Polk UltraFocus 8000

[woensl.itis]

So here's what turned me on to polk.

The UltraFocus 800's are outstanding, as far as I'm concerned.

None of the premier noise-cancelling headphones come close to the sound quality these offer, imo. For my use, I don't need to go to Bose for super-cancellation at the cost of sound quality. So i chose these.

They are a full range headphone. Inarguably. What is ESPECIALLY amazing about these cans is how they handle bass.

There is really no standard for FR curves out there for headphones right now. These may seem a little non-standard, but I think they aim for fidelity with every nerve they've got.

The noise cancellation is more than enough for the air traveler. It's also great for just being at home doing whatever you need to do. You get the benefit of noise-cancellation with minimal interfereence or coloration in the mids/highs) and the benefit of an actual full range headphone.

The most astounding thing about these cans is the bass. It seems punchy, accurate, and balanced with no EQ or amplification 9other than the included amp in the set, obv.). When I want to check speaker set-ups, I use these cans at 75% volume w/ Neuron Huskie by Tipper from "Broken Soul Jamboree."

The MSRP is 350, but I think the majority of people are getting them for around 300. I think they are extremely competitive with cans that aren't even noise cancelling (Q701's for example).

I also think headphone companies have used the perormance of these headphones in the design of their own headphones recently.

Has anyone heard these? They aren't perfect, but for 300, I think they are a good buy.

 

[woensl.itis]

Actually. What else is out there for 300 that's really good?

Noise cancelling and not?

I checked Tyll's review, and he seemed to think the PSB's sounded a little better than the Polks in passive mode. Only thing is the polks don't have passive mode. Also, he said he still recommends the Bose QC-15's for someone who wants noise cancellation.

The ones I've tried in the noise cancelling department are the Klipche's, the Sennheiser 430 and 450, the Bose QC-15 and QC-3, Beats Executives, Soul by Ludacris, The Sony MDR NC7's, some Audio Technicas. I was actually impressed by the level of noise cancellation in the Soul's. The Sennheisers were just too huge, and I didn't really like the way they sounded.

Outside of noise cancellation, what is a good set of cans for 300? I would definitely be looking for headphones with the same kind of bass extension the Polks have. I'd like to do some listenning on another serious pair and get my ear inside the differences.

Also, do you guys know where I can go demo some more headphones in this price range? All I see in stores are Beats, Ultimate ears, and B&W headphones.