- Joined
- Nov 4, 2003
- Posts
- 607
- Likes
- 40
I won the pair of UE-10s up for auction at HeadFest 2. They arrived recently and I’ve been listening to them over the past few days. I chose the metallic color (clear on the underside)...the graphic was drawn for me by a friend, and Ultimate Ears lasered it on. Prior to the UE-10s, my favorite IEMs were my Shure e500s. I was quite happy with them, and was not considering an upgrade going into HeadFest. In this post I have compiled my impressions of the UE-10 as compared to my e500s. Hopefully this might help those trying to decide between the two, although there’s a big price difference. Also, this post may be obsolete pretty soon if the UE-11 lives up to its “better than the UE-10” promise (I tried to get Ultimate Ears to let me wait and pay to upgrade to the UE-11s, but they wouldn’t go for it).
Keep in mind a few potential biases about this review: The UE-10s are the new phones. Sometimes the new thing is perceived as better because it’s new. And I must admit, I really WANT the UE-10 to be the better phones, since they are custom and sweet looking. That being said, I wasn’t expecting them to be better than the e500s, given the comparison reviews I had read. Also, I use the stock tips on the e500 (see photo), which likely gives a different experience than any other tips. All testing was done with my portable rig with 256 VBR AAC, which is how I use my IEMs normally.
Physicality – Both the e500 and UE-10 are nice looking in my opinion. Of course, there is no substitute for customizing your own color and graphic. My UE-10s fit very well…the impressions were taken in Irvine at UE Headquarters. I really like the material they make the UE-10 shells from. I previously bought some custom tips for my Etys, and they were more of a malleable rubber…not as solid feeling in the ear. When inserted, for me both UE-10s and e500s are very comfortable. The e500 is an ingenious design where the whole IEM tucks inside the ear and doesn’t protrude out at all. One advantage of the e500s is that I can lie my ear down on a pillow, with weight, and still hear great sound. This is because the tips are shallow, and don’t press into my eardrum once weight is applied. Since I sleep on my side, being able to lie on them is a cool thing. It also makes them great for travel (trains, planes, autos). On the other hand, there is something great about an IEM that is molded just for your ears…it just feels “right”. I find isolation to be roughly the same with each, perhaps a bit more with the UE-10s (I’m still experimenting with inserting for the best seal). As for build quality, the construction of both phones is good, but the big nod goes to the UE-10s. Everything is housed safely in a really strong acrylic…I feel I could knock them around without trouble. In comparison, the Shures have a narrow plastic tip that protrudes out from the side. The tip on mine broke, and I had to get it replaced. It broke due to carelessness on my part…I had them in my computer bag wrapped around my portable rig, unprotected (Shure replaced them (2 year warranty)…service was excellent)). I won’t make that mistake again with the Shures, but it must be said the UE-10s wouldn’t snap apart without much, much more force. Winner: UE-10.
Headstage – I always liked the headstage of the e500s. When I switched from my Ety ER4Ps to the e500s, I couldn’t believe how much wider the soundstage was. Ety soundstage was all within my head…nothing seemed to be coming from my ears at all. With the e500s, sounds extended way out to the sides the way they do with a pair of full size headphones (though not as far as many, of course). The UE-10 keeps the great wide soundstage of the e500, but adds to it an incredible vertical headstage. Comparing back and forth, with the UE-10, there is a wall of sound that extends up and down the full length of my ears. Switching back to the e500, the sound now sounds confined to the center portion of my ears only. Everything is restricted to a narrower vertical position. The difference is not subtle. Giving horizontal and vertical extension, the UE-10 sounds like a full sized headphone. This is no small feat… I’ve never heard any other IEM that I would think was a full set of headphones if I couldn’t feel them in my ears. Because of the increased headstage and clarity of the UE-10, individual voices and instruments each emanate from a much more defined space. On the King’s Singers’ “La Bomba” (Madrigal History Tour album), with the e500s, I’m presented with a nice image of singers coming from different places. With the UE-10s, the exact location of each singer is much more distinguishable, and I can even notice the relative positions of two guys standing next to each other. Adding vertical headstage into the equation allows for a much more 3-dimensional soundscape, where sounds can be precisely positioned. Winner: UE-10.
Bass – The bass is excellent on both IEMs. When listening to Bela Fleck’s “Flight of the Cosmic Hippo”, I hear the deep resonance of the bass with both IEMs. When the bass solo gets really deep around 2:25, both IEMs keep up, but I believe the UE-10 goes a touch deeper. The e500s bass resonates more (not sure exactly where in the bass spectrum), so when the lowest notes are being hit, I’m hit with a wall of bass that could be perceived to be “more” bass. What it actually is, though, is resonance, similar to a car loaded with slamming subwoofers, where no matter what bass note is being played, you hear that one frequency that shakes the car, and makes everyone say “wow, what an amazing amount of bass!”. Of course, it’s not nearly as pronounced as that, I just needed the analogy. Only in comparison does the e500 sound a touch bloated. And with the e500s, I’m still hearing the very low notes, I’m just at the same time hearing resonance at a higher bass frequency. With the UE-10, there is less bloat, so I focus on the very deep notes that are present in spades. The end result is that the UE-10 delivers clearer bass. When listening to “Hippo” with the UE-10, I was reminded that with low bass one can become aware of the individual cycles per second, because there are few enough of them. Going back to the e500, I can still hear the cycles, but it was the UE-10 that made me aware of them. Winner: UE-10.
Treble - On this one there is really no comparison. The UE-10 just has way better treble. The UE-10 is chock full of airiness in the high end. I noticed this airiness on the Triple-Fi 10’s when I gave them a listen at HeadFest2. On Alison Krauss’s “Now That I’ve Found You”, her voice is nice and airy, yet super clear. At 1:27 when she sings “Darling I just can’t let you go”, the e500 sounds a bit shouty. I want to say it’s because it ends up pushing more midrange than treble. On the UE-10, there is no such shoutiness. On Dave Matthews’ “Jimi Thing”, at 0:57 when the ride cymbal kicks in, with the UE-10 I can focus on that cymbal and it exists in its own space and sounds just like a cymbal. Switching back to e500, the cymbal is still there, but it is muddier and harder to separate from the rest of the music, and the top end of it is missing. This is particularly surprising to me, since I have been noticing how great things like cymbals sound ever since getting my iMod (for my e500s). The UE-10 just takes it to a new level. Winner: UE-10.
Midrange – Listening to Livingston Taylor’s “Grandma’s Hands” from the Chesky Demo disk, the snapping finger is way more clear and natural on the UE-10. The voices perhaps sound a touch sweeter/richer with the e500s, giving me a bit of the euphonic sensation I get when I listen to my Grados through tubes. Switching over to Rush’s “Spirit of Radio”, I don’t detect the sweetness from the e500s anymore (by comparison), but again hear more clarity from the UE-10s in the midrange. I think with the e500, the midrange stands out a lot more, which is perhaps why I perceive it as sometimes fuller, since I’m totally focused on it. With the UE-10, I’m not really “aware” of the midrange, it’s as if it’s hiding within the full spectrum (trust me, it’s good, it just doesn’t call attention to itself). The e500 calls more attention to the midrange, but perhaps only due to the understated highs. The midrange of the two IEMs is hard for me to judge. No doubt the UE-10 is clearer and more focused, but tonal quality has been hard for me to compare. I conclude this means either that the midrange of the two is comparable, or that they’re different enough in other areas that I end up noticing those other areas and not midrange differences (or my ears need more training) . Winner: Tie/???.
Clarity – No comparison, the UE-10 is way clearer. Compared to the e500, with the UE-10 the camera lens on the music gets adjusted just right so that everything snaps perfectly in focus. The UE-10 is as clear as any headphone I’ve ever heard…probably the clearest. I was happy to give up a touch of clarity going from the Ety ER4P to the Shure e500 (“hey wait, I can’t hear the classical musicians breathing and turning pages anymore”), but I’m real glad to have it back with the UE-10 (as well as the musicality that the Ety lacked for me). I’ll mention here that I have noticed ridiculously good decay with the UE-10, though I can’t remember the song to note here. Winner: UE-10.
Sibilance – One of the only problems I’ve had with my portable rig (with e500s) has been sibilance. I’m not sure where it is in the chain, but I can’t fault the e500s too much, because I notice it with the UE-10s as well as with my Grados. Perhaps it is a smidgeon reduced with the UE-10s, a benefit of the added clarity. (Note: I also get sibilance across the board with my home rig, though it is not as pronounced). The sibilance is the only thing about my portable rig that sometimes takes me out of the music…it gets distracting when I focus on it. Since it’s present with multiple phones, I’m going to assume the majority of the fault is upstream. Winner: Inconclusive.
Conclusion – UE-10 is my new favorite IEM. In my opinion, the major benefits of UE-10 over e500:
- Increased clarity (think of sound coming into perfect focus)
- Superior treble
- Superior (especially vertical) headstage
Keep in mind a few potential biases about this review: The UE-10s are the new phones. Sometimes the new thing is perceived as better because it’s new. And I must admit, I really WANT the UE-10 to be the better phones, since they are custom and sweet looking. That being said, I wasn’t expecting them to be better than the e500s, given the comparison reviews I had read. Also, I use the stock tips on the e500 (see photo), which likely gives a different experience than any other tips. All testing was done with my portable rig with 256 VBR AAC, which is how I use my IEMs normally.
Physicality – Both the e500 and UE-10 are nice looking in my opinion. Of course, there is no substitute for customizing your own color and graphic. My UE-10s fit very well…the impressions were taken in Irvine at UE Headquarters. I really like the material they make the UE-10 shells from. I previously bought some custom tips for my Etys, and they were more of a malleable rubber…not as solid feeling in the ear. When inserted, for me both UE-10s and e500s are very comfortable. The e500 is an ingenious design where the whole IEM tucks inside the ear and doesn’t protrude out at all. One advantage of the e500s is that I can lie my ear down on a pillow, with weight, and still hear great sound. This is because the tips are shallow, and don’t press into my eardrum once weight is applied. Since I sleep on my side, being able to lie on them is a cool thing. It also makes them great for travel (trains, planes, autos). On the other hand, there is something great about an IEM that is molded just for your ears…it just feels “right”. I find isolation to be roughly the same with each, perhaps a bit more with the UE-10s (I’m still experimenting with inserting for the best seal). As for build quality, the construction of both phones is good, but the big nod goes to the UE-10s. Everything is housed safely in a really strong acrylic…I feel I could knock them around without trouble. In comparison, the Shures have a narrow plastic tip that protrudes out from the side. The tip on mine broke, and I had to get it replaced. It broke due to carelessness on my part…I had them in my computer bag wrapped around my portable rig, unprotected (Shure replaced them (2 year warranty)…service was excellent)). I won’t make that mistake again with the Shures, but it must be said the UE-10s wouldn’t snap apart without much, much more force. Winner: UE-10.
Headstage – I always liked the headstage of the e500s. When I switched from my Ety ER4Ps to the e500s, I couldn’t believe how much wider the soundstage was. Ety soundstage was all within my head…nothing seemed to be coming from my ears at all. With the e500s, sounds extended way out to the sides the way they do with a pair of full size headphones (though not as far as many, of course). The UE-10 keeps the great wide soundstage of the e500, but adds to it an incredible vertical headstage. Comparing back and forth, with the UE-10, there is a wall of sound that extends up and down the full length of my ears. Switching back to the e500, the sound now sounds confined to the center portion of my ears only. Everything is restricted to a narrower vertical position. The difference is not subtle. Giving horizontal and vertical extension, the UE-10 sounds like a full sized headphone. This is no small feat… I’ve never heard any other IEM that I would think was a full set of headphones if I couldn’t feel them in my ears. Because of the increased headstage and clarity of the UE-10, individual voices and instruments each emanate from a much more defined space. On the King’s Singers’ “La Bomba” (Madrigal History Tour album), with the e500s, I’m presented with a nice image of singers coming from different places. With the UE-10s, the exact location of each singer is much more distinguishable, and I can even notice the relative positions of two guys standing next to each other. Adding vertical headstage into the equation allows for a much more 3-dimensional soundscape, where sounds can be precisely positioned. Winner: UE-10.
Bass – The bass is excellent on both IEMs. When listening to Bela Fleck’s “Flight of the Cosmic Hippo”, I hear the deep resonance of the bass with both IEMs. When the bass solo gets really deep around 2:25, both IEMs keep up, but I believe the UE-10 goes a touch deeper. The e500s bass resonates more (not sure exactly where in the bass spectrum), so when the lowest notes are being hit, I’m hit with a wall of bass that could be perceived to be “more” bass. What it actually is, though, is resonance, similar to a car loaded with slamming subwoofers, where no matter what bass note is being played, you hear that one frequency that shakes the car, and makes everyone say “wow, what an amazing amount of bass!”. Of course, it’s not nearly as pronounced as that, I just needed the analogy. Only in comparison does the e500 sound a touch bloated. And with the e500s, I’m still hearing the very low notes, I’m just at the same time hearing resonance at a higher bass frequency. With the UE-10, there is less bloat, so I focus on the very deep notes that are present in spades. The end result is that the UE-10 delivers clearer bass. When listening to “Hippo” with the UE-10, I was reminded that with low bass one can become aware of the individual cycles per second, because there are few enough of them. Going back to the e500, I can still hear the cycles, but it was the UE-10 that made me aware of them. Winner: UE-10.
Treble - On this one there is really no comparison. The UE-10 just has way better treble. The UE-10 is chock full of airiness in the high end. I noticed this airiness on the Triple-Fi 10’s when I gave them a listen at HeadFest2. On Alison Krauss’s “Now That I’ve Found You”, her voice is nice and airy, yet super clear. At 1:27 when she sings “Darling I just can’t let you go”, the e500 sounds a bit shouty. I want to say it’s because it ends up pushing more midrange than treble. On the UE-10, there is no such shoutiness. On Dave Matthews’ “Jimi Thing”, at 0:57 when the ride cymbal kicks in, with the UE-10 I can focus on that cymbal and it exists in its own space and sounds just like a cymbal. Switching back to e500, the cymbal is still there, but it is muddier and harder to separate from the rest of the music, and the top end of it is missing. This is particularly surprising to me, since I have been noticing how great things like cymbals sound ever since getting my iMod (for my e500s). The UE-10 just takes it to a new level. Winner: UE-10.
Midrange – Listening to Livingston Taylor’s “Grandma’s Hands” from the Chesky Demo disk, the snapping finger is way more clear and natural on the UE-10. The voices perhaps sound a touch sweeter/richer with the e500s, giving me a bit of the euphonic sensation I get when I listen to my Grados through tubes. Switching over to Rush’s “Spirit of Radio”, I don’t detect the sweetness from the e500s anymore (by comparison), but again hear more clarity from the UE-10s in the midrange. I think with the e500, the midrange stands out a lot more, which is perhaps why I perceive it as sometimes fuller, since I’m totally focused on it. With the UE-10, I’m not really “aware” of the midrange, it’s as if it’s hiding within the full spectrum (trust me, it’s good, it just doesn’t call attention to itself). The e500 calls more attention to the midrange, but perhaps only due to the understated highs. The midrange of the two IEMs is hard for me to judge. No doubt the UE-10 is clearer and more focused, but tonal quality has been hard for me to compare. I conclude this means either that the midrange of the two is comparable, or that they’re different enough in other areas that I end up noticing those other areas and not midrange differences (or my ears need more training) . Winner: Tie/???.
Clarity – No comparison, the UE-10 is way clearer. Compared to the e500, with the UE-10 the camera lens on the music gets adjusted just right so that everything snaps perfectly in focus. The UE-10 is as clear as any headphone I’ve ever heard…probably the clearest. I was happy to give up a touch of clarity going from the Ety ER4P to the Shure e500 (“hey wait, I can’t hear the classical musicians breathing and turning pages anymore”), but I’m real glad to have it back with the UE-10 (as well as the musicality that the Ety lacked for me). I’ll mention here that I have noticed ridiculously good decay with the UE-10, though I can’t remember the song to note here. Winner: UE-10.
Sibilance – One of the only problems I’ve had with my portable rig (with e500s) has been sibilance. I’m not sure where it is in the chain, but I can’t fault the e500s too much, because I notice it with the UE-10s as well as with my Grados. Perhaps it is a smidgeon reduced with the UE-10s, a benefit of the added clarity. (Note: I also get sibilance across the board with my home rig, though it is not as pronounced). The sibilance is the only thing about my portable rig that sometimes takes me out of the music…it gets distracting when I focus on it. Since it’s present with multiple phones, I’m going to assume the majority of the fault is upstream. Winner: Inconclusive.
Conclusion – UE-10 is my new favorite IEM. In my opinion, the major benefits of UE-10 over e500:
- Increased clarity (think of sound coming into perfect focus)
- Superior treble
- Superior (especially vertical) headstage
