Ultimate Ears 18 Pro headphones feature six drivers per ear
By Nilay Patel 
posted January 14th 2010 10:53PM
posted January 14th 2010 10:53PM
posted January 14th 2010 10:53PM
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Que the anti-audiophiles in:
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@E30 Kid
I won't bash them but I do prefer full headphones to the sound of in-ears. Also, for that price you could buy some seriously awesome cans that will probably outclass these phones. Of course, what do I know... I am just an audiophile with a limited budget and some grado phones and an ipod full of lossless...
@E30 Kid
Unfortunately, I'm also a moneyphile...
@E30 Kid
Us audiophiles have known about these since 3AM. Nice try but no cigar.
@New Reformation It's ok. We're reserving the hate for the "OMG $1350 it MUST BE A RIPOFF CROWD" - and yes, $1350 is enough for very nice open headphone set up, but of course I have no idea how the UE18 performs.
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@New Reformation
I competely agree. Why would u buy these when u could buy some serious cans for that. Not trying to talk noise but seems like a waste
@trevr
His head is coming off!!! He is a demon, a demon I say!
@trevr
Wow, I haven't seen that bear since I used to play WoW back in the day. Glad he's still around.
@trevr
wat
@New Reformation
An iPod full of lossless with Grado heaphones is like a Ford Contour with racing tires and an air foil....
In all seriousness, although cans can produce a much fuller bass, and accurate treble and mid section, what IEMs offer is not only portability, but also isolation, something that plays a big part in the listening experience. For those of use who cannot stand noise cancelling (although BOSE is the worst, all forms of noise canceling in some ways takes away from the music) isolation allows the user to be immersed in their music, especially in noisy areas, something that over the hear headphones cannot accomplish. I am interested what 6 driver IEMs sound like, however I cannot imagine any portable player can do them justice , so I will agree that over the ear headphones are a better choice for this amount of money.
@E30 Kid
Bye bye UE10s... I have a new set of cans to dream about.
That's crazy, I want them!
1,350 dollars for headphones .... I could get two nexus 1 and a droid for that ( give or take a few dollars )
@chosenone1
OMG $1350! I could get a 1988 Honda Civic for that!!!
@Gary Coleman
You got ripped off on that Honda Civic.
@insky
I agree. I paid $1500 for a 93' Civic EX back in 2003.
@insky
I agree. I paid $1500 for a 93' civic that I purchased back in 2003
ultimate ears are nuts. interesting, never knew logitech bought them..... tho, they're not really headphones. they pretty much are just strictly monitors. i wouldn't mind hearing how a pair sounds though...
@Jman8 monitors to "in hear headphones" any day. i have the UE 11's and they are fantastic and don't cause the ear fatigue my Shure se530s do. they don't really amplify sound, they just play it as it comes out of a pre amplified source. so make sure the source they're plugged into has enough power.
dude, i could get 2 KRK VXT8's for that price!
Jizz in my pants. Now I know why that song was created.
@TSIG You must not be using the headphones correctly.
And don't forget: they're custom made for your ears from your earmolds.
The "proper" market for these are musicians who need stage monitors (prevent hearing loss, hear themselves sing) but given the level of performance these days I suspect the audiophile market is taking over ;)
sold!
Looks like a pair of micro pacemakers.
Yeah, when they use the term "monitors" instead of earbuds or headphones, I know they will be farking expensive!
I bet they sound nice though, just not $1,350 nice....
Holy crap.. too bad the sennheiser HD800 probably outclass these. but these sound great if i was a 16 yr old multi-millionaire. then this would be pocket-change.
@(Unverified) Sennheiser is up to the 800 now?! Last I heard was the 650. Nothing like an Engadget post to send me on another buying spree!
I'll take a baker's dozen. Gold-plated. Encrusted in swaovski crystals.
Seriously, I do hope they have lifetime warranties. It's the wires that always fail...
@M1lt You mean the wires which are detachable?
@M1lt The wires on Ultimate Ears are user replaceable... i.e. completely modular.
So NO replacing the buds b/c of wire failure ever!
@Luxury Guy
Who's gonna replace my bud when I lose it because it detached from the wire.
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/33930
...This is going to sound pretentious. Screw that.
I own a pair of Ue-11's. I worked for them, live audio for a company that specializes in them here in the Netherlands.
The Ue-11's sound pretty damn good. They are detailed, comfortable, they have an air of authority over sound. But nothing I've ever heard from any album or even live album can compare to what I heard when I plugged them into a wireless earphone transmitter, and listened in to what the musicians were getting (the feed of sorts). The sheer dynamics, the detail, the amazing power these things produced awed me. I've never heard anything like it, though I've no doubt many other comparable type of earphones will also show an amazing depth of sound in these situations.
The creator of the concept of IEM's, as well as the previous owner of Ultimate Ears, started a new company when Logitech bought this one. The UE-11 is rumored to have been developed with Logitech, and is often said to be too bassy (I disagree personally, but I like some warmth to my sound - not boominess) because of it. I wonder if this model rectifies this, or makes what was a matter of taste into a detriment.
Also, to the person who said the HD800 outclasses these, that's very, very taste-dependant. I personally dislike the HD800, it sounds very stale and a little bit closed off, muffled perhaps to me. Depending on your taste though, the HD800 is a very fine piece of technology.
PS: My cables failed because of something I did (cut them up, long story), and now I can't properly use another one because the pins that connect the earphones to the cables need to be bent at a specific angle. I'm going to contact Ultimate Ears about that shortly.
@swastyka
JHaudio, if you missed the other mentions.
@Coptician Not pretentious. HD800s are cans. these are in ear. That's like comparing Mark Levinson equipment in one room with no sound padding to a room with sound padding.
@palemoonrises
While I completely understand where you are coming from, it's important to remember that these monitors are quite special. Like many high-end IEMs, the speakers used are quite different from your regular cone-shaped headphone drivers. Also, the direct path into your ear allows for a very focused and pure sound. The earphones do stereo imaging less well than headphones let alone speakers, but nothing else can favorably compare to the detail and pureness of the sound of good IEMs.
Disclaimer: I still like my Audio Technia W5K's even more, but they are huge and certainly different from the UE's
It is like comparing an iAudio S9 hooked up to a Ray Samuels Audio SR-71 to an SACD player hooked up to a pair of monoblock amps. Best in class, probably, an certainly amazing, but not the same kind of thing.
Why not the $1200 JH-13pro. JH started UE. I have them in my ears as I speak!
@kj4gr As much respect as I have for JH, and I met Jerry once at the 2005 Head-fi event, out of fairness I'd reserve judgment until reviews of the UE 18 Pro are out to compare.
@any audiophile here: these and JH-13 pro, which one do you choose?
@Tsu
JH13pro.
@Tsu JH13 Pro. the guy that used to own Ultimate Ears does the JH13s. (Subject to my taste), they're fantastic compared to the UE11 from Ultimate Ears.. however, compared to the UE 18 Pro, I'd still say the JH13 Pro series. Why? One word - Logitech.
So if everyone here just sends $9.99 to my paypal, I'll tell you how they sound.
@credo
You can't fool us that easily! If everyone here sent you ten bucks, you would receive far more than the cost of a pair of these! The next time we heard from you, you'd probably have a new house! :p
@Gad Get
And I would certainly post pictures.
Chump change compared to high end STAX headphones.
So just a question to the forum considering I have never owned a pair of high end in hear "earphones" or "monitors" but just plain Jane Sony cheapies...
Do stores let you actually stick these things in your ears to test them out? Do they take them back after you decide they're not to your liking? Do they at least clean them? Can you clean them? Just wondering...because its kind of a gross thought considering what comes out of some people's ears... :(
I'm sure I'd wet my pants to hear music come out of something like these but even $350 Shure's are too rich for my blood.
@Chaosdivine The UE18s are custom headphones made for your ear canal, so there's no testing, though you can send them back for adjustments once you get them.
I haven't heard of testing, but the foamies on universial (ie not custom) are replaceable, and should be replaced, so it's not like there's no sanitary way to try them. Where they have shops where they can try them depends on where you live.
@Chaosdivine The UE18s are custom headphones made for your ear canal, so there's no testing, though you can send them back for adjustments once you get them.
I haven't heard of testing, but the foamies on universial (ie not custom) are replaceable, and should be replaced, so it's not like there's no sanitary way to try them. Where they have shops where they can try them depends on where you live.