Logitech UE 900

Logitech has recently launched several Ultimate Ears-branded products, including some speakers and earphone pairs, like the Logitech UE 900 ($399.99 direct) . While the 900 doesn't feature a custom fit as some of the more expensive UE models do, it includes many accessories that often accompany a custom model, such as a removable cable with a rigid, over-ear section for improved fit. The UE 900 sounds excellent overall, with a robust bass response and slightly boosted highs to match. You do get some minor distortion at maximum volume on deep bass tracks, but when you listen at reasonable levels, audio quality is laudable, and the many accessories, including a replacement cable, help justify the high price of these premium earphones.?

Design
Intended to sit in the ear upside down and seal off the ear canal, the UE 900 does, indeed, look like a pair of custom earphones when they're in your ears. The rigid, flexible length of cable extends over the top and back of your ear?you mold it into an upside-down U shape with your fingers once you have the eartips in place, and the blue, braided cable becomes less rigid just behind your ear. The earpieces fit snugly, but can start to feel a bit uncomfortable over longer listening sessions.

The right ear's cable houses a microphone and a three-button remote control for iPhones, allowing you to answer calls, navigate tracks, control playback, and adjust the volume. The cable is also removable from the blue-and-back, partially transparent earpieces that bear the UE logo on their outside panels.

Not only is the cable removable, but another replacement cable comes in the box. It lacks iPhone controls, but still adds tremendous value, since the cable is almost always the main culprit when a pair of earphones stops working?they tend to snap at connection points over time. If the cable is indeed the issue, swap it out, and you have avoided repairing or replacing your pricey investment. This cable could potentially add years of extra use to your earphones.

Also included with the UE 900: nine pairs of eartips in various sizes and materials, a ?-inch adapter for larger headphone jacks, an airplane jack adapter, a drawstring carrying pouch, and a handsome, compact hard case that can either be used for the earphones or all of the included accessories. (It's hard to fit all the accessories and the earphones into just the pouch or the case.) The UE 900's high price is a bit easier to swallow when so many high-quality accessories are part of the package.

Performance
Logitech designed the UE 900 for precision across the frequency range?it has four balanced armatures and, thus, three crossover filters, in each earpiece. Assigning armatures to different realms allows for more detail in each specific range, so that deep lows and crisp highs get their own set of tools. This makes the slight distortion on tracks like the Knife's "Silent Shout" a bit more surprising, but it only occurs at maximum volumes, which are not safe for listening. So, the criticism is more academic than practical?the drivers can't handle deep bass at max volume, but neither can your fragile ears. At roughly 95 percent?still far too loud to be listening safely to most modern mixes?the distortion is no longer an issue, and thus is a minor complaint.

While the bass certainly gets a boost, the overall low-end response is not nearly as intense here as it is on, say, a pair like the Denon Urban Raver AH-C300 In-Ear Headphones . The lows here are more subtly lifted, which allows instrumental and classical pieces, like John Adams' "The Chairman Dances," to retain a natural sound. The lower register strings never sound overly boosted, but they do benefit from a nice bit of extra resonance, as does the lower percussion.

In the mid-high and high frequency ranges, the upper register strings, brass, and wooden percussion are allowed to shine beautifully?things are articulate, never harsh, and the overall level provides a nice balance with the slightly boosted lows.

The UE 900 fills a bit of niche?it's not quite boosted enough in the low-end to satisfy bass cravers, nor is it flat enough to be the first choice of audiophiles seeking out true flat-response earphones. If you're looking for the latter, the Etymotic ER-4PT ?is still the best reference pair you can get in this price range.

Some listeners might find the response of the ER-4PT a little too clinical and lacking depth, however. If a bit more low-end is what you want, without going overboard, the UE 900 is a fine choice, but if $400 is not within your budget, the Bowers & Wilkins C5 In-Ear Headphones ?is a fine option for considerably less. Its bass response is certainly strong, but not off-the-charts. And if you love the idea of a removable cable and some?but not too much?added bass, the Shure SE215 ?is a great pair that offers both, for even less than the C5. We wouldn't object to the UE 900 being a bit less expensive, but as it stands, those extra accessories and the overall solid performance take some of the sting out of the price.

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