sackynut
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2008
- Posts
- 152
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So I just pulled the credit card trigger on some Ultrasone HFI450's from Guitar center. They were $100, and Im using them unamped from my laptop sound card.
Pretty basic.
20-20000hz freq range
96dB efficiency
32 ohm impedance.
Build/Construction
Pretty solid, plastic headphones. Well built. I can see them lasting a long time and taking some abuse, but they still seem a little more fragile than some other cans I have used. They are much more study than my A700's, but not as strong as the 280 pros.
The ear pads are pleather-y, and in between the fluffyness of the Sony MDR-V600's and the rock hardness of the 280 pros. (although these are closer to the 280s, slightly).
They fold up quite nicely, so they make great for work-travel and such. I was going to use them in my dorm, but I dont really trust myself :].
They come with a screw on 1/4" adapter, and a cool little carrying bag.
Comfort
They are comfortable for an hour or two, then your ears begin to sweat and you feel the clamp on your head. Again, the clamp is more than my A700's and less than the 280 pros. Some might find it comfortable for 4 hours, some may feel the pinch quickly. The headband itself is somewhat uncomfortable, but not really noticeable until you actually think about it (if that makes sense.)
Isolation:
When I demoed them at guitar center they didnt isolate well at all. For the most part I could still hear people talking, albeit the sounds were muffled a bit.
At home, they seem to isolate much better, which I can definitely attribute to the fact that mine clamp harder than the demo cans, because the demo cans have been "broken in" in terms of clamp force and such.
Sound:
Im still a newbie in terms of freq. range (mids mainly).
Out of the box the bass is strong, but not well extended (possibly the 20hz cut off?)
'
In the back of the track "Still Grey" by Pendulum, there is a deep bass line that, with my A700's deep bass, comes to life. Although you can here it with these as the frequency goes highers, the deeeeeep bass notes are almost inaudible with these cans. The bass can be described as tight, accurate, pretty impactful, but not super great extension. Its decent, but I myself prefer it to go deeeeeeeep. The lack of "fluffyness" in the sub-bass actually is not enjoyable.
Despite this, these cans sounds great. If you could describe their sound signature in one word it would be Euphonic. You put these on, and [possible a mix of the S-logic and the detail] you are transported into another world of sound.
This is great, except its not for everyone, and its only for me some of the time. These are not very laid back, and can actually become fatiguing after a bit.
The detail is great, but I think a slight bit of detail is lost in the s-logic faux-surround sound.
It is a very enjoyable listen, definitely for home entertainment purposes, with a dib and dab in recording and production here and there!
Soundstage:
Its harder for me to pinpoint the sound stage on these than some of my other cans. They are upfront, while immersing you in the music. Rather than feeling like you are watching the artist perform live, it feels like you are actually IN the band.
Again, these are initial impressions and I am pretty new when it comes to evaluating audio equipment.
Are they worth $100? I would say yes, but: because of the not-very-well extended bass, and the slight discomfort I think Im going to return them and opt for some cheaper, $60 Sennheiser HD215's. (since I dont really NEEEEED new cans :] )
Im happy to answer questions best I can for anyone interested in buying these.
Pretty basic.
20-20000hz freq range
96dB efficiency
32 ohm impedance.
Build/Construction
Pretty solid, plastic headphones. Well built. I can see them lasting a long time and taking some abuse, but they still seem a little more fragile than some other cans I have used. They are much more study than my A700's, but not as strong as the 280 pros.
The ear pads are pleather-y, and in between the fluffyness of the Sony MDR-V600's and the rock hardness of the 280 pros. (although these are closer to the 280s, slightly).
They fold up quite nicely, so they make great for work-travel and such. I was going to use them in my dorm, but I dont really trust myself :].
They come with a screw on 1/4" adapter, and a cool little carrying bag.
Comfort
They are comfortable for an hour or two, then your ears begin to sweat and you feel the clamp on your head. Again, the clamp is more than my A700's and less than the 280 pros. Some might find it comfortable for 4 hours, some may feel the pinch quickly. The headband itself is somewhat uncomfortable, but not really noticeable until you actually think about it (if that makes sense.)
Isolation:
When I demoed them at guitar center they didnt isolate well at all. For the most part I could still hear people talking, albeit the sounds were muffled a bit.
At home, they seem to isolate much better, which I can definitely attribute to the fact that mine clamp harder than the demo cans, because the demo cans have been "broken in" in terms of clamp force and such.
Sound:
Im still a newbie in terms of freq. range (mids mainly).
Out of the box the bass is strong, but not well extended (possibly the 20hz cut off?)
'
In the back of the track "Still Grey" by Pendulum, there is a deep bass line that, with my A700's deep bass, comes to life. Although you can here it with these as the frequency goes highers, the deeeeeep bass notes are almost inaudible with these cans. The bass can be described as tight, accurate, pretty impactful, but not super great extension. Its decent, but I myself prefer it to go deeeeeeeep. The lack of "fluffyness" in the sub-bass actually is not enjoyable.
Despite this, these cans sounds great. If you could describe their sound signature in one word it would be Euphonic. You put these on, and [possible a mix of the S-logic and the detail] you are transported into another world of sound.
This is great, except its not for everyone, and its only for me some of the time. These are not very laid back, and can actually become fatiguing after a bit.
The detail is great, but I think a slight bit of detail is lost in the s-logic faux-surround sound.
It is a very enjoyable listen, definitely for home entertainment purposes, with a dib and dab in recording and production here and there!
Soundstage:
Its harder for me to pinpoint the sound stage on these than some of my other cans. They are upfront, while immersing you in the music. Rather than feeling like you are watching the artist perform live, it feels like you are actually IN the band.
Again, these are initial impressions and I am pretty new when it comes to evaluating audio equipment.
Are they worth $100? I would say yes, but: because of the not-very-well extended bass, and the slight discomfort I think Im going to return them and opt for some cheaper, $60 Sennheiser HD215's. (since I dont really NEEEEED new cans :] )
Im happy to answer questions best I can for anyone interested in buying these.
