[Dobrescu George]

I made a few photos of Ultrasone DXP next to Feliks Echo

My photos are now smaller, Smartphone and Mobile Data Friendly

 

[Dobrescu George]

Ultrasone Signature DXP can also be used very portably

 

[Dobrescu George]

We tested Ultrasone Signature DXP at the Romanian Audiophile Meeting in Romania this weekend. From all the headphones we had around there, this was the one everyone loved. Literally, we tested a number of headphones, and this one was absolutely agreed upon that everybody loved. This one, and Audeze LCD-2Classic. Not one person was there that didn't like those two

 

[Dobrescu George]

I also made a video about Ultrasone Signature DXP

 

[Dramlin]

Thanks to everyone in this thread that has commented thus far, especially Dobrescu George for the sole posted review, and menuki for the DJ vs DXP comparisons.

I've been looking for another pair of headphones to use exclusively at work. I already own the Signature DJ & Signature Pro's, and they get a lot of use at home between me & the wife. Because I like the Sig DJ so much I was just planning on buying another pair for work but then I stumbled on this thread. I had always written off the DXP as just being a cheaper version of the Sig DJ, but when I saw that it actually has different tuning then that sparked my interest to try them. You see, the Sig DJ's are perfect to me except that the lower mids are noticeably "thin", which causes male vocal songs & some instruments to lose most of their power. The Sig PRO's fill this gap, but they lack the sound stage and airy top of the DJ. This makes the DXP very interesting to me as the FR graphs seem to show that the DXP is the same as the DJ, just with a bit less bass, much more lower mids (more even than the Sig PRO), and a bit of sparkle in the treble to make all of the details pop. I'm hoping that's all true, as if so then the DXP may just be overall perfection. I've now placed an order for them, and I'm looking forward to hearing how they compare to the DJ's and PRO's here in a few days.

Now a few quick questions...

1) @menuki , if I recall correctly you ordered both the DJ's and the DXP, and were deciding to keep only one of them. Which one of them (if any) did you keep? I saw you going back and forth on this thread & the Sig DJ thread, but not sure which one you actually ended up with (or why).

2) My main concern in blindly ordering the DXP is that I've read that the detail isn't as precise as the Sig DJ (or PRO I would assume). Is it a subtle decrease, or very noticeable when compared to the DJ?

 

[menuki]

1) @menuki , if I recall correctly you ordered both the DJ's and the DXP, and were deciding to keep only one of them. Which one of them (if any) did you keep? I saw you going back and forth on this thread & the Sig DJ thread, but not sure which one you actually ended up with (or why).

2) My main concern in blindly ordering the DXP is that I've read that the detail isn't as precise as the Sig DJ (or PRO I would assume). Is it a subtle decrease, or very noticeable when compared to the DJ?

Correct, I've owned the Signature DJ's, DXP, and Studio. The DJ's have a, to my ears, slightly better bass response (a tad less loose), albeit it's a bit boosted, not in a bad way though! When it comes to the mids it's quite hard to decide... I think the DJ's just slightly edged out on the DXP's, but they still have very decent mids. Generally, both have warm mids and the DJ's more so. Treble, also not really easy, the DXP has more treble, but it felt really nicely smooth on the DJ's, but the DXP's were never really sibilant to me.

Overall, I think I would've still gone with the DXP's, since the white color on the DJ's got a bit discolored, but that is really just cosmetical. I would heartily advise you order them both and return the ones you don't like. If that is not possible at all, then let me try my best to sum it up to help you out hopefully:

DJ's:
- Compared to the DXP's, more bass, smoother, less treble, might be missing a bit of higher frequencies in terms of quantity to some, but it's really easy to get used to their sound signature

DXP's:
- More treble, not prone to discolorations, a bit less mid presence, which also sound a bit further away since the pads are thicker (less plush than the real-leather ones on the DJ's, might be improved by wearing them longer), never really sibilant though, to me, the bass was just a little bit bloated though, which was also the impression of one of my coworkers who makes music

I now own the Meze 99 Classics and I'm very, very happy with them because the mids and overall soundquality / build quality (materials used beat the DXP's or DJ's by a longshoot IMO) is just stellar, IMO more presence compared to the DXP's, the DJ's mids were very much to my liking though. I really mostly gave back the DJ's because of the discoloration thing (yeah, I'm sensitive LOL) and ´the DXP's because of the bass.

STILL, both are really great headphones but if you get the chance, also maybe check out the Meze 99 Classics as well. It was really hard to decide whether to keep the DXP's, DJ's or even Studio's for a while (which were just too bright for me, lacking sub-bass) but the Meze's are kind of a nobrainer - but, I'm also a sucker for wood and the corresponding "wood-sound" if that makes sense. Wood does kill some resonances, and adds this kind of "signature" wood-feeling to the bass. Everyone who ever heard a wood-headphone will know what I'm talking about, but it's a bit hard to put into words. Imagine it like being able to hear what this particular wood (walnut wood in this case) "sounds like".

EDIT: Wanted to also add a disclaimer: I think the Meze's may actually have boosted Bass above neutral level, by just a bit, (in most songs the bass just sounds so perfect though) this is not a problem for me at all and their sound signature is very, very addicting. Treble is also pretty smooth and described as grainy to some, to me it sounds pretty perfect since I'm treble sensitive, but there are people who dislike the Meze's, of course. There will never be a headphone which suits everyones taste, but I think I found my practically perfect match with the 99 Classics. There is not even any headband adjustment I have to make... I just put them on and I'm engulfed in their so very sweet sound and the world feels like a better place. I truly think everyone needs some Meze's in their life... they make me forget about all the audiophile stuff and makes me just want to listen to the music - isn't this what it's all about?

Anyway. I'm just a big fan of these.. every part can be replaced, so you could keep them for a very, very long time. IF Meze's provides spare parts for a long time that is of course.

I really hope my answer is in any way helpful to you and the best of luck with your decision!

 

[jhog]

I can’t compare with other Ultrasone cans but I picked up a pair of dxps a few month back and have been deeply impressed. They’re not perfect - the soundstage isn’t especially wide, even for a closed back, but there’s masses of detail and some lovely top end sparkle, which is never overdone.

One thing I have discovered- the mids are indeed a little recessed when driven direct from a dap (pioneer xdp300r and Activo Ct10) but with proper amping, the mids really fill out and they become really, really fantastic. It takes them to another level to my ears. I’ve been running them out of a Alo Continental V2 and an RSA tomahawk, and while they don’t need the power, the sound is utterly lush.

 

[Dramlin]

Thank you both for the replies. I have been sufficiently scared that I've made the wrong choice (DXP over another more refined DJ), and also reassured that they are great headphones at the same time .

My main concern now will definitely be bass bloat, as depending on how much that steps on the lower mids that could be a deal breaker for me. Last year I also purchased the 99 Classics, and due to their most recent design (3rd Gen pads) the bass bloat did cause me to ultimately search for other headphones (the Signature DJ). I've heard nothing but greatness about the 1st generation design though, which I'm fairly certain is what you have at this point from your posts in the 99C thread. I'd love to hear the differences between the 3rd gen & 1st someday.

I'm going to keep my order of the DXP's and will see how they sound through a Nano BL DAC, and amped through a Cayin C5. Thanks again everyone.

 

[jhog]

Glad to be of some help and for what it’s worth I really don’t find the bass bloated at all. It’s a v-shaped can capable of some proper rumble, but everything is in its place and not OTT. Nothing like the master & Dynamic mh40 I tried, which was a mess, with a tubby midbass which bled into the mids and made them unlistenable. Anyways, g’luck and hope you enjoy!

 

[Dobrescu George]

@Dramlin

Please update us on how you feel about DXP!

I have extensive experience with DXP and Studio from Ultrasone, from the two you'd clearly like DXP a bit more

I don't think the lower mids are recessed at all (?)

 

[Dramlin]

Regarding the lower mids being recessed (or not), I must say that in all of my research on this headphone the reviews in various websites (and only talking website reviews) have been all over the place. The consensus on all of them is that this is a great headphone, but I've seen so many contradictions in specific areas it makes it impossible to be confident in what you are getting. I've seen..

• Bass is confined and steps on the mids
• Treble is recessed and sparkling
• lower mids are recessed and full.
• upper mids are scooped and full.
  
• Soundstage is wide, deep, tall, not wide, and not tall.
• Details are incredible and lacking

I'm guessing all of the contradictions are down to source setup, cable choice, and perhaps inconsistencies in manufacturing (although hopefully not..). Given that this is part of the Signature line I'm confident this is going to be a great headphone though, and again I trust more of what I've read here from you fine folks versus the other website reviews. I'll throw my opinions out once I get the headphones, but sadly my order has been delayed by 2 weeks so it's going to be a while before I get them.

 

[Dobrescu George]

Regarding the lower mids being recessed (or not), I must say that in all of my research on this headphone the reviews in various websites (and only talking website reviews) have been all over the place. The consensus on all of them is that this is a great headphone, but I've seen so many contradictions in specific areas it makes it impossible to be confident in what you are getting. I've seen..

• Bass is confined and steps on the mids
• Treble is recessed and sparkling
• lower mids are recessed and full.
• upper mids are scooped and full.
  
• Soundstage is wide, deep, tall, not wide, and not tall.
• Details are incredible and lacking

I'm guessing all of the contradictions are down to source setup, cable choice, and perhaps inconsistencies in manufacturing (although hopefully not..). Given that this is part of the Signature line I'm confident this is going to be a great headphone though, and again I trust more of what I've read here from you fine folks versus the other website reviews. I'll throw my opinions out once I get the headphones, but sadly my order has been delayed by 2 weeks so it's going to be a while before I get them.

Inconsistencies come from what you've heart before

I'll clarify it here as I'll have to do it again in my full review

I have Adam SP-5, Ultrasone Signature Studio and Ultrasone Signature DXP

- The bass of DXP is very full, very powerful, may, depending on your expectations and tastes step on the mids a touch. The bass could never be called confined, it is huge and large, but not overly so, like a true basshead headphone. Just large. For reference, Sig Studio is very neutral, and so is Adam SP-5

- The treble is recessed compared to Adam SP-5 and Sig Studio, it is recessed compared to Sig Pro, but similar to Sig DJ. It is brighter than a really smooth and rolled off headphone, it is brighter than say HD5XX, but it is clearly not bright like a HD800 or Sig Studio / SP-5.

- Lower mids are pretty full to me overall

- Soundstage is based on the S-Logic, that can simply not work for some ears, situation in which the soundstage sounds more like sibilance, seems some ears / canal shapes create some resonances instead of soundstage, but the majority (80% of people) have good results with S-LOGIC.

- Details are lacking compared to SP-5 from Adam Audio or Sig Studio, as both of those have more revealing abilities, but the details are still incredible compared to most 500 USD price range



So a few notes on why there may be differences

1. S-Logic may not work well for all people, situation in which they may be hearing something else entirely
2. DXP and other Ultrasone Headphones are closed back, and dynamic for a closed back, but not quite as dynamic as Sundara for example. It's just a huge influx of planar open backs at the 500 USD price point that may have generated a lot of expectations, but as far as closed-backs go, those are quite wonderful
3. Expectations and experience. I have had a TON of headphones, I can say where a headphone stands, and have little bias when reviewing, but if someone was expecting a larger sound / coming from something larger, they may have a clash between the actual sound of DXP and their own expectations / experiences. This is why I recommend to always mention what you know and used before when asking for advice, it is much simpler to know what to recommend so you get the results you expect

 

[Blinxat]

I had Sig Studio, and found after a while they had a slight cuppyness to vocals. But best bass texture I have ever heard. Very fast sounding.

I also had Adam SP-5 which was better in vocals, but the entire headphone has a "grey sheen" to the sound, the background space between the instruments has this strange splashyness to it. Listen to the opening of GALANTIS - NO MONEY at solid volume and I hear it as distorted and resonant, in my opinion it is caused by half the driver playing against the metal plate. (Slogic)

I was wondering about Sig Pro and DXP? Can anyone tell me how Sig Pro and DXP compare to ADAM sp5 and Sig Studio.

 

[Dramlin]

My DXP shipped earlier than expected and I received them about 5 days ago. First off I want to say a big thank you to Dobrescu George, as without the information he provided I would have just glossed over these headphones. I REALLY thought that these were just a cheaper form of the Sig DJ's, and that the Studio's were the cheaper form of the Sig PRO's. Having listened to them over the last 5 days I was very wrong on that assumption. The DXP's sound are a middle ground between the Sig DJ's and PRO's in their sound approach, taking most of their strengths while completely eliminating their individual weaknesses. I was fully expecting that the DJ's and PRO's would be simply superior, but that is not the case. My favorite headphone is now a tie between the DJ's and DXP's, with the PRO's in a solid 3rd place. If I could only choose one to listen to all music genre's I would choose the DXP, but it would be a hard decision between the DXP and DJ as they are both fantastic.

Dobrescu George's review talks in depth about the sound details of the DXP, so I won't do that here. Instead I'm going to do a small comparison between the Sig DXP, DJ's, and PRO for someone who is trying to decide which one to buy.

• Sound Stage: The Signature DJ offers the largest sound stage, while the PRO has the smallest. The DXP is in the middle. If I had to give them percentages I would say that DJ is 100%, DXP is 85%, and PRO is 65%. Despite the DJ's having the largest sound stage I find that in non-electronic music that the DXP's sound stage actually sounds more "correct" or natural. The DJ's sound stage is slightly over emphasized in non-electronic genres, so the slightly smaller sound stage of the DXP isn't a bad thing. Overall I would say that the DJ is best and the DXP is a very close second as both are excellent.The PRO has a compressed or cramped sound stage which is the PRO's one major weakness. (Winner = DJ, with DXP as a very close second)

• Overall Tone: Both the DXP and DJ sound similar with a clear reproduction, but the DXP can have an initial feeling of the sound being muffled. When you switch back and forth between the DJ's and DXP's it becomes clear that the DXP is not truly muffled or obscured in any way, it's just the forward mids are rounding out the sound compared to the DJ, giving it more body. The PRO's are a bit darker than both the DXP and DJ, but are still crystal clear. (Winner = 3 way tie, all are great)

• Bass: The DJ has both the best quantity and quality. In bass heavy music the DJ is simply the best, producing deep textured crystal clear bass.The DXP is a little less satisfying as the texture and quantity isn't up to the DJ's level, but it's still very satisfying with electronic music. The performance decrease is not significant; I'd say the DXP is at about 85% of what the DJ does in bass. Overall the DXP has the same bass quantity as the PRO, which is enough even for me, but with much more bass slam. The PRO still has great quantity and textures on it's own, but since it lacks big slam and soundstage to feel the impact, I'd say the pro is 75% of what the DJ is in this area. (WInner = DJ, with DXP as a close second).

• Mids: The DJ has very thin sounding lower mids, where the DXP sounds full and forward. The PRO has the best mids of all, but they are only slightly more refined compared to the DXP while sharing the same overall tone. Overall if the PRO is 100%, I'd say that the DXP is 95%, and the DJ's are 60% in this area (Winner PRO's, with DXP as a very close second)

• Highs: The DJ and DXP sound like they have an overall smoothed treble, with the DXP having a hint of boost at the tips of each treble note to make them "pop". The PRO has more treble all over which leads to some instruments sounding more correct, but you do get a bit of harshness at times. Overall I prefer the DXP approach of a smooth sound with accents, but it's all down to user preference here. (Winner = DXP, with DJ as a close second. PRO as third in my opinion only, as If you love treble then PRO may be best)

Looking at what each headphone does the best, and what they do the worst, here is a quick overview:

• DJ excels at bass heavy music and sound stage. It's weakness is that it has thin sounding lower mids.The DXP has almost the same bass sound while fixing the lower mids by emphasizing them more.
• PRO excels at vocal music and instrument textures. It's weakness is that it has a very small sound stage. The DXP has almost the same vocal and texture presence while having nearly the same great sound stage as the DJ.
  
• DXP is the jack of all trades. It has heavy impactful bass and correct sounding vocals/instruments. It's weakness is that it isn't better than the DJ or PRO in their respective areas of emphasis, but it is the overall more complete/balanced headphone.

 

[HugodoubleTT]

Anyone compared these to the v moda 100 m ?