B-Wong
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Nov 23, 2011
- Posts
- 39
- Likes
- 16
So I'm coming off of the Sennheiser HD203, and I've grown to hate the sound of that headphone oh so much. The bass is flat and not quite detailed, but it's just... there I guess. Mids are decent and highs are a bit tinny. Comfort is below average, I find my head aching every time I take them off (I use headphones for extended periods of time). After a while of searching around on Head-Fi and trying out an SRH840, I determined I didn't care about neutrality as much as I thought I did and wanted a more lively can within my price range. A lot of people talked about how the M50s are overrated and how most people prefer the HFI-580s around that same price range and it seems to be what I've been looking for, more lively bass and highs, and (after a while of burn-in) more forward mids.
INITIAL THOUGHTS:
OUT OF THE BOX:
Right out of the bag and packaging I felt like these cans were sooo much more solid and sturdy than the HD203s. A quality I'm not used to, that's for sure. I enjoy the way the cans look, too. The polished, reflective metal gives a unique character to it. Packaging is also pretty cool. Ultrasone carrying bag, catalog and demo CD. I'll be using the CD to give my impressions on the S-logic (that's what the CD is for, right?) while using music that I normally listen to in order to determine the way the headphone itself sounds
COMFORT/ISOLATION/THESE KINDS OF THINGS:
Well initially these things have quite a bit of clamp. The pads I don't find to be too uncomfortable but as for now, the clamp is pretty hard and the top of the headband kind of sits on my head hard, isolation is like maybe 4x better than the old headphones (I could hear everything through those "closed" headphones. With music on a pretty high volume I'd still be able to hear almost all outside noise, it's pretty frustrating. Although already, I can feel that I'm sort of adjusting to the headphone's clamp (it doesn't feel as bad as people say), although the top of the headband is pretty uncomfortable. Upon plugging the headphones into my computer, I don't hear any background fuzz or static (I guess it's supposed to be like this huh :x).
As I was typing the first paragraph of the sound category, I noticed the top of the headband seemed to have less and less effect on me.
As I got to the 6th track, the top of my head began hurting.
Adjusted it and the pain went away, but the headband is still kind of irksome because it's a noticeable thing.
SOUND:
-Initial impressions of muscial sound (NO BURN IN):
Whoa, bass is so much more present than I'm used to. But it's a good change in the bass department. Mids sound slightly more crisp and highs are a lot less harsh, but more crisp.
-Off of the ultrasone CD included:
First track: Instruments feel like they're coming from another part of the room. Wind instruments and other accompanying instruments are on this track. Yay S-Logic? I dunno, I like it, though. The change in soundstage is definitely fairly interesting, in an enjoyable way, to me.
Second track: It's a drum solo, and the kick drum is very present, but no detail in the crashes, or symbals and anything else is lost. Things are clear while maintaining the fun kick to it.
Third track: Cloud clapping. Each clap is easily discernable from which direction it's coming from. I think that's the only purpose for it? S-Logic demonstration again.
Fourth Track: Choir song. I feel like I can pick where each part of the choir is. The bass from the organ is also there, in a soothing way. It shows that the bass can extend fairly low and not lose quality in other departments. Towards the end I can hear people in the crowd shuffling around as if they were in church or something. Definitely cool.
Fifth Track: Piano is very clear, and as the player is playing, I hear other details like his clothes shuffling together, him breathing, the chair squeaking slightly. Very cool.
Sixth Track: I hear waves and waters. it's another demonstration of the S-Logic feature. The water is what you hear up close but very far towards the left I hear the wind and other end of the ocean or beach and in up above in the sky I hear birds and a plane crossing by, while still hearing the more present waves swishing back and forth. Very interesting to listen to, especially because it feels like things are coming from not only direction, but direction with depth.
Seventh Track: Deeeeeep extended bass from organ. It's the typical "introducing......." theme played off of an organ. The bass is very much there while the rest of the notes reach out with clarity and sustain well. Towards the end multiple notes are sustained and as it's sustaining it's quite easy to pick out what's happening throughout the sound spectrum.
Eigth Track: Sustained highs from bells hitting. Very interesting because it takes more advantage of S-logic and it's hitting bells from different directions while still sustaining the highs nicely. Slight sibilance but in no way is it harsh or bad, by any means. I have to pay attention to the song and analyze it in order to hear the slight sibliance.
Not much else to say about the album provided because it's all already been said before.
RECAP (NO BURN IN):
Highs high, but not harsh. Pleasant sounding
Mids, present, forward. Don't sound veiled or muddy or recessed at all.
Bass very present, but in a smooth way.
Comfort: Not the best, but better (I feel) than my older headphones.
This is all from an audiophile NOOB, so if you'd like to disagree that's fine, we all have our opinions but so far I really enjoy the upgrade I got! Everything sounds much more clear and the bass that I've been missing oh-so-much is finally there without losing detail in the other regions of the sound spectrum
More to come after burn in and later impressions.
INITIAL THOUGHTS:
OUT OF THE BOX:
Right out of the bag and packaging I felt like these cans were sooo much more solid and sturdy than the HD203s. A quality I'm not used to, that's for sure. I enjoy the way the cans look, too. The polished, reflective metal gives a unique character to it. Packaging is also pretty cool. Ultrasone carrying bag, catalog and demo CD. I'll be using the CD to give my impressions on the S-logic (that's what the CD is for, right?) while using music that I normally listen to in order to determine the way the headphone itself sounds
COMFORT/ISOLATION/THESE KINDS OF THINGS:
Well initially these things have quite a bit of clamp. The pads I don't find to be too uncomfortable but as for now, the clamp is pretty hard and the top of the headband kind of sits on my head hard, isolation is like maybe 4x better than the old headphones (I could hear everything through those "closed" headphones. With music on a pretty high volume I'd still be able to hear almost all outside noise, it's pretty frustrating. Although already, I can feel that I'm sort of adjusting to the headphone's clamp (it doesn't feel as bad as people say), although the top of the headband is pretty uncomfortable. Upon plugging the headphones into my computer, I don't hear any background fuzz or static (I guess it's supposed to be like this huh :x).
As I was typing the first paragraph of the sound category, I noticed the top of the headband seemed to have less and less effect on me.
As I got to the 6th track, the top of my head began hurting.
Adjusted it and the pain went away, but the headband is still kind of irksome because it's a noticeable thing.
SOUND:
-Initial impressions of muscial sound (NO BURN IN):
Whoa, bass is so much more present than I'm used to. But it's a good change in the bass department. Mids sound slightly more crisp and highs are a lot less harsh, but more crisp.
-Off of the ultrasone CD included:
First track: Instruments feel like they're coming from another part of the room. Wind instruments and other accompanying instruments are on this track. Yay S-Logic? I dunno, I like it, though. The change in soundstage is definitely fairly interesting, in an enjoyable way, to me.
Second track: It's a drum solo, and the kick drum is very present, but no detail in the crashes, or symbals and anything else is lost. Things are clear while maintaining the fun kick to it.
Third track: Cloud clapping. Each clap is easily discernable from which direction it's coming from. I think that's the only purpose for it? S-Logic demonstration again.
Fourth Track: Choir song. I feel like I can pick where each part of the choir is. The bass from the organ is also there, in a soothing way. It shows that the bass can extend fairly low and not lose quality in other departments. Towards the end I can hear people in the crowd shuffling around as if they were in church or something. Definitely cool.
Fifth Track: Piano is very clear, and as the player is playing, I hear other details like his clothes shuffling together, him breathing, the chair squeaking slightly. Very cool.
Sixth Track: I hear waves and waters. it's another demonstration of the S-Logic feature. The water is what you hear up close but very far towards the left I hear the wind and other end of the ocean or beach and in up above in the sky I hear birds and a plane crossing by, while still hearing the more present waves swishing back and forth. Very interesting to listen to, especially because it feels like things are coming from not only direction, but direction with depth.
Seventh Track: Deeeeeep extended bass from organ. It's the typical "introducing......." theme played off of an organ. The bass is very much there while the rest of the notes reach out with clarity and sustain well. Towards the end multiple notes are sustained and as it's sustaining it's quite easy to pick out what's happening throughout the sound spectrum.
Eigth Track: Sustained highs from bells hitting. Very interesting because it takes more advantage of S-logic and it's hitting bells from different directions while still sustaining the highs nicely. Slight sibilance but in no way is it harsh or bad, by any means. I have to pay attention to the song and analyze it in order to hear the slight sibliance.
Not much else to say about the album provided because it's all already been said before.
RECAP (NO BURN IN):
Highs high, but not harsh. Pleasant sounding
Mids, present, forward. Don't sound veiled or muddy or recessed at all.
Bass very present, but in a smooth way.
Comfort: Not the best, but better (I feel) than my older headphones.
This is all from an audiophile NOOB, so if you'd like to disagree that's fine, we all have our opinions but so far I really enjoy the upgrade I got! Everything sounds much more clear and the bass that I've been missing oh-so-much is finally there without losing detail in the other regions of the sound spectrum
More to come after burn in and later impressions.
