Ultimate Ears UE-x Pro Custom; Appreciation, Review & Discussion thread - Page 2

Received my UE 11's today!

A few bubbles visible, but the surfaces are pretty much all smooth.  The fit and seal is great for both so far, and it looks like I can open and close my jaw without feeling any discomfort.  If I move my jaw side to side, I do feel them press against my ear canal, but they stay in snugly.

I'll post impressions after a little more listening, but I'm very happy with the UE11's so far.  

Hmmmm...

either my ear canals are really small, or it's a UE18 design, because mine's only a single large bore with the plastic tube thing.

See this picture; the only thing that separate the low & high "channels" (?) is a roughly-cut tube.

While I've been giving my JH13Pro and ES5 the most love lately, I saw this thread and decided to pull out my UE11Pro and listen for a while tonight.  

I still enjoy the UE11Pro, and while the bass is fairly strong I'm finding that my new DACmini has very good synergy with them and does a good job of handling the bass and not letting it get to be too much most of the time.  The UE11Pro also sounded great from my WA6 when I did my flagship custom IEM review in 2009, and I think that the DACmini is probably on a similar level with them.  

I think with some older rock music like Pink Floyd, and Neal Young I am having more fun with the UE11Pro's bass than with the other IEM.  Infected Mushroom is also pretty glorious with these.  But I was listening to some Shota Osabe Piano Trio (Happy Coat) and the acoustic string bass still hits like it's been amplified electronically, and it's just a little too much (more than called for).

They still have great clarity, detail, speed, transparency, and soundstage.  With the right source and amp they can still do a great job, and with some recordings they can really excel.

Mine look like beer filled mugs with foam on top.

UE Reference Monitors:

I'm not big on writing reviews so I will keep it (sorta) brief and let you read the other full reviews out there, as my impressions regarding SQ are very similar.  To echo what the other fellas said on this thread:
- The cable is fantastic.  It's like the one on the Westone 4s except almost 2x thick; yet equally supple.
- The fit is so good and precise.  If you move your jaw or tilt your head straight up you will feel the pressure change inside of your ear canal.  And yes, you can take your pulse just by wearing these things.
- Insertion is faster than universals, especially if you use foamies.  Once you put the tips into your ears and give them that quarter turn they literally settle in like a puzzle piece.  Done.  No further twisting or waiting for foam to expand, and no re-seating after your ear canal gets humid or the cable gets tugged.  (Note:  Some people use lube for the insertion; definitely not needed for me.)  I can go either way on the memory wire.  I think I actually prefer it by a small margin because it seems to distribute the strain on the cable along a bigger area.  BTW, I wear glasses most of the time.
- The build quality of these is incredible.  Compared to my Westones and TF10s, for you camera guys it's like comparing a Canon Rebel to an EOS-1.  These things are like little rocks.  They have no seams and they're much larger than universals.  When you put them in your ears they fit flush and do not stick out.  Mine had a few small bubbles, the bores are not perfectly identical, and UE does some REALLY good photographic work on their website.  But I'll chalk all of that up to the handmade nature of these things.  The other thing I appreciate about the build is that the outer logos seem like they are underneath the acrylic.  This is nice because they will never scratch, rub off, or fill up with crud over time.

The sound- what everyone else said:  Neutral!  They do nothing wrong and are so even across the board that they can come across as (I'm trying really hard not to say 'boring')… invisible?  Think of a proper DAC or amplifier.  Generally speaking (but depending upon the user's preference or goal) their job is to convey the music as it was recorded.  That's what these IEMs are like.  I'm not saying that you'll confuse them for the real thing, but you feel as though you are listening to the music and not the equipment.  It's almost easy to take these things for granted because you just say to yourself, "Yeah- that's what it's supposed to sound like.  So what?"  ...Until you go back to slightly lesser IEMs and then you know how good these things really are.  

A few quick listening notes:
Pat Coil "Escape Clause": Good sense of ---space--- and micro details throughout.
Elton John "Rocket Man": Instrument separation and vocal placement is dead on.
Moby "Everloving": Bass line at the end is both powerful and well-defined.
Tower of Power "Squib Cakes": Again- instrument separation and stage depth; ride cymbals sound so natural!
Rush "The Spirit of Radio": TF10s put Getty Lee in the back of the room, Westone 4s take away some of the bite from the percussion, UE RMs deliver it all.

^ My ears are not the same size! 

Oh… and to answer a question I had before getting these, "Do the actual customs sound that much better than the universal custom demo units?"-  No comparison.  I think the $64k question is:  Top end universals (W4, SE535, SM3, etc.) or pay a bit more and get UE 4/5 Pros with custom fit (for sound and convenience) and unsurpassed build quality?  If you are out there bobcn,  I know you ordered a set of these and I can't wait to hear your impressions.  Please be sure to post!

^ UE Custom cable (white) next to Westone 4 cable.

I'm not even sure if I should say this, but mine came with the 1/4" adapter and attenuator.  It's the same one that comes with the TF10s.  But like you said, no biggie. 

The packaging is nice.  I was really impressed by the magnetic flap on the outer black fiberboard case.  I never use the OEM supplied cases and I'm not starting now.    The case is quite nice with the printed name and it looks almost military stealth-like.  But it is a little big just for carrying around and it doesn't have an air tight seal.  I bought a re-usable desiccant pack (because I'm insane) and planned on using it.  So I might go with a Pelican box or something similar.

Mkubota1,

It is often said on these forum threads that (high-end) customs destroy all (high-end) universal IEMs or that the difference is night and day, one blows the other out of the water, and so on - I happen to disagree with this view. Do your new UE Reference Monitors, in your view, destroy your W4s or other top-tier universals SQ-wise? Very nice photos, BTW!

@ HeadphoneAddict: for direct setup from ipod, which one is your favourite and why ? thanks b4

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mkubota1 

I'm not even sure if I should say this, but mine came with the 1/4" adapter and attenuator.  It's the same one that comes with the TF10s.  But like you said, no biggie. 

 

 

The packaging is nice.  I was really impressed by the magnetic flap on the outer black fiberboard case.  I never use the OEM supplied cases and I'm not starting now.    The case is quite nice with the printed name and it looks almost military stealth-like.  But it is a little big just for carrying around and it doesn't have an air tight seal.  I bought a re-usable desiccant pack (because I'm insane) and planned on using it.  So I might go with a Pelican box or something similar.

You could also purchase the smaller travel case from UE for $20.  It's much more convenient than the large one with the slider latch and is only slightly larger than the silver case that comes with the TF10's. 

In regards to the UE customs cable: I prefer the way it's braided as opposed to the way the Westone cables are braided. If you twist the Westone cables counter clock wise, they can become undone, whereas, the UE cables can't. You can twist them any way, and they'll be the same. Different, but better braiding technique.

Also wanted to note that as far as isolation goes, the Etymotics are still better. With the music off, if there are people talking in the room, I can still hear them. With my Ety's, I can be throwing stuff on the table and wont hear a thing. My Ety's are still my champions for airplanes. :D

Mkubota1,

Nice write up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mkubota1 

I'm not even sure if I should say this, but mine came with the 1/4" adapter and attenuator.  It's the same one that comes with the TF10s.  But like you said, no biggie. 

When I saw tengen's comment about not receiving a 1/4" adapter with his UE18s , I thought I was going to have to go out and buy one.  But I remembered seeing it on the UE web page, so I double checked.  It's listed on the 'Specifications' tab for the UERM (and maybe elsewhere as well).  It looks like the UERMs are the only UE customs that come with an adapter.

I just checked the UPS tracking page.  My UERMs are listed as 'Out For Delivery'

Quote:

Originally Posted by music_4321 

I do have a set of UE cables for my ES3X as stated above.

 

Check this link. The 2nd & 4th cables (from the top) are meant for 'standard' custom IEMs, ie the same connectors as those used with Westone ES cables and older UE cables. I have the 4th (64" clear) cable.

The 1st and 3rd are only meant for the newer UE customs (built after Feb/ March 2010). People with older UE customs (UE10/ UE11), and built before Feb/ March 2010, should get the 2nd or 4th.

 

From rawrster: Hey music_4321, thanks for the link! And thanks for clarifying that for me. I think I'll be ordering one of those UE cables pretty soon.