Ultrasone Edition 8

For Ultrasone, the 'other' German audio manufacturer, the Edition 8 is a top of the range model.  'Luxury' might be a better word though: the Edition 7 and Edition 9, which have both sold out, were only available in limited numbers, and now the Edition 8 is here, with each item individually numbered.

It's not the easiest product to get hold of, unless you want to order it form Amazon US, where it costs $1 499, or around £900.

Handling: bulky, but luxurious

Ultrasone hasn't been stingy with accessories, which include a 3.5 mm > 6.35 mm adaptor, a long extension cable and a case.  A lot of work has gone into the design, but they still seem rather bulky.  The ruthenium finish looks a little bit like the chromed trim on the Archos 5 and 7, but a little darker.  Overall, the finish is remarkably clean, although the human touch is visible in some areas.  Some of the leather work make it clear that these products are made by hand rather than in a factory.

And let's take a look at the leather: it's certainly a luxury material (see inset), but that doesn't necessarily make it well-suited to a pair of headphones.  Given that the Edition 8 closes over your ears, the side of your head soon gets warm.

It's very comfortable to wear, but reminded us of some Sennheiser models: while AKG's headphones have a suspended band that feels light and airy, the Edition 8 is held in place with a tight, heavy fit.  It's still perfectly acceptable, however.

Audio Quality: closed, very closed!

Unsurprisingly, the Edition 8 produces the sound we'd expected from some closed headphones, with impressive dynamics and pressure.  The bass sounds nice and clear, without taking over.  We noticed the same with the treble, which was very clear and cut through the other sounds--a little much, in fact, as there's a little bit of feedback once you're broken the headphones in.  Basically, though, the sound is pretty excellent.

Ultrasone's S-Lovic Plus proved to be pretty effective.  It involves moving the transducer around to the sound can better fill the headphones.  It still doesn't produce genuine surround sound, but it's a pleasant effect.

If you really do want to hear a large soundscape, the Edition 8 performs reasonably well for a closed model, but the difference with open headphones is very clear.  That said, it's not always wise to compare the results of the two different types of headphone.

However, it is tempting to compare the Edition 8 to the Sennheiser HD 800, another high-end set of headphones that's as well-designed and also hand-made.  And when you put them side by side, the Edition 8 can't match its rival for a neutral, well-balanced sound.

But let's not be unfair: the Edition 8s are very good headphones, with excellent presence and dynamics and a clear sound which isn't lacking bass.  They manage to produce an accurate, melodic result, without falling into the trap of producing an artificial analysis that's hard to listen to.  They also work perfectly for modern music or Home Cinema.  We would have just been happier with a little bit less luxury and little bit more sound.  That would have certainly won some people over too.