[HIFU]

Hi Everyone,
 
Thanks for looking. I just got the Ultrasone HFI 2400 as my very first good quality headphone. I tried burn-in using pink noise.  
 
I am not an audiophile but I can still tell there is some sibilance. It makes high much less enjoyable. Bass is strong and smooth. Not much to comment on middle. Is it due to lack of power? Do I need to buy a portable amp such as Fiio E11? Or should I just upgrade my Sansa Clip Zip to Jowon J3 for its internal amp? 
 
At this point, with 10 hour burn in, the overall sound cannot compete against my Sony MDR-V6. Ultrasone 2400 costs 3 times as much so it is disappointing. What did I do wrong?
 
Any help or advice is very appreciated. Thx.

 

[rustablad]

Even the little E6 will give the 2400 a kick, and they wont open up till 100hours + (in mon opnion)

 

[obobskivich]

Sibilance is an inevitable part of the Ultrasone experience. The HFI-2400 are on the tamer side at that; try some of the Ti drivers and then complain. :veryevil:

Also, price DOES NOT correlate to quality or performance (and despite having said this, I'm sure I'll get at least one reply "no shut up, they cost $300, they just need more money dumped into the rest of the equipment to make them sound better" :rolleyes. The HFI-2400 are good for what they are, but they aren't world-beaters. Like other Ultrasones, if you play sibilant/clashy material, they will go nuts. If you have very smooth material, they do an alright job with it. Unless you're driving them with a hamster wheel fed by 32k mp3 files or something, extra money into equipment will do next to nothing.

If you don't like them, send them back. Simple as pie.

 

[rustablad]

 Humble pie please
 
What genres do you listen to? the 2400's sound nice with JAZZ and vocal heavy music.

 

[obobskivich]

 
What genres do you listen to? the 2400's sound nice with JAZZ and vocal heavy music.

I listen to a huge variety of music. I'd agree that the 2400's are nice with some acoustic and brass sets, and feel made for grunge/punk. That said, they're still sibilant, not as bad as any of the Ti drivers, but the trade-off is that they're slower/muddier. For $200 they're not a bad headphone by any means, and better than a lot of the competition. That doesn't mean they're perfect.

 

[rustablad]

I agree, for $200 (more than I put down) they are "good" , but I do find them very limiting. For example, I often go from classical to blues to dance music within an hour and they just don't mike to leave their marshmallow comfort zone, not that the "best" headphones sound great with everything, the 2400's are just a little slow, and very mellow.
 
----> HIFU: depending on what you listen to, the 2400's might just be too mellow and easygoing for you.

 

[HIFU]

Thanks for replies! I listen to all kinds of music. I really like the 2400's sound except the sibilance... if I use an Eq software to turn down high frequency, the problem goes away but the sound becomes less enjoyable...will adding an amp do any good? 
 
I am debating between keeping it against trading it for ATH M50...the later one seems to be safe choice...
 
Turning backward, the comfort, build quality of 2400 is great! Bass is very good. I am using Sansa clip zip. If I upgrade my player to Jowon J3, will it help with the sibilance problem?
 
I really want to keep 2400 but the sibilance is making me turn the volume down constantly....

 

[obobskivich]

No, an amplifier or new PDP will not fix a problem within the headphones. I'd suggest trying something different, the initial suggestion would be the Bose QC15 - which are probably the least sibilant bassy headphones I'm aware of.

 

[rustablad]

OK, i dont find the sibilance issue very bad atall with my pair, im using a soundblaster + Little dot MK2. I think you should get an amp, regardless, because no matter what you end up with , you should have some form of amp... and about the  ATH M50, I do not like them VS the 2400, i just feel they lack character and are somewhat GENERIC sounding, i know alot of people would disagree, but that's how I feel on that matter

 

[rustablad]

Bose QC  o_O  yuck to me, but them i'm all softened up from using my ultrasones so much.  I would go for the M50 over the bose    ^^

 

[HIFU]

It doesn't have to be bassy. For 1 month, I have been searching for a portable(foldable), good looking, good for most genre, under 200 dollar headphone. I tried Sony MDR V6 and really liked it. However, I really disliked how heavy the coiled wire is when I am moving. Then I searched more on Head Fi, I was debating between ATH M50 and Sennheiser HD 25 until I found Ultrasone 2400. 
 
First impression, it looked good. Detachable wire & foldbale=good portability. I read the review both on amazon and Headfi and they were all positive...

 

[rustablad]

I know how you feel, I would say YE for keeping the 2400's and YE for an amp just to bring them out of their shell...  + some burn in, I do think you will grow to adore  them...

 

[HIFU]

Hmm, I read similar comment on one review. The reviewer described he/she felt the sound from 2400 is more alive. I would agree, I found it hard to take a nap with 2400 because they sometimes even feel punchy. 

 

[HIFU]

Thanks for reply. Do you think Fiio E11 is a good choice? It seems to be better than E6 and is only 60 dollar.

 

[rustablad]

I think the bass is very natural, and punchy rather than boomy, yet not tight enough and too receded for electronic music.