Kernmac
1000+ Head-Fier
I wrote this review to help all those people that looked at my previous threads when I was asking questions about the “lower” end Ultrasones, this is for both of you. There’s something about Ultrasones 200,000 hits and 5,000 plus replies; Kernmac’s Ultrasone threads have less hits than the boys that released “My Sharona”.
The Pro(line) 550 is a headphone totally overlooked at Headfi. The flagship models (Edition 9 aside) Pro 750 and HFI 780 have considerable following, however lower down the scale Ultrasone models are almost non existent in the ownership stakes, in fact most Headfiers don’t seem to have even heard them.
I guess that is because in relative terms the pricing structure doses not reflect massive variation from bottom to top, certainly not in the same way as Grado SR60-RS1/ GS1000, or Sen HD555 (or lower) to HD 650 or Beyer or AKG or ATH etc. The temptation to jump straight to the “top” is easier with Ultrasone (Edition 9 exempted again), and most Headfiers seem to have done just that. I for instance paid $300 Aus. for my Pro 550 and I could have got a Pro 750 for $380 (OEM), which I must confess was tempting.
I stuck with the 550 for two reasons. First, because I wanted monster bass (tight, impactful) for watching action movies (DT 770 without the need for amplification but hopefully with clear mids for dialogue) and all reports state that the 550 are the bass centric of Ultrasone. Secondly, because a well-respected headphone guru who has spent time with all Ultrasones models believes they do reflect their pricing in regards to performance, that is to say that they suffer diminishing returns. Apparently not much gain as you climb the Ultrasone ladder (Puts on flame suit). If I didn’t have my much loved MS2i Alessandros, I would have gone for the Pro 750 as reportedly it has a broader sound spectrum, particularly in regards to highs, had I required a more versatile fon..
On to the review. Can the Pro 550 meet my movie needs and then provide a bonus of being decent enough musically to contrast with the MS2i’s particularly for trance/house bass centric music that I also listen to?
Proline 550-Fun slam or doof doof pretender?
My first impression of these fons out of the box is, they are big, they have massive cup circumference, not depth. This is not to say they are big in terms of other circumaural phones, but they are much bigger in the flesh than photos indicate.
Well first up this is a closed headphone, so how does the Pro 550 isolate and how much does it leak? On my head they hardly leak at all, (unless my kids are having a lend of me). They seal sound in as well as any closed phone. They isolate pretty well too. They’re obviously not noise canceling, but with moderate music levels pumping through them you can’t have a conversation with the person next to you unless you can lip read. They do the closed fon thing pretty well, they meet my expectations easily there.
Some say this is an uncomfortable fon (poor weight distribution), so what are my thoughts on this? Keep in mind I find the MS2i comfortable critters, so you can probably take my opinion on this one with a grain of salt. I have a small/average head, and small/average ear size, they don’t clamp too hard on me. They’re not light, and although they’re not heavy in terms of other headphones they do feel like they are at the heavy end. For me not uncomfortable, but certainly not Sen HD555 comfort. In a different way, they are about the same comfort level as my MS2is. The comfort shouldn’t be am issue for me, however I’m not sure how the pleather pads (bloody warm on my ears) will go long term. Perhaps I should invest in some velour replacement pads. (Might have to PM you shigzeo) The Proline 550
build also seems very robust, I can’t see them falling apart in a hurry.
Well on to the sound-and I am starting with movies.
Bottom line. They do movies very well. They have the bass (not quite sub woofer) kick I was looking for, for action movies, no question. Dialogue is clear (still can’t understand a word of Stallone, but that’s not the 550s fault) and they are fairly spatial/airy, I guess the s logic does a good job, as they sound like open fons (Grado open, still not a wide soundstage). Ear placement is critical, the sound variation is quite significant dependant on head/ear placement in the chambers. These guys meet my primary purchase requirement totally. Sorry to Rocky fans for the Sylvester comment.
Big deal they do movies, so how do they do music?
I bought these Ultrasones as a bass fon, and they do that very well. They are certainly not doof doof pretenders. They are bass orientated, however they are not ‘muddy bass overpowers everything else’ cans in my opinion. The bass goes fairly deep, they have bass impact, but I wouldn’t call them bass monsters, nor would I describe them as dark. They are smooth, liquid at times, slower than my MS2i, less dynamic, they don’t seem to have the same overall detail as the Alessandros. They are warmer, but as I have already stated not dark. The mids are at times a bit recessed for my ears. They appear to be less consistent that the MS2i, with some tracks almost perfect, very enjoyable, but sometimes they seem a bit thin. They are a fun fon with plenty of pratt at times, but at other times they are mushy, confused in the mids, struggling with separation and sounding too blended. Although they don’t seem to have the detail of the MS2i they are unforgiving on lower grade MP3 files. CD and 320 mp3s fair much better than 128 mp3s.
My comments seem fairly harsh, as I am coming from a highly critical prospective, I actually do like the Proline 550, a lot. They are a great fon, at times brilliant. Can they match the Alessandros for rock? not to my ears. Do they do trance, house and some contemporary Rock ballads well? you bet. With simple music they are clear, fairly well balanced and very enjoyable, with the capacity to deliver powerful bass, warm vocals and crisp punchy non sibilant highs. With complex, busy music, they seem a bit muddled, really struggling with separation and therefore they loose their fun factor.
The Proline package is also pretty good; two detachable cords, set of replacement pads and 1/4 inch to 1/8 inch (mini plug) adapter. And a Cd of sound/music tracks.
Don' write off the lower end Ultrasone fons would be my advice, not for everyone, but what can is?
These are my first impressions with a Proline 550 that is 5 minutes old, I will post another review when they have 50 hours on the clock, and I will see if my impressions have changed any.
Cheers
Kernmac
The Pro(line) 550 is a headphone totally overlooked at Headfi. The flagship models (Edition 9 aside) Pro 750 and HFI 780 have considerable following, however lower down the scale Ultrasone models are almost non existent in the ownership stakes, in fact most Headfiers don’t seem to have even heard them.
I guess that is because in relative terms the pricing structure doses not reflect massive variation from bottom to top, certainly not in the same way as Grado SR60-RS1/ GS1000, or Sen HD555 (or lower) to HD 650 or Beyer or AKG or ATH etc. The temptation to jump straight to the “top” is easier with Ultrasone (Edition 9 exempted again), and most Headfiers seem to have done just that. I for instance paid $300 Aus. for my Pro 550 and I could have got a Pro 750 for $380 (OEM), which I must confess was tempting.
I stuck with the 550 for two reasons. First, because I wanted monster bass (tight, impactful) for watching action movies (DT 770 without the need for amplification but hopefully with clear mids for dialogue) and all reports state that the 550 are the bass centric of Ultrasone. Secondly, because a well-respected headphone guru who has spent time with all Ultrasones models believes they do reflect their pricing in regards to performance, that is to say that they suffer diminishing returns. Apparently not much gain as you climb the Ultrasone ladder (Puts on flame suit). If I didn’t have my much loved MS2i Alessandros, I would have gone for the Pro 750 as reportedly it has a broader sound spectrum, particularly in regards to highs, had I required a more versatile fon..
On to the review. Can the Pro 550 meet my movie needs and then provide a bonus of being decent enough musically to contrast with the MS2i’s particularly for trance/house bass centric music that I also listen to?
Proline 550-Fun slam or doof doof pretender?
My first impression of these fons out of the box is, they are big, they have massive cup circumference, not depth. This is not to say they are big in terms of other circumaural phones, but they are much bigger in the flesh than photos indicate.
Well first up this is a closed headphone, so how does the Pro 550 isolate and how much does it leak? On my head they hardly leak at all, (unless my kids are having a lend of me). They seal sound in as well as any closed phone. They isolate pretty well too. They’re obviously not noise canceling, but with moderate music levels pumping through them you can’t have a conversation with the person next to you unless you can lip read. They do the closed fon thing pretty well, they meet my expectations easily there.
Some say this is an uncomfortable fon (poor weight distribution), so what are my thoughts on this? Keep in mind I find the MS2i comfortable critters, so you can probably take my opinion on this one with a grain of salt. I have a small/average head, and small/average ear size, they don’t clamp too hard on me. They’re not light, and although they’re not heavy in terms of other headphones they do feel like they are at the heavy end. For me not uncomfortable, but certainly not Sen HD555 comfort. In a different way, they are about the same comfort level as my MS2is. The comfort shouldn’t be am issue for me, however I’m not sure how the pleather pads (bloody warm on my ears) will go long term. Perhaps I should invest in some velour replacement pads. (Might have to PM you shigzeo) The Proline 550
build also seems very robust, I can’t see them falling apart in a hurry.
Well on to the sound-and I am starting with movies.
Bottom line. They do movies very well. They have the bass (not quite sub woofer) kick I was looking for, for action movies, no question. Dialogue is clear (still can’t understand a word of Stallone, but that’s not the 550s fault) and they are fairly spatial/airy, I guess the s logic does a good job, as they sound like open fons (Grado open, still not a wide soundstage). Ear placement is critical, the sound variation is quite significant dependant on head/ear placement in the chambers. These guys meet my primary purchase requirement totally. Sorry to Rocky fans for the Sylvester comment.
Big deal they do movies, so how do they do music?
I bought these Ultrasones as a bass fon, and they do that very well. They are certainly not doof doof pretenders. They are bass orientated, however they are not ‘muddy bass overpowers everything else’ cans in my opinion. The bass goes fairly deep, they have bass impact, but I wouldn’t call them bass monsters, nor would I describe them as dark. They are smooth, liquid at times, slower than my MS2i, less dynamic, they don’t seem to have the same overall detail as the Alessandros. They are warmer, but as I have already stated not dark. The mids are at times a bit recessed for my ears. They appear to be less consistent that the MS2i, with some tracks almost perfect, very enjoyable, but sometimes they seem a bit thin. They are a fun fon with plenty of pratt at times, but at other times they are mushy, confused in the mids, struggling with separation and sounding too blended. Although they don’t seem to have the detail of the MS2i they are unforgiving on lower grade MP3 files. CD and 320 mp3s fair much better than 128 mp3s.
My comments seem fairly harsh, as I am coming from a highly critical prospective, I actually do like the Proline 550, a lot. They are a great fon, at times brilliant. Can they match the Alessandros for rock? not to my ears. Do they do trance, house and some contemporary Rock ballads well? you bet. With simple music they are clear, fairly well balanced and very enjoyable, with the capacity to deliver powerful bass, warm vocals and crisp punchy non sibilant highs. With complex, busy music, they seem a bit muddled, really struggling with separation and therefore they loose their fun factor.
The Proline package is also pretty good; two detachable cords, set of replacement pads and 1/4 inch to 1/8 inch (mini plug) adapter. And a Cd of sound/music tracks.
Don' write off the lower end Ultrasone fons would be my advice, not for everyone, but what can is?
These are my first impressions with a Proline 550 that is 5 minutes old, I will post another review when they have 50 hours on the clock, and I will see if my impressions have changed any.
Cheers
Kernmac