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Ultrasone Edition 8 Headphones
In the past decade, the ubiquity of the Apple iPod and other portable music players has dramatically increased the market for headphones. While the prices of these new offerings run the gamut from throwaway to four figures, most, in keeping with the emphasis on portability, tend to be earbuds or in-ear monitors -- full-size, high-quality headphones are still the province of audio engineers and a vocal minority of audiophiles. Still, headphone companies continue to release statement-level products to appeal to that niche market. One such example, the Edition 8s, from Germany's Ultrasone, is the subject of this review.
Ultrasone has been designing and manufacturing headphones since the early 1990s. That makes them a relative newcomer in a product category in which most manufacturers have been in business since the early years of electronic recording. Unlike those other companies, Ultrasone makes nothing but headphones. Twenty years is more than enough time to have built a solid reputation, and Ultrasone has won numerous accolades and a devoted following of audio professionals.
All of Ultrasone's professional headphones share two characteristics: S-Logic and ULE shielding. In a natural listening environment, sounds first strike the outer ear and are then directed into the ear canal. Ultrasone's S-Logic natural surround technology uses decentralized driver location to direct sounds at the outer ear. This approach is more akin to listening to loudspeakers, and greatly improves spatial perception when listening through headphones. Another benefit of S-Logic is that, by using the natural amplification of the ear's outer structure, or pinna, the required sound-pressure level produced by the driver can be reduced by 3-4dB and still result in the same perceived loudness.
This reduction in sound-pressure level is safer for your hearing over the long term, and that's not the only way Ultrasone demonstrates its concern for those who spend many hours each day using their products (still, listening to any headphones at high volumes is not advisable). You may have read media reports about possible links between brain tumors and the radiation from cellular telephones. Although the frequencies involved are different, the drivers in headphones also produce electromagnetic waves very close to your head. Ultrasone's UltraLow-Emission (ULE) shielding blocks up to 90% of this radiation. Whether or not any health risks are ever proven, I see no need to unnecessarily irradiate my brain while listening to music. I don't know which of these two design characteristics might be responsible, but I have found Ultrasone headphones to cause less fatigue over long listening sessions than headphones from other manufacturers.
The Edition 8s aren't just at the top of Ultrasone's product line, they're in a wholly different class. Everything about the materials and construction defines them as a luxury product. The ear cups are crafted from ruthenium -- a highly scratch-resistant, silvery-white element in the platinum group. The ear pads and headband are covered with extremely supple, dark-gray Ethiopian sheepskin. In short, they're beautiful to behold and to handle. Nor is the Edition 8s' high-end cachet only about their appearance -- most aspects of the technical design are different from other Ultrasone headphones. The 40mm-diameter, titanium-plated tri-bass-tube driver is a special version of the one used in Ultrasone's Pro 900 and Pro 2900 models. Ultrasone uses titanium in its top-of-the-line offerings for its stiffness, which helps the diaphragm to better track signals. Drivers for the Edition headphones are impedance-matched to within 0.4%, to ensure excellent balance between channels. Finally, each pair of headphones is hand-assembled at Ultrasone's headquarters in Tutzing, Germany.
As is often the case with headphones, the Edition 8s' specifications are a little vague. The frequency response is stated as 6Hz-42kHz, but with no tolerance given. On the other hand, since a ruler-flat measured frequency response is not generally regarded as desirable for headphones, specifying the response to be within ±xdB wouldn't make much sense. The nominal impedance is 30 ohms, which should work fine with the vast majority of headphone amplifiers and portables. Sensitivity is given as 96dB, but without any indication of the input voltage -- I would assume 1V, but I've also seen headphones whose sensitivity is cited in terms of 1mW. I tried driving the Edition 8s with everything from a portable radio powered by a single AA battery, to my laptop's soundcard, to an iPod, to well-designed headphone amps, and always got plenty of volume.
Ultrasone Edition 8 Headphones
In the past decade, the ubiquity of the Apple iPod and other portable music players has dramatically increased the market for headphones. While the prices of these new offerings run the gamut from throwaway to four figures, most, in keeping with the emphasis on portability, tend to be earbuds or in-ear monitors -- full-size, high-quality headphones are still the province of audio engineers and a vocal minority of audiophiles. Still, headphone companies continue to release statement-level products to appeal to that niche market. One such example, the Edition 8s, from Germany's Ultrasone, is the subject of this review.
Ultrasone has been designing and manufacturing headphones since the early 1990s. That makes them a relative newcomer in a product category in which most manufacturers have been in business since the early years of electronic recording. Unlike those other companies, Ultrasone makes nothing but headphones. Twenty years is more than enough time to have built a solid reputation, and Ultrasone has won numerous accolades and a devoted following of audio professionals.
All of Ultrasone's professional headphones share two characteristics: S-Logic and ULE shielding. In a natural listening environment, sounds first strike the outer ear and are then directed into the ear canal. Ultrasone's S-Logic natural surround technology uses decentralized driver location to direct sounds at the outer ear. This approach is more akin to listening to loudspeakers, and greatly improves spatial perception when listening through headphones. Another benefit of S-Logic is that, by using the natural amplification of the ear's outer structure, or pinna, the required sound-pressure level produced by the driver can be reduced by 3-4dB and still result in the same perceived loudness.
This reduction in sound-pressure level is safer for your hearing over the long term, and that's not the only way Ultrasone demonstrates its concern for those who spend many hours each day using their products (still, listening to any headphones at high volumes is not advisable). You may have read media reports about possible links between brain tumors and the radiation from cellular telephones. Although the frequencies involved are different, the drivers in headphones also produce electromagnetic waves very close to your head. Ultrasone's UltraLow-Emission (ULE) shielding blocks up to 90% of this radiation. Whether or not any health risks are ever proven, I see no need to unnecessarily irradiate my brain while listening to music. I don't know which of these two design characteristics might be responsible, but I have found Ultrasone headphones to cause less fatigue over long listening sessions than headphones from other manufacturers.
The Edition 8s aren't just at the top of Ultrasone's product line, they're in a wholly different class. Everything about the materials and construction defines them as a luxury product. The ear cups are crafted from ruthenium -- a highly scratch-resistant, silvery-white element in the platinum group. The ear pads and headband are covered with extremely supple, dark-gray Ethiopian sheepskin. In short, they're beautiful to behold and to handle. Nor is the Edition 8s' high-end cachet only about their appearance -- most aspects of the technical design are different from other Ultrasone headphones. The 40mm-diameter, titanium-plated tri-bass-tube driver is a special version of the one used in Ultrasone's Pro 900 and Pro 2900 models. Ultrasone uses titanium in its top-of-the-line offerings for its stiffness, which helps the diaphragm to better track signals. Drivers for the Edition headphones are impedance-matched to within 0.4%, to ensure excellent balance between channels. Finally, each pair of headphones is hand-assembled at Ultrasone's headquarters in Tutzing, Germany.
As is often the case with headphones, the Edition 8s' specifications are a little vague. The frequency response is stated as 6Hz-42kHz, but with no tolerance given. On the other hand, since a ruler-flat measured frequency response is not generally regarded as desirable for headphones, specifying the response to be within ±xdB wouldn't make much sense. The nominal impedance is 30 ohms, which should work fine with the vast majority of headphone amplifiers and portables. Sensitivity is given as 96dB, but without any indication of the input voltage -- I would assume 1V, but I've also seen headphones whose sensitivity is cited in terms of 1mW. I tried driving the Edition 8s with everything from a portable radio powered by a single AA battery, to my laptop's soundcard, to an iPod, to well-designed headphone amps, and always got plenty of volume.