Recently, I stumbled upon a headphone that’s grabbed my interest – the KLH Ultima One – Open headphones. Thanks to the kind folks at HifiExpert, I had the chance to borrow and test these headphones.
What piqued my interest, you ask? In the product description, it’s mentioned that the Ultima One features a 50 mm full beryllium driver.
My experience with beryllium drivers has been positive. They usually bring a unique touch and improved performance to the sound quality. While every headphone has its own distinct implementation, generally, I’ve found that beryllium drivers offer good speed, tactility, and detail, even if they introduce a slight metallic tint to the sound. The fact that these headphones have a full beryllium driver and are priced below $400 definitely merits a thorough examination. So, here we are.
Most of my thoughts about these headphones are in the video I’ve included here, but you will find a short conclusion below. Be sure to also check below for the measurements.
Technical Specifications
The Ultimate One Headphones feature an over-ear, open-back design with a 50mm pure beryllium driver. The headphone headband and ear pads feature soft lambskin inner sections for ultimate comfort, with cowhide leather outer sections for lasting durability. The Ultimate One Headphones have real wood ear cups available in zebrawood. The frequency response is rated at 18Hz-22kHz.
Headband & Earpads use premium lambskin and top-grade cowhide leathers with dual-layer memory foam for ultimate comfort and maximum durability.
• Solid, Real Zebrawood earcups for eye-catching beauty and acoustic integrity.
• Extremely comfortable and lightweight at only 12 ounces/340grams.
• 32 Ohm impedance
• 97 dB sensitivity
• Frequency response: 18 Hz to 22kHz +/- 3db
• 108 db SPL
• 2 meter detachable, 3.5mm pure silver-litz braided cable (¼” adapter included)
• KLH Branded, hard-sided black leather travel case plus a luxuriously soft velour carry bag.
• 2-year Warranty
You can find more about the headphones here.
Listening Impressions
ll in all, I must say that these headphones impressed me and offer excellent value for $400.
They deliver rich details and textures, with exceptional speed and a tactile listening experience.
Bass
The bass boasts substantial punch and depth, though there is some noticeable bloat in the sub-bass region, which you can see in the measurements below as well. The headphones generally appear to lean towards a bassier tuning, but on the whole, it’s a fun sound profile and a fair compromise considering the other strengths.
Midrange
The midrange is quite engaging, displaying good textures and details. The vocals are clean and well-textured but are slightly recessed in the soundstage. This isn’t necessarily a downside, as it contributes to an enhanced sense of space.
Treble
The treble is smooth and detailed without any harshness, which is praiseworthy, especially given that the driver is entirely made of beryllium.
Tonality
The tonality leans towards the natural side, even though you might occasionally detect the metallic character of the beryllium driver. In general, I think they did a commendable job in this aspect. I’ve come across considerably more expensive headphones with more issues in this department.
Dynamics/PRAT
The headphones offer quite a dynamic and tactile sound experience. Any percussion instrument will be a joy to listen to, as the transients have a strong attack and a quick decay (for anything over 70hz).
Soundstage
The soundstage is impressively natural, with solid holography that allows you to accurately pinpoint the locations of instruments. It’s airy and I found it highly enjoyable overall, particularly when listening to classical music.
Conclusions
These headphones are a blast to use – they’re exciting, packed with details, tactile, and speedy!
They manage to incorporate some of the best traits of quality beryllium designs while maintaining a natural sound profile, and all at a budget-friendly price point. In conclusion, I would definitely suggest giving these headphones a shot. If you come across an opportunity to try them, don’t miss out!
Measurements
As you can see below in the measurements, besides the distortions under 70 hz, overall the results are quite good, presenting very clean sound over 70hz and no signs of ringing in the spectrogram.
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