Ultrasone Edition 9s headphones will set you back $1,500

We'll probably never have the ears to distinguish a $1,500 pair of headphones from a $200 pair, but Ultrasone clearly thinks the Edition 9s are worth that extra fistful of cash. The company's press release claims that the technology in the 'phones "reduces sound pressure to the eardrums by an astonishing 40 percent" and that the headphones reduce EM field radiation (you know, like radio signals given off by your cellphone) by "up to 98 percent." These headphones have a frequency range of 8Hz to 35Hz, and come with Ethiopian sheep leather (is that good?) in the ear pads and headband pad.

[Jay Wilhelm @ Oct 5th 2006 10:07PM]

Those are some sucky phones that top out at 35Hz.

[schappy @ Oct 5th 2006 10:15PM]

haha 8-35hz, its almost like having crappy portable subwoofers on your ears.

[theChad @ Oct 5th 2006 10:14PM]

It's supposed to be 35kHz. Why would $1500 headphones stop at 35Hz?

[Jake Dungan @ Oct 5th 2006 10:17PM]

That's pretty sad.

[LukeA @ Oct 5th 2006 10:17PM]

Maybe if the headband was metal. And If I nad the money. And If I thought they were worth it.

The real frequency resonse is 8 Hz-35 kHz. The Brits use the period as a separator instead of a comma.

They use a comma as a decimal separator too.

[LukeA @ Oct 5th 2006 10:18PM]

had


I know.

[Dario @ Oct 5th 2006 10:32PM]

sad dude... $1500!! and no bluetooth or wireless

[threEchelon @ Oct 6th 2006 12:07AM]

Bluetooth and wireless audio degrade sound quality.

[Ferny @ Oct 5th 2006 10:37PM]

headphones-$10
ethiopian sheep leather-$1,480
Shipping-$10

wow almost worth it...

[Jacques67 @ Oct 5th 2006 10:42PM]

If you're priviledged enough to be listening to music that actually has data above 20KHz, let alone 35KHz, I would guess you're into mixing and mastering - in which case, you'd have to be doing 24bit/96 or 24bit/192. That, or you listen to a lot of SACD's or DVD-Audio.

Either way, music isn't mixed or mastered through headphones (not professionally, at least), and if you've got DVD-Audio, you should have an adequate loudspeaker system to complement it (i.e. studio monitors).

Realistically, these things are nothing more than toys for CEO's and shallow rich folk.

[Bobbo @ Oct 5th 2006 11:05PM]

Umm, the article said 35HZ not KHZ, Most likely a mistake, but who knows? Most people won't hear over 17 to 19KHZ.

[SHOTT3R @ Oct 5th 2006 11:00PM]

PT Barnum looks upward at us, and gives a knowing smile.

[dtj @ Oct 5th 2006 11:19PM]

Still can't beat $30,000 speaker cable!

http://www.aurant.com/signaturefeature.php

[Kyle @ Oct 6th 2006 1:23AM]

Aha, So maybe it's:
headphones-$10
ethiopian sheep leather-$40
cable - $1450

[tekdroid @ Oct 5th 2006 11:34PM]

if I saw them in the $2 shop, I'd be hard-pressed to part with my cash. They better make love to my ears and feel as if I'm not wearing them at that price.

Mmmmm. I've always desired dead ethiopian sheep on my noggin!

[Jeremy K. @ Aug 29th 2008 5:13PM]

in the ear??? alllllll riiiiiiiiiiight

[Jack Lukic @ Oct 5th 2006 11:52PM]

The article says 35khz. It's using a "." for seperating zeros not a comma, there are more ways than the american way :D.

But anyway, the human hearing range is even in ideal circumstance, 20hz to 20khz, so all this ultra high frequency stuff may please the cats, but not quench your taste for high fidelity.

[keith waddington @ Oct 5th 2006 11:53PM]

I use Grado headphones. They also get pretty expensive. I'm not sure these here are worth so much, but until you listen to high end headphones you really can't imagine the difference. So maybe these actually worth it.

waddo
http://www.waddo.net/

[o rly @ Oct 6th 2006 3:42PM]

lol @ using Grado's with your iPod, iDiot.

[threEchelon @ Oct 6th 2006 12:04AM]

Ultrasones are considered to be overpriced and even this model uses a headband prone to breaking that's found on many of their less expensive headphones.

To all those criticizing high-end headphones, don't bash 'em until you try 'em.

[velmeran42 @ Oct 6th 2006 12:27AM]

As an audio enthusiast I can appreciate how expensive high end gear can get. I also have seen some of the most ridiculously overpriced boutique components ever (like the multi-thousand dollar interconnect and speaker cables). In fairness, if you listen to good enough sources, with good enough components throughout, a pair of $500-$1500 headphones isn�t all that out of line. Stax makes excellent electrostatic �ear speakers� that�ll run between $500 and $1,800 depending on the model, and they sound absolutely fantastic. I personally don�t have the money to burn so I do most of my listening on $100 cans and call it good (that or my ~$350 D.I.Y.ed speakers, amp, and source).

[dbell @ Oct 6th 2006 12:45AM]

I can reduce sound pressure on my eardrums by 40% with my $20 earbuds by turning down the volume...

[jptech @ Oct 6th 2006 1:00AM]

I still prefer the sound quality of my sony MDR-V700DJ phones.

too bad sony couldn't make $150 headphones that would last more than a year.

mine are all frankenstein'd up

tie wraps on the swivel cups, ear pads completely rotted away, plug going screwy.

this is of course, after I modded my set to include a plantronics mic boom.

still, the lambskin ear pads are nice. but not $1500 nice.

I'll make a new set for my sony phones.

[Nipponese @ Oct 6th 2006 1:57AM]

If I were to pay that much for a pair of cans, I'd go for Stax.

[pbg @ Oct 6th 2006 4:36AM]

ill keep my plain ol sr60 grados, they look cooler on the bus too

[GadgetFreak @ Oct 6th 2006 6:46AM]

Haha, not sure if anybody else here saw it, but these headphones apparently created such a stir that it made appearance on ABC World News Now in the wee hours late last night, just shy of 3:30AM. Only briefly, along with the Engadget logo to show where they got their blurbs, for something like a fraction of a second (for the logo)! I happened to look up and glance at the monitor and saw the entire thing flashed by... Not quite the full 15 minutes, but still glorious nonetheless on my 50-inch Panasonic industrial plasma.

Rerun, rerun!

[Chris @ Oct 6th 2006 8:00AM]

Hell, I can reduce the sound pressure from my much cheaper headphones by 100% by just unplugging them. Or, to 50% by turning the volume down.

[ScotchyScotchScotch @ Oct 6th 2006 8:25AM]

The long awaited punchline to "How do you get an Ethiopian to laugh?"

[Francesco @ Oct 6th 2006 9:42AM]

frankenstein'd up?? LMAO!

[kansei @ Oct 6th 2006 12:22PM]

retarded.. they're CLOSED EAR.. yay boomy bass? I can't stand the sound of closed ear headphones.. I'll take my "soviet-inspired" (I call them that because they feel so cheapy) Grados over those ANY DAY OF THE WEEK.

[austin @ Oct 6th 2006 1:15PM]

These bear a striking resemblance to my Stanton DJ PRO2000 (also IXOS, also Ministry of Sound) headphones.

[zachman @ Oct 6th 2006 4:59PM]

will this do my homework too???

[keith waddington @ Oct 6th 2006 9:38PM]

"lol @ using Grado's with your iPod, iDiot."

erm, I'm apparently not the idiot.

I don't have an ipod and so therefore I don't use them on the ipod that I don't own.

maybe your local community centre offers remedial reading classes.

waddo
http://www.waddo.net/

[o rly @ Oct 7th 2006 12:59PM]

"maybe your local community centre offers remedial reading classes."

Maybe your local community centre offers "intro to web design" because your site still looks like shit; you shouldn't even try to promote it was "Made on a Mac." ...and yes you stil are an iDiot.

[Kilton @ Oct 7th 2006 6:24PM]

ok the website does say 35.000Hz (with a period)..and there may be another way to represent the thousandth place other than the american way...but the 35.000 is on ultrasoneUSA.com...lol not ultrasoneEUR.com

[Negator @ Oct 9th 2006 6:01AM]

Audio Technica is doing headphone that up to 45Khz.
yeah,most ppl can only hear 20-19kHZ,however,we can still "feel" it.

come on dude,1500 USD for high-end audio is not that big deal,since someone's SACDP、AMP and cable may cost over that

[ArcSine @ Nov 4th 2006 10:22AM]

Ha! Try $15,000.

http://www.syntec.com.au/*ws4d-db-query-QuickShow.ws4d?SNORPHEUS

[jimz @ Mar 11th 2008 7:18PM]

Ouch.. they are expensive. I'm happy with my Sennheiser HD650's, which set me back about £200 ($400) three months ago - got them from http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk

The HD650's sound so smooth and clear. I can hear all kinds of details in my music that wasn't discernible before. I love 'em!

[Evan @ Aug 29th 2008 10:49PM]

WTF DID THEY DO TO QUERTY?