Ultimate Ears In-Ear Reference Monitors (Playback 40)

At Last, An In-Ear Studio Monitor

January 19th, 2011 -- by Chris Martens
Source: Playback

BOTTOM LINE

Recognizing that accuracy is at times an elusive goal, I would say that Ultimate Ears’ In-Ear Reference Monitor is arguably the most accurate and neutral sounding in-ear monitor Playback has tested to date, which is a terrific achievement. In our view, sonic honesty is one of those rare gifts that keeps on giving, and it’s a gift you can enjoy every single time you put a set of IERM’s in your ears and settle back to enjoy your favorite recordings. We might also mention that the IERM makes a very useful tool for those of us who work as equipment reviewers, because this trustworthy monitor makes it easy to assess what other components in the signal chain are doing.

SPECS & PRICING

Ultimate Ears In-Ear Reference Monitor
Type: Three-way, 3-driver (balanced armature), custom-fit in-ear monitors
Accessories: Hard shell road case (custom labeled with a padded interior), cleaning tool, mini-jack to ¼-inch phone jack adapter, portable “buffer jack” cable.
Frequency response: 5Hz – 20 kHz
Weight: Not specified.
Sensitivity: 112 dB @ 1 kHz, 1mW
Impedance: 35 Ohms
Warranty: 1 year, parts and labor.
Price: $999

Ultimate Ears
(800) 589-6531 English
(800) 963-3479 Spanish
www.ultimateears.com

Comments

Steven Stone -- Thu, 01/20/2011 - 10:24

Putting on the In-Ear Reference Monitors can be somewhat daunting at first. At first I used a wee bit of spit to make the insertion operation easier. Then Neal Thompson from Grace Design told me about “ear lube,” properly called Miracel “Calm Ear.” This stuff works great, and it’s better than giving yourself a wet Willie every time you want to put in a pair of In-Ear Reference Monitors.

Steven Stone
Contributor to The Absolute Sound, EnjoytheMusic.com, Vintage Guitar Magazine, and other fine publications

Sinocelt -- Fri, 01/21/2011 - 00:08

Other custom in-ear monitors reviewed by Chris Martens:

JH Audio JH16 pro: http://www.avguide.com/review/jh-audio-jh16-pro-custom-fit-ear-monitor-p...
Sensaphonics 2MAX: http://www.avguide.com/review/sensaphonics-2max-custom-fit-ear-monitor-p...
Westone ES5: http://www.avguide.com/review/westone-es5-custom-fit-ear-monitor-playbac...