[Likui]

Hello
I want to know the diff between these 2 earphones in terms of soundstage which have bigger soundstage. For neutrality. which one is more balanced sounding
 
Thanks
Matthew

 

[Danz03]

Most UE18Pro owners here seem to be quite reluctant to talk about them, but if you are looking for neutrality, UE18 are definitely not for you. Here's a comment I made in another thread:
 
 
My only experience with custom IEMs are the UE 18 Pros. In terms of looks and built, I don't think they can be faulted and mine fit my ears perfectly first time round. However, sonically, I really don't think they deserve the $1,350 price tag, I'd rate my Westone 4, UM3x or Turbine Copper higher. There seem to be a big bump somewhere in the high frequencies, and for the last year or so I've been wondering if maybe they were faulty or there's something wrong with my ears that made them sound that way. Then recently I found some frequency graphs of the UE 18 which confirmed my doubts.

 



 

If these graphs are right, there is a big bump around 7-8 k which takes out all the sparks in music and gives a very dull sound in general, kind of like the opposite of the HD 800. I've often wondered if that was done deliberately to minimize ear fatigue for stage performers which they were primary designed for, and if that's true, maybe they should warn potential customers about that before they made the purchase.

 

Although I've not heard the JH 16, just from looking at the graph above, seems to me they have that similar 6-7 k spike like the HD800, do they sound bright and sibilant?

 

After my experience with UE 18, think I'd give custom IEMs a miss from now on unless I start doing live performances. Right now I'm quite happy with my Westone 4 and UM3x, especially the W4, which to me is nearly as good as my LCD-2.

 

[SolidVictory]

Quote:

Most UE18Pro owners here seem to be quite reluctant to talk about them, but if you are looking for neutrality, UE18 are definitely not for you. Here's a comment I made in another thread:
 
 
My only experience with custom IEMs are the UE 18 Pros. In terms of looks and built, I don't think they can be faulted and mine fit my ears perfectly first time round. However, sonically, I really don't think they deserve the $1,350 price tag, I'd rate my Westone 4, UM3x or Turbine Copper higher. There seem to be a big bump somewhere in the high frequencies, and for the last year or so I've been wondering if maybe they were faulty or there's something wrong with my ears that made them sound that way. Then recently I found some frequency graphs of the UE 18 which confirmed my doubts.

 



 

If these graphs are right, there is a big bump around 7-8 k which takes out all the sparks in music and gives a very dull sound in general, kind of like the opposite of the HD 800. I've often wondered if that was done deliberately to minimize ear fatigue for stage performers which they were primary designed for, and if that's true, maybe they should warn potential customers about that before they made the purchase.

 

Although I've not heard the JH 16, just from looking at the graph above, seems to me they have that similar 6-7 k spike like the HD800, do they sound bright and sibilant?

 

After my experience with UE 18, think I'd give custom IEMs a miss from now on unless I start doing live performances. Right now I'm quite happy with my Westone 4 and UM3x, especially the W4, which to me is nearly as good as my LCD-2.

My JH16's don't sound sibilant despite that large bump around 6-7 kHz (but some others have experienced sibilance on the JH16, perhaps it may require a very good fit? I am not sure, but I don't experience any sibilance on my JH16's--on some rare occasions I have heard sibilance, but that same recording created sibilance on some other gear of mine, so I believe the JH16 was just reproducing what was in the recording in the first place). I believe the 6-7 kHz bump is there to balance out the 8 bass drivers on the IEM. The JH16 brings out a pretty neutral sound signature that is aggressive in PRAT and bass + highs. The highs on the JH16 are hands down the best I've heard from an IEM. Some people say the JH16 is not neutral for its somewhat "hefty" sound because of the extra bass drivers, but it is to me still a very neutral monitor as it does not sound artificial nor boosted in any frequency range to me. The JH16 sounds very natural. If I could describe the JH16 in one word, it would be: effortless.
 
It is unfortunate that you did not enjoy the UE18. Perhaps you should give another custom IEM a try in the future. I am more than delighted with my JH16, and I have owned some high-end IEMs before, but the JH16 is in another league.
 
@Likui: The UE Reference Monitors should be more neutral than the UE18, as they were designed with a strict emphasis on neutrality. I can't speak for the soundstage of either IEM though, as I do not know about that. Perhaps an owner can stop by this thread and give an input?

 

[Likui]

I don't know if anyone owns both of the IEMS lol. To me soundstage is very important in mixing and I don't know if UE RM has that good soundstage, Traditionally most ppl use headphones to mix IEM can't really do it. but well seems like UE claimed that it made the 1st IEM for mixing, I'm wondering how good it is.

 

[Likui]

I don't know if anyone owns both of the IEMS lol. To me soundstage is very important in mixing and I don't know if UE RM has that good soundstage, Traditionally most ppl use headphones to mix IEM can't really do it. but well seems like UE claimed that it made the 1st IEM for mixing, I'm wondering how good it is.