Pros: They do everything extremely well.
Cons: Customs take some getting used to.
I've been toying around with getting a set of in-ear customs for a long time. I caught the write-ups in my audio rags about UE's new product and jumped all over them.
I'm a video editor, but I also do a lot of music and mixing, writing, directing, and anything else that has to do with entertainment production. It's like UE decided to custom build a pair of in-ear headphones just for me. Thanks guys, much appreciated.
The super-secret reveal here-- I figured they'd make for pretty good listening, too. Oh yeah!
I don't have any experience with IE custom monitors prior to this. I've had about every model of universal buds Shure ever made-- and my favorite pair prior were the e4Cs. I had the e5's but they hurt the ear after an hour or so. The I owned one pair of UE's in the past, and was disappointed in their construction. They were pretty much toast within a year.
No worries with the UERM's. These things are built well. I opted for translucent black. Something about clear and in-ear made me think of gross ear wax I never wanted to face. The black is pretty striking. I also did double Capitol logos.
The customs take some getting used to. Mine hurt at first. After a week things chilled out. There was a time I considered taking them back for a re-fit.
Sound quality-- well that's what these are all about. The soundstage is a sensation. There's a three dimensional depth to the sound I've never before experienced in a headphone. Some of you who have a bunch of IE customs are either laughing or nodding right now-- like -- yeah-- this guy's getting it. Brilliant highs. That's where these really shine. I notice transients-- particularly in passages with great natural reverb. So open and extended.
The one common criticism I ran into about this model was the lack of bass. Well-- that's not really the case-- the bass is there, it's just tight as hell. I mean-- REALLY tight. Like you can hear the skins on the drums stretching and retreating. You can hear the fingers slip across the bass strings. The low thump is there, but there is no looseness whatsoever.. They're just ridiculously accurate-- almost comically so. Sure if you're just listening-- dial a little bass in to extend it-- but for true work-- they're genius. You don't want that extension there when you're trying to figure out what you're listening to.
You might get the sense that I like these by now... Indeed.
I knock the design a bit, because-- let's face it-- there's nothing sexy about the shape of your ear canal. But the box they come in is smashing-- and has my name printed on it-- but the buds have a hard time fitting inside, so I bought a Pelican case. It's waterproof anyway-- a good way to protect my thousand dollar investment.
My and my UE's are going to be married for a long time.
