El Scorcho
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2002
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My Ultrasone HFI-650 DVD Edition (DE) came this Friday, and I just finished running it in.
The very first time I put it on, I found the press release to be very true: this thing really packs in more where the lower frequencies are concerned, but I found it too boomy for comfort.
24 hours later: The detail and soundstage have opened up quite a bit, but still boomy. I'm getting worried.
48 hours later: Most of the boominess is gone, and the sound seems to have settled nicely into the same level of performance as the HFI-650 Trackmaster ( TM ), except that the bass response is better. Despite Jan Meier's opinion that the gain in bass response results in a slight loss in detail, I find the same level of detail in both versions of the HFI-650.
72 hours later: The verdict? The difference between the TM and the DE can be likened to the difference between the Grado SR60 and the SR80. Between the two, I like the DE more. The TM is still a very good sounding headphone, but I'd definitely trade it up for the increased bass response from the DE. The boominess is now gone; the bass is perceptibly more pronounced, but tight and controlled.
That's not all. The DE also provides a better deal: it comes fixed with a 1/4" jack (more convenient for home users compared to the fixed 1/8" jack for the TM) but a 1/8" adaptor is also provided, together with a 4m long extension cord. And all this for a slight increase in price (compared to the bigger price jump from SR60 to SR80).
Also, the light gold hue to the driver housing gives it a slight edge to the gray TM in terms of esthetics.
Other than what I have mentioned, both the TM and DE have the same build quality and features.
OK, that's it. Happy listening, ya'll.
The very first time I put it on, I found the press release to be very true: this thing really packs in more where the lower frequencies are concerned, but I found it too boomy for comfort.
24 hours later: The detail and soundstage have opened up quite a bit, but still boomy. I'm getting worried.
48 hours later: Most of the boominess is gone, and the sound seems to have settled nicely into the same level of performance as the HFI-650 Trackmaster ( TM ), except that the bass response is better. Despite Jan Meier's opinion that the gain in bass response results in a slight loss in detail, I find the same level of detail in both versions of the HFI-650.
72 hours later: The verdict? The difference between the TM and the DE can be likened to the difference between the Grado SR60 and the SR80. Between the two, I like the DE more. The TM is still a very good sounding headphone, but I'd definitely trade it up for the increased bass response from the DE. The boominess is now gone; the bass is perceptibly more pronounced, but tight and controlled.
That's not all. The DE also provides a better deal: it comes fixed with a 1/4" jack (more convenient for home users compared to the fixed 1/8" jack for the TM) but a 1/8" adaptor is also provided, together with a 4m long extension cord. And all this for a slight increase in price (compared to the bigger price jump from SR60 to SR80).
Also, the light gold hue to the driver housing gives it a slight edge to the gray TM in terms of esthetics.
Other than what I have mentioned, both the TM and DE have the same build quality and features.
OK, that's it. Happy listening, ya'll.
