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Ultrasone PROline 650 Headphones
Testing
If I was a hardcore audiophile this is the part of the review where I'd be writing a love note to Ultrasone for making the PROline 650, but without getting that sappy, let me just get this out of the way and say that these are easily the best headphones I've ever heard. OK, I said it and I'll likely stand by it until someone can send me some of those multi-thousand dollar Captain Insano headphones. (Hint hint Kurtis) Until then, let's look at why the 650 sounds so good. The most obvious reason for the 650 sounding so great is that the bass is simply awe-inspiring. I thought I knew what good headphone bass was after listening to my Grado SR-80, but the 650 easily takes it to the next level without ever sounding boomy or distorted. Whether you're listening to your favorite bass-heavy music or playing a game of death match with rockets exploding all around, you'll be able to hear the very lowest frequencies that your audio source has to offer. There are three major features of the PROline 650 that distinguish them from any other pair of headphones I've come across, but the S-Logic™ Natural Surround Sound feature is probably the one that you'll care about the most. Without going into too much detail, the S-Logic™ feature basically gives the 650 a very natural "open" surround sound. Every headphone user is familiar with the "in your head" sensation that most headphones produce, but in the case of the 650, S-Logic™ is what makes them sound less like headphones and more like high quality speakers. I was a bit skeptical at first since the S-Logic™ technology is also supposed to help create a better sense of spatial surround sound, but after playing multiple games and paying close attention to the surround sound effects, the 650 made me a believer. Mind you, I've never heard any headphones that could help me pinpoint directional audio sources better than true surround sound speakers, but the 650 has come closer than any other, and that includes the 5.1 surround sound headphones I've heard as well. The second unique 650 feature also comes to us thanks to Ultrasone's S-Logic™ technology. Again, you'll have to contact Ultrasone for the full blown explanation on this one but according to them, thanks to S-Logic™ the 650 produces the same perceived volume as conventional headphones but at an actual decibel level that is 3-4dB less. That may not seem to be a huge difference at first glance, but it's actually a 40% dB difference, and over long periods of listening that could easily keep your ears younger for much longer. You could almost think of it as an insurance policy for your ears. It was impossible to accurately test this claim from my home, but during my review process I did notice that when I switched between the 650 and other pairs of headphones, I ended up turning the volume down a little on the 650 to keep it at the same listening level. Based on that experience I'd have to say that the S-Logic™ technology is living up to Ultrasone's claim. Finally, the last unique feature of the 650 is something Ultrasone calls ULE, which stands for Ultra Low Emission. Basically ULE is supposed to shield the 650 user from up to 98% of the low frequency electromagnetic radiation through the use of a special MU metal shielding. I may be a reckless user since I've never worried about the electromagnetic radiation given off by my headphones before, but if Ultrasone wants to protect me from it, hey I'll take it. I guess if the S-Logic™ technology could be considered an insurance policy for your ears, then maybe the ULE technology could be considered an insurance policy for your brain?  
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