Some of the best headphones have the most subdued design, their brand name or model number being sufficient to inform those who care of the quality behind them. Ultrasone's iCans are not this sort of headphone, but then again, no one mistakes an iPod for anything else, either.

Ultrasone iCans (in case)

Germany-based Ultrasone developed the iCans specifically for portable music devices, although based on their name and appearance one might reasonably guess they were designed with just one particular music device in mind.

iCans ship in a thin-walled aluminium box containing a piece of form-fitting foam and the iCans name embossed on the removable lid. The container is clearly intended to be reused for storing the headphones on the go, but despite the iCans unique and compact method of folding up almost completely flat, the container remains relatively thick, making it less convenient for smaller bags.

Unfold the iCans, paying careful attention not to extend the cups before twisting them to the listening position (several advisory stickers warn you against making this mistake, noting that breakage due to overenthusiastic fingers is not covered under warranty), and you will be astonished by how light these headphones are. And how garish the chrome plastic cups appear against your skin tone. With a sticker price north of three figures, iCans don't come cheap but their appearance will surely seem to contradict that in the eyes and preferences of many listeners. If covert operation in public is important to you, iCans are the equivalent of throwing chrome spinners on an undercover Crown Victoria. You have been warned.

But if looks play second fiddle to performance, prepare to be pleasantly pleased by how the iCans treat your ears. If the iCans featherweight feel wasn't a nice enough consideration on the part of its designers, the super soft foam and cloth that will stay in contact with your ears during the entirety of any listening experience are simply first-rate. Sporting the iCans you can forget about excessive pinching or any part of your ear being rubbed raw if you're wearing them on the go. The iCans feel like the headphone equivalent of silk boxers that don't ride up, although we wish the same attention to detail was put into the hard plastic band as it was put into the cups.

Ultrasone bills the S-Logic Natural Surround Sound technology featured in the iCans as one of their chief selling points. Fancy marketing moniker aside, the purpose of S-Logic is to create the effect of music coming from around your head, instead of being pumped directly into your two ear canals. S-Logic isn't some sort of voodoo engineering like Bose's surround-sound 3-2-1 system or the equally musically bastardizing Dolby Pro Logic upcoding trick. After all, these are headphones and don't enjoy the benefits of extra speakers or back walls to achieve their effect.

In our testing, S-Logic (which is part of the design and can't be turned on or off) simply created a richer listening experience, giving the distinct impression that the sounds we were hearing were being emitted by sources farther away than the half-inch gap between our ear canals and the headphones. True audiophile purists that sacrifice to the Gods of stereo may take issue with the iCans, but we couldn't find anyone who did and chances you won't either. Audio quality is extremely well balanced, with solid bass and pleasant highs that don't tire the ears. Bass lines are not nearly as pronounced as they are with some other headphones in this price range, like Sony's MDR-V700DJ headphones, however, so music fans who enjoy turning their subwoofers up to eleven may want to look elsewhere. But overall, the iCans sound very accurate throughout their 20Hz to 20KHz range and deliver solidly on the implied promises such premium priced products carry.

The Bottom Line

Ultrasone's iCans serve up a high quality aural experience at a reasonable price point. Our biggest fault lies with their industrial design (did we mention the rather squared off headband that looks better suited for Spongebob and thus protrudes from normal round heads?). With a $130 price point and a svelte, comfortable design, iCans are clearly designed to go with you when you leave your house. If you feel comfortable walking around with the earmuff equivalent of a tin-foil hat, then more power to you, as you'll be listening to your music at a level of quality few of your iPod compatriots in public are. As for us, we'll cross our fingers and hope a black model is in the works.