[crinacle]

Ultimate Ears UE18+ 3rd Generation: Newer Doesn't Mean Better​

As many would know by now, UE recently upgraded their UE18+ to a new UE18+ dubbed as the "3rd Generation". At the beginning, some (like me) had speculated that this move was just a rebrand due to the shift the IPX connectors and so it would sound just like the older model. Others took UE's claims of new TrueTone drivers as a sign that the new UE18+ would be like the old UE18+ except with more treble, which would be an amazing change.

Well... the truth hurts. It is neither of those. The new UE18+ is basically an entirely new model, and newer doesn't mean better.

The Original and the Revolution
In the old days of the audiophile community, the UE18 was a flagship that not many cared about. It was like how the Live is today; it was primarily used by on-stage musicians at the time and not many audiophiles cared for it for one reason or another. My time with the original UE18 was short but somewhat memorable in that it was a shock to my senses. It was bloated, muddy and had no resemblance to any kind of "hifi" sound I was familiar with.

The UE18+ on the other hand was a complete 180 in tuning direction. Rather than filling the signature with bass and bloat to overcome the stage environment, the UE18+ was warm, smooth and characterised by a highly pleasant midrange. It wasn't exactly neutral due to its warmth and relative slowness but its main draw was its presentation. Vocals sounded right, strings sounded right, winds sound right... it was essentially a midrange master. Sure, the drop in midtreble killed off quite a bit of snap and definition to plucked strings and percussions, but if that wasn't a dealbreaker then one would be hard-pressed to find another monitor that did timbre like it.

In short, the UE18+ was something really unique in the audiophile game. It had, as my friends would call it, a certain "magic" or "special sauce" that made it such a joy to listen to. Make no mistake, to some it may still be reference monitor, but it was a monitor that sounded a lot more real than the typical sterility and dryness commonly associated with the studio sound.

Eighteen the Third
The latest iteration of the UE18 is what I would define as "cookie cutter". It is a monitor, and with that there isn't much else to praise it for. It also isn't a very technical IEM; the 2nd generation UE18+ may have been a timbre and coherency specialist but its technical ability wasn't exactly top-dog by most audiophile's standards. The soundstage was small, the separation was at bare minimum of acceptability and its detail retrieval was average in the TOTL industry.

The 3rd Gen is different in a few ways. First, it is less thick in the midrange. Second, I detect a treble boost, though I am unsure if it is due to the reduction in note thickness. Third, it doesn't sound as "natural" as the 2nd Gen and is tuned in such a odd way that the tone is now completely off balance.

Imagine what happens when you take away the aforementioned "magic" of what made the UE18+ a UE18+. The vocals doesn't flow as well as it did anymore. The strings lose their body and satisfactory reverb. The midrange as a whole sounds okay but had nothing special going for it. At this point, what you're left with is the UE18+'s technical prowess, which isn't much to begin with in the first place. The UE18+ 3rd Gen is just. Another. Monitor.

The 3rd Gen is different enough to be a completely separate model and that is the issue. Instead, UE has replaced their still-very-capable 2nd generation UE18+ for what I believe to be a completely average (in terms of TOTL), directionless monitor. In terms of the typical audiophile customer, there isn't much going for the new UE18.

You wouldn't buy it for neutrality; the UERR (just to name one) does that job far better.
You wouldn't buy it for bass response; it's still just as bad as the old UE18+.
You wouldn't buy it for mids; the tone has been knocked out of balance.
You wouldn't buy it for treble; sure it does have more perceived treble than its predecessor but there were too many compromises.
You wouldn't buy it for technical ability; the market is saturated with technical IEMs that the new UE18+ cannot compete with.

At very least, I wouldn't buy it.

 

[shutterbox]

With a desktop setup, maybe not a HD6XX but a Clear would definitely be better than a N8.

The issue with a desktop setup vs a portable setup is that they are designed to be used in a "good environment", AKA one in relative dead silence. In those cases yes, no IEM can beat it.

However, I am willing to compromise some imaging and detail for isolation and efficiency. I will never get the same sound out of my HD800 on a crowded bus out of an iPhone. The N8 on the other hand, with its enhanced bass and custom fit, will get me 95% of the way there just like that.

Thank you.

I certainly like Clear alot when I tested it with my desktop gear @ Zeppelin.
I also realised that goodness of IEM, especially its portability and intimancy of closeness to transducer (as compared to headphones which are afterall outside ears).

I'm going to spend some time to listen to N8t to see if its what I really like.
I also plan to get a Eartech Quad (or anything sonically similar, but cheaper) as a daily wearer

 

[koven]

In my opinion, this hits the nail right on the head for the K10. I was strongly considering purchasing it last fall when Massdrop had it available, but after listening to it in store, I felt like while it didn’t do anything wrong, it was missing anything that made it special. I look forward to listening to music on my Andromeda - that excitement is entirely missing with the K10.

I think Andro outclasses K10 by miles, not even close in my experience. K10 is barely better than SE846 to me, both of which I'd consider just fine for <$500 but not at MSRP.

 

[BananaOoyoo]

I think Andro outclasses K10 by miles, not even close in my experience. K10 is barely better than SE846 to me, both of which I'd consider just fine for <$500 but not at MSRP.

I agree. I loved the Andromeda from the first time I tried it in store, and it’s the IEM that got me into TOTL products in general. Not that they’re bad by any means, but having heard the K10, Encore, and Katana, I can say that the Andromeda handily beats all three. The fact that B-stock is available for ~$800 is just the cherry on top when it comes to that comparison.

 

[twocentsear]

Honestly, I'd be willing to pay 50% more for an Andromeda if you can get a custom shell for it. It doesn't fit me well, sadly.

 

[sahmen]

The fact that B-stock is available for ~$800 is just the cherry on top when it comes to that comparison.

If the B-stock Andromeda is available, where can one find a pair to buy?

Thanks

PS: If you're referring to those on this site, then I have found them, so never mind. They're going for $849 though:

https://aloaudio.deals/shop/andromeda-iem-by-campfire-audio/

 

[kubig123]

Honestly, I'd be willing to pay 50% more for an Andromeda if you can get a custom shell for it. It doesn't fit me well, sadly.

Ambient Acoustics offers an acrylic shell, quite an interesting solution.

wonder if or how much the sound signature will change.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bg5oAWWAMLp/?taken-by=ambient_acoustics

 

[twocentsear]

Since the Flamenco Universal version has a new shell, should that affect the sound?

Ambient Acoustics offers an acrylic shell, quite an interesting solution.

wonder if or how much the sound signature will change.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bg5oAWWAMLp/?taken-by=ambient_acoustics

I'll look it up

 

[cantsleep]

looks pretty good, at least from the photo. wonder how they would look in person.
if the customs bring out a little bit of bass and midrange texture, i say it is worth it.

K10 sounds a lot better in ciem form
or at least, it does not sound as crazy bad as they are described from some of the members.

 

[hiflofi]

[redacted]

 

[listen4joy]

great thread,
hope for your reviews and rankings for
FiiO FH5
iBasso IT04
sennheiser ie800s

we indeed living in exciting times if we can enjoy affordable iems that compre to TOTL iems in SQ.
and all of that in a fraction of a price.
well at least we can hope so...

 

[Roscoeiii]

Spent some time with both the Katana and Andromeda (and 64A U18T, but that is beyond my means right now). Both are incredibly detailed, both have nice soundstages, I was never made to search for any details so imaging and presentation of the details were topnotch. This is to be expected at their price points.
Initially, going between the Andromeda and Katana seemed odd as they had a clearly different timbre. This is where the differences begin.
The Andromeda is much more "musical" and generally "nicer". It did seem slightly warmer, but not at all bassy (high OI source). Just the right amount of warmth in the lower end and mids to add character to the sound. The craziest part of the Andromeda was how cohesive the sound was, despite having great separation and clarity. It felt as if the music was taken apart and melded together simultaneously. Very full-bodied sound. The highs are well supported by the body of the bass and mids.
Moving to the Katana, I must say it lives up to its name extremely well. Separation imo was better than the Andromeda. It dissected the music in a colder fashion than the Andromeda. Presented it with a colder sound relative to the Andromeda, perhaps to do with something in the treble region. I personally felt the bass region of the Katana was readily available and provided sufficiently when called upon, but definitely less than the Andromeda, both in texture and quantity. Vocals are perfect to me, but noticeably cooler than the Andromeda. The sound of the Katana gave the feeling of being "suspended in thin air" rather than "supported".
I agree with the description that the Katana is slightly lacking in character, and that it may be "tonally dead" but that might be what caused me to take a liking to it. I don't want to resort to imagery to describe sound, but the Katana is definitely a cold blade whereas the Andromeda seemed like liquid metal. I may enjoy the more analytical, surgical sound of the Katana. It seemed as if the sound of the Katana was cutting while the Andromeda is more flowing/crashing onto me like a constant stream of liquid.
It's quite odd that I enjoyed the Katana slightly more (perhaps not enough to warrant the price difference) despite listening to modern, somewhat mainstream genres.

What source were you using and what is it's OI? This can change the Andromeda sound signature significantly. 1-2 ohms is generally considered the sweet spot. Below that skews towards bass, above that skews toward treble.

 

[Colors]

great thread,
hope for your reviews and rankings for
FiiO FH5
iBasso IT04
sennheiser ie800s

we indeed living in exciting times if we can enjoy affordable iems that compre to TOTL iems in SQ.
and all of that in a fraction of a price.
well at least we can hope so...

Hoping the FH5 and IT04 are giant killers

 

[hiflofi]

What source were you using and what is it's OI? This can change the Andromeda sound signature significantly. 1-2 ohms is generally considered the sweet spot. Below that skews towards bass, above that skews toward treble.

SGS8. Apparently 3 ohms from a quick google.

 

[Roscoeiii]

SGS8. Apparently 3 ohms from a quick google.

3 ohms shouldn't skew the Freq response too much. That's close enough to the sweet spot.