[WoahReQQuiem]

 

How does the Sennheiser HD25-1 ii compare to the Ultrasone PRO 900?
I demoed them both (fresh-out-of-the-box state), and I liked the HD25's more, but since the Pro 900s are famous for sounding like crap out of the box, I want some more insight.
What I want in the sound is : smooth, can be aggressive when needed (especially with Rock), punchy bass, accurate tonality, and good detail. And, is the Pro 900 as durable as the HD25?
​

 

 

[Blisse]

 
Quote:

 

How does the Sennheiser HD25-1 ii compare to the Ultrasone PRO 900?
I demoed them both (fresh-out-of-the-box state), and I liked the HD25's more, but since the Pro 900s are famous for sounding like crap out of the box, I want some more insight.
What I want in the sound is : smooth, can be aggressive when needed (especially with Rock), punchy bass, accurate tonality, and good detail. And, is the Pro 900 as durable as the HD25?
​

 

The HD25s have nice strong bass. but nowhere near the full sized PRO 900s. Only real advantage was better isolation. It was better on certain Rock and Alternative songs, but it depended on what type they are since they're really varied. I didn't try classical, but I found the PRO 900s better than anything fast and heavy like Pop or Trance. I can compare a few more times if you want, but my main issue is that my head is almost too large for the HD25s.
 
Not smooth at all, much more aggressive and better bass, tonality depends on preferences, and detail is basically equal. HD25s are more durable though.

 

[Ultrazino]

smooth no way!
can be aggressive when needed (especially with Rock) it's always aggressive
punchy bass hell yeah!
accurate tonality absolutely not
good detail definitely much much better than HD25-II

 

[WoahReQQuiem]

Thank you Ultrazino and Blisse, I guess I'll be buying the HD 25-1 ii's first, then if money permits, the Pro 900.

 

[seaskimmer]

Damn those wood cups are smexy. If you are handy with a welder, I guess you could theoretically pop a ball bearing into the joint, then make your own connection to the cups using some tubing. What suddenly came to my mind was something between a Thunderpants/HD800/Grado/Denon style bracket that would attach the cup to the headband.
Personally, I would go for a different headband since imo, the stock Ultrasone headband feels more suited to metal-texture cups rather than wood...

 

[rezel]

How does the Pro 900 sound amped well? My Dad is considering building me a tube amplifier for my first proper amp and I'm curious of how Ultrasones improve.

 

[benzoylmethyl]

Quote:

Damn those wood cups are smexy. If you are handy with a welder, I guess you could theoretically pop a ball bearing into the joint, then make your own connection to the cups using some tubing. What suddenly came to my mind was something between a Thunderpants/HD800/Grado/Denon style bracket that would attach the cup to the headband.
Personally, I would go for a different headband since imo, the stock Ultrasone headband feels more suited to metal-texture cups rather than wood...

 
OMG THIS WOULD BE MOTHER F'ING AWESOME*!#U(%^_!
 
Do it with brass and nickel!  A steampunk PRO900?!  YES.  I would buy another set of PRO900 and pay the maker an extra $250+ to build me one.

 

[Jibbie]

When amped, the Pro 900 settles down a bit, which is a good thing.  The bass, while still huge, becomes better defined and extends deeper.  The mids come out more, and the highs settle down a lot.  This should all be especially true with a tube amp, which should give it a better midrange.
 
Quote:

How does the Pro 900 sound amped well? My Dad is considering building me a tube amplifier for my first proper amp and I'm curious of how Ultrasones improve.

 

 

[seaskimmer]

 
Quote:

 
OMG THIS WOULD BE MOTHER F'ING AWESOME*!#U(%^_!
 
Do it with brass and nickel!  A steampunk PRO900?!  YES.  I would buy another set of PRO900 and pay the maker an extra $250+ to build me one.

Wood automatically gives me a retro feeling... and retro means you need metal and leather. I suddenly just got the image of a AKG style headband, except with the bands made of metal rather than plastic. That would be so sick!
 
Googled vintage headphone and this came up... they even come with a EQ on the cup!
 

 

[SkinnyPuppy]

Quote:

 


Wood automatically gives me a retro feeling... and retro means you need metal and leather. I suddenly just got the image of a AKG style headband, except with the bands made of metal rather than plastic. That would be so sick!
 
Googled vintage headphone and this came up... they even come with a EQ on the cup!
 

lolwut
 
 

 

[seaskimmer]

Quote:

lolwut
 
 

Back to the future... they had tech back then we don't even have on headphones today!

 

[benzoylmethyl]

Quote:

When amped, the Pro 900 settles down a bit, which is a good thing.  The bass, while still huge, becomes better defined and extends deeper.  The mids come out more, and the highs settle down a lot.  This should all be especially true with a tube amp, which should give it a better midrange.
 

To be fair, I wouldn't say that the highs will calm down a lot.  Like everything else when you amp the PRO900, they become better "controlled"...the additional power being fed to the driver allows the full range to come to the fore, which eliminates some of the spikiness you may experience unamped.
 
I have the Hifiman EF2A, a tube-hybrid amp.  I didn't notice any improvement in the midrange with any set of tubes over my ipod+digiZoid ZO--not even the Mullard 8083, which is renowned for having a lush midrange that I bought for specifically that purpose.  That's something that became one of my favorite things about the PRO900: it doesn't really change its character with any type of equipment, it just improves overall as you step up.  The 8083 is a very smooth sounding tube, though, and its bass extension and slightly lower FR in the upper ranges lends itself nicely to the PRO900.
 
Quote:

How does the Pro 900 sound amped well? My Dad is considering building me a tube amplifier for my first proper amp and I'm curious of how Ultrasones improve.

 
One thing to consider when looking at a tube amp is that they produce lots of amperage at relatively little current--meaning that it will respond the opposite to what you would expect.  Lower impedance cans like the PRO900 won't get as much power from a straight tube amp as, say, a 600ohm DT880.  It shouldn't affect you because it's not like the PRO900 requires a lot of power to reach its full potential, but it IS something to think about.  You don't want your dad to build you a tube amp that makes 400mw/channel at 600ohm, because it'll end up being like, 60mW/ch at the PRO900's 40ohm (the Little Dot MKII makes 300mW/ch @ 300ohm and 100mW/ch @ 32ohm.)  ~150mw/ch should be more than you need to drive the PRO900 successfully.

 

[benzoylmethyl]

Quote:

Wood automatically gives me a retro feeling... and retro means you need metal and leather. I suddenly just got the image of a AKG style headband, except with the bands made of metal rather than plastic. That would be so sick!
 
Googled vintage headphone and this came up... they even come with a EQ on the cup!
 

 
This is more along the lines of what I'm thinking.  But maybe without the antenna thing.  And with the Ultrasone metal plate rather than the cupboard decoration. Photo courtesy DeviantArt.

 

[Liquidpain]

      Well everyone, I have had these puppies for a few days and i must say that it is pure heaven. I did not know headphones could be so comfortable that I would be able to keep them on for 4 straight hours! Anyway, coming from someone that is a complete newb to pro audio, I have to say that even after 24 hours, the screeching highs calm down a decent amount. I was worried when I first put them on thinking that the highs were a bit much but I guess headphone burn in is true. As far as the bass... WOW, just WOW! I can't even really describe it. Its big but not car trunk rattle big. lol! Its pretty crisp if that makes sense. Tight and controlled. When I listen to electronic music, the bass stops when it supposed to ant it isn't all over the place.
 
      I am also listening to all my old favorite tunes because with the PRO 900s I hear things I have never heard in them as well! Simple awesome phones.
 
      
 

 

[krod3003]

Quote:

      Well everyone, I have had these puppies for a few days and i must say that it is pure heaven. I did not know headphones could be so comfortable that I would be able to keep them on for 4 straight hours! Anyway, coming from someone that is a complete newb to pro audio, I have to say that even after 24 hours, the screeching highs calm down a decent amount. I was worried when I first put them on thinking that the highs were a bit much but I guess headphone burn in is true. As far as the bass... WOW, just WOW! I can't even really describe it. Its big but not car trunk rattle big. lol! Its pretty crisp if that makes sense. Tight and controlled. When I listen to electronic music, the bass stops when it supposed to ant it isn't all over the place.
 
      I am also listening to all my old favorite tunes because with the PRO 900s I hear things I have never heard in them as well! Simple awesome phones.
 
      
 

WIN! I am glad you find the Pro 900 comfortable cause that is the only thing that makes me want to sell these. And the Pro 900 will continue to change but you probably won't notice it like the first 100 hours. Also what are you powering the Pro 900 with?
 
And don't forget to just enjoy your headphones and don't let the upgraditus bug bite you