Fungi Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 It appears the new FOTM has been selected over there; I know slwiser likes them and a few reviews say they are close to the Edition 9s. I know HC hates Ultrasones, but is the Edition 9 just plain terrible, or is it acceptable at the HFI-780 price tag? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slwiser Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 I do like the Ultrasone sound especially the UE9 and the HFI-780 was a shock to me. As I have noted else-where I had a second UE9 on order and ordered the 780 on a whim..Once I got the HFI-780 I canceled my second UE9 order on the same day. For one-sixth the price why bother with the UE9 for a phone to carry to work and back as a transportable. The differences between the HFI-700 and the HFI-780 are the headphone pads are now very much like the UE9 and a couple of other minor details were changed to reflect lessons learned with the UE9. I you are one that does not appreciate the Ultrasone sound then this headphone is not for you. I am having Ken of ALO do the Jenna cable thing to enhance it even more. I did not like the stock cable at all. It has the eight-inch plug and the wire is stiff and unhandy for me. I checked out the Jenna cable on the Jenna web site and they do seem to have something special from what I found. Otherwise I would have just gotten the Viper cable for a bit less in cost. I should have my unit back from Ken by Monday. It went into shipping this morning and it takes about three days to cross the USA from Oregon to Virginia using USPS Priority Mail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n_maher Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 I won't really fault anyone for liking the Ultrasone sound (it's not for me) but 18ga headphone cable? Yikes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dc Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 the limit of audio goodness Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slwiser Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 I won't really fault anyone for liking the Ultrasone sound (it's not for me) but 18ga headphone cable? Yikes. You are more familiar with the gauges than I am. Isn't the standard house electric cable to an light normally 18 gauge? That is fairly big. The Jenna cable is very flexible from what I have seen though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n_maher Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 Yes, 18ga is a large conductor. Most "stock" power cords use 18ga wiring, most "stock" headphone cables use 26ga and up. In addition to wondering what the flexibility of a braided 18ga cable I seriously question how heavy it's going to be. That's ignoring the insane amount of $$ it costs, I'm guessing you just shelled out the better part of $600 for these things, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBLoudG20 Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 I'm guessing you just shelled out the better part of $600 for these things, right? Wow. A fool and his money... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slwiser Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 Wow. A fool and his money... Thanks nate, I have an paper that suggests the optimum gauge for analog connector is .8mm diameter solid core. This is much closer to what you say is standard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpeezy Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 Did you have him do the mod as well as well as the recable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slwiser Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 Did you have him do the mod as well as well as the recable? Yes the complete package. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n_maher Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 Yes the complete package. I'll certainly be curious to hear your impressions. Let's hope you don't end up looking like this . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slwiser Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 I'll certainly be curious to hear your impressions. Let's hope you don't end up looking like this . This is always a possibility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
postjack Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 slwiser, I don't really have the patience to wade through the HFI-780 thread, so I was wondering if you could help a lazy man out and tell me how the bass on the HFI-780 compares to the ED9. Also, is the fitting mechanism the same? I really enjoyed the fit of the ED9. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBLoudG20 Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 i would like to see that paper. who wrote it? was it in a peer reviewed journal? I am a peer by most standards. Postjack is the sexiest man alive, and he makes my audio experience incredibly close to Nirvana. Also n_maher makes great hand grenades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boomana Posted March 8, 2008 Report Share Posted March 8, 2008 I listened to these headphones today and went in wanting to like them. They wouldn't let me. Miguel said that they weren't burned in yet, but my god, I thought there was a metallic sheen to the 2500s, but these were so much worse across the mids and the treble was point-blank painful. Vorlon1 ripped them off his head and said, "They hurt." He was talking about the treble. I'm not getting the comparison between them and the Edition 9s, which I'm not a fan of due to the overwhelming bass, imo, but at least the sound is clean, detailed, gorgeously smooth, listenable, and even enjoyable. I did not find the bass overwhelming at all in the 780s, which was one of the few good things about them. Due to the tinny mids and shrill, sibilant highs, the tone was so far off in music I was familiar with, I really couldn't stand them. In contrast, I tried on the 2500s, which I used to own. I had the same difficulties as before with the slight metallic sheen (never really changed much with mega burn-in), but much preferred these headphones to the 780s. I even liked them, not enough to own, and not in comparison to so many other headphones, but they come close. If Ultrasone could just fix that tone problem, I'd be all over these. Comfy too. Oh...was using a Denon DCP-100 with the K2HD sampler, as well as an imod with a varied selection. Amps used were the Millet portable (which I now have at home for a visit), and the MiniBox E+ (love). These amp are completely different in presentation, but I liked them both with every other headphone I tried. The HFI-780s aren't for me. Wait. Let me say it right: I hated them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fungi Posted March 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2008 Now if a certain someone was here he'd tell you to get it modded by ALO But anyway, thanks for the impressions, loved the "They hurt" part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smeggy Posted March 9, 2008 Report Share Posted March 9, 2008 I feel all left out for never having heard a single Ultrasone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fungi Posted March 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2008 I feel all left out for never having heard a single Ultrasone. I was kind of hoping the HFI-780 would be my intro to Ultrasone, and I was kind of hoping it'd suck so I wouldn't have to spend any money. Win-win situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jinp6301 Posted March 9, 2008 Report Share Posted March 9, 2008 Oh...was using a Denon DCP-100 with the K2HD sampler, as well as an imod with a varied selection. Amps used were the Millet portable (which I now have at home for a visit), and the MiniBox E+ (love). These amp are completely different in presentation, but I liked them both with every other headphone I tried. The HFI-780s aren't for me. Wait. Let me say it right: I hated them. I also really like the TTVJ Millet and the Minibox E+. Both are very underrated as portable amps imo. Too bad I have no need for a portable amp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aerius Posted March 9, 2008 Report Share Posted March 9, 2008 I feel all left out for never having heard a single Ultrasone. Don't worry, you're not missing anything, in fact I'd argue it's a good thing to be spared the pain & suffering and PTSD from listening to Ultrasones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saint.panda Posted March 9, 2008 Report Share Posted March 9, 2008 I feel all left out for never having heard a single Ultrasone. I'm hopefully going to hear the entire Ultrasone line-up quite soon (Netherlands meet). Never liked the HFI-650/700 much and the Proline 750 was quite decent with a few selected genres but terrible with most others. In general I think the Ultrasone sound engineer may all have some kind of minor hearing loss in the treble regions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boomana Posted March 9, 2008 Report Share Posted March 9, 2008 I also really like the TTVJ Millet and the Minibox E+. Both are very underrated as portable amps imo. Too bad I have no need for a portable amp Very nice surprises. The Minibox E+ and the ESW9s were a perfect match. I'm a fan of the PRII with the 8620 and the Minibox uses the 8610, so I'm not sure how much of my initial liking was due to some familiarity. I'm convincing myself not to buy one, but its hard. I really liked it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boomana Posted March 9, 2008 Report Share Posted March 9, 2008 I'm hopefully going to hear the entire Ultrasone line-up quite soon (Netherlands meet). Never liked the HFI-650/700 much and the Proline 750 was quite decent with a few selected genres but terrible with most others. In general I think the Ultrasone sound engineer may all have some kind of minor hearing loss in the treble regions. Ah, the Netherlands crew. Home of Ultrasonistas. Be very careful, Pandaman. I hear they're recruiting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deepak Posted March 9, 2008 Report Share Posted March 9, 2008 Ah, the Netherlands crew. Home of Ultrasonistas. There's just something in that Amsterdam water Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aerius Posted March 9, 2008 Report Share Posted March 9, 2008 There's just something in that Amsterdam water Yeah, it's called marijuana residue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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