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Originally Posted by mrarroyo /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I am passing on just about everything at the moment. Car repairs did me in, although it was worth it since it was my beloved Beetle.
I hope someone has heard both the Ultrasones 2500 and the 9's and can provide feedback on how they compare. Thanks.
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I can't tell you about the 2500s vs Edition 9s, but I used to own the 750s (closed) which are nearly identical in sound (so I've gathered) except for the 2500 having a little larger soundstage due to their open design. There is similarity between the 750 and Edition 9s, yet also a lot of difference. One thing I don't hear as much of on my Edition 9s is the "effect like quality" of the "S-logic" that Ultrasone touts as part of their house sound. This effect can sometimes be cool and yet some find it like an annoying form of reverb. I heard more of this "effect" on my 750s, but I don't notice is as much on the Edition 9s. Maybe it is because the Edition 9 "headstage" is consistently wide and deep so it's not like this quality cuts in and makes itself noticed by the sudden change. Or maybe it is just my pair of Edition 9s, as I have been finding that there is some audible variation even between the same model of headphones. (For example my new Senn 650s single-ended don't exhibit the same level of boomy bass that I have heard on other single-ended 650s.)
First off the Edition 9 has bass that has no peer that I've heard with the possible exception of the L-3000. This bass is not boomy in any sense, but is
detailed, textured and goes very deep (and the 750 is no slouch in this department). Single-ended the Edition 9 has much deeper and better articulated bass that my
balanced Senn 650 (still burning in). Going balanced the Edition 9 bass picks up even more articulation. The clarity and smoothness of the Edition 9 is also significantly greater that the 750. The Edition 9s are very fast and detailed yet without becoming serile. They were a little bright initially (and still lean towards the bright side of the street--Senns leaning towards the dark side) but this has really smoothed out with burn in. So now they are very high and clear without being excessively bright.
If the overall texture of the 750 could be describes as a very smooth cotton, then the Edition 9s are velvet.
The Ultrasone 2500/750 are known to reveal a lot of detail in the music. But the Edition 9s take this even further. You will probably hear things with the Edition 9s, even on music that you are very familiar with, that you've never heard before. Those sounds have really have always been there, but just not rendered so distinctly. This can bring a fresh sense to music that's been heard many many times. This quality is mostly to the good, but I have been appalled at how prevalent bad and sloppy recording/mastering is on many of my favorite classic rock albums. This is not overly annoying because the rest of the music is rendered so clearly, but it is certainly educational. This same quality can bring a wonderful sense of immediacy and aliveness to the music. Recently I was listening to a SACD and at the end of the song I could hear the artist shifting back on his seat at the piano ever so quietly after the take. I imagine this would have been largely inaudible with most other headphones. This clarity really pays of when the music gets complex with a lot of sounds happening at once. Rather than becoming a bit of a muddle of blended sound (as the ATH-AD2000 that I am currently auditioning tends to do, and that the 750 tends to do) the individual sounds stay distinct and clear. As an analogy for something you may have heard, the 750s going to the Edition 9s, its different but I experience it as the same proportion of jump that the Senn 650 takes when it goes from single-ended to balanced.
So take the bass of balanced Senn 650s and make it significantly deeper, more detailed, and still in balance with the whole mix, add the clarity & detail and width of soundstage of the AKG-701 but even more so and with a lot more "life" to the sound, and add the sense of fun and rhythm of the Grado RS-1, but none of the harshness, add in some smoothness and you have an Edition 9.
Even though the Edition 9s (without the special cabling I got) were about 4.5 times the cost of the 750s, I have never regretted the purchase because I can hear where my money went. Your mileage may vary.
