Ultimate Ears ue11 Pro

[The Computer Audiophile]

I recently got a pair of ue11 Pro custom headphones and they are the best inner ear monitors I have ever used. The ue11s are far better than the Etymotic ER4 series in every aspect. I've had two pairs of ER4-P models from Etymotic and both broke very easily. At the time I thought the sound was fantastic. That was until I got my Ultimate Ears. The custom molding is the icing on the cake. Before ordering I recommend calling UE because they offer several more color options than what you see on their website. I did have a little trouble getting one earphone to seal in my ear, but after a few retro-fittings we discovered my Audiologist didn't do a very good job making the molds. So, I had another mold made of my left ear and sent it in to Jeanette at Ultimate Ears who took care of everything. UE's customer service is better than any company I have ever dealt with for any product. If you are considering a pair of these I highly suggest getting them. You won't regret paying the high price.

 

The sound:

At first I though they were a little bass heavy. I know think they are perfect. I am guessing I thought this because my other IEMs didn't have four drivers or nearly the quality of bass that these do. These earphones are extremely accurate and will definitely let you know if you have a weak source component in your system. I listened to mine on my Musical Fidelity X-Can v3 for a while, then I tried using them straight out of my MacBook Pro. Wow was that a rude awakening. Using the X-Can v3 and listening to Patricia Barber's Cafe Blue on the Mobile Fidelity SACD produced audiophile sound quality like I was in a jazz club.

 

One other note: The cable is easily replaceable and is also available in several colors. This is a huge plus if you have any animals around the house that like to chew on cables (cats!). With my old Etymotics when the cable was ruined they needed to be sent in for repair.

 

 

[manueljenkin]

13 years later, they still have the same model at roughly the same price (not sure if it went through silent revisions though).