[sabatar]

Not on grounds of comfort or how the technology is designed for safe long listening hours, but rather on the front of sheer sound quality--SQ that should suprass the big champions, such as RS1, GS1000, HD650 and BD880.
Does it belong in the luxury, niche world of attainments for its metal and leather--the ultra elite 'porsche' status, or is it really worth its price?

 

[grawk]

I think porsche is the wrong analogy. More like Infiniti. It's a really nice altima.

 

[slwiser]

Yes, it is worth the price on sound quality alone. The fit is harsh at first but it gets looser after a couple of weeks and becomes comfortable. It is less sensitive to other components in the train since it makes anything sound good but it will reveal poorly performing equipment in any comparison. It just sounds good from the iPod and even better from my Yamamoto HA-02 to me.

 

[Matteman]

Forgive my ignorance, but what's up with Ultrasone's safe listening claim and the surround sound technology that they are raving about? Sounds like marketing hype, like something Bose would use for their headphones, but I guess that unlike Bose it is justified.

 

[ericj]

of course not. Things that trifling in that price range are never expected to be a good cost/value ratio. It's a luxury item, only expected to be purchased by people who don't worry about cost.

And yes, the 'safe listening' claims are just marketing hype.

 

[panyncor]

I agree that their advertising copy sounds like hype and that they'd be better off without it. It makes the headphones appear gimmicky, and I was turned off for a long time. I'm glad I got past it because they're wonderful headphones and do have a luxurious quality. Whether they're worth the price is entirely up to the individual, but in my opinion they offer appealing qualities that I haven't found in other headphones. I would have a hard time parting with them.

 

[slwiser]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matteman /img/forum/go_quote.gif Forgive my ignorance, but what's up with Ultrasone's safe listening claim and the surround sound technology that they are raving about? Sounds like marketing hype, like something Bose would use for their headphones, but I guess that unlike Bose it is justified.

To answer you question the best way is to go to their web site and click on technology and read some of the papers and studies. If you don't bother then you are not interested in the answer.

 

[ericj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by slwiser /img/forum/go_quote.gif To answer you question the best way is to go to their web site and click on technology and read some of the papers and studies. If you don't bother then you are not interested in the answer.

I've read their studies about EM radiation from headphones and found it interesting that they mysteriously omit the fact that wearing a slab of high-permeability metal on either side of your head will actually amplify EM fields that come from sources other than the headphone drivers - such as power transformers, ballast circuits on fluorescent lights, and the yokes on cathode ray tubes.

So the mu-metal ultrasones will protect you from the headphones but increase your exposure to all other sources of 'EM radiation'.

They also omit any discussion of the relative dangers of different EM fields. For example, the problem isn't really so much the energy level as the rate of change in the field. A 2ghz field is far more troubling than a 60hz field at the same power level.

 

[slwiser]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericj /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've read their studies about EM radiation from headphones and found it interesting that they mysteriously omit the fact that wearing a slab of high-permeability metal on either side of your head will actually amplify EM fields that come from sources other than the headphone drivers - such as power transformers, ballast circuits on fluorescent lights, and the yokes on cathode ray tubes. So the mu-metal ultrasones will protect you from the headphones but increase your exposure to all other sources of 'EM radiation'. They also omit any discussion of the relative dangers of different EM fields. For example, the problem isn't really so much the energy level as the rate of change in the field. A 2ghz field is far more troubling than a 60hz field at the same power level.

Sounds like you need to go to the store for some Aluminum foil.

 

[ericj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by slwiser /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sounds like you need to go to the store for some Aluminum foil.

Unlike potential ultrasone customers, i'm not afraid of EM fields. Especially not low-frequency EM fields measured in thousands of nanoteslas. A good friend of mine spends about 20 hours a week working in a room with a 5 tesla magnet and an 11 tesla magnet.

 

[Cool_Torpedo]

If EM fields were a serious danger for health, then no Magnetic Resonance scans would be performed at all. And technicians working with those machines would wear some type of protection like workers on X-Ray facilities do.
I accept their claim of the mu-metal can protect you from the EM of the cans, but I don't think that's important at all. IMO it's completely irrelevant and not much more than science applied to marketing.

Ultrasones are nice HPs and they appeal to people with certain taste and sonic goals. If the Ed9 are or not worth their price it's just a matter of personal taste. If you dislike their sound obviously they're not worth it, but if they produce you inmense enjoyment, they'd be worth that price and probably more.

Rgrds

 

[milezone]

In my and many other's oppinions they are better than any grado being produced today. They have the best bass reproduction and PRAT of any headphone with the exception of maybe the l3000. They have a real holographic quality to them and have a stax-like 'black' background. They resolve better than any production headphone I've heard, revealing the most idiosyncratic details (almost electrostatic like w/o the lack of energy). They have a slightly recessed midrange, that some say can be cured with a new cable, and is almost unnoticeable after a LONG burn in. Their only downfall is the lack of soundstage. Despite this issue (inevitable in a small closed headphone), they reproduce locations naturally and very well. And they are without question the most lively and engaging headphones ive heard to date. They reveal the soulfulness of the music. While the build quality is fantastic, they may be over priced given the parts used. Regardless they IMO with out question the best headphones in production today. That being said, they are not all arounders. They do everything well. And rock, modern music, electronica, the best. But will butcher bad classical recordings. Especially if your source and amp don't match well.

 

[jp11801]

purely based on sound quality is a tough one as I have heard 4 different pairs of fully burned in ed 9s and there seem to be 2 different sound profiles. Mine were ok not great so I sold them shortly after purchase. I have heard a local headfiers pair and they are better than I recall my pair. Even at its best there is something not quite natural sounding, the instrument tones have a plastic or rubbery sound quality to them. IMHO a pair of 650s or RS1s paired with an amp that does them justice is a better way to go. The ed9s have a pretty intense legion of fans so they obviously work for some people. I would either buy used so you can flip them for no loss if you don't like them or try to get an extended audition with them before you plunk down your cash.

 

[AudioDwebe]

Are they worth it?

Yes, if you're willing to pay for it.

And no, if you're not.

It's really that simple.

They sound better (different) from the headphones you've listed, but I guess the question would be: Do they sound many times better than those ohter headphones? The answer to that, of course, is going to be a resounding, no.

When the Koss KSC 75 gets you at least three-quarters of the way of any headphone, then everything else is way overpriced. It's the last, wee-bit of improvements, that cost you a whole lot in this hobby.

Just my $.02.

Ciao,

 

[vcoheda]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jp11801 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would either buy used so you can flip them for no loss if you don't like them or try to get an extended audition with them before you plunk down your cash.

that's good advice, esp for headphones where opinion is very divided.