Pat Pilcher$420
4 stars
Pat Pilcher is smitten by Logitech’s new noise cancelling ‘phones.
HAVING ACQUIRED HEADPHONE maker Ultimate Ears a few years back, Logitech has since slayed the eardrums of reviewers world over with a series of increasingly compelling Ultimate Ears (now branded Logitech UE) headphones. Their latest ear candy includes the wireless UE9000.
These cans sounded really impressive, supplying teeth- rattling bass and crisp (but not shrill) highs. If like me, you swear by the benefits of noise cancellers when travelling long haul, the UE9000s can also be wired up. Nicer still, there’s also an integrated remote for controlling connected iPhones. The UE9000 might not be the most affordable Bluetooth headphone around, but they sound great and their noise cancelling capabilities knock spots off of other high end head huggers such as Beats by Dre.
Look & Feel
The UE9000s are from the Batman school of design, and their glossy piano black finish with blue accents would make them perfectly at home in any well-appointed Batcave. In practice, they look great without screaming “Look at me!” to potential muggers.
Good looks are one thing, but full-sized cans also have to be comfy for extended bouts of use. To this end, the UE sports an exceedingly comfortable over-the-ear fit, thanks to plush earcups and a well balanced clever design that makes them ideal for long listening sessions.
In Use
Pairing the UE9000s with my iPod was completely hassle free. Firing up Bluetooth saw them listed straight away, and I managed to connect via Bluetooth in a matter of seconds. Donning them for the first time was a revelation: the outside world disappeared and was replaced with glorious silence. At least that was until I fired up some music. Logitech seem to have accomplished the near impossible feat of getting a decent low-end bass response (I suspect they may be using sledgehammers as drivers, as some of the bass was more felt than heard). One feature I particularly liked was the inclusion of the Listen button on the left earpiece – simply press it and the music/noise cancellation is muted, so you can hear the outside world. Situated on the right earpiece are volume up and down, play/pause controls, as well as a power switch.
The included cable also has an inline mic and remote for making phone calls if you’re an iPhone owner. Call clarity is pretty good, considering the call is being made over a mobile network (I’m still hoping at least one NZ telco will start using high definition audio codecs).
The UE9000s took about three hours to charge, and so far haven’t needed any juice at all, and they’ve been used for seven hours straight. This said, they also earn travel cred in that they make use of a mini-USB connector, which means I can give them a charge from a laptop, which means one less power adaptor and travel plug to lug about. Also included with the ‘phones is a cleaning cloth, and a sturdy case to keep them safe and sound when not in use.
Verdict
If you’re looking for great – albeit not audiophile – audio, hate cables and want rock solid noise cancelling, the UE9000s are going to be just what the doctor ordered. They’re fantastic cans, and so they should be considering their $420 sticker price. Thankfully you get a lot of functionality for your cash. PAT PILCHER
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