Ultrasone PRO 1480i S-Logic Plus Surround Sound Professional Open-Back Headphones

From the moment they arrived I could just smell the quality from every angle. From packaging, presentation, build, to finally, the sound.Oh my goodness are these just so balanced in the best way possible. Nothing overshadows itself. Separation of all instruments and frequencies are sublime.They feel sturdy and sit very snug on the head. Not heavy at all and for the money I have not heard better headphones. Absolute best ultrasone value except maybe the signature pure but i have not heard those.WARNING: finding replacement cables and earpads for this is likely going to be a nightmare due to the propitiatory design in how they fit.

I have owned various headphones for a decade. These are as good as it gets regardless of what you pay. The clarity is the best. Play with positioning on your ears - the position of the cup around the ear and the angle you tilt the cup will play a part. They will delight you with their remarkable, vibrant sound and incredible spatial effect. Vocals are especially clean and clear, you can follow vocals incredibly as it almost sounds like they are positioned in their own lane in the audio. Delightful, detailed, crisp and clear. A real hidden gem if there ever was one.

This is my 3rd Ultrasone and I think of this brand as a headphone oddity. The Ultrasone sound signatures with respect to the frequency ranges that are emphasized can be quirky(?) - is the best I can describe. Also the S-Logic uniquely alters the "in-the-middle-of-your-head" effect for closed headphones.This model is S-Logic with an open headphone - not the typical Ultrasone. The result - per usual with Ultrasone - is unexpected. It is somewhat less "open" sounding than for instance the AKG K701 that these were bought to replace. To me it is somewhere in between closed - like a Beyerdynamic DT 770 or Vmoda any-model - and open - like the K701 or Sennheiser HD 599.As it turns out I like that staging! And its sound signature seems to be more standard - not enough bass and too much at the very high end - needs some equalization for my tastes but not quirky. As general cans for casual music of all types and videos - it has become my daily go-to.Yes, this is not a unreserved "these are the best headphones in the world" review and these are not up to critical listening standards - but hey they are $200. You are either in or out as an Ultrasone lover - but if you are - I think you may find these to be great for 80% of your listening.Addendum -Its been over a year and I have since bought a Focal Elegia which is another level up in clarity and detail. Those are particularly good for critical listening to Amazon Music in 'Exclusive Mode' . But I still use this Ultrasone because they are lighter, cooler and less clamping while still giving me 80% of the Focal experience. For movies and casual listening for hours - these 1480i cans are still satisfying.

The day I got this product, I opened the box eager to hear what the S Logic sound was like. I had heard mixed reviews but it sounded like a really cool concept. The box was in fine condition with nothing wrong with it. However, the moment I plugged it in, nothing happened. I increased the gain on my DAC to maximum and then even tried it on my more powerful Ifi Zen ?Can amp. I was able to get some sort of sound, but it was as if it was trying to play a track with all of the vocals and all of the instrumentation mixed down as if you were removing vocals for a karaoke track. There was no bass, no percussion, and everything else sounded like it was coming from down a long, wide tunnel. I tried different adapters from the default 1/4 inch adapter and nothing happened. I tried switching ends of the cord and still the same results. I am forced to conclude that the unit arrived with bad drivers.I tried to contact the seller to explain my issues but got no response. Therefore, I am returning it figuring that they must not want my business. The only reason I am giving it 2 stars instead of one star is because I actually like the build quality. The headphones are extremely comfortable once you get them sized to your head. However, I do not buy headphones just to wear them for decorations. I am forced to conclude that your money would be better off spent elsewhere. Should the seller ever bother to contact me, maybe I'll be able to update this review.

I bought these headphones to listen to music at work. I play music from an iPod touch through an Ifi Audio headphone amplifier. The sound is amazingly clean and crisp. This model is well worth the price.

I started with the Ultrasone HFI-580's, then moved to the Pro 900's. When I wanted an open pair of headphones, I took a chance on these. I was not disappointed. A large part of music listening, which is what I use these for, is about the recording, imo. So, when you find a good recording that really takes advantage of the S-Logic sound, it puts you in an entirely different mindset. I should add, average recordings sound better too....more open!