blackzarg
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Aug 4, 2009
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I recently picked up a pair of PRO 650 headphones during the Musician's Friend closeout, and wanted (for fun) to compare it to one that I had that would serve the same purpose: the Audio-Technica ATH-M50. The M50 has the edge of being used for many, many hours, and I have not burned in the Ultrasone Pro 650. Ill update it in the future when I get more hours in.
Source material was all Apple Lossless ripped on a 2007 Apple Macbook Pro (Santa Rosa) hooked to a Nuforce uDAC. Unfortunately my headphone amp is in for repairs right now, but both phones are pretty easy to drive.
As usual, the usual disclaimers… I don't have a golden ear, and everyone's hearing is subjective. This is just my experience.
Here's the comparison (the numbers for the first three categories are just to distinguish how much better/worse one is compared to another. I'm not going to total it.)
Physical Features:
Build Quality:
The Ultrasone has an all plastic headband. IMO, for a "Pro" headphone, an all plastic body is not desirable. I'd like to see more metal hinges, especially for a pair of headphones that can fold/twist in various ways. That's not to say they are flimsy, but the M50 has metal supports and just feels a little sturdier.
Ultrasone: 3/5
M50: 4/5
Comfort:
On initial wearing, the Ultrasone is noticeable, and the pleather pads are not that soft. However, because of the wide earcup, they don't really mess with your ears. My M50's are pretty comfortable, with very soft pleather pads, but they had a big clamp factor when I first got them. I stretched them out over my bookshelf speaker and they feel comfortable now. If I only had each headphone on for about 10 seconds, I would say the M50 is the winner, but after prolonged use of either, neither of them stand out as being ultra-comfortable or terribly uncomfortable.
Ultrasone: 4/5
M50: 4/5
Isolation/Noise Attenuation:
Goes to the M50, hands down. The tighter clamp on the M50 helps a lot here. The M50 also does a better job at keeping in the noise - there's definitely a more significant amount of noise leakage from the Ultrasone.
Ultrasone: 3/5
M50: 4/5
Listening:
You're Beautiful - James Blunt
Right off the batt, the Ultrasone has more air around the notes, and the guitar plucks are crystal clear on the it. James Blunt's voice comes out clearly and crisply. On the M50's there's not that much difference, but everything seems a little smoothed over and blended together.
You Belong With Me - Taylor Swift
The M50 sounds warmer than the Ultrasone, and Taylor's voice is more full and rich, but a little muffled in comparison to the Ultrasone. I wouldn't say that the Ultrasone sounds bad (the Sony V6 makes Taylor's voice sound very thin), but more accurate and less coloring. The bass drum is noticeably (but slightly) muddier than the Ultrasone.
Everything in its Right Place - Radiohead
Imaging for each headphone was about the same, with the Ultrasone having more air around the sound. Thom Yorke's voice was clearer on the Ultrasone, and breaths were more noticeable. It sounded like listening to a live performance on the Ultrasone, while the M50 sounded more recording like. However, this track was not as "fun" to listen to on the Ultrasones as the M50, but the bass/synth lines are more detailed and articulate on the Ultrasone.
Maslanka: Symphony No. 4, Movement V - Jerry Junkin / Dallas Wind Symphony
Recorded by Reference Recordings, Maslanka's 4th is one of my favorite wind band works. It has one of the most epic endings to a symphony, with organ, trombone and trumpet fanfares, and woodwind flourishes. Of course, this is all a culmination. Anyways, it's very well recorded on this CD, and the Ultrasone displayed instrument separation very well. During complex passages, it was still very easy to distinguish.
In General:
Voices:
Tend to sound less muffled and detailed on the Ultrasone. Might not be as pleasing to listen to as the M50, but while comparing the two, definitely more realistic. I've heard people on Gearslutz recommend the M50s for mixing, but I don't know how well the M50 do at that now, after listening to the Ultrasone.
Bass Output:
Neither headphones have muddy bass, but the Ultrasone is one step above the M50. Both have very deep extension, but again, the Ultrasone is more clear.
S-Logic and the Sample S-Logic Tracks
Ultrasone included a CD to showcase the S-Logic technology. While I don't think that the CD is special, as the tracks sounded airy and outside the headphone on my other headphones as well, the Ultrasone did do a better job of trying to imitate an open-ear headphone and having the separation of instruments, voices, etc.
Conclusion:
There are many fallacies with my comparison, with some being that the Ultrasone is not burned in, and the MSRP of the Ultrasone is much higher. I'm not really sure if I plan on keeping the Ultrasone, or selling them. I like them, but do I need another pair of accurate headphones? I have a pair of AKG K702 for that. The M50 is definitely pleasing to listen to, if not necessarily the most accurate of phones.
Source material was all Apple Lossless ripped on a 2007 Apple Macbook Pro (Santa Rosa) hooked to a Nuforce uDAC. Unfortunately my headphone amp is in for repairs right now, but both phones are pretty easy to drive.
As usual, the usual disclaimers… I don't have a golden ear, and everyone's hearing is subjective. This is just my experience.
Here's the comparison (the numbers for the first three categories are just to distinguish how much better/worse one is compared to another. I'm not going to total it.)
Physical Features:
Build Quality:
The Ultrasone has an all plastic headband. IMO, for a "Pro" headphone, an all plastic body is not desirable. I'd like to see more metal hinges, especially for a pair of headphones that can fold/twist in various ways. That's not to say they are flimsy, but the M50 has metal supports and just feels a little sturdier.
Ultrasone: 3/5
M50: 4/5
Comfort:
On initial wearing, the Ultrasone is noticeable, and the pleather pads are not that soft. However, because of the wide earcup, they don't really mess with your ears. My M50's are pretty comfortable, with very soft pleather pads, but they had a big clamp factor when I first got them. I stretched them out over my bookshelf speaker and they feel comfortable now. If I only had each headphone on for about 10 seconds, I would say the M50 is the winner, but after prolonged use of either, neither of them stand out as being ultra-comfortable or terribly uncomfortable.
Ultrasone: 4/5
M50: 4/5
Isolation/Noise Attenuation:
Goes to the M50, hands down. The tighter clamp on the M50 helps a lot here. The M50 also does a better job at keeping in the noise - there's definitely a more significant amount of noise leakage from the Ultrasone.
Ultrasone: 3/5
M50: 4/5
Listening:
You're Beautiful - James Blunt
Right off the batt, the Ultrasone has more air around the notes, and the guitar plucks are crystal clear on the it. James Blunt's voice comes out clearly and crisply. On the M50's there's not that much difference, but everything seems a little smoothed over and blended together.
You Belong With Me - Taylor Swift
The M50 sounds warmer than the Ultrasone, and Taylor's voice is more full and rich, but a little muffled in comparison to the Ultrasone. I wouldn't say that the Ultrasone sounds bad (the Sony V6 makes Taylor's voice sound very thin), but more accurate and less coloring. The bass drum is noticeably (but slightly) muddier than the Ultrasone.
Everything in its Right Place - Radiohead
Imaging for each headphone was about the same, with the Ultrasone having more air around the sound. Thom Yorke's voice was clearer on the Ultrasone, and breaths were more noticeable. It sounded like listening to a live performance on the Ultrasone, while the M50 sounded more recording like. However, this track was not as "fun" to listen to on the Ultrasones as the M50, but the bass/synth lines are more detailed and articulate on the Ultrasone.
Maslanka: Symphony No. 4, Movement V - Jerry Junkin / Dallas Wind Symphony
Recorded by Reference Recordings, Maslanka's 4th is one of my favorite wind band works. It has one of the most epic endings to a symphony, with organ, trombone and trumpet fanfares, and woodwind flourishes. Of course, this is all a culmination. Anyways, it's very well recorded on this CD, and the Ultrasone displayed instrument separation very well. During complex passages, it was still very easy to distinguish.
In General:
Voices:
Tend to sound less muffled and detailed on the Ultrasone. Might not be as pleasing to listen to as the M50, but while comparing the two, definitely more realistic. I've heard people on Gearslutz recommend the M50s for mixing, but I don't know how well the M50 do at that now, after listening to the Ultrasone.
Bass Output:
Neither headphones have muddy bass, but the Ultrasone is one step above the M50. Both have very deep extension, but again, the Ultrasone is more clear.
S-Logic and the Sample S-Logic Tracks
Ultrasone included a CD to showcase the S-Logic technology. While I don't think that the CD is special, as the tracks sounded airy and outside the headphone on my other headphones as well, the Ultrasone did do a better job of trying to imitate an open-ear headphone and having the separation of instruments, voices, etc.
Conclusion:
There are many fallacies with my comparison, with some being that the Ultrasone is not burned in, and the MSRP of the Ultrasone is much higher. I'm not really sure if I plan on keeping the Ultrasone, or selling them. I like them, but do I need another pair of accurate headphones? I have a pair of AKG K702 for that. The M50 is definitely pleasing to listen to, if not necessarily the most accurate of phones.
