k701 to proline 2500

[markl]

Anyone have an Ultrasone Proline 2500 loaner to share?

J/K.

Or am I?

 

[HFat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonny G But if someone [...] needs some info on the different models, I do not see why it is a problem for me to step in.

Indeed, why not?

So, again, I'm wondering how the cheaper models relate to the 2500... I guess my question could be split in two:
-what are the sonic differences between Proline and the HFI (assuming these are actually coherent product lines as opposed to marketing artifacts... if not, what are the differences between whatever line the 2500 is in and the others)?
-are there major sonic differences between the top-of-the-line models (2500 and 2200 I guess) and the others or are the more expensive models simply "better"?
I'm interested in the design goals as well as your opinion of the results, not in marketing stuff.

 

[Sovkiller]

BTW talking about different models, there is a new model coming up, it was released in Munich and according to the little info I had it is supposed to be similar to the Edition 7 in performance, but at a very different price point, 1/2 price or less IIRC) it wil come in an aluminum case instead of American red cherry, but same drivers and manufacture....any idea of what thehell is or any additional information about it yet???

 

[music_man]

sovkiller, i tried as you mentioned in the other thread by attempting to 'salvage' a screw type 1/8" adapter from a unused akg cable.

let's just say that did not work out so well

.

i am not blaming you at all though. i did it, not you.

i am mad at myself because i spent a couple hours trying to get it apart then hurt my hand(not too bad luckily). then it melted with a 15 watt pencil iron, darnit.

what is intresting is that the cable on the akg is of rather low quality the connector even lower and certainly not meant to be reused! the sony v600 and company cables are a joke though. so i didn't even bother getting 'screwed' on that<thats a joke 'screwed' by a screwed on plug lol.

no wonder replacing the k240s cable makes such a difference. i don't want to mess with the ultrasone cable even though it came with two. better leave well enough alone this time.

anyhow, the reason i like this board so much is assume no one is going to flame for that mistake

edit: could i just splice a better cable to the stock at the top 1"? or will that 1" of stock cable make my better cable useless?

music_man.

 

[VR6ofpain]

Sounds like you already tried what I recommended in the other 'ongoing' Ultrasone thread. If you have another, you could ship it to me, I bet I could get it out for you. I have been pretty good at 'disecting' cables and connectors.

So it sounds like the threads do match up?

 

[music_man]

they match both akg's and sonys.
it seems to be a standard thread size.
the ultrasones seem to simply have a 'nut' in front of the standard 1/8" jack.
it mat be able to be removed but i don't want to. anyways it is there so the cable doesnt pull out when you move.

trust me, i am skilled with electronics and cables. maybe you culd get it out with luck. so did i! it took two hours but i got it out in one piece. it was soldering it that was a nightmare. even with the '3rd. hand' device, having no strain releif to work with and that plug being super soft plastic, it melted into a blob as soon as it even looked at the iron(on 15 watt regulated). that part is probably not meant to be reused and initially soldered by a machine. it is certainly closed by a machine. the plastic inside the boot is a hard resin that is hot molded over it. the solder points are tiny and the poles are seperated by tiny plastic burrs that melt in under 1 second. sovkiller are you sure rudi used a plug on an existing cable, or did he indeed get a brand new plug somewhere?

what is the round thing at the top of your cable(a rfi magnet)? on the new strain releif heatshrink it seems to say 'ss' from what i can see. what is that? i just want to know because i am trying to build a cable. don't worry i do not sell anything and it will obviously be of different cable anyways.

i can work with tiny surface mount stuff but this was hard. i am not saying it could not be done but it would take good luck.

anyhow, i was still wondering if i simply splice a cord to the last 1" of the stock plugs wires and tech-flex it, if i will still reap all the benefits of my new cable or will the stock 1" of wire still be degrading the sound? i don't really see how they are 24awg copper wires and the plug is such a piece of plastic junk it probably hurts the sound just as much as the cable. i just need to sit tiight for a proper plug with the standard diy metal clamp.

on that subject the jack in the ultrasones seems to be the same junk on the other side of things! i wonder if sovkiller is right that the stock left to right ear cable can stay. diminishing returns at some point probably.

these phones are actually great imho, so they need a cable just like any good phones need an aftermarket cable.

oh, my only cables left now are on a good sony and the extra ultrasone cable. sorry, neither one of us will be killing those! lol.

edit> what are the cheapest phones (preferably akg) that i can get that have this plug? sony is ok too if it is a lot cheaper. i'll try again.
with a different type of smd solder station. the problem is i am left with no viable strain releif. i hope one of the cable builders shows up to this thread.

edit again: the germans are 3.5 you sure the japanese are not 1/8"?

music_man

 

[Sovkiller]

Quote:

Originally Posted by music_man sovkiller are you sure rudi used a plug on an existing cable, or did he indeed get a brand new plug somewhere?

It seems to me like a reused plug, as it had some marks of some kind of pliers on the plated, and over this there is no cover on top of it, just heat shrink tubing, a new one should not have those marks, and should have a threaded casing, but I'm not 100% sure, as I didn't do it...

Quote:

what is the round thing at the top of your cable(a rfi magnet)? on the new strain releif heatshrink it seems to say 'ss' from what i can see. what is that? i just want to know because i am trying to build a cable.

It is a ferrite core, some may like it, some may not, I personally will remove it as soon I a get my hands over it again, no need of that unless in a very RF hostile environment and not the case at all....

Quote:

don't worry i do not sell anything and it will obviously be of different cable anyways.

One thing I have learned during my short walking on this hobby, is that there is always room for competitors, ones with more luck that others...But if you offer a decent product, you always will have your customers happy, nobody takes anybody customers, you let them go, IMO if one person goes away from you, to another manufacturer, is just because you are not good enough to retain this customer on your side...period

Maybe except on the case of Chinese stuff, as nobody can compete with their sweats factories of really cheap good labor, and at those government subsidized prices, it is really hard

Quote:

these phones are actually great imho, so they need a cable just like any good phones need an aftermarket cable. oh, my only cables left now are on a good sony and the extra ultrasone cable. sorry, neither one of us will be killing those! lol. music_man

I think that you are giving this cable too much relevance, this cable will not make a day and night change, it is just a very subtle difference, if any...depending on the ears...

 

[music_man]

is the ultrasone cable actually a good cable? the akg cable is maybe 24awg individually jacketed. but no twist and no shield.

i'd assume the ultrasone is the same. a quad shield twisted solid silver with rhodium 20awg made a night and day difference on the k240s. that is why i had the k240s cable to go destroy

. in retrospect i shoulkd not have done that i will order a cable from akg in the morning.

the cable on the v600 is a joke. i hope the r10 doesnt have a cable like that because i am buying it and i want it to stay completely stock for collectors reasons.

sovkiller, if your strain releif is simply heatshrink tubing that cable should not last too long. i couldnt even get the tubing over the darn thing with out breaking the solder joint each time. i gave up after like 4 hours total of pulling it apart and soldering it. what a waste of my time! then my dog came downstairs because i left the door open and killed a $1,000 ic!!! overall a very bad evening yesterday. i hope your cable lasts though.

you know what, even though they sound better. giant techflexed cables on phones are heavy-microphonic and uncomfortable. i still want to make one for the ultrasones though. if i had the right part it would take me less than 20 minutes!

whoever built your cable(rudi?) is either better with a iron them i am or more lucky. i think i might actually see a metal compression sleeve on there used as the new strain releif? that might be ok actually. it is no replacement for a plug with a clamp however. if one that screws is even made. quite frankly i don't even want a akg or sony plug on a $250 cable. those plugs must sound as bad a s they look.

i asked in the other post what are the cheapest pair of headphones that have that plug? yup, i am a glutten for punishment! i'll try it again and think more about what went wrong lkast time first.

oh, and i still wanted to know if i just splice the last 1" of the old cable to the new one if that would defeat the purpose of the new cable? instead of trying to solder on this connector which is a nightmare.

i don't know how much difference the cable will make like you said. but how much do i like the ultrasone? i have the r10 with me now and i like the ultrasone maybe only 20% less. they are similar sound. i think(sovkiller) that is why you like the cd3000 and the ultrasone. along the same lines.

music_man.

 

[VR6ofpain]

Quote:

Originally Posted by music_man trust me, i am skilled with electronics and cables. maybe you culd get it out with luck. so did i! it took two hours but i got it out in one piece. it was soldering it that was a nightmare. even with the '3rd. hand' device, having no strain releif to work with and that plug being super soft plastic, it melted into a blob as soon as it even looked at the iron(on 15 watt regulated). that part is probably not meant to be reused and initially soldered by a machine. it is certainly closed by a machine. the plastic inside the boot is a hard resin that is hot molded over it. the solder points are tiny and the poles are seperated by tiny plastic burrs that melt in under 1 second. sovkiller are you sure rudi used a plug on an existing cable, or did he indeed get a brand new plug somewhere? edit again: the germans are 3.5 you sure the japanese are not 1/8"? music_man

Well I know what you mean. Soldering onto the 2.5mm (sub-mini) plugs that partsexpress sells was a real PITA. I have done 3. I will never do them again. I killed one, they melt too.

3.5mm = 1/8"

 

[music_man]

3.5mm is not exactley 1/8". very very close though. i mean like millionths of an inch. some jacks are picky though. that is why i asked about the sony before i go buy $50 headphones to cut the cord off lol.

music_man.

 

[VR6ofpain]

Quote:

Originally Posted by music_man 3.5mm is not exactley 1/8". very very close though. i mean like millionths of an inch. some jacks are picky though. that is why i asked about the sony before i go buy $50 headphones to cut the cord off lol. music_man.

As far as interconnects go, they are the same. The measurement may have some slight difference, but they are 100% compatible. Some companies sell those plugs as a 1/8" others sell it as a 3.5mm, but you will not find a company that sells both sizes, as they are the same.

 

[music_man]

so waht are the cheapest phones with that plug, yeah i am going to attempt this agian.

i cannot really tell what sovkillers plug is with by the picture. it seems to have metal and plastic around it. simply soldering onto those tiny lugs and using hs as the releif is not going to work. i need to think about this more before i ruin stuff again especially if i am cutting the cord off stuff i just bought!

i am thinking maybe to do a right angle and 'strap' the plug to a sleeve. it will be bulky but it will also solve the problem if it hitting your shoulder.

you know what i really want? a 1/8" to 1/4" adapter that fits in there! could you imagine how fun swappinh high end trs cables all day would be

edit: i wrote 1/$ duh. i meant 1/4". anyways, i decided to not burn my stinking fingers again and forget about this for right now. the stock german cables make sonys stock cables(lower end ones) look like crud so it is ok for the moment.


music_man.

 

[TheSloth]

So, music_man, are the 2500's still for people with ear infections only or are they for the rest of us too...?!

 

[TheSloth]

Well I'm going to try them myself - my purchasing record at headroom is pretty scary, so I have no issue with taking advantage of their 30 day guarantee. I think we need more opinions on this headphone...

 

[music_man]

thesloth, did you get them yet? i still think they are very good(and not just for people with compromised hearing). they are more precise than musical though. i know people say the k701's are very clinical but i found a source/dac/amp that has made them surpass nearly everything i have ever heard. so i listen to those pretty much exclusively now. i do use the prolines on a regular basis for work still. if anyone is intrested about what i power the akg's with just search my name.

music_man