The Monkey
Monkey See, Monkey DAC
A really sick dud
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2004
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A big thanks once again to Ultimate Ears. As part of my prize for naming the triple.fi 10 pro, I have received my UE-5c. I will post pics later. But first some preliminary impressions.
I’m at work, so I’ve been listening through my 3G ipod to music ripped using several different methods from 128 kbps mp3 to 320 aac vbr. I listened both amped and unamped. When amped, I was using my HeadRoom MicroAmp (Desktop Module). My overall conclusion is that I like the Ue-5c very, very much. The best indication of my pleasure with the UE-5c is that I’ve been listening to—and enjoying—tunes that I haven’t listened to in a while. To me, that’s always a good sign with a new headphone. Do I like it more than my UE-10? No, but I know I will get use out of the UE-5c for reasons stated below. I will do some testing with other sources soon.
My UE-5c is very, very comfortable. Even more so than my UE-10 pro, which is interesting because the UE-5c was made with the same impressions. Perhaps this is because the nozzles are slightly smaller due to one less driver? Whatever the reason, these are comfortable for long listening sessions.
The first word that comes to my mind after listening to the UE-5c is “smooooth.” That’s right, 4 “o”s. I suspect this is a symptom of some treble rolloff. But, to me, this is not a bad thing. In some ways, it is a nice break from the UE-10, which is a relentless, unforgiving earpiece. The UE-5c is far more forgiving of poor recordings and has less insistent highs. This makes for a groovy and laid back listening session. It also means that a lot of detail is sacrificed. There is ample bass, perhaps a little boomy, but in a good way. I think the bass quantity exceeds that of the UE-10, but this impression could be due to the 5c’s less detailed highs. The 5c strikes me as a more refined super.fi 5 pro. And I am very pleasantly surprised about the mids, which I think are far superior to the super.fi 5 pro. Like the sf5p, the UE-5c’s soundstage is very good for an iem. The qualities described above add up to make the UE-5c an excellent rock headphone.
Amping the UE-5c makes a small, but noticeable improvement. The bass tightens up and the overall presentation has more impact, texture, and depth. Certainly, the UE-5c can be used straight out of an ipod with excellent results, but I think amping the UE-5c results in a 10 percent improvement.
The 5c is a different animal than the UE-10. To me, the UE-10 is for when you want—and need—that unforgiving level of detail; for when you want to get “inside” your music. I love the UE-10 for that reason, but I also find it slightly fatiguing sometimes. For just a really fun sound, I think the UE-5c is outstanding. I am pretty sure the UE-5c will become my travel iem of choice. It also may become my before bed iem. But it will not replace the UE-10 as my reference iem.
Is it worth it? I don’t think I can fairly answer this question as I have received both my UE-10 and UE-5c for free (dons flamesuit). But I think the UE-5c’s pricing properly reflects its sound quality as closer to that of the UE-10 pro than the sf5p. However, it is important to note that the UE-5c’s sound signature is more like the sf5p than the UE-10. So is the UE-10 pro better than the UE-5c? Bottom line: yes, significantly in some cases. But "better" doesn't always mean more fun, and I can see how the UE-5c can be more fun with a portable setup.
Overall, the UE-5c is an excellent iem. And I thank the good folks at Ultimate Ears for their generosity. Special thanks to Mike Dias and Kelly Duke for taking good care of me. I look forward to trying the triple.fi 10 pro soon.
Rock on.
I’m at work, so I’ve been listening through my 3G ipod to music ripped using several different methods from 128 kbps mp3 to 320 aac vbr. I listened both amped and unamped. When amped, I was using my HeadRoom MicroAmp (Desktop Module). My overall conclusion is that I like the Ue-5c very, very much. The best indication of my pleasure with the UE-5c is that I’ve been listening to—and enjoying—tunes that I haven’t listened to in a while. To me, that’s always a good sign with a new headphone. Do I like it more than my UE-10? No, but I know I will get use out of the UE-5c for reasons stated below. I will do some testing with other sources soon.
My UE-5c is very, very comfortable. Even more so than my UE-10 pro, which is interesting because the UE-5c was made with the same impressions. Perhaps this is because the nozzles are slightly smaller due to one less driver? Whatever the reason, these are comfortable for long listening sessions.
The first word that comes to my mind after listening to the UE-5c is “smooooth.” That’s right, 4 “o”s. I suspect this is a symptom of some treble rolloff. But, to me, this is not a bad thing. In some ways, it is a nice break from the UE-10, which is a relentless, unforgiving earpiece. The UE-5c is far more forgiving of poor recordings and has less insistent highs. This makes for a groovy and laid back listening session. It also means that a lot of detail is sacrificed. There is ample bass, perhaps a little boomy, but in a good way. I think the bass quantity exceeds that of the UE-10, but this impression could be due to the 5c’s less detailed highs. The 5c strikes me as a more refined super.fi 5 pro. And I am very pleasantly surprised about the mids, which I think are far superior to the super.fi 5 pro. Like the sf5p, the UE-5c’s soundstage is very good for an iem. The qualities described above add up to make the UE-5c an excellent rock headphone.
Amping the UE-5c makes a small, but noticeable improvement. The bass tightens up and the overall presentation has more impact, texture, and depth. Certainly, the UE-5c can be used straight out of an ipod with excellent results, but I think amping the UE-5c results in a 10 percent improvement.
The 5c is a different animal than the UE-10. To me, the UE-10 is for when you want—and need—that unforgiving level of detail; for when you want to get “inside” your music. I love the UE-10 for that reason, but I also find it slightly fatiguing sometimes. For just a really fun sound, I think the UE-5c is outstanding. I am pretty sure the UE-5c will become my travel iem of choice. It also may become my before bed iem. But it will not replace the UE-10 as my reference iem.
Is it worth it? I don’t think I can fairly answer this question as I have received both my UE-10 and UE-5c for free (dons flamesuit). But I think the UE-5c’s pricing properly reflects its sound quality as closer to that of the UE-10 pro than the sf5p. However, it is important to note that the UE-5c’s sound signature is more like the sf5p than the UE-10. So is the UE-10 pro better than the UE-5c? Bottom line: yes, significantly in some cases. But "better" doesn't always mean more fun, and I can see how the UE-5c can be more fun with a portable setup.
Overall, the UE-5c is an excellent iem. And I thank the good folks at Ultimate Ears for their generosity. Special thanks to Mike Dias and Kelly Duke for taking good care of me. I look forward to trying the triple.fi 10 pro soon.
Rock on.
