UltraFocus 8000

by Danny, July 23, 2012

Strengths:

Superb sound, very comfortable

Weaknesses:

Noise Cancellation has to be on for them to work. very slightly exxagerated bass

Review:

Well I've had these for a day now and they have a solid 24 hours of burn in on them, so I figured I'd do a quick review on them. The sound really hasn't changed much over the first 24 hours so I doubt things will change much from here on out so my thoughts shouldn't change much. Packaging These come in a nice large box with a flap that closes magnetically. It's a very nice sturdy box and you can tell that some effort went into designing it. Upon opening the box you're presented with the case with headphones enclosed and underneath a cardboard insert you'll find all the accessories and the 'manual'. I use the word manual loosely because it is very small and has very small print, you'll need reading glasses or eagle vision to read it. These are headphones though right, do you really need a manual? Well, when looking at all the adapters they include you realize the manual may be helpful, except that it's not. There are several adapters in little mini ziplock backs that are impossible to open for someone with larger hands. Luckily I didn't need any of the adapters, I just needed the one cable to connect to my source and I'm good. I don't need no stink in' manual, put the batteries in, turn the things on, push each of the four buttons to see what they do, and I was off to the races. I gotta admit though, there was a level of frustration involved with the unboxing experience, who knows maybe I just had a bad day at work. When compared with something like the B&W P5, the unboxing experience was lacking a bit, Polk may want to give their packaging a second look. Design and build quality OK, first impression out of the box, these things are ginormous! More to come on that. I'm not an engineer, but these appear to be very well built and seem like they'll last for a very long time. Of the materials used I can identify aluminum, stainless steel, and what appears to be carbon fiber, high quality plastic, and pleather on the headband and ear pads (I say pleather, don't know what it actually is but does not smell like real leather). You set these next to pair of Beats and it's no contest, these win hands down. They're more comparable to my higher end cans and the PSB phones that I'm basically comparing these directly with. The comfort level on these is unreal, very very comfortable. It's like you have pillows resting on both of your ears. The clamping force is decent, tight enough that they stay put but not too tight, it's basically on par with my HD600 - so less than a Grado but more than an AT or Beyer. My ears do touch the middle of the driver enclosure just slightly, it's not a problem for me at all but if you have Will Smith ears that may be an issue. I have an average size mellon and ears. The looks are more subjective and I'll let everyone else decide on that from the pictures online. Did I mention these are big? They are over ear full size headphones. The noise canceling might imply that they're portable, and they do come with a case and would travel well, but these ain't going in your pocket. In comparison, they are bigger than my HD600 but smaller than my HD800. They're not HUGE, they're just big for a portable headphone. Sound I'll skip all the background details, but my requirements are that i need something that runs well off a portable device, doesn't leak a lot of sound, has some isolation, and has great sound quality. Enter the UltraFocus 8000. It meets all those requirements on paper, so how does it sound? In a word, fantastic! My reference for un-amped headphones are the Sennheiser HD25, V-Moda M80 and the PSB M24U, all of which are excellent performers (I'm not including all the IEMs out there). The 8000 beats most of them, more on that in a bit. First some observations on the sound. I'll start with the bas because that's easy, un-freaking-believable! I don't mean like Beats thumping bloated unbelievable, I mean really really good. It has great control, excellent low extension, and great punch. In headphones like this you typically find bass that will get one or two of those right, but the Polk nails all 3 of them, and not just by a little. On the Dark Knight soundtrack the first track "Why So Serious" has some serious low end a little more than 3 minutes in that is very difficult to reproduce well. Most headphones either don't attempt to reproduce it at all and sorta wimp out there, or try to reproduce it and can't handle it and it turns into a muddy slurred mess. These headphones reproduce it effortlessly. If I had to criticize I'd almost want to see it dialed back a little bit, it can be a little much in orchestral music especially. The mids and highs are very evenly blended and sound superb. It's almost like my ears are playing tricks on me, I'd really like to see a FR curve on this headphone. It has great resolution and detail but yet has a somewhat laid back sound to it. Putting it in speakers terms, tis definitely sounds like more like the LSi than the RT series. The soundstage is very wide for a closed headphone. I've never had the ear for soundstage depth, so can't comment there. This is the most trouble I've ever had describing the sound of a headphone because I typically zero in on their weaknesses. It just sound freaking fantastic. In criticizing, I'd say that the sound can get a little too syrupy at times, as in these are almost too laid back for my tastes. I've yet to find a headphone that's perfectly neutral that still sounds funs though, and I'll take a little too laid back over a little too bright any day of the week. In comparison to the models I mentioned, the sound is buch bigger on the Polk than on the Senn or the V-Moda. IMO that's not a fair comparison though, as those are both portable travel phones and these are much bigger. Do I think it sounds better than both of those, yes. Is that a fair comparison, no. In comparison to the PSB it's a much closer call. PSB has a very good headphone on their hands and I've enjoyed my pair immensely. I think I'm going to need some more time to formulate a final opinion there. The PSBs are a little more forward sounding, which at times works to their advantage and at times to their detriment. So far I seem to prefer most genres of music on the Polk, but prefer the genre I listen to the most (orchestral, mostly movie scores) on the PSB as at times the bass of the Polks can get in the way of really intricate moving pieces. If I had to pick a pair to have on my head 8 hours a day without taking them off it would be the Polks, if I had to pick a pair to listen to Barbarian Horde from Gladiator it would be the PSB. Thankfully I don't have to choose. I should also put things into perspective just a bit. My 'real' headphone setups blow these away. Even my HD600 DAC'd and AMP'd as it lists in my signature sounds better than these by a mile, and it's a cheaper headphone. But it's connected to another grand of gear and doesn't meet 3 of my 4 criteria. It's absurd to even mention the Polk in the same sentence as my home setup, but wanted to provide some frame of reference. The Polk is a great headphone for what it is and may be the best option given my criteria, but a reference headphone it is not. Final Verdict A well built, extremely comfortable, superb sounding headphone. I'm taking away one star because the noise cancelling has to be on for them to work. 4.5 stars would be a more accurate score, but that wasn't an option and I can't quite give them a perfect 5.

by Chip B, August 16, 2012

Strengths:

Build quality, comfort, replaceable ear cushions, disposable aaaa batteries, long user life, beautiful case, detachable cord, with advanced harmonics cable and strain relief love the ear mounted controls, thought they were obtuse at first, but the placement and tactile feeling is incredible. Have not used the phone features.

Weaknesses:

There are none! Of course they are over the ear, that is not a weakness, they are big, this helps with isolation, these are not weaknesses these are strengths.

Review:

I have travelled for 11 1/2 years, weekly by air. I have tried numerous in the ear headphones as well audiophile quality headphone gradually increasing the price to over a grand. I have written reviews and these are 5 star. there sound is amazing, very pleasing and sweet, and you could hardly name a prominent headphone in the 120 to 1000 dollar range, that I have not compared these to either by owning, or hours of demoing in stores, particularly the Atlanta airport, great place to buy these too! Researched these on the web and the frequency response and harmonic distortion are audiophile levels. Noise Cancelling, these are about 65% compared to Bose at 78% but the sound quality is beyond compare!

by Tom Chavez III, August 11, 2012

Strengths:

The sound is great! Awesome bass! Great look!

Weaknesses:

None that I can think of..

Review:

I ordered these a day or two after I read about them...I travel quite a bit but have never had noise canceling headphones but after seeing so many air travelers with some, I thought I'd take the plunge and reading about the Ultrafocus 8000, it only helped me decide Yes! I bought these specifically for my trip to Hawaii last month and I was very impressed with these !! I used them to listen to my iPod and also to listen to the audio of inflight movies. They truly cancel out the hum of the aircraft all the noise within the cabin! Granted, they are big but hey, they are "over the ear" headphones! The carrying case is awesome! Fits nicely into my carry on backpack! The headphones come with various accessories...although, I didn't need to use any of them but they stay within the case. The sound of these headphones are very impressive! I love the bass! I love the feel of these and they fit perfectly around my head. My son loves them too and I may have to get him a pair as well since he seems to use them more often than me around the house! I can't wait to take them to my trip to Munich next month! Thank you Polk Audio!!

by GCarr, September 7, 2012

Strengths:

The sound quality is incredible.

Weaknesses:

They're a little bulky, but by no means overwhelming.

Review:

I recently purchased the UltraFocus 8000, and I couldn't be happier that I made the investment, they are absolutely remarkable headphones. I'm a bit high-maintenance when it comes to sound quality: I've owned Beats, Bose Quiet Comfort, Sony and Skull Candy headphones. While each brand has its advantages, the UltraFocus 8000 are by far the best pair I own. A little expensive, but if you're looking to make an investment and you value sound quality, they're certainly worth it.

by Jon Gill, July 30, 2012

Strengths:

They are very comfortable and block all of the noise out. That while having amazing audio quality

Weaknesses:

not really much

Review:

These headphones are amazing! I love their sound quality and theyre so comfortable when you put them on! when i first opened them up and was listening i didnt want to take them off my head! They literally do block out all of the noise and you are in your own world listening to whatever you want! they are amazing! best headphones ive ever heard! blows beats by dre away!

by Ron Evans, August 9, 2012

Strengths:

Great Bass! Great Range!

Weaknesses:

my only wish is that they were wireless.

Review:

WOW. I now consider these potential dre Beat Killers. Great sound. Very comfortable. The active noise cancellation is awesome. Play button works for play, pause, fast forward (two pushes), and rewind (three pushes). One button to do 4 things. Simple, clean, elegant looking. These are great headphones. I bought these for my wife and I may have to buy a pair for myself now. Love them.

by luis mario chaurand, July 28, 2012

Strengths:

sound quality ... the best

Weaknesses:

... it is really hard to close the battery compartment

Review:

These are the best noise cancelling headphones rewarding sound quality, but I was seriously disappointed when trying to close the battery compartment. Its so hard to close it up, that I would rather buy some lower quality headphones and get rid of that issue. Polk, you did such a good job and lost at the most easy part.

by Jedediah Wyatt, July 29, 2012

Strengths:

Noise Cancelling ability to turn on and off is great. The bass and treble are second to none.

Weaknesses:

No ability to forward tracks.

Review:

Between the noise cancelling and sound quality these are the best headphones on the market hand down. Great design, great fell, great sound, Amazing!

by John, August 21, 2012

Strengths:

Extremely comfortable to wear, Mic button make things clearer than taking them off, Full control with iPhone.

Weaknesses:

None

Review:

I have always been a fan of Polk car and home audio and they have the best of both worlds in these headphones. I have heard all the Beats lines and they don't compare. These by far are the best "Bang for your Buck." And I really mean bang. Clarity is great no matter what you listen to and the bass is in a class of its own.

by Khanh, December 7, 2012

Strengths:

Sound quality, sturdy construction.

Weaknesses:

Slightly heavy.

Review:

I will compare the Ultrafocus 8000 to the Bose QC15 and Beats Studio, all of which I currently own. I listen to these headphones with the iPhone 5 un-amped. Build: The Polk is much better constructed than the Bose, and also the Beats Studio. I still cannot get over how cheaply constructed the Bose is with plasticky construction and thin "glued-on" fabric inside the earcups. The Beats is also plasticky. The Polk is a bit heavier than the Beats and Bose due to better construction. Comfort: The Bose and Beats are equally very comfortable to me. The Polk is a bit less so due to weight and the fact that it clamps the part of my head above the ear lobes more than the other two. However, I've worn the Polk for over 1 hour without any fatigue and could have probably continued to do so for several more hours. A word about the "on-ear" controls of the Polk: It takes some getting used to, but works fine. Still, I would have prefered iPhone controls on the cable. Noise cancellation and isolation: The Bose is simply the best in NC. The Polk is better than the Beats in NC. The Polk is MUCH better than the Beats in sound leakage. With the Beats, my wife sitting 4 feet away in a quiet room can clearly make out what I was listening to, even though the iPhone volume is at 40%. With the same or slightly louder volume, no one can hear my music with the Polk. Sound quality: The numero uno criteria of a headphone. The Polk simply trounces the other two in this department. The Bose is the worst sounding to me mostly because of the "muffled" sound; I usually have to crank up the iPhone volume to listen with the Bose. The Beats amplifies the bass and is somewhat "muddy" overall. The Polk has great detail in the vocals, mid-range, and very good bass (just not as thumping as the Beats). I am able to hear details in the strings and vocals with the Polk that I can barely make out or not even notice with the Beats Studio. There is better separation and more natural sound compared to the Beats. Soundstage is average for all 3 headphones. Overall, I like the Polk best and will be keeping it. The other two are going to eBay.

by Robert, January 12, 2013

Strengths:

Great sound quality. Nice design and style. Six months same as cash payment schedule from Polk was nice! :)

Weaknesses:

May cause headaches from squeezing your head. It would have been nice to have the signal cable plug into either earpiece, but that's not a dealbreaker.

Review:

I was immediately impressed with these headphones over what I've been using. The noise cancelling is ok. I don't listen at very high volumes so I suppose if the volume were louder it would help mask outside noise better. These really come to life if you crank up the volume too! Great highs, and a very neutral sound. Great details listening to any type of music. Some of the other reviews describe the noise cancelling in much greater detail verses the competition. One review sold me on the Polks, and it was the review that described the sound quality as better than other headphones in this price range. The headphones are built well. Nothing looks or feels cheap on them. The battery cover on the left ear cup is a bit difficult to remove. Seems that "form" was a bit more important than "function" in this case. I wouldn't consider this a dealbreaker though. The earpieces are lined with a material similar to "pleather". It's comfy, but it causes the areas around my ears to sweat a little. I suppose similar headphones would be about the same. I almost returned these, as they were causing headaches from squeezing my head. I decided to tough it out a little longer, and then I gently bent the earpieces outward just a bit. That helped a lot. My advice would be to give yourself some time to get used to them, and maybe adjust them as I described if needed. It took me a little getting used to having something on my head during my work day. The cord itself is "flat", and it should be plenty long to plug into your computer at your desk. The cord also does not make any undesired noise if you move you head or touch/handle/move the cord. Some lesser brands suffer from that. I would certainly recommend these. They might seem a bit expensive to the non-audiophile. But I think the price is reasonable.

by Ernie, November 1, 2012

Strengths:

Excellent build quality Great bass lots of accessories

Weaknesses:

I didn't like the on/off button because I accidently left it on a couple times and drained the batteries. Not as detailed/neutral as my Sennheiser hd-600's

Review:

Polk went all out on the whole package. The headphones have a sturdy/quality feel and look to them. They come included with lots of accessories and the packaging is first rate too. I used these with two different headphone amp/DAC's, Nuforce DAC-9 and Empirical Audio Overdrive SE. The first thing I noticed was the bass. The bass is full and powerful, way better than my Senn HD-600's. I thought they excelled with rock music and they are a fun headphone. The Senn's had the edge with being more neutral and more detailed.

by akhil meda, January 24, 2013

Strengths:

awesome clarity n sound.

Weaknesses:

noise cancelling not that great compared to bose

Review:

these are my second headphones, i bought after bose qc 15. I bought them simultaneously n fell in with these. so i returned the other qc 15 they sound exceptional , but i felt little discomfort initially. But not anymore now. I'm in love with these I wanted to give 4.5 out 5, but there is only 4 or 5 rating. I wonder how others gave 4.5. So, i'm giving 5 Are they fake reviews?

by Mark090852, November 28, 2012

Strengths:

Comfort, style, sound quality and detail, excellent.

Weaknesses:

Noise reduction might be a little weak.

Review:

I've just spent a couple of weeks with the Polk UltraFocus 8000 Headphones and I must say I?m very impressed. Right out of the box, it was easy to see that they were well designed with attention not only to the product, but to the packaging as well. Upon placing the headphones on my head, and turning on the music, the rest of the world disappeared. For me, they were easily adjustable as to the size and I found them to be very comfortable. I have very little experience with over the ear headphones from other manufacturers. However, the Ultra focus 8000s produced a very pleasant sound with excellent clarity, giving great definition to the various instruments. These over the ear headphones gave me a much nicer quality sound than anything I had experienced in the past using any of my ?ear bud? type headphones. For those people who are looking for a quality headphone that provides wonderful sound, I would highly recommend the UltraFocus 8000s. If noise cancelling is of utmost importance, I feel that these fall a little short. Soft, droning sounds were totally eliminated, but louder sounds and voices still made it through. All in all, an excellent over the ear headphone.

by pixelhippo, November 30, 2012

Strengths:

Bass is amazing. High's, mid's and low's are well balanced. Noise canceling is great.

Weaknesses:

Takes batteries, don't like the way it's folds up. Don't like the controls on the earphones.

Review:

Wow, these headphones are amazing!! I spent an hour at Fry's Googling the headphones they had in stock from Sony, Sennheiser and Bose. My price range was 100 - 300 dollars. I tried listening to all of them, but didn't have the music I wanted to listen to. I took a chance and bought these. I put on Daft Punk and listened to my old headphones the Shure SRH440's and then the Polk Audio and it was like night and day. You guys will not regret it! Bass is amazing and at loud volumes it does not break up. The sound is balanced. No buyers remore here.

by halen, December 1, 2012

Strengths:

The strengths are its build quality, full sound and very intuitive tangle free wires.

Weaknesses:

Only works in Active mode.

Review:

Since these Polk’s were meant for the typical “on the move” category, I used these strictly on my iPhone 4S. So my review is based solely on using my iPhone. Polk UltraFocus 8000: Design: Very well made and with my limited experience seems high quality parts. These are big headphones and quite heavy. While wearing, I could feel the weight on my scalp. Also, I am not sure if these are over ears or on ears because it does not really cover the ear completely. Though the cushions are soft, it created a great amount of discomfort on my ears. Only works in Active mode. I am not so sure if these could be considered portable for travel but they do come with a very nice carrying case. Noise Isolation: Maybe these did not fit my ears very well, so it did not isolate sound that was of noticeable difference. Noise Cancellation: There is a strong white noise hiss sound when turned on. I used this in several meetings whereas I sat near an AC vent and I could hear the AC in all its glory. Sound: I listened to my typical music ranging from Demo CD’s to Melody Gardot to Rita Wilson. The overall sound is full, balanced but leans on the bass heavy side. I listened to “A Groovy Kind of Love” from Usher Audio’s CD and this track consists of a female vocal, drums, and two guitars. There were certain parts where all parts where the drums overpowered the sound of the guitar. On other tracks, such as “Lucky” from the same CD, the sound was beautiful. This track did not have as much bass, so the presentation of the guitars, flutes, instruments, pretty much everything came alive. Soundstage, Depth: I do not have the ability to tell the difference as the headphones are directly on my ear. Conclusion: For the first week, I was only able to wear these maybe two hours total. The weight and the pressure from the ear cushions were extremely bothersome. Overall, I listened to music on these headphones for about 4 hours. If these fit your ears well and the weight does not bother you, the sound will amaze you.

by Allan Hensley, December 13, 2012

Strengths:

Incredible sound reproduction, my ears are super happy. Some phone functions work with Android.

Weaknesses:

Not quite spectacular noise cancelling, good, but not great. I would like to be able to play sound through the headphones without the noise cancelling turned on, but this is a minor inconvenience.

Review:

All I can say is wow! I've never owned a set of headphones that sound this good. I made the upgrade from Klipsch Reference One's. The Klipsch were very good headphones, but the Ultrafocus 8000 does it better. The bass on 8000's is more readily available. This is not a bad thing, I am not talking about the booming bass of Beats headphones, I am talking about bass that should be heard not overdone thumping for thumpings sake. Play some Skrillex or Sir Mix A Lot and you will hear the bass that was intended. The mids and highs are also crisp and clear, never harsh or too forward. In short I love these phones and I think you will too. The noise cancelling comes without the hiss that I have heard on some other NC headphones. Unfortunately the NC isn't the best that is out there. It does a decent job, but the Bose QC does it better. For accurate and beautiful sound reproduction the 8000's can't be beat (unless you are willing to spend quite a bit more for some top of the line reference headsets, which I don't think would be that much better than these if at all). Also I was hoping that some of the controls would work with android, since not all of us worship at the alter of Apple, and Yay! they do. The Volume up and down does not work, but the pause button does, and taking calls while wearing the them works just fine. Bottom line buy 'em, you won't regret it.

by clay, January 22, 2013

Strengths:

powerful sound, amazing noise cancelling, solid build quality

Weaknesses:

weight maybe. they are a bit heavy but thats ok due to the quality of materials used.

Review:

just got these today and im very impressed so far. best example of how well the noise cancelling works is that my furnace closet is across the hall from my computer and its rather loud. i turned on these headphones without any music playing and couldn't hear the furnace! sound quality on these is top notch. powerful bass and bright but not fatiguing treble. i've demoed the beats studios and the new $300 sony's and the Polk's win out. very nice solid case and more different plugs and cords to use them with just about any device.

by Jstas, March 3, 2013

Strengths:

Everything.

Weaknesses:

They need to break-in, takes a while. The headband can be tight. Wish the controls worked with more than just Apple products.

Review:

These things are awesome! Even at $350 they are a steal! I love mine!

by Andy, March 25, 2013

Strengths:

Wonderful resolution at high and low listening levels. Very comfortable. Very easy to use with traditional audio gear and especially with my iPhone.

Weaknesses:

The battery cover looks good, but the finger dimples provide an awkward-feeling tactile surface for opening & closing the cover. The cover has stayed on, though, so it works.

Review:

These are now my best headphones and easily surpass the performance of my Bose and AKG headphones for home or travel listening

Inner Fidelity

—Tyll Hertsens

"Holy Guacamole, do these sound good! Easily the best sounding headphone of the bunch....Polk has done a superb job on the acoustics of these cans."

[ Open Review ]

BigPictureBigSound.com

—Chris Chiarella

"Painstakingly designed, supremely well-built and delivering a truly high-end audio experience, the Polk UltraFocus 8000 headphones are a worthy new addition to the product line of one of the most well-regarded names in home theater speakers, packing up the great sound we expect and enabling us to bring it anywhere."

[ Open Review ]

Gaming Nexus

—Dan Keener

"The Polk Audio UltraFocus 8000 headphones are the best over-the-ear headphone I have used or reviewed, regardless of what I was playing through them.  I tested them with music, gaming and video playback and I cannot stress enough that the level of performance was superior to anything I have ever put on my ears before. Score: 9.8 out of 10."

[ Open Review ]

Men's Journal

"These noise-canceling headphones are well built, with a cool carbon-fiber band. They're smart, too, with a push-to-hear control that amplifies external voices. Listeners across the board raved about their clear highs, deep low end, and wide soundstage."

[ Open Review ]