tengen
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 4, 2009
- Posts
- 151
- Likes
- 14
Ultimate Ears UE18 Pro Review
UE18 Pro with Custom Art - Trans Slate Grey. Click to enlarge.
There’s a lack of UE18 reviews. For every thread that mentions the UE18, there are 10 on the JH13/16, so I am going to do a proper review and hopefully do away with the mystical quality on UE’s flagship customs. If you have any further questions after this read, ask away! There’s a TL;DR towards the bottom with graphs if you want a quick summary.
Stuff You Probably Already Know
The UE18 has 6 balanced armatures: 2 highs, 2 mids, and 2 lows with a three-way crossover. They also sport a new beefy cable that’s built to last.
Input Sensitivity: 110.6 dB @ 1 kHz
Efficiency: 115.6 dB @ 1mW
Frequency Response: 20 Hz to 18,000 Hz
Impedance: 21 ohms @ 1kHz
Internal Speaker Configuration: 6 proprietary precision balanced armatures
Noise Isolation: -26 dB
Input Connector: 1/8" (3.5 mm) gold plated
The base price is $1350 + tax + $15 standard shipping. Custom art is $100 for each distinct image (more on that later). Cables are available in 48” or 66” in black or clear. There is no additional charge for the 66”, but replacement 66” cables are more expensive.
Packaging, Presentation, and Build quality
The UE18 comes in a classy black heavy cardstock box, with a little magnet that makes the box snap shut. Inside, there are warranty disclaimers and other warnings inside a black envelope bound to black cardstock. Beneath that is your medium carrying case, very firmly sitting in the foam-thing cut out. The foam smells really bad and it’s a really, really tight fit.
Classy presentation.
The plastic carrying case has a sliding lock. It’s not the most exquisite box ever (I was hoping for a shiny metallic case I’ve seen in pictures some time ago), but it’s sturdy enough to take serious damage. The inside of the box is padded with the same smelly foam. Your customized case has your name or phrase printed in silver lettering. The size is too bulky for daily commuting purposes in your pocket, so it’s best for your backpack or carrying bag. The carrying case supplied by TF10 is a much more reasonable size and I will be using that for mobile storage. See the picture below for size comparison.
Inside the box is your UE18s and a cleaner tool. That’s it. I was expecting more accessories, like a ¼” adaptor, shirt clip, and a flight attenuator, because I paid more than $1000 for a top-end product. When you buy a Pagani Zonda, they even come with slippers! C’mon UE, surprise me.
You can see three bubbles on the left, and a whole bunch on the right, including one huge one just to the right of the red lettering.
The build quality is nice and the cable is superb. The art was well done (more on that later). I ordered my UE18s in transparent slate grey. There are no cracks or scratches, but there are a lot of bubbles. A few days ago I suddenly discovered these bubbles (somehow missing them the first two weeks) and freaked out because I thought water got inside them. They really look like water droplets inside! I threw the UE18s inside a box with rice and desiccant packs for three days before I contacted Todd, lol. The shell thickness is uneven where the faceplate meets the shell body. The acrylic case is smooth to the touch, and the connector is firmly seated. The memory wire is two inches long, and like the cinch and Y connector, is made of hollow plastic tubing. The cinch takes some getting used to because it doesn’t move up and down easily.
Yes, rice! I was that concerned because I thought I somehow screw'd up my thousand dollar IEMs. LOL. Seriously though, that totally looks like water droplets to me.
The sound tube terminations are cut a bit rough, but it has no bearing on comfort. My ear canals are a tad narrow so instead of two distinct bores its one large bore with two “channels”. The acrylic is thinnest here and I suspect this place will crack first after many years of use.
Cable
Not quad-braided, but twisted pairs for four wires total. Each earpiece has two twisted wires, making a twisted pair after the Y connector. It feels thick and sturdy, able to take a lot of abuse. It’s very flexible without being prone to microphonics. Most of the extraneous noises come from bone conduction and pulse, not brushing against clothing. It’s recommended you wear them running down your back, cinched tightly. The termination is a low-profile 3.5mm right angle gold plug encased in clear acrylic. If you order a clear cable the copper will oxidize over time and turn green, but this has no affect on sound quality as far as head-fi reports. Full marks on the cable.
I’ve additionally bought an Etymotic ER6i shirt clip to clip at my shirt collar (just above the Y tube piece) for minimum microphonics. It’s a really tight fit.
Custom Art
From artwork, design, picture... to comp... to finished product!
Custom art is $100 for each distinct image. That is, if you want a graphic (no matter how complex) that is the same or mirrored for both sides, then it will cost $100. If you want two distinct images, as in my case, then it will cost $200. There are no technical limits on how complex you can submit your art, but take note the actual printable space is less than an inch high. The custom images will be painted outside of the acrylic shell, so it will be prone to scratches. Mkubota1 reports his UERMs have the logos painted underneath the acrylic, so maybe only custom art is on the outside.
Right earpiece. The printed art is a bit fuzzy because my art was too complex.
Left earpiece. Again, black lines not solid. Whites aren't super solid, overall less saturated look (as expected).
Being an artistic person myself, I pestered Todd (my rep for this order) a lot about the dimensions, templates, and allowable art. There aren’t any templates for custom monitors because every monitor size is different, so the closest thing you can do is to make a mock-up yourself or request a mock-up by their art department for confirmation. Due to my custom art on my right piece, it is significantly larger than my left ear – see above pictures for comparison. I believe UE will reasonably adjust your earpiece size to accommodate your art. I recommend simpler art pieces and saturated colors for maximum effect on a solid shell color. If you use a transparent shell color, then the colors aren’t as sharp. Take note as with any CMYK printing processes, colors will turn out differently (less saturated & vivid) than when viewed from your monitor.
The printer’s resolution is pretty high. If your artwork is too detailed, then the end result will be fuzzy. Mine was pushing the limitations on what is acceptable, and the black line’s aren’t solid at close inspection. But viewed at one feet away, everything’s beautiful again. If your artwork is a figure or object similar to mine (a shape surrounded by transparent background), I recommend you add a thick white outline to help it stand out. Otherwise your art will get lost with all the inner guts of the earpieces.
Overall my art is slightly greenish in hue (only ever so slightly), and the colors aren’t solid. It’s very good for 90% of customers out there, but I’m the 10% artistic crowd will demand a bit more. I’m sure if it printed in two/three passes – one for white background with general shape outline, then a second pass for colors, then a third for black you’d get an outstanding piece, but that brings up a lot of horrible alignment issues and more trouble than it’s worth. But as I customer I am allowed to have unreasonable expectations, right?
Still though, they’re beautiful. Nothing says custom like customized art, the only pairs in the world to have that design, made to fit your ears only. These UE18s will last 5+ years so enjoy them.
Seal & Fit
Isolation wise it’s identical to the TF10s. It’s not a magical 100% sound blockage as most people claim with customs. -26dB is -26dB isolation whether it’s universals or customs. However, it does do the seal at more comfort than what can possibly be offered by silicone or Comply tips. My left earpiece fits perfectly and disappears from feel. My right earpiece sticks out slightly more and I can feel some pressure on the bowls of my ears – I’ve decided to send them back for the UE techs to check out. I was able to wear them around for 12 hours each day (roughly) for the week with no problems. Some minor irritation issues occurred on my third day on my left ear, but that has gone away since.
The seal is strong and you’ll be taking your pulse a lot of times. But it will go away with music on. For a full acrylic shell, I find it very hard to make them loose while eating, drinking, or talking. Only a very wide smile or a trollface grin will unseat them slightly, but not break the seal. A lot of times it feels loose, but that’s because your ears have grown accustomed to the customs and it’s not as intrusive as it once was.
UE18 Pro with Custom Art - Trans Slate Grey. Click to enlarge.
There’s a lack of UE18 reviews. For every thread that mentions the UE18, there are 10 on the JH13/16, so I am going to do a proper review and hopefully do away with the mystical quality on UE’s flagship customs. If you have any further questions after this read, ask away! There’s a TL;DR towards the bottom with graphs if you want a quick summary.
Stuff You Probably Already Know
The UE18 has 6 balanced armatures: 2 highs, 2 mids, and 2 lows with a three-way crossover. They also sport a new beefy cable that’s built to last.
Input Sensitivity: 110.6 dB @ 1 kHz
Efficiency: 115.6 dB @ 1mW
Frequency Response: 20 Hz to 18,000 Hz
Impedance: 21 ohms @ 1kHz
Internal Speaker Configuration: 6 proprietary precision balanced armatures
Noise Isolation: -26 dB
Input Connector: 1/8" (3.5 mm) gold plated
The base price is $1350 + tax + $15 standard shipping. Custom art is $100 for each distinct image (more on that later). Cables are available in 48” or 66” in black or clear. There is no additional charge for the 66”, but replacement 66” cables are more expensive.
Packaging, Presentation, and Build quality
The UE18 comes in a classy black heavy cardstock box, with a little magnet that makes the box snap shut. Inside, there are warranty disclaimers and other warnings inside a black envelope bound to black cardstock. Beneath that is your medium carrying case, very firmly sitting in the foam-thing cut out. The foam smells really bad and it’s a really, really tight fit.
Classy presentation.
The plastic carrying case has a sliding lock. It’s not the most exquisite box ever (I was hoping for a shiny metallic case I’ve seen in pictures some time ago), but it’s sturdy enough to take serious damage. The inside of the box is padded with the same smelly foam. Your customized case has your name or phrase printed in silver lettering. The size is too bulky for daily commuting purposes in your pocket, so it’s best for your backpack or carrying bag. The carrying case supplied by TF10 is a much more reasonable size and I will be using that for mobile storage. See the picture below for size comparison.
Inside the box is your UE18s and a cleaner tool. That’s it. I was expecting more accessories, like a ¼” adaptor, shirt clip, and a flight attenuator, because I paid more than $1000 for a top-end product. When you buy a Pagani Zonda, they even come with slippers! C’mon UE, surprise me.
You can see three bubbles on the left, and a whole bunch on the right, including one huge one just to the right of the red lettering.
The build quality is nice and the cable is superb. The art was well done (more on that later). I ordered my UE18s in transparent slate grey. There are no cracks or scratches, but there are a lot of bubbles. A few days ago I suddenly discovered these bubbles (somehow missing them the first two weeks) and freaked out because I thought water got inside them. They really look like water droplets inside! I threw the UE18s inside a box with rice and desiccant packs for three days before I contacted Todd, lol. The shell thickness is uneven where the faceplate meets the shell body. The acrylic case is smooth to the touch, and the connector is firmly seated. The memory wire is two inches long, and like the cinch and Y connector, is made of hollow plastic tubing. The cinch takes some getting used to because it doesn’t move up and down easily.
Yes, rice! I was that concerned because I thought I somehow screw'd up my thousand dollar IEMs. LOL. Seriously though, that totally looks like water droplets to me.
The sound tube terminations are cut a bit rough, but it has no bearing on comfort. My ear canals are a tad narrow so instead of two distinct bores its one large bore with two “channels”. The acrylic is thinnest here and I suspect this place will crack first after many years of use.
Cable
Not quad-braided, but twisted pairs for four wires total. Each earpiece has two twisted wires, making a twisted pair after the Y connector. It feels thick and sturdy, able to take a lot of abuse. It’s very flexible without being prone to microphonics. Most of the extraneous noises come from bone conduction and pulse, not brushing against clothing. It’s recommended you wear them running down your back, cinched tightly. The termination is a low-profile 3.5mm right angle gold plug encased in clear acrylic. If you order a clear cable the copper will oxidize over time and turn green, but this has no affect on sound quality as far as head-fi reports. Full marks on the cable.
I’ve additionally bought an Etymotic ER6i shirt clip to clip at my shirt collar (just above the Y tube piece) for minimum microphonics. It’s a really tight fit.
Custom Art
From artwork, design, picture... to comp... to finished product!
Custom art is $100 for each distinct image. That is, if you want a graphic (no matter how complex) that is the same or mirrored for both sides, then it will cost $100. If you want two distinct images, as in my case, then it will cost $200. There are no technical limits on how complex you can submit your art, but take note the actual printable space is less than an inch high. The custom images will be painted outside of the acrylic shell, so it will be prone to scratches. Mkubota1 reports his UERMs have the logos painted underneath the acrylic, so maybe only custom art is on the outside.
Right earpiece. The printed art is a bit fuzzy because my art was too complex.
Left earpiece. Again, black lines not solid. Whites aren't super solid, overall less saturated look (as expected).
Being an artistic person myself, I pestered Todd (my rep for this order) a lot about the dimensions, templates, and allowable art. There aren’t any templates for custom monitors because every monitor size is different, so the closest thing you can do is to make a mock-up yourself or request a mock-up by their art department for confirmation. Due to my custom art on my right piece, it is significantly larger than my left ear – see above pictures for comparison. I believe UE will reasonably adjust your earpiece size to accommodate your art. I recommend simpler art pieces and saturated colors for maximum effect on a solid shell color. If you use a transparent shell color, then the colors aren’t as sharp. Take note as with any CMYK printing processes, colors will turn out differently (less saturated & vivid) than when viewed from your monitor.
The printer’s resolution is pretty high. If your artwork is too detailed, then the end result will be fuzzy. Mine was pushing the limitations on what is acceptable, and the black line’s aren’t solid at close inspection. But viewed at one feet away, everything’s beautiful again. If your artwork is a figure or object similar to mine (a shape surrounded by transparent background), I recommend you add a thick white outline to help it stand out. Otherwise your art will get lost with all the inner guts of the earpieces.
Overall my art is slightly greenish in hue (only ever so slightly), and the colors aren’t solid. It’s very good for 90% of customers out there, but I’m the 10% artistic crowd will demand a bit more. I’m sure if it printed in two/three passes – one for white background with general shape outline, then a second pass for colors, then a third for black you’d get an outstanding piece, but that brings up a lot of horrible alignment issues and more trouble than it’s worth. But as I customer I am allowed to have unreasonable expectations, right?
Still though, they’re beautiful. Nothing says custom like customized art, the only pairs in the world to have that design, made to fit your ears only. These UE18s will last 5+ years so enjoy them.
Seal & Fit
Isolation wise it’s identical to the TF10s. It’s not a magical 100% sound blockage as most people claim with customs. -26dB is -26dB isolation whether it’s universals or customs. However, it does do the seal at more comfort than what can possibly be offered by silicone or Comply tips. My left earpiece fits perfectly and disappears from feel. My right earpiece sticks out slightly more and I can feel some pressure on the bowls of my ears – I’ve decided to send them back for the UE techs to check out. I was able to wear them around for 12 hours each day (roughly) for the week with no problems. Some minor irritation issues occurred on my third day on my left ear, but that has gone away since.
The seal is strong and you’ll be taking your pulse a lot of times. But it will go away with music on. For a full acrylic shell, I find it very hard to make them loose while eating, drinking, or talking. Only a very wide smile or a trollface grin will unseat them slightly, but not break the seal. A lot of times it feels loose, but that’s because your ears have grown accustomed to the customs and it’s not as intrusive as it once was.