[FullBright1]

Updated : 4-10-2021

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Lets do the dance. :

Box : Unitarian, devoid of flash, gets the job done.

Stand: Its nice and its included.

Headphone Build Quality : The Edition 11 LTD is handmade in Germany, and feels special. Sort of a understated sexy wooden elegance for you to behold.

Weight : Not heavy.

Clamp : Its medium.

Pads : Soft Fabric, medium depth. Headband is comfy padded, non-leather.

Cable : Silver, braided, and non-microphonic. Connectors are tiny but solid. 2-pin IEM type socket
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SQ :

The gear's sound signature has a slightly pristine presentation...And....The Sound Sig is an interesting combination between a slightly fun sound combined with a quite analytical sound.
= Fun meets Analytical

Immersion : Yes.

The Bass is lovely and large and the mids are slightly upper mid present.
There is a slight warmth located in the lower mids.
When you first listen to the Edition 11 you are met with superb clarity combined with a full low end.
Kicks thump, snares pop.

My personal EAR Chart states that the Edition 11's FR is mostly Linear from 200 - 5 and then below 200 and above 8 you get some kicked up pizazz.

There is a tune i use to test treble definition/extension.
Its Sierra Hull (Bluegrass music) and the song is : "25 Trips". from the album "25 Trips".
About 2mins into it, the acoustic instruments pull back and the live drummer is heard lightly dialing in some soft ride cymbal in the right channel.
Few headphones present the drumstick tip clearly as it dances on the big ride cymbal. Most barely trace it, and some, don't present it at all.
The Arya barely outlines it. The Ananda tries. You really have to get into a Grado or a 800S or similar to hear it as its being accurately presented, as its very soft.
Well, you can hear it clearly within the Ultrasone 11 LTD's cup.
This tells us that this set of headphones is analytical and is going to show you the micro-stuff, deep inside.
The Edition 11's mids, as i said, are slightly upper mid forward and have a touch of low mid warmth.

Let me compare it to the Ananda and Arya, as most of you have owned those, or will..
Those two, for example, add mids to a female vocal and this causes them to be wider and more rich.
The Ultrasone 11 LTD does not add any sweetening to vocals or to anything.
Its presents everything in a pristine manner with a sub response that you can feel.
So, this means the presentation is always pristine, which slightly leans toward a lean sound, with a slight perception of "clinical" in the treble.

The Edition 11 has slightly less soundstage than the Ananda or Arya, with equal imaging to the Arya.
The Edition 11 has none of the Ananda type sonic presentation. The Edition 11 is more intimate, more detailed, and has treble bite whereas the Ananda has treble positioning but lacks a bit of treble detail.
The Ultrasone has more presence and the Arya has more forward midrange.
Both the Ananda and Arya have fuller midrange and less treble extension than the Ultrasone Edition 11 LTD.

Ear Specs :

Treble :
The Edition 11 has a shimmering brilliance and is not afraid to dial in superior detail retrieval.
This is not ZINGY treble, but it is not laid back or round or rolled off. Air and extension is excellent.
IF your music has an "S" in it, then you will hear it. But if it doesn't the Edition 11 is not going to create one.

Midrange :
Has a touch of upper mid forwardness, combined with a hint of low mid warmth.

Low Mids :
Controlled.

Bass :
Textured and detailed and its felt but does not try to thickly slam like a Rosson Rad-O or a LCD-4.
The Edition 11's low end is substantial but not thick, full but not bloated. Its an unusually fluent low end.

Soundstage :
Wide enough to produce great clarity of staging , but not so wide that the sound in front is pulled back and becomes too distant or lacking intimacy.

Instrument Separation : Fantastic.

Timbre : All about the clarity.

The Edition 11's by Ultrasone are a very pretty set of headphones, brown walnut cups, satin finished.
The gear is designed to offer a sound signature that allows for you to enjoy them both as a fun sound or as an analytical device.

As always, my review is : Right out of the box, strapped on = ZERO-burn in description.
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[HardstyleLoco96]

I absolutely love the Edition 11. That's why it's my profile picture. Simply the best Ultrasone I have heard and the price to performance is superb. The bio cellulose driver really loves some clean power and also burn in does improve it a fair amount. I notice the low end tightens up but digs deeper and slams harder. The mids really clean up and become nice and full. The treble mostly stays the same but I do feel it becomes slightly smoother but more air and detail shine through. While not as wide as a Arya and Ananda I do feep depth is on par with the Arya if not goes deeper and layers is insane. Truly a gem the Edition 11 is. I love it and it sits right next to my Avantone Planar. Great review as always, its great to finally see the Edition 11 getting the attention it deserves.

 

[elsanto]

Hey thanks so much for this writeup. any thoughts comparing them to edition 8 or HFI 700? I have both but looking for something different and open ear.

 

[FullBright1]

Hey thanks so much for this writeup. any thoughts comparing them to edition 8 or HFI 700? I have both but looking for something different and open ear.

Ive not heard the 2 Ultrasone Gears you listed, so, can't comment.
What i can tell you, is that the Edition 11, is my favorite, even compared to the Edition 15 Hex, which i adore.
The 11 sounds a bit like "what if we wanted to combine a Diana V2, with an Ultrasone with a big wood cup".
So, it has some of the Abyss sound, and a lot of the Ultrasone sound, yet, because the cup is large, its just a really unique product as compared to the usual Ultrasone family.
Slight V shape, lots of detail retrieval, superior bass extension, and impressive build Q.
If you like the Ultrasone products, this one is especially fine.

 

[peteham]

I've had these for a little over a year. Fabulous. They should have been in everyone's collection.

 

[prazvt]

I've had these for a few weeks, myself. I'm so glad I randomly saw mention of these. Every time I would look at the usual headphone suspects, I'd lose interest. The bass, soundstage, detail, and timbre are wonderful. First time in a long time I've just sat around listening to a pair of headphones for extended periods of time.

 

[HardstyleLoco96]

Been a while....

Has anyone been able to compare the Meze 109 with the Edition 11?

 

[wayeward]

Been a while....

Has anyone been able to compare the Meze 109 with the Edition 11?

That would be an interesting comparison. I demoed the edition 11 and liked it a lot, probably the best Ultrasone I have ever heard. Plan on getting one but they are sold out in my neck of the woods right now.

 

[pataburd]

Just bought the Edition 11.
Have enjoyed the earlier Ultrasone Proline and latter Pro (i and non-i) series over the years; my favorites having been the Pro 2900i.
Wanted to ask those "in-the-know" about what they deemed the best source/amp pairings with the 11s.
Will be running the SMSL M400 and SP400 stack (via XLR) upstream.
Plan to report back later after the Ultrasones make their way here from Japan.

 

[TWerk]

Off topic - How do you like your 780i?

I put mine on with these Ibasso thick pads tonight and damn I think I just found a new winner... bass is very impactful and enhanced.

As for the edition 11 - it's going to be a different tuning than you're used to with Ultrasone. It wasn't for me personally but it is richer and smoother than typical. It is less excited up top but quite detailed and nuanced.

 

[pataburd]

Right now, I am down to two entry-level DAC/amps: the Emotiva Big Ego+ and the Hidizs S9 AKM. The SMSL M400 is scheduled to arrive this week.

I do enjoy the PRO 780i, but more so when paired with the Hidizs; they sound overly bass prominent with the Emotiva, but clearer, better balanced and more natural with the Hidizs.

Picked up the PRO 780i used and am not sure how many hours of run-time they have logged. From my past experience with Ultrasones, extended "burn-in" time is not unusual.

Do you have a link to the iBasso pads? My chief disappointment with the PRO 780i--as with the HFI-780--is their lack of a detachable cable.

Thank you.

 

[TWerk]

I wish I did have a link for buying these pads alone. They are very nice with the 780 and also the soundstage improves too. The mids improve and bass and soundstage - basically everything the 780 needs. I'm not sure how to get them alone like that but I find them a great match. Comfort obviously too.

I just kept my pair from the actual SR-2 headphone when I had it because I noticed their qualities.

Not sure how much you would love the pads if you don't like the stock bass though. These pads really give them a satisfying and authoritative low end.

Highs are still just a touch hard/dry somewhere up there but that's just characteristic of the 780 IMO.

I'm not too bothered by the lack of detached cable, pretty much used to it from some others.

Literally - this closed 780 with no amp direct into macbook is not embarrassed next to my full open back planar setup with 16 watt massive desktop amp - kinda impressive.

The other setup is obviously better but this is VERY nice for such a simple setup. The bass is fantastic.

These few Ultrasones got me stop chasing any other closed backs - IMO they just do it the best. Open back have more advantage to work with and I think that becomes a different conversation. The closed Ultrasones sound convincingly open though to me which is rather impressive in itself. Criminally underrated headphones, if you ask me.

 

[pataburd]

Bass is budget DAC/amp-dependent: loose and ill-defined (less enjoyable) with the Emotiva; tight and well-defined (more enjoyable) with the Hidizs.

I am looking forward to pairing the 780i with the SMSL "400 stack".

 

[TWerk]

Wish I could find a way for you to grab these Ibasso pads - I'm confident they would be a worthwhile improvement for your pair.

This could deff be my only closed.

The mac-book M1 computer has a great built in DAC - always liked Apple's headphone out.

 

[prazvt]

Just bought the Edition 11.
Have enjoyed the earlier Ultrasone Proline and latter Pro (i and non-i) series over the years; my favorites having been the Pro 2900i.
Wanted to ask those "in-the-know" about what they deemed the best source/amp pairings with the 11s.
Will be running the SMSL M400 and SP400 stack (via XLR) upstream.
Plan to report back later after the Ultrasones make their way here from Japan.

Enjoy! I love my Edition 11s. mine are connected via XLR to a Schiit Jot 2 and Schiit Gungnit Multibit DAC and an Allo RPI endpoint. If I'm in the office, it's a Bifrost (newest one) and Magnius + SB Touch endpoint. (I have a Roon server). Both are great pairings IMO.