OK, fellow WhatHiFi-ers, here is a set of my impressions from a demo set of UM Miracle.
This is a 3-way 6-driver (2 low, 2 mid, 2 high) balanced-armature in-ear custom headphone with detachable cable. They are made in China and the dealer tells me that they use ‘the same drivers as any other custom maker”. A bit of a wide statement, but who knows, I do not have any details about the drivers so he may be right.
This is of cause a demo copy so the shape of the shell is a generic one and instead of a proper custom fit (made from one's own ears) this has universal silicone tips as any other in-ear headphone. Because of this it is not possible to "demo" the fit, only the sound and even when testing the sound it is not possible to test it completely as the fit of an actual custom mould would be different and the fit is of cause quite important for in-ears.
My previous experience with in-ears is limited. I use Apple in-ears (which are 2-driver balanced-armature). They were a massive improvement in terms of sound, fit and convenience of control over the kit buds (the kit buds do not sound any good as you may know). As it is almost impossible to get any demos with this kind of gear, that is the only comparison I can do.
So, at a price of about 800GBP, although cheaper than most if not all other custom-makers, there have got to be special. Expectation is high and I think justifiably so.
So, here is the packaging.
The box is large and decidedly average quality. Two sets of silicone universal tips.
The cable is OK but I would say nothing special in terms of quality. There are mouldable wires in the top part as with most custom earphones. Cable is detachable. The connectors are basic ‘fork plug’ but fit firmly.
The headphones themselves feel I say 7 out of 10. Again, nothing special. The shell is hard (I expected it to be soft or at least softer). What I did not like is that the holes for the cable connectors do not have metal surroundings but have a layer of plastic all around them. That means that after several month of handling the edges around where the connector plugs in will almost certainly start to chip off. Not something I would want to see on any expensive gear.
The fit of the demo version was uncomfartable (and actually on one side painful after a while). I do not consider that a drawback as it is understandable that a good fit is just not possible here as it is a custom thing. So I only have to praise Unique Melody and the dealer very highly for providing demos as nobody else seem to be able to do it.
So, I made a side-by-side comparison with the apple ones, playing from 2gen ipod touch (lossless files) and from Squeezebox Touch (16/44 and 24/96 files). I have misplaced the 3/6mm headphone jack adapter so could not test with the Benchmark.
The miracles must be more sensitive as they play louder at he same volume setting. In terms of sound quality the Miracles had a slight improvement in highs and lows. The highs are a tiny bit lighter (or are they just a bit louder?). the lows are a tiny tiny bit cleaner (or are they just quieter?). The mids seem to be about the same.
I listened and listened looking for differences but there aren’t many. I was really surprised there is no mind-blowing or at least significant difference . The price certainly suggests a much bigger improvement to what I could discern. Nope, there was no anything like that.
The conclusion I make for myself is to stick with the apples until they fall apart (and that will be about a months I think as they already started). If I do not find another make/model that improves on them I will get another apple pair.
Also, I think the less than special quality of the box is simply unacceptable at the price. I would also expect the cable fittings to be impeccably made at the price (or at least be well above average) as well as the connector to be reassuringly highly durable.
So, a bit of a disappointment? Yes. Bad product? No. Good product? I am not sure - becaue of the price and lack of comparison at similar price level. Worth 800 quid? Not for me.
Definatley more comparisons needed. I wonder what the likes of Ultimate Ears, Westone, ACS etc are like.
I am probably a bit too harsh with these impressions but I was not impresssed as far as I was expecting. Maybe the apples are already good enough, the law of diminishing returns etc. Or maybe I am not discerning/experienced enough in headphones. Myabe the real custom fit can improve things further but for me the verdict was very clear. I am not prepared to spend that much money for that little improvement.
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