[shigzeo]

i find it out of hand. 2 was perfect. 3 is merely a monitor. they are no more fun to listen to. i gave up on multiple driver iems - i prefer sound in the atrio m5 - one driver, fun to listen to and no stupid snob appeal - or price appeal. a faulty market

Quote:

Originally Posted by robm321 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just about all headphones have 1 driver and don't have the muddled problem you mention. Which brings up the question: Why do IEMs have so many drivers while headphones continue to just have 1? hmmm. ~~~~ Now we just need to know the price - $1,500 ?

ety has one driver, so too do jays - they sound good but a bit highish. the good dynammic driver based iems sound very good - no need for more. with more drivers means that you must balance the sound more - up the production cost and potentially lower the sound quality whilst telling everyone it will be perfect.

it is just like computers except that there isn't a real satisfaction guarantee by ugrading to 'higher performance'

 

[choomanchoo]

UE-11 or Westone's 3, It's a race of debut dates

 

[SONGsanmanwah]

Fierce competition up there. The custom Westone 3 will definitely affect by this.

Personally I don't think cramming more drivers into earphones that good of an idea. A hybrid IEM with dynamic driver for bass and balanced armature for higher register is a lot more interesting IMO.

 

[skev13]

When they are able to integrate sandwich-making abilities to a pair of IEM's, then i'll definately buy one.

 

[shigzeo]

that is one of the best ideas i have heard... good on you mate

 

[flashbak]

Jeeze, since when did some of you folks get your engineering degrees? UE is not a fly by night company folks. I'm sure their engineers took alot of time testing and designing with measurable results that proved to them that 4 drivers did a better job of reproducing the audio spectrum.

 

[unclejr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by flashbak /img/forum/go_quote.gif Jeeze, since when did some of you folks get your engineering degrees? UE is not a fly by night company folks. I'm sure their engineers took alot of time testing and designing with measurable results that proved to them that 4 drivers did a better job of reproducing the audio spectrum.

While your point is well taken, companies are certainly not immune to making marketing/industry trend/profit based decisions.

There's bound to be some non-trivial ratio of folks who think it sounds "perfect," "amazing," and "mind-boggling" to those who think it sounds pedestrian and over-hyped.

And thus Zanth has said it best:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zanth /img/forum/go_quote.gif Exactly. Without listening to them, I won't pass judgment, but there is certainly a stream of audiophiles who fully believe that SET's and horns are the way to go. Less is more they say. Many believe Etys outdo multi-driver IEMs. The more drivers, the more crossovers the more points of failure and the greater possibility of sonic issues. Of course, the extra driver can lessen the load of other drivers and perhaps provide a nice aural experience.

 

[xinoxide]

i just dont liek the idea of crossovers, especially being so small.

im not saying they wont be made well. but im not one to risk a purchase.

 

[The_Duke_Of_Eli]

It would be nice to get some more detailed price confirmation. Like will this replace the UE-10s? Because if you're already dropping 900$ for a triple driver, you'd be crazy not to go for another driver for another bill unless there's some glaring flaw or difference.

I think iLounge says it best, and in the process saves me from a minor rant:

"...the only question is whether anyone will be able to afford it."

~Lucky Jude.

 

[The Monkey]

I would like to win a pair.

 

[IPodPJ]

Jesus....

I thought the quad-driver idea was inconclusive based on the true 3-way driver model that Jude has.

Did they decide to change it to quad-drivers? Or is that review perhaps older than the UE-11 that Jude has? Or is Jude's UE-11 older than the one in that review?

Can we get any details from UE to confirm whether the UE-11 is going to be a true 3-way or indeed a quad?

Whatever it turns out to be, I have no doubt whatsoever that it will completely crap all over the competition. And rightfully it should at that price.

And just when I was starting to appreciate full-size cans... LOL!

 

[Aevum]

the real question is, is this going to make the super.fi and triple.fi cheaper ?

 

[IPodPJ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aevum /img/forum/go_quote.gif the real question is, is this going to make the super.fi and triple.fi cheaper ?

Extremely doubtful, but possible. If anything, the marketing hype would push up sales of UE products in general. In turn, this will continue to allow UE to deliver great new products to us in the future. I wouldn't expect to see a price drop on the Triple.Fi anytime soon, especially when they haven't even officially released their production line (which is quite a shame). The increased product awareness might drive down the price of the super.fi 5 pro a little though.

I think this quad-driver product was initially a response to the unofficial pissing contest between Shure, UE, Westone, and Etymotic. Just like someone here mentioned, it's similar to the idea of the Gilette Mach 5 razor. Consumers see MORE, so therefore it must be better. (but everyone knows the Sensor Excel is still the best Gilette razor, LOL

)
However, the result: We get an amazing product from a quality company like Ultimate Ears that puts a lot of time into R&D. Ok, well that will only be proven in time. But I highly doubt they would release a more expensive custom IEM than their flagship product and have it not sound as good.

I merely offer the suggestion that they increase the comfort, fit, and aesthetics of their universal line.

 

[kelvinz]

I'll be very interested to see what kind of improvements 4 drivers make

 

[jude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by IPodPJ /img/forum/go_quote.gif Jesus.... I thought the quad-driver idea was inconclusive based on the true 3-way driver model that Jude has. Did they decide to change it to quad-drivers? Or is that review perhaps older than the UE-11 that Jude has? Or is Jude's UE-11 older than the one in that review? Can we get any details from UE to confirm whether the UE-11 is going to be a true 3-way or indeed a quad? Whatever it turns out to be, I have no doubt whatsoever that it will completely crap all over the competition. And rightfully it should at that price. And just when I was starting to appreciate full-size cans... LOL!

I'm sorry I've been quiet about this the last few days, guys, but I've been busy at work. I'm still not going to say much here right now, but not in the interest of being mysterious or evasive, but only because it's 0547, and I haven't slept yet.

First of all, I'm sorry if I caused some confusion about the UE-11 I have. Previously (in another thread) I said the following:

Quote:

Originally Posted by jude (with emphasis by me) /img/forum/go_quote.gif ....How close is my set to what will be production? I actually don't know for sure, but I do think the UE-11 I have is, if I understand correctly, pretty much what the final product is expected to be. What I'll say right now is that the UE-11 I have is a true three-way custom in-ear. It also has a thinner, much more supple cable than either my UE-10 Pro or Triple.Fi 10 Pro. Again, I'll say more later. My avatar actually wasn't the first confirmation of an actual UE-11, this article was.

And then I said this:

Quote:

Originally Posted by jude /img/forum/go_quote.gif At least one of the three drivers (per side) is also different than my UE-10 Pro.

Regarding the my first quote: The UE-11 is a true three-way design. That means two distinct crossover points, as opposed to just one. Though the UE-10 Pro has three drivers, two of the drivers in the are the same--so the UE-10 Pro driver complement is two low, and a single high, with a single crossover point.

Regarding my second quote: Sorry for the confusion, but the UE-11 I have is a four-driver design. Though looking into the UE-11, one sees what looks like three driver boxes, one of those boxes is a dual armature piece fused together in one housing unit. I believe that one is the low driver. Then I believe the next driver up is a low/mid driver. Then the third box (containing the fourth driver) is the high.

I've been told that what I'm hearing is what the UE-11 will sound like in production--and I'll say more about its sound later.

Right now, I have to sleep.