[daniel521]

Hey guys, I'm looking for a closed headphone. Closed cans have a lot of limitations, but people say that high end closed cans deal with these limitations in very effective ways, so I'm looking for one of those high end closed cans. My budget is 700-1000 dollars. I won't be walking around in the street with them, but I will be using them in airplanes and rooms full of other people, so they must have a good isolation and minimal sound leakage. There are two things I want to avoid: recessed mids and fatiguing treble. I want good mids (I found the mids in the ath-m50 WAY too recessed which made me turn up the volume, causing the treble to hurt my ears) and the treble doesn't have to be rolled off or anything, I just don't want it too be too bright (I listen to medium-high volumes). A good example would be the he500, which has treble which rolls off just before the fatiguing frequencies. I listen mainly to rock, pop rock, and metal. I listen to some electronic music too, so some bass would be nice, I don't want it to bleed into the mids though. I plan on using these with a fiio e17 for portable and home use. The main headphones that caught my attention were the audio technica ATH-W1000X, ultrasone edition 8, and ultrasone signature pro. Which headphones would you recommend? I would also like to add that I want them to be comfortable, a problem that I have with some headphones is that my ears are big so the pads of some headphones don't go completely around my ear. The ath-m50's earpads weren't big enough and they pressed against my ear, so any headphone with an earpad the same size or smaller that the m50's earpad won't be enough.

 

[SHAHZADA123]

JVC HP DX 1000s

 

[daniel521]

Quote:

JVC HP DX 1000s

they seem nice, but I find them way too big and bulky, that doesn't mean I'm not considering it though (ath-w1000x is also big). How does it compare against the edition 8 and signature pro since they are much smaller and lighter?

 

[daniel521]

can anyone compare the ultrasone signature pro with the edition 8 (according to my preferences which I stated above)

 

[SoundFreaq]

I owned both, now I only own the Sig Pro. The Sig Pro has much more present mids which are lush and much more balanced with the rest of the sound. Bass is comparable, nice and solid. The highs of the Edition 8 are much more hot, and very fatiguing at times. Based on your original post, Signature Pro by a long shot. It still has all the high end detail without the hot highs and overly-recessed mids of the Ed8. The Sig Pro is the most balanced offering from Ultrasone to date. Highly recommended. Check out RMC Audio for a great price. Give them a call. 

 

[CantScareMe]

Quote:

....... It still has all the high end detail without the hot highs and overly-recessed mids of the Ed8......

 
My ed8 have among the most forward midrange out of all the headphones I've ever come across (around 70 or so). They're not that hot in the highs, although I wouldn't call the high range tame. But I heard a demo ed8 that literally had no midrange. It was all highs and bass- so hollow it's earth shatteringly bad. Ultrasone clearly .......well.....let's just say that they have some issues.
 
I found the sig pros to be unbearably uncomfortable, but from the short a/b I wouldn't say it was better. I wouldn't say it was worse either!

 

[SoundFreaq]

Quote:

 
My ed8 have among the most forward midrange out of all the headphones I've ever come across (around 70 or so). They're not that hot in the highs, although I wouldn't call the high range tame. But I heard a demo ed8 that literally had no midrange. It was all highs and bass- so hollow it's earth shatteringly bad. Ultrasone clearly .......well.....let's just say that they have some issues.
 
I found the sig pros to be unbearably uncomfortable, but from the short a/b I wouldn't say it was better. I wouldn't say it was worse either!

 
Wow, your Edition 8 must be a fluke! Your demo experience is what is most common. I have heard of the Edition 8 sound changing over time. Are your own pair older? Seems the newer stuff is hot on the high end and is pretty scooped in the midrange. 
 
I find the Sig Pro extremely comfortable. It seems the Edition 8 feels best on smaller heads, so you may have one of those heads that fits it well. I did as well, but I still find SP one of the most comfortable headphones I've ever tried. 
 
In my own A/B, I found the midrange on the Ed8 to be a thin joke in comparison, with hot highs that were fatiguing. 

 

[M-13]

Quote:

 Check out RMC Audio for a great price. Give them a call. 

What was the price you got them for? Did you call around or did you just call RMC first? I ask because I'm wondering whether I should even call B&H or Sound Earphones or whether that would just be a waste of time.

 

[daniel521]

Quote:

 
My ed8 have among the most forward midrange out of all the headphones I've ever come across (around 70 or so). They're not that hot in the highs, although I wouldn't call the high range tame. But I heard a demo ed8 that literally had no midrange. It was all highs and bass- so hollow it's earth shatteringly bad. Ultrasone clearly .......well.....let's just say that they have some issues.
 
I found the sig pros to be unbearably uncomfortable, but from the short a/b I wouldn't say it was better. I wouldn't say it was worse either!

 
 
Quote:

I owned both, now I only own the Sig Pro. The Sig Pro has much more present mids which are lush and much more balanced with the rest of the sound. Bass is comparable, nice and solid. The highs of the Edition 8 are much more hot, and very fatiguing at times. Based on your original post, Signature Pro by a long shot. It still has all the high end detail without the hot highs and overly-recessed mids of the Ed8. The Sig Pro is the most balanced offering from Ultrasone to date. Highly recommended. Check out RMC Audio for a great price. Give them a call. 

You two seem to have very different opinions on the edition 8, do you think the sound varies in each product?
 
@ My ears are kinda big and the pads in the ath-m50 were too small for me. My ears didn't fit so they pressed against the pads. Is the space inside the pad of the signature pro smaller or bigger that the space inside the pads of the ath-m50?

 

[SoundFreaq]

Quote:

What was the price you got them for? Did you call around or did you just call RMC first? I ask because I'm wondering whether I should even call B&H or Sound Earphones or whether that would just be a waste of time.

 
$850 at RMC. No one can match that, I know from experience. Definitely not B&H or Sound Earphones. 
 
 
 

 
 
You two seem to have very different opinions on the edition 8, do you think the sound varies in each product?
 
@ My ears are kinda big and the pads in the ath-m50 were too small for me. My ears didn't fit so they pressed against the pads. Is the space inside the pad of the signature pro smaller or bigger that the space inside the pads of the ath-m50?
 

 
It's not just opinion that the current Ed8's have mids that are far more recessed than the SP. No experience with the M50, but the SP will have bigger earcups. The Edition 8 is small.

 

[daniel521]

Quote:

 
$850 at RMC. No one can match that, I know from experience. Definitely not B&H or Sound Earphones. 
 
 
 
 
It's not opinion that the current Ed8's have mids that are far more recessed than the SP. No experience with the M50, but the SP will have bigger earcups. The Edition 8 is small.

Actually, after reading some threads I found out that the mids in the edition 8 are forward in low volumes, but recessed in higher volumes. I listen to medium-high volumes so I think the SP will suit me better.

 

[daniel521]

Quote:

 
$850 at RMC. No one can match that, I know from experience. Definitely not B&H or Sound Earphones. 
 
 
 
 
It's not just opinion that the current Ed8's have mids that are far more recessed than the SP. No experience with the M50, but the SP will have bigger earcups. The Edition 8 is small.

Do you think the fiio e17 will be good with the SP since its an amp and a DAC?

 

[SoundFreaq]

The great thing about the SP is it is very portable and works well without needing tons of equipment. Sounds great right out of the iPod. Sure, it'll sound better with a nice rig behind it, but it's not necessary. I think the Fiio stuff will be just fine. But you should know i've never heard the e17. 

 

[daniel521]

Quote:

The great thing about the SP is it is very portable and works well without needing tons of equipment. Sounds great right out of the iPod. Sure, it'll sound better with a nice rig behind it, but it's not necessary. I think the Fiio stuff will be just fine. But you should know i've never heard the e17. 

Thanks for the advice. Would you happen to know a place I could try out the edition 8 or signature pro in new york?
 
edit: I might also create a thread regarding people's opinions of the edition 8s and signature pro's midrange and highs, I believe everyone has a different hearing and I might not be able to try it out.

 

[Lorspeaker]

ed8 has small earcups...better test it out personally before committing ;P