Ultrasone HFI-700

Editors' rating

Excellent

8.6

out of 10

The good: Ultradeep, tight, and powerful bass; ultracomfortable design; S-Logic design provides more open sound.
The bad: Pricey.
The bottom line: Ultrasone's ultrapotent headphones have a rock-and-roll heart and offer exceptional DVD performance.

Reviewed by:
Steve Guttenberg
Edited by:
John P. Falcone
Review date: 4/5/07

Editor's note: Aside from a slight change in color, Ultrasone's HFI-700 headphones are identical to the U.S. version of the company's highly rated HFI-650 headphones (now discontinued in the United States). The name was changed so that the product would be named consistently between the U.S. and European markets. The following is our review of this product that appeared under its previous name, HFI-650.

Ultrasone's headphones sound different from all the other headphones we've heard. Conventional models direct most of their sound into your ear canals, but the German company's patented S-Logic process uses decentralized transducer positioning to spread sound over your outer ear in an attempt to mimic sound heard over speakers. The $249-list Ultrasone HFI-650 headphones mostly succeed in that mission; they sound terrific.

The HFI-650s' closed-earcup design offers a high degree of acoustic shielding, so you can enjoy DVDs or music without disturbing other people. Ultrasone headphones are popular with recording-industry professionals who demand not only accurate sound, but also rugged construction quality. The leatherette earpieces and headband are padded for your comfort, and, at 9.3 ounces, the HFI-650s are fairly lightweight. An extralong 10-foot cable, terminated with a 1/8-inch stereo minijack, is included along with a screw-on 1/4-inch adapter. You'll also appreciate that the headphones can be folded for compact storage. For $50 more, the HFI-650 Proline model is available; it's slightly heavier, and Ultrasone claims the beefier design reduces electromagnetic radiation by up to 98 percent.

The HFI-650s shined in our DVD trials. The weightier sound immediately trumped our reference Grado SR125 headphones, so we felt more of the action on the Spider-Man DVD. The wrestling match in Chapter 10 thumped and bumped with newfound authority, and thanks to the S-Logic, the roaring crowd seemed farther away. The bass wasn't merely powerful, it was highly defined, with far greater impact than AKG Acoustics' mighty K 301 Xtras, or even Ultrasone's top model, the HFI-2000s.

The HFI-650s were a revelation on our iPod, because the sound was huge, with incisive detail and visceral dynamic impact. Bass was subwoofer deep without sacrificing definition. The biggest surprise was the stereo imaging--the iPod's sound was bigger and wider than we're used to--so, yes, the S-Logic feature really works. These are very efficient headphones that will get plenty loud with flea-powered MP3 players. They're highly recommended.

Note: This product is part of the Ultrasone HFI series. See all products in the Ultrasone HFI series.