Ultrasone PRO 900 good unamped?
Sep 8, 2009 at 2:57 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 10

mikej

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I asked this in the Ultrasone forum but found many talk about Ultrasone here, hope it's alright to ask it here as well.
If I'm not planning to use amp, will the PRO 900 still be the best Ultrasone for me? My other choice would be the HFI-580, I know these are like two ends of their product line, but if I'm going to spend more than the HFI-580, might as well get the best I can.
What I'm not sure is whether there will be any noticeable difference considering I'd be using it unamped, could the HFI-580 even sound better since it's supposed to be easier to drive?
 
Sep 8, 2009 at 3:59 PM Post #2 of 10
mike, you don't have your profile completed, so I can't tell what gear you have/plan to use the PRO900's with.

I will make the assumption that you are either planning to drive them directly from a computer soundcard, or from a portable player of some sort. If that is the case, I would not recommend you opt for the PRO900's, as they are meant for more commanding sources & amps. If you went with them, you may get enjoyment out of them as-is, but it would not be their best.

The HFI-580's are more efficient, and have less resolving drivers that will probably be a better match for your setup. They are quite a bit less expensive, as well. No need to spend more money than you have to.

If you post additional info about your gear, we can ammend this recommendation. Cheers.
 
Sep 8, 2009 at 5:40 PM Post #3 of 10
I have heard many people that the 2500 can be played unamped say through an ipod pretty well
 
Sep 8, 2009 at 6:11 PM Post #4 of 10
I doubt it if it´s anything like the 750. Which it should be. I mean it´s low impedance so you will get volume but the bass in particular get really quite sloppy and mid range gets drowned a bit. Overall more muddy and unbalanced though that can be fun for short periods too I suppose.
 
Sep 9, 2009 at 3:45 AM Post #5 of 10
Thanks for the input guys!
Jpelq, didn't know there's a profile thing, but then again I don't have much gear to list.
And yes I just use PC/laptop/ipod for music, mostly rock/metal but I do listen to other stuff as well.
Headphone I have at the moment is an AKG K240S, I started looking for a new one because I wanted one which I can practice e-drum with, hence closed-back(isolation) and circumaural(comfy). But after much reading I don't think I just want a practice headphone now, which is why I started looking at more expensive ones like PRO 900.
I will definitely try out both if available, but would also like to hear from others since I'm a noob.
 
Sep 9, 2009 at 5:44 AM Post #6 of 10
Quote:

Originally Posted by oqvist /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I mean it´s low impedance so you will get volume but the bass in particular get really quite sloppy and mid range gets drowned a bit. Overall more muddy and unbalanced


x2
 
Sep 9, 2009 at 10:17 AM Post #8 of 10
IMHO Ultrasone's aren't he best unamped headphones out there. I've got my 750's plugged into my Fiio E5 at the moment, and the sound is O.K. The Ultrsaone's do need something.
 
Sep 9, 2009 at 10:39 AM Post #9 of 10
Quote:

Originally Posted by Crooks141 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
What sort of amp/money are we talking about to power these?


I power the Pro 900 with the iBasso d10

It really depends upon your own usage. I needed something I could use with my PC for home (which has an integrated soundcard) and for my iriver portable.

After 200+ hours of burn in time (I've lost count since), I could not be more pleased with the combination. Both the Pro 900 and d10 require time in order to fully shine IMO.

Cheers!
 
Sep 9, 2009 at 11:53 AM Post #10 of 10
My iphone can power my HFI780 easily, but I would say it doesn't sound that good.

I guess Ultrasone headphones can be unamped but if you want to push them to the highest potential you may need an amp. I tried to plug my 780 into my Macbook Pro and it sounds horrible somehow.
eek.gif
I'm not sure if the Pro 900 will be even worse than that, since I haven't really try one before.

I may be wrong in this but you can also think of Denon D2000's. It seems to be more forgiving and it still sounds really good. I do love it but after 5 minutes trying them I put my money to 780
biggrin.gif
 

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