[les_garten]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamato8 /img/forum/go_quote.gif After very extensive use of the Ed. 9 with many different amps and again, 1000's of hours of use I can say that much more than before, I can hear the difference between the 750's. I enjoy the 750's for sure but I notice that One, I have to turn the volume up more to get the same detail with the 750's and they still do not present the clear clean wide open stage of the 9's. Same driver different enclosure and interior treatment of the 9's. I had to open them the other day as the L ear was shorting out. The solder point was bad but it gave me the opportunity to view the interior.

Hello,
I read in another thread where you questioned the Price of the ED9 vs the 750 and why a cup and some dead sheep didn't sound like it was worth tripling the cost. Now I see that you have the phones. Have you gained any insight since the ED9 Purchase? Also, what did you see when you looked in them?

 

[haloxt]

I am going to buy some iCans for my mom, since I noticed a MSRP discrepancy I emailed Ultrasone to ask about why there was two MSRP's for the original white iCans ($129 and $169). Well they didn't really answer my question but I learned that they have discontinued the iCans. I'll probably buy the iCans from audio depot which is selling it at half off $129. Or do you guys think it will really fall in price as stores try to clean out their stocks?

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by haloxt /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am going to buy some iCans for my mom, since I noticed a MSRP discrepancy I emailed Ultrasone to ask about why there was two MSRP's for the original white iCans ($129 and $169). Well they didn't really answer my question but I learned that they have discontinued the iCans. I'll probably buy the iCans from audio depot which is selling it at half off $129. Or do you guys think it will really fall in price as stores try to clean out their stocks?

See if ultrasone USA has any left, since Ultrasone AG gave them the boot they had some for $50. Mine sounded like poop till 300-400 hours of burn-in, then they were very good.

 

[mmanolio]

Greetings!

I Just received my PRO 750's from Northernsound.

I am up to Page 131 in this giant thread and I want to thank everyone, especially Terry, for helping me decide to try the Ultrasone's!

I am a radio broadcast Engineer that also dabbles in recording from time to time as well. (You can listen to my College station, WCSB at Cleveland State University, online streaming at 128kbps at http://www.wcsb.org/listen/

I do a show there every Monday evening from 6PM to 7PM EST called The Music Of Science Fiction And Fantasy.

Anyway, my reference phones for the last 20+ years have been the Sony MDR V6 / 7506 and I own 3 pairs, one for home, one for the station and one for my day job.

On and off over the last seveal years I have been looking for something that could replace the Sony's for me. They have always sounded rather shrill compared to studio monitors and my home speaker system, especially now that it is calibrated with the Audyssey MultiEQ XT system in both the frequency and time domains, but I have never found anything else that could come close for detail and bass.

The Sony's have always been rather fatiguing during long sessions too, but really detailed and revealing, so I don't mind that aspect of them.

As far as other cans I have tried, they include Sennheiser HD600's which I did not like at all because of the lower-midrange / upper-bass rise that made them sound too distant and laid-back for me. Not enough bass punch for me either. Also the Westone UM2 in-ears. Great for plane rides and sound pretty decent but I am not thrilled by the whole in-ear thing and never could get completely comfortable with them.

I have also heard a few AT's, other Senn's (but not the 650) and a Beyer DT770 Pro/80 that I also didn't like at all because of flabby bass and the big 4kHz notch they have. Nothing has made me want to switch from the Sony's thus far.

Well, the PRO 750's have about 30 minutes on them as I type this and I understand that they need about 200 hours of break-in, but I think these have the potential to finally do it!

What I am hearing so far is bass response similar to the Sony's but a bit heavier. (perhaps a little too heavy?) and kind of "congested" mids and highs. Is this normal right out of the box? I do have the connector screwed in all the way and the cord on the Left.

I will be taking them to the station to do my show this evening and after that will begin burning them in with pink noise. (20 minutes on / 2 minutes off)

Thanks Again for all the help and I will keep you all updated on their progress.

--Mark--

 

[jpstereo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mmanolio /img/forum/go_quote.gif Greetings! I Just received my PRO 750's from Northernsound. I am up to Page 131 in this giant thread and I want to thank everyone, especially Terry, for helping me decide to try the Ultrasone's! I am a radio broadcast Engineer that also dabbles in recording from time to time as well. (You can listen to my College station, WCSB at Cleveland State University, online streaming at 128kbps at WCSB Cleveland » Listen On-Line! I do a show there every Monday evening from 6PM to 7PM EST called The Music Of Science Fiction And Fantasy. Anyway, my reference phones for the last 20+ years have been the Sony MDR V6 / 7506 and I own 3 pairs, one for home, one for the station and one for my day job. On and off over the last seveal years I have been looking for something that could replace the Sony's for me. They have always sounded rather shrill compared to studio monitors and my home speaker system, especially now that it is calibrated with the Audyssey MultiEQ XT system in both the frequency and time domains, but I have never found anything else that could come close for detail and bass. The Sony's have always been rather fatiguing during long sessions too, but really detailed and revealing, so I don't mind that aspect of them. As far as other cans I have tried, they include Sennheiser HD600's which I did not like at all because of the lower-midrange / upper-bass rise that made them sound too distant and laid-back for me. Not enough bass punch for me either. Also the Westone UM2 in-ears. Great for plane rides and sound pretty decent but I am not thrilled by the whole in-ear thing and never could get completely comfortable with them. I have also heard a few AT's, other Senn's (but not the 650) and a Beyer DT770 Pro/80 that I also didn't like at all because of flabby bass and the big 4kHz notch they have. Nothing has made me want to switch from the Sony's thus far. Well, the PRO 750's have about 30 minutes on them as I type this and I understand that they need about 200 hours of break-in, but I think these have the potential to finally do it! What I am hearing so far is bass response similar to the Sony's but a bit heavier. (perhaps a little too heavy?) and kind of "congested" mids and highs. Is this normal right out of the box? I do have the connector screwed in all the way and the cord on the Left. I will be taking them to the station to do my show this evening and after that will begin burning them in with pink noise. (20 minutes on / 2 minutes off) Thanks Again for all the help and I will keep you all updated on their progress. --Mark--

I can also confirm that I am hearing some heavy/loose bass and somewhat congested mids/highs out of the box but as you say - I still like what I am hearing. Time will tell but they certainly are intriguing and an intersesting departure from my HD580s!

Keep me/us updated!

JP

 

[Shahrose]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mmanolio /img/forum/go_quote.gif ...Well, the PRO 750's have about 30 minutes on them as I type this and I understand that they need about 200 hours of break-in, but I think these have the potential to finally do it! What I am hearing so far is bass response similar to the Sony's but a bit heavier. (perhaps a little too heavy?) and kind of "congested" mids and highs. Is this normal right out of the box? I do have the connector screwed in all the way and the cord on the Left. I will be taking them to the station to do my show this evening and after that will begin burning them in with pink noise. (20 minutes on / 2 minutes off) --Mark--

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpstereo /img/forum/go_quote.gif I can also confirm that I am hearing some heavy/loose bass and somewhat congested mids/highs out of the box but as you say - I still like what I am hearing. Time will tell but they certainly are intriguing and an intersesting departure from my HD580s! Keep me/us updated! JP

not to worry guys, that's totally normal right out of the box. give them 150-200 hours of pink noise break-in (i didn't notice any differences after the 150 hour mark). both the treble and bass settle down and consequently, it opens up the soundstage a bit. also, the sound will be become slightly darker as the pads become compressed from use. it also takes a while to get used to their presentation...personally i found a week of listening was sufficient time to adapt.
more about the soundstage: right off the bat, i'll tell you guys not to expect anything comparable to open headphones...it just won't happen. although for closed headphones, their soundstage/scape is the best i've heard. the imaging of the PROlines is also excellent...the best i've heard actually.

btw...i think the biggest strength of the PROlines is the bass. easily the best bass i've heard in any headphone...by far. depth, definition, impact...it's all there in spades. there was a bit too much bass for my taste though and i ended up stuffing a small amount of cotton in the earcups which reduced the bass volume and tightened it very noticeably (also made the sound more airy).

anyways, keep us updated!

 

[jamato8]

Quote:

Originally Posted by les_garten /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hello, I read in another thread where you questioned the Price of the ED9 vs the 750 and why a cup and some dead sheep didn't sound like it was worth tripling the cost. Now I see that you have the phones. Have you gained any insight since the ED9 Purchase? Also, what did you see when you looked in them?

They have some fairly thin acoustical absorbing material on the back of the driver and in the shell.

Are they worth the extra cost with cheap-ass headbands, and mostly all plastic and some dead animal skin? The sound is the phones are not. Oh I do have the number 1010 on mine, maybe that extra work is the cost offset.

I still have my 780's recabled with HD650 cable, which made them better but I don't like them as much as the 750's or the 9's. They just don't have the quality sound. I will try them again with the Woo that is very modified now since I have not tried them for quite some time.

They will be warming up.

Edit: the 780's are bass heavy by comparison to the 750's or Ed. 9. I am surprised at the difference. Ok, after a 20 minute warm up the bass is getting tighter. I will have to let the 780's run in for a while to get a grip on their sound again.

I have done acoustical changes on the interior of the 780's and wire changes, as noted. There is no reason they shouldn't sound good once some changes are made, if the drivers are what Ultrasone says they are.

More later.

 

[les_garten]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamato8 /img/forum/go_quote.gif They have some fairly thin acoustical absorbing material on the back of the driver and in the shell. Are they worth the extra cost with cheap-ass headbands, and mostly all plastic and some dead animal skin? The sound is the phones are not. Oh I do have the number 1010 on mine, maybe that extra work is the cost offset. I still have my 780's recabled with HD650 cable, which made them better but I don't like them as much as the 750's or the 9's. They just don't have the quality sound. I will try them again with the Woo that is very modified now since I have not tried them for quite some time. They will be warming up. Edit: the 780's are bass heavy by comparison to the 750's or Ed. 9. I am surprised at the difference. Ok, after a 20 minute warm up the bass is getting tighter. I will have to let the 780's run in for a while to get a grip on their sound again. I have done acoustical changes on the interior of the 780's and wire changes, as noted. There is no reason they shouldn't sound good once some changes are made, if the drivers are what Ultrasone says they are. More later.

Hi,
Since you've seen the inside of the 9's, and the drivers are the same as the 750's, can you make the 750's into a ED 9? You can make a Denon D2000 better than a Denon D7000 by modding it with a cable and some Dynamat. I was wondering if there is something here to be done with the 750's or 780's?

 

[jamato8]

Quote:

Originally Posted by les_garten /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi, Since you've seen the inside of the 9's, and the drivers are the same as the 750's, can you make the 750's into a ED 9? You can make a Denon D2000 better than a Denon D7000 by modding it with a cable and some Dynamat. I was wondering if there is something here to be done with the 750's or 780's?

It would seem plausible that they can be, and there have been a number of attempts. The materials are not extravagant nor expensive. They are thin but with dampening qualities. I have dampened my 780's with a little bit of fill and rewired them to get rid of the junk wire they came with.

On the 750's I have never attempted anything because they are already pretty good and although the same driver, do not have the ultimate clarity and drive of the 9's.

 

[les_garten]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamato8 /img/forum/go_quote.gif It would seem plausible that they can be, and there have been a number of attempts. The materials are not extravagant nor expensive. They are thin but with dampening qualities. I have dampened my 780's with a little bit of fill and rewired them to get rid of the junk wire they came with. On the 750's I have never attempted anything because they are already pretty good and although the same driver, do not have the ultimate clarity and drive of the 9's.

Hmmm, so if you could make a "how to", how would you mod a 750 into a ED9? Functionally speaking, is there much difference in the housings? Cosmetically, they've "prettied up the Plastic" but functionally what's the diff?

As MarkL did, it seems every Closed can out there could benefit from some damping of the drivers and damping of the housings.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Don't forget that as Ultrasone headphones burn in they tend to sound nice or okay at first, and then after 30-80 hours the sound goes south (worse) and then by about 125 hours they tend to sound good again, and by 250-400 hours they sound even better. YMMV

 

[mmanolio]

Thanks Shahrose,

I'll be starting the pink noise rotation tonight.

The soundstage sounds just fine already. I am used to closed cans so that is not a problem.

The hardest thing will be trying to get used to a flatter high end after all those years of peaky brightness up there from the Sony's.

--Mark--

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shahrose /img/forum/go_quote.gif not to worry guys, that's totally normal right out of the box. give them 150-200 hours of pink noise break-in (i didn't notice any differences after the 150 hour mark). both the treble and bass settle down and consequently, it opens up the soundstage a bit. also, the sound will be become slightly darker as the pads become compressed from use. it also takes a while to get used to their presentation...personally i found a week of listening was sufficient time to adapt. more about the soundstage: right off the bat, i'll tell you guys not to expect anything comparable to open headphones...it just won't happen. although for closed headphones, their soundstage/scape is the best i've heard. the imaging of the PROlines is also excellent...the best i've heard actually. btw...i think the biggest strength of the PROlines is the bass. easily the best bass i've heard in any headphone...by far. depth, definition, impact...it's all there in spades. there was a bit too much bass for my taste though and i ended up stuffing a small amount of cotton in the earcups which reduced the bass volume and tightened it very noticeably (also made the sound more airy). anyways, keep us updated!

 

[Shahrose]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mmanolio /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks Shahrose, I'll be starting the pink noise rotation tonight. The soundstage sounds just fine already. I am used to closed cans so that is not a problem. The hardest thing will be trying to get used to a flatter high end after all those years of peaky brightness up there from the Sony's. --Mark--

i hate sibilance. once i got used to the smooth, but detailed treble presentation of high-end cans, i could never go back to headphones that artificially boosted these frequencies excessively. your ears will adjust, just give them time. after a few weeks, going back to the Sony's will become painful.

 

[Peter Pinna]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mmanolio /img/forum/go_quote.gif Greetings! I Just received my PRO 750's from Northernsound. What I am hearing so far is bass response similar to the Sony's but a bit heavier. (perhaps a little too heavy?) and kind of "congested" mids and highs. Is this normal right out of the box? I do have the connector screwed in all the way and the cord on the Left. --Mark--

Make sure that you are wearing the Pro 750 in accordance to the instructions in Dexdexter's "...Missing Manual..." (see my sig area for link). The actual "correct" position on the head and ears varies to a minor degree with the individual for finding the "sweet spot" but the information about how to wear them in the ".... Missing Manual..." is basically correct. Broadcast professionals are notorious for wearing headphones in a number of varying positions (which is alright to do with most headphones but not with Ultrasones). Wearing Ultrasones improperly will not only affect how one hears the sound stage (especially including the S-Logic "surround effect"), detail, tonality, the various frequencies and their overall balance.
Most of the other comments in this thread pertaining to burn-in are also valid points. There was one poster who advocated, if I remember correctly, over 200 hours of "pink noise" burn in. "Pink noise" is very powerful as a burn in "tool" and I think that many hours would probably be over doing it. With a "pink noise" burn in, probably around 48 to 72 hours would be more than enough. Be careful of the volume, which ever type of burn in you utilize.
At first, start with a lower than normal listening volume than after some hours (the number of hours depends on which type of burn in) increase the volume to normal listening volume (this will take up the majority of burn in time) then for the shortest period of burn in time increase the volume to slightly higher than normal listening volume. At this volume using pink noise, one hour would be enough. Using music at this last volume, 3 or 4 hours would be more than enough.

 

[jamato8]

I notice that while my 780's are nice and more enjoyable with my Woo 6, they still aren't the natural sound of the 9's. Are they worth the money compared to the 9's after the changes I made to them? Yes. They have a slight tinny sound that many would not notice unless you compared them to the 9. they don't have quite the soundfield but frankly they do pretty damn good. I do find the 9's much more comfortable and the earpads of the 780's just too hard but they do conform some after a while but not as well as the 9's.

Oh the headband works fine. Hey, it looks like the same one as on the Ed. 9. Yawn, sure Johnny, we have heard that before, get a new line.