Ultrasone HFI-2200

Tour

The HFI-2200 headphones are predominantly brown, with dark orange cloth covering its various pads. The back of the ear cups are silver with branding. There are some slits cut around the silver part, giving these headphones a semi-open back. The cups are attached to the band at little cylindrical logs that are branded as left and right. These logs also allow for the cups to move around.

The ear cups can tilt and rotate in a full 360. They can also be folded up to make for a more condensed package if you have to move them from place to place.

The left ear cup has a port for the cable and features threading for its screw-in cable.

In The Box

In the box you’ll find a software CD, a pouch, a 1/4-inch adapter, and a coil of cord. You’ll also find the HFI-2200 headphones.

Durability (6.25)

Overall, the Ultrasone HFI-2200s don’t exude durability because the plastic seems slightly on the cheap side. The cups can rotate full around the band and tilt back and forth, which have to potential to cause wear and tear damage over time (the same is true of the extendable band). The rotation and tilting movement have solid stops, however; we didn’t feel we could easily break the cups off. The pads are cloth, which is generally good for durability: it will resist tears and piercing better than the faux-leather covering that’s all the rage right now.

Aesthetics (4.00)

We asked around the office and the general consensus is these headphones look a bit 70s. Over-ear headphones have issues with being overly conspicuous to begin with; the orange and brown coloration doesn’t particularly help. It’s not that they’re ugly, it’s just that don’t particularly fit in with the current headphone aesthetic. This aesthetic isn’t over-the-top ridiculous, but it is a bit silly. If you wore these at the office, you’d probably hear your fair share of uninspired wise cracks. These are, however, more office-acceptable than the average pair of Skullcandy headphones.