[Mikeb]

below is a reply i have just made in another section of the forum, from my description below can anyone tell me why these headphones sounded so bad?

" i recieved my new pro900 headphones today i couldn't believe my ears these were the worst headphones i have ever heard, they had no bass, the treble was tinny and very distant,but the most unusal was the complete absence of any midrange in some cases the voice in the mix dissappeared completely never heard anything so bad, i returned them within an hour of recieving them, all i can suggest is that the headphones were faulty, this has now put me off ultrasone headphones totally, have gone back to my balanced beyer dt880 and at1000, both superb."

 

[SoulSyde]

I heard the same characteristics from my Pro 650s when I first got them. I wasn't very happy with their "out of the box" performance as well. I put them through 50 hours of constant burn-in with bass-heavy music and listened again.

Some of the "metallic" sound signature that I heard out of the box disappeared. They also got a bit warmer. I didn't have any issue with the mid-range, but they were a bit bright.

I put them through another 50 hours of burn-in and they have become fairly flat. The bass is not overwhelming (compared to my previously owned Sennheiser HD 25-SPs). But for a nice sealed, even mannered headphone I am still VERY pleased with the performance of my Pro 650s. I did find that they sound a lot better amped (with a bit of bass-boost or a warm op-amp), even though they are efficient headphones to begin with.

Oddly enough the Pro 650s have higher impedance than the higher-end models. I bought them for that reason, and because I got a killer deal from Moon Audio.

In short, these needed some burn-in before I was able to make a sound judgment on their performance.

 

[67_390gt]

I love mine!!! They are better in every way from the Proline 650s they replaced. Yours could have very well been defective, You should try another pair before you completely write them off.


Oh also are you sure the cable was screwed in all the way? When I first got my proline 650s I screwed in the cable what I thought was all the way, but it wasnt and they sounded awful!! There was a bit of initial resistance but it took almost another full turn to seat it fully. Again with my 900's it was stiff to initially thread the cable, there was the same spot where it feels like it is in all the way, but this time I knew better.
And make sure the pads are on all the way. If one of the tabs isnt locked down you will loose A LOT of bass.

 

[eugenius]

what did you run them from, a low power opamp amplifier with a high output impedance?

 

[Mikeb]

I drove them using my Little Dot MKV11 headphone amplifier which I use for my other headphones balanced Beyer DT880 and AT AD1000 single ended.

 

[Mikeb]

I thought I would give them another try as so many Headfiers said they were excellent, so I contacted the supplier to return them provided they could confirm they worked ok, keeping my fingers crossed I retried today and again the sound was distant, I reinserted the 3.5mm connecter into the headpiece and was greeted with some excellent sound very even across the whole spectrum, excellent tight and deep bass (not overdone as some have commented) the treble was open and not harsh, actually they are the best sounding headphones I have had straight from the box(normally headphones need some breaking in, this being most apparent with my earlier AKG701s and Beyer DT880s), I also find that unlike most other headphones that they can be used at lower volumes than normal but still maintaining the overall sound characteristics where most headphones at lower volumes loose some of their sound balance.
My biggest complaint is the poor quality connection using the 3.5mm connector into the headphone it seems to be very hit and miss, I think I will leave it connected.
An excellent sounding headphone, by the way I have only tried it at present being driven by my Consonance Cyber 20 valve headphone amp which seems to suit them very well.

 

[67_390gt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikeb /img/forum/go_quote.gif I reinserted the 3.5mm connecter into the headpiece and was greeted with some excellent sound very even across the whole spectrum My biggest complaint is the poor quality connection using the 3.5mm connector into the headphone it seems to be very hit and miss, I think I will leave it connected.

So I was right, it wasn't fully seated. Once the cable is removed and installed a few times the threads loosen up and it is not an issue.
They will only get better with time. Im glad you gave them another chance, and it sounds like you are too.

 

[SoulSyde]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 67_390gt /img/forum/go_quote.gif So I was right, it wasn't fully seated. Once the cable is removed and installed a few times the threads loosen up and it is not an issue. They will only get better with time. Im glad you gave them another chance, and it sounds like you are too.

This also happened to me the very first time I listened to mine. But I have never experienced this phenomenon again.

 

[RockinCannoisseur]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikeb /img/forum/go_quote.gif I thought I would give them another try as so many Headfiers said they were excellent, so I contacted the supplier to return them provided they could confirm they worked ok, keeping my fingers crossed I retried today and again the sound was distant, I reinserted the 3.5mm connecter into the headpiece and was greeted with some excellent sound very even across the whole spectrum, excellent tight and deep bass (not overdone as some have commented) the treble was open and not harsh, actually they are the best sounding headphones I have had straight from the box(normally headphones need some breaking in, this being most apparent with my earlier AKG701s and Beyer DT880s), I also find that unlike most other headphones that they can be used at lower volumes than normal but still maintaining the overall sound characteristics where most headphones at lower volumes loose some of their sound balance. My biggest complaint is the poor quality connection using the 3.5mm connector into the headphone it seems to be very hit and miss, I think I will leave it connected. An excellent sounding headphone, by the way I have only tried it at present being driven by my Consonance Cyber 20 valve headphone amp which seems to suit them very well.

ok so they dont suckanyomore u just had bad connection?

im about to buy and i want tom ake sure

 

[Mikeb]

Yes definitely buy a pair, don't hesitate, they are excellent on all types of music, the sound over the whole frequency range is so even (I haven't found the bass overblown at all, just great, tight and extended more so than any other headphone I have used), I have now tried them being driven by my Little Dot MKV11, Stello DP200 internal headphone, and even my Cowon Q5 drives them to acceptable levels allbeit with the volume set at max, absolutely great sounding pair of headphones, particularly at the price I got them for in the UK from IHeadphones.
I will forgive the poor 3.5mm connection, I did consider making up a cable from some cardas headphone cable I have but I am so happy with the stock cable that I don't think I will bother.

 

[oqvist]

Tried a replacement cable. Short story not worth it.