[techfreakazoid]

Got a chance to listen to the well regarded HFI-780 phones for EDM paired with the S9, and noticed a number of similarities with the M50--clean mids with punchy bass, treble sparkle, and fast attack and decay. The M50 sounds more balanced than the HFI-780, with the latter having a tad more bass / recessed mids. I was hoping to like the Ultrasones, but the earpads are hard as a rock and the headband padding acts more as a pressure point than a dampener. Interested to hear from those who have A/Bed these two closed cans in portable vs. amped setups for music (hip hop, trance), gaming, and movies.

 

[rhythmdevils]

I don't know, but I've never liked any ultrasone i've listened to, and I like the M50

 

[techfreakazoid]

The HFI-780 sound signature is fine, especially with hip hop and trance. It's just that the product can only be enjoyed if you're able to do so without physical discomfort.

 

[Graphicism]

You should be able to pickup on the sound stage difference immediately, one is left-right and the other center... so as far as sounding similar I wouldn't think so. Are you amplifying them or just plugging them straight into an MP3 player? ... considering Ultrasone recommends a $2,000 amp to power them this could be your missing link... and yeah straight from an MP3 player I bet a lot of headphones sound the same.

 

[ourfpshero]

i love the 780, but sold it due to the (lack of) comfort issues

 

[techfreakazoid]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graphicism /img/forum/go_quote.gif You should be able to pickup on the sound stage difference immediately, one is left-right and the other center... so as far as sounding similar I wouldn't think so. Are you amplifying them or just plugging them straight into an MP3 player? ... considering Ultrasone recommends a $2,000 amp to power them this could be your missing link... and yeah straight from an MP3 player I bet a lot of headphones sound the same.

I A/Bed them through the Cowon S9, which may not be a desktop amp, but it can drive my 250 ohm DT880s with no problem. The HFI-780 is rated 35 ohm / 96 dB, while the M50 is 38 ohm / 99 dB. I think it's more about audio chain synergy as opposed to pure amperage. The S9 is a very clean DAP and 95% of my music are FLAC files. I've tested about a dozen cans with the S9 and can easily distinguish between good vs. excellent phones. While the M50 sounds very good out of the S9, it sounds like a dark, closed can on the Compass. Regarding soundstage, I was waiting to be blown away by the S-Logic, but didn't notice any dramatic improvements. Maybe the comfort issue was detracting from my ability to critically listen for changes.