Ultrasone PRO 550 S-Logic Surround Sound Professional Headphones Review

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(More customer reviews)These headphones should fit right in between the $100 and $200 range. At the time they were introduced they sold for about $230.
These headphones support spacial cuing in the form of specially placed Mylar cones behind a metal barrier that also serves as a electromagnetic field barrier. Ultrasone claim that mechanism provides the head transfer cues needed to make the headphones sound more like a set of speakers.
While I didn't find the headphones sounded like a set of speakers, I do feel that sound is more natural and robust than with direct placement headphones since it is focused on the outer ear rather than directly on the eardrum. However, I didn't notice any less fatigue while listening than with any comparable set of headphones.
This is a set of cans that will make you notice things in your music that you didn't notice before. The soundstage is strong and present but not too pushy.
If you're looking for a comparable product at a lower price you might try the Grado SR60 headphones.
You really need a good headphone amp for use with these headphones to get the full dynamic range from them. There's a guy that sells some nice burr-brown portable amps from his ebay store that are inexpensive and work well with these cans.
As far as looks, this headset looks very large on your head but is very aesthetically pleasing if you like blue. If you don't like blue, just listen and try not to notice your reflection.
Pros:
* Very robust hardware.
* Detachable screw-in cable means less chance you'll have to return the headphones for repair after a lot of use due to cable detachment.
* Comes in a very nice zippered case with a spare set of ear pads, both straight and curly cords and a 1/8th" to 1/4" headphone plug adapter.
* Sound is very robust with deep lows and crisp highs.
* Very nice with bassy, bouncy music such as trance, downtempo, drum & bass, house.
* Nicely padded on the head and ears.
* Although the headset is quite large overall it can be folded in on itself for transport so it takes up much less room.
* The unique dark blue colour of this headset is very attractive and noticeable.
* The huge shiny silver logos on the cans are pretty neat too.
* Gold electroplated connectors all around.
* Generous, long, beefy cables.
Cons:
* Midrange is a little cramped if used directly with an iPod rather than going through a headphone amp.
* Ear fatigue is a little higher than with some other headphones (including other headphones in this set's line) due to higher output pressure.
* A bit heavy on the head.
* Good isolation from external noise (I use them on the subway).
* Connector cable plug is really long when paired with the adapter needed to use with a portable device so there's a risk of wrenching the headphone port on your sound source.
* Folding the headset up requires you to unscrew the headphone cable.
* Might be too bassy for discerning audiophiles who are critical about upper-mid to high end frequencies.
* For some reason the headphone case is designed to fit the headphones in their unfolded state, which makes the case much larger than necessary.

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Philips SHE9850 In-Ear Headphones with Advanced Acoustics Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm always on a search for the best headphones and have tried many with varying results, all the way up to premium $300 sets. I cannot tolerate at all any type of in-ear headphone that is simply a plastic, hard ear bud, they are all far too large and uncomfortable (and generally lacking in sound quality as well) but I'm also not enough of an audiophile to really need the premium ones. My previous favorite set of headphones was the Shure E3C, which gave a great balance of comfort, sound quality and price. These go one better by offering even better comfort, stability and a lower price to boot.
Opening the box was a nice surprise...if like me you are tried of plastic that requires box cutters to get into you will appreciate the professional, quality packaging of the Philips SHE9850 which comes in a solid cardboard box that is easy to open and remove the components from. In addition to the headphones, you get 3 sizes of silicon ear buds and one set of memory foam sleeves. Also a clip for the cord, basic instructions and a nice metal carrying case. The case is a bit larger and heavier than most, but it is well designed, slides open easily and includes a spot to carry an extra set of ear buds. This is a welcome feature if like me you change them according to use. I prefer silicon for basic use, but the memory foam for more active use to stay in place better.
I was very pleased with the comfort and stability of these headphones. They are slightly angled to better insert into the ear canal and once in, I found they stayed very solidly in place when I moved around. I have very small ears, and often have comfort issues, these were some of the best I've tried so far.
Sound quality I found to be excellent. A little more response at the lower ranges would have improved it a bit, but overall I would rate them at least as good as the Shure's, and better for a lot of my music. The sound is very full and rich, and could compare with some headphones in the $200+ range. Noise reduction as well was excellent. These definitely are not headphones to wear if you need to hear any peripheral noise! I could barely hear my very noisy clothes washer while wearing these, which is the best test I could do without going on a plane trip.
Overall, these are the best headphones I've used at this price, and I'd recommend them highly. The only thing I wish it had was a mute button, but I've not yet seen a decent set of headphones that has one, so have just come to accept that it's not something easy to do reliably.


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Philips SHE9850 In-Ear Headphones with Advanced Acoustics feature a high-definition transducer that produces an accurate audio reproduction. The 15-degree tilt acoustic design adjusts the angle of the speaker tube and ear bud to individual ear canal shapes. The earbud sleeves are made from slow recovery foam which is a comfortable alternative to rubber ear caps. Slow foam is compressed between the fingers before being inserted into your ear canal. After the earphone is held in place for a few seconds, the slow-recovery foam expands for a secure, tight fit and creates an excellent seal from ambient noise that enables you to listen to your music at a lower volume. These headphones are made with Philips iLab technology to ensure greater output from lower frequencies and help create a more balanced and crisp sound. The headphone body is made of soft flexi-grip material that protects the cable connection from damage that occurs from repeated bending of the headphone body. These headphones have a metal housing that shields them from unnecessary vibration for accurate sound transmission, resulting in smooth bass response and clear mid-to-high range tones. This package also includes a metal carrying case with a storage compartment for the foam sleeves and a cable bank which provides an easy solution for neat cable winding and headphone storage. The hard case exterior also provides additional protection for the headphones while not in use.

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Onkyo SKW204 Bass Reflex Powered Subwoofer (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)The sub itself has a nice sound quality at low levels. When you try to really crank it up it is not as loud as I would have liked. A little distorton creeps in at high volume levels. As a compliment to a large system with a few woofers that dont play low frequencys very well it does an excellent job. But as a stand alone woofer I think some would be a bit dissapointed. The other complaint that I have is that the grill likes to really rattle and buzz around 120 hertz.I do like the volume control and the x-over controls. Set the x-over control at 100 Hertz or lower depending on what other speakers you are using with this unit, Keep the volume around half throttle and enjoy.

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Impress yourself with the earth-shakingly realistic bass pumped out by this 230W subwoofer. A lot is packed into LFEs (Low Frequency Emissions), which you can find in more and more movies and music these days. Rest assured, you won't miss a thing with the SKW-204.

Features like crossover control and a phase invert switch let you fine-tune the bass output from this subwoofer to match the wide variety of speakers on the market.

Specifications
Type: Bass Reflex Powered
Woofer: 10-inch cone
Frequency response: 25 Hz-200 kHz
Sensitivity: 140 mV/20 k-ohms
Maximum power: 230 W
Dimensions: 10-13/16 x 18-5/8 x 16-7/8 inches
Weight: 26 pounds
Rear panel controls (see larger image).

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Sony MDR-XB700 50mm XB Diaphragm Driver Extra Bass Headphones Review

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(More customer reviews)First off, there really is no way around how big these headphones are. The specs list the cushion diameter at 4.3" and a thickness of 2". While the diameter is measured spot on the thickness itself is shy of the listed measure by about 1/4". To properly visualize the diameter take a look at a standard audio CD (4.7"). The cushions are super soft and conform exquisitely to your head with an adequate amount of clamping force. The headband's padding can be considered non-existent, though this does not detract from the overall comfort as the ear pads appear to support most of the weight. And while on the topic of weight, these do tip the scales more towards a fatiguing weight.

As far as use goes, one generally wouldn't be using these for portable listening. Furthermore unless you had a headphone amp, I think many portable devices would struggle to drive these at a regular listening level. My Sansa c250 provided only muddled and unresponsive sound on bass heavy tracks, but did 'ok' on less bass intensive ones, or with the volume increased. Usage with a laptop seems ideal with the unexpectedly shorter cable which would limit the range of movement one has with a desktop computer or stereo use. These 'phones would have received a 5 star rating but this shorter cord does detract from the appeal. A cable extension can be found easily enough however.

Bass is responsive and rolling, and surprisingly is minimally fatiguing. Even at higher volumes the bass is portrayed accurately with minimal distortion. The ludacris clame by sony of the lower-end range I would argue with however. At the higher volumes with heavier bass the mids and highs decidedly take the back seat in the presentation. Considering the marketing and design intents this is expected.
These are by no means a refference set of cans, and they are far from analytical. For a pleasent listening experience where you can lose yourself in the lower frequencies these are what you're looking for.

On the negative hand they are a tad on the hefty side, rather large, and have a shorter than desirable cord for their ideal usage. Though none of these negatives should be considered a deal killer for the superb comfort, auditory warmth and richness of the bass, and the price at which they pull together. Overall I can easily see these becoming a staple of my audio listening.
Update: So here it is quite a bit later. I've had these 'phones for almost six months. I've got a collection of headphones that some might call obssesive, Including some I dropped a pretty penny or two for. I keep comming back to these Sonys. The tonal color is just perfect for the stuff I listen to, Sasha, Armin Van Buuren, Shpongle, Shastro are just a few data points here. The comfort of these headphones is unsurpassed and I can literally wear them for hours. I've even done the unthinkable and sold off some of my other cans due to lack of use. In short: I love these.

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Sony SA-W2500 Performance Line 100 Watt Subwoofer Review

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(More customer reviews)If you're thinking about buying a subwoofer, it is unlikely that you are a garden variety movie fan or lover of music. People looking for subwoofers usually already have a decent system, but know that there is something lacking.
When it came for me to buy one, three factors weighed in my decision: power, brand, and (of course) price. I've grown up with what I have always believed to be a 'healthy skepticism' when it comes to Sony products. My father had an early generation (1990ish) 5.0 Sony 250 Watt surround amp that performed extremely poorly in just about every function. The only advantage it had over his earlier (1978) Rotel non-tube amp is that it had multiple component inputs. The sound quality of the 50 Watt rated Rotel amp blew the Sony out of the water.
In my search for a subwoofer, I was surprised to find so many good reviews of the Sony line. I was looking for a better name than Sony, but when I compared prices, I was compelled to give the Sony at least a listen. Comparable subs by Velodyne and others were far more expensive (double the cost of the Sony or more). Listening to the Sony at the stereo shop, I must say that I was extremely impressed.
Is the Sony sound as good as the Velodyne or other high end subwoofers that cost 2-3 times as much as the Sony? Of course not, but I quickly discovered that difference in sound quality was not at all closely related to the difference in price.
Keep in mind that this is one of Sony's smallest and lightest subs (only 25 lbs), but once I brought it home and hooked it up to my 6.1 surround system and configured the frequency and volume on the back of the sub, it seamlessly expanded the low end range of my system for music and movie playback. Before I learned (by experimenting with them) how to adjust the levels on the back of the sub, it was quite boomy and there was a bit of a gap between the low end on the six surround speakers and where the sub picked up. When I made the appropriate adjustments, by trial and error, I found that this sub is an extremely versatile fit for my home. My family room is 17'x14', and the back opens into a 10'x15' living room, and the sub easily fills the room. When I crank the system for rock and roll music and movies, the sub has no problem keeping up and is easily capable of playing more loudly than is safe or enjoyable.
Would I have liked a bigger sub made by a better brand? Sure, but this one does the job (and then some) admirably, and for less than half the cost. This sub gets 4 stars as a product, but I gave it 5 because of the extremely good value. If you have a big budget and can afford to spend what it would take to buy a speaker that actually sounds better than one of these Sony subs, go for it, you will not be disappointed. On the other hand, if you would rather spend less on a sub and still get excellent power and sound quality, this is as good as it gets without spending several hundred dollars.

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Feel the power of 100 amplified watts of pure bass. The SA-W2500 performance line subwoofer makes music come alive and elevates the movie-watching experience to theater-like levels. For cinematic effects, crank up the bass level and let the 10" mica-reinforced cellular woofer do the rest.

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