Introduction

The track record of Ultimate Ears is incredible when it comes to custom-made in-ears of quality, and they have come up with quite a few benchmark performers in their own field over the past years. Today, we will take a look at the newest addition to their top-of-the-line customs series—namely, the Ultimate Ears Personal Reference Monitors (PRM). Their construction is unique: You, the user, get to decide on the tonal characteristics with your own source material before the in-ear solution is built to your own specifications.

This customization takes a technically very complex crossover and five custom armatures, which does of course add a good deal to the price. These unique constructions will set you back a staggering $1999, which makes it by far the most expensive in-ear-only solution out there, even eclipsing the JH AUDIO JH-3A DSP plus JH16|Pro custom-monitor combination.

Specifications

• Input Sensitivity: 110.6 dB @ 1 kHz, 50mV
• Efficiency: 115.6 dB @ 1mW
• Frequency Response: 20 Hz to 18,000 Hz
• Impedance: 21 ohms @ 1kHz
• Internal Speaker Configuration: 5 proprietary-precision balanced armatures
• Noise Isolation: 26 dB
• Input Connector: 1/8" (3.5 mm) gold plated
• Warranty: 2-year limited hardware warranty.

The Package

Ultimate Ears ships these über-high-end in-ears in a case surrounded by packing foam inside a big box. As with everything that is a part of the Personal Reference Monitor experience, you get to customize your casing; right now, you get a choice between a small and a large carrying case. We picked the small one as that is a new model with just enough room for the in-ears and the wax-cleaning tool.


Even the carrying case is well-made. It is made out of aluminum and has a nice rubber lining. Personal Reference Monitors are part of the new reward program by Ultimate Ears. Anyone that finds a set can send them to Ultimate Ears, which will net them a small reward for the effort.


The cable system on the PRMs is every bit as good as that on the UE In-Ear Reference Monitors.