The Ultrasone HFI 450 Headphones

Question

Hi,

I just played around with the Intrasone HFI 450 headphones and found them to be quite amazing for the price. Very comfortable, good frequency response on voice and field sounds. Their durability seems to be good and overall I am quite impressed. Has anyone had any experiences with them? I want my students, who are all quite money strapped (this being South Africa), to acquire their own headphones and the Intrasone's are excellent for the price. Would love to hear back from those who have used them.

Answer 1

I've mentioned it here before in a headphone thread, but I'll say it again just because of how much I love mine.

I've had my Ultrasone's for close to 7yrs and they're hands down one of the best gear investments I've ever made. They're a bit of a pricey investment initially, but worth every penny and if you have them for as long as I have then at $350us that comes down to .13cents a day for 7 years. Not bad in my opinion.

I'd suggest going for the Pro-Line models if for any reason, simply for the added feature of the detatchable cable considering that's usually the #1 way headphones break (well, at least for me it usually is).

Answer 2

Hi there!

I have used Ultrasone headphones quite extensively and have no hesitation in recommending them. I also agree with Syndicate Synthetique that the PRO line is the way to go, if at all possible.

All Ultrasone headphones offer the benefit of decentralised drivers, which effectively means they are directed at the pinna and not directly down the ear canal, resulting in a more natural sound and also reducing SPL on the ear drum by up to 40%. All the models I have used in the H-Fi and PRO ranges exert less pressure and offer higher comfort levels than most other closed-back headphones on the market. This makes a huge difference when you are spending more than 8 hours a day wearing them. I remember my old Beyerdynamic DT100s in comparison - I used to call them the vice grips - I had to take regular breaks or I would be assured of a migraine before the end of the day.

The PRO models, in particular, are ideal for studio monitoring purposes, as they are very neutral. The H-Fi range tends to be slightly hyped in the bottoms and tops. The PROs are also more robust and have detachable cables, as already mentioned. In fact, they have been designed to be easy to service so, in the long term, they are fantastic value.

What sort of pricing have you found the H-Fi 450s? I am also in South Africa and may be able to get you a good price on some PRO 550s.

Answer 3

I bought the pro 650's on recommendation from Head-fi.org a few years back.

I think they're great, like Bluesman69 says, very neutral, a little on the bass heavy side but comfortable to listen to for extended periods of time and detailed enough to mix, monitor, sound design, location record etc The isolation isn't too bad either and although they are still quite a big pair of cans, they don't make you look quite as dorky as a pair of Beyer DT's.

There's something to be said for the way the diaphragm is directed over your ears in these cans too, theres a plate over a large diahpragm thats projects the sound over your whole ear rather than soley down your ear canal. This makes them sound a bit more open with out being open backed, I personally like that.

They're made of plastic and rubber, but they have been everywhere with me for some time and stood up to a fair amount of abuse and they look like they would happily put up with alot more.

See if you can find someone or somewhere to have a listen to a pair, see if YOU like them :)