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Excellent portable choice
Posted by Up in the Air Again from White House Station, NJ on 2011-06-14Posted on Ultrasone HFi 780
Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: Great sound, good sound seal, very comfortable
Cons: Well, they ain't small...
I only use headphones for portable music listening when traveling, when on a shoot or working on the road. I got these to treat myself, figured I'd use them when I didn't need my noise cancelling 'phones. Right now I'm flying somewhere over the middle of the US, listening to The Band, and these sound so clear and crisp, in the middle of the mix, I don't notice the airplane noise - not enough to want to listen to the much lower quality that I find noise cancelling 'phones have.
Casals' Brandenburg Concertos this morning were as alive and intimate as they are on my large home audio system - you can hear him grunting and humming, and I could hear individual violins' attacks. Another version of the Brandenburgs, the recorder floated out over the orchestra clear and distinct, something I've not heard from any other headphones I own, other than through my old Etymotic friends. The bass on CSN Fairgame and Dark Star has always been a test I use for speakers, and I didn't think I'd ever have headphones that had the same "hear the string release from the finger" clarity I look for from speakers. Even my Etys don't match up on that test. The 780s do sound louder for a given volume setting than other headphones, something that Ultrasone says the S-Logic does. I worried that it'd be a fatiguing over-emphasis kind of thing, but it's not noticeable itself - just by noticing where I have the volume set.
Comfort is excellent too - a couple hours on my morning flight, two hours of writing in the afternoon, and now a 5 hour flight cross country, and no problems. I often have discomfort top of my (pointy, no doubt) head from even the cushiest headphone bands. They look nice, although I hate wearing large logo'd advertising on something I paid my money for - pay ME if you want me to wear your ads... but I'll put up with it for this sound.
15 out of 17 people found this review helpful. Did you?
Excellent separation
Posted by Rob from Chicago, IL on 2010-05-28Posted on Ultrasone HFi 780
Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: Extremely lightweight, detailed separation
Cons: Mostly plastic construction
I got these headphones because of the advertised "S-Logic+" 3-D sound. I can say for the most part, the cans do this, but in a small perceived space. If you plan on buying these headphones, you shouldn't expect to be fooled that your'e in a concert setting. Nonetheless, considering the small soundstage, the separation of instruments is distinct and natural. I use these headphones for a lot of critical listening, even though they are not touted as a "pro" product. The neutrality of the HFi780 is a definite help in mix downs and leveling. The construction, as I noted in the cons, is mostly plastic but seemly rugged. In fact, they are probably the most rugged set of mid to highend phones I own. The relatively low price of these allow me to be not as careful as I should. But, despite my abuse, they still look brand new. In the end, the question I ask myself is "Am I glad I bought these instead of the others I was considering?" The answer for the HFi780 is "yes."
22 out of 23 people found this review helpful. Did you?
Versatile, stylish headphones for bass-lovers
Posted by A HeadRoom Fan on 2010-01-27Posted on Ultrasone HFi 780
Recommend Product: Yes
Pros:
Cons:
This is a very particular pair of headphones. It has to me a unique sound signature, one that some people will love, and others will just not be able to work with. The most notable feature is the bass, which is deep and strong. If you do not like bass emphasis in your headphones, I would guess that you will not like these. They also have fairly strong highs, and so can paradoxically seem a little bright and a little bassy at the same time, which is a fairly unusual combination in my experience. If those qualities appeal to you, these will probably satisfy you, because they otherwise have great detail, good soundstaging for a closed headphone, are collapsible and therefore usable as a portable headphone, and have a great look and feel. One thing people generally find is that they clamp a little hard. However, as always, this is the price you pay for great isolation, which these have. All in all, a very nice headphone at a relatively affordable price. While I personally do not use these that much, I generally do not hesitate to recommend them to bassheads who are looking for a closed headphone that works as a portable.
23 out of 25 people found this review helpful. Did you?
Excellent Headphones for Portable Use
Posted by John from Ann Arbor, MI on 2010-01-18Posted on Ultrasone HFi 780
Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: Great sound, very efficient
Cons: Mediocre soundstage, a bit uncomfortable
After about 100 hours of listening, I find the Ultrasone HFi 780s to be a very competent offering from the German company. They seem to be well-built; the headband is beefy and durable, and the strain reliefs on the cable are quite good. My only complaint with durability might be that the metal flake finish on the ear cups is a bit prone to scratching -- I guess this is the price to pay for good aesthetics.
I also think that the sound of these headphones is excellent. The bass is tight, controlled, and punchy -- but there is perhaps just a bit too much of it. Also, the bass extension is good, but perhaps not as deep as some other headphones with larger drivers. The mids are reproduced accurately, but the somewhat emphasized bass and mid-bass tend to make the mids sound slightly recessed. The treble is probably the strongest point of these headphones. Ultrasone hit the nail on the head with the amount of treble -- it's crisp, clear, and well-defined, but not hot or searing in the least. Cymbals crash with authority, but not painfully so, and vocalists' sibilants and plosives sound completely natural. Overall, these headphones offer great sound quality.
If there's a weakness to these headphones, it's the imaging and soundstaging. The soundstage is a bit cramped and narrow, and the imaging is mediocre -- but this is typical of many sealed headphones. That being said, the HFi 780s image a bit better than most other closed headphones I've heard, perhaps due to Ultrasone's S-Logic Plus technology. However, I find that the Denon AH-D series do a better job with imaging and soundstaging than these Ultrasones, and neither the Denons nor the Ultrasones match a good pair of open cans.
Another thing to note: the HFi 780s are quite efficient, and I find that I can drive them cleanly from a portable music player without the need for a separate amplifier. To me, these headphones maintain their sonic integrity without external amplification, making them my full-size headphones of choice for portable use (which is also aided by the fact that Ultrasone includes a nice carrying bag). Overall, the HFi 780s are a great choice for anyone looking for a sealed headphone for music on the go.
21 out of 21 people found this review helpful. Did you?
