Ultrasone edition 10 "THE BUTTERFLY" initial impressions

[aomas]

Finally i got my hands on these beauties after all these years, finally these hit the price target i could afford them and all thanks to Tyll for pissing on them (honestly bought these just to put on my bookshelf but was positively suprised).
What a headphones never heard anything like these, i'm not sure if the S-Logic just works for me or not but oh boy. Bought these "second hand" but these were never took out of the box and i also got another pair of these ridiculously priced ear pads.

Most of what i'm gonna say has already been discussed but the bad, that sibilant is there and i have feeling these were tuned for very specific genre/songs, but oh boy acoustic songs hit the mark big time, male vocals spot on, orchestra's are hit and miss depending on a song/recording.
I sometimes get really electrostatic vibes with these, it's really hard to use my only "closed" headphones Fostex PH, those just sound muffled after these (ok, ok they are in a different price bracket and closed). Just sad that i don't have HD800 to compare, i might get the new 820 just because they are closed and highly praised.

I did read all the posts in this thread and the hate is real mixed with real and honest reviews/previews by users and while you should not be modding then very highly priced headphones, you could and probably should had? Let's be honest so many have gone lengthy road fixing HD800 treble peak so it feels like that same 'fixing/tuning' is not allowed for ultrasones?
What i also noticed is who do you trust on doing hifi/headphone reviews, i did read a lot of 'official' / 'professional' magazine audiophile reviews which mostly were very positive except Tyll's (most of them did mention the negatives of which Tyll did speak on his original review but mentioned a lot of positives).

So while i kinda hate to do any modding on these, i am thinking of trying earpad swapping to maybe a ED12 pads or some custom pads i have laying around. Do you guys have any suggestions?
Also i've been experimenting with Coffee Filter inside the earpad which seems to remove a lot of the treble peaks i guess at somewhere 8-10kHz (or it is a placebo effect), i did try some foam circles i had laying around but didn't like the sound changes those made.(i do have pre-amp with basic treble/bass defeat eq but really would want something more 'permanent').
I would be really interested to hear more experienced modders to give ideas what could be done to fix some of the issues without changing the sound signature too much. (coffee filters seem to work wonders on removing sibilancy)

Have to add that i'm pretty sure these are not burned in if that is a real thing even but i keep listening to them and see what happens.

sorry for necroing

Gear i had/have to compare with in a order of favourites Stax Sigma (LNS -drivers), SR507, Fostex x00 PH, Lambda Normal, Steelseries H Wireless, and some lesser known Chinese oem brands.

 

[Sceptre]

Finally i got my hands on these beauties after all these years, finally these hit the price target i could afford them and all thanks to Tyll for pissing on them (honestly bought these just to put on my bookshelf but was positively suprised).
What a headphones never heard anything like these, i'm not sure if the S-Logic just works for me or not but oh boy. Bought these "second hand" but these were never took out of the box and i also got another pair of these ridiculously priced ear pads.

Most of what i'm gonna say has already been discussed but the bad, that sibilant is there and i have feeling these were tuned for very specific genre/songs, but oh boy acoustic songs hit the mark big time, male vocals spot on, orchestra's are hit and miss depending on a song/recording.
I sometimes get really electrostatic vibes with these, it's really hard to use my only "closed" headphones Fostex PH, those just sound muffled after these (ok, ok they are in a different price bracket and closed). Just sad that i don't have HD800 to compare, i might get the new 820 just because they are closed and highly praised.

I did read all the posts in this thread and the hate is real mixed with real and honest reviews/previews by users and while you should not be modding then very highly priced headphones, you could and probably should had? Let's be honest so many have gone lengthy road fixing HD800 treble peak so it feels like that same 'fixing/tuning' is not allowed for ultrasones?
What i also noticed is who do you trust on doing hifi/headphone reviews, i did read a lot of 'official' / 'professional' magazine audiophile reviews which mostly were very positive except Tyll's (most of them did mention the negatives of which Tyll did speak on his original review but mentioned a lot of positives).

So while i kinda hate to do any modding on these, i am thinking of trying earpad swapping to maybe a ED12 pads or some custom pads i have laying around. Do you guys have any suggestions?
Also i've been experimenting with Coffee Filter inside the earpad which seems to remove a lot of the treble peaks i guess at somewhere 8-10kHz (or it is a placebo effect), i did try some foam circles i had laying around but didn't like the sound changes those made.(i do have pre-amp with basic treble/bass defeat eq but really would want something more 'permanent').
I would be really interested to hear more experienced modders to give ideas what could be done to fix some of the issues without changing the sound signature too much.

Have to add that i'm pretty sure these are not burned in if that is a real thing even but i keep listening to them and see what happens.

sorry for necroing

Gear i had to compare with Stax Sigma (LNS -drivers), SR507, Fostex x00 PH, Lambda Normal, Steelseries H Wireless, and some lesser known Chinese oem brands.

Just burn them in !!!!

I have a pair from new and the early tests were ' `just like Tyl said'.

However, they tamed to keep all the positives and to my ear, lost all the negatives.

please just give it time and keep them playing in a draw or something.

I promise they will change more than any other headphone `I have ever burnt in.

Regards

Sceptre

 

[ruthieandjohn]

I LOVE mine!!

 

[ruthieandjohn]

Given the passionate video review by Tyll Hertsens on these, I just HAD to have them. I've had and enjoyed them for about two years now, but I never had a chance to compare them to some of my other bright headphones.

Here, I compare them to my top-of-the-line Grados, open headphones also, and, like the Edition 10, known for their brightness.

Here are the headphones I compared:

Comparison of Grado PS2000e (l), Grado GS2000e (m), and Ultrasone Edition 10 (r).

I used the comparison method described here, which I have used for dozens of headphones over the past five years. In short, I use small snippets from four songs to compare and rank the three headphones on each of 10 acoustic features (transparency, sound stage, etc.). I give the best of the three 3 points for first prize (blue ribbon in chart below), 2 points for second (blue), and 1 point for third (yellow). Ties, when I cannot make a repeatable choice, are given 2.5 points if for first place (purple = blue + red) or 1.5 points for second place (orange = red + yellow).

I played CD lossless files from a FiiO X5ii via coax into a Schiit Gungir Multibit DAC followed by a Schiit Mjolnir amp, all in single ended operation.

A few comments about each headphone are in order:

Grado PS2000e: This is the top-of-the-line Grado. Its sound is the most meaty of the three, with the most substance and least airiness. That said, this (and all Grados that I know of) are generally considered light, airy headphones. It was rather heavy to wear, discouraging wearing it while walking around (as it might slide).

Grado GS2000e: This headphone was brighter than the PS2000e, providing a smoother, somewhat less detailed tone. However, it also gave a bit stronger, more visceral subbass than the darker PS2000e. It is light, comfortable, and suited for mobility.

Ultrasone Edition 10: This headphone was not only bright, it was almost shrill. I am very fond of its sound, but I can see why some call it fatiguing. It was the most comfortable of the three headphones.

The results of the three-way comparisons reflect the meatier bassier sound of the PS2000e and the brighter sound of the GS2000e. The Ultrasone Edition 10 was brighter still, helping it "win" in several categories of treble detail, e.g., transparency, drum "twang," and treble content ("ripping") of organ and brass sounds.

I was surprised to find that the Ultrasone Edition 10 won more first places than either of the other headphones. While its bright, almost shrill sound might irritate some, I enjoy it (as I also enjoy the brightness of the Grados), and its brightness helped it in many of the three-way comparisons.

 

[rosgr63]

In case of interest I have a mint pair.

 

[Sceptre]

You absolutely have to burn these in.
Harrods had a pair playing 24/7 and then liked them.
When I bought a brand new pair, I understood why they got all the hate from Tyll. They were unbearable but I knew what they would be.

I’ll not sell my Ed 8,9 or 10.

Enjoy!

 

[musicman59]

I was a big fan of the sound but not the comfort of the Edition 9.
When the Edition 10 was announced I got very excited because I loved the looks so I bought a pair. I was right the looks were great and the comfort amazing but I hated the sound. No even close to the Edition 9.

I returned it and a little later I ordered another pair but recabled with the OCC Copper Zeus cable. Unfortunately once again the sound was too unnatural for me so they want back too.

About burning, I burned-in these two for over 400 hours with no significant changes contrary to the Edition 9 that had big changes in the process.

Right now I own the Edition 15 and I am happy with them. Still miss the Edition 9 sound but the Edition 15 sound nice and are much comfortable.

 

[ruthieandjohn]

@musicman59, I have seen your valiant efforts to like the Edition 10... just too bright for you, though comfortable and beautiful. Your accounts have made me most interested in the Edition 15! I also looked up the Edition 25, which looked nice but not as nice as the Edition 15. I recall someone, perhaps you, when pushed, said if both cost the same, the Edition 25 would be preferred for classical, but the Edition 15, at 1/2 the price, is the better all arounder. Thanks!

 

[musicman59]

@ruthieandjohn, you are correct! It was me.
I listened to the 25 at RMAF couple of years ago. First it is closed compared to 15 that is open. The 25 is beautiful and very comfortable. IMO it has the edge on both compared to the 15 but not by much.
Sound wise the 25 based on memory was really nice but at $6k my wallet refused to open. If it was priced at $4k (the 15 is $3k) I would have gone for it.

Talking to Drew from Moon Audio about both the 25 and the 15 he was the one that recommended the 15 more as an all rounder while the 25 is better for classical which I hardly listen to so with that and the price being double I decided on the 15 and I have no regrets.
I added the Dana Lazuli Reference and it sounds even better.

 

[106099]

My pair is over 10 years old!
The leather is beginning to get a tad sticky. Constant wiping probably not a good idea.
Anyone with an older pair here?