Logitech promises the Ultimate in sound with new personal sound systems
Ultimate Ears, which found its origin in a Van Halen concert, is finally in town with a range of high-end earphones and boomboxes
The UE Mobile Boombox can pair up with up to eight Bluetooth devices, and music switching can be done between two of them at the same time
Where are earphones born? You probably thought that most personal sound systems find their origin in glassy laboratories populated with balding acoustic experts in white coats, all busy checking sound levels and frequencies on little white dials.
Not Ultimate Ears, though. It has foundations set in rock - literally.
Most people familiar with sound-related hardware may know that the first-ever UE earpiece was created by Jerry Harvey, the touring monitor engineer of hard rock band Van Halen, so drummer Alex could hear the other band members playing over all the background noise. The idea became a hit with other musicians too, and Harvey was soon creating similar equipment for the likes of pop singer Engelbert Humperdinck and heavy metal band Skid Row.
That was 1995. Today, eighteen years later, Ultimate Ears is a globally recognised brand in music hardware - reaching out to a greater audience through Swiss tech leaders Logitech, its owner since 2008.
Going by that logic, it was only befitting that the brand should unveil five of its high-end products through Indian Ocean, India's foremost fusion rock band, on May 15. Held at Blue Frog in Mehrauli, it had the top brass of Logitech - led by Subrotah Biswas, director of the firm for India and South-West Asia - quizzing members of Indian Ocean on their idea of a good sound system.
In the chat that followed, guitarist Rahul Ram and Sushmit Sen spoke on the need for sound quality and design aesthetics that had become such a dire requirement in India's sound equipment scenario.
Amit Kilam, however, spoke on how a decent price tag also helps - something that did not find an adequate reflection in the equipment on display. As it turns out, most of them cost a little more than what a non-Bulgari wallet could afford.
But as we - the folks at BT More - believe that there's more to the bang than the buck, here's a representation of what Ultimate Ears had to offer.
UE 900:
Crafted and tuned by the same engineers who build the Ultimate Ears pro-earphones for recording artistes and sound engineers, the UE 900 features a quad-armature design - two for the low end, one for the mid-range and one for high frequencies. This promises a musical revelation of sorts - a wide front-row-centre soundstage, remarkable depth and clarity, piano-like timbre and the just the right amount of bass and treble. For maximum comfort and near-perfect noise isolation, it comes with eight pairs of specially designed ear cushions. The innocent-looking UE 900 is priced at Rs 34,995.
UE 9000:
Devoid of messy cables or distractions, the UE 9000 are headphones that connect wirelessly to Bluetooth devices. The high-resolution drivers of the UE 9000 deliver pure, undiluted audio that's rich, clear and perfectly tuned for remarkable levels of punch, clarity and power. However, should you run out of power or simply decide to go wired, you have an optional cable too. The UE 9000 is priced at Rs 31,995.
UE 6000:
These are progressive noise-cancelling around-ear headphones with an integrated amplifier that provides for an immersive and powerful listening experience. It connects to various devices, folds up like sunglasses, and when in use, delivers pure, undiluted audio with a wide-open soundstage and a remarkable level of detail. The active noise cancelling technology filters out ambient noise for an immersive listening experience. At Rs 17,995, the UE 6000 holds the lowest price tag in the headphones/earphones line-up.
UE Boombox:
It may look small, but judging the UE Boombox by its size could be a big mistake. An on-the-go speaker that lets you use your smartphone or tablet to play and control your music, the powerful sound of the Boombox is delivered by eight custom-tuned drivers. Armed with the capability to pair up to eight Bluetooth-enabled devices and play music from three devices at the same time, it promises to deliver sound that is rich, balanced and clear - with enough bass to make every song feel real and raw. The UE Boombox is priced at Rs 21,995.
UE Mobile Boombox:
Designed to go big on sound, UE Mobile Boombox is an ultraportable speaker that connects to smartphones and tablets easily through Bluetooth. The Mobile Boombox can pair up with up to eight Bluetooth devices, and music switching can be done between two of them at the same time. The UE Mobile Boombox is priced at Rs 8,995.
So, if you have been looking for a high-end audio experience on your way to work every morning, this could be just what the doctor ordered. Oh wait, could that skittering noise in the backdrop be the sound of Bose and Sennheiser getting a run for their money?
Not Ultimate Ears, though. It has foundations set in rock - literally.
Most people familiar with sound-related hardware may know that the first-ever UE earpiece was created by Jerry Harvey, the touring monitor engineer of hard rock band Van Halen, so drummer Alex could hear the other band members playing over all the background noise. The idea became a hit with other musicians too, and Harvey was soon creating similar equipment for the likes of pop singer Engelbert Humperdinck and heavy metal band Skid Row.
That was 1995. Today, eighteen years later, Ultimate Ears is a globally recognised brand in music hardware - reaching out to a greater audience through Swiss tech leaders Logitech, its owner since 2008.
Going by that logic, it was only befitting that the brand should unveil five of its high-end products through Indian Ocean, India's foremost fusion rock band, on May 15. Held at Blue Frog in Mehrauli, it had the top brass of Logitech - led by Subrotah Biswas, director of the firm for India and South-West Asia - quizzing members of Indian Ocean on their idea of a good sound system.
In the chat that followed, guitarist Rahul Ram and Sushmit Sen spoke on the need for sound quality and design aesthetics that had become such a dire requirement in India's sound equipment scenario.
Amit Kilam, however, spoke on how a decent price tag also helps - something that did not find an adequate reflection in the equipment on display. As it turns out, most of them cost a little more than what a non-Bulgari wallet could afford.
But as we - the folks at BT More - believe that there's more to the bang than the buck, here's a representation of what Ultimate Ears had to offer.
The UE 900 promises to produce remarkable depth and clarity, piano-like timbre and just the right amount of bass and treble
UE 900:
Crafted and tuned by the same engineers who build the Ultimate Ears pro-earphones for recording artistes and sound engineers, the UE 900 features a quad-armature design - two for the low end, one for the mid-range and one for high frequencies. This promises a musical revelation of sorts - a wide front-row-centre soundstage, remarkable depth and clarity, piano-like timbre and the just the right amount of bass and treble. For maximum comfort and near-perfect noise isolation, it comes with eight pairs of specially designed ear cushions. The innocent-looking UE 900 is priced at Rs 34,995.
The UE 9000 provides pure, undiluted audio that's rich, clear and perfectly tuned for remarkable levels of punch, clarity and power
UE 9000:
Devoid of messy cables or distractions, the UE 9000 are headphones that connect wirelessly to Bluetooth devices. The high-resolution drivers of the UE 9000 deliver pure, undiluted audio that's rich, clear and perfectly tuned for remarkable levels of punch, clarity and power. However, should you run out of power or simply decide to go wired, you have an optional cable too. The UE 9000 is priced at Rs 31,995.
The UE 6000 are progressive noise-cancelling around-ear headphones with an integrated amplifier that provides for a powerful listening experience
UE 6000:
These are progressive noise-cancelling around-ear headphones with an integrated amplifier that provides for an immersive and powerful listening experience. It connects to various devices, folds up like sunglasses, and when in use, delivers pure, undiluted audio with a wide-open soundstage and a remarkable level of detail. The active noise cancelling technology filters out ambient noise for an immersive listening experience. At Rs 17,995, the UE 6000 holds the lowest price tag in the headphones/earphones line-up.
The UE Boombox delivers a powerful sound through eight custom-tuned drivers
UE Boombox:
It may look small, but judging the UE Boombox by its size could be a big mistake. An on-the-go speaker that lets you use your smartphone or tablet to play and control your music, the powerful sound of the Boombox is delivered by eight custom-tuned drivers. Armed with the capability to pair up to eight Bluetooth-enabled devices and play music from three devices at the same time, it promises to deliver sound that is rich, balanced and clear - with enough bass to make every song feel real and raw. The UE Boombox is priced at Rs 21,995.
UE Mobile Boombox:
Designed to go big on sound, UE Mobile Boombox is an ultraportable speaker that connects to smartphones and tablets easily through Bluetooth. The Mobile Boombox can pair up with up to eight Bluetooth devices, and music switching can be done between two of them at the same time. The UE Mobile Boombox is priced at Rs 8,995.
So, if you have been looking for a high-end audio experience on your way to work every morning, this could be just what the doctor ordered. Oh wait, could that skittering noise in the backdrop be the sound of Bose and Sennheiser getting a run for their money?
