Ah, Zebrano wood. I recall my days in Shangri-La laying on a chaise of that selfsame wood, its resonant properties returning me to health after fighting velociraptors in the brush. Now I can enjoy the same benefits of the Zerbrano wood with none of the downward slashing with razor-sharp claws.
These earphones – priced at $2,749- are Ultrasone’s latest foray into the ultra-premium headphone market. We’ve found Ultrasone to provide more than acceptable quality when it comes audio and noise isolation, but $3K? Really?
Press release after the jump. I just re-read it and noticed that they used Ethiopian sheepskin on the ear cups.
Headphone – Edition 10
Uniquely designed open back earcups with Zebrano wood inlays and titanium-plated drivers
Only 2010 will be produced and each pair comes with a Zebrano wood headphone stand, wood storage case & is balanced input ready
Murrieta, Calif. – (October 4, 2010) – Ultrasone Inc., distributor for German headphone manufacturer Ultrasone AG, proudly announces the release of its first open back special edition headphone – Edition 10. The long awaited open back Edition 10 headphone boasts the most luxurious feature set of any special edition headphone to date. With Zebrano wood ear cup inlays, Ethiopian sheepskin leather ear cup pads, Titanium plated drivers, Kevlar coated cables and a limited number of 2010 units available, Ultrasone’s Edition 10 represent the companies most lavishly appointed and highly coveted speciality headphones ever created.
The Edition 10 is a result of years of painstaking R&D to ensure the first open backed special edition headphone met the rigorous standards set by its predecessors. The ear cups alone are a triumph in both form and function, resulting in a design never before created by Ultrasone’s engineers. Drawing inspiration from natural forms, the Edition 10’s ear cups feature high levels of air permeability through the grills, high specific torsion strength and extremely low resonance, all in a lightweight design.
The outer ear cup is finished with galvanic Ruthenium plating and with a Zebrano wood inlay, which is coated with eight layers of clear lacquer for protection. The Edition 10’s inner ear cup, as well as the head-pad, is adorned with reddish brown Ethiopian sheepskin. This type of leather is known for being the most supple leather available, achieving the maximum level of comfort and sound isolation.
The drivers selected for the Edition 10 have been specially tuned for open back headphones. The Titanium-plated 40mm drivers have been designed with a 10% more powerful magnet for enhanced sound pressure levels. Each set of drivers have been individually paired with a tolerance of +/- 0.4.
Attention to detail can be seen at every level with the Edition 10s and the cable is no exception. Ultrasone has incorporated silver-plated OFC 99.99% pure copper wires and utilized Kevlar as the casing, achieving increased current flow, improved flexibility and lower overall weight. In addition, the Edition 10 is designed to be balanced input ready, so audiophiles who wish to implement a balanced cable configuration do not have to change the entire wire, rather connect XLR connectors instead of the 6.3mm connector.
Ultrasone’s latest headphones employ S-Logic™ Plus technology, resulting in an impartial acoustic feeling that affords the listener the utmost spacious tonal perception. This gives users the advantage of wearing Ultrasone headphones for many hours without their ears hurting. Ultrasone’s newest headphones also contain MU-Metal shielding (ULE technology) that reduce the amount of radiation directed to the listener by up to 98%, as compared to conventional headphones.
Each Edition 10 headphone comes with a hand crafted Zebrano wood headphone stand and is housed in its own wooden box for safe storage and transportation. Only 2010 Edition 10 headphones will be produced, each one will be embossed with its own serial number.
Edition 10 Technical Specifications
S-LogicTM Plus technology
Dynamic principle, open
Frequency range: 5 – 45000 Hz
Impedance 32 Ohm
Sound pressure level 99 dB
MU Metal bufferboard,
Reduced field emissions in accordance with ULE standard
40 mm titanium-plated driver
Magnet NdFeB
Weight 282g (excl. cord)
Cord length: 3m
Aramid fiber enhanced
Silver plated high-flex cable (OFC 99.99 % pure copper)
6.3 mm gold plated plug
The Edition 10 headphones have a MSRP of $2,749 and will be available at www.ultrasone.com and high-end audio retailers worldwide.