Ultimate Ears In-Ear Reference Monitors

Frederik S · Dec 5, 2011

Ultimate Ears have quite the reputation in the in-ear industry. Today we will be taking a thorough look at the In-Ear Reference Monitors. The name tells us that Ultimate Ears are excited, we put them to the test and see how they compare to the very best in-ears available today.

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Rowsol · Dec 14, 2011

So, is it 999 for one ear bud or two?

BumbleBee · Dec 14, 2011

Cons: Ungodly long name! :laugh:

Ra97oR · Dec 15, 2011

Definitely one of the best custom I have heard. It is not the kind that wows you instantly, but I was surprised at the details and SS after a while. Bass wasn't an issue for me, it seems about just right.

erixx · Dec 15, 2011

wow, this is über-ultra-niche elitist astronaut product! only for military budgets... Why review this is a total mystery to me. But, hey at least I learned that 'monitors' have yet another meaning for some.

AsRock · Dec 15, 2011

Nice review, but that scoring is never right.

AhokZYashA · Dec 15, 2011

I know it doesn't seem right, but how is the similarity to the ER4P from etymotics?

Frederik S · Dec 16, 2011

They are similar in the sense that they both sound lean (I have the ER-4S). The IERMs have a far superior bass control and response, and a much better midrange in temrs of air and detailing. Treble wise the ER-4S are over the top and is by comparison grainy sounding. Frequency response is perhaps comparable but the performance is not.

I still enjoy the Etymotics but they are just not in the same league as the current generation of high-end in-ears.

Ra97oR · Dec 16, 2011

Totally agreed there, the UERM which still sounds some what lean compare to most modern bass heavier IEMs but it can still deliver the "thump" when needed. Detail is comparable to high end dynamics but no where SR-009's tier.

AhokZYashA · Dec 16, 2011

I think I know where to upgrade after my ER4

thanks Frederik S for this review :toast:

I still thinks that the most detailed headphones are the HD800, followed by the SR009 and SR007Mk2,

Ra97oR · Dec 16, 2011

HD800 followed by SR-009? You sure? What amps are you using them with?

BumbleBee · Dec 16, 2011

his ears, he isn't right or wrong.

AhokZYashA · Dec 17, 2011

I used EC zana deux with the HD800 and SRM-007tII with the SR009

Ra97oR · Dec 17, 2011

AhokZYashA said:
I used EC zana deux with the HD800 and SRM-007tII with the SR009

That might well be why. The SRM-007tII is not even as detailed to my ear to the SRM-323s, it does a different job than the solid states amps, smooth out the details and bring out a more mellow sound and it does it well.

BumbleBee said:
his ears, he isn't right or wrong.

I am not even suggesting he is wrong or not, it is just very interesting to see why he is getting this conclusion, and the amp choice clearly told me why.

Processor	12100
Video Card(s)	1650 Super
Case	Coolermaster Ammo 533
Mouse	G403
Keyboard	Sidewinder x4

Processor	Intel Core i5-3570K
Motherboard	Asus P8Z77-V Pro
Cooling	Noctua NH-D14
Memory	8GB Mushkin Blackline DDR3-1600
Video Card(s)	Gigabyte GTX 670
Storage	Intel 520 60GB, Seagate Barracuda XT 2TB
Display(s)	BenQ 24" XL2420T
Case	Corsair 550D
Audio Device(s)	Sennheiser HD600, Audeze LCD-3F, Mytek Stereo 192 DSD, La Figaro 339, Burson HA-160, Geek Pulse X
Power Supply	Corsair AX650
Mouse	steelseries Sensei MLG edition
Keyboard	Cooler Master QuickFire Pro
Software	Windows 7 64-bit Home Premium

System Name	ARiA
Processor	AMD Ryzen 3600
Motherboard	MSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon AC
Cooling	Noctua NH-D15S
Memory	32GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 3200MHz C16 DDR4 (2x16GB)
Video Card(s)	Nvidia RTX 2070 Super FE
Storage	Samsung 970 EVO NVMe (1TB), 850 EVO SATA (500GB), WD Ultrastar (6TB)
Display(s)	Asus VG279 144 Hz IPS
Case	Fractal Design Define R6
Audio Device(s)	Chord Hugo 2 to lots of headphones
Power Supply	Seasonic Prime+ 850W Gold
Mouse	Steelseries Rival 600
Software	Windows 10 Pro

System Name	Hakase
Processor	Ryzen 7 3700X @ Stock
Motherboard	ASUS ROG Strix B450-F
Cooling	Noctua NH-U12S
Memory	2x8GB Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 @ 3000MHz 18-18-18
Video Card(s)	Asus GTX1070 Dual
Storage	250GB 860EVO - 2x600GB Cheetah 15k7 - 2x2TB Constellation ES - 2+3TB Green - 500GB Deskstar
Display(s)	Viewsonic VX2476-smhd
Case	Fractal Design Define R5
Audio Device(s)	Fostex PC100USB > Altec Lansing ATP-3
Power Supply	Corsair CX750M
Mouse	Logitech G Pro X Superlight - Razer ExactMat Control
Keyboard	Leopold FC750R, MX Blue
Software	Win 10 Pro 64-bit
Benchmark Scores	not benching anymore...

System Name	ARiA
Processor	AMD Ryzen 3600
Motherboard	MSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon AC
Cooling	Noctua NH-D15S
Memory	32GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 3200MHz C16 DDR4 (2x16GB)
Video Card(s)	Nvidia RTX 2070 Super FE
Storage	Samsung 970 EVO NVMe (1TB), 850 EVO SATA (500GB), WD Ultrastar (6TB)
Display(s)	Asus VG279 144 Hz IPS
Case	Fractal Design Define R6
Audio Device(s)	Chord Hugo 2 to lots of headphones
Power Supply	Seasonic Prime+ 850W Gold
Mouse	Steelseries Rival 600
Software	Windows 10 Pro

Ultimate Ears In-Ear Reference Monitors

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