These Polk Audio UltraFocus 8000 headphones sound very good (compared to Grado sr60, AKG k26p, Senheiser pxc-300 - all of which I own).
Bass - The bass is very tight and not overpowering but can certainly be heard. These headphones sound so good primarily due to the tight bass - definitely better than those headphones mentioned above.
Treble - crisp and clear - no shrill sound on high notes from what I have heard so far.
Midrange - voice and midrange notes are natural sounding and the overall sound of the bass, treble and mids is well balanced. When I listen to these headphones, I realize that I am listening to a much wider spectrum of sound than with my other headphones.
Soundstage - open sounding for a closed headphone - not nearly as open sounding as the Grado SR60s but, more open sounding than any other closed headphone that I have heard.
Comfort - these Polk Audio UltraFocus 8000 are very heavy headphones to wear and travel with and get very warm and sweaty very quickly. In very little time, your ears will get so warm and sweaty and you will need to take them off to allow your skin to breathe. I am guessing that the pads are made of pleather rather than leather. The earpads do not fit entirely on the ear and not entirely off the ear (take a look at the shape of the pads) which means that there are pressure points on the ear which become uncomfortable in just a few minutes.
These earphones are approx. twice the weight of the Bose (I could be mistaken but, I think that they are more than twice the weight). You will feel the weight of these on the top of your head within a very short time. The excellent build quality will explain the weight but they are really heavy to wear and to travel with.
Size - These Polk Audio UltraFocus 8000 headphones are very big and chunky - about the same size as the largest Beats headphones and are too big to travel with. The case is also very large to accommodate the headphones so they take a considerable amount of space in a backpack, briefcase or bag. The case is about the diameter of a small dinner plate and is about 1.75 inches thick.
Noise cancelling - The noise cancelling is okay but not nearly as good as either the Bose qc15s or Sennheiser pxc-300's. I would give the noise cancelling a 6 out of 10 with Bose qc15s being a 10. I am not sure who these are ideal for - too warm, heavy, bulky and noise cancelling just okay for travel, too warm and nc not needed for most people at home and for the price, there are lots of great sounding headphones that cost less without nc that could be for home use. I refused to buy Bose as they don't sound that great once you compare them to good sounding headphones and they are extremely cheaply made so I purchased these (for the record, I own Bose products including 201's and Acoustimas 10 speakers). I wish Polk would improve the earpads and (sell as replacements). These headphones take two AAA batteries and must be turned on to hear the music (which adds to the weight). It almost seems as though Polk designed these with an internal amp to produce good sound rather than effectively cancel noise.
Build - Polk Audio UltraFocus 8000 are very durable headphones. There is no comparison between the build quality and fit and finish of these headphones and others including the Bose qc15s. Just check out how Bose cut and glue the cloth inside their headphones and the cheap plastic that they use. These are made extremely well and will likely take a pounding - they are made with stainless steel, carbon fibre (just for show) and plastic which even feel much better than others. These look high tech and classy at the same time. When you look at these and pick them up, you know that the people at Polk were concerned about the fit and finish of these headphones when designing them. These headphones even come with very good ribbon wire of different lengths which do not tangle very easily and they come with other accessories including an airline adaptor.
Polk Audio UltraFocus 8000 Summary Review
Sound: 9/10
Comfort: 4/10
Size and weight: 4/10 (not ideal for travel)
Noise Cancelling: 6/10
Build Quality: 9/10
It's too bad that these headphones are so big and heavy and the earpads are so uncomfortable as these are very, very good sounding headphones that are also very durable and impressive to look at.
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