Here's some packaging that really works: Panasonic RP HJE130 series. So they decided to play up the product's music-friendly qualities, by packaging it as an eighth note. Such creativity no doubt deserves as much visibility as possible, which explains the clear transparent box cover.
Stephen Guo from www.custom-iem.com informed me that now they are the US dealer for Unique Melody Products.
As we all know, Unique Melody makes superb IEMs as well as remolds. My first experience with their product was the 4-driver Unique Melody Mage, where was really impressed with the performance of the IEM. Last time I heard, the Mage can be upgraded to an 8 driver model, but of course the Unique Melody website doesn’t list it (It still doesn’t list the Mage in the product range).
Anyway, most of the latest product aren’t even listed on Unique Melody’s Chinese website, so that causes a lot of problems for us, English speaking people. Not anymore, with Stephen being the UM representative.
Hop on to the website and check out their latest products!
Unique Melody Price List
UM Customs:
Re-shelling & Upgrades (cable not included):
Cables:
As we are promoting the UM Miracle, any buyers before Sep 30 will get an extra cable($59) for free!
All products, prices and details are available on http://www.custom-iem.com
Any questions regarding our products and services, feel free to contact stephenguo@live.com
Watching people sitting on a bus, as we often do, there are two main types of headphone wearers: people who have the default white headphones, and people who opt for something that asserts a bit of their personality but also provides better sound — usually over-ear cans from the likes of Skullcandy or Sennheiser. If you believe you belong to a third group that values sound quality over anything else then prick your ears.
Ultimate Ears was created by drummer Alex Van Halen who needed a pair of custom in-ear monitors. After crafting professional gear for several years, the company began making consumer headphones in 2002, and was then snapped up by Logitech in 2008.
The headphones sit somewhere near the top of the consumer headphones, which culminate in the Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10 at AU$529. The headphones feature two custom-tuned speakers per ear and yet are quite small and light at only 11.6 grams per earphone. The finish is metallic, though unlike the Monster Jamz it’s plastic and not actual metal, but they feel hard-wearing. The headphones ship with four different-sized ear tips including (our favourite) the expanding Comply Foam.
The 700s have a frequency response of 10Hz – 16.5kHz which doesn’t sound all that impressive when CD goes all the way up to 20kHz. But if this matters to you be comforted by the fact that most modern music arguably cuts off about 12kHz anyway. Plus, we don’t think many of the headphones that claim to go 20-20,000 are quite telling the truth anyway.
Forget what you know about boomy, tizzy in-ear headphones of the past: these are incredibly refined animals. We liked the sound of the Monster Jamz, and the Ultimate Ears are even better. There is a more sophisticated touch to music and they’re more comfortable to listen to for long periods. While the rubber tips will give you a more “upfront” sound this is at the expense of both bass response and noise isolation. With the Comply tips in, the sound levels are reduced by up to 26dB, or a third in general terms, and the bass returns.
And when we say bass, we mean bass with detail. By that we don’t mean explosive sound but bass notes with definition — for example, you can actually hear the sound of a pick on a bass string where before there was only mush.
The rest of the spectrum is well-served too, and while it may not have the most expansive sound stage in the world the mid-range is detailed and the treble is sweet. The ‘phones have an even-handed response, which suits all types of music, but rock music and dance still retain their energy.
If you’re looking for out-and-out excitement then you can save a bit of money and get the Monster Jamz instead, which are amazing value for money. But if you want a set of headphones that won’t grate on your nerves after one or two songs and are also great on the train or plane then the Ultimate Ears are perfect. Shop around, though, as we've seen them online for about AU$170, which makes them very competitive with the Jamz.
Grado is a company we have come to admire for a couple of reasons. First, they make pretty darn good products, and secondly, rather than plaster their name over all kinds of products they don’t make, they stay true to their core mission. And that’s pretty much it.
A few months ago, we reviewed Grado’s entry into the earphone market, the GR8 Grado GR8 earphones | iPhone World. And we thought that if these earphones are that good, we could only wonder what their headphones must sound like. After all, that’s what they are famous for (along with phono cartridges).
We didn’t have to wonder very long. We recently received a the 325is model headphones and over the last couple of months have given these a serious listen. When we say serious, we mean serious… as in, sit down and pay attention. Because you can’t just plug the 325is into your iPod/iPhone and hit the road. They are not portable … at all.
The Grado 325is headphones are for sitting in a comfortable chair and listening to your favorite music. In fact, when we first used them, our memories were brought back to a time when listening to a new album meant something. You would carefully place the record on the turntable and then you would sit and listen intently either alone or with friends. You would take in everything the artist had to offer from the first track to the end. There was no “shuffle mode” or fast forward to the next track. You were listening to an artist’s work the way that artist intended it to be listened to. If nothing else, that’s the main joy of these Grados: they forced us to sit and pay attention.
When we said they were not portable, one look shows why. The Grado 325 phones are big, (somewhat) heavy and the cord is THICK. They are an open air design. That means that you will still hear sounds around you and people near you can hear what you are listening to. There are good and bad points with this kind of design. The bad is that there is little privacy since the sound leaks out, and if you are in a noisy environment, outside noises can be distracting. But if all is quiet and you are alone, then the brilliance of the open design becomes apparent. Wearing these headphones is like listening to very expensive speakers in front of you.
Let’s explain: If headphones cover your ears completely, then the music is aimed directly into your head. Its known as closed-back. Music is extremely personal and intimate with this design, much like in a recording studio. Earphones will give you that same feeling. With the open air Grados, the music sounds more spacious and “live”, hence, the speakers-in-a-large-room sound. To say whether either design is better is unfair to both approaches. We sometimes prefer the more intimate closed sound to the airy Grados, and sometimes we prefer the Grados. Its a preference that changes with the music and mood we are in.
So how exactly do the Grado 325is phones sound? If you are a fan of live music, older recordings, jazz or classical, you’re gonna love these. If you are a hip-hop fan, well, look elsewhere. The bass on these phones is accurate,, not overpowering. That’s a plus in our book. The sound can best be described as “warm”. The is no clinical coldness to the music. That must be the “Grado sound” others like to talk about.
The retro styling of the Grados caused us to want to feed them some music from another time. The “O Holy Night” medley from “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” by the Ray Conniff Singers (I kid you not) sparkles with distinct harmonies Most of the female voices are in the right speaker with male vocals coming from the left. Gotta love that 60s stereo separation. Listening to Frank Sinatra from the “September of My Years” album with the 325is phones is like hearing him for the first time. We get chills hearing his phrasing and musicality as we have seldom heard before. You can just place yourself in a smoky nightclub with Frank singing 20 feet away.
Speaking of retro, “The Way You Look Tonight” reworked by Bryan Ferry on his “As Time Goes By” album, is showcased by Ferry’s smoking-damaged voice sung on old analog microphones. The Grados bring out all the nuances of his performance in startling detail.
The Association’s “Windy” features harmonies that we hadn’t noticed before with other speakers. They sound much more distinct and complex with the 325is phones. However some of the shimmering of the tamborine comes off a bit harsh.
A glittering guitar highlights Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game” while in the background, some very subtle acoustic guitar playing lays the groundwork. There is detail in this acoustic sound missing from lesser headphones. Chris’s whiny, pleading vocal completes the mood.
The comfort of the Grado 325is phones is open to debate. We let others try them out and the comfort factor was of mixed opinion. Some loved the retro feel as well as look, while others (usually younger) didn’t care for the heavy foam ear pad feel. They made one listener’s ears sweat. While we agree that the pads can get a bit warm, we had no problem with comfort or sweat. While not the lightest phones we’ve tried, they hold to the head nicely without being too heavy or squeezing.
One important note: If you are considering the 325is phones for your iPod or iPhone, they come with a ¼ inch plug. You will need to purchase a ¼ inch to 3.5mm ( mini plug) adaptor cable (Grado makes one). We think that the price of the 325is phones should include a mini plug or adapter out of the box. And speaking of box, Grado does not spend a lot in their packaging. The thin box seemed cheap compared to what was inside. But don’t be fooled, The Grado 325is earphones are some serious phones. While they certainly are not cheap, they are far from the most expensive phones available and sound much better that their price would suggest. We dare say you can’t find better sounding phones at up to double the price.
So if you are moved to try the 325is phones, sit back, relax and let these retro wonders return you to a time when music really meant something.
In these times of ever-improving sound and visual quality, the market is being flooded with gadgets to provide the best listening experience.
The latest to hit the shelves is the Blackbox C18-RB Active Noise Cancelling Earphones.
Enabled with world-leading ANR technology, the C18-RB earphones 'provide an ability to enjoy high fidelity sound from your music player without the disturbing influence of loud background noise'.
Cumbersome: The Blackbox C18-RB Active Noise Cancelling Earphones
According to the accompanying manual, Phitek Active Noise Rejection technology processes the ambient noise signal measured at your ear to generate an 'anti-noise' response.
Then it gets complicated: this anti-noise signal, which is almost an inverted replica of the noise itself, is then reintroduced back into the sound field in combination with your music. In effect, purifying your sound with the addition of white noise and feeding it back into the music you're listening to.
This should result in the two signals combining giving the almost complete cancellation of noise 'leaving your music to be enjoyed with improved fidelity and comfort'.
On the point of comfort, however, I beg to differ.
The inline controller, a small box attached half way along the wire between the jack and the earphones, uses a AAA battery which makes it feel heavy. Consequently, the ear attachments feel like they may be pulled out through the weight despite a neck lanyard designed to take some of the strain.
Furthermore, if you happen to be walking along a street and decide to listen to your MP3 player, it's not the easiest accessory to assemble. You find you have to hold the inline controller in your hand otherwise the neck lanyard can pop out of one of the plastic connectors near the earphone.
The 'ergonomically moulded' ear pieces themselves are cumbersome, sometimes requiring substantial manipulation to fit them comfortably in the ear.
So comfort may be a stretch - but what about sound quality?
There's no doubt that the sound is more robust and it certainly eradicates outside noise better than, say, Sony's earbuds. However, one or two tracks did distort when at full volume. Or perhaps that particular Chemical Brothers composition was of questionable quality...
The inline controller has two switches, one to turn it on and one to adjust volume - very handy when you don't want to have to dig around in your bag for your MP3 for this function.
With 50 hours use from a single battery you can get a fair amount of listening time under your belt - that is if you remember to switch the inline controller off when you're done. Forget this function and you'll be left very disappointed the next time you decide to tune in on your way home from the office because the C18s simply won't work without it.
That said, a green LED indicator shows when the device is on and it flashes when the battery is getting low.
The C18-RBs come with a velvet carry couch, spare earbuds, two airline jacks - a 6.5mm for your home stereo system and a double 3.5mm - a neck lanyard and a AAA battery.
Overall, the C18-RB earphones do what they say on the box: they actively reduce background noise.
So if you can get used to the fiddly assembly and weight of the inline controller, they're a good buy.
