Ultrasone Edition 8 Lust
Jul 7, 2010 at 12:37 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 57

MuseMan

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They seem to be perfect, nice fun headphones, small enough to be portable. Great isolation and sound. The only problem is the cost - I can afford them, but it's still a lot of money to spend on an impulse buy. Am I insane or should I just get it over with and buy them?
 
Jul 7, 2010 at 2:19 AM Post #2 of 57
I have a lot of lust for them too. Really love their design, fit and finish. Gotta have some discipline though. 
redface.gif

 
Jul 7, 2010 at 3:23 AM Post #4 of 57
Museman, by coincidence I just finished listening to "The Resistence" with my ED8 when I saw this thread.  Edition 8 is a fantastic headphone that performs well accross all genres.  If I could improve it, I would dial in a little more sound stage, however it is pretty much the full deal.  It is insanely expensive for a headphone, and with all expensive headphones, diminishing returns means that you pay a lot for "better" sound quality.  ED8 like all headphones has its own unique sound signature, so its always better if you can try before you buy.  Coming from Oz, you probably can't do that, unless you live in Perth and can visit Headphonic.  They are $2500 AUD ($2120 USD)  which is of course prohibitive, however if you check HeadFi for sales, you should pick one up for between $1100-$1300 USD landed (including probably about $70 USD postage).  If that causes you to get cold feet, then take a detour in your Headphone journey and purchase a Pro900 for less than half the cost of an ED8.  Different fon to the Edition (no where near as sexy looking) but a great headphone none the less.
 
Oh, and we are all insane.
 
Jul 7, 2010 at 4:18 AM Post #5 of 57
Thanks guys, Headphonic sells them at a ridiculously high price. I can get them for around $1750 in Australia from https://www.electronicbazaar.com.au/add-to-cart.php?categoryid=41&subcategoryid=322&pid=2912&pstatus=null If I import from overseas there's tax and warranty issues.
 
I'm not to worried about soundstage, I'm more after impact and fun, as well as great isolation in a non-IEM. I might just jump on it. I'll eventually get a Pico or a CEntrance DACPort to go with a netbook I'll buy soon. Sounds like a decent transportable set-up?
 
Thanks again.
 
Jul 9, 2010 at 12:46 PM Post #6 of 57
I would say go for it. I have half heartedly the ED 8 up for sale. Listening to much on my Ipod touch made it seem the reasonable thing to do. I enjoyed that combo in the beginning but the lack of sub bass or body annoyed me to much on a 1500$ headphone.
 
As I got my Auditor I am really rediscovering it all over again. It has never sounded bad but I have a lot of toys demanding time :wink:. DAC19/Auditor is an amazing combination for this headphone. Much better then the T1 for music playback... T1 impresses technically but completely lack soul and don´t let me fee or get into l the music at all. Hoping the Trafomatic head one will spice it up a bit. Soundstage is not the largest as mentioned but it images like a champ Quite a bit better then the T1 in that department. It will let you feel the music on the right system surely.
 
Jul 9, 2010 at 1:16 PM Post #7 of 57
I would say if you have the money, and it won't take food off the table or not get any of your bills paid, then go for it.  I felt the same way when I hit the submit button on mine last year.  I have not looked back since.  They are easily the most fun, involving headphone I have ever had on my head. 
 
I have put A LOT of miles on mine since I got them.  They did get better with time.  The pads get really, really soft.  They don't give out, but they soften up quite a bit.  Also, when they are brand new, the bass booms almost too much really.  I listened to them so much that I am not sure at what point that went away.  But I would guess somewhere between 50 and 100 hours the bass dials in.  Still sounds like a subwoofer in each ear....but one that is more balanced with the rest of your sound. 
 
I would also say that if you decide to buy them....listen to them on some sort of quality gear.  Even if it's hooked to an ipod, get an amp to bring it to it's peak performance.  And listen to it alot. 
 
Jul 10, 2010 at 5:21 AM Post #8 of 57
Absolutely go for it, they are fantastic and should fit your requirements perfectly
 
Jul 10, 2010 at 5:23 AM Post #9 of 57
It's a great headphone. I think the more headphones you have listened to, the more you will enjoy the Ed. 8 as you will realize how many little things other headphones get wrong (in my opinion) that these do right. The soundstage is a little on the small side, but other than that they have a very cohesive refined sound that works great with all genres of music. The Dacport does a nice a job with the headphone, the only thing I don't like about it is using such a small knob to adjust the volume.
 
Jul 10, 2010 at 5:06 PM Post #12 of 57

 
Buy a pair that is. Regardless if you are insane or not... :p
 
Jul 10, 2010 at 5:33 PM Post #13 of 57
haha... i tried them. I didn't think they were worth the price, but shoot...  I'm still a college student for just a bit longer. Did they have over a thousand dollars worth of sound quality? Honestly, they sound good but I was expecting to be really wowed. I was expecting a really huge sound stage, but it is quite upfront compared to the PROs. It was also sibilant to my sibilant music. Go figure. That was probably a stupid statement.
Also, it was also too polite sounding for me.
 
If you have a good source, by all means. I don't think I would ever buy the ED8s though. The ED9s on the other hand... I am tempted...
 
Jul 10, 2010 at 6:52 PM Post #14 of 57
Ya, the Edition 8 does NOT have a huge soundstage.  But I don't think they are billed that way either.  The big boast is the S Logic.  I will have to admit that the S Logic is rather deceptive.  You do get a sense of surround, but it's not really extremely noticable.  I think that's something I like about the S Logic.  Voices sound like they are right between your eyes.  It's pretty sweet.  But The Edition 8 or any Ultrasone for that matter has to be purchased as a matter of taste. 
 

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