Ultrasone HFI-580 S-Logic Surround Sound Professional Headphones

by Ultrasone

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 4 x 8.5 inches ; 10.1 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00101UHS8
• Item model number: HFI-580
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 2, 2001

Product Description

The new HFI-580 (formerly the HFI-550) is one of our most popular, robust and versatile headphones. These foldable, closed-back high quality headphones with an exclusive design and extraordinary sound, offer the highest standard of technologies. Featuring our super tough 50mm Mylar driver, the HFI-580 can crank out lots of volume without falling apart. The driver is almost impossible to blow, making the HFI-580 a great addition to any studio be it professional or just starting out. Also included in the new HFI-580 is our new S-Logic Plus(TM) surround sound technology which delivers and ever more life like sound in a smaller package. The HFI-580 now also comes standard with ULE (Ultra Low Emission) 98% Mu Metal shielding standard, thicker ear pads and headband pad and a new velvet carrying bag.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic pair of high-end headphones, May 1, 2008

By 

Esha "Esha" (Missouri) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ultrasone HFI-580 S-Logic Surround Sound Professional Headphones (Electronics)

Well the Ultrasone HFI-580's came in today. Guess this is a good as place as any to write my opinion. They sounded so good I had to share. :)

First impression of them. They're very meaty, much meatier than the inexpensive Koss UR-15C I was using prior. (A $20 pair of headphones (when I bought them).) The Koss don't sound "bad" per-se, especially since they've been through multi-hundred hours of burn-in, and have settled in to sound as good as they can.

The looks are very bold, and they look very impressive close up. They may be targeted towards the more edgier crowd, as they're very "in-your-face" and don't have as a muted appearance as some other higher-end phones. Could be good or bad on your point of view, personally I really like it.

Now, the sound. Since comparing it to the Koss is a travesty in and of itself (as it utterly dominates them), my other comparison comes from Sony MDR-710 LP ($70 when I bought them, Ultraportable supra-aural headphones. Owned for going on 2 years.)

Now the Sony's sound pretty darn good, but they are supra-aural versus the Ultrasone and Koss which are circum-aural. The Sony are the reason I decided to purchase these Ultrasone, because they really opened up how a decent pair of headphones can really change the way you listen to things. I have also owned a great many cheap earbuds and circum-aural headphones in my life($5 - 10), so I know how the sound stacks up to cheapy's too.

Being circum-aural has advantages because of attenuation of outside noise. I first thought about gushing about how awesome they sound, but then I decided some actual thought out impressions would be more helpful. :) It's hard to describe since I'm not in the habit of reviewing headphones, so I don't know all of the terms one uses to describe the nuances of headphones to another person, but here it goes.

The sound is very "rich" compared to my other headphones I own, I don't know how to put it, there is more detail and it just sounds "fuller". I intentionally picked tracks I had listened to many times, because I knew how they sounded pretty well from my other pairs. I was picking up pitch shifts in notes and sounds that were previously undetectable. It just seems like it covers a much broader range of sound and the sound is fantastic. I listened both to CD music, and mp3's. I didn't have any DVD audio to test... other than DVD movies.

Bass. As I said the bass notes are very important to me. They actually tie the Sony MDR-710 here, you'd be surprised at how bassy those little Sony's are, and I might go so far as to say they actually have more bass than the Ultrasones. But again, it just seemed like the Ultrasone's convey more detail in bass, probably due to being more isolated from the circum-aural design. (Keep in mind the Sony's have about 40 hours of burn-in, and the Ultrasone's are out of the box.)

On DVD's, again I was picking up more detail. The sound of peoples clothes as they rubbed together was one thing that stuck out. Footsteps, breathing, just overall much more sound detail. I was pretty impressed overall, I watched Matrix Reloaded to test the action scenes. (Say what you want about the movie itself but the action scenes are incredible.)

Gaming. Well what better game to test on than GTA-IV since it just came out. (I chose the 360 to test on because my PC although using optical out to my receiver does not output 5.1 from the optical out.) I figured here is where the much touted "S-Logic" feature pattented by Ultrasone would finally show it's colors. It just sounded like a really good pair of stereo headphones, although I haven't ever listened to a pair of "true" 5.1's (3 speakers & sub in each ear cup). But from what I read, most 5.1 headphones can't deliver other than LTB. I did actually shop around for 5.1 headphones but I didn't find any with the right combination of features and aesthetics that appealed to me (USB-based is automatic disqualification for me).

So maybe S-Logic does work, this is something I will just have to give more than 30 minutes to. I did actually stand stationary and close my eyes and spin the control stick until I was unsure of my position, then slowly started rotating, detecting if sound was coming from left or right is easy as it only plays in one ear, but as it came to front to back, I did manage to accurately pick if the source was coming from in front of me or behind me 3/3 times. This is only a rough test and 3/3 could have just been luck, but I didn't spend much more time testing this.

Ultrasone claims you can achieve the same level of listening volume with lower decibles, due to their S-Logic off-center drivers, this was something I didn't believe and was skeptical of. Turns out it is true and then some, I actually had to turn the volume down a bit from what I usually have it set it.

Overall I am very impressed and think it was money well spent. They won't be replacing the Sony as those are so compact when they fold up and can slip into a pocket easily. Rather they will compliment them mainly for home use and some mixing.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Work Great for me. but others have had bad luck, December 22, 2010

By 

pipedawg101 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ultrasone HFI-580 S-Logic Surround Sound Professional Headphones (Electronics)

I have owned these phones for almost a year now. I have have little to no problems with them. It seems many headphone reviews in general vary because it seems with all companies (Ultrasone included sadly) the build of every product varies. I had a pair of Sennheiser HD 280's that had little to no bass and were very tight and uncomfortable. My Ultrasones have great bass and are not too tight. But surprisingly, I read a review that basically said the exact opposite. The user had HD280's and loved them. They praised the bass and said the hfi580's had no bass at all, and they said the Ultrasone hfi580's were really tight and uncomfortable.
So in conclusion, I have no idea how these headphones will turn out for you. It seems that all headphones vary drastically no matter the brand. All I can say is good luck and if they don't work, send them back and try another (or since they vary in build, try the same model again... maybe).

Just my 2 cents worth.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Favorite Headphones! Great In Every Way!, September 6, 2008

By 

Totally Honest Reviewer "barb" (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Ultrasone HFI-580 S-Logic Surround Sound Professional Headphones (Electronics)

First, let me say that I own three pair of headphones: Denon AH-D1000S, then upgraded to Denon AH-D2000, and these Ultrasone HFI-580 S-Logic Surround. Out of the three, I prefer the Ultrasone HFI-580.

The HFI-580's are very stylish, light and comfortable. And may I add, they have outstanding sound - good clear highs and punchy base - actually better than the Denons to my ears. Also, there is no fatigue with the Ultrasones after listening a long time. As far as the surround effect, I do hear it come through in some music but haven't tried them with movies yet. The AH-D2000's have a smooth, distinct sound, and were the most expensive but are quite heavy and large. However, the base seems to be lacking in both the Denons, at least to me. I do love the AH-1000's for their comfort and good clear sound. I use a small amplifier, which tends to bring out the detail even more and add to listening enjoyment. All in all, I still prefer these Ultrasones for the bright highs, punchy base, and for the lightweight comfort and good looks. These are by far my favorite.