Audio Video News

If you like your headphones German, shiny, and really expensive, Ultrasone has the pair for you. The company is shipping its Edition 8 Palladium headphones to North America, giving American audiophiles a chance to get their hands on (according to Ultrasone) "the world's finest special edition headphones."

The headphones retail for a whopping $1,699, and feature some of the most impressive technical specifications I've seen in audio earwear. They offer a frequency response of 6 Hz to 42 KHz, a ridiculously wide spectrum. Each cup features a 40mm titanium-plated driver and its exterior is covered in palladium and ceramic. Of course, the headphones feature all the usual high-end product adornments, such as gold-plated plugs, a 3.5mm-to-6.3mm gold-plated adapter, a 1.2-meter primary cable and a 4-meter extension cable, and a leather carrying bag. Not bad, but for $1,699 you'd expect the carrying bag, cables, and headband be plated in palladium. And diamonds. And come with a unicorn.

— Will Greenwald