Ultrasone Headphones

I’m not certain that everyone who dons Ultrasone headphones will be able to notice the difference between these S-Logic technology-equipped cans and other high-end ‘phones, but a difference exists and it could save your ears. S-Logic? It’s not new technology so much as it’s smart design.

In most headphones the drivers in the ear-cup aim more or less straight into the hearing channel, to hit the eardrum head-on with sound. But we don’t hear sound directly; it reflects off and is absorbed by the curves and crannies of the auricle, the outer ear. That’s a large part of why we can perceive directional

sound, why we hear in 3D. So, to create a more natural-sounding headphone, Ultrasone positions the drivers off-center from our eardrums and aims them in a direction that utilizes the outer ear. Additionally, the driver positioning makes for a less fatiguing headphone, because the driver doesn’t bombard the

eardrum with sound pressure.

Two pairs of Ultrasones were sent for review: the semiopen HFI-2000 model ($249) and the closed-back HFI-650 ($249). Both use the S-Logic design, have a frequency range of 15 to 25,000 Hz and a generous 10-foot leash. The 650s aren’t noise-canceling headphones, but they manage to shield a listener from a majority of outside noise. Listening to the title track from pianist Andrew Hill’s Passing Ships, the richness of the varied timbres and complexities of Hill’s nine-piece band-Ron Carter’s articulate, plump bass tone, Joe Farell’s smoldering tenor solo and Lenny White’s crisp cymbal work-came to life in a space around me, not inside my head. It’s more like hearing music played in a giant sphere around your head. Listening to the same track on the 2000s revealed that the 650s have a slight, bright edge to the sound-nothing grating, though-and also that S-Logic can sound even more natural. Hill’s band sounded every bit as accurate and the total sound was wider. The 2000s are the Ultrasones for the acoustic-music listener and anyone searching for headphones with a clean and even sound; they’re perfect for mixing engineers. The only drawback is their semiopen design, which allows outside noise to creep in and for those close by to hear what you’re listening to.