At first appearances the Ultrasone HFI-780s look rather nice with a rugged looking head and solid brushed chrome ear pieces, they are a fully foldable model and so can be made quite compact for storage but not quite small enough to put in your pockets. I dont think you can really get away with wearing these cans outside, but they are quite comfortable for long periods of time connected to a hi fi or computer, though they did occasionally make my ears sweat a bit. They have a solid and professional feel and certainly give you the impression that they are in the game for the long haul. If the internal components are as rugged as the headphones themselves then they should last a careful user many many years.

The HFI-780s have several Ultrasone developed technologies such as S-Logic Plus, ULE and safer hearing. Lets dig deeper into each of these in turn. The S-Logic Plus functionality according to the Ultrasone website “S-Logic™ Plus is the newest advancement in the S-Logic™ Natural Surround System…. The acoustically redesigned ear-cups of these new models and their tonal fine-tuning result in a most neutral sound impression with more vivid perception of voices and instruments.”

Now to you and me that might sound like an unmitigated load of marketing spiel but to be honest I really do believe that I could perceive a far greater width of soundstage and and almost 3 dimensional surround experience on some passages of music. I also found that HFI-780s added a lot to my spacial awareness when playing Far Cry 2 and Left 4 Dead. So a good result as regards their claimed surround enhancements.

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ULE, Ultrasone explain is a system to shield the wearer from the inevitable magnetic and other radiation that occurs in the headphones due to the operation of the headphone coils. They claim a reduction of up to 98% of the relevant radiation. Up to this point I’ll admit I’ve never thought of it as being a problem, all I can say is my head didn’t feel like it was being irradiated when I was using these cans

The 780s also claim they give the user a safer hearing experience by using superior components to allow a reduction of sound pressure on the ears by up to 40% at a set perceived listening volume. I certainly felt that these phones lived to that claim having excellent long session comfort. I definitely experienced a very low amount of ear fatigue during extended sessions with the Ultrasone headphones.

As regards general sound qualities of the HFI-780 headphones. They are what you would expect from a set of pro headphones in this price range. Excellent overall dynamics and audio frequency range (an exceptional 10-26,000Hz). I found the highs on these phones particularly crisp and very clear but again without actually being hard on the ears. This is no mean feat. The bottom end is very well defined and have quite a kick. Boom lovers will find these headphones more than a match for anything they care to throw at them. Needless to say I am very impressed with the sonic characteristics of these cans. I cant off the top of my head think of a better pair for anywhere near this price.

Manufacturers Specifications

• S-Logic™ Natural Surround Sound Plus
• Dynamic principle
• Frequency range 10-26.000 Hz
• Impedance 35 Ohm
• Sound pressure level 96 dB
• Reduced field emissions in accordance with ULE (=Ultra Low Emission) standard
• Driver 40 mm gold-plated
• Weight 285 g (without cord)
• Straight cord (length ca 3m)
• 3,5/6,3 mm screwable gold-plated plug
• Come with Transportation bag, Demo CD, Instruction manual
• Spare parts are available on a long term basis
• RRP: $279.00 (Check Current Pricing on Amazon)

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Audio Technica ATH-ANC7 Headphones

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On first appearance they just look like a nice set of modern looking medium sized full ear enclosure closed back headphones. They are quite light and smallish in size, and so my not be ideal for those of you with larger ears. Looking closely at the side you will see a little enclosure you can click open and deposit a single AAA battery into. Next to this enclosure is a slightly too little switch with which you can turn on the active noise cancelling functionality. Switching on the noise cancelling lights up a small blue LED so you can see that they are active. According to the sales blurb Audio-Tecnicas patented QuietPoint technology reduces background noise by up to 85%, we felt it was definitely a strongly noticeable effect and stopped things like PC and air conditioner noise dead in their tracks. As regards the actual sound of the ATH-ANC7 headphones for playback we found them satisfying and fairly neutral, they may be a tiny bit harsh in the top end for some and occasionally slightly muffled when the sound cancellation is turned off but we found in general the results with CD, iPod and computer audio very listenable and easy on the ears even at high volumes. All in all the ATH-ANC7s delivered very favourable results with almost everthing we threw at them. Its rare you will find a par of cans that will do both solid noise cancellation and quality sound reproduction in one package with the Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7s we think we’ve found just that and at a very reasonable price too.

Pros

• Effective Sound Cancellation
• Solid sound reproduction for most purposes
• Lightweight & Stylish
• Extremely comfortable

Cons

• Slight harsness in top end
• Sound quality drops noticeably if sound cancellation is turned off or the battery were to die
• May be too small for some with larger ears

RRP:  $599.99 (Check Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7 Headphones pricing on Amazon)

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The 555s have warm and very full sound with a natural feel. The quality components and excellent acoustical engineering in these cans ensure that the HD555s exude great build quality and excellent sonic detail including a exceptional stereo field. As you would expect from phones of this nature the bass end is handled admirably and with great control they also have a smooth and clear top end. Some have complained about bass end not being a heavy or deep as they expected, but if you allow some “burn in” time this issue seems to resolve itself. Sonically you will get lots of detail and resolution with these phones and you may well start hearing flaws in your mp3 collection.

Sennhesier HD555 Audiophile Headphones

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The 555s are almost completely made of plastic with some metal grills on the back, overall the build quality feels good but not exceptional. They are solid enough that you wont worry too much, but there is a little bit of a “plastic” feel from time to time. Overall the HD55s are great value for money and you will be hard pressed to find anything of similar quality for this price.

Sennheiser HD555 Audiophile Headphones

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Pros

• Extremely accurate sound with great stereo field
• Features State of the Art Duolfol diaphragms
• Extremely Comfortable you can wear these for hours without issue.
• Ergonomic Acoustic Refinement (EAR) enables excellent sound channelling
• Solid and sturdy build quality these aren’t going to flake or break
• Comes with manufacturer’s 2-year warranty
• Many user serviceable parts
• The 1/4th inch plug will plug into any home theatre unit
• Comes with Adaptor to 3.5mm jack

Cons

• Big. You aren’t going to wear these outside
• Unexceptional build quality
• The open design means that people in your immediate area will be able to hear you.

General Manufacturers Specifications

• Weight w/o cable 260 g
• Jack plug 6,3 mm stereo (3,5 mm Adapter)
• Transducer principle (Headphones) open, dynamic
• Ear coupling circumaural
• Cable length 3 m
• Frequency response (headphones) 15…..28000 Hz
• Sound pressure level (SPL) 112 dB (1 kHz and 1 Veff)
• THD, total harmonic distortion < 0,2 %
• RRP: $169.95 (Check current Sennheiser HD-555 Headphones Pricing on Amazon)

entry level

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These headphones are open backed and so allow ambient external noise to penetrate which is ideal for listeners who wish to remain aware of what is going on around them (Joggers, Cyclists, etc). They have a solid audio profile which has a very listenable high end, not in any way harsh or raspy and also has a deeply satisfying bass end.

Sennheiser PX100 Headphones

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Comfort wise the PX100s are well padded and will adjust nicely to just about any head. We have found them to be extremely practical and easy on the ears in terms of rubbing and chafing. What’s more the PX 100s fold up conveniently like a pair of sunglasses and can easily be popped in a jacket pocket along with your iPod or alternately stored in the carrying case they are supplied with.

All in all a great buy in the sub $50 price range, and ideal accompaniment to an iPod. Lets face it those little white ear buds might look nice but they really don’t produce a proper sound for the serious music fan, the PX100s are a great upgrade. We have no reservations recommending the Sennheiser PX100s, excellent value for the money.

Sennheiser PX100 Headphones

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Features

• Dynamic stereo mini headphones
• Great for travel and outdoor use with mobile sources such as CD, MD or MP3 players
• Fold and flip: registered design allows the ear cups to be turned through 90° and fold the headphones closed (headphones will lock in open and closed positions)
• 1.4 m Kevlar-reinforced OFC copper cable with 3.5 mm stereo jack plug
• Fits into the shirt pocket: rugged transport case with cord take-up (145 x 75 x 27 mm)
• Excellent sound quality for mobile audio sources
• High-resolution sound due to Sennheiser “Duofol” diaphragms with spiral embossing (reduces and spreads eigenforms)
• Strong Neodymium magnets for extremely low distortion
• High efficiency and powerful reproduction
• Balanced and detailed sound image for all types of music
• Crisp and fast bass response due to system “twin damping” with 80ppi polyurethane and special perforated elements
• Special baffle (based on the legendary HD 414) ensures very balanced sound
• Lightweight: only 60 g without cable
• Comfortable: headband with split padding
• Rugged and durable: robust steel headband with metal joints, steel-reinforced headband ends, connection to the ear cups tested for durability
• Easily replaceable ear pads and headband padding (ear cups and headband can be replaced by your dealer)
• 2-year guarantee
• RRP: $59.95 (Check Amazon for current PX100 pricing)

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