I was one of the rare few who managed to get a nice fit on UE’s classic and much loved TF10 IEM. I remember it was at the same time I acquired the Sennheiser IE8 and after a brief comparison of both the IE8 was shown the door and the TF10 (admittedly with Lune cable) stayed for much longer. There was something about the clarity and PrAT that more than compensated for it’s uneven signature compared with the “boom boom” darker IE8 that just made the whole presentation more engaging and rewarding. Yeah it was big, blue and bulky but Jerry and UE’s team were onto something with their triple-balanced armatures and true enough the TF10, despite some of its tuning and fit quirks, was still as popular as ever long after the IE8 was replaced with the IE80 and other variations.

So when releasing the UE900, designed as a successor of sorts to the TF10 with its blue aura, and introducing a 4-way balanced armature setup, Ultimate Ears does have some way to go to eat into the legacy of the TF10. In some ways you could be forgiven for thinking the biggest threat to the UE900 might be the TF10 itself nevermind the competition from Westone, Sennheiser et al. How do you dislodge a pernnial favorite and keep loyal fans from moving away?

Click on next page for the build and package impressions…