[eobet]

As the topic says, I currently have a pair of Ultimate Ears Triple.fi and am quite satisfied with them. But for sitting at home listening to them for prolonged periods of time, they do get rather earsore...

So, I've just now begun researching what to get instead. The trouble is, my "home" is in several different locations right now, so I do need them to be somewhat portable still. Also, and please don't hang me for saying this, the music sources I use are either an iPhone or a Macbook Pro (and god, the Macbook Pro sounds like utter ****, but I'm heavily invested in iTunes and as I said, need to move between several different locations).

Right now, I'm leaning towards the Ultrasone HFI-780, because they can be folded, comes with a bag, apparently have very good bass reproduction and detailed sound, and claim to work very well with portable devices. The negative aspects are the fake leather muffs which are apparently rather small as well, and that's a rather big downside since I'm buying them for comfort.

Comments, suggestions?

Thanks!

EDIT: Just now reading about the Ultrasone Pro 900... perhaps a better comparison to the Triple.fi? But can an iPhone power those? I haven't gotten that far in my research yet...

EDIT 2: Or the Pro 750... sigh... I feel like I'm getting locked into one brand here, but they do pop up quite a lot in my searches!

EDIT 3: Wait, holy crap, are the Pro 750 blue???? Please tell me it isn't so!

 

[morphon]

I asked a similar question about a week ago, not a whole lot of response - I think that those of us with top-end IEM's are not often looking for great big headphones.

I recently ordered a set of AudioTechnica ATH-AD700's based on advice given here and on the generally excellent reviews I've seen. They should come in tomorrow and I can write up a comparison between them and the TF-10 (as much as that is possible given how different they are).

Based on comparisons I've done with a friend's Sennheiser HD600, they produce similar amounts of bass, but the midrange and treble of the Senn are clearer and more sparkly, without being more fatiguing. Bass has less impact because of open vs IEM, but that's to be expected. Bass was just as tuneful, though. Dynamics were better with the Senn, but that's to be expected with a balanced armature IEM.

I'll update after listening to the AD700 over the weekend (burn-in and all).

 

[eobet]

Thank you for the reply.

I do not listen to explicitly bass heavy music, but I do like it, and judging from that people have said, the AD1000 is a bit weak on the bass, while the P900 is a bit heavy... so it still seems that Ultrasone is the way to go for me.

I'm currently hovering over the click to purchase button...

 

[T.R.A.N.C.E.]

Just to let you know Ultrasone's can be quite uncomfortable, their headband design is utter ****. How do I know? I own one, I can't wear mine for more than 30min. They all use the exact same headband except the edition 8 which costs a crap load.
Also Ultrasones are quite bassy, so be sure that's what you want. I personally love the sound of Ultrasone, but I will never buy another one again unless they change the design to be comfortable.

The Audio Technica are supremely comfortable but are quite bass light.
Some headphones you should consider are:
Denon series (D2000,5000,7000)
Beyerdynamic series (DT250,770,880,990)

These are all very comfy phones while also having very nice bass presence!

 

[NapalmK]

As far as Ultrasone's go I've only heard the 780 and 750. I also have no idea how triple's sound. These are just my opinions. It might help to mention that I mainly listen to electronic music (trance, dnb, etc) so I'm not sure this will help.

The 780's I tried had insane bass just running out of a netbook. They were also very quick and punchy. It is definitely the bassiest phone I've heard so far. Some people hate these phones and some people love them. Honestly, I really liked them when I auditioned them. The highs can be harsh and some say the bass is too much but I didn't have these issues. If you get the chance you should audition them.

Compared to the 780's the 750's are all around more refined, had more detail, better highs, and it seemed a lit less bass but it was better controlled, at least to my ears. Oh yeah, they were also more comfortable.
I haven't heard the 900's so I can really comment on them.

What kind of music do you listen to?

 

[eobet]

Thank you for your answers!

I listen to pretty much everything. It's easier to list what I don't listen to: pop, rock, techno and metal.

I also ordered a pair of Ultrasone Pro 900 now.

In the end, all the passionate talk of Ultrasone got me simply too curious, and apparently there's an easily reversible DIY mod out there to take make them sound more balanced if I don't like it ("kee's mod"). But I don't think I'll mind the bass at all.

Next in line is the USB DAC Stick from Headphonia.

I'll post impressions comparing them to the IEM Triple.fi when I have time!

 

[Ypoknons]

Honestly, I would suggest an DAC/amp. I've already posted in several previous threads that they are quite amp sensitive, I was impressed out of a symphony.2 but not very out of a Denon CD player.

 

[eobet]

Yeah, the USB DAC stick confuses me...

It has a volume control... but they also sell a separate amp without a DAC...?

 

[Ypoknons]

hhm... well since you already got the 900's, you could save up for something portable but with more juice - e.g. Headroom Micro or iQube, or transportable, like nuforce HDP. I don't see why the DAC stick would be your only option.

 

[Ninkul]

Their amp is for portable devices with a line out (eg iPod + LOD). DAC Stick just looks like a nicer sound card than stock. The internal amp is probably nothing special but it'll definitely sound better than both your iPod and Macbook.

Personally i'd look at a similarly priced Amp+DAC combo over the USB stick. Looks better and you can use it with your iPod too. I'd say just go straight for a home setup but its not really portable is it lol.

 

[eobet]

Ultrasone Pro 900 have arrived. Time for first impressions:

Boy, people weren't kidding about the huge bass, the weak mids and the shrill treble. I thought it was audiophiles who were just really picky, but MAN... I hope burn in is true, because right now, compared to Ultimate Ears Triple.fi this is utter ****.

Disclaimer: I don't have a DAC/AMP yet, so this is vanilla iPhone powering it, but I think the volume levels are OK actually.

EDIT: The soundstage (which unless I'm mistaken refers to the 3D positioning of the audio), is also absolutely terrible compared to Triple.fi... this is deeply depressing. It's lucky that I actually don't mind overpowering bass, because otherwise, I'd be puking right now.

EDIT: This is just getting worse and worse... I just tried Harry Connick Jr's Joe Slam and The Spaceship and also John Mayer's Waiting on the World to Change, and there is NO snap och punch to the drums. Zero. The Triple.fi smacks you right in the face with every beat, but the Pro 900? Not even a bitchslap. This is absolutely pathetic.

I guess I should stop listening until they've burned in and my DAC/AMP arrives... in fact, I don't know how much longer I can take this. One of my favourite tracks, Elizabethan Serenade with the Mantovani Orchestra was completely flat. With the Triple.fi I'm standing in the middle of the orchestra! My heart breaks when I listen to it now. So much potential in the tracks getting locked away. I'm back in the dark ages again. Sigh...

EDIT: One more, because I just put my Triple.fi back on to check, then I'll stop. Queen B by Puscifer. With Triple.fi, you can feel the exhale in the background beat evaporating away around you, while the main voice is right in your ear, reaching into your head to massage your brain. Pro 900? Oats for ****ing breakfast again? I'm willing to bet that the effect at 3:04 in Learning to Fly by Pink Floyd will go by completely unnoticed as well (mini edit, spoke to fast on that one... but I think that's more a testament to Pink Floyd's genius than Ultrasone).

EDIT: Ok, found out what these are good for. Trance. Hallucinogen's In Dub sounds better than on Triple.fi, much thanks to the bass. This was my first, as so far only, "holy ****" when I put it on. If you listen to trance, get these ****ers.

 

[morphon]

Letting my AudioTechnica ATH-AD700's burn in a bit, but they are settling in well. Their sound is similar to the TF10 except for the bass. It is improving during burnin, but while I listen to it I'm boosting 70hz and lower by 2db. Sounds pretty balanced so far. Will update with further impressions as well....

 

[Ypoknons]

Quote:

Originally Posted by eobet /img/forum/go_quote.gif Boy, people weren't kidding about the huge bass, the weak mids and the shrill treble. I thought it was audiophiles who were just really picky, but MAN... I hope burn in is true, because right now, compared to Ultimate Ears Triple.fi this is utter ****.

I would hate to say "I told you so" so directly, but a DAC/amp would help. It's not just about volume, see here. The technical people would distinguish between the voltage, power and required to getting the specific headphone drivers moving, but I cannot find the source atm..

 

[T.R.A.N.C.E.]

Don't bother spending on Dac/amp if you don't like the sound of the ultrasone, the amp/dac won't reduce the bass or lessen treble. Try return the 900, then maybe try an Audio Technica.

The thing is that triple Fi's are really great bang for buck phones, and its hard to beat them in some areas by average full size headphones. For example its quite hard to find a fullsize phone that has the SQ and bass response of the triple fi without compromising one or the other. eg many fullsize phones with nice bass often have average midrange = less detail.

If I were you I would look at Beyerdynamic, Denon and Audio Technica, in my opinion the only worthy ultrasone model is the edition 8, but that costs about twice what its worth.

 

[eobet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by T.R.A.N.C.E. /img/forum/go_quote.gif Don't bother spending on Dac/amp if you don't like the sound of the ultrasone, the amp/dac won't reduce the bass or lessen treble. Try return the 900, then maybe try an Audio Technica. The thing is that triple Fi's are really great bang for buck phones, and its hard to beat them in some areas by average full size headphones. For example its quite hard to find a fullsize phone that has the SQ and bass response of the triple fi without compromising one or the other. eg many fullsize phones with nice bass often have average midrange = less detail. If I were you I would look at Beyerdynamic, Denon and Audio Technica, in my opinion the only worthy ultrasone model is the edition 8, but that costs about twice what its worth.

Well, as I said, it's lucky that I actually like bass, because then I can use these phones for "sound therapy"... sort of, massaging my ears after getting them kicked around by the Triple.fi...

What bothers me even more than the weak mids right now though, is that almost no vocal tune I listen to have clear "ssss" and "sch" sounds. It's like a 50s radio or something, which I cannot believe is acceptable in what's considered a "pro" piece of equipment.

Also, I'm using my Mac Mini to listen now, and it's actually noticeably better than the Macbook Pro, but still far, far from the Triple.fi.

I've looked at the Denon AH-D5000, but then I'm spending £200 more than I expected (TWICE the price of the Triple.fi) plus another £100 for the Nuforce uDAC, which I'm currently hovering with my cursor of the click to purchase button...

EDIT: In the thread about Kee's mod, it says "Highs are smooth. Less prone to sibilance and less metalic. Still very much present." ...I don't have any cotton or screwdrivers right now, though...

EDIT: For examples on where the "s" sounds tries to cut your ears off, try Eva Cassidy's American Tune (from the album American Tune) or Round Midnight with Linda Ronstadt (from the album For Sentimental Reasons).