Jan Meier
King Corda
Member of the Trade: Meier Audio
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2001
- Posts
- 854
- Likes
- 182
Dear Headfellows,
As some of you might know, I've always been quite a fan of the Ultrasone HFI-600. Not the best headphone available, but for its relatively low price, no better closed system can be found IMHO.
I was therefore very pleased to receive a telephone call from Mr. Hartmann, a few weeks ago. Mr. Hartmann is the sales manager of Ultrasone. He told me that Ultrasone has developed a successor for the HFI-600 and asked me, whether I would be interested to test this phone. You might imagine that I gladly agreed
The phone arrived last week. It was packed in a plain box, as the final boxes were not available yet. But gladly the contents compensated for the plain look.
Whereas previous Ultrasone models were a little bit poor in finish, this new phone looks and feels sturdy and well build. The thick headband is partly covered with rubber and has a cushion of artificial leather. It also has two joints that allow you to fold the earcups inward for better transportability. The adjustment mechanism has a nice "rattle" but unfortunately the joints do crackle a little bit, every now and then.
The earcups are grey with paddings of artificial leather and look classy, except for the yellow Ultrasone symbols. (To be honest, I don't particularly like the yellow colour of the Ultrasone house-style, but that's just my personal taste and a minor nuisance) The phone is connected by a heavy, one-sided, 4 mm thick cable.
The first thing that you notice when you lift this phone is its weight. 350 grams (cable not included) is quite a lot for a modern headphone. This weight and the rather warm and stiff paddings lower the comfort level of this phone considerably. I have to admit though that I'm very spoiled by the large and velvet-soft paddings of my DT931. Nonetheless, on a warm day these phones will make some ears sweat.
However, the sheer weight and the stiff paddings also have some very positive effects. First of all the level of acoustic isolation is very high. Much higher than that of e.g. the DT770/831 that I compared it with. If you don't want to disturb other people or don't want to be disturbed by outside noise and if you don't want to carry Etymotics, this is the way to go. Very impressive!
To have some material weight added also can be quite beneficial for sound quality. Headphones are little loudspeakers. Thin walls tend to vibrate and add sonic coloration. Ever seen a true high-fidelity loudspeaker with walls as thin as cardboard?
One of the very first things that I noticed when I put these phone on, was the cable. It is of a rather heavy quality but a little bit stiff. As a result it's also a little bit microphonic and, being a spiral cable, it might also exert some tension.
What was first noticed with the music started was the bass. These phones do play deep. It's not an exaggerated bass like the DT770, but a well defined and well balanced WHOOM that initially tended to overshadow the heights. However, the phone wasn't broken-in yet so I decided to leave them run for 48hrs continuously.
After three days my friend Harry and I started the real testing. Equipment: Marantz CD72MKII (modified), Linn interconnects and CORDA HA-1 headamp. I removed the analoguer from my chain, as the HFI-650 was found to be a very non-aggressive headphone. Comparative devices: DT770, DT831, HD280PRO, HD25-1, HFI-600.
After break-in the heights were less recessed and better balanced with respect to the bass and sound became truly involving. This is a phone with no true weaknesses, which is remarkable, especially given the fact that it is a closed system. All the other closed headphones that I know of, have one or more characteristics that I don't feel comfortable with.
In comparison the DT831, although razor sharp and airy, does lack deep bass and has a little bit too much heights. The DT770 has an exaggerated and sloppy bass and a somewhat hollow presentation (recessed mids). The HD280 sounds artificial (does "plastic sound" make sense to you?) and the HD25-1 has slightly too much upper bass (and is also rather uncomfortable). The HFI-600, although nicely balanced, is more coloured and sounds more compressed. (Note, these are just my personal opinions, you might well feel otherwise
No such weaknesses could be found with the HFI-650. Deep bass, well balanced heights, little coloration (although noticable at higher sound levels) and a believable soundstage. A piano has weight and depth, female voices sound sweet without sibilance, electric guitars have drive. Only when Harry started to ask for the HD600 and the K1000 the limitations of the HFI-650 were more clearly shown.
No doubt that the HD600 and K1000 sound more airy and less coloured than the HFI-650. It's the kind of quality at which open headphones excel (maybe in this discipline the R10 can compete with open phones, but I never heard one). Soundstage of the HFI-650 is more closed-in which, however, does not necessary has to be a bad thing. It adds some extra intimacy and directness that the HD600 and K1000 are slightly missing. This might well be the reason that Harry preferred the HFI-650 over the HD600. Personally I still prefer the HD600, as it is more airy and has a more believable soundstage. (Also note that Harry's all-time favourite is the K1000, whereas I mostly enjoy a modified DT931)
Conclusion. The HFI-650 is not the most perfect headphone, especially as it is a little bit uncomfortable. However, for a closed system it sounds excellent and provides a high degree of acoustic isolation. The mere fact that some of the very best open systems are needed to show the very limitations of this device is a big compliment. I guess this one will be my new favourite headphone for those situations where I don't want to (be) disturb(ed).
Cheers,
Jan
As some of you might know, I've always been quite a fan of the Ultrasone HFI-600. Not the best headphone available, but for its relatively low price, no better closed system can be found IMHO.
I was therefore very pleased to receive a telephone call from Mr. Hartmann, a few weeks ago. Mr. Hartmann is the sales manager of Ultrasone. He told me that Ultrasone has developed a successor for the HFI-600 and asked me, whether I would be interested to test this phone. You might imagine that I gladly agreed
The phone arrived last week. It was packed in a plain box, as the final boxes were not available yet. But gladly the contents compensated for the plain look.
Whereas previous Ultrasone models were a little bit poor in finish, this new phone looks and feels sturdy and well build. The thick headband is partly covered with rubber and has a cushion of artificial leather. It also has two joints that allow you to fold the earcups inward for better transportability. The adjustment mechanism has a nice "rattle" but unfortunately the joints do crackle a little bit, every now and then.
The earcups are grey with paddings of artificial leather and look classy, except for the yellow Ultrasone symbols. (To be honest, I don't particularly like the yellow colour of the Ultrasone house-style, but that's just my personal taste and a minor nuisance) The phone is connected by a heavy, one-sided, 4 mm thick cable.
The first thing that you notice when you lift this phone is its weight. 350 grams (cable not included) is quite a lot for a modern headphone. This weight and the rather warm and stiff paddings lower the comfort level of this phone considerably. I have to admit though that I'm very spoiled by the large and velvet-soft paddings of my DT931. Nonetheless, on a warm day these phones will make some ears sweat.
However, the sheer weight and the stiff paddings also have some very positive effects. First of all the level of acoustic isolation is very high. Much higher than that of e.g. the DT770/831 that I compared it with. If you don't want to disturb other people or don't want to be disturbed by outside noise and if you don't want to carry Etymotics, this is the way to go. Very impressive!
To have some material weight added also can be quite beneficial for sound quality. Headphones are little loudspeakers. Thin walls tend to vibrate and add sonic coloration. Ever seen a true high-fidelity loudspeaker with walls as thin as cardboard?
One of the very first things that I noticed when I put these phone on, was the cable. It is of a rather heavy quality but a little bit stiff. As a result it's also a little bit microphonic and, being a spiral cable, it might also exert some tension.
What was first noticed with the music started was the bass. These phones do play deep. It's not an exaggerated bass like the DT770, but a well defined and well balanced WHOOM that initially tended to overshadow the heights. However, the phone wasn't broken-in yet so I decided to leave them run for 48hrs continuously.
After three days my friend Harry and I started the real testing. Equipment: Marantz CD72MKII (modified), Linn interconnects and CORDA HA-1 headamp. I removed the analoguer from my chain, as the HFI-650 was found to be a very non-aggressive headphone. Comparative devices: DT770, DT831, HD280PRO, HD25-1, HFI-600.
After break-in the heights were less recessed and better balanced with respect to the bass and sound became truly involving. This is a phone with no true weaknesses, which is remarkable, especially given the fact that it is a closed system. All the other closed headphones that I know of, have one or more characteristics that I don't feel comfortable with.
In comparison the DT831, although razor sharp and airy, does lack deep bass and has a little bit too much heights. The DT770 has an exaggerated and sloppy bass and a somewhat hollow presentation (recessed mids). The HD280 sounds artificial (does "plastic sound" make sense to you?) and the HD25-1 has slightly too much upper bass (and is also rather uncomfortable). The HFI-600, although nicely balanced, is more coloured and sounds more compressed. (Note, these are just my personal opinions, you might well feel otherwise
No such weaknesses could be found with the HFI-650. Deep bass, well balanced heights, little coloration (although noticable at higher sound levels) and a believable soundstage. A piano has weight and depth, female voices sound sweet without sibilance, electric guitars have drive. Only when Harry started to ask for the HD600 and the K1000 the limitations of the HFI-650 were more clearly shown.
No doubt that the HD600 and K1000 sound more airy and less coloured than the HFI-650. It's the kind of quality at which open headphones excel (maybe in this discipline the R10 can compete with open phones, but I never heard one). Soundstage of the HFI-650 is more closed-in which, however, does not necessary has to be a bad thing. It adds some extra intimacy and directness that the HD600 and K1000 are slightly missing. This might well be the reason that Harry preferred the HFI-650 over the HD600. Personally I still prefer the HD600, as it is more airy and has a more believable soundstage. (Also note that Harry's all-time favourite is the K1000, whereas I mostly enjoy a modified DT931)
Conclusion. The HFI-650 is not the most perfect headphone, especially as it is a little bit uncomfortable. However, for a closed system it sounds excellent and provides a high degree of acoustic isolation. The mere fact that some of the very best open systems are needed to show the very limitations of this device is a big compliment. I guess this one will be my new favourite headphone for those situations where I don't want to (be) disturb(ed).
Cheers,
Jan
