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- Jan 11, 2006
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First the pictures:
The 750s with a 3 meter length of Moon Audio Silver Dragon cable
Close up view of the same
Super close up view showing a nice detail of the single cable entry into the left ear cup of the headphones.
Some background on the how the whole recabling came about.
Awhile back a purchased a pair of AKG K701s from a gentleman on Audiogon which had been recabled by Drew at Moon Audio with a Silver Dragon cable and I really liked the quality of his work and the quality of the cable. After I purchased the Proline 750s they had become one of favorite set of headphones and I was hoping that a cable upgrade might help to tame what I felt was a rather unruly bass and somewhat harsh treble response.
The Proline 750's come with a nice cable which is attached to the headphones via a threaded 1/8" stereo mini plug which connects to the left ear cup. I was hoping that Drew could simply terminate one his stock cables with a 1/8" stereo mini plug and bingo an instant cable upgrade. Alas ans Drew and I soon found out this was not to be. After much searching and even contacting Ultrasone Drew was unable to obtain the these elusive little plugs so we decided to hardwire the cable to the headphone. I went with a single entry since most of the sonic improvements will be realized by simply replacing the stock cable and the removable (threaded) connection. However a double entry, i.e. connections to both the left and right ear cups, type connection is also possible.
The last thing to be decided was what type of cable to use. Based on my experience with the sound signature of the 750s and the sonic properties of the different types of cable available from Moon Audio I felt that the Silver Dragon would be a good match for the 750s. The 750s have plenty of bass but the bass tends to be somewhat unfocused at times. There is also a tendency for the midrange and high end to become harsh at times and at other times to become overwhelmed by the bass. While a copper cable would give the sound some nice warmth it would not be able to control that monster bass, however, silver should be able to tighten up the bass and let the midrange and high end come through much more clearly.
So after all that how does it sound???
In a word - [size=large]Spectacular!
[/size][size=large][size=x-small]Yes I know that it's a bit of hyperbole but I really do like the way these phones sound. I've been listening to them now for a couple of weeks to make sure that it wasn't just the newness of the phones getting the best of me. I've done several careful comparisons with my other headphones to get an idea of just what it is that the Ultrasones do better and different than the other phones and here's what I've come up with.
As I've stated before listening with Ultrasones is more like listening to speakers than listening with other headphones. With the Silver Dragon cable the bass is more focused and more controlled. There is more of a beginning, middle and end to each bass note and not just one big thud plus there this great feeling of reverb as if the bass is filling the space as it does when one is listening to speakers. In other words the bass has a really nice decay.
The AKG K701s are great of listening to a nice string quartet and other bass shy music.
The Sennheiser HD650s are great for all round music and analyzing what's going on the recording because everything is so detailed and crystal clear.
The Ultrasone Proline 750 with Moon Audio Silver Dragon Cable are great for just enjoying the music because everything just sounds so right - the bass is there when it needs to be, the midrange is right on, the high end crisp without being harsh and the soundstage has that S-Logic magic which has to be heard to be believed.
[/size][/size]
The 750s with a 3 meter length of Moon Audio Silver Dragon cable
Close up view of the same
Super close up view showing a nice detail of the single cable entry into the left ear cup of the headphones.
Some background on the how the whole recabling came about.
Awhile back a purchased a pair of AKG K701s from a gentleman on Audiogon which had been recabled by Drew at Moon Audio with a Silver Dragon cable and I really liked the quality of his work and the quality of the cable. After I purchased the Proline 750s they had become one of favorite set of headphones and I was hoping that a cable upgrade might help to tame what I felt was a rather unruly bass and somewhat harsh treble response.
The Proline 750's come with a nice cable which is attached to the headphones via a threaded 1/8" stereo mini plug which connects to the left ear cup. I was hoping that Drew could simply terminate one his stock cables with a 1/8" stereo mini plug and bingo an instant cable upgrade. Alas ans Drew and I soon found out this was not to be. After much searching and even contacting Ultrasone Drew was unable to obtain the these elusive little plugs so we decided to hardwire the cable to the headphone. I went with a single entry since most of the sonic improvements will be realized by simply replacing the stock cable and the removable (threaded) connection. However a double entry, i.e. connections to both the left and right ear cups, type connection is also possible.
The last thing to be decided was what type of cable to use. Based on my experience with the sound signature of the 750s and the sonic properties of the different types of cable available from Moon Audio I felt that the Silver Dragon would be a good match for the 750s. The 750s have plenty of bass but the bass tends to be somewhat unfocused at times. There is also a tendency for the midrange and high end to become harsh at times and at other times to become overwhelmed by the bass. While a copper cable would give the sound some nice warmth it would not be able to control that monster bass, however, silver should be able to tighten up the bass and let the midrange and high end come through much more clearly.
So after all that how does it sound???
In a word - [size=large]Spectacular!
[/size][size=large][size=x-small]Yes I know that it's a bit of hyperbole but I really do like the way these phones sound. I've been listening to them now for a couple of weeks to make sure that it wasn't just the newness of the phones getting the best of me. I've done several careful comparisons with my other headphones to get an idea of just what it is that the Ultrasones do better and different than the other phones and here's what I've come up with.
As I've stated before listening with Ultrasones is more like listening to speakers than listening with other headphones. With the Silver Dragon cable the bass is more focused and more controlled. There is more of a beginning, middle and end to each bass note and not just one big thud plus there this great feeling of reverb as if the bass is filling the space as it does when one is listening to speakers. In other words the bass has a really nice decay.
The AKG K701s are great of listening to a nice string quartet and other bass shy music.
The Sennheiser HD650s are great for all round music and analyzing what's going on the recording because everything is so detailed and crystal clear.
The Ultrasone Proline 750 with Moon Audio Silver Dragon Cable are great for just enjoying the music because everything just sounds so right - the bass is there when it needs to be, the midrange is right on, the high end crisp without being harsh and the soundstage has that S-Logic magic which has to be heard to be believed.
[/size][/size]
