Ultimate Ears 700 Noise Isolating Earphones

I bought the earphones about 8 months ago and used them maybe twice or thrice a week. While I cannot complain about the sound quality, everything else is a bit off. My cable got damaged on it's entry to the jack (I'm using the earphones with my smartphone, which sits in my jeans pocket) so I had to return in to Logitech (on the bright side, Logitech agreed to replace it no questions asked). Cable seems a bit heavy as I need to pull half of it out of my shirt so that the earplugs would have a stable fit - otherwise they keep getting pulled downside somehow. I used to own a $40 Razer headset which beat Logitech in every aspect except sound quality.

I've posted a video review on the UE700.  I will write more here soon as well:
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vvo-BurV0AM

I got a great deal on these iem's, which MSRP is $150.00-170.00, for $70.00 on ebay. I own the UE 500's, the TF 10's and until recently the Sennheiser IE 80. After purchasing the HiFiMan RE-ZERO and test driving the 700's, I decided to sell my IE 80's and my RE-ZEROS. The solid professional sound and true comfort I get from the dual BA 700's, I felt there was no need for either dynamic driver IEM, as the ONLY thing the IE 80's have on the 700's is the expansive sound stage and deeper bass. In regards to the beautiful and extended highs, the 700's hung right there with the 80's and kicked the RE-ZEROS around. Warm and clear detailed mids? check. substantial bass for a BA driver? Well...to be honest, the only way you're gonna optimize bass response, and get strong thump with these is to bass boost with an amp. I use my E11, on bass boost, and use Comply olive tips. This also refines the top end sparkle that some find annoying with the 700's, while the bass extends deep and is surprisingly detailed. Though not nearly as powerful as my TF 10's, the trade off for comfort v.s bass depth is one I gladly accept. I love that the 700 delivers details in the music, while having that sweet sound signature so well known from Ultimate Ears. The detail retrieval is very close to that of the RE-ZERO's, but able to deliver the bass response the ZERO's simply cannot achieve. The housing is miniscule. I mean it's the smallest housing I've seen in a IEM. Lightweight as heck, and very classy looking. Maybe a bit fragile, but i handle these as if they were purchased for $300, and not $70. I'm not worried about build quality. They just FEEL fragile. The slider takes care of most microphonics, and isolation is very good. Now the wires are thin and brittle, and after two years, I've had to electrical tape the wiring at the Y, and at the jack to keep these things alive. Still all in all these are some of the most underrated, underappreciated, but great sounding IEM's in the dual BA world. Anyone who says different has either not tried these on for size, or simply is being snobbish. The UE 700 is money well spent. 

Frankly speaking, I totally forgot about the UE700s till I saw an IT shop in Singapore having a slight discount for it. And another piece of truth, I didn't even know it's a dual-driver balanced armature design till I read the text on the box. That is how UNDERRATED the UE700 is. I decided to grab it since it's just S$159 (equivalent of USD128) and it even comes with a free iPhone external battery pack.

I shall cut it short, I am blown away with the sound quality it offers at this price. I have a pair of TF10 that I really love and I wonder how close can the UE700 push the TF10's sound quality with one less driver. What's obvious is the TF10 offers better clarity (exceptional clarity in fact). But the UE700 is close. Average listeners will be hard-pressed to tell the difference I believe. You can definitely hear the UE sound signature with the 700s. Vocals are rather forward, which won't be everyone's cup of tea. And as many has mentioned, instruments are more backwards. The 700 really has lots of clarity and this it's not that forgiving on highly compressed tracks (eg 128kbps). Please rip in at least 320kbps.

One thing I don't agree is amping, I think this pair of IEMs benefits from amping. I notice better bass and midrange with amping. So if you have a portable amp, no harm using it with the 700s and you'll appreciate the added presence of the bass. Just not too much bass boost though, as it will soon become distorted.

Overall at the price of USD128 I think this is a steal. A bargain of the 21st century and I am not exaggerating. Any earphones with more than one driver ain't cheap, and to think UE/Logitech can offer it at this low price is a miracle. Go grab yours today.

How I wish they had replaceable cables....

This is the final review and update of the ULTIMATE EARS 700as of 2010 of OCTOBER.
UE's latest addition after the famous universal in ear, Triple fi 10.
i bought them in POWERMAC store in SM north for P14k in JUNE
now they are priced $149 in UE store, around 8K in philippine peso.



here is the link:
http://ultimateears.com/en-us/products/700

product description and details:

[size=x-small] Quote
[/size]

[size=x-small] With pro quality hidden inside.
Pro quality goes undercover with the Ultimate Ears 700 Noise-Isolating Earphones. They deliver pro-quality sound in a sleek, micro design. Fitting flush to your ear, you barely know you're wearing them?until you hear the detailed, immersive 3D sound stage delivered through the custom-tuned, dual-armature speakers.

Pro-quality sound reproduction.
Dual-armature design with passive crossover: Two custom-tuned armature speakers in each ear give you clean, detailed sound. One speaker produces rich and punchy bass, while the second speaker delivers clear mid and high notes.

Immersion sound signature: Enjoy a 3D sound stage that makes you feel as though you are experiencing the quality, energy and emotion of a live performance.

Frequency range: 10Hz–16.5 kHz to deliver cleaner, clearer mid and high tones.
 

[/size]

Click to expand...

 


pictures







my reference for sound quality are the AIAIAI tracks(headphone), bose triport on ear, philips in earphone clarity, klipsch s4, apple ipod earphone stock, akg earphone, ortofons eq7.



[size=14pt]REVIEW:[/size]

1.    the build:
these are so small yet beautiful. like pellet. like pills, cut to almost half.
made of plastic body, very good paints/aesthetic. so small that you can wear comfortably even when sleeping. wear them all day and you will never notice that they are barely there inside your ears, shining little pills.
NOTE:unfortunately, as reported, the paint doesn't last long enough if you make it in contact with any chemicals including perfume, oils, even sweat...it will tear off in due time. mine has already experience the same fate.

2.   the box contents:
well what you only need... a pair of small, medium (x2) and large eartips. an earphone case, the earphones, volume attenuator - use in airplanes, and 2 pairs of comply tips...some basic manual.
NOTE: ue700 has the best eartips ever.  the contours and shape is just exceptional! It even exceeds the comfort of Klipsch eartips.


3.   the sound quality:

HIGHS
the most noticeable range in the ue700. 
it is sparkling. crisp. top notch! ue's highs!
the primary contributor why the music sound so lively and engagingmore like you are in the concert, like real life sound...
the beatiful highs of ue.
very very lively.
not harsh. not lacking. smooth, not distorted even at high volumes.
defining every high notes from voices to instruments.
perfect highs, for me!
  

MIDS
 can be a warm mids. but not klipsch-like.
only true to the recording, precise.
nothing more, nothing less.
these are not mid-colored iem.
if there is an air with the environment/tracks, for example, a night club, you will hear air details that are there in that nightclub. 
NOTE: comply tips plays an important role in changing the soundsig of ue700, if you want to tame some highs, use comply tips and you get tamed highs and lovely warm mids... 
the warm mids is there if its also there in the tracks you are listening.
this is not a cold iem.
a very transparent iem.

LOW
fast punch. tight. but not boomy. tight!
you dont hear dynamic bass here, but Balanced armatured bass...it is tight!
only defining whats there in the tracks.
even lows are well defined.
but having hard time when too much.
true only to the track. if it can do, it will. but too much is not that great with this iem.
nothing more, nothing less. just enough details.
deep bass? nope. not for bassheads.
only right. only enough. detailed lows? yes. but not deep. very limited but detailed.
its not smackingly heavy hitting bass.
but its just right and just there.
it just does the job done.



SOUNDSTAGE/IMAGING
two words: 3d effect.
one of its signature that i cant find in my other iem.
more depth than width.
the voice is upfront. 
the instrument separation is just on the back of the singer.
much tracks sound like that.
they are sounding only around your head not from afar.
iem's weakness.
these are finely tuned that way.
something that would render space thru depth.


OVERALL SOUND QUALITY
clean. detailed. details are not lacking. it is ue700's strenght!!!
the more volume you add, the more the music sounds lively...
the more the voice of the singer comes nearer/closer.
3d effect. 
voice is very upfront. 
highly defined, every instruments sounds lively especially jazz instruments, guitars, piano, organs, and drums.
precise imaging and very detailed, even in micro measurements.
every breath is present, but not much. 
just right. nothing more. nothing less. 
it is there when it is present.
you will surely hear it...clearly.
precise bass, detailed. but not deep enough like dynamics.



4.   PROS:
very very small. very nice looking. very comfortable to wear.
highs are very lively...making every tracks engaging.
the mids is sweet, good for blues, jazz, acoustic and live.
very transparent to the source.
play 128kbps and hear crap.
play 320kbps/wav/flac and you will hear it singing.
very well in defining instruments, especially lingering voices, the thick saliva in the mouth, its there. hahaha...
use ipod shuffle 4th gen and you hear clean sound with this.
use nokia phones, and you hear them crap also...even with the same track comparison.
very transparent.
you hear what is there. only what is present in the tracks.
even very very little details are present.

CONS:
there is no perfect iem.
it cannot handle too much.
too much instruments in a music makes the sound thin sometimes, due to their being dual-only armature.
tends to be blurry when playing very hard tracks.
too much is not best in this iem. if you are love heavy metal tracks, look elsewhere.
very limited song genre. not recommended for heavy tracks/ orchestral pieces.
limited lows.
i wish a bit more lows on the low. for you to be more MOVED. to be more INSPIRED. to be more IMMERSED.



5.   OPTIONS:
the following can be compared/sound much better or alike to ue700.
for the price you can add/save more by buying:
triple fi 10..............................p14-18k
ortofon eq7............................p11/15-18k
dynamic: philips clarity iem.......p1,999.(almost but not as lively,not very detailed)
jays q jays.............................p8-9k
other dual armature brands......p5k+




6.   RECOMMENDATIONS:
amp is not that essential with this iem, i think most b.a. iems.
you can buy ue700 now for only p7k-8k brand new at ue store.
triple fi 10 i think is the best upgrade here, if you want the ue signatures.
but still you can choose um3x, westone 3, and sm3 for other brand upgrade.
this is a top tier iem, for me...
unique melody is your final goal in upgrades. custom remolding.
UM can upgrade it for 4-6 or even 8 drivers total plus 3-4 crossovers. you can choose single/dual/triple bore, which is also believed to change the sounds...which will costs around p10k-25k-35k.

the genres that are best being played here are:
jazz, rock, pop, melodic, instrumental, classical music(not orchestral type), blues, live, acoustic, slow rock.



7.   FINAL CONCLUSION
ue700 is a good iem.
very good indeed!
very musical. very refined details and textures...remember TEXTURES.
very transparent iem.
very revealing.
micro details make it more musical.
what more can you ask for in an iem?
it is there. it is defined. it is present. it is lively. it is fun. and it is ue700!


NOTE: ue700 now is a bang for the buck, considering the price...p8k(ue store).
while the jays q jays is priced at p8k also in A.shop, our country.
better choose ue700 for it is believed by many reviewers to sound more fun than the q jays.





remember, just like what i said already, it is not the best out there, but can be the best for you...if you only give time for it to show you what it can do.

you dont need time for you to get along with ue700...

you will love them at first listen!
there is always undying wow factor in them every time you put them in your ears.
always present.
in every tracks.
which will make you listen to them like never before heard them.
concert-like.

and ue700 wont dissapoint you in anyway.
they are that easy to love.
ue700 will cover for all the yearning youve wanted in many iems youve tried.




RATING:
perfect score:      ************************
build:                 ********
sound:               *********************
price:                 ******************
accessories:        ************************
overall:              *********************




if you love lively and fun and very musical iem with very upfront voices and lots and lots of micro details...
ue700 is for you.

First off, these are ridiculously small for having dual armatures. UE's bundled silicone (gel-like?) tips are a very good match with these earphones - they have thicker than average flanges but are very flexible.
 
What the tips and size add up to is an instant seal consisting of popping them in your ears, pushing them in once, and looping the cable over your ear in all of 5 seconds. Their isolation is quite good, about on par with Shure's lineup.
 
The first thing to be noticed about their sound is their highs - quite transparent and very detailed. Mids are quite smooth but nothing too special. What surprised me was their bass response, which has a pronounced impact and good speed.
 
My one big gripe with these is the lack of a detachable cable. The stock cable is moderately thick, flexible, and virtually microphonics-free, but the stress relief and build of the straight jack leaves something to be desired. A change on these to the TF10/Custom UE removable cables would do wonders. 
 
I got these back in the summer for ~160CAD (retail was 200-230) , but UE seems to have lowered their retail to 150, which really makes them a stellar value, if you can tolerate their cable...

These are actually some of the most under appreciated IEMs on head-fi, and I don't exactly understand why. You'd be hard pressed to find a deal like the one I got on these. The details and instrument separation are nice. The soundstage is also rather impressive for an IEM. They handle a variety of music genres with ease. The low end is noted to present fully with good punch, but I wouldn't necessarily consider it a basshead IEM. I whole heartedly recommend these to anyone.