Customer Reviews

Ultrasone HFI-15G S-Logic Surround Sound Professional Headphones - Black

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have been on a mad search for good cans for my Ipod. To put things in perspective, I am a professional DJ, and quasi-audiophile. I have tried the Bose Triports ( way too basey, supressed hi's- a joke for $179); Grado SR80 (love them for sound- natural base and crystal sharp hi's; not comfortable for extended listening, but I kept them); Koss portapros (recommended by reviews, but too basey for my liking); Sennheiser Px100 (unimpressed) and Px200 (horrible, hollow sound w/ mimimal base (despite a 72 hr burn in); and these Ultrasone's (recommended by my brother- a professional musician). I first tried their ICans, but were uncomfortable because of it's inflexible,square shaped over-head plastic. They also broke within 3 days as well.

However, I was pleasantly surprised and happy with these headphones. They are incredibly comfortable, and light as a feather (despite being full-sized cans). The sound delivered is not as sharp as the Grado's, however are real natural sounding and pleasant on the ears. I don't know about the company's claim regarding surround sound, nor the decreased radiation to your ears ( I can only hope it's true). I just find them a pleasure from a comfort/sound perspective. I mostly listen to them, with the Grado's occasionally as a change of pace. I am very happy with this purchase. The cord is ridiculously long though (9 ft?). It definitley needs a wrap, which I have ordered and is on the way.

I must admit I was the "Bose is the greatest headphones in the market" person until I started doing more in depth research about Ultrasone Products.

PROS - light weight, Used it for 4 hours straight listening to my ipod and my ears did not turn tomato red and was not strained at all. Great for live concerts. I actually tried to look behind me and look for the bass guitar. The price - you cannot beat the price for what you get - lot better than those noise cancelling crap you get from Bose (I can say that because I did own one and promptly returend it because it was not a good.

CON - now this is just nitpicking but the cord is awfully long

ULTRASONE HFI 15 S-Logic Surround Sound Professional Headphones

I needed a high quality set of headphones that would remain comfortable with high sound quality for long periods of use.

I practice digital music (keyboard) for hours at a time. I wanted open air design, to eliminate the buildup of heat around my ears, and to be able to hear the goings-on around the house. I like the fact that these headphones are very light weight and don't surround my ears. And the headband is small and doesn't bind. The surround sound design is just fantastic. It doesn't send the sound directly at my ear canal. This has completely eliminated the ear fatigue I was experiencing with my other headphones. The sound quality is really fine too. The spatial quality makes you experience a room full of directional sounds. Now you must keep in mind that these are not extreme high end headphones. The sound quickly gets rattled with excessive volumes and booming basses. But, under the intended use, they are quite satisfying. The other negative is the foam ear cushions, they are not covered and I believe they may wear over time. Overall at this price point, I believe these are the best headphones.

If you enjoy listening to music while doing task or computer gaming or practicing an instrument... these headphones are really great.

I bought these just to see (hear) if they're better than the iCans, and I have to say that they are a revelation. Not only compared to the iCans, but overall the performance was more grounded than the iCans.

The iCans suffer from a dreadfully recessed midrange, but with HFI-15G's everything they way it should be. Unfortunately, I got rid of my Grado SR60 a few years ago, but I can tell you from experience, that the in terms of comfort, these are far better than anything Grado has come out with.

My three most comfortable headphones:

1) Roland RH50
2) Denon AH-D1001
3) Ultrasone HFI-15G

And not in that order.

The bass isn't going to win any awards, but I didn't buy them for bass.

The S-Logic

After the iCans, the S-logic frightened me. After reading reviews about these being tailored to movies and gaming because of the S-Logic aspect, I was nervous. But there's nothing to worry about. Sure, you get a bit more of a spatial feeling, but it's not intrusive or unwelcome to the overall sound staging.

I do love my iCans don't get me wrong, they bling like nothing else, but I love these better.

New 2009 Model

There's a new model that was released in (very) late 2008, although like rest of the Ultrasone range, I feel it's more of a cosmetic change than anything else. They're all at it, this cosmetic change, Ultrasone, AKG, Denon and now it looks like UE have got into it, with a suspiciously looking new metro.fi range (I've got the Metro.fi 100 & Metro.fi 2 earphones). I'm diverting, the new HFI-15G design is quite stunning though!

However I would encourage you to buy these. They're good, and they're comfortable.

BTW, they are slightly smaller than the Grado SR60's and a whole lot more comfortable.

Sure they're not my Ultrasone HFI-2200s or Proline 2500s, but those weigh 300g vs 89g and aren't appropriate for office wear.

People come to my office too much, so I needed something I could pull off easier, wasn't so large, & was more comfy on the top of my head and ears...

These sound good enough (sorry, the 2200s and 2500s turned me into a snob) for the MP3s and podcasts I play @ work.

I'm sure the ear piece foam will eventually wear out due to direct ear friction, so we'll see how that lasts. But for now, they're really plush and comfy.

Overall, I think they're well worth the money spent.

UPDATE
Had them near a year now, and ear pieces are still not looking worn, so I have very high hopes. Just wish there was a way to detach them to clean off the skin flakes that seem to be embedded in fiber.

At the time I was looking for big sound quality that you get in the big and bulky headphones. I wanted lightweight with good quality sound. I compared them to my to my cheap pair of Jensen's. You know the kind where the vinyl flakes off the foam earpieces. Well there's not too much to say but impressive.

Pros: Extremely lightweight, you could wear these things for hours and not know your wearing headphones. The surround sound is as though you're listening to 5.1 speakers in a room.

Cons: Yes the cord is a little long, but I think it's for listening to movies while sitting on the sofa and the receiver is nine feet away. The unit is made of plastic which I'm not sure how it's going to hold up without eventually breaking.

I've owned at least a dozen headphones over the years, and these are the ones I now use all of the time. Ive tried the Koss porta pro's, sporta pro's, and just recently the titanium model. They all wear well as far as comfort goes, except for the titanium's, which began to hurt my left ear after a few hours, and they all sound great. The Ultrasone HFI-15G has a distinctly clearer sound and actually sound better than the Sennheiser HD 595 also. I can wear them all day, and they just have one cord (which is 3.5 ft. long)to the left side, which is more convenient for me. I use them on an old Archos 20G. recorder, and I am able to adjust the treble and bass with quite a large range. They handle all the bass I can comfortably stand. These phones sound very good.

i was skeptical as to the quality of the sound from these headphones because i had never heard of ultrasone. i ended up buying them and so far the sound quality is great. you can hear everything on the track you're listening to. its a simple design as well and they are comfortable to wear.

The Ultrasone HFI-15G is clearly aimed at the MP3 player market: the main cable running from the headphone is about 1M and terminates in a 3.5mm plug. A longer extension cord is provided for other applications, as is a 1/4 inch adapter. The extension cord and adapter are of good quality. The HFI-15G, manufactured in Taiwan, is constructed of cheap plastic, which makes it quite lightweight.

The HFI-15G has an open, though not very detailed sound, decent bass, a little grainy in the highs--overall a pleasant presentation. I thought it would be a good choice for lo-res TV sound, but paired with a Rolls HA43 Pro headphone amp, which has a lot of gain, I found it rather dull.

The main competition in the HFI-15G's price class is the Grado SR60i, and given a choice for TV sound, I'd opt for the Grado. The Grado SR60i is not only a better sounding headphone, but it's more efficient, and better built. However, its bulky cable isn't ideal for use with a portable music player.

I won't return the HFI-15G. My SONY Walkman proved to be an excellent match. The SONY has no difficulty driving the HFI-15G to more than adequate volume. The HFI-15G can handle the Bass EQ found on portable music players without distortion. It's very comfortable, so wearing it for extended periods won't be a problem.

Carefully consider your options in this price range before you buy. Ultrasone has designed the HFI-15G for use with portable music players, and used properly, it merits 4 Stars. For other applications, there are better choices.

I watch movies with them and the surround is fine and it's helpful that they do NOT cup my ears so I can hear the baby and the doorbell.
I love them!