Preamble:
Originally posted on my German audio review site, the "
Kopfhörer-Lounge", here comes my review of the Ultimate Ears Pro Reference Remastered To-Go - yes, the UERR are now finally available as universal fit version!
Introduction:
For an audio lover, there might be some reasons to pick universal fit in-ear monitors over the custom fit variant, such as handling/cleaning/comfort preferences, better resale value or just the preference of how they feel in one’s ears. Whatever it is, there are definitely people who would rather pick the universal fit option if an in-ear was available with custom-moulded
or universal fit shells.
I am one of those people (my reason is mainly the handling and that I pretty much never have fit issues with universal fit in-ears), and have encountered several other like-minded people over the years.
For the majority of time, Ultimate Ears’ Pro in-ears were only available with custom-moulded shells – while this fact was not matching my personal preference, I purchased the now discontinued
UERM (
reviewed here) anyway. They fit very well and seal immediately, but I would have still picked the universal fit option if it were available at that time. And I heard of others who would have done the same and were wishing that Ultimate Ears would also offer their in-ears for sale with universal fit shells, since the more recent universal fit demo models that are available for demo at their partner stores and distributors have got excellent comfort and ergonomics.
Fast forward, Ultimate Ears, who definitely don’t really need an extended introduction since pretty much everybody who is into the in-ear hobby/passion knows them and their story, now offer the UERMs’ successors, the
Ultimate Ears Pro Reference Remastered (UERR), as universal fit “to-go” version, which makes me and those other people who prefer universal fit in-ears really happy.
Rather new is also Germany’s new Ultimate Ears partner, “
Hearing Berlin”, located in Berlin, who just opened a second branch, “Hearing Dortmund”, located in Dortmund. They don’t only have a full physical showroom where customers can demo the in-ears, but also a laboratory for servicing defective in-ears.
Now how do the new UERR sound, especially when compared to the
UERM? That is what this very review is all about.
Full disclosure: The UERR to-go in-ears were sent to me free of charge for this review. As always, my words are nonetheless true, unbiased honest and written without any guidelines or requirements for the review, no matter how it would turn out.
Technical Specifications:
Price: $999/€1229
Available as: CIEM and “to-go” UIEM
Type of Drivers: Balanced Armature, three drivers per side
Acoustic Ways: three acoustic ways, triple-bore construction
Sensitivity at 1 kHz, 1 mW: 100 dB
Frequency Response: 5 Hz – 25 kHz
Impedance at 1 kHz: 35 Ohms
Delivery Content:
I was a bit surprised by how small the delivery box of the UERR to-go in-ears I received for review was, compared to the large box my
UERM came with. This is because the UERR in-ears come with Ultimate Ears’ new, compact round storage/carrying case whereas my UERM arrived with the large “Roadie Hardcase”.
Just as with every Ultimate Ears Pro in-ear, one will also find a sticker on the outside that says who the in-ears were crafted for, what’s inside, along with the serial number and the initials of the person who inspected the in-ears.
Inside that cardboard case, one will find a holder for the universal fit silicone and foam tips that obviously come included with the universal fit to-go version, a round, black transport/storage case with the in-ears inside, and last but not least a 6.3 to 3.5 mm adapter, impedance adapter and a combined cleaning tool/brush.
Looks, Feels, Build Quality:
The standard design of the UERR consists of white faceplates with a black UE logo on the left shell and black Capitol Studios logo on the right shell, which is the exact opposite of the
UERMs’ design with black faceplates and white logos. Personally I also think that this design option is the best-suited for the UERR, resembling the UERMs’ iconic appearance but with inverted colours, however options for custom colours, materials and designs do exist too and the buyer has got full control over that during the order process, but it’s important to note that then the Capitol Studios logo would be replaced with a UE logo when choosing a different faceplate design than the standard one.
The body of the shells is clear and transparent wherefore one can see the three drivers, crossover components, wiring and acoustic dampers. Comparing the inner layout to the UERMs’, one can easily see that the UERR feature a different driver layout and internal sound channel architecture. This also becomes obvious at the end of the nozzle where the
UERM have a dual-bore sound output whereas the new UERR feature a triple-bore construction with each driver getting its own sound tube and output bore.
Quite clever is the nozzle design of the universal fit to-go version, since the collar on the nozzle sits further in the back wherefore the tips don’t really protrude, which means that the ear tip material will have as little influence on the sound as possible.
Build quality of the shells is really good and I cannot spot any air bubbles.
The custom fit version would have two initial letters as well as a serial number printed on the inside of each shell, with red for the right and blue for the left side.
When you order the in-ears, you can choose between various cable lengths, colours, and lately also material. Bluetooth, digital and microphone cable options were recently added as well, along with the option to go with MMCX connectors instead of the proven Ultimate Ears 2-pin connector type.
Not much surprisingly, the black, twisted quad-conductor cable is very soft and flexible (although the silver cable that I chose for my UERM is even a little more flexible), with proper strain relief near the angled 3.5 mm plug, as it should also be expected in the professional and high-end sector.
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The compact, threaded carrying case that is made of metal on the outside and plastic on the inside has got a softly padded lid and bottom. For absolute perfection, solely bolstered or rubberised walls on the inside are missing.
This new carrying case is definitely a nice addition in Ultimate Ears’ line-up compared to the other, larger cases that were offered as only option in the past.
The universal fit to-go version’s silicone and foam ear tips are nicely soft and colour-coded. People who also own the
UE900S will definitely recognise them.
Comfort, Isolation:
The fit and comfort of the custom-moulded version will of course highly depend on the quality of used ear impressions, while the universal fit to-go’s fit and comfort will depend on one’s individual ear anatomy.
Shape-wise, the UERR to-go are quite ergonomic and feature a size that should make them fit quite well if your ears are at least averagely sized. In my large and deep ears, fit and comfort are very good and I really appreciate that Ultimate Ears broke with their old tradition and finally offer some of their Pro models, such as the UERR, as universal fit to-go version.
Cable noise is pretty much inexistent, which is due to the over-the-ear fit as well as flexible cable.
Provided you get a properly tight seal with the universal fit version, noise isolation should be about on the same level as when you are using an acrylic custom-fit in-ear, and this also is the case when I compare my custom-moulded
UERM to the universal fit UERR to-go monitors that feature a level of passive exterior noise reduction that is very high and just marginally lesser than the custom fit in-ears’.
Neutral = Neutral?
Before I head over to the “Sound” section of my review, I will take a short discourse and look at the theory and research of neutrality with headphones and in-ears and give a very brief introduction to this topic.
With loudspeakers in an acoustically treated room, it is quite easy to define what a measurably neutral frequency response should look like. The case is different in the headphone realm: A headphone or in-ear that would measure exactly like a flat speaker in a raw measurement would sound different directly at the eardrum – this is because our ears, ear canals and upper body amplify certain areas of the frequency range, which is a totally natural and normal thing. With headphones and in-ears, these natural reflections and amplification disappear when the source of sound is directly at the ear, respectively inserted into the ear, wherefore the ear canal is closed on both sides and the “Open Ear Gain” disappears.
To imitate the natural amplification of the lack of this Open Ear Gain, a headphone should ideally show a boost in this area of the frequency response when an uncompensated frequency response chart is viewed (roughly speaking, the boost should be seen between ca. 200 and 15000 Hz, with the climax around 2.7 kHz with an elevation of up to around 15 dB here). Measured directly at the ear drum, this would result in a flat and neutral frequency response (important and related key words on this topic are “HRTF” and “Open Ear Gain”).
Of course the ear anatomy will slightly differ among individuals, wherefore the perception of the averaged diffuse-field target might not be perceived equally by everybody, especially when it comes to the perception of the upper midrange and presence area, wherefore some people might perceive an in-ear that measures flat in the presence area and lower treble according to the diffuse-field target as exhausting or even shrill whereas many other individuals would hear the same frequency response as acoustically flat and neutral. This is rather the exception than the norm though.
Most frequency responses of headphones one can see in magazines and large online sites are therefore usually shown with a compensation target, usually the diffuse-field target, already applied to the raw measurement and show the frequency response that is perceived directly at the ear drum instead of the raw measurement that might be confusing at first if one is used to loudspeaker measurements and doesn’t have much experience with the theory of headphone and in-ear tuning.
Apart from the existence of the Open Ear Gain, there is one thing that has also caused some inconsistency among researchers about what the ideal neutrally perceived frequency response for headphones should be: Listening to music, we don’t only hear the sound waves that reach our ear drums, but also feel the mechanical vibration/body-borne noise with our whole body, especially at higher volume levels. With headphones however, there is obviously no mechanical vibration/body-borne noise anymore, wherefore some people might find a diffuse-field neutral headphone to sound too thin in the lows although a neutrally measuring loudspeaker in a highly treated might not perceived this way by the same person.
Some people and researchers are therefore convinced that the lack of mechanical vibration/body-borne noise when listening through headphones should be compensated by adding a (usually) slight (!) emphasis to lower notes in order to get a headphone to be subjectively perceived to sound equally neutral as a neutrally measuring loudspeaker.
As one can see, the subjectively
perceived neutrality with headphones and in-ears is a topic where there is no 100% unity even among famous researchers upon what the ideal frequency response should look like, and of course the individual ear and body anatomy might as well contribute to individual variance although major researches have come to the same conclusion of what the averaged HRTF looks like.
Sound:
My main sources for listening were the
iBasso DX200 (
AMP1 module),
Cowon Plenue 2, and last but not least the
Shinrico SHD5 or my Pioneer PD-S701 connected to my
Chord Electronics Mojo &
Leckerton UHA-6S.MKII stack.
I solely used the included silicone tips for listening.
Tonality:
The
original Ultimate Ears Reference Monitors were already among the more/most neutral sounding in-ears in the high-end in-ear territory, featuring a mostly uncoloured and neutral presentation (with just a tiny pinch of warmth compared to an in-ear that is even closer to the diffuse-field target in the lows, such as the
Etymotic ER-4S/
SR) with lows that extended flat into the sub-bass, a flat and neutral midrange reproduction, and an upper treble peak that added some extra air and clarity but could sometimes come across as just slightly unnatural and was the UERMs’ only shortcoming.
The new UERR follow this route, being among the more/most subjectively perceived neutral in-ears in the high-end range, but focus on a slightly smoother, more linear approach compared to the UERM, which fortunately also means that Ultimate Ears got rid of that upper treble peak, which, at least to my ears, is a great achievement as it makes the whole presentation even more accurate and realistic.
Their tonality is mostly “flat” and “unexcited”, which is something you want a perceived neutral in-ear to be, although not exactly “boring” or “sterile” – nothing really sticks out, nothing is really masked. Everything in terms of tuning is coherent and nothing is especially highlighted, in contrast to what you would usually find in an in-ear that still sounds balanced but is not tuned for neutrality.
The UERR claim to be studio reference monitors – and they are.
Apart from regular music, listening to white noise and sine sweeps with the UERR is a true delight – no peaks, no valleys, just an overall very smooth, linear and even frequency response with marvellous flatness and evenness, especially in the treble, which is something that definitely not every in-ear achieves. In this way, in the treble, I definitely see an improvement over my
UERM that have a peak in the upper highs that makes their presentation sometimes too sharp and artificial if a single note hits that exact spot even if the recording isn’t mastered that way.
In that way the UERR highly remind me of Etymotic’s ER-4 line of in-ears that is around for a very long time and has got, in most parts, a very even, accurate and realistic tuning. Speaking of Etymotic’s reference models, the discontinued
ER-4S and its successor, the
ER-4SR, there still are some slight differences that can be found in the UERR and are worth to be mentioned. For example in the bass – while the UERR, just like the UERM, are among the flattest and most neutral in-ears in this area, they still have a gentle lift of ca. 3 dB compared to the Etymotic in-ears that are tuned for a diffuse-field neutral bass presentation. Definitely not much and a bit less than the, for Etymotic-standards, somewhat bass-elevated
ER-4XR, but still enough to give the UERR just a little more warmth and body in the lows compared to 4S/SR, and to deliver a little of acoustic compensation for the lack of physically felt mechanical vibration and body-borne noise you would get from actual instruments or flat speakers in an acoustically treated room, since the UERR are miles away from being a remotely bassy or even mildly bass-elevated in-ear – it isn’t even “mildly balanced” but quite neutral in the lows and tuned for accuracy and linearity.
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Extension in the lows is really good – just as the UERM, the UERR don’t really have any roll-off in the sub-bass either, but also, not surprisingly at all, won’t give you an impactful, heavy sub-bass.
Midrange timbre is accurate and uncoloured, just as the UERMs’, however the UERR appear to have ever so slightly more body and their vocals seem a bit more present and forward in the mix, with greater proximity.
When it comes to evenness and naturalness in the highs, the UERR deliver a really high level of accuracy and won’t bother the listener with any dips or peaks – just a very smooth, linear, even and harmonious presentation.
Solely the 4 and 5 kHz range takes a slight step back when listening to sine sweeps, just like the
UERM, but this area is still more present and neutral than the majority of in-ears on the market that have a dip here to generate a more relaxed middle treble.
The UERRs’ upper highs are where they differ the most from the UERM that had a peak somewhere around 10 kHz. Not so the UERR that are flat here, probably even just a tad too polite with cymbals, and never give you the feeling of too much sharpness but instead realism and tonal accuracy. Too hot mixes are still reproduced that way, but not as aggressively as the UERM (that were however also sometimes too aggressive while no aggressiveness should be reproduced).
Past 10 kHz, in the super treble, the UERR quite easily extend past 17 kHz.
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When there is one thing that I could change about my UERM, it is the upper treble peak that leads to some unrealism and artificiality at times. This is exactly where the UERR come in and deliver almost exactly the upper treble the UERM should always have had in order to be more even and homogenous in the highs. Therefore the name “Reference Remastered” is spot-on and describes what the UERR are – “Reference” in-ears that are based on the UERM but feature an updated, more realistic, linear, “Remastered” upper-end presentation.
Resolution:
High detail retrieval that only rarely leaves you wanting even more is also what one finds delivered by the UERR, just as one already did with the UERM.
Transparency is on a high level without faking details with peaks, and the whole presentation is very coherent and every part of the frequency spectrum appears integrated instead of separated. Here I even see a slight advantage in the treble for the UERR compared to the
UERM.
Midrange details and speech intelligibility are on a high level and no part of the frequency spectrum really has an advantage or disadvantage compared to the others; the distribution of details is very coherent.
The bass has got a quick and tight attack and excellent control, however just a bit of added softness in terms of decay to give the UERR a bit more body without affecting control with fast and complex tracks and/or bass lines in any way. Indeed, the discontinued UERM decay slightly quicker and are a bit tighter in comparison, but control is similarly good.
Soundstage:
The UERR, just like the UERM, will not have the largest soundstage in the range of high-end in-ears. Models like for example the now discontinued UE18 Pro are more expansive and create a deeper, wider and even more layered field of sound. This however doesn’t mean that the UERR have a small soundstage at all, since this is simply not true.
In terms of width, the UERRs’ soundstage somewhat leaves the base of my head and stops just about one centimetre before where my shoulders’ outer edges are. Therefore it certainly doesn’t lack lateral expansion at all although the
UERM carried even a bit more with. This however also means that the UERRs’ stage is a bit more circular compared to the UERMs’ that is a little more oval.
What the UERR can do well is reproducing proximity, and in this regard their soundstage in general appears a bit closer to one’s face than the UERMs’ although both in-ears feature around the same amount of spatial height as well as spatial depth that is definitely well present wherefore the UERR also manage to layer well and create a good imaginary room with quite precisely placed and separated instruments as well as good spatial scaling abilities depending on the recording.
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In Comparison with other In-Ears:
Ultimate Ears Reference Monitors (custom fit):
Tonally the two in-ears aren’t even all that far apart – both aim for a quite neutral, reference tonality. Both approach neutrality differently though – the UERM with a slightly cooler, airier character that could be considered “analytical”, and the UERR with a slightly smoother, less “exciting” (in terms of upper treble “bling”) character.
Objectively, both in-ears don’t really differ when it comes to bass delivery – both have got pretty much similar quantity in the lows and root. Nonetheless the UERR appear subjectively slightly warmer and (, which is probably not the right term to use since it not really is what describes the UERR,) “fuller” in comparison, which is because that upper treble peak the UERM had and that gave them their analytical character is gone.
When it comes to midrange, the UERR appear more direct, with more proximity in the mix compared to the now discontinued UERM that have a slightly more distant midrange presentation in comparison. Vocals on the UERR have got just a touch more body compared to the UERM, while still maintaining a correct, neutral timbre and high accuracy.
Where both in-ears differ the most is the treble, and the UERR feature the more realistic (although slightly de-fused) upper treble while the UERM are just somewhat more exciting in the upper highs (at the cost of less accuracy), which leads to a more vivid sound reproduction.
People who loved the UERMs’ tonality to the last bit might therefore miss a bit of sparkle and air from the UERR at the top in the upper treble/beginning super treble, while those who thought that the original UERM were tuned really well but could become a bit too sharp at times at the very top will likely find the sound signature they always wanted the UERM to have right in the UERR. Therefore I would definitely describe the UERR as more correct sounding in the highs, and to my ears the gained realism and refinement in terms of tuning is definitely a plus and rather substantial improvement.
Both in-ears resolve very well, on a pretty much similar level, and have got pretty much similar note separation, too.
The UERM have got the slightly tighter and faster bass in comparison while control on fast and complex tracks is identically good. Due to that, the UERR gain a bit more body and decay, which might be perceived as more natural.
Due to the more even and harmonious treble response, the UERR have somewhat of an advantage when it comes to coherency.
Both in-ears scale well depending on the recording, the UERM probably even more so, which could however also be related to their somewhat more pronounced spatial width in comparison, while depth and height are comparable with the UERR having the slightly closer presentation. Layering accuracy, precision and separation is where the two in-ears are about on the same level.
HiFiMan RE2000:
The UERR are the more linear, neutral sounding in-ears out of the two with somewhat less bass quantity and less warmth in the lower midrange. The RE2000 has got the more impactful bass that, while just around 3 dB more present, appears more impactful and energetic.
The HiFiMan has got the slightly airier/brighter upper mids at the same time (the UERR are flatter and a bit more authentic here), and places them a bit further in the back as a result.
The RE2000 is a good bit more pronounced around 5 kHz where the UERR are just slightly recessed (when regarded by diffuse-field standards and when one is listening to sine sweeps) wherefore the HiFiMan sounds a little more metallic and brighter here.
Cymbals on the RE2000 are splashier but also appear a bit more “spread” instead of spot-on focussed and are a little unnatural.
Generally, the UERR have got the flatter, more linear and correct tuning, but also especially the more linear highs wherefore they sound a bit more realistic and authentic up there.
It is quite remarkable how close the RE2000 comes in terms of bass speed and tightness. The UERR still decay slightly faster, but ultimately bottom-end control is relatively on the same level. Due to the slightly slower decay, the HiFiMan has got that admittedly quite pleasant dynamic driver texture and layering.
When it comes to midrange resolution though, the UERR are a bit ahead and portray the somewhat superior speech intelligibility as well as minute detail retrieval.
Treble separation is almost a draw with the UERR separating single notes slightly sharper with busy and complex recordings. Treble resolution on the other hand is comparable, but as mentioned, the UERR win when it comes to treble realism.
Playing fast and busy recordings, the UERR are somewhat ahead when it comes to control.
In terms of soundstage, the RE2000 features the somewhat wider presentation that is also coupled with a bit more spatial depth, wherefore it generates the more open appearing presentation. Borders around instruments appear slightly cleaner on the UERRs’ side with busier recordings though, and their soundstage also scales better depending on the recording.
Etymotic ER-4XR:
The two in-ears’ sound signature is not exactly similar but still heads into a rather comparable direction.
Both in-ears have got about similar levels of “warmth”, if you want to call it that, in the root, with the ER-4XR being a little more forward in the mid- and sub-bass.
When it comes to the midrange, the Ety is slightly more forward, with the somewhat closer vocals due to more energy in the presence range, while midrange timbre and balance are similarly accurate.
Both in-ears feature a treble presentation that is among the most even and accurate out there, with the ER-4XR having just slightly less energy with cymbals.
Not all that much surprisingly, the UERR win when it comes to subtle air and extension in the super treble.
In terms of resolution, precision, bass speed and tightness, the UERR appear like the higher-end upgrade to the ER-4XR, with an overall higher level of minute details and an increase of control.
I would say that chances aren’t all that bad that if one really likes the ER-4XR but doesn’t mind a slightly flatter lower bass reproduction and a generally higher detail retrieval, that he or she might find exactly this in the UERR. The same goes for those who really like the ER-4S/SR but want a bit more bass than their diffuse-field flat bottom-end reproduction delivers, coupled with the somewhat greater detail retrieval and larger soundstage.
Speaking of the imaginary soundstage, the UERRs’ is about four times as large to my ears (twice the width along with twice the depth) and also appears cleaner and somewhat more precisely layered, with a cleaner and more accurate reproduction of “emptiness” between and around instruments and singers.
So altogether about the same things that I also already found when I
compared my
UERM to the
ER-4SR and my
ER-4S.
Conclusion:
While die-hard fans of the UERM might miss some of that upper-end air and sparkle, the UERR feature a more linear and realistic treble reproduction, which, in my book, is definitely an improvement as well as an advantage over the now discontinued predecessor.
Should you switch to the UERR if you already possess the UERM? My answer is “only if you found the UERM to be sometimes too sharp around 10 kHz and therefore lacking the last bit of tonal realism and evenness”.
Well done, Ultimate Ears and Capitol Studios. Just as mentioned in the “Sound” section of this review, the UERR definitely deserve the terms “Reference” when speaking about general tonal accuracy and neutrality, and “Remastered” when comparing them to the
UERM.