He wanted sound, craftsmanship, longevity and repairability. An AI-assisted search led him to ULTRASONE Founders Series Closed and the NAOS MICRO DAC.

He Asked AI to Find the Right Headphones. The Search Ended at ULTRASONE.

What happens when you stop shopping for headphones by comparing feature lists?

No obsession with Bluetooth versions.
No battery-life competition.
No checklist of apps, microphones or digital extras.

Instead, you ask a completely different question:

Which headphones deliver exceptional sound, use premium materials, can be repaired and are designed to remain enjoyable for many years?

One of our customers recently did exactly that.

And what makes his story particularly interesting is that he did not start his search as an ULTRASONE customer.

He had never even heard of us.

After 16 Years, the Next Headphones Had to Be Special

His previous AKG 272 HD headphones had lasted for an impressive 16 years.

After that amount of time, simply buying another fashionable piece of consumer electronics did not feel right.

He wanted something with substance.

Sound Quality Instead of a Long Feature List

His requirements were surprisingly traditional:

premium materials, excellent craftsmanship, repairability, longevity, as little unnecessary plastic as possible and, ideally, a connection to German manufacturing.

Above all, the headphones needed to do their most important job exceptionally well:

play music.

So he gave these requirements to his AI assistant.

An AI Search That Eventually Led to ULTRASONE

The initial recommendations covered several headphones and manufacturers.

Then the customer refined his criteria.

More emphasis on repairability.

More emphasis on materials.

Less interest in disposable electronics.

Less interest in artificial exclusivity.

The shortlist became smaller.

Eventually, one of the names that remained was ULTRASONE.

He had never encountered the brand before.

So he started reading.

About the company.
About the products.
About the technologies.
And, most importantly, about the philosophy behind them.

During two days of business travel, the research became something of a new hobby.

Then he decided to call us.

Sometimes the Person Answering the Phone Matters

Instead of reaching an anonymous support centre, he found himself speaking directly with Michael Willberg.

The conversation eventually led to a very specific recommendation:

ULTRASONE Founders Series Closed combined with the NAOS MICRO DAC.

A premium closed-back headphone designed for long-term ownership, paired with a compact DAC that allows high-quality listening from laptops and smartphones.

Why the Founders Series Made Sense

The philosophy behind the Founders Series closely matched what the customer had been looking for.

Premium materials.

A focus on craftsmanship.

Repairability.

Long-term ownership.

And, of course, ULTRASONE S-Logic technology.

S-Logic is designed to create a more natural spatial presentation, helping listeners perceive more detail and localize sounds more easily.

Its approach also means that convincing spatial information does not simply depend on increasing volume. For longer listening sessions, this can contribute to lower listening stress and reduced listening fatigue.

Add the compact NAOS MICRO DAC and the result is a system that can move naturally between the listening room, office, laptop and smartphone.

But This Story Isn’t Really Ours to Tell

We could continue talking about construction.

We could explain S-Logic.

We could describe materials, craftsmanship and the philosophy behind the Founders Series.

But there is a much better way to explain what happened next.

Let the customer tell the story himself.

From Two Test Songs to Something Much Bigger

He originally planned to listen to just two tracks.

That first test turned into more than an hour of music.

Then came a movie.

Then a business trip.

Then the realization that the headphones offered something he had not expected when his search began.

So instead of ending this article with another piece of marketing copy, we are doing something different.

Below, you can read his complete letter in his own words.

Uncut.

Unfiltered.

Because when someone discovers ULTRASONE without knowing the brand, chooses a Founders Series after his own research and then takes the time to describe the experience in detail, his words say more than another advertisement ever could.

translated with AI from German into English:

“How Do You End Up with Headphones Like These?

It all started with good news: after 16 years, it was time for my AKG 272 HD to be replaced.

A lot has changed in those 16 years — not only in my life, but also in the development of headphones. From a customer’s perspective, many things are possible today that would have been unthinkable in the past: noise cancelling, Bluetooth, integrated microphones, impressive battery life and countless other features.

All of that is fascinating.

And that is exactly where the danger lies.

You start comparing individual characteristics, ticking boxes next to features and trying to find what appears to be the best pair of headphones that way.

It reminds me of today’s motorcycle scene.

I am a passionate motorcyclist, and I have noticed that many buyers today make their decisions primarily based on so-called spec sheets. How much power? How much weight? What equipment? Which assistance systems? What do I get for my money?

It becomes a cost-benefit calculation:

Where do I get more?

Fortunately, I remembered something I had already learned from riding motorcycles.

Nobody rides a motorcycle in my segment because they have to.

You ride it because, at some point, you learned to love it.

It is about the feeling.

And that is exactly why people want to own good headphones.

You love the feeling you get when you listen to great music, experience extraordinary sound or suddenly find yourself completely immersed in the picture and sound of a movie.

So I asked myself the decisive question:

What actually gives us a good feeling?

Is it Bluetooth?

A battery sitting directly next to your ear?

A long list of functions and possibilities?

I knew how it had worked with my motorcycle.

Nothing I touch on that motorcycle is made of cheap plastic.

Everything is solidly built and made from high-quality components.

Nothing about it was designed as a disposable product.

It was not built to be replaced by the next model in five years.

It is loud.

On paper, it has far too little horsepower.

And it lacks almost all of the features modern motorcycles advertise today.

And yet — or perhaps precisely because of that — I love it.

It can be repaired.

It lasts.

It is reliable.

And over all these years, it has never stopped giving me genuine pleasure.

That gave me my ingredients.

My new headphones needed to be high-quality, durable and repairable.

They needed to be made from good materials and contain as little as possible of the things that are often included today simply because they look good on a spec sheet.

In short:

I did not want headphones that could do as many things as possible.

I wanted headphones that could do one thing — and do it exceptionally well.

The Search

I took all these requirements and gave them to my AI assistant.

At first, it came back with a whole range of headphones.

I refined my requirements:

Made in Germany should ideally play a role.

I wanted to avoid plastic wherever possible.

And I did not want artificial exclusivity that merely comes from producing 10,000 units and putting a serial number somewhere on them.

The AI listened.

In the end, two names remained.

One turned out to be a company that actually manufactures headphones.

The other was a manufacturer that does not simply produce headphones, but takes existing concepts and develops and refines them in a very special way.

ULTRASONE.

The AI gave me a long explanation of why this particular company might be the right address for what I was looking for.

Until then, I had never heard of ULTRASONE.

So I began to dive deeper into the company’s history, its products and, above all, its philosophy.

For two days, during longer flights on business trips, the subject became my new hobby.

I read, researched and tried to understand what was behind the brand and its products.

Eventually, I made up my mind.

I called ULTRASONE.

And then something happened that feels almost unusual nowadays.

Michael Willberg himself answered the phone.

At first, I was stunned.

Where can you still call a company and have the CEO answer the phone personally?

We had a very friendly and personal conversation.

In the end, we agreed that the Founders Series Closed would be the right choice — combined with a NAOS MICRO, so that I could also enjoy high-quality sound from my notebook and smartphone.

The Founders Series Closed is produced in a limited edition of just 222 units and is personally assembled by Michael Willberg.

Even in the pictures, these headphones did not look like an ordinary product.

They looked more like a piece of craftsmanship.

The First Impression

A few days later, the moment had arrived.

The package came.

I unpacked the headphones and first took the time simply to look at them and hold them in my hands.

Everything looked perfectly finished.

The headphones feel solid and premium.

They have a reassuring weight without feeling heavy.

The leather is soft and pleasant.

But one detail in particular stood out to me:

Nothing you immediately see is made of plastic.

Of course, there will also be plastic components somewhere.

But you really have to look for them.

Wonderful.

The package includes a high-quality carrying case, various cables and a card for me as the customer, personally signed by Michael.

I especially appreciated that card.

It is not a technical feature.

It is not an accessory.

And it is not a sales argument.

It is simply a personal touch.

And that is exactly why it means something.

The First Note

Then it was time.

I connected the cable of my choice, plugged in the NAOS and listened to music through the headphones for the first time.

Originally, I had planned to listen to two songs just to get a first impression.

That turned into an unplanned listening session of more than an hour.

The sound is simply overwhelming.

When you close your eyes, you get the impression of actually being in a room.

The musicians seem to be sitting around you.

The sound is powerful, yet all the details remain intact.

The spatial presentation created by S-Logic blends so naturally into the overall experience that everything works together like the gears of a highly precise mechanical watch.

And suddenly there are those moments.

Goosebumps.

I find the tuning between the NAOS and the headphones exceptionally well matched.

Together with the headphones, this tiny device really does open the door to a completely new world of sound.

And with the NAOS, too, you search in vain for the things I wanted to avoid.

The enclosure is made of glass and aluminium.

Elegant, compact and uncompromising in its choice of materials.

It therefore fits surprisingly well with the very idea that led me to these headphones in the first place:

Quality instead of interchangeability.

Cinema

A few days later, I finally had time for the next test.

A movie.

I took the headphones, connected them to the amplifier in my small home cinema using an adapter — and started the film.

My impression?

It felt as though I were sitting in a large cinema.

Sounds seem to move around you.

Voices, music, effects and atmosphere gain a spatial depth you can completely lose yourself in.

You become immersed in the world of the film.

What surprised me most was not only the sound quality, but also how fatigue-free the experience was.

With my old headphones, after around 90 minutes I often felt that my ears needed a break.

Here, it was different.

You almost automatically reduce the volume and still hear every detail.

At the same time, the bass remains rich and powerful without overpowering everything else.

After the movie, I did not feel as though my ears had been put through a wringer.

I felt relaxed.

I had not expected that.

Business Trip

Then came the final test — and perhaps the most important one for me:

the business trip.

I took the headphones, the NAOS and the necessary accessories with me to the airport.

Even while wearing the headphones around my neck, I noticed something.

The soft leather is incredibly comfortable.

The headphones do not feel bulky.

They look elegant rather than clumsy.

When the airport eventually became too noisy and hectic, I simply put them on — without playing any music.

And I immediately noticed how pleasantly they reduce the surrounding noise.

Important sounds remain audible, but the general background noise seems to move into the distance.

It was the same on the plane.

I had an exceptionally pleasant flight.

And although I listened to surprisingly little music during the journey, I wore the headphones almost the entire time.

Not because I wanted to listen to something.

But because they made the world around me pleasantly quieter.

What Do You Get for Your Investment?

At that point, I had found what I had been looking for.

Headphones capable of giving me goosebumps through their sound.

A listening experience unlike anything I had experienced before.

Personal and genuinely warm advice from Michael Willberg, a warm-hearted and positive person.

And a product that does not give the impression of having been built for the shortest possible product cycle.

Everything can be repaired.

And although the headphones feel so solid that I do not expect to need any repairs in the foreseeable future, it is reassuring to know:

These headphones have come to stay.

What Would I Still Like to See?

Of course, there are always things that could be improved.

The carrying case is extremely solid and protects the headphones very well.

For travelling, however, it is somewhat large.

A smaller leather case would therefore be a wonderful addition.

And there is one more thing I would like:

more information about the masterpiece itself.

When you listen to Michael, you learn how many fascinating details are hidden inside these headphones.

How the materials, construction and design were developed.

Which technical ideas are behind them and why certain decisions were made.

For me, all of that is part of the experience of owning these headphones.

A small, beautifully designed insert explaining these details would therefore give me a great deal of pleasure.

Not as an instruction manual.

But as the story behind the masterpiece.

In Conclusion

I am delighted to be one of the few people who are able to own these headphones.

When I began my search, at some point I asked myself:

What do you actually get for your investment?

I did not find the answer in all the spec sheets in the world.

I found it in a feeling.

To me, ULTRASONE represents a form of German Over Engineering that goes far beyond technology alone.

It is the interaction between innovation, thoughtful design, exceptional materials and uncompromising craftsmanship.

For me, these headphones are therefore a little like my motorcycle.

Or like a highly precise mechanical watch.

These things do not exist merely because they are supposed to fulfil a purpose and offer as many functions as possible.

Nor are they designed to suddenly feel outdated the moment the next model appears.

They are a focused excess of good work.

And it is precisely from that that something emerges which cannot be expressed in numbers.

The result is the feeling.

Thank you, Michael.”

FAQ

Can AI help you find the right headphones?

Yes. AI can be particularly useful when the search starts with clearly defined requirements rather than simply comparing popular products.

Why did the search lead to ULTRASONE?

The customer’s priorities included premium materials, sound quality, longevity, repairability and craftsmanship – areas that led him to investigate ULTRASONE more closely.

Which headphones did he choose?

He selected the ULTRASONE Founders Series Closed.

Why did he add the NAOS MICRO?

The compact DAC allows him to enjoy high-quality digital audio from devices including his notebook and smartphone.

What is S-Logic?

S-Logic is ULTRASONE’s spatial audio technology designed to provide natural spatial reproduction, improved localization and high detail perception while supporting comfortable long-term listening.

SEO Snippet

A customer asked AI to find premium headphones focused on sound, craftsmanship, repairability and longevity. The search led him to ULTRASONE Founders Series Closed and NAOS MICRO.