Reviews by crashtest33

crashtest33

Member of the Trade (Cable maker)
Pros: Musicality, Warmth, Clarity, Value
Cons: Understated Bass presence, Vocal inconsistencies, Lack of upper-treble
The Obravo ERIB-7
By Crashtest33
ERIB7 03.jpg

The world’s first planar-magnetic hybrid IEM

Why?

Spend enough time exploring this glorious hobby and you will come to know the incredibly open, expansive and fresh sound of planar-magnetic headphones. This technology is usually exclusive to open-backed, large over-ear cans but not any more! Imagine the technology in a small IEM unit!


Who?


My name's Nick. I live in Cambridge, UK and I've been a music nut my entire life. The son of a music teacher and formidable pianist and singer, I've been exposed to music of all genres for as long as I can remember. I first dabbled in hifi in my late teens ending up with a Monitor Audio and Denon-based system which was featured in 'Home Cinema Choice' magazine.
A semi-detached home purchase put an end to music listening on loudspeakers so my good friend Kevin from 'Sevenoaks', Cambridge suggested I try listening to some headphones. I owned an iPod 5.5g but required some more fidelity. I spent a modest amount and built my first rig consisting of a CF modded iPod 7G, an iBasso amp and a pair of AKG K450s. The rest is history.


What?

Obravo of Taiwan have created a range of dynamic/planar-magnetic hybrid, universal-fit IEM's. As soon as I discovered this, I bombarded poor Phil of 'Audio Concierge' with emails requesting a demo. Phil obliged and sent me the 7, the middle size of the three available. It comprises of a 7mm dynamic driver and the all important planar-magnetic tweeter.
Have they succeeded? Let's find out.


Test Equipment:

Hiby R3 DAP.

Balanced, SE & LO 3.5mm. Digital micro-USB Out. Single ES9028Q2M DAC (THD+N = 116db)

Chord Mojo FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) DAC

Vorzüge Pure II+ Headphone Amp
3.5mm SE Output (SNR = 110db, 320mW x2 into 32 Ohm)

Obravo ERIB-7 Courtesy of Audio Concierge, UK.
https://www.audioconcierge.co.uk/


Unboxing - 4/5


ERIB7 01.png
The earphones are presented in a soft, fabric pouch. It is felt-lined and is heavily textured which provides some protection from abrasion. A heavier blow will result in damage to the units though. I would be happy to store the earphones in this pouch in a pocket or top of a bag.



ERIB7 02.png
Once you open the pouch, you are presented with the IEM's and cable. The cable is non-removable.


Build Quality - 5/5


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A great quality, anodised grey 3.5mm straight jack plug terminates the fabric braided cable.

ERIB7 03.jpg
The IEM bodies are made from anodised, polished aluminium and finished in a very smart looking cobalt gunmetal grey.

Fit & feel - 4/5


Microphonics!! Yes, the braided cable is a tad prone to a bit of rustling. This was alleviated by running the cable over the ear however I would recommend a rubber ear loop for this. None was provided with my sample pair.
Tip-rolling will become a new hobby with these IEM's. Not necessarily a bad thing as getting it right greatly improves the sound. I usually use foams on my universal fit IEM's but they absorbed too much of the sound. I switched to a soft rubber/foam filled custom tip I made and that seemed to get the best seal and sound I could find.


Sound - 3.5/5

ERIB7 04.jpg

Signature

The ERIB-7 is unlike any IEM you've heard before. It definitely has the voicing of a planar-magnetic headphone. The spacing is wide in the upper register. Vocals are clear and smooth as silk.
The really interesting character of this IEM came in it’s ‘M’ shaped signature.

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Bass

Sub-Bass is definitely understated. It's there somewhere, in the background, just going about it business. Possible having a tea party 3 miles away with the high-hats (which we'll get to). It's controlled and precise but isn't gonna blow any windows out. Then, as the frequency increases, it climbs slowly out of the nether regions and presents itself to the listener with a sort of 'sorry I'm late' kind of vibe. 'Clean Bandits' 24 Hours provides a perfect example of this.

Mids/Vocals

Right in the middle of vocals ranging from Baritone to Tenor is a fair sized hump. If you're listening to predominantly Bass/Baritone vocalists like Louis Armstrong, Leonard Cohen or Tom Waits, the vocals are good if a little muddy. They bleach ever so slightly with the upper bass instrumentals and loose clarity causing a bit of incohesion.
Luckily, Tenor/Soprano vocalists are presented beautifully. 'Passenger's' David is refined, clear and rich. It’s in this vocal range where the Planar-Magnetic tweeter starts to blend with the 7mm dynamic driver and the two work in harmony giving a resolved and very musical, warm rendition.
The only real issue comes with vocalists who span the frequency 'mound'. Sting, John Mayer and George Ezra cause the ERIB-7 some issues. The dynamic difference is clear and slightly irritating after a while. This is a bit of a shame. Most 'great' singers have a huge vocal range and the 'hump' sits right in the middle of it. Frank Sinatra, Beth Hart and Freddie Mercury are also harder to enjoy because this.
Now, before you panic, it may be very possible to alleviate this with more in-depth tip rolling, but during a moderately short demo I struggled to find a comfortable solution.

Treble

The treble follows a reversed pattern of the Bass. Soprano vocals and high-pitched instrumentals really make use of the planar-magnetic technology. They are expansive, extremely clear and bright without a hint of harshness. Then as we go higher, the volume drops and the treble disappears into the distance like a bird migration in an autumn sky.

Overall


The Obravo ERIB-7’s are warm, expansive and extremely musical. They’re easy to listen to with the right track selection and are extremely good value for money.
They make interesting use of the planar-magnetic technology but would benefit from further development and refinement to flatten the frequency curve and provide a more balanced and versatile listening experience.

Massive thanks to Phil @ Audio Concierge!
Get it contact via the web or on Facebook.

Nick.
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crashtest33

Member of the Trade (Cable maker)
Pros: Sound-stage, vocal presence, fidelity, clarity, SQ, build, value.
Cons: Bass may be lacking for some.
The Ultimate Ears Reference Remastered
By Crashtest33


Have I finally found what I'm looking for?

Why?

Choice of headphone comes down to more than just sound, and the changing of life and work circumstances can perpetuate the process. For some time I've been after a headphone that not only sounds great but best suits my current home and work life. After several months of reading, testing and pondering, I pulled the plug on the 'Ultimate Ears Reference Remastered'. I feel I've made the right choice and here's why.


Who?


My name's Nick. I live in Cambridge, UK and I've been a music nut my entire life. The son of a music teacher and formidable pianist and singer, I've been exposed to music of all genres for as long as I can remember. I first dabbled in hifi in my late teens ending up with a Monitor Audio and Denon-based system which was featured in 'Home Cinema Choice' magazine.
A semi-detached home purchase put an end to music listening on loudspeakers so my good friend Kevin from 'Sevenoaks', Cambridge suggested I try listening to some headphones. I owned an iPod 5.5g but required some more fidelity. I spent a modest amount and built my first rig consisting of a CF modded iPod 7G, an iBasso amp and a pair of AKG K450s. The rest is history.


What?

As life circumstances changed my Focal Spirit Classic and later Focal Elears became redundant to requirement and I needed some more portable IEM's. I used the incredible sound-per-pound Dunu DN-1000s for about 3 months but never really enjoyed the music as much as the Focal's. I was really after an IEM with the fidelity and soundstage that I assumed only an over-ear headphone could provide. After a few messages and posts on here, it became apparent that I would require a CIEM (custom in-ear monitor) and a formidable one at that.


The UE Reference Remastered,...


I remembered the superb announcement video that Jude produced on Head-Fi TV and the very premise appealed to me even at the time of it's release. A neutral Hi-fidelity studio mastering monitor, tuned to replicate the juggernaut PMC QB1-A studio active monitors newly installed at Capitol Studios?! This sounded extremely exciting. Now, off the bat I will admit, I'm not a bass-head and not a massive fan of V-shaped sound signatures so this would make me look at the RR perhaps more than others who may not even contemplate giving them a listen.


Test Equipment:

iBasso DX120 DAP.

Balanced, SE & LO 3.5mm. Digital 3.5mm Coax Out. Single AKM AK4495 DAC (THD+N = 111db)

Pro-Ject DAC Box S FL non-oversampling DAC
TDA1543 x 4

Vorzüge Pure II+ Headphone Amp
3.5mm SE Output (SNR = 110db, 320mW x2 into 32 Ohm)




Testing, Ordering and unboxing - 5/5


Before even contemplating a CIEM, I first checked to see if I had a dealer near me. As it turns out, I'm a short blast down the A10 from 'The Custom IEM Co. Ltd.' in Ware, Hertfordshire here in the UK. I called Paul and booked myself for a listening session with as many CIEM's within my budget. These ranged from the JH Audio 3x and UE Pro 5 to the UE RR, Empire Ears Bravado and 64 Audio A3e.
I took my portable rig and spent about two and a half hours trying out the various universal fit versions of the CIEMs.
Once I was decided on the UE RR (I will explain why later), I booked back in with Paul (a qualified CIEM fitting technician) to have my ear canals and drums examined and ear impressions taken. We decided on a colour scheme/design I was happy with and parted with my money.
Later that afternoon, Paul would place my ear impressions in a 3D, hi-res scanner and email the CAD files directly to Ultimate Ears in the States.
After 12 days I received an email from Paul saying my CIEM's were in stock and he'd carried out his own personal QC checks and they were in the post to me Special Delivery. I received them the following morning.

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The earphones were presented in a sturdy black textured cardboard box containing the round custom storage case, a care manual and serial number card. The box presented the round case and provided ample protection. To be honest, It's probably overkill but made the unboxing experience a little more classy than usual.
As a free option, UE provide a choice of round or oblong 'Peli' style cases and 14 laser-etched characters. I copied Paul and chose a round case with my name and mobile number.
The round case resembled a top-end moisturiser rather than earphone storage but perfectly crafted regardless.

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Once you unscrew the lid, you are presented with a closed pull-chord pouch with a UE logo tab containing the CIEM's and silver cable. Underneath this was an aircraft adapter cable, 3.5-6mm adapter plug and a funky plastic tool with a nylon brush at one end and an earwax scraper at the other. Useful.

Build Quality - 5/5


The 'Y' splitter includes a self-tightening, silicone adjuster


A good quality, if unremarkable 3.5mm right-angled jack plug terminates the silver plated, OFC cable.


Each CIEM cable end is terminated with these insane quality IPX 'Coax style' connectors which are IP67 certified and factory tested to 3000 removals!



The shells themselves are made using 3D printed SLA (Stereolithography) technology and the finish is close to perfect. They are nearly blemishless and the thickness of the plastic is extremely uniform.

Fit & feel - 5/5


A bit of a moot point when it comes to custom IEMs I feel. Do they fit? Should they fit? If not, do I return them?
Paul nailed the fitting process first time round and UE reciprocated Paul's base impressions by creating a perfect fitting, snug and comfortable shell that causes me no discomfort whatsoever even after 8+ hrs of wear.


Sound - 4.8/5

The sole purpose of entering the high-level CIEM market was to finally end up with a portable earphone that could destroy any mid-level IEM for sound quality but also match my Focal's for stereo separation and soundstage.
Compared to all the others I tested, the UE-RR's were the only earphones that did just that. Where the resolution of say the UE 5's was comparable, I still felt like I was listening to my old Dunu's or a set of headphones with a poor quality DAC. I didn't feel like I was even in the audience or at least not without a large rug between myself and the musicians. The UE 7's came closer. I was definitely in the audience but possibly had a nasty cold that removed me ever so slightly from the performance.
The RR is a different beast. It presents the music without a veil of any kind.

Bass

Bass is probably the only element of the RR's reproduction that the masses could really take issue with. It's there. It's controlled and it's not lacking (for me) but there's certainly not lots of it. The polar opposite of the JH 3x, The RR's bass presents itself when required. 'Fasten your seatbelts' by 'Pendulum' enables the RR to show off it's bass control without it being overbearing. It's tight, punchy and drops extremely low without any volume change. Bass-headz and Dance music enthusiasts may want more...

Mids/Treble

Where to start? Creamy, heavenly, controlled, present, expansive. The RR was designed to reproduce vocals as accurately as possible. The tuning done by UE and Capitol has paid off and I'm sure PMC are as impressed as to how, like the QB1-A, UE have managed to get them to sound. During Diana Krall's 'A Case of You', you would not be surprised to feel her breath in your ear. Likewise with Greg Porter's 'No Love Dying', the smooth gravelly vibrato is so clear and real you could swear he was singing live, right next to you.
Instrumentals are equally impressive, whether it's the complex timpani of John Williams' '
Buckbeak's Flight' or Mark Knopfler's spacing masterpiece 'Good on You Son' , spacing and clarity is impressive. every instrument is separate and doesn't get involved in another other than the harmony they are trying to create.

Overall

The Reference Remastered is stunning, plain and simple. I intended to find an IEM as spacious and revealing as my Focal Elears and I succeeded. In my humble opinion (as always something that should be observed in hifi) they match them. In every regard! An £800 pair of over-ear open-backed headphones matched by a set of IEM's?! Yup, I was as surprised as you will be.
If you're after a neutral IEM that retains musicality in abundance, demo the Ultimate Ears Reference Remastered. These can do it all, not just in the studio.

Nick.

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money4me247
money4me247
crashtest33
crashtest33
@Deftone Treble?! You must have a dodgy set pal. Sounds like one of your crossovers or BA drivers is shot. Treble is as forward as it could be without being harsh.
crashtest33
crashtest33
@Deftone Not at all! Quite the opposite! A very forward CIEM.
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