Headphones
Ultrasone Edition 8
It's not often you get smooth, engaging, and punchy along with excellent audio accuracy in a sealed headphone but that's what you'll hear with the Ultrasone Edition 8. Featuring earpads & headband luxuriantly cushioned in Ethiopian sheepskin leather and easy-to-clean, scratch-proof earcups plated in rare Ruthenium, the Edition 8 is gorgeously stunning. The sole cautionary note is the earpieces are somewhat compact so if you have large ears you might feel a bit tight; but other than that, they're just fabulous. Highly recommended for headphone lovers seeking the best.
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Product Features:
- Superb sound both silky smooth & richly dynamic; Amongst top 1 or 2 headphones in category
- Ethiopian sheepskin leather headband & earpads for luxuriant comfort and extreme noise-blocking ability
- Ruthenium aluminum-plated earpieces retain luster and are easy to clean.
- Leather bag for transport / storage included
- Exclusively hand-made in Germany. Individually numbered limited-edition headphones
What's In The Box:
- extension cord
- 1/4" adaptor
- carrying pouch
- polishing cloth
Applications:
Ultrasone's top-of-the-line sealed offering is currently the Edition 8 and, boy, these are just huge fun. Warm, punchy, sonically involving and easy to listen to for hours at a time, these cans are a joy to experience for any serious audiophile and remain a highly requested can around the HeadRoom offices. The Edition 8 bass response is tight, authoritative and slightly overemphasized, but that often can be a really good thing on headphones when tastefully done and properly rendered like on the Edition 8. The overall sound presentation is extremely coherent throughout the entire audio spectrum; mids are timbrally even and seamless with a gently lush tonality. The transition to the highs are likewise seamless, and without a trace of grain or edginess but slightly laid-back. It's a sound that is both accurate and musically enveloping -- actually a very hard combination to engineer correctly. The Edition 8 unique 'tri-bass-tube' 40mm titanium-plated drivers are finely tuned at the Ultrasone factory and individually computer-matched to perfect tolerance for each set of headphones. All in all, a terrific audiophile-level master headphone for contemporary music of all types, delivering impact without glare, detail without harshness, and big bass heft without bloat. These are easily the very best headphones heard yet from Ultrasone.
The polar opposite of typical mass-produced consumer headphones, the Edition 8 are exclusively hand-made in Germany and are individually serial-numbered. The Ultrasone Edition 8 are manufactured in small, stringently quality-controlled production runs meaning these incredible headphones can occassionally become hard to find--so get yours now! (The previous Ultrasone Edition 9 and Edition 7 models quickly sold-out and are now in-demand collector's items).
The German hand-built quality of these headphones is just lovely. Perfectly machined Ruthenium plated hard parts with grey glove-leather headband and earpad covers made from Ethiopian sheepskin provide what may be one of the most distinctive looks and wearing experiences in the headphone industry. The Edition 8 headband fit is secure, but perhaps a tad tight and the earcups somewhat cozy for big-noggin owners. Those with a very large head or ears may want to shy away unless you're okay with a slightly claustrophobic fit. The advantage of the Edition 8's secure fit and deep-well earcups is its truly excellent isolation ability, perfect for supreme listening privacy without worrying about dreaded headphone 'leakage' disturbing your cubicle neighbor or airline seat mate. The Edition 8 headphone cord at roughly 3.5 feet [1.2 meters] is somewhat shorter than we'd ideally like -- but perfect for portable listening without tangling. The Edition 8 do come with a suitable 4-meter Ultrasone headphone extension cord that will give you some room to roam if needed. The non-detachable Edition 8 headphone cable terminates to a mini-plug 3.5mm (1/8") jack and a 1/4" full-size stereo adapter is provided by Ultrasone. A fine-grained Madras goatskin travel/storage bag is included with the Edition 8, which contains room for the headphones along with a separate pocket for the extension cord. The strong 2-year Ultrasone headphone warranty is serviced worldwide exclusively by the manufacturer. Remember to keep the Edition 8 receipt showing purchase via an authorized dealer--like HeadRoom!--in order to maintain your fully intact Ultrasone worldwide warranty coverage.
Specifications:
- Headphone Type: Full Size
- Connector Type: 1/8
- Weight: 260grams w/o cord
- Isolation: -20dB ~ -30dB
- Impedance @ 1kHz: 30
- Detachable Cable: No
- Cord Length: 3 ft. (1.2 m)
- Coupler Size: Large
- Driver Type: Dynamic
- Cord Type: Straight Y
- Ear Coupler Type: Full-Size
- Acoustic Seal: Closed
- Manufacturer Warranty: 2 Years
- Sensitivity: 96 dB
Additional Resources:
- Manufacturer's Website
- Ultrasone website
- Product Reviews
- Playback, Tom Martin
- Positive Feedback, Robert Levi
- CNET, Steve Guttenberg
Average Rating
Posted by julian from alabama on 2011-01-30
Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: amazing bass, mids, great isolation, style, portable
Cons: soundstage not as good as HD 800, cost to much
Great headphone best for Jazz, Rock, Hip Hop, Techno. I falled in Love with those cans. I would say if you have the money, and it won't take food off the table or not get any of your bills paid, then go for it.
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Did you?
Posted by aimlink from Kingston, JM on 2010-02-14
Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: Big sound from small form factor.
Cons: Cable is too short and quality questionable; perhaps a tad too pricey
These come really close and more.
I was surprised at the small form factor of these cans when I took them out of the packaging. There was clearly a lot of attention to their construction. I was immediately put off by the 4 ft of cable. However, a 15ft length of extension cable was provided.
They weren't as glitzy in the flesh as they can appear in some photos. I was also impressed with how light they were despite the amount of metal used in their design. I found the clamping force of the cans to be a bit too tight and the head adjusters to be a bit too loose. Otherwise they are excellent.
In terms of sound, I can only say Wow!!. I cannot believe the big sound that comes from such a small form factor. It's a full-bodied sound with great representation across all the sound spectra without one part of the spectrum intruding on the other. They are also fast leading to the rendering of a lot of details. I have been very impressed with the bass response and highly recommend these to anyone who likes good bass representation in their music. The bass is very deep and extended, though not overbearing with most recordings. However, it will become a bit so with recordings that aren't well done and which feature a lot of bass. This great bass response never seems to intrude on mids that are a bit forward in a Grado-like way, though never harsh. I find them to be great cans for rock of all flavours and quite frankly, great all-rounders since I enjoy listening to them with a wide cross-section of genres.
I've listened to the Ed8's mostly amp'd and with an excellent DAC. Listening to them straight from an iPod is definitely acceptable. However, they'll be significantly less articulate with a more boomy and less controlled bass than when they're working at their full potential.
I plan to recable these at some point since the 4ft. cable just doesn't cut it for me, and once that's done, these babies will remain among my favourites for a long time to come.
110 out of 119 people found this review helpful. Did you?
