Names like Shure, Monster, Sennheiser, and Beats are no surprise to me when speaking of quality headphones and earphones for both professional and consumer use. Where I lost touch with the market and failed to acknowledge Ultimate Ears, I do not know; nonetheless I was given an opportunity to sample their latest offering, the Logitech UE 900’s. For those unaware, Ultimate Ears is a professional earphone manufacturer acquired by Logitech in 2008, meaning they likely have a much larger R&D budget than before, and they certainly charge accordingly.

I began my test by jamming these bad boys into my ears right out of the box and listening to some music on the subway ride home. Without giving them a second look, my initial impressions were unfavourable. Firstly, I couldn’t keep the earphones properly fitted in my ear canal. With the constant shuffling of the subway and my body swaying to counter the curves of the tracks, I found myself repositioning the buds a few times per minute to ensure they wouldn’t fall out. I must admit, whenever they were repositioned and reseated, the ambient noise of the subway was almost completely muffled, allowing me to focus on my music… and the constant reseating of the buds in my ears. When I arrived home I had written the UE 900’s off as flawed but wanted to give them a thorough and fair assessment before affirming my initial impression.

Look, Fit and Feel

The UE 900’s do look cool, I must admit that. They come with 2 braided cables, allowing you to choose between blue and black, and are connected and disconnected easily from the earphone with a firm tug. I appreciated this convenience but also became concerned that the earphones may come loose from the cord in the event that they become caught on an object (jacket, bag, someone passing you on the subway). I wouldn’t be too happy losing an expensive set of earphones in exchange for the flexibility of choosing the colour of the cord I use them with. That being said, this was a minor aspect of the device’s aesthetics.

I was quite impressed with the carrying case in which they were shipped; a solid plastic snap box nicely sized to store the earphones in addition to an extra set of earpieces. Multiple additional earpieces were also included. The standard rubber earpieces we’ve come to expect from most manufacturers were available in 5 sizes, in addition to 3 sizes of a more robust foam-like earpiece that I couldn’t come to terms with. The truth of the matter is that I couldn’t find a comfortable fit with ANY of the included earpieces. I should also note that I am a fan of earphones over headphones, so I found my level of discomfort with these earphones to be rather unique and unexpected.

Above and beyond the earbud dilemma, the UE 900’s employ a swivel-like cord mechanism that allows the protruding cord from the earbud to be fitted over the earlobe from front to back. From a side profile they actually look appealing when fitted properly, however I found the hinge on which the cord swivelled to lack any stability such that the cord constantly felt like it was being pulled over the earlobe and falling back down off the side of the actual earbuds. This further complicates the matter because if the cord cannot be kept in place over the earlobe, the weight of the cord alone is sufficient to pull the earbuds from your ear.

Sound

Sound is where I seemed to have the greatest difficulty. There’s no question the UE 900’s are an above-average quality product, but when you consider that they retail for $399 USD, you have to question whether you’re really getting your money’s worth. Having had experience with products from competing vendors such as those mentioned above I was intrigued by the price point, expecting some mind blowing eargasm-like experience. The mid tones were rich and sound was clear across the range, but I wasn’t overly ‘wowed’ by the UE 900’s because I found I experienced better bass and especially noise cancellation with my Sennheiser CX 300’s. Considering those are only $50, I’m wondering where the other $350 goes in the UE 900’s. This, however, may be due to the failure to find the ‘perfect fit’ as mentioned.

Right off the bat I noticed a crackle here and there which I narrowed down to the included blue cable. After giving the black cable a try the distortion disappeared. It’s concerning that a product at this price point would have such a quality control issue. Notwithstanding the price point and faulty cord, the UE 900’s produced some of the clearest sound I had ever experienced. From Bach to Bublé to Bieber, the vocals sound absolutely pristine. Where some may depart from this appreciation is when one favours more of a pop/electronic/dubstep feel to their music. What we often consider to be of higher quality sound is, in reality, a muffled replica of the true quality experienced with professional-grade equipment such as that here in the UE 900’s. In other words, this product is not meant for your teenage iPhone-laden younger cousin; these are the real deal, they’re for true audiophiles. Just to reiterate, the earphones did not disappoint when you compare them to the conventional white Apple alternative, however I had difficulty finding value in all 399 of those dollars.

The Bottom Line

The Logitech UE 900’s were truly a new and remarkable audio experience, but not one I would recommend to family and friends. The trouble I experienced finding the right fit in conjunction with the quality control issue and personal music taste leads me to believe only a very small niche market will truly appreciate these earphones. And that’s all right. I don’t think Logitech expected everyone and their uncle to be running out to stores to buy these anyway. If you are a true audiophile and demand nothing but the best, the UE 900’s are sure to please and will open your ears to an experience you never thought possible. But at $399, I suggest considering whether you can’t find something relatively equal yet more affordable somewhere else.

You can pickup the Logitech UE900′s here or from your local electronics retailer

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