[Levaix]

Quote:

Anyone feels Sig Pro too bright? I am not sure whether they are too bright to me, but I do feel they are kind of fatiguing to me, possibly because of too good resolution and density? Or seems I may like more laid-back/effortless sound sig? I do sometimes feel that I like my modded fx850 more. It makes me feel frustrated, as Sig Pro is technically much better than fx850.

They are definitely one of the more aggressive headphones out there. Personally I find the sound addicting. However, when I was running them from my Aune T1 the sound was definitely leaner than it is now. They're more source dependent than you think.

 

[Levaix]

I apologize for the double post, but I kind of wanted to give this update its own.
 
Yesterday I went and hung out with Zach from ZMF Headphones (@zach915m). He had just recently got in the production shipment of high quality cowhide earpads for the ZMF lineup, and he asked if I wanted a pair. Looking at these big pads (similar to the Alpha Pads) I half jokingly said "Sure, I'll put them on my Sig Pros!" Looking at it a little closer, it really wasn't THAT much bigger an opening, so, what the heck, I tried one ear. And it fit. REALLY well. So, what the heck again, I put the other one on.
 
Good gracious.
 

 

 

 
Sorry for the crappy pictures, I just wanted to get something out there.
 
I haven't done a ton of A-B testing between these and the stock, because I haven't felt the need to. The comfort increase is that good, and to my ears the sound quality is actually improved. Frequency response is similar and the overall characteristics of the Sig Pro are still overwhelmingly the same.
 
What's more, the soundstage is actually bigger. I always loved the uncanny presentation of S-Logic on these, but having just that little extra bit of width pushes it over the edge. I nearly fell asleep listening to these last night.
 
I'm having issues putting my thoughts in order, lol, but I'm pretty extremely happy here.
 
Drawbacks... They make the Sig Pros bigger. Less portable? I'm not really sure about that. I have to adjust the headband out another couple notches on each side, and pressure is still high, but much, MUCH more comfortable due to the deeper pads. YOUR EARS DO NOT PRESS AGAINST THE BAFFLE BOARD!
 
And yes, these pads do fit just fine on the Sig Pros without undue wiggling or sliding. What seems to work best is instead of sliding it into the original pad groove, I put it over the entire outer edge of the cup.
 
Disclaimer: Zach totally bought me pizza and gave me cowhide pads. Now go buy some. 

 http://www.zmfheadphones.com/order-the-zmf/zmf-pads-pre-order-discount

 

[lethe27]

How do the ZMF pads affect the sound isolation of the sig pro's?

 

[Levaix]

It's about the same as the original pads.

 

[Mortalcoil]

They look good Levaix. 
 
You may be onto something here.
 
Lord knows the Sig Pro pads can get rather oily feeling and lacking in the cushioning area very quickly.
 
Keep us posted on how things progress with them 

 

 

[socks mk2]

[redacted]

 

[jackyzhu]

Thanks! Yes, "aggressive" or "exciting" might be the word I was looking for to describe them. I am now using them with my DX90, will try some tube amp to see if that could make them a bit laid back (going to purchase a bottleneck crack to use with my HD600, will try sig pro with them though crack is designed for high impedance cans).
Thanks for sharing the experience with ZMF pads, which look very promising! Looking forward to hearing more impressions. I may give it a try once I decide to settle down on Sig Pro. Not sure whether they could be shipped to Australia.

They are definitely one of the more aggressive headphones out there. Personally I find the sound addicting. However, when I was running them from my Aune T1 the sound was definitely leaner than it is now. They're more source dependent than you think.

 

[socks mk2]

[redacted]

 

[Mortalcoil]

ZMF Headphones have international shipping options.

Ultrasone stock pads vs. [über] ZMF cowhide pads

I'll do more testing throughout the night and report back on anything else I notice.

 
 
Keep us posted

 

[Levaix]

ZMF Headphones have international shipping options.

Ultrasone stock pads vs. [über] ZMF cowhide pads

I'm just now getting around to actually listening to my Sig Pro's with the ZMF cowhide pads and the comfort is obviously better for me; my ears aren't touching the driver anymore. First thing I notice is the seal is actually better overall compared to the stock pads, especially when my jaw isn't in a relaxed position (i.e. talking, yawning, yelling, chewing). I'm able to position the headband further towards the back of my head without the Sig Pro wanting to slide off and without any seal issues that the stock pads would create due to my head/ear size/shape. What a nice bonus. Isolation to outside noise is very similar; I can't comment on inside noise leakage. I think depending on if you were having anything close to a seal issue, the ZMF pads will isolate more. If you weren't having seal problems, I'd say it's likely they'll be rather close in isolation performance.

As for how they effect sound... the earpads are now larger, thus your ear canal is further away from the driver. If you're someone who finds the Sig Pro to be maybe too aggressive, this will probably lessen that perception to an extent. The sound is a bit more cavernous and laid-back or recessed. I definitely have to turn the volume up higher on my amp to match the same volume of the stock pads. The increased space creates more depth for my ears, but the soundstage appears to be less holographic at the same time than with the stock pads. A clear example of how it effects imaging would be to push the pads into your head with ample force until your ears start reaching the stock pad position (shallow pad depth) and the ZMF cowhide pads will start to resemble the stock Ultrasone Sig Pro sound a lot more closely.

I'll do more testing throughout the night and report back on anything else I notice.

 
So do you have an obvious preference yet?
 
For me I noticed that proper head placement has a larger effect than it did before. With the stock pads there really wasn't a whole lot of room to wiggle them around, but with the larger pads changes are more evident.
 
I think the soundstage will take some getting used to. It reminds me somewhat of the Ultrasone PRO 900. (Only the soundstage, obviously MUCH better balance, lol.)
 
How do you feel about the treble now? I can't decide if it changed that much.

 

[socks mk2]

[redacted]

 

[Mortalcoil]

  I updated my post. I'm not sure that I'll find anything else to report on tonight about the different pads. I hope my insight is found to be helpful.

 Great effort (updating your original post)
 
Impressions appreciated and helpful.

 

[Levaix]

I updated my post. I'm not sure that I'll find anything else to report on tonight about the different pads. I hope my insight is found to be helpful.

Very, VERY nice! I agree with everything you said. I'll play some Skyrim tonight for gaming impressions.

And yes, they do fit in the case, but the pads are a bit squished. For short trips I don't think it would be a major issue.

I think it's worth noting that although the larger pads decrease the aggression, it's definitely still there. The sound overall reminds me of the TH900/600.

 

[socks mk2]

[redacted]

 

[lethe27]

The right side of my headphone conked off yesterday. No drop, no abuse. It just... died. Even tried different cables, but didn't seem to help. Not sure which would be the best place to send it for repairs. I got it from a head-fi'er about a year or so ago.