Ultimate Ears 700, is it good?

The UE 700 ist good, but whether it is good FOR YOU is highly dependend on your personal taste. 170 USD is about the regular price of it. But whether you get a fake or not depends on the seller. I would never buy headphones on ebay due to the high likelihood to get a fake.

You are describing the Head-direct/HifiMan RE0 perfectly -- lean, crystal clear, balanced, smooth gorgeous highs, bass that is accurate and deep when needed, but perfectly balanced with the rest of the spectrum.  You will not regret buying them at $80 USD.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by yliu 

I want brighter sounding earphones, with less warn sound, and less bass (recently I bought the IE8 and the Image X10 which is all warm, and bassy). So now when I put on a bassy earphone (especially the CX300) I feel a little sick (seriously!). I want dry, airy, and clean sound, with less (or neutral) bass.

 

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by yliu 

I want brighter sounding earphones, with less warn sound, and less bass (recently I bought the IE8 and the Image X10 which is all warm, and bassy). So now when I put on a bassy earphone (especially the CX300) I feel a little sick (seriously!). I want dry, airy, and clean sound, with less (or neutral) bass.

 

and it's not from ebay, its an online retailer, and I have to order it and I have to wait for weeks :(

UEs are little dark and warm sounding, definitely more bass than neutral..yeah I don't think you'd want them.
 

I haven't tried the X10s, but the UE 700s are definitely brighter than the IE8s.  Due to their small size, their minimal microphonics, their good isolation (Comply tips), their better than ER4S bass, and reasonable price, these are a pretty good deal.  I end up reaching for these on a fairly regular basis when I'm exercising.  I definitely use these more than the IE8s.

go get Audeo PFE, you wont regret it

Distortion at lower volumes? I had them for a while and didn't notice anything of the sort. What I did notice was that they sounded pretty horrible with my iPod Touch. It was as if half of each frequency was missing, they sounded tinny and harsh and just yuck. But when I used them with any of my Sony daps, they sounded a lot better, not great, but better. In my opinion, they need a warm dap to even out the brightness.

Quote:

Originally Posted by yliu 

ok, its getting confusing now. Half of you say it sucks, and half says its very good.

uhmmm................................................

That's why you need to hear them for yourself. They sound different with different daps, and it's not a subtle difference. Doesn't matter how many opinions you read, you won't know what they sound like until you use them with your own dap and your own files. I know someone who's using them with a J3 and really likes the combination, but they don't like it with the Sony S639 because it's quite a bright dap and accentuates the treble (which the UE's don't need!).
 

I run the UE 700s directly from my Ipod Classic 6G.  I just ran them from my Iphone 3GS at low volume without noticing any low volume distortion.  Their sound signature does change a bit at lower volumes as the bass seems to recede a tad faster than the treble.  This is common in many IEMs or floor standing speakers for that matter.  When I listened to the same cut with my MTPCs, a more bassy IEM, the bass was still prevalent at lower volumes.

To my ears, the UE 700s are not harsh, but they are bright.  I use the Comply tips for maximum isolation and comfort.

As was mentioned, it doesn't matter how many oppinions you read, only your ears will tell you how much you like a particular set of IEMs.  It's best to read a wide range of reviews from individuals who have listened to a wide range of equipment.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kmhaynes 

You are describing the Head-direct/HifiMan RE0 perfectly -- lean, crystal clear, balanced, smooth gorgeous highs, bass that is accurate and deep when needed, but perfectly balanced with the rest of the spectrum.  You will not regret buying them at $80 USD.
 

x2, they compete quite well with my MTPC at 1/3 of the price.