UE Pro Reference Remastered (UERR/UERM v2)

So sorry if my question is OOT, but kunlun, can you give me some slight impression about k10 vs Fitear TG334, both are knowned for their euphonic sounding...

 

I've never heard the tg334 myself, sorry!

 

I wonder if I am being fickle or overly obsessive?
Finished up my order of the UERR's yesterday afternoon.

Last night, i got to listen to the 64 Audio A12 CIEM's at an engineer friends studio. "Holy Shitskovich" I sad, "those suckers are amazing reference monitors".

So now, I am obsessing on wether or not to spend my life's inheritance and order what I found to be a mind blowing CIEM. Problem is, I haven't been able to demo the new UERR to hear their magic.

Anyone have any suggestions. I am going a bot insane trying to make a decision.
Sleepless at 30,000' in United Seat 3B.

Jess.

 

To further add to your consternation, by several accounts the Spiral Ears SE5 Ultimate are at the top of the CIEM food chain and very neutral.

 

So, the real questions is, do the A12 really buy me anything significant over the new UERR other than screwing with my bank account?

 

I hate to be the bearer of cautious news, but I heard the UERR demo at the NY meet yesterday and was not impressed to put it mildly. The UERM is probably my favorite headphone overall so I was extremely close to blind purchasing the UERR over the holidays, but after hearing the demos I'm very glad that I waited.

I tried two different sizes of comply tips, and listened out of my Ragnarok & Leckerton (fed by Yggdrasil) and a GOV2 (single ended) under meet conditions. Bass seemed unnecessarily boosted & less tight/defined (coming from being happy with UERM bass), mids seemed similar (but the bass slightly intruded at the low mids), treble was reduced and seemed to roll off earlier than UERM. Since they were universal demos, I wasn't expecting to replicate the soundstage of the UERM, but the clarity & resolution seemed to be a step backwards. Maybe a reference sound for some, but they didn't do it for me at all.

YMMV. I might have gotten a bad seal and I couldn't compare to my UERM directly since they're in for repair, but I wouldn't recommend purchasing unless you get a chance to listen yourself. I just discovered that there's a UE retailer within a 10 min walk of my apartment, so I might check it out this week to see if I can listen to the UERR again and will update my impressions here if they change.

 

Doc,

Thanks so much for your candid insight.

I realize that there are many issues with demo's including universal tips, but the essence of the beast should at least be somewhat evident. I have decided not to move forward, at least for the moment until I can arrange a demo of the UERR. Depending on someones else's review makes me a bit hesitant when purchasing a CIEM.

I would hate to spend $1,000 and realize I made a mistake.

Jessica

 

The original spiral ears se5 were crazy overhyped for what they actually were, dark sounding with a driver specifically tuned to make slower, thicker bass, and a shelved treble. People shouted that those were neutral... The fact that there is a new version to help correct the shelved treble shows the lie to that.

Bottom line: The Se5 in any of its forms must be treated with anti-hype spray and allowed to dry thoroughly before even naming it.

Again, there is seriously a second bass driver whose sole purpose is to artfully bloat the bass. People think neutral=good so they just want their favorite ciem to be neutral So Hard.

 

Hearing for yourself is the best way, by far. Also, learning what you truly want to hear is important. People use the JH Layla for monitoring and that's not flat.

The head audio engineer for the CMA (at least one year) used his old Future Sonics MG4+, a dynamic driver ciem with a dark sound but things sound very real with it.

I kinda feel like SBAF is like THE PLACE to be the bearer of cautious news. Please bear on!

I found the uerm fatiguing in the treble, so I liked that the uerr wasn't harsh for me, but at the second listen I could hear what people looking for more edge to their treble were saying. I have a feeling that as more people hear it (e.g. not mostly uerm owners), impressions will turn more positive.

 

The A12 will be giant in your ears compared to the UERR. I'd go by Ultimate Ears and demo though (and they'll give you the scan too for free). Plus, you can almost always pick up a UE coupon. CanJam is coming up and they'll probably give the discount codes again.

 

I can't start a conversation because of your settings, so sorry that this is OT: What location can I hear demos at and get the scan? I'll be in SoCal soon and will have a little free time.

 

You can go to Irvine if that's closer, but if you're around Hollywood go to:

UE | Ultimate Ears Hollywood


6445 Sunset Blvd Hollywood, CA 90028

800-589-6531

[email protected]

Website

Open from 11am to 4pm. Mon Wed Thurs and Fri.

You should call to double-check if they'll have the digital scanner in Hollywood. I had the digital scans done elsewhere but needed a re-fit so had the mold done at the Sunset location above.

They definitely have all the demos at the Sunset location. It's street-level and not an obvious storefront as it caters to the pro crowd.

 

We've had some pretty mixed impressions from the UERR demo at the NY meet. Here were mine:

UERR - As the other UERM owner at the meet, I found the UERRs to be a disappointment as well. Setups used were dx90 and Yggdrasil + Leck. I tried both the foam complys and the silicon types and preferred the complys. Like Higgs and Steelcannon said, the bass does seem to be boosted over the UERM. The treble also seems to be shelved in comparison. I think for those who found the UERM to be too bright will probably find the UERRs to be just right. But for those who want a UERMv2, the UERRs are not it. I think a lot of people will still enjoy the UERRs, but UERM owners probably won't.

 

Assuming the faults in clarity & bass definition that I heard were due to the seal, I can see how people could appreciate the tonality, but it still didn't seem "neutral" to me which is what I appreciated most about the UERM. Coming into the experience, I was hoping for better bass extension (not emphasis), and slightly smoother treble to flatten out the UERM's FR even more. I wish they would have just branded the UERR as a new model to complement the UERM (in the same vein as the HD600 & HD650), but to replace a highly regarded CIEM with a model that doesn't seem to capture the same audience seems strange to me.

Really looking forward to impressions from those that have custom UERRs on the way and can compare to the UERM directly.

 

I think the UERM's treble is fine as is, and is more dependent on the gear used and the tracks being listened to. It's supposed to be a reference monitor after all. There's a part of us who'll always want for there to be something better, but it's so rare to find a direct upgrade to what we have. There's almost always compromises, so I find it easier to just be satisfied with what I have.

I agree with Higgs that the UERMs shouldn't have been replace in UE's line because the UERRs are so different. Giving customers the option to choose between the two of them would have been a much better choice imo.

I'm also looking forward to impression from those who get the custom version, especially those who also have a pair of UERMs. It's totally possible that we all didn't get a good enough or deep enough seal from the demo version.

 

The GOv2 was there as well for listening. I only got to use the GOv2 and UERRs briefly, but the results were still the same. Let's see what the others at the meet had to say about it.

 

I don't remember a big change in bass quantity/quality between amps, but I listened to the UERR longest with the Leckerton & Yggdrasil. If our impressions are notably different to those with the customs, I'm assuming it's due to seal more than anything (though I didn't get different results between small & medium comply tips either).