Ultimate Ears has teamed up with EMI Music’s Capitol Studios, the legendary recording facility in Hollywood’s landmark Capitol Tower, to design custom in-ear reference monitors for use by professional producers and audio engineers: the Ultimate Ears In-Ear Reference Monitors.
The Ultimate Ears In-Ear Reference Monitors are designed specifically for professional studio engineers and producers for use in a variety of settings, including recording studios, with portable laptops and in live venues and rehearsal studios for recording, mixing and mastering.
They provide up to 32 dB of noise isolation so engineers and producers are isolated from the interference due to studio or room noise. All that is delivered directly to the ears is the natural and true audio track – no need to worry about near-field positioning.
And since only high-fidelity audio is delivered directly to the ears, engineers are always in the “sweet spot,” ensuring that they are hearing the tracks as they were produced, mixed or mastered – authentic and precise.
With three individually tuned, balanced armature speakers in each handcrafted monitor, Ultimate Ears in-Ear Reference Monitors are able to reproduce frequencies with an extended wide band response from 5 Hz to 18 kHz for a more authentic sound.
And by eliminating the burdensome Y joint connector and using a tightly braided cable to reduce friction and tangling, you will only hear a clean sound signal.
The new low-distortion, low profile cable greatly reduces any possible cable cross-talk. The dual sound channel configuration keeps the low, mid and high frequencies separated until they reach the ears, where they mix naturally, reducing any chance for distortion.
Specifications:
Input Sensitivity: 98 dB SPL @ 1 kHz
Efficiency: 112 dB SPL @ 1 kHz, 1mW
Frequency Response: 5 Hz to 20,000 Hz
Impedance: 35 Ohms @ 1 kHz
Internal Speaker Configuration: Three balanced, precision armatures (woofer, mid driver & tweeter)
Noise Isolation: -26 dB (100 percent acrylic housing) and -32 dB (soft silicone material option)
Input Connector: 1/4-inch jack adapter gold plated; 3 pole 1/8-inch (3.5 mm) standard jack
“With the release of the Ultimate Ears In-Ear Reference Monitors, we have taken our extensive knowledge of custom in-ear monitor sound reproduction for touring artists and applied it to meet the demands of recording engineers and producers,” says Philippe Depallens, vice president and general manager of the Ultimate Ears product unit for Logitech. “Finely tuned in collaboration with the world-renowned engineering team at Capitol Studios, these custom monitors represent our relentless pursuit to provide the music industry with new products based on leading technology and expertise. While they are designed for engineers, they will also meet the needs of our audiophile customers who demand sound delivered with a true and natural flat response.”
“This is a new and exciting technology twist on traditional studio reference speakers and headphones – the Ultimate Ears In-Ear Reference Monitors present a very flat curve that is both transparent and revealing,” explains Tal Herzberg, professional recording engineer and producer who created multiple Grammy winning recordings and mixes for such acts as the Black Eyed Peas, Pussycat Dolls, and Mary J. Blige. “What is unique is that I find myself not worrying about environmental noise. Once I put these on, the isolation is so good, room noise is virtually eliminated. All I hear is the natural, dimensional sound the monitors create, allowing me to accurately record and mix.”
Capitol Studios engineer Steve Genewick states, “For years I’ve been looking for a way to take the balanced space I am accustomed to at Capitol with me when I’m away recording in a live setting, or in an unfamiliar studio. Ultimate Ears has now made that possible.”
“I’m finding the Ultimate Ears Reference Monitors to be a great tool,” said Tom Schlum, director of technology for Capitol Studios. “They allow me to move between very different acoustic and monitoring environments, with the knowledge that I have a consistent sound stage to reference.”
The Ultimate Ears In-Ear Reference Monitors are expected to be available beginning in September for a suggested retail price of $999 (U.S.). (The price of the Ultimate Ears In-Ear Reference Monitors does not include the initial cost to have a qualified audiologist create ear impressions.)
