[Ultrazino]

I use mine on a daily basis for over a year now. Still love 'em!

 

[K.I. Unlimited]

I read in one of these posts a claim that Ultrasone Ed. 9 is very close to HFI780's. I am driving them with a Graham Slee Voyager only. 
 
As I recall reading elsewhere, these need little or no amping to bring out the 'magic'...is that right?

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

I read in one of these posts a claim that Ultrasone Ed. 9 is very close to HFI780's. I am driving them with a Graham Slee Voyager only. 
 
As I recall reading elsewhere, these need little or no amping to bring out the 'magic'...is that right?

Yes.  The Edition 9 are a little more refined and slightly less bright, while the HFI-780 can be slightly sibilant with some sources and amps.  Sometimes I thought the Edition 9 were too dark with many amps.  My favorite amp for them was the ALO Amphora, which is also battery powered.  The Travagans Red $190 amp with AD743 opamps was almost as good, and I didn't need a $1000 amp to drive them (780 or Ed 9).  Even an iPod has enough power.  the HFI-780 are a good "bang for the buck".

 

[K.I. Unlimited]

They are very good all rounders, performing exceptionally well in songs not involving vocals. Instrumental new age, smooth jazz, classicals.
 
Maybe I am lucky, out of the Voyager at 'Flat' I don't get any sibilance. On the contrary, I'm just a little disappointed that the mids weren't lush enough for female vocals. The highs have this sparkle I haven't heard before - so sweet and sounds so natural. The bass and mids perform well by being there - but vocals is definitely not this guy's strong suit.
 
Definitely a keeper, though.
 
Do you think recabling might change something?

 

[Radical_53]

Recabling was and maybe is very famous in combination with these phones. Many users reported great results from it. So far I haven't tried it out myself because I had no other phones to keep me entertained while the 780s were on the road.
 
One thing that does trouble me now is the liftetime of the earpads. I just ordered my second replacement set and they had a huge increase in price. Almost 50$ isn't really to be considered "cheap" anymore. I tried the Beyer velour pads but they totally destroyed the sound signature I love the 780s for.

How do you guys take care of your pads to keep them soft and nice? Would something like Vinylex or 303 Aerospace help them to stay in shape?

 

[haloxt]

I would never pay such a high price for replacement pads, it is ridiculous. Real leather pads cost that much, not pleather. I personally would complain to ultrasone and demand a lower price when I get replacement pads or say I will boycott them.
 
Their recent scheme to charge $250 to have the pro 2900 come balanced does not make me happy about how ultrasone prices things either, they seriously need to rethink how they charge for some things. In fact, I'll do pro 2900 balancing for everyone at cost until ultrasone lowers the price.

 

[mibutenma]

$50??? Ultrasone sells them as pairs for $25.95 + shipping.
$26 for a pair of pads is pretty standard plenty of others cost more very few cost less. 
Some headphones don't even have replacement pads.

 

[Radical_53]

Actually I did complain about the price as the second set was almost 70% more expensive than the first one I got a year ago.
The need for a fresh set of pads on a yearly basis is one thing but the price really hurts. If I had a source for "real" leather or just other, good sounding pads, I guess I'd have gotten those.
My pads usually get harder and stiffer over time which decreases sound quality. The care products I tried so far only made the pads shiny but rather led to more/faster cracks in the material than giving them back their initial softness.
 
So far I only heard of two options, one being Edition pads that cost a fortune and a half or the Beyer pads that, to my ears, kill the sonic character of the 780s.

 

[clou91]

$50?! I only paid $150 shipped for the headphones (brand new)...it really is a shame that the build quality on these is so low. I'd gladly pay more for these headphones if they came with genuine leather pads and ear cups built using similar materials as the Pro series.
 
About the recabling, I recabled my first set of 780s with Vampire wire and might have noticed the edge taken off from the highs and an overall smoother, less aggressive presentation, but I have no idea if this is actually attributed to the cable, burn in, or the removal of the diode board. My new set is still stock and while I still think it sounds great, it won't be long before I recable it...I'm thinking about using Alo SXC this time.

 

[Radical_53]

Yes, I didn't pay much more for my phones either. I didn't see another option to be honest as I really love these phones and do this especially with a fresh, soft set of pads.
It would make sense to think about the future though. I was thinking about an additonal pair of phones, for example a set of IEMs (maybe Sennheiser IE8?) or something like the Pro 900 (even though their velour pads could make them sound like the 780s with velour or, well, older Senns...).
 
There wouldn't be a company that does pads with something like soft, real leather or even suede by any chance?

 

[clou91]

The Pro 900s sound nothing like the 780s and you might be disappointed like I was. I'm keeping my 780s till they fall apart, but I'm also going to give Denons a shot. Hopefully I can mod them to my liking.
 
I've been thinking about genuine leather ear pads as well, and wondering if it'd be worth it to get them custom made....

 

[Radical_53]

It would definitely be something to consider. If I had to compare how much sound quality difference there is from fresh to used pads I'd say this was a bigger difference than many changes in amps, cables or other details could ever make.
Do you have any idea how much a custom set of pads could cost? The alternative would be to get the Edition pads and maybe a nice recable on top. A set of phones that started at 150-200$, modded for another 150-250$ which then could sound very very close to a 800-1000$ phone. I'd rather pay 150$ for a nice set of pads once than 50$ each year for a normal set that looses it's peak performance after 3-5 months.

 

[Radical_53]

To dig this out I finally did something I'd been wanting for a long time.
The set of pads didn't last very long, at least not in perfect quality. Today I received my set of Edition 9 earpads. They're expensive, yes, but I must say I've never seen and especially not felt such a nice leather. I even think the sound is much more detailled now, a little more balanced, still very much fun to listen to. It's really an upgrade I should have done much earlier

 

[audionewbi]

I am so confused about the cable/and other modification, do they really make that much of a significant difference that can justify for the 200+ price increase (not including the $76 Fedex fee) ? Please help me I am so confused and I am in market for close headphones as I am tried of IEM. I still love my ER4S and TF10 but I am just little tired of having things inside my ear canal for 4-6 hours a day. Thanks in advance.

 

[BournePerfect]

I would assume at that price it would make more sense to upgrade to the Pro 900, which should be superior in every regard. Then get the cable for that one if need be.
 
-Daniel