[KriLi]

Hi,

I’m new to Head-Fi and found this forum when I was searching for headphone reviews and I’m very pleased with it so thanks to all you guys for making this a great archive of information.

After extended use of the “search” option and reading several threads I “almost” found a suitable pair of headphones for my needs. Though I’m not totally convinced. Keep in mind that my budget is €300 and want headphones and no IEM’s. Also I’m not planning to buy an amp for now, maybe in a couple of months.

What I’m looking for/capable of:

•Closed headphones that have a good isolation (noisy environment: train, bus and airplanes)
•Portability
•Comfortable (use headphones all the time at home, 7 hours of train a week and soon lots of flights)
•Music taste: rock/pop rock/hard rock, dance, drum ‘n’ bass/dubstep, pop and almost no classical and jazz music
•Gaming (FPS) & movies

My only experience with ear- & headphones are: Creative EP-630, Bose In-ear’s and Sennheiser HD 595. I like my HD 595’s but since they are open headphones not suited for my needs. Though I would like better all-round headphones that are also good for use at home.

The pair of headphones I have on my mind and weirdly won’t leave it are as the title suggests the Ultrasone PRO 900, because they are closed, foldable and have a detachable cable + carrying case (not a must but 2 handy features). Of course I would consider the “Kees mod”. The things I’m not certain of are the isolation factor and the difference of sound quality and colour compared the HD 595's.
Anyone with experience with these headphones or anyone with other suitable headphones in mind please help me out.

Thanks!

 

[GaryJW]

I can not give any positive recommendations for headphones (more below), but can point out a place to look to make a short list. HeadRoom (HeadRoom: Stereo Headphones, Amps & DACs, Wireless, Noise Canceling, Ear Canal, Earbud, Audio Cables & Accessories) publish performance graphs on their site for a whole bunch of headphone parameters - these include their isolation. (I would not recommend selecting headphones from graphs of frequency response etc, but isolation is eminently measurable).

As to 'phones that I do know that are near to what you are after; Sennheiser HD-380 Pro - very good isolation but mediocre sonic performance, for me weak in the mid-range and unexciting. Denon AH-D2000 - very good and musical headphones but with relatively poor isolation (at least for closed cans).

 

[maultar]

Hi mate,

I recently purchased a pair of pro900s and find that they meet 4 out of your 5 criteria.

The only thing that i think they fail somewhat at is that they are quite inefficient compared to my cd3000s and hd650s. I'd say they are about equal with the k701s i owned previously.

You would need a pretty hefty portable amp to power them properly but if you could do so i think they would suit you very well. They isolate quite well with a medium clamping force. They are quite comfy though i have a relatively small head. Not quite sure how it'd translate to a larger head however i think that you shouldn't have any problems. I've always found velour to be comfy and breathable.

The pro900s excel with their bass and have a clear and forward midrange. Their highs are acceptable as well. They go very well with most of the genres of music that you have stated.

Unfortunately i cannot offer a comparison to the hd595s as i have never listened to a pair however they are in the same league as the hd650s.

Hope this helps.

 

[oqvist]

Hmm do your amp output a lot of voltage but very little current? Hd 650s is harder to get volume out of my SS amps anyway. Better at giving current then voltage. I would suspect the Ipod touch would be on the limit volume wise? And you would not hear it´s best of course.

I have no problem getting volume on the 900 with the touch. As mentioned they do benefit heavilly from a good amp that output a lot of current. I have listened to little on my touch with it to really judge how it performs... The little I done I was positively surprised how well it performed though... But then I don´t expect that much from portable sources so that just means that they exceeded my expectations.

You will need to get another cable though... Luckily quite easilly since you can switch cables on them. Otherwise you may risk breaking your portable. Also the Pro 900 is not really that forgiving on poor recordings but if you stick to 320 kb mp3s you should not have to much issues with that hopefully.

As for isolation about on par with the DT 770 Pro if you had that one. Not on par with K81DJ, ED 8 not even close but they do offer some definiatly. There is a lot of closed headphones that just doesn´t isolate at all. Would love EU come in and set a standard for what is allowed to be marketed as closed and semi closed. Pro 900 should be in the semi closed segment perhaps and the Ed 8 for example in the closed segment

 

[KriLi]

Thanks for the feedback!

So for noisy environments the isolation is sufficient? Most of my music is ripped at 256 or 320kbps so that isn't a problem. Aren't the stock cable good enough? I was thinking using the coiled cable for portable use and the straight at home.

About an amp, I'm totally new to this and haven't got any experience/knowledge. I do now know the difference between an amp or a amp/dac combo. I think a amp/dac would be better for me as I can use it at home via my laptop. Read some good things on the iBasso D4 mamba but I find the idea that the 9V battery only lasts 9 hours very unpractical. Also keep in mind that I live in Europe and an import from the USA would be very expensive for me.

 

[Palpatine]

Isolation is OK, IMO, but not great. I have the Pro 750 and they are the same in this regard. My iPod touch can bring out decent sound to many songs, unamped. But really, it does need a portable amp for the best SQ.
Perhaps the the HFI 780... would be better for you... but then you are stuck with the long cable.
You can get these from Moon-audio and ask Drew to put on a blue dragon cable for you at 4 foot length. Then you have a folding, short cabled HFI 780 for around $400 that sounds great.

 

[somestranger26]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KriLi /img/forum/go_quote.gif What I’m looking for/capable of: •Closed headphones that have a good isolation (noisy environment: train, bus and airplanes) •Portability •Comfortable (use headphones all the time at home, 7 hours of train a week and soon lots of flights) •Music taste: rock/pop rock/hard rock, dance, drum ‘n’ bass/dubstep, pop and almost no classical and jazz music •Gaming (FPS) & movies

Sounds like a good choice to me:

☑ Adequate isolation
☑ Transportability
☑ Very comfortable
☑ They're good with all genres, especially ones like dnb, dubstep, dance, trance, etc.
☑ Nice bass for movies, very good soundstage considering their closed design for gaming

Quote:

Originally Posted by KriLi /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the feedback! So for noisy environments the isolation is sufficient? Most of my music is ripped at 256 or 320kbps so that isn't a problem. Aren't the stock cable good enough? I was thinking using the coiled cable for portable use and the straight at home. About an amp, I'm totally new to this and haven't got any experience/knowledge. I do now know the difference between an amp or a amp/dac combo. I think a amp/dac would be better for me as I can use it at home via my laptop. Read some good things on the iBasso D4 mamba but I find the idea that the 9V battery only lasts 9 hours very unpractical. Also keep in mind that I live in Europe and an import from the USA would be very expensive for me.

The isolation is sufficient enough that I've used them on an airplane before and could listen at slightly above normal volume levels.

The stock cable is perfectly fine, worry about spending money on an amp long before spending it on cables.

I liked how they sounded out of the Nuforce Icon Mobile, and they seem pretty easy to drive; as long as they have an amp they seem to be happy so I imagine most portable amps can handle them fine.

Quote:

Originally Posted by maultar The only thing that i think they fail somewhat at is that they are quite inefficient compared to my cd3000s and hd650s. I'd say they are about equal with the k701s i owned previously. You would need a pretty hefty portable amp to power them properly but if you could do so i think they would suit you very well.

???

 

[oqvist]

The reason is the 3.5 mm adapter. It make the connector very long. Already the standard neutrick connector is huuuge so you may break your player if you happen to twist them

 

[somestranger26]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oqvist /img/forum/go_quote.gif The reason is the 3.5 mm adapter. It make the connector very long. Already the standard neutrick connector is huuuge so you may break your player if you happen to twist them

Yeah, the connector ends up being about 3 inches long but Ultrasone offers a shorter, 3.5mm terminated cable and you can also just reterminate one of the cables you originally get with a 3.5mm connector.

 

[KriLi]

Ok I see the problem with 3.5mm connector as it's the same now with my Sennheiser HD595 and also the lenght of the cable.

So I should first look for a good amp and then for a new cable? Though I have a few questions about Moon Audio cables:

• What's the difference between a detachable cable and a hardwired, is there a difference in sound quality?
• What are the benefits of Balanced XLRs and a split mod?

Sorry for all the questions but I'm just a newbie to this stuff.

 

[Head_case]

The 3.5mm connector issue is the one I'm facing with the Ultrasone Pro900s.

What a fantastic headphone! But they won't displace the Sennheiser HD25IIs for portability. Had the HD595s and the bass response and sound stage are inferior to the Ultrasone Pro 900. These headphones have a 3 dimensions sound stage which is just incredible! The bass response is exceptionally pleasing with a decent porty amp. Even a Fiio5 it sounds thrilling for bass attack and intense trance stuff.

All the Ultrasone cables are detachable - you simply unscrew the 3.5mm Ultrasone cable.

 

[oqvist]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KriLi /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ok I see the problem with 3.5mm connector as it's the same now with my Sennheiser HD595 and also the lenght of the cable. So I should first look for a good amp and then for a new cable? Though I have a few questions about Moon Audio cables: • What's the difference between a detachable cable and a hardwired, is there a difference in sound quality? • What are the benefits of Balanced XLRs and a split mod? Sorry for all the questions but I'm just a newbie to this stuff.

I don´t know since I never owned a hardwired Ultrasone but I would suspect the ev benefit you would get with a hard soldered would diminish if you had to use an extension cable to use the headphone at home? That is if you have such good ears you really can tell the difference if there actually is any.

 

[petert210]

I have the Pro900 for about 2 months now. This is an upgrade from my Sennheiser HD580 which I have used for about 10 years. Majority of my listening is CDs hook up to a headphone amp and I listen to all music genres. A few things that I found different:

Soundstage: More open and 3D than 580. Positioning of voices and instruments are clearly defined and placed than the 580.

Sound quality: The sound quality is excellent on both. I prefer the mids of the 580 but the Pro900 has more and deeper bass. Each has its unique sound signature so it will be a matter of preference and types of music you listen. I have not performed the Kees Mod yet so I can’t tell you how it affects the SQ.

Build quality: The outside of Pro900 is made almost entirely of plastic except for the aluminum name plate. Some people have commented that the build quality of the Pro900 is cheap but I would disagree. Unlike some other cans that I have used, I have not found any weak areas where it is prone to break. My 580 is still in excellent shape after 10 years. Time will tell how the Pro900 hold up.

Size: Similar to 580 but foldable

Comfort: The 580 fits my ears better because of its elongated (elliptical) ear cup shape. The ear cup of Pro900 is more of a round shape. Clamping force of the Pro900 is rather tight at the beginning but it loosens up after 2 months of use. The velour pads on the Pro900 are very comfortable. So far I can have this on for 4-5 hrs a day without any issues. I have not have it on for longer than 4-5 hrs.

Isolation: Pro900 isolates outside noise well. It is a close phone and will not leak sound like the 580 so it could be use in public places.

As for amping, the SQ will benefit with amp but I have used the Pro900 with my iPhone and Sony A-series player and it can be driven to a reasonable listening level without amp. As mentioned in the above posts, when you used the original cable (1/8” terminated), you’ll need the adapter for mp3 player and I found that to be susceptible to breakage. I agree with that the 3.5 mm terminated cable will be a better option. As for portability, please keep in mind that when folded and put into the carrying case (8.5” x 8.5”) it still has a rather large footprint.

I hope this helps.

 

[KriLi]

Thanks petert210!

Most people seem to like the PRO 900 in contrast to the HFI 780, find the possibility of having multiple cables for home and portable use very practical.

Any other headphones I should consider? Budget is about €300, PRO 900 is normally €450 in Europe but can buy them for €310 w/ shipping.

 

[KriLi]

Anyone with other suggestions or recommendations?