KLHAudio Ultimate One Audiophile Headphone Ebony…

I love music. It is one of life's greatest pleasures. I spent my twenties and early thirties building up a collection of vinyl and CDs which went into storage when kids arrived. Small children and turntables don’t mix. The kids are older now, so the vinyl came out of storage recently and I began to spend more time listening to music. Unfortunately, I have to share the house with multiple smart devices chattering away in the background, so I started looking for headphones to give me peace to enjoy my music. I wanted something really good and from reading magazine reviews it seemed like it could cost 500ish to get the performance I wanted. I needed over-ear to keep the noise out and open-back design seems to be the best way to go for sound quality.In the process of doing my research I came across the KLH Ultimate Ones in US magazines with very strong reviews and what seemed like a very competitive price.I only have them for a few days now, but they are everything I wanted or dreamed of.Pros: The sound is jaw dropping, the level of detail is almost creepy, on acoustic records you can hear the vocalist like they were standing in front of you. Piano and guitar have the same level of “in-the-room” realism. On more complicated recordings you can really hear the producer’s art with little touches clearly audible but not overpowering. I have a couple of things that I always listen out for, the first is how the bass drum and bass guitar play together, with these headphones I could hear both instruments together as rhythm but could also hear each individually in detail. I think the large diaphragm driver plays a part in that. Secondly, I like top end detail but not so much that it becomes hard to listen to. The Ultimate Ones got that right bright, accurate but not scratchy.On how they’re screwed together, the Ebony is lovely, the headband comfortably fits a big head, the headphones stay in place without any feeling of pressure and there was no problem with weight. The ear-pads are damn near perfect I wore the headphones for 6 hours straight without my ears burning off or getting sweaty, which was great. The cord feels well-made and unplugs from one side, so it won’t rip out when you stand up like fixed cords can. It comes with a solid storage case which is properly protective, real leather and feels like it should last.Cons: I have a decent turntable and cartridge and found that on some of my older/worn records I can hear more surface noise than I’d like, can’t really blame the headphones for that. Similarly, I found some early CD recordings can sound a little harsh and Spotify free showed it’s limitations too. The headphones are an open back design and so sound does leak out a little and others can hear it, honestly that’s a price I’m willing to let them pay.I’d budgeted 500 and spent 299 and am feeling very pleased with the purchase.

I can recommend the KLH headphones enthusiastically for the quality of their sound reproduction, comfort, build, materials, design and exemplary after-sales service through KLH Europe in Dublin.My basis for comparison is my first-generation Sennheiser HD600 and AKG K701, unfortunately in storage while I am in Europe and not heard for a while but well-remembered. I certainly prefer the KLH phones, which equal or exceed the Senns in smoothness, balance and detail and the AKGs in bass and impact. My critical listening is classical, especially piano, strings and vocal, both choral and individual voice. For fun, it's pop and rock from the 50s and 60s and a handful of geezers who hung in there: Neil Young, Lou Reed, Leonard Cohen.... The KLH phones deliver on all fronts. Any flaws such as a hint of sharpness in strings or soprano voice, is rare and likely originates in the source, not the phones. The only phones I have heard, at an audio show, that I would prefer for the music I love are the Focal Clears, at five times the price.The phones as delivered suffered from an apparent insecure cable connection. I expect a degree of compromised quality control when one is shopping for affordable value aka made in China. Where KLH shone was the response of their personnel, by email and telephone, when I raised the problem. A telephone call from a senior account manager was followed up by a replacement cable in the mail and his further inquiries to ensure its arrival and my satisfaction.I hesitated to purchase these phones unseen and unheard since online reviews were few and the manufacturer, notwithstanding the 60-year old legacy of the KLH brand (my first speakers, in 1967!) had no track record or promise of longevity if I needed service or parts in future. However, the reviews were so unexceptionally positive and the price so attractive that I pulled the trigger. After one month, I am glad I did so and can recommend these headphones unreservedly.

Was seeking out some over the ear, wired headphones, for late night home use with my audio, and after reading the reviews of the usual suspects, sennheisers, AKG’s, Sony, etc., I decided to take a chance on something different, these KLF’s, based on their almost universally favourable reviews.Nice high quality appearance with real ebony ear cups, and very soft leather ear pads.Completely different balance and presentation, compared to my ATC speakers, particularly the bass extension and detail of the phones, which took some adjusting to, but a very immersive, addictive, and non-fatiguing listen, with nice smooth upper frequency detail.Almost a give away price for headphones with beryllium drivers, for which you can pay thousands! Recommended!

Piercing metallic treble made strings and female voice a painful listen . After a glowing review in Hi Fi News this was very disappointing. Of my large collection of headphones at different price points this was the worst. I wonder if my pair was faulty. I have returned then to AmazonSince writing this review I have received a second pair from Amazon and they are much better. The phones do have a relatively clear and detailed treble but the piercing edge of the first pair has gone.They must have been faulty. Overall the phones have a well balanced sound with excellent detail and very good transients and capture of acoustic detail. Recommended but pity about quality control.

Bon casque mais attention aux bras des écouteurs, très fragiles !

No soy ningún experto en sonido y la opinión que voy a escribir es totalmente subjetiva según mi breve experiencia con estos auriculares que adquirí el mes pasado. Para empezar, diré que estos auriculares de grado audiófilo KLH Ultimate One cumplen sobradamente con una premisa irrenunciable en todo auricular de alta fidelidad, como es la comodidad. De nada sirve que tengan una gran calidad de sonido si se convierten para el usuario en un instrumento de tortura y te lo están recordando continuamente. Aunque el espacio para las orejas no es tan grande como en los modelos de AKG K702 y K712 o los Philips Fidelio y Sennheiser HD 599SE (sí en profundidad), para mí es suficientemente amplio para usarlos sin problemas durante horas. No hay rozaduras ni presiones molestas. Estos KLH son cómodos, muy cómodos y ligeros, debido a su acertado diseño y al uso de los materiales que entran en contacto con la cabeza. Me he informado previamente antes de comprarlos y parece ser cierto que en su rango de precio (320 euros) no hay ningún otro que use sus componentes. Piel de cordero perforada en las copas de una suavidad extrema, y resistente cuero de vaca en la diadema para una buena durabilidad. Las copas son de madera de ébano sostenible y el cable de conexión, desconectable a la copa izquierda, de 2 metros, trenzado, liso y nada rígido, es de plata. Los drivers, son de berilio puro según KLH, metal raro y el mejor para estos propósitos, (más del doble de velocidad que el neodimio, titanio o magnesio) que se encuentra en auriculares y altavoces de muy alto precio, y seguramente el uso de berilio sea el máximo responsable de la calidad de sonido que ofrecen. Con estas premisas, no es de extrañar que al hacer el unboxing se tenga una impresión más que favorable del producto que tienes entre las manos. Vienen con una caja de transporte dura de cuero y una bolsa textil, clavija de 3,5 mm. y adaptador de 6,3 mm. dorados, además del cable premium. Yo los uso exclusivamente con amplificadores hifi. Los estrené con un lector de cd Marantz CD6006 y un amplificador también Marantz PM6006 escuchando el doble cd de Crosby & Nash de 2004 y me dejaron boquiabierto. Luego he escuchado más discos, y tengo que decir que aun esperando mucho de ellos, han sobrepasado holgadamente todas mis expectativas. La escena sonora es muy amplia, hay mucha espacialidad y una separación de canales impresionante, que yo no había escuchado antes. Las frecuencias altas y medias son reveladoras, brillantes y concisas. Muy detalladas y precisas. No hay sibilancias ni asperezas. Tampoco agresividad ni fatiga. Las voces tienen textura y calidez, mucha presencia. Todo muy dulce y equilibrado. Había leído que los graves podrían resultar algo excesivos. No me lo pareció. Están muy presentes, bajan mucho sí, pero no enturbian la escucha. Los encuentro muy precisos , suaves y detallados y siempre muy controlados. Para mí, el equilibrio tonal en todo el espectro de frecuencias es espléndido. Las voces e instrumentos se ubican espacialmente y con gran precisión. Para clásica y ópera son perfectos. Cuerda, metales, maderas, percusión, voces. Una delicia. Acabo de escuchar Música Acuática y para los Reales Fuegos Artificiales de Handel, con Jordi Savall y Concert des Nations, SACD, y la Serenata K250 Haffner de Mozart por Frans Brüggen y la Orquesta del S. XVIII . No hay palabras. Para jazz instrumental y vocal resultan fascinantes. Cuando escuchas a Ella Fitzgerald con ellos, la tienes delante. No voy a entrar en comparaciones siempre odiosas con otros excelentes auriculares que también poseo y que he mencionado antes, pero estos KLH son, en mi opinión, muy cómodos y ligeros, hermosos, muy bien diseñados y construidos, con materiales premium en su totalidad y que entregan un sonido altamente fiel y adictivo, dulce, cautivador y preciso, asombroso y emocionante y todo por un precio de 320 euros, cuando fácilmente podrían valer el triple visto y oído los que ofrecen a cambio. No conozco auriculares de varios miles de euros como Audeze, Focal o Final Audio entre otros, que forzosamente deben ser mucho mejores. No los puedo comparar. Trataré de comprar también alguno que sea planar magnético de buena marca y a precio asequible para poder disfrutarlo y ver y escuchar sus características. Pero a tenor de lo que ahora sé, no dudo en recomendar estos auriculares que por diseño, precio y calidad constructiva y sonora me parecen imbatibles. Siempre que los archivos musicales, reproductores y amplificadores estén a la altura, por supuesto. Un excelente must have en toda regla. Espero poder disfrutarlos durante años. Y que este modesto comentario despeje las dudas que alguien pudiera albergar a la hora de considerar su compra. No creo que nadie se sienta decepcionado con ellos. Yo no, desde luego. Los volvería a comprar.

Disclaimer: I'm a music lover rather than audiophile.I've used this headphone for about a month, driven by a Topping DX3 Pro, and a Yamaha NP-S303 as music source (mostly FLAC).This headphone is simply amazing, with a very clear and vibrant treble, a well-defined mid range, and a very deep and nuanced bass. The KLH Audio One dances in circles around my other headphones (Sennheiser Momentum wired and B&W PX wireless). I know it's a cliche, but I'm so much enjoying listening to older music, finding new details in the presentation.The materials involved are nice and give a premium feel. I'm always a bit skeptical to claims of exotic woods or leathers, but then again I'm not going to use a drill or knife to literally dig deeper into this. The fit is fairly loose even for my XL head. Isolation is on the weaker side; these are purely for home listening in your favorite couch with a glass of scotch at hand.

I have several terrific headphones many of which are planar magnetic, closed & open back that up until now gave me just what i was looking for. Along comes the KLH Ultimate One which has exceeded all that i could ever ask for in a headphone. Looks, comfort, & quality. Oh yes, sound which is most important. That's where this headphone really shines. High end, mids, & low end produce a smooth rich sound that is very exciting. The richness comes through in all types of music from classical to jazz to rock. It's the only headphone that I've been listening to since I got it in December. I'm thinking that the 50 mm beryllium driver is making a major difference in the sound. Real leather & ebony wood cups round out what I believe is the best value out there period..................................

La respuesta de los graves es sólida, fuerte y tiene una buena extensión que no fatiga ni opaca las otras tonalidades. Estos cascos de alta definición tienen un perfil balanceado en todas las tonalidades y un buen dinamismo, ideal para reproducir cualquier género musical.Los tonos medios-altos también destacan. Los probamos reproduciendo varias piezas y pudimos percibir excelentes texturas de los instrumentos de cuerdas. Su espacialidad te permite ubicar las diferentes secciones de una orquesta y los detalles son realmente delicados.Son unos cascos HiFi estupendos diseñados para audiofilos.