[Silenced]

I just listened to these and was very impressed. No recessed mid range and overbearing base and harsh treble like on the hfi-780. The bass is still there, these aren't bass light but the mids are not interfered with. The treble is nice and didn't bother me. My only qualm with the hfi-680 was that they clamped very tightly on the head. Has anyone else had experience with these beauties? Why are they relatively unknown compared to the hfi-780?

 

[haloxt]

I blame it on ultrasone for not putting in big bold letters that there's a sound signature difference between their 3 hfi-x80's.

Also for the clamp, the bendable section with the cloth headpad is flexible with a strip of steel in it. Bend it with thumbs pushing in the center, other fingers pulling up on the headpad but NOT bending the other two sections which are hard plastic and can't bend. Occasionally it'll become tighter, just stretch it again whenever it happens. This is safe, Ultrasone does it at shows, they just don't write about it in their headphone manuals.

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

Finally, someone else who shares that impression. The 680's are vastly underrated here, people really need to listen to them to realize how good they are. The Beyer pads totally kill off bass on these though unlike the 780's where the bass is retained a bit. But in stock form they are really very good, have a nice balanced sound, really fast punchy bass that extends well, stable mids and slightly sharp sounding treble, but its not that annoying.

The Shure 840's sounded completely dull and lifeless compared to my 680's and I ended up returning them within the first week (and yes they spent several houes a day burning in, so I think I gave them a fair chance).

Oh yeah and the comfort issue is still an issue. The headband still hurts for me, but I manage. Nevertheless I would recommend these to anyone looking for a closed can in the 200$ mark.

 

[Silenced]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jilgiljongiljing /img/forum/go_quote.gif Finally, someone else who shares that impression. The 680's are vastly underrated here, people really need to listen to them to realize how good they are. The Beyer pads totally kill off bass on these though unlike the 780's where the bass is retained a bit. But in stock form they are really very good, have a nice balanced sound, really fast punchy bass that extends well, stable mids and slightly sharp sounding treble, but its not that annoying. The Shure 840's sounded completely dull and lifeless compared to my 680's and I ended up returning them within the first week (and yes they spent several houes a day burning in, so I think I gave them a fair chance). Oh yeah and the comfort issue is still an issue. The headband still hurts for me, but I manage. Nevertheless I would recommend these to anyone looking for a closed can in the 200$ mark.

ok good. I'm not crazy! I really think the 680 is a more refined version of the 780... weird considering it is a step down in price... they have gotten rid of what most people complain about w/ the 780's (recessed mids, harsh treble and boomy bass). Strange thing is I noticed that many Ultrasone dealers don't seem to carry them...


Btw, what amp do you use them with? Are they alright unamped?

 

[Silenced]

Quote:

Originally Posted by haloxt /img/forum/go_quote.gif I blame it on ultrasone for not putting in big bold letters that there's a sound signature difference between their 3 hfi-x80's. Also for the clamp, the bendable section with the cloth headpad is flexible with a strip of steel in it. Bend it with thumbs pushing in the center, other fingers pulling up on the headpad but NOT bending the other two sections which are hard plastic and can't bend. Occasionally it'll become tighter, just stretch it again whenever it happens. This is safe, Ultrasone does it at shows, they just don't write about it in their headphone manuals.

thanks for that tidbit! I will try that out. It would be nice if they had a picture of what to bend...

 

[haloxt]

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/2821957-post2902.html

Scroll down until you see a picture showing the top of the PROline 650, better instructions there.

 

[Graphicism]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silenced /img/forum/go_quote.gif I just listened to these and was very impressed.

What source/amp?

 

[Silenced]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graphicism /img/forum/go_quote.gif What source/amp?

twas just a cmoy...

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

Right now I am using Dacmagic with Gilmore Lite and these are the headphones I bought and sold after I got the 680's.

Denon D5000 - better mids than the 680, but overpowering bass, completely drowns you in some songs, the 680's are much more balanced overall)

Beyer DT770/250 - these were my favs before the 680, I found them to sound a bit too smooth and cushy, the 680's are way better at resolving details and intricacies)

Shure SRH840 - the absolute dullest most lifeless headphone I've heard in that price range and above. There is no extension on either end, and it kinda does nothing exceptionally well, and nothing wrong as such. The treble doesnt sparkle, theres not much detail, the bass is slightly undefined, the comfort isnt great (gets stuffy quite quickly), I was most dissapointed with these since I really had high hopes for them

I have the triple.fi's now, and although its an unfair comparison to do IEM vs full size, the 680's win there as well for me. The triple.fi's have a slightly overpronounced mid range which sounds a bit rough, and the bass is all over the place IMO, its there and extends fairly ok, but detail and listenability are missing.

I'll have the Beyer DT990/600 in house tomorrow, will see how those fare.

 

[Silenced]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jilgiljongiljing /img/forum/go_quote.gif Right now I am using Dacmagic with Gilmore Lite and these are the headphones I bought and sold after I got the 680's. Denon D5000 - better mids than the 680, but overpowering bass, completely drowns you in some songs, the 680's are much more balanced overall) Beyer DT770/250 - these were my favs before the 680, I found them to sound a bit too smooth and cushy, the 680's are way better at resolving details and intricacies) Shure SRH840 - the absolute dullest most lifeless headphone I've heard in that price range and above. There is no extension on either end, and it kinda does nothing exceptionally well, and nothing wrong as such. The treble doesnt sparkle, theres not much detail, the bass is slightly undefined, the comfort isnt great (gets stuffy quite quickly), I was most dissapointed with these since I really had high hopes for them I have the triple.fi's now, and although its an unfair comparison to do IEM vs full size, the 680's win there as well for me. The triple.fi's have a slightly overpronounced mid range which sounds a bit rough, and the bass is all over the place IMO, its there and extends fairly ok, but detail and listenability are missing. I'll have the Beyer DT990/600 in house tomorrow, will see how those fare.

Those won't isolate... never the less please post your impressions in this thread!

 

[Pianist]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jilgiljongiljing /img/forum/go_quote.gif Right now I am using Dacmagic with Gilmore Lite and these are the headphones I bought and sold after I got the 680's. Denon D5000 - better mids than the 680, but overpowering bass, completely drowns you in some songs, the 680's are much more balanced overall) Beyer DT770/250 - these were my favs before the 680, I found them to sound a bit too smooth and cushy, the 680's are way better at resolving details and intricacies) Shure SRH840 - the absolute dullest most lifeless headphone I've heard in that price range and above. There is no extension on either end, and it kinda does nothing exceptionally well, and nothing wrong as such. The treble doesnt sparkle, theres not much detail, the bass is slightly undefined, the comfort isnt great (gets stuffy quite quickly), I was most dissapointed with these since I really had high hopes for them I have the triple.fi's now, and although its an unfair comparison to do IEM vs full size, the 680's win there as well for me. The triple.fi's have a slightly overpronounced mid range which sounds a bit rough, and the bass is all over the place IMO, its there and extends fairly ok, but detail and listenability are missing. I'll have the Beyer DT990/600 in house tomorrow, will see how those fare.

How long did you burn them in for? There's no way SRH840 has poor treble and detail. These are actually the strong points of this can IMO. Also, did you amp it?

 

[kwang411]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pianist /img/forum/go_quote.gif How long did you burn them in for? There's no way SRH840 has poor treble and detail. These are actually the strong points of this can IMO. Also, did you amp it?

I agree, when i auditioned the SRH840 at the local music store I thought the Shure has pretty sparkly highs, and I also liked them better than HFI780. HFI780's soundstage sounds slightly weird to me, but in what way I can't really describe

 

[Graphicism]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silenced /img/forum/go_quote.gif twas just a cmoy...

... I would imagine the bass of the 780 to be sloppy on a cmoy, no wonder you didn't like it.

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pianist /img/forum/go_quote.gif How long did you burn them in for? There's no way SRH840 has poor treble and detail. These are actually the strong points of this can IMO. Also, did you amp it?

I just posted the rig at the beginning of my previous post, Dacmagic + Gilmore Lite. I've heard the Shure 840 on two different setups as well one with SOHA, and the other with a portable amp (forgot which one). They are just plain boring. PERIOD. Maybe treble extension was the wrong term to use, they just didnt stand out as being clear and crisp to me. They arent musical and enjoyable, and to me thats the most interesting thing. Maybe they will make good monitoring cans, I dunno, but for sitting back and listening to music, IMO there are much better HP's out there.

EDIT : Also strong points WRT what? Strong points compared to its other weaknesses? Have you heard the 680's? I've heard both and A/B'ed them on the same rig. Hence my views.

I had them burn in for a few days straight using ISOTEK and XLO burn in tracks, and later proceeded to continue burn in for a few more nights while listening to them during the day, I think thats a reasonable assessment of a headphones performance and if someone says no it needs 200 hours of burn in, well I dont buy that.

To Graphisicm, I've A/B'ed the 680's and 780's using my rig and hence my views on the 680's being more balanced and enjoyable than the 780's. As I said, if for comfort sake you swap the earpads to Beyers though, things change dramatically and the 780's have a much better balance with the 680's sounding too thin. But in stock form, the 680's are the better pick IMO.

 

[12thgear]

The HFI-680 were my first Ultrasones. I have a Pro 750 too. I've also given the HFI-780 and a DJ1 Pro casual listens and the HFI-680 are still my favorite (and my favorite closed headphone in the price bracket). I agree with the underrated sentiment. I keep trying out other closed headphones and keep coming back to the 680. They seem to be an excellent all-rounder. My only beef is they look cheaper than they sound. But ultimately, we don't buy for looks.