[boomana]

Proline 2500s are on their way to me now. ETA: sometime Friday.

 

[Contrastique]

Quote:

Originally Posted by procreate /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just remember I'm first on his dance card!

Oh I am not in a hurry. Just in Love..

 

[Dexdexter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by boomana /img/forum/go_quote.gif Proline 2500s are on their way to me now. ETA: sometime Friday.

Nice one, boomana!

(official PROline 2500 smiley!)

This fellow Michigander just loves his!

(But don't forget the 150-200 hour burn-in...)

I'll be particularly looking forward to your impressions about its compatibility with the CanAmp. I'm expecting mine sometime between tomorrow and Friday.

Cheers, Dex

 

[boomana]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dexdexter /img/forum/go_quote.gif Nice one, boomana! (official PROline 2500 smiley!) This fellow Michigander just loves his! (But don't forget the 150-200 hour burn-in...) I'll be particularly looking forward to your impressions about its compatibility with the CanAmp. I'm expecting mine sometime between tomorrow and Friday. Cheers, Dex

Ferndale!!!

I'm burning in a couple amps right now and they need company.

I'll definitely get back with you on that. I'm curious as well. I admit I haven't given the Canamp any time since my Extreme arrived, but it's time to break it out again.

 

[Bob A (SD)]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LTUCCI1924 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Bob A (SD) If you decide to try the ULTRASONE headphone check out the above Northern Sound & Light web site. They have the 2500 for 253.00 but aree out of stock for a while.

Lou,

I just received a price quote from NS&L:
Ultrasone PROLINE2500 - $254.24
Ultrasone HFI2200ULE - $190.52
AKG K701 - $244.42
AKG K601 - $183.82

I would have also asked about the Beyer DT990s but they don't carry them.

For the heck of it I also requested one from B&H and received this:
"Our current selling price for the: Ultrasone - PROline-2500 - Open-Back Folding Stereo Studio Headphones is 339.95."

Well now it comes down to deciding if I really need another pair of cans and if so which model. I remain happy with my trusty HD580s and after auditioning 600s and 650s in the past opted to stay with them. Of what I've read about the AKGs and Beyers I suspect the DT990s would please most if auditioned. Then we have these Ultrasones with their "unusual" characteristics.

Reading posts from jpelg and you about your respective experiences really have me very tempted to pop as it would seem I'd be missing out on something significant if I don't. (Like experiencing planar speakers after living with boxy acoustic suspension and bass reflex units.) Is it FOTM or reality? Would I be better off looking to score some pristine vintage electrostatics instead? If I opt for Ultrasones, the "fun" of the 2200s versus the extended frequency response of the 2500s would remain at the heart of any selection quandry. Argh!

 

[Zoide]

Bob A: Did NS&L tell you anything about the out-of-stock status of the 2500?

 

[Bob A (SD)]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zoide /img/forum/go_quote.gif Bob A: Did NS&L tell you anything about the out-of-stock status of the 2500?

Nope. Just the prices and their normal 15 day caveats.

 

[LTUCCI1924]

Bob A (SD)
HI: I also asked that same question on the 2200 or the 2500 and a member who has both told me to go all the way up to the 2500. So off I went to a store and paid 375.00 for the 2500. If you can get the 2500 for 254.00 wow what a deal. I also liked my 580 and liked the 650 too and 701 but I am finding the 2500 to be a different animal altogether. Tomorrow at 8 pm will be the 200 hour mark for the burn in. Then I will have to get use to the sound presanation and judge the 2500 and see if I deceide to keep them. I must say all this burn in and getting use to them has been and still is quite an experance and add to the special thing about the 2500.

 

[Bob A (SD)]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LTUCCI1924 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Bob A (SD) HI: I also asked that same question on the 2200 or the 2500 and a member who has both told me to go all the way up to the 2500. So off I went to a store and paid 375.00 for the 2500. If you can get the 2500 for 254.00 wow what a deal. I also liked my 580 and liked the 650 too and 701 but I am finding the 2500 to be a different animal altogether. Tomorrow at 8 pm will be the 200 hour mark for the burn in. Then I will have to get use to the sound presanation and judge the 2500 and see if I deceide to keep them. I must say all this burn in and getting use to them has been and still is quite an experance and add to the special thing about the 2500.

Lou,

I read that exchange where the advice was given to go with the 2500s over the 2200s as you were viewed as someone who would want that last bit of finesse.

Here I find it interesting that you mention making a decision as to whether to retain them or move on. Most assuredly I look forward to your final judgements. Again I found jpelg's journey described in this thread to be most interesting.... from skeptic to enthusiast about his 750s.

As an aside I don't have limitations which demand the use of closed phones. I also much prefer the sound of semi or open phones to closed. That said I did get some K81DJs for use at the gym as earbuds didn't work well. Their pleather pads do induce heat but can easily be wiped down. Key for me is that they provide isolation and secure comfort in that environment. I did ponder the 750 versus 2500 question but went with my instincts that say nada to closed phones in general.

Well the price quotes are good for 15 days which gives me me additional time to ponder whether to take the plunge or not. I still wonder if the "fun" factor of the 2200s would outweigh the FR of the 2500s. I certainly like the look of the 2200s better. I do note that the 2200s, unlike the 2500s, do not come with extra pads and cables.

 

[boomana]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob A (SD) /img/forum/go_quote.gif If I opt for Ultrasones, the "fun" of the 2200s versus the extended frequency response of the 2500s would remain at the heart of any selection quandry. Argh!

I figure I'm fun enough on my own. I went for the extended frequency response.

 

[Bob A (SD)]

Quote:

Originally Posted by boomana /img/forum/go_quote.gif I figure I'm fun enough on my own. I went for the extended frequency response.

hahahahaha I needed that !!

I'd thought more folks had commented but it looks like Dex has been the primary voice describing the 2200s versus the 2500s. Wish there were more but....

From Dexdexter, culled from a variety of posts:

Quote:

I own both, LTUCCI, and I must say that the HFI-2200 ULE are easily my most "fun" pair of Ultrasones. Not only do they look retro-fabulous, they are warm and lush, ever so smooth at both low and high frequency extremes, and as such are perfect in my desktop system which I mainly use with my iPod running files in AAC. So they are absolutely unfussy about source quality. In this case, the extra $100 for the PROline 2500s would easily be money well-spent, as they are truly reference-quality in every regard, with far better detail retrieval and bass extension with top-quality source material than the 2200s are able to muster.

----------

Quote:

With the PROline 2500 & 750, rhythm sections kick like a gut-bustin' mofo, bass is just about as deep as it gets, cymbals shimmer with genuine metallic sheen. But since these cans are also as transparent as I've ever heard, they are also ruthlessly revealing of source and recording quality; they simply will not pretty-up crappy discs! The HFI-2200 ULE and HFI-650 are much more forgiving in this regard, but at the expense at some detail and extension at both ends of the spectrum. They have a lush, warm character that manages to seduce somehow on even shoddily recorded material. I consider them my "fun" cans. So they are pretty much ideal for listening out of an iPod at lower bit-rates. But, obviously, they are not exactly the last word in neutrality.

----------

Quote:

Summing up my brief encounter with the HFI 2200 ULEs, I'd hazard to say that while they are far from paragons of neutrality and accuracy, there is unquestionably a seductive quality to what they do. Anyone who is predisposed toward hip-hop or techno just might enjoy spending some time with these gangstas. But for overall balance combined with their uncanny ability to play from strength to strength, for me, the PROline 2500s effortlessly carried the day. Transparent, yet refined, their numerous charms continually crept up on me throughout my time with them, their subtle rightness simply better replicating the aspect that I enjoy with my loudspeakers.

EDIT: Just did a bunch of searching on the Net and found this FWIW:

http://proaudioreview.com/pages/s.0085/t.847.html
UpSampler: Capsule Reviews and Product Review Updates
by John Gatski, 12.15.2006
John Gatski is the Publisher & Executive Editor of Pro Audio Review.

"I compared the K701 to my other favorite headphones, the soft dome driver-designed Ultrasone HFI-2000UE. The 2000UE is fairly accurate across the top end, but relays a bit more prominence in the midbass. Imaging is good with the 2000UE, but the K701 is something else when it comes to stereo presentation. The Ultrasone ProLine 2500 had a punchier midrange/low treble emphasis and could not match the wide spacious image of the K701."


http://www.soundstage.com/allinyourh...head200605.htm
May 2006
Original Electronics Master Headphone Amplifier
by S. Andrea Sundaram

"Soundstaging can be a tricky concept with headphones. One of the primary reasons I like the Ultrasone 'phones is their ability to give a more speaker-like sense of space without the unnatural (to my ears) frequency shifts associated with cross-feed circuits. The Master brought out the very best in the Ultrasones' ability to throw a wide, outside-the-head soundscape. Not only was the left-right dimension continuous, but I could hear some of the depth in the recording. The sense of depth was, to be sure, not as profound as with a good pair of speakers; nonetheless, it was a feat rarely achieved in headphone listening. While some designers blend the left and right signals in order to produce a coherent image, it seems that having well-separated channels does a better job -- just as with power amplifiers. Although not quite as speaker-like as with the Ultrasones, the Sennheiser HD 600s also produced a very wide and well-defined sonic image while driven by the Master."

 

[boomana]

Yup. That's why I went for the 2500s.

 

[oqvist]

ns&l do they have a homepage? what is the full name?

 

[Dexdexter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oqvist /img/forum/go_quote.gif ns&l do they have a homepage? what is the full name?

Northern Sound & Light. You can find their Ultrasone page HERE.

 

[Dexdexter]

My Heed Audio CanAmp has finally arrived!

Initial impressions with my PROline 2500 are most encouraging indeed.