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We've recently released our Test Bench 1.6 update for Headphones! Read the Latency R&D Article to learn more.

Polk Audio UltraFocus 8000 Headphones Review

Tested using Methodology v1.3.1
Reviewed Feb 26, 2016 at 12:00 am
Latest change: Test bench update Nov 21, 2019 at 11:23 am
Polk Audio UltraFocus 8000 Picture
6.6
Mixed Usage
8.0
Neutral Sound
6.6
Commute/Travel
6.1
Sports/Fitness
6.6
Office
5.6
Wireless Gaming
7.3
Wired Gaming
6.9
Phone Call

The Polk Audio UltraFocus 8000 are a great-sounding, comfortable pair of headphones. They have some flaws in their build design and noise isolation performance but the flexible, flat audio profile is a pleasure to listen to and works well with most music genres.

Our Verdict

6.6 Mixed Usage

The Polk Audio UltraFocus 8000 are average everyday headphones. They have a great sound and enough features to handle most use cases. However, they're a bit bulky and can't be used with out any batteries.

Pros
  • Comfortable.
  • Great audio reproduction.
  • Do not leak much sound.
Cons
  • Cumbersome button layout
  • Creaky headband.
  • Poor noise isolation.
8.0 Neutral Sound

The UltraFocus 8000 are good headphones for neutral listening. They're comfortable and have well-balanced sound quality. The bass mid and treble response are almost flat and reproduce tracks well. Their closed-back design limits their soundstage, but their sound is good enough for long neutral listening sessions.

6.6 Commute/Travel

Average for commuting. The noise cancelling is a little weak for loud noisy commutes.

6.1 Sports/Fitness

Decent for sports use. Comfortable and moderately stable design. Slightly bulky and cumbersome.

6.6 Office

Decent for office use. Decent leakage performance but weak noise isolation. The chatter of a busy office will seep into your audio

7.3 Wired Gaming
  • 6.6 Mixed Usage
  • 8.0 Neutral Sound
  • 6.6 Commute/Travel
  • 6.1 Sports/Fitness
  • 6.6 Office
  • 5.6 Wireless Gaming
  • 7.3 Wired Gaming
  • 6.9 Phone Call
  1. Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
  2. Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
  3. Updated Feb 16, 2018: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
  4. Updated Sep 28, 2017: The microphone has been tested with our new methodology, as explained here
  5. Updated Aug 10, 2017: Converted to Test Bench 1.1.
  6. Updated Mar 01, 2017: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
  7. Updated Feb 26, 2016: Review published.

Test Results

Design
Design
Style
Type Over-ear
Enclosure Closed-Back
Wireless No
Transducer Dynamic

The Polk Audio UltraFocus 8000 look good and give off a high-end vibe that is esthetically pleasing. The all-black design is accentuated by the silver finish of the metal frame and subtle branding. The headband and earcups have a unique design that looks good but might not be for everyone. They are also a little on the bulky side but luckily are stylish enough to wear in public.

7.0
Design
Comfort
Weight 0.82 lbs
Clamping Force
0.95 lbs

The Polk Audio Ultra Focus 8000 are comfortable. The soft, well-padded earcups and headband don't apply too much pressure on the head, even if they are a little heavy. The circular and confusing left and right earcup orientation may take a little time to get used to but is nothing to be worried about.

5.0
Design
Controls
OS Compatibility
iOS
Ease Of Use Okay
Feedback Decent
Call/Music Control Yes
Volume Control No
Microphone Control No
Channel Mixing
N/A
Noise Cancelling Control No
Talk-Through
Yes
Additional Buttons No

The button layout on the Polk Audio Ultrafocus 8000 was inconsistent. Some of the buttons responded by just clicking on the icon but the others required a firm press of the outer-rim. Therefore, the outer-rim is the default control mechanism, which is a very narrow band that's difficult to operate with large fingers or gloves. They are functional but not the most efficient or comfortable to use.

6.9
Design
Breathability
Avg.Temp.Difference 4.4 °C
5.9
Design
Portability
L 7.68"
W 7.87"
H 1.97"
Volume 118.88 in³
Transmitter Required N/A

Similarly to the DT 770, the Polk Audio UltraFocus 8000 are on the larger side for over ear headphones. The have large earcups that lay flat to take up less space making these headphones somewhat portable. Unfortunately, they don't fold up into a more compact format and will occupy a decent amount of space in a backpack. They won't comfortably fit in a handbag and are far too big to fit in a pocket, even larger jacket pockets.

7.5
Design
Case
Type Hard case
L 8.66"
W 8.66"
H 2.36"
Volume 177.16 in³

Comes with a hard case that will protect the headphones from scratches and falls. It will also shield them from minor water damage however it adds quite a bit of bulk to the headphones, making them less portable.

7.0
Design
Build Quality

Build quality for the Polk Audio Ultra Focus 8000 is good but not great. Good materials were used for the build, which is noticeable with the plush, padded ear cups, the padded and stylish headband and the metal frame that connects the joints. Unfortunately, they just don't feel as solid as higher-end models, the aforementioned metal frame being thin and a little creaky when extended.

6.5
Design
Stability

The Polk Audio UltraFocus 8000 are moderately stable headphones. They stay in place during casual listening sessions and have a detachable audio cable that will disconnect if it gets hooked on something. However, these headphones are not designed for sports and will quickly fall off your head while running or jumping.

Design
Headshots 1
Design
Headshots 2
Design
Top
Design
In The Box

  • Polk Audio UltraFocus 8000 Headphones
  • 1/8" to 1/4" Adapter
  • AAA Battery (x2)
  • Skype Adapter
  • Nokia Connection Adapter
  • External Attenuator
  • Audio cable
  • Carrying Case
  • Manual

Sound
Sound
Sound Profile
Bass Amount
1.53 dB
Treble Amount
-1.45 dB
7.5
Sound
Frequency Response Consistency
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.5 dB
Sound
Raw Frequency Response
8.8
Sound
Bass Accuracy
Std. Err.
1.67 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
10 Hz
Low-Bass
3.35 dB
Mid-Bass
0.46 dB
High-Bass
0.67 dB
9.3
Sound
Mid Accuracy
Std. Err.
0.92 dB
Low-Mid
0.3 dB
Mid-Mid
-0.52 dB
High-Mid
-0.22 dB
8.5
Sound
Treble Accuracy
Std. Err.
2.95 dB
Low-Treble
-0.7 dB
Mid-Treble
-3.88 dB
High-Treble
-1.27 dB
8.5
Sound
Peaks/Dips
Peaks
0.94 dB
Dips
1.04 dB
8.4
Sound
Imaging
Weighted Group Delay
0.16
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.91
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
2.03
Weighted Phase Mismatch
6.69
5.8
Sound
Soundstage
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
3.31 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
4.05 dB
PRTF Distance
12.38 dB
Openness
3.0
Acoustic Space Excitation
4.2
8.1
Sound
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.139
WHD @ 100
0.128
Isolation
7.0
Isolation
Noise Isolation
Isolation Audio
Overall Attenuation
-18.23 dB
Noise Cancelling Yes
Bass
-7.54 dB
Mid
-17.29 dB
Treble
-30.78 dB

Poor isolation performance overall. The passive isolation performance is average and typical. It starts at around 400Hz and reaches -30dB at around 3KHz. The active noise-cancellation doesn't add much. It gently starts at 50Hz and reaches -18dB at 700Hz.

6.7
Isolation
Leakage
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
41.35 dB

Excellent leakage performance. These headphones are performing on-par with in-ear headphones.

Microphone
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
No
In-line
Yes
Boom
No
Detachable Boom
N/A
Mic Yes
7.9
Microphone
Recording Quality
Recorded Speech
LFE
297.71 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
3.06 dB
HFE
11,830.81 Hz
Weighted THD
0.332
Gain
13 dB
6.0
Microphone
Noise Handling
Speech + Pink Noise
Speech + Subway Noise
SpNR
12.6 dB
Active Features
7.8
Active Features
Battery
Battery Type
AAA (X2)
Continuous Battery Life
47.2 hrs
Additional Charges
N/A
Total Battery Life
47.2 hrs
Charge Time
N/A
Power Saving Feature
No
Audio While Charging
N/A
Passive Playback
No
Charging Port N/A

The Polk Audio UltraFocus 8000 can last up to 47 hours of continuous playtime at average volumes. This means you won't have to change the triple AAA batteries throughout the day, which is great for long flights or road trips. Unfortunately, they do not have any battery saving features like an auto-off timer and can't be used passively to continue playing audio when the battery is completely drained.

0
Active Features
App Support
App Name N/A
iOS N/A
Android N/A
macOS N/A
Windows N/A
Equalizer
N/A
ANC Control
N/A
Mic Control N/A
Room effects
N/A
Playback Control
N/A
Button Mapping N/A
Surround Sound N/A

No compatible app.

Connectivity
0
Connectivity
Bluetooth
Bluetooth Version
N/A
Multi-Device Pairing
N/A
NFC Pairing
N/A
Line of Sight Range
N/A
Default Latency
N/A
aptX Latency
N/A
aptX(LL) Latency
N/A
0
Connectivity
Non-Bluetooth Wireless
Non-BT Line of Sight Range
N/A
Non-BT Latency
N/A
9.5
Connectivity
Wired
Analog Audio
Yes
USB Audio
No
Detachable Yes
Length 4.5 ft
Connection 1/16"TRRS
Wired Latency
0 ms
Connectivity
PC / PS4 Compatibility
PC / PS4 Analog
Audio + Microphone
PC / PS4 Wired USB
No
PC / PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
Connectivity
Xbox One Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
Audio Only
Xbox One Wired USB
No
Xbox One Wireless
No
0
Connectivity
Base/Dock
Type
N/A
USB Input
N/A
Line In
N/A
Line Out
N/A
Optical Input
N/A
RCA Input
N/A
Dock Charging
N/A
Power Supply
N/A