Not much action on this thread this year. Let's change that.
Here's my attempt at a "first day" review of the Ultrasone HFI-780.
Background: I only have one other pair of Hi-Fi headphones to compare to, the Ultrasone HFI-580. They're what I had been using for the past 6 years up until the left cup connector broke. (No plans on discontinuing using them, just need to get that part fixed.)
Disclaimer: I haven't listened to any music through my HFI-580's in more than 6 months, so any comparisons made between them and the HFI-780's are purely from memory. That being said, with 6 years of the 580's being the ONLY headphone I ever used, I know the characteristics of that set very well. Also keep in mind the 780's are fresh-out-of-the-box new and haven't had much time to loosen up aka "burn in". Yes, I'm a believer that physical membranes DO change with usage over time, ultimately affecting the sound. (Why do you think I'm holding onto my old 580's when I could just buy new? BECAUSE THEY SOUND BETTER NOW THEN WHEN I FIRST GOT THEM!) Anyway, that's a whole other issue. Let's get to some first impressions. Forgive me if some of my vocabulary isn't 100% technically correct... using plain English to describe things here.
*** FREQUENCY RANGES
- Sub-bass: Extends lower than the 580's, but there isn't as much *quantity* in comparison. For me, that's not at all a negative thing... it's less fatiguing over longer listening periods due to less SPL. This is something the 580's struggled with, as the sub-bass and bass regions were a bit overwhelming (for my ears) no matter what you threw at it. So the 780's have the win here.
- Bass: If you listen to electronic music, the amount of 50hz-100hz signal is spot-on. Win.
- Mid-bass thru mids: Slightly "anemic" or "hollow" when compared to the 580's. Fail for the 780's here. For me, the solution to get my personal desired sound was using digital EQ to bump up 250hz thru 3k15 between 0.1dB & 0.2dB above reference to provide a little extra "meat" or "bloom" to the signal.
- Upper-mids are also a little recessed... almost "distant" sounding. This could be due to the different baffle board design and and my ears just not being used to it yet. This is the area I and a lot of other folks struggle with, so I can't really offer any solutions to make it sound better because it's so subjective on what your desired tone is and what you the listener enjoys most.
- Highs: Accurate! Sparkly! FINALLY!!! This extra little bit of treble extension is something the 580's lack, and one of the things I most desired in my next headphone. That being said, the 780's can get a little *too* sparkly, and sometimes even sibilant, on some "hot" songs. But for most content, you'll be just fine. If it's troublesome for you, I would just EQ 6khz thru 20khz down anywhere from 0.1db to 0.4db below reference. Whatever amount, really... after all, you're just trying to achieve your desired sound.
- GENERALLY SPEAKING: The bass regions don't get in the way of the rest of the mix in any way. It's punchy and energetic where needed, but not at all bloated or "in the way" like the 580's had a tendency to be. The mids may sound a little recessed right out-of-the-box, but nothing a little EQing can't fix. Upper-mids are a bit finnicky, but with a little EQing, again you'll find your own sweet spot. Highs are generally OK, but on some poorly produced tracks, it may prove to be a little too sparkly for your taste.
*** S-LOGIC PLUS
- At first listen, the 780's sound more "in your head" than 580s... not quite as "wide-open". But don't worry! This is not a bad thing at all. You will still get the Ultrasone "surround" experience from S-Logic. However, I would call this a slightly different iteration of S-Logic. Almost as if the sound comes from 50% inside your head and 50% from all around you. Compared to the 580's, where it sounds like 33% inside your head and 66% from all around you. So, IMO, the 780's provide the best of both worlds in this area. Win. AND...
- As an added bonus; with the sound seemingly more in-your-head, you actually get more accurate imaging overall when compared to the 580's.
- Similarly to the 580's, it's as if the singer is 6 feet in front and slightly upwards of of your position (think front-row concert) and the rest of the music is a combination LR front & "surround".
*** TEXTURE & RESOLUTION
- Layering of instruments, and their associated textures and timbres are much more distinguishable than the 580's. The 780's are far more refined in terms of separation, attack, decay and resolution. It's as if finally each sound has it's own space to breathe, whereas the 580's were trying to cram too much into too little space, making them sound more confined and limited in comparison.
- Side story: with the 580's, I was actually trying to replicate a more spacious sound by using a digital effects rack of 6 EQs and 4 reverbs! Ouch. And yes, I know, DSP is frowned upon... blah blah... I'm the kind of person who listens to music for fun and to escape to another world for a little bit. Not to analyze the hell out of a signal and crunch numbers. Anyway, you'll be happy to know that ZERO artificial reverbs are needed with the 780's. The 780's create that "spaciousness" I craved for so long, all by them self. Win!
- Overall, I would say the 780's are more precise than the 580's in every way. Some areas of the 780's sound "sharper" (I prefer 4khz thru 12khz EQ reduction) and other areas sound "dimmer" (I prefer 250hz thru 3k15 EQ addition).
- There is no doubt I am hearing more micro-details within songs than when I was when listening via the 580's. --- Sounds from within the recording
studio, very faint reverbs, very faint snares, breathing noises, artifacts/flaws, attack and decay, etc... are all much more present and refined in the 780's vs 580's.
- Because of the 780's added precision across the entire frequency range, it WILL pick up more artifacts than 580's. However, I figure as long as you have a good source along with good quality music files, you should be all set.
*** PRACTICALITY
- LOVE the shorter cable by default! (Still wish it was removable from the ear cup like the Signatures are, but what can ya do other than complain.) At least there's no more winding and taping that old crazy-long wire!
- Portable sources may not have enough juice to make these shine their best. I have to turn my laptop jack up an extra 5 "notches" compared to 580's... probably due to the 780's higher impedance.
- Dislike how there is no screw on the TRS end of the default cable for a 6.3mm adapter... a set back if you're planning on using these for professional applications often via 6.3mm TRS.
- Dislike the headpad... still. It's just TOO FIRM! Here's a workaround though: if you order a felt headpad from Ultrasone (or local vendor), you can just pull off the pleather one and replace it with the softer felt version. MUCH better, trust me. Did it to my 580's, no looking back.
- Left earcup connector had very slight wiggle to it right-out-of-the-box. The 580's connector was rock solid for 6+ years. I'm not worried; the wiggle is less than .5 mm. If you're OCD about something like that, it's nothing a little epoxy glue couldn't fix. (After the warranty is up, of course.)
- Seems like the cups or earpads are slightly deeper than before. (It's been 6 years after all...) They are certainly FIRMER than I remembered. My ears no longer touch the baffle boards, which is great! But who knows... that may change as the pads start to loosen up with constant use. Time will tell.
- They've apparently cheapened the carrying case. It's no longer velour, it's now a harsh, synthetic, plastic-based bag and has zero "plush" factor to it anymore.
- They're still as robust as ever. You could throw these things at a wall 10 times and they'd probably still work just fine. Just for the record, I do not endorse any headphone throwing!
- Being able to fold up flat is always welcomed.
- <<< IMPORTANT >>> This baby needs more power than you'd expect. That 3-Ohm difference makes a noticeable difference in how much power is needed for these to shine. --- Unfortunately, as a condition of receiving these headphones as an early Christmas present from my loved one, I am not allowed to open my Schiit Audio FULLA that's sitting under the tree until Christmas day. I suspect the added power and REAL audio chip (vs my crappy Conexant laptop output) will make a substantially positive difference in what I'm hearing through the 780's. We shall see.... the temptation is KILLING me!!!
Alright that's it for now folks.
*** MOVING FORWARD
- I'm the kind of guy who likes to hear any changes during the "burn in" process as time progresses. So I'll provide an update probably shortly after the New Year, giving you info about how well the HFI-780's have paired with Schiit Audio's FULLA DAC/AMP combo and how the headphones themselves may have changed in tonality.
Hope you found this info helpful! I appreciate all the knowledge that I've learned from Head-Fi contributors over the years and so this is the least I could do to show my appreciation.
Enjoy!
