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Ultimate Ears 700 In-Ear Headphones Review
Jason Tsay
Logitech and headphones are not two words we’d usually put together in our minds, but back in 2008, Logitech set out to change that by aquiring Ultimate Ears, a well known and respected headphone company. Logitech has proven many times to us before that their PC peripherals are of the highest quality but what of their headphones?
Ultimate Ears 700 In-Ear Headphones
Features
- Custom-tuned dual armature layout
- Microdesign for long wearing
- Noise isolating (-26 dBs)
- Flexible listening
- iPod and MP3 compatibility
- 2-year limited hardware warranty
- 20Hz–20 kHz frequency response
- 40 Ohms impedance at 1 kHz
- 113 dB SPL/mW sensitivity at 1kHz
The Ultimate Ears 700’s come in a compact cardboard box, splattered with testimonials from recording artists, along with a plastic window on the rear showing off the headphones. Slicing open the box leads to a box within a box, containing a rigid plastic carrying case and the headphones, wound around a chunk of foam. Underneath lie a couple of booklets regarding proper usage and the warranty. As for the 7 sets of extra tips (XXS, XS, S, M, L, 2 pairs of Comply Foam Tips), you’ll find them within a plastic bag hidden inside of the case.
In terms of size, the UE700’s are quite tiny; thankfully, build quality is top notch. The 46 inch cord feels nice and durable as well as being very tangle resistant. The gold plated 3.5mm headphones jack comes topped with a plastic cap to protect the tip. Design-wise, the 700’s are pretty decent. Each earbud is finished with chrome (“liquid silver”) and accented with red and black on the right and left sides, respectively. This is a nice touch for identifying which earbud is which, alongside the R and L on the underside of each earbud. All the tips are shaped in a spherical manner, the silicone ones being translucent and the Comply ones being black. The cord to earbud and cord to jack areas feel substantially durable and don’t feel like they’ll be in danger of breaking any time soon. One aspect we found to be puzzling is the listed “iPod compatibility” feature - there is no mic/remote module on these headphones. Then again, these are noise cancelling headphones so you wouldn’t want to make a call with them on anyways.
Being billed as “noise isolating headphones,” the Ultimate Ears 700 actually do function in this manner quite well. We tested the headphones using both silicone and Comply Foam Tips. The latter worked significantly better in our tests, just as we expected (see Comply Foam Tips review), but the silicone ones weren’t bad either. Comfort is not an issue here whether you use silicone or foam tips - we were able to keep the headphones on for long sessions without feeling pain at any time. As far as audio quality goes, the Ultimate Ears 700’s, simply put, are really great. They are also a pair of the clearest headphones we’ve listened to – highs are wonderfully delivered and we were able to hear notes we hadn’t before in our music. In testing with an iPod, bass was non-existent while higher end audio sources emitted more balanced sound, while still somewhat lacking bass.
Overall
The Ultimate Ears 700 are a pair of really nice in-ear headphones. The microscopic and stylish design combines with kickass audio quality to easily justify a $150 price tag. However, if you’re especially fond of bass, you might want to start looking elsewhere for another pair of headphones.
Pro’s
- Tiny design, durable construction
- Great audio quality
- Very comfortable
- Many included accessories
Con’s
- Slightly lacking bass
Price: $149.99
Where to buy them: Ultimate Ears Amazon
NOTE: There appears to be two versions of the headphones - one by Logitech and one by Ultimate Ears, in different packaging and with slightly different designs, as well as different contents. We reviewed the Ultimate Ears version that came in a blue box.
Photos
This review was done by Jason Tsay, who was provided the Ultimate Ears 700’s by Ultimate Ears.
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