Who wants to read more ...
The detailed design ...
I already have an impressive collection of full-size headphones from AKG, HiFiMan, Sennheiser, B & W and Philips. Everyone does indeed sound different and that's what makes the charm. Unfortunately, the place is not there to indulge make six pairs of different standing speakers. Since it is easier to handle with headphones; even purely priced.
In my collection yet something was missing "almost" Neutral with bass pressure. As a neutral, I look at my Sennheiser HD600, which is very well suited for mixing and mastering. However, he is "boring" for enjoyable music listening something.
Therefore, I had already bought a Philips Fidelio X1. The Bass conjures where hardly what is. Unfortunately, he pulls for my taste, the middle a little too far down and the high places were not strong enough by (I thought at least ... depends on the song ... see last paragraph).
At this point comes the Ultrasone Performance 840 used. From the Setup wise he is a mixture of the Sennheiser HD600 and the Philips Fidelio X1. He brings the bass pressure of X1 and clean mids and highs of the HD600. Either way ... the other two headphones also have their advantages ...
The Ultrasone Performance 840 was chosen deliberately by me because the 860 is supposed to be neutral and the 880 also. The 840 is - please forgive me - designed a little more on Party and Fun. Because his bass range is already clearly emphasized. The high frequency range is for milder. ... The 860 and 880 so far I could not even listen to the comparison ...
What I like the 840 ...
General ...
- Good Verbeitung ... sure; there is a lot of plastic off, but the touches her quite well
- Very good and langzeitauglich comfort
- Pressure is just right (at a pinch the strap itself could also gently bend)
- No "hot ears" by heat development; not even after hours
- Very pleasant weight (according to the brochure, it should be 274g)
- Good size adjustment with screening
- Soft leather upholstery that do not stick or caking is particularly pleasant even customize
- Sufficiently long cable supplied
- Sided cable management
- Fold-down mechanism of earcups (very good for space-saving filing and putting away)
- 32 ohm design also makes portable inserts possible (device is not very power hungry)
- Exterior noise is well damped
- Nice pouch included
- 5 year warranty
Tonal ...
- The centers I would regard as almost designed neutral
- The ups easily fall off; probably deliberately *, ensure that the receiver does not sound sharp or aggressive;
So nothing is swallowed, but apparently certain frequencies decreased a few dB
- By this setup also treble aggressive songs can very well listen for an extended period
- Voices (middle) come clean over and stand out well, so quite a wide
Stage is set up, which creates a good "middle" effect
- A total of intruments very clearly identify positionally
- The bass clearly an increase (approximately + 4-5dB, but was clear to me before and the reason for the acquisition);
this is here but not overdone and where no bass, the 840 also conjures up not out
- In rock music, which is generally not mixed so bass emphasized as Dance / House / Trance music,
comes the bass tuning the 840 very well out
- The longer I (recorded 30 hours) rock and pop music with the 840 hear, the more sounds
the whole thing as if you are sitting in front of a pair of large floor standing loudspeakers; This impression is here
emphasized by the bass pressure, but also by the level stability
- Really good songs simply sound authentic, just like on large floor-standing speakers
- I use an external, high-quality headphone amplifier; due to the 32 ohm design is the 840
very easy to control it; small potentiometer positions arise already enormous level
- The 840 can also operate without problems with external sound cards; enough with my model
since a 65% potentiometer position to reach a good listening level
- The 840 can withstand high levels without complaint; Overriding have to provoke with extreme levels
- Hearing is apparently not overwhelmed by this handset ... to say that you spend hours with
good level can listen to music, without it being somehow audibly exhausting; because I know very
other headphones that are rapidly "annoying"
* Behind like the "S-Logic Plus" stuck concept of Ultrasone (more can be found on the homepage to read)
Negatives ...
- The cable transfers in contact - at least in quiet passages - noises in the ears
- What is the one good, the other bad ... who an explicitly neutral headphones
examined (eg for studio use or for masters), you should look for another model
- In some current dance tracks of Bass may also somewhat too thick and are spongy
In summary, the question ... Who can recommend the Ultrasone Performance 840?
The answer is: Who does not like aggressive treble range, but nothing against a decent bass pressure has, which can access here and will certainly be happy and have fun.
As the product so strikes up, as I had imagined and I'm happy, I want to give it 5 stars. But there are even better headphones, for which one must however also draw deeper into their pockets and mostly are then also not absolutely perfect. Ultimately preferably decides the own taste and purpose. Therefore: listen yourself time and make their own judgments.
Last note:
In direct comparison of the performance 840 does not reach the Philips Fidelio X1. The X1 plays bass dry, less boomy and can significantly cut down on percussion attacks more pure than the 840 can, whose heights are designed as described above rather gently.
While the X1 from Philips is also dark and intoned warm but still sounds fresh and more powerful than the Ultrasone.
Both are great headphones, but who already has an X1, is certainly no Ultrasone 840s have longer necessary.
