Thinking that the DFF should be one of it's main selling points and they got it wrong anyways is just hilarious.
I haven't received mine due to shipping overseas always take a while, but I know it would be a total bummer to find out I need to fix the plate myself

 

[Lerrens]

Yesterday I switched the badly installed metal plate from my Signature X and, to my subjective experience, it improved the headphones' sound.

The first thing that I felt is that the left channel seemed a tad louder than before. I don't perceive this difference in volume any more, but playing ASMR and properly recorded music, I think the spatial properties of the left channel have improved.

The process was relatively easy:
1: Remove the left side earpad.
2: Remove the three little cross-head screws of the left plate so you gain a better angle to do the next step.
3: Carefully and slowly detach the adhesive layer that binds the metal plate to the headphone's paper layer and plastic with a flat screwdriver.
*Make sure you don't rip the cables while pulling!*
4: Remove the adhesive layer from the metal plate with your fingers and clean it afterwards with rubbing alcohol. It's very easy to do so.
5: Apply glue to the opposite side where the adhesive used to be.
6: Attach the metal plate to the headphone so it aligns with the plastic protuberances intended to redirect sound. It should mirror the right headphone.
7: Re-ensemble the headphones and enjoy.

I took a few photos of the process, but I think I can't post them because I'm a new user.

Thanks for trying this out and sharing the process, I assume I would also be do the same thing when mine arrives.

One question I would like to ask is, have you also succeeded in reversing the white paper / mesh stuff below the plate? (highlighted parts in below pic)
Looks like the paper mesh density / structure should be different around the plate (some are darker some are white)
It would make sense that everything should be mirrored, so I was wondering if you get the paper mesh reversed as well?

 

[Dramlin]

Well, it finally happened. The X's won me over. I tried them again last night with an EDM playlist on the round pads and I couldn't help but have a good time. I still don't like these headphones with the stock pads, but with the round pads they have a special quality that makes them well worth keeping. I don't have any other headphones with the quantity of bass that the X's provide, and that's saying something considering I've got the Ultrasone 900i's, DJ, DXP, HFI 580, Pro 780, and Pulses. Excessive bass quantity is only good if it's controlled, and with the round aftermarket pads the sound is finally where it should be. The special thing about these headphones is the absolute quantity of bass, how relatively clean and separated it is thanks to the DDF's, and that level of bass clarity is accomplished without having to lean out the sound.

I've updated my impressions to give more info on why I had issues with the stock pads, and to call out that the X's are keepers with the right pads. I do recommend these headphones for those who is looking for excessive bass quantity with the knowledge that the overall tone will be darker and not entirely balanced. I'll be using these headphones any time I want to get smacked around by bass, which happens often enough.

 

[mik8s]

Nicely done, and thank you for posting the results! I was tempted to try this just to see what would happen, but I thought I would end up ripping the filter behind the plate. That, and I didn't have any glue that I thought would work. Nice to know it can be done succesfully. Which glue did you use in step 5?

You indeed have to be very careful in order to avoid ripping either the wire connecting the headphone to the driver and the filter. I used a thin flat screwdriver in a circular motion throughout the perimeter.

I didn't have any appropriate adhesive or glue, so I used a small amount of Loctite SuperGlue. If I ever want to disassemble the driver again, I will have a harder time.

Thanks for trying this out and sharing the process, I assume I would also be do the same thing when mine arrives.

One question I would like to ask is, have you also succeeded in reversing the white paper / mesh stuff below the plate? (highlighted parts in below pic)
Looks like the paper mesh density / structure should be different around the plate (some are darker some are white)
It would make sense that everything should be mirrored, so I was wondering if you get the paper mesh reversed as well?

After seeing how fragile this mesh is, I didn't attempt to rip it from its plastic base. While the mesh is attached to the metal plate with a soft adhesive similar to a two-sided Scotch tape, I think the mesh is attached to the plastic base with stronger glue.

I could have tried to use steam to soften the glue, but I felt it was too risky for the driver and to the mesh itself.

 

[Blackrao]

Well, it finally happened. The X's won me over. I tried them again last night with an EDM playlist on the round pads and I couldn't help but have a good time. I still don't like these headphones with the stock pads, but with the round pads they have a special quality that makes them well worth keeping. I don't have any other headphones with the quantity of bass that the X's provide, and that's saying something considering I've got the Ultrasone 900i's, DJ, DXP, HFI 580, Pro 780, and Pulses. Excessive bass quantity is only good if it's controlled, and with the round aftermarket pads the sound is finally where it should be. The special thing about these headphones is the absolute quantity of bass, how relatively clean and separated it is thanks to the DDF's, and that level of bass clarity is accomplished without having to lean out the sound.

I've updated my impressions to give more info on why I had issues with the stock pads, and to call out that the X's are keepers with the right pads. I do recommend these headphones for those who is looking for excessive bass quantity with the knowledge that the overall tone will be darker and not entirely balanced. I'll be using these headphones any time I want to get smacked around by bass, which happens often enough.

I've been using them with Dekoni M50x choice leather pads, and they sound more balanced and neutral. But like....the stock pads got the explosive amount of bass and has a unique quality to it that I just go back to using that because its just more different than anything else I own and reminds me of standing in front ridiculously powerful speakers

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

Finally recieved my pair. This is just straight out of the box some initial impressions comparing with the discontinued M-Audio Q40 that I'm trying to find a replacement for in case it breaks:

- The bass is very similar in quantity and quality. It's the closest headphone I've found that has this kind of bass quantity vs quality ratio and I've been testing for example Signature DJ, Campfire Audio Cascades (among many less expensier headphones) that are both noticeably expensier also known for their bass forward fun sound. Those were more boomy, less tight in comparison with ever so slightly less punch. On my Digizoid ZO amp the same lvl of bass boost (level 7 out of lvl 31 max possible, each step adds 0.5dB boost afaik) works also best that worked with Q40 so they are very close from that perspective.

- Soundstage and imaging seems quite decent, not excellent, but not bad either. Perhaps ever so slight hint of boxiness that the outer edge of the soundstage is somewhat abrupt which is typical for closed headphones but I've heard worse in this regard. The Q40 has a slightly more open sounding soundstage in comparison, it has some small bass vents at the outer cup which I believe is the reason for this.

- I have no issues with the fit personally, the clamping force feels about right for me, it's possibly even tiny bit less strong than Q40 which really has a vice grip but that also contributes to the bass being ideal, most headphones to me have too loose clamp out of box to the point the bass response suffers, this has about the needed force for it to not suffer while it doesn't from some quick listening sessions seem to cause too much of an issue although the stock pads are somewhat smaller and stiffer than ideal from a comfort perspective. The creaking isn't really that bad for me but I'm used to the M-Audio Q40 which has even slightly more noise I'd say which is the worst part of that headphone, the build isn't particularly good but the sound always made it up for me.

- The biggest negative I find perhaps out of box using stock pads is the treble is perhaps a bit too rolled off which results in lack of "airiness" and some "muddyness" to sounds, in EDM the leads in particular suffer from that compared to what I'm used to with the M-Audio Q40 for example. I played around with EQ, being hobby mastering guy that masters tracks for many years for newcomer producers and found the following settings to balance it out nicely with the stock pads and resulted in a much more closer sound to what I'm used to with my recently mastered tracks:

EDIT: Added slight bit of cut at 177Hz actually, I'd say it slightly helps to remove some excess thickness to the sound.

(I have a RME ADI-2 DAC fs that has built-in parametric EQ that I will probably tweak later but a software EQ is much faster to find out roughly the EQ profile one certain headphone needs)

I was suprised to find that I'd even end up boosting upper-mids and highs on an Ultrasone, I'm usually the kind of guy "allergic" to Ultrasone, Hifiman, Beyer etc highs. So this was quite suprising. The highs compared to the M-Audio Q40 is ever so tiny bit more metallic as Q40 has unusual highs for a closed back that I've found in the sense they are more soft in texture, like many open headphones that I greatly prefer but these are by no means very problematic in that sense, most closed backs I find have more pronounced metallicness to it. It's on the border of being too weighty in the lower-mids but I'd say it's within reasonable "neutral" state, I tested very slight cuts around the 250 - 500Hz area but didn't find it a noteworthy improvement so.

 

[Dramlin]

Thanks for sharing your impressions, as well as your settings to get them closer to your preference!