[Dkhand]

They look totally identical with UE900

 

[DrSheep]

The gel pack is definitely new, and the case and tips are different too, plus they might have fixed some of the constructions internally.  However, I am using my "old" UE900 from the "bad" batch with no issues.

 

[helmet993]

   
UE700, wife stepped on it in a fit of rage
 

 
I'm interested in this one specifically

 

[twister6]

  The gel pack is definitely new, and the case and tips are different too, plus they might have fixed some of the constructions internally.  However, I am using my "old" UE900 from the "bad" batch with no issues.

what's a "gel pack"?

 

[DrSheep]

 
what's a "gel pack"?

 

[twister6]

We be gellin' like magellan

 

[lawrecedent]

It looks like the section where the cables attach is now actually part of the blue moulded plastic shell rather than being separate. This might support my theory that they were falling apart when people were using the cable guides to remove them from their ears instead of the iem body as the actual earpieces sit quite deep. Let's hope this has solved it, I hope mine last forever!!

 

[Tommy C]

I am looking at my UE 900 and they look identical.  The only significant change is that Logitech reduced the warranty from 2yrs to 1. Nice one!

 

[aLm0sT]

According to a guy from another forum: 

"The main differences are in the arrangement of drivers and bass tubes within the housings. Other than that, there are changes in the accessories provided. Compared to previous version, UE900s has a smaller frequency range of 20Hz to 20,000Hz."

 

[MyInnerEar]

So it looks like other people have had the exact same thing happen to them.

http://forums.logitech.com/t5/Logitech-UE/UE900-broke-what-are-my-options/td-p/1045595

Guess all the reviews I read about shoddy build quality were right.

I went through many many earphones for years with many not lasting a month. I never abused them but I'm a heavy user. Usually the cable controls were the first to break, then a driver would usually break. I never had a problem with my UE900 though. I found the build quality to be quite nice. They look good and sound good. The swivel on the cable I didn't like though...it made them kinda confusing to put on.

 

[jrwong28]

 

[Ivabign]

I totally agree and in reality the manufacturer's don't want to create a product that lasts for life because they want repeat custom.

I disagree - if you build a better product, people line up to buy. This is the logic that says all football games are fixed (just some) and the NSA actually cares what I say in my emails. Companies make decisions based on market forces and financial concerns - sometimes they choose incorrectly. But to say that there was once a conversation in the UE boardroom where it was brought up... "Hey, if we build these cheaper, we'll have more customers because they'll need to come to us for another!" is sadly mistaken. Who's to say that the customer with his freshly inoperable product in his hand is going to decide to buy the same brand? I don't think so - there are a lot of customers out there - and the path to attracting more is to build a quality product - the end.

 

[Tommy C]

If they believe in their products they should have kept the 2 year warranty and not reduce it to 1. The new tips are nice though.

 

[lawrecedent]

I disagree - if you build a better product, people line up to buy. This is the logic that says all football games are fixed (just some) and the NSA actually cares what I say in my emails. Companies make decisions based on market forces and financial concerns sometimes they choose incorrectly. But to say that there was once a conversation in the UE boardroom where it was brought up... "Hey, if we build these cheaper, we'll have more customers because they'll need to come to us for another!" is sadly mistaken. Who's to say that the customer with his freshly inoperable product in his hand is going to decide to buy the same brand? I don't think so - there are a lot of customers out there - and the path to attracting more is to build a quality product - the end.

I agree with you that if companies took that approach it would be better but look at the evidence in hand. The UE900 is not a well made product. I think it would be naive to suggest that an actual meeting took place in which it was decided that they would deliberately aim for this in the design. However, The fact remains that the black plastic area which joins the cables to the main body of the earphone is cheap and nasty. The memory wire around the ears is poor and the jack cheap. The strain relief on the cables is virtually non existent. The UE logos wear off and everything is made of plastic. However, there is no real excuse for using poor materials because they are a £300 pair of earphones. Thank God they sound so good and look OK from a distance because the money certainly isn't going on production costs.

 

[lawrecedent]

This pic seems to show the differences in the new design but confusingly shows two different models. I have the old ones which look like the bottom picture (black Section connecting the lead to the main body) However, the top pic has blue plastic housing the cable connection suggesting that perhaps the whole ear bud is one moulded piece now. That would certainly make them more robust in the area that so much of the damage seems to occur.