Looking to replace my Ultrasone HFI-550 DJ1's

[kur1j]

I am looking to replace my Ultrasone HFI-550 DJ1's. The metal part of the headband broke in half. They are roughly 10 years old but they still sound great. They just won't stay on my head.

When I bought them they were ~200 bucks. I am willing to spend ~250-~300 for a replacement.

My normal application for these headphones are at work listening to music (rock, electronic, top 40). I would like another closed set (where no one can hear my music and I can't hear anyone else). They need to be comfortable to wear as I wear them most of the day. I also would like to have a pair that don't need to be amplified.

Has anything changed in 8 years since I last researched this? Anyone have any suggestions?

 

[Porter_]

can i assume you like somewhat 'bassy' headphones? if so i would consider these:

Denon D2000 (a little out of your price range, but supposedly worth the price of admission)
Ultrasone PRO 550
Beyerdynamic DT770 PRO-80
Audio Technica ATH-M50

i'm recommending the Denon's and Ultrasone's blindly, based on what i've read around the web. so take those recommendations for what they're worth. i personally own the DT770's and have demo'd the M50's. both sound fantastic to my ears, and i think you'd be happy with either. in my opinion the DT770's have a better sound signature than the M50's, and certainly have a larger soundstage. that being said, i do have them EQ'd a bit to bring up the mids a touch.

 

[kur1j]

Thank you for the reply.

One of my concern is the need for an external amp. Will my droid/Xoom have enough power to drive any of the ones you listed without much problem? It seems that anything above the 150-200 dollar range really needs an amp to be worthwhile.

One of the main reasons why I went with the DJ1's was due to their performance without an amp.

 

[Porter_]

of that list, i hear the D2000's and PRO 550's are easy to drive. i've personally tested both the M50's and the DT770's using my iphone. the M50's had no problems, the DT770's were surprisingly muted using my iphone. they are rated at only 80 ohms impedance but they sound much better from my sound card than they do from my iphone.

maybe poke around head-fi.org, should be able to find all the info you need on any of the headphones i listed above.

 

[dizolit]

I asked around on head-fi when I was looking for a set to complement my Grado SR225i's modded with 2" Cocobolo cups. Out of all the recommendations, I ended up with http://tma-1.com/ . The other contender was the Sennheiser hd-25 II. I find myself wearing the AIAIAI TMA-1s more often than the Grados because of comfort and what type of music I'm intending to listen to. For rock music, nothing beats the Grados, but they provide no isolation at all.

Edit: You mentioned you don't want to buy an external amp. The AIAIAI TMA-1s are are only 32ohm.

 

[kur1j]

Thanks for the replies.

I ended up getting a pair of Ultrasone 750's. I was really tempted with the D2000's but after I read some more about the isolation not being that great it kinda turned me off. They might have been fine but I didn't want to risk it.

Probably need to get me a decent amp for this thing to sound decently unfortunately. Most people have said the 750's sound fine without an amp though.Guess it is more research.

 

[rosss]

Heya kur1j,

I have Ultrasone HFI-2200, and Pro 650, and Pro 750, and Pro 900.

All of them are low impedance and can be used WITHOUT an amplifier.
But I have noticed, as cited on head-fi and other forums, that the 750 and 900 do perform better WITH an amplifier (I have Little Dot Mark V solid state amp)

 

[Porter_]

Thanks for the replies.

I ended up getting a pair of Ultrasone 750's. I was really tempted with the D2000's but after I read some more about the isolation not being that great it kinda turned me off. They might have been fine but I didn't want to risk it.

Probably need to get me a decent amp for this thing to sound decently unfortunately. Most people have said the 750's sound fine without an amp though.Guess it is more research.

very nice! hope the 750's work out great for you