[cooperpwc]

Quote:

Mechanical?  That doesn't sound great. Did they make music sound boring and lifeless?  I can't see the point of earphones that do that - should make you grin more than anything.

But contrast with:
 
Quote:

You guys are going to love these.
 
Think UE-10 clarity and accuracy with a nice, tight low end that's not intrusive.  UE-10 with a little more balls.
 
They're not as aggressive as the UE-18 -- so flat, so nice.  
 

So I personally won't jump to conclusions.

 

[melomaniac]

fwiw, when I beta-tested this UE custom, it improved over the universal IEMs I had been living with (such as the ER4P/S for the past 3-4 years, and others before then, including the UE sf5pro). I don't have other customs to compare this one to - but I'll say that the sense of separation and space is great with the UERM, and the neutrality is pleasing as long as one has a good signal chain and a high quality source; my beta version was also easy about amping. at the risk of being misunderstood, I'd say this one is for trained ears. it's made for music producers and sound engineers, and with their critical feedback incorporated.

 

[ffdpmaggot]

Just a general question/comment regarding the quality of ultimate ears vs. JH audio, Jerry Harvey, as you should all know, started ultimate ears, so, it is my belief that JH Audio would produce higher quality products, I haven't had the pleasure of listening to any of these products yet so I couldn't verify this, would anyone like to insert their input on this matter?

 

[joeshambro]

 
Quote:

Mechanical?  That doesn't sound great. Did they make music sound boring and lifeless?  I can't see the point of earphones that do that - should make you grin more than anything.

 
 
"Boring and lifeless" is in the ears of the beholder. 
 
The idea UE had with these is to provide flat, studio reference-quality monitoring in any situation, in a portable package... for a really trained-ear audiophile they'll enjoy the neutral, flat sound signature.  If you're just listening for fun, I'd say it's just a matter of taste.  If you want a more "fun" sound signature, the JH16 and UE-18 are probably more up your alley.  If these ears will be used for mixing recordings on-the-go or for studio musicians who need monitoring while recording, then they're a great option to be considered. 
 
As with everything, it's all in the personal taste of the listener, and how their budget meets that desire for a specific sound signature.  These are professional tools, just as all of the custom in-ear products started out, and the (very welcome) side effect is that audiophiles love the sound quality for enjoying playback. 

 

[melomaniac]

@bennyboy71 : did you even read the OP before posting here? ack!

 

[Bennyboy71]

 
Quote:

@bennyboy71 : did you even read the OP before posting here? ack!

No. That doesnt make a bit of difference either - I was responding to someone else's post. Do you read all threads from the beginning before commenting? You got more patience than I have if that's the case.

 

[ffsound]

I have tried many a pair of UEs and competitor IEMs.  My three favorites are all UE: 5s, 10s and 18s.  While the 10s are indeed "flatter" than others, their response curve definitely isn't flat enough to give an engineer an ideal baseline—nor is their soundstage well enough defined to replace good near-fields while mixing.  I can't wait to get my hand on a pair of the UE Reference model.  The noise in the grapevine is getting pretty loud—even traditionalist skeptics are adopting them.   Wish I could have been a beta tester. 

 

[ffsound]

I'm a fan of JH's early work and pioneering of IEMs.  But I he's obviously had to tweak the designs he originally did so well for UE in order to avoid patent infringement.  Older (lower-numbered) UE models are the original JHs.  Unfortunately, in my experience, the new JH models have a brittle tone. The 16 pro, with 8 drivers per ear, is too much of a mediocre thing—it seems like a desperate attempt to beat his old company at their own game. It's the marketing-driven concept that the higher the number, the better it MUST sound.   Most studio reference monitors are two-way or three-way at most.  I'm concerned that the JH's edginess is evidence of a little ear fatigue on Jerry's part.   

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

I'm a fan of JH's early work and pioneering of IEMs.  But I he's obviously had to tweak the designs he originally did so well for UE in order to avoid patent infringement.  Older (lower-numbered) UE models are the original JHs.  Unfortunately, in my experience, the new JH models have a brittle tone. The 16 pro, with 8 drivers per ear, is too much of a mediocre thing—it seems like a desperate attempt to beat his old company at their own game. It's the marketing-driven concept that the higher the number, the better it MUST sound.   Most studio reference monitors are two-way or three-way at most.  I'm concerned that the JH's edginess is evidence of a little ear fatigue on Jerry's part.   

 
Wow, interesting timing on joining HeadFi and equally interesting comments.  Jerry Harvey doesn't make the best sounding IEMs because he has hearing loss and UE owns the patents to the best sounding ear monitors ever made.  Cool, thx for that.  

 

 

[toughnut]

The new angled connection on custom look cool!

 

[Radio_head]

Quote:

I have tried many a pair of UEs and competitor IEMs.  My three favorites are all UE: 5s, 10s and 18s.  While the 10s are indeed "flatter" than others, their response curve definitely isn't flat enough to give an engineer an ideal baseline—nor is their soundstage well enough defined to replace good near-fields while mixing.  I can't wait to get my hand on a pair of the UE Reference model.  The noise in the grapevine is getting pretty loud—even traditionalist skeptics are adopting them.   Wish I could have been a beta tester. 

No offense, but you just joined a day ago and both your posts are on this thread, Lauding UE and Meh-ing JH.  Your profile says nothing about you personally.  In the forum world this comes across as shilling, people hired by the company to hype their products.  This is not a J'accuse, you just might want to give some background on yourself in your profile and vary the threads you post on and what you talk about.

 

[dfkt]

So Capitol Studios is the new Miles Davis, Dr. Dre and/or Lady Gaga? Not sure which endorsement is more retro-cute - this one, or AKG's Quincy Jones shtick. In the "more is better" race of custom IEMs, it sure needs some good advertising plan to sell triple armature IEMs for that price. Well, it's only 100 bucks more expensive than UE's other triple driver, the UE10.

 

[a_recording]

Quote:

So Capitol Studios is the new Miles Davis, Dr. Dre and/or Lady Gaga? Not sure which endorsement is more retro-cute - this one, or AKG's Quincy Jones shtick. In the "more is better" race of custom IEMs, it sure needs some good advertising plan to sell triple armature IEMs for that price. Well, it's only 100 bucks more expensive than UE's other triple driver, the UE10.

I think what we are starting to see is the commodification of the IEM market, where the products are now becoming so numerous, similar in price and quality that the only subsequent way to distinguish them is lifestyle marketing and associating them with a particular idea or image. So it will no longer be about a house sound, but actually a more encompassing house philosophy, and the choice of IEM will be posed less about a choice of sound quality, and more about expressing some part of your identity by sending your money to some large corporation. I always watch this kind of marketing with morbid fascination.
 
Sent from my iPhone.
 
(Just kidding on the above line.)

 

[cooperpwc]

I see that the UE 10 Pros have disappeared from the UE site. So it seems that the Capitol Reference Monitors may have formally replaced them.

 

[B[van]]

Quote:

I see that the UE 10 Pros have disappeared from the UE site. So it seems that the Capitol Reference Monitors may have formally replaced them.

Quote:

Is this IERM supposed to be a rehash of the UE10Pros which were the flattest amongst their offerings previously?

I was wondering if it really is supposed to replace the UE10s and it seemingly did. Thanks for the update on the UE website!