[beauxrichards]

UE unveiled their new flagship CIEM today. The UE PRO 18+ 

http://www.head-fi.org/t/829098/ultimate-ears-unveils-the-new-ue-pro-18
 
Here's a bit from that post which is an interview with:
 
Philippe Depallens (General Manager), Mike Dias (Sales & Marketing Director), Vincent Liu (Product Development) and Joe Saggio (Engineer) from the Ultimate Ears team
Q: What is the UE 18+ Pro?

Philippe: The UE 18+ Pro is the brand’s new flagship model and the culmination of UE Pro’s 20 years of experience. This new monitor gives you the best of the previous flagship model, the UE 18 PRO, but adds UE Pro’s proprietary True Tone drivers to a redesigned acoustic system. This means you get more detail, air and spacing in your music, leaving a silky, smooth and clear sound.

Q: Why did Ultimate Ears Pro decide to create this product?

Vincent: The UE 18 PROs have been our flagship model for many years. However, in the past few years, UE Pro has pioneered great technical innovations, such as True Tone Drivers and our precision tuned sound engine. We wanted to apply our pioneering technology to our flagship model. Therefore, we created the UE 18+ Pro, our latest flagship model – a reimagined version of the UE 18 PRO.

Q: What are True Tone drivers?

Joe: True Tone drivers are proprietary balanced armatures  that focus on the overtones and harmonics, so that you can hear and feel the emotional qualities of the music.

Q: Who was the UE 18+ Pro created for?

Vincent: The UE 18+ Pro was created for musicians of all kinds. Below are a few ways this flagship model can be experienced depending on musician type. Vocalists will notice a warmer and less “spikey” sound, guitarists will get a more natural, less crispy sound, bass players will experience a strong  warm bass response, and Music lovers will experience more detail to their music than ever.

Q: How is the UE 18+ Pro different from the UE 18 PRO?

Mike: Thanks to UE Pro’s proprietary True Tone drivers and optimized sound engine in the UE 18+ Pro, the sound is more alive and open, working even better as a live tool. The new flagship continues to use a 4-way crossover, but adds a newly designed bandpass filter on midrange drivers and highly customized, extended frequency response tweeters.



 
Specs:
 
A: Below are the technical specs.

1.     18+ Impedance
2.     Measured with Tenma 72-6948 Audio Impedance Meter
3.    18+ Impedance @ 1kHz = 37.5 Ohms
4.     18 Impedance @ 1kHz = 25 Ohms
5.     18+ Sensitivity
   1.         Measured with:
   2.         Newly Calibrated system
   3.         SMAART RTA
   4.         IEC-711 Coupler
   5.         U24XL Audio Interface
   6.         SM Audio HP6E headphone Amplifier
   7.          Oscilloscope - validated HP6E voltage stimulus
      1.          18+ Sensitivity; 1kHz, 100mV = 100dB SPL unweighted
      2.          18 Sensitivity: 1kHz, 100mV = 106dB SPL unweighted

 
The impedance/sensitivity increase provide the following benefits:*

1.           Less noise floor heard from source device @ volume = low/off
2.           Easier to drive across source devices (Line Drive effect)
3.           this renders a response closer to designed when not using Line Drive
4.          Turning volume level up a bit takes one further away from the noise of a device and improves signal to noise ratio (esoteric but something of note)

 

[beauxrichards]

Reveiws are already starting to come in.
Ultimate Ears UE 18+ Pro: Our first take

Read more: http://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/ultimate-ears-ue-18-pro-first-impressions/#ixzz4Sv1qlTkT 

These are the $1,500 custom headphones you want to listen to on your deathbed

 

I’ll never forget my first love in the Ultimate Ears Pro’s catalog, the RM. But the UE 18+’s warm and savory flavors melded with all the detail, intimacy, and textural exposure I could handle, and these headphones have given me that warm and fuzzy feeling all over again. Those looking for an uncompromising in-ear monitor with a luscious touch of ruddy color throughout the frequency spectrum will want to think hard about investing in the UE 18+.

Read more: http://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/ultimate-ears-ue-18-pro-first-impressions/#ixzz4Sv0zap43 

 

[beauxrichards]

From BARKS - Japan Music Network. 
 

https://www.barks.jp/news/?id=1000136117

 

[Andreeww]

Waiting for these on massdrop

 

[Andreeww]

Does anyone have the phone number of Irvine office? I was there yesterday but couldn't get in.

 

[olddude]

cgeller@ultimateears.com
 
jcoffey@ultimateears.com
 
UE Pro Customer Service (Custom In-Ear Monitors Only): 800-589-6531
 
They are open today according to their site.  Yesterday was a holiday for a lot of businesses as Xmas was Sunday.

 

[headwhacker]

It's very quiet here. Just wondering why nobody talks much about this iem. I find this iem having the best chracteristics of what other iems have. Clarity, details, resolution and deep bass impact. So far most iems I have/tried may excel at one thing but comes out short on other things. Clear detailed iems may lack deep bass quantity and impact and vise versa. While I find the ue18+ excel in resolution and clarity but still have the deep bass.

Overall I also find the overall presentation very natural and fun sounding without missing any details or clarity. It sure does need more power than a typical CIEM. I had to set my LPG to high gain to get the most out of it. On DX200, low gain is enough but the volume is always near max level of 135 - 145.

 

[olddude]

I run my UERM (same basic iem) at the same approx.volume levels as my Angie with no issues.  Usually mid-70's to mid-80's depending on source material.  This is from an AK240SS.  Not sure why your LPG needs to put out so much more power.  

 

[Bastianpp]

It's very quiet here. Just wondering why nobody talks much about this iem. I find this iem having the best chracteristics of what other iems have. Clarity, details, resolution and deep bass impact. So far most iems I have/tried may excel at one thing but comes out short on other things. Clear detailed iems may lack deep bass quantity and impact and vise versa. While I find the ue18+ excel in resolution and clarity but still have the deep bass.

Overall I also find the overall presentation very natural and fun sounding with missing any details or clarity. It sure does need more power than a typical CIEM. I had to set my LPG to high gain to get the most out of it. On DX200, low gain is enough but the volume is always near max level of 135 - 145.

the 18+ pro missing details and clarity?
Well... you found a bad part of your iem...

 

[headwhacker]

 
the 18+ pro missing details and clarity?
Well... you found a bad part of your iem...

ah sorry, just a typo, it should be "without missing any details..."

 

[Bastianpp]

  ah sorry, just a typo, it should be "without missing any details..."

how to the match with dx200? u can make a review please?, we need a review

 

[Lucif6r6th]

how to the match with dx200? u can make a review please?, we need a review

I had a short demo with it.
The bass hits absurdly low with the DX200. Very transparent and detailed throughout.

 

[Wyville]

 
how to the match with dx200? u can make a review please?, we need a review

A review will come as part of the shootout: http://www.head-fi.org/t/826876/ranking-the-stars-flinkenicks-2017-iem-flagship-shootout
 
I am certainly looking forward to it, despite the fact that I can't afford the UE18+ pro at this point in time.

 

[headwhacker]

 
how to the match with dx200? u can make a review please?, we need a review

I feel that UE18+ needs a resolving/neutral source. DX200 is a very good match. LPG sounds  good too but it feels like it loses out on the low-end details against DX200. UE18+ is like a combination of the best trait of different iems I have. Very clear, resolving mids and high liks my 333/NT-6 and the very deep, detailed and full lows like my t8iemkii.

 

[Andreeww]

Finally got them. Very satisfied