Some short impression I could add for the Live, I used to think my UE Live was a bit of a dull purchase it sounded muddy and clarity was sub-par considering it's price point, but the Live scales unbelievably well with EQ and now it shares ear time with my Mentor and RN6.
I'd say premier is closer to live. to me, premier is a much richer experience vs ue7. much richer mids and bass, with more definition in mids and bass vs ue7 and live.
Just wanted to mention, I've just received my Custom UE Premiers. I had to send them back because the fit in one ear was not perfect so they are doing a re-fitting. However, I was able to listen to them for quite some time and so I'm happy to offer some first impressions.
I'm happy to answer any questions if people still have them.
four days ago i received ue premier. see photos. after two hours of listening to premier, I compared premier vs live, and, not too surprising, the live bested the premier. after two hours -basically new, compared to live, premier sounded a bit closed, dull and hazy. not too surprising.
several years ago, when i first received ue live, I felt a bit disappointed with live for about the first 300 hours of use. so, starting four days ago, I connected premier to burn-in track loop and, they'll probably continue burn-in for a total of 10-12 days (240-300 hours) before I listen again and, even after the first 300 hours, i expect that they will continue to break in and open up for many more hours.
I don't expect that premier will prove "better" than the live. I expect that premier will sound different. very curious whether premier can create similar emotional connection vs live. live are not accurate and so, premier will no doubt produce more accurate, detailed and, perhaps, even more lush sound. how emotional an experience can premier create? will premier bring me to tears like live can? will see...
I'm not in the market for a CIEM for a few years. But I always cross my fingers for a UE Neutral Reference release, but even more I always pray for a UE Management Shake-Up. I could always smell "Let's focus on Wireless Speakers with our UE Brand, iPhones are so cool" when they changed CEOs.
I'm just catching up after a few CanJams have passed. I'm really losing hope, but I'll check back in 2025. There's really a high possibility there is never going to be a UE Reference done right again. Time to pour out a little liquor for UE. Until 2025, Bye.
As I suspected, they probably let a Nepo-baby manage the UE Premier Project (But I can market on TikTok Daddy):
It's clear the brand is dying.
It's their first new model after many years, and the main UE brand is focused on bluetooth speakers.
Ultimate Ears was acquired by Logitech in August 2008.
It's even hard to find their CIEM offering. There's only one "pro" link at the very bottom of their main site.
This 21BA was designed by an intern. Their CEO probably doesn't even visit this division anymore.
UE lost its way after the UE18+ Pro, IMO. Apparently, there was another change in leadership then, and they were responsible for the UE6, UE18 Gen. 3 and the Live, which were all very wonky-sounding. I saw some hope for the UE6 and Live for drumming, but that’s pretty much it. I thought the Premier could be a return to form, but it looks like the tuning direction of the UERM/UERR/UE18+ Pro is gone for good.
The original UERM continues to be, for me, a fantastically neutral studio monitor. It's because of that, that I prize mine greatly, and rarely bring it out for fear of bad things happening to it. But if it does have an Achilles's heel, it's the supremely flat bass response. It's a double-edged sword, something that I greatly appreciate, but don't always enjoy, if that makes sense. When they tried to address the UERM's low-end issues with the UERR, I was glad but not wowed. Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike it in any way, not at all. But it's a living embodiment of BA bass... it's moar bass, but not necessary richer bass. It was, to me, a kindred spirit of the UERM, and not necessarily the successor that I personally wanted it to be. I've long hoped that Ultimate Ears would release a true successor to them both, and I was hoping the UE Live would be it, but it went in a different direction. And the UE Premier... in many ways it's an anti-UERM or anti-UERR.
After straying away from the UERR and UE18+ Pro’s beautiful tonalities with the wonky UE18 Gen. 3, UE6 and UE Live, I thought a 21-driver statement piece could be what UE needed to kick back into gear and announce their comeback. Alas… it’s always the hope that kills. The UE Premier has a more linear tuning than their latest output, for sure, but it’s got its own colourations too. The biggest is a mid-treble valley that gives its transients this sucked-out, veiled, diffuse timbre. Sure, cymbals and hi-hats are virtually incapable of harshness, but when every sss… ends up sounding like an fff…, you’ve got a problem. It’s also got average stage expansion, average left-right separation and decent resolution. I’d give it a 6 or a 7 considering how off-putting their preceding line-up was, but that’s not what you want for a $3000 statement piece. I hope UE find their footing, sooner or later.
I'm not in the market for a CIEM for a few years. But I always cross my fingers for a UE Neutral Reference release, but even more I always pray for a UE Management Shake-Up. I could always smell "Let's focus on Wireless Speakers with our UE Brand, iPhones are so cool" when they changed CEOs.
I'm just catching up after a few CanJams have passed. I'm really losing hope, but I'll check back in 2025. There's really a high possibility there is never going to be a UE Reference done right again. Time to pour out a little liquor for UE. Until 2025, Bye.
As I suspected, they probably let a Nepo-baby manage the UE Premier Project (But I can market on TikTok Daddy):
thank goodness that ue offers various tonalities, instead of trying to make each ciem sound neutral. yay! like music instruments, audio gear is art, designed to trigger emotion. is a priceless stradivarius tonally neutral? we listen to music for an emotional experience. I listened to the uerr and ue18+ and I didn't enjoy them. I have the ue7, ue11, live and premier. these may prove less "accurate" vs uerr and ue18+ and I feel more in joy listening to these supposedly less accurate iems.
japan make very reliable and functionally ideal motorcycles, and I prefer the emotional experience of riding european machines. thankfully, there are options for people who like both.
also, creating the desired sonic experience is art. I like the sound of my chosen ciems with the three neutral sounding lotoo music players that I use. with more colored players, I don't enjoy the ue live, for example. i.e., it's more than just the iems. the peripheral components -player and cables- impact experience.
enjoy your reference quality iems and let us dance and cry to the inaccurate experience of our iems.
I'm not in the market for a CIEM for a few years. But I always cross my fingers for a UE Neutral Reference release, but even more I always pray for a UE Management Shake-Up. I could always smell "Let's focus on Wireless Speakers with our UE Brand, iPhones are so cool" when they changed CEOs.
I'm just catching up after a few CanJams have passed. I'm really losing hope, but I'll check back in 2025. There's really a high possibility there is never going to be a UE Reference done right again. Time to pour out a little liquor for UE. Until 2025, Bye.
As I suspected, they probably let a Nepo-baby manage the UE Premier Project (But I can market on TikTok Daddy):
thank goodness that ue offers various tonalities, instead of trying to make each ciem sound neutral. yay! like music instruments, audio gear is art, designed to trigger emotion. is a priceless stradivarius tonally neutral? we listen to music for an emotional experience. I listened to the uerr and ue18+ and I didn't enjoy them. I have the ue7, ue11, live and premier. these may prove less "accurate" vs uerr and ue18+ and I feel more in joy listening to these supposedly less accurate iems.
japan make very reliable and functionally ideal motorcycles, and I prefer the emotional experience of riding european machines. thankfully, there are options for people who like both.
also, creating the desired sonic experience is art. I like the sound of my chosen ciems with the three neutral sounding lotoo music players that I use. with more colored players, I don't enjoy the ue live, for example. i.e., it's more than just the iems. the peripheral components -player and cables- impact experience.
enjoy your reference quality iems and let us ignorantly and blissfully dance and cry to the inaccurate experience of our iems.
i'm considering to take advantage of the black friday sale and went for demo in a local dealer. a sales rep told me UE ciems are now made in taiwan instead of their factory in US for a few years.
I wonder if anyone knows this is true? i checked at the boxes of my ue live and 18+pro (3rd gen) ordered back in 2020. both didn't clearly say where it's made (it just printed designed in USA). Not that the country of manufacture is critical but i just wish UE has a bit more transparency in here . . . .
i'm considering to take advantage of the black friday sale and went for demo in a local dealer. a sales rep told me UE ciems are now made in taiwan instead of their factory in US for a few years.
I wonder if anyone knows this is true? i checked at the boxes of my ue live and 18+pro (3rd gen) ordered back in 2020. both didn't clearly say where it's made (it just printed designed in USA). Not that the country of manufacture is critical but i just wish UE has a bit more transparency in here . . . .
I think that „designed in…“ statement is quite clear: were they actually made in the US, why would they not put that there after all?
It’s not necessarily about quality (Apple being a good example, their products do have a very high build quality), what bothers me most is shipping boxes around the world due to cost saving measures in manufacturing.
i'm considering to take advantage of the black friday sale and went for demo in a local dealer. a sales rep told me UE ciems are now made in taiwan instead of their factory in US for a few years.
I wonder if anyone knows this is true? i checked at the boxes of my ue live and 18+pro (3rd gen) ordered back in 2020. both didn't clearly say where it's made (it just printed designed in USA). Not that the country of manufacture is critical but i just wish UE has a bit more transparency in here . . . .
as I understand it, and as usual, it's about economies of scale and maximizing consistent quality. the most skilled iem manufacturers are in taiwan and, at the scale they can manufacture and, the resources the Taiwanese can invest in manufacturing and innovation, there's no way for ue to compete with other manufacturers. it's just smart business and a sound strategy, to sustain a viable business model. as mentioned, it's the reason that iPhones are manufactured in China. Foxconn is a massive massive Chinese contracts manufacturer, even apple bows to Foxconn. it's not viable for Apple to build a factory to the scale as Foxconn and, most importantly, find skilled resources to build the components. today, the main challenge is finding skilled resources to build ciems and Taiwan has concentration of skilled iems resources.
as I understand it, and as usual, it's about economies of scale and maximizing consistent quality. the most skilled iem manufacturers are in taiwan and, at the scale they can manufacture and, the resources the Taiwanese can invest in manufacturing and innovation, there's no way for ue to compete with other manufacturers. it's just smart business and a sound strategy, to sustain a viable business model. as mentioned, it's the reason that iPhones are manufactured in China. Foxconn is a massive massive Chinese contracts manufacturer, even apple bows to Foxconn. it's not viable for Apple to build a factory to the scale as Foxconn and, most importantly, find skilled resources to build the components. today, the main challenge is finding skilled resources to build ciems and Taiwan has concentration of skilled iems resources.
this is interesting. while i came across some cable and uiem makers based in taiwan, i haven't heard well known taiwaness ciem brands. is there any good one worth trying out?
in just a month after i had my ear impression done, including the christmas and new year holiday, i got my UE premier today
very enjoyable sound. with tons of details and the hardest hitting bass i've heard from BA iems. the shell is very beautifully made with no bubble or any imperfection at all.
the dealer asked me to do ear impression instead of ear scanning. the result is truly remarkable. my ue live and 18+pro both was based on ear scanning and not fitted particularly well. but the premier, despite much bulkier, is way more comfortable and fit much better. very high sensitivity making it easy to drive but any quality source to get to very loud listening level.
btw, the box no longer printed any place of design/assembly/manufacturing anymore, given the super fast turnaround time, i suspect the rumour that it's no longer made in the USA but taiwan is true. . . .
in just a month after i had my ear impression done, including the christmas and new year holiday, i got my UE premier today
very enjoyable sound. with tons of details and the hardest hitting bass i've heard from BA iems. the shell is very beautifully made with no bubble or any imperfection at all.
the dealer asked me to do ear impression instead of ear scanning. the result is truly remarkable. my ue live and 18+pro both was based on ear scanning and not fitted particularly well. but the premier, despite much bulkier, is way more comfortable and fit much better. very high sensitivity making it easy to drive but any quality source to get to very loud listening level.
btw, the box no longer printed any place of design/assembly/manufacturing anymore, given the super fast turnaround time, i suspect the rumour that it's no longer made in the USA but taiwan is true. . . .
i think premier has the hardest hitting bass of all three models. premier sounds much warmer to me as the mid-bass/bass always dominates the overall tunning. rangar has unparallel level of details retrieval (and treble quantity), even both u18t and premier also deliver tons of details (and treble).
How does the premier compare to Live? I saw the graph of premier pretty close to Live but slightly darker?
One noticeable difference, however, from the other UE Pro models that I have tried is that the Premier is thicker and that includes the UE Live and UE 5 Pro. The reality is that the UE Premier sit inside the ear and also on top of it.
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
