I've been a long-time fan of Ultimate Ears products. I can't imagine doing my job without my custom-molded UE-10's. Most of my colleagues simply call them “Ultimates.” But you won't find the Logitech Ultimate Ears LUE 900's on the Ultimate Ears' Pro site. This model marks the high end of the company's line of universal-fit earphones. No custom molds here. So they're marketed as LUE 900's, not Ultimate Ears. Logitech is Ultimate Ears' parent company.
First off, let's compare the product lines. Ultimate Ear's Pro line of custom-molded earphones start at $399 with the UE 4 Pro. Prices go up to almost $2,000 for the UE Personal Reference Monitors.
The Logitech UE line of universal-fit earphones start at $59 for the UE 350, and top out at $399 for the LUE 900. So clearly, the company has differentiated its markets. Logitech is for general consumers. You'll find this line at your local Best Buy. The Ultimate Ears Pro line is for professionals. All the Pro line products are custom-molded, so you'll have to start by getting impressions made by your local audiologist.
Though the current branding and marketing of Logitech's UE products is confusing I found very little else to criticize. Having used the LUE 900's for several weeks, I can attest that they marvelous-sounding in-ear monitors.
The LUE 900's are a quad-armature (driver) design. Inside the sleek black and blue housing is a double-bass, single-mid, and single-high-frequency driver design. Most people would call this a three-way IEM (in-ear monitor) because of the allocation of drivers and crossover points. It seems like the current trends from all manufactures is to put as many drivers as possible in their products. I've always been of the mind-set that more drivers do not necessarily mean better sound. Regardless of how many drivers are in the 900's I can say that these are easily the best non-molded IEM's I have ever heard. Considering the category in which they compete, the $400 street price is not cheap, but from my experience using them in professional and consumer situations, the LUE 900's are a great-sounding, professional-grade product. The double bass armature creates some amazing low end. The detail in the midrange was equally as impressive and the high end was clean an un-hyped. I used these in both stage and everyday contexts and fell in love with them for both applications.
…easily the best non-molded IEM’s I have ever heard.
The LUE 900's come in a compact and sleek black case. Easy to travel with, the case holds two braided cables that attach to each ear bud. The black cable simply offers the screw-on earbud connections on one end and standard 1/8-inch stereo plug on the other. This set can be used for any situation, from everyday MP3 player listening to wireless IEM stage use. The second set of cables is blue and is intended to use with a smart phone. The cable has a built-in control near the right ear bud that allows for volume control and playback stop/start. This controller also has a built-in mic, so that it operates as a fully functional phone headset. Both cables have a slim 1/8-inch connector that worked well on the smartphones and MP3 players I tested, even with cases on. I spent a couple hours riding the bus and walking around the city and found the volume control to be really useful. I really enjoyed using the 900's in this manner with my smart phone. It provided an amazing listening experience and allowed me to take phone calls without any hassle.
The case also includes a 1/8-inch to ¼-inch stereo adapter (really handy), five sets grey flexible silicone cushions and three sizes of foam ear tips. I was able to wear the LUE 900's for about an hour before any type of physical fatigues began to set in. Fatigue is one of the downsides of any in-ear monitor that is not a custom mold. I can wear my custom-molded UE's for hours and my ears are not irritated at all. Still the universal-fit LUE 900s were very comfortable, and with eight different types of earbuds, any performer should be able to find a comfortable fit.
The noise-isolation was very impressive. Logitech advertises a -26 dB reduction --- nearly equal to their molded models. I ran a simple test where I compared wearing the 900's with my custom-molded UE 10's models to see how well they both did at reducing noise. In a loud, coffee shop environment I found them to be nearly identical reducing the apparent noise in the midrange. I noticed a bit more low and high end creeping through with 900's compared with my molded pair, but I was still happy with the results. When I tested the 900's isolation on stage it was a similar result, the isolation was good, with the midrange being the most protected frequency range.
As I write this, I am in a coffee shop listening to the new Gungor record, “I Am Mountain” and I love the sound that I'm hearing. It would be unfair expect the LUE 900's to perform at the same level as a molded pair of Ultimates. That being said, this is closet sound I've had to my UE 10's, with the added benefit of being more compact and a better design for everyday situations.
I really only have one complaint. The connector that attaches the cable to the each earbud, while very easy to attach, rotates very easily --- too easily. The result is that the cable rotates around and I found myself spending a few extra moments wrestling to get the cables in place each time I went to use them. A small annoyance that is easily fixed, I just wish the connector was a bit more snug so that the cable would stay in place.
If you're a sound engineer in a church, or your church provides universal-fit ear monitors to musicians, the Logitech Ultimate Ears UE 900 offers great performance, and should be on your short list of options.
Company: Logitech
Product: LEU 900 Noise Isolating Earphones
Phone: (510) 795-8500
List Price: $399
