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Buy Altec Lansing UHP606 Backbeat Pro Reference Earphones Black/Gold At Amazon!
List Price: $99.95 Amazon Price: $26.23 |
Altec Lansing UHP606 Backbeat Pro Reference Earphones Black/Gold Description:
Music professionals know well designed earphones shouldn’t compete with outside noises. High listening volumes not only distort sound, they’re not healthy. A superior seal to block out ambient sound is critical. Once that’s achieved, only the highest definition micro-speakers will do. BackBeat Pro earphones deliver both. Super flexible SnugFit™ neoprene ear tips, plus dual flange technology, conform to your ear for superior noise isolation. The balanced armature speakers – essentially full-range miniaturized speakers with built-in amplifiers – are professionally tuned for musician-grade sound. The result is true high-definition, ultra-low distortion audio that rivals recording studio reference speakers. Carry case and eight-piece fit kit included.
- Color: Black/Gold
- Brand: Altec Lansing
- Model: UHP606
- Dimensions: 7.20″ h x 3.30″ w x 8.50″ l, .30 pounds
Customer Reviews:
Just OK, not great, especially for the price
Summary: Satisfactory IE buds that are not a great value for the price ($99 list, about $50 street). Need to be broken in before use.
Pros:
Decent bass once they are broken in.
Cord doesn’t stick to itself and tangle easily (like many others).
Nice looking, well built
Nice cushioned, zippered case.
Great set of ear cushions for custom fit
Plug has been trimmed to fit iPod, iPhone but NOT clear it will fit iPhone in a case
** It’s a right angle plug with a few mm of relief for iPhone access.
Sound isolation is good – tested while a household vacuum was in use and it blocked enough of the noise to listen to music at comfortable levels – on par with others compared below.
Cons:
Needs to be broken in before use or they sound REALLY tinny
Even after breaking in, the high end is slightly muted
Back ports leak sound to those around you
Better choices exist for the price
Comparisons: My picks out of earbuds I’ve reviewed
#1 Woodees IESW101B Inner-ear Stereo Earphone – My favorite to date. These have a lot better high end than the BBpros. The midrange blows away the BBpro for acoustic and vocals. If you are listening to classic, jazz, electronic, pop or vocal music this is the one for you. Additionally, they are about $38 on Amazon at the time of this writing, which is significantly less than the BBpro. Finally, although the BBpro looks good, the Woodies look really great. In fact, they actually LOOK like they might be expensive. Finally, the Woodies plug is straight instead of right angle so it is guaranteed to fit an iPhone in a case.
#2 Backbeat Pro: From a listening standpoint, I like the bass. Others have commented negatively on the bass sound from these, but I suspect they didn’t break them in first. If I was a big Hip-Hop fan (I’m not, even though I use some hh for checkout) these would work for me. Otherwise, they don’t annoy me, they just sound a bit muted in the highs, which is unsatisfactory for classical, jazz, acoustic, etc.
#3 JBuds J2 Premium Hi-FI Noise Isolating Earbuds – Overall, a decent economy headphone. In some cases, I might pick these over the BBpro. For instance, they better balance bass and treble capability so perhaps some pop would sound better on these than the BBpro. Certainly, at less than half the price, these are a winner when value comes into play vs. the BBpro. That said, I would not take these over my Woodees.
Conclusion:
The BBpro is not a general purpose headphone. It is pretty high priced for what it is and much higher value options exist. If they were half the price I would have added a star for four total.
NOTE: Break in process
My break in process is simple. I just plug them into a source for six to eight hours and play music that has some bass in it and crank up the volume to a fairly high level (say 80% of max) and leave them that way under a pillow or something to keep the sound from being annoying (it’s too loud for me to keep them on my head t his way, anyways).
NOTE: Equipment used
I bias my test to use equipment that one would actually tend to hook up to these kinds of earbuds. So, instead of my extremely nice multi-$k equipment, I use my iPod and MacBook to play a variety of music from my library. Additionally, I modify the equalizer to see if I can successfully “fix” the sound of each earphone for my ears. This is my idea of duplicating “real” listening circumstances.
Sound good. But…
I own a drawer full of earphones, made by numerous different companies including Altec Lansing. The UHP606 Earphones are in my opinion up there with the best of them. I find they have excellent bass response, and excellent highs. My favorite feature is actually the included 4th neoprene noise reducing tip. The only problem I have with these headphones is that the cheaper Altec Lansing UHP326 Earphones sound almost identical. I can’t see spending almost twice as much for these. They are still moderately priced (at the current discounted price) and sound good though. I can recommend them, but the UHP326 is a better buy.
Pros:
Very good audio quality
4 different ear tips
Right angle 3.5mm plug
Cons:
Cheaper UHP326 Earphones sound just as good.
Great midrange sound – still like my Sennheisers though
I have reviewed several sets of earphones, and always liked my Sennheiser CX300s over all others. The Sennheisers have a clarity, sensitivity and high-end ‘presence’ that I really like for the music I listen to.
But this review is about the Altec Lansings. In comparison to my favorites, these earphones seem to have more emphasis on the midrange band, around 1000-5000 Hz. Vocals and instruments in that range seem to stand out, with less emphasis on higher range stuff like cymbals and overtones on piano, drums, etc. — sounding to me almost ‘muted’ a bit. In fact, in the A:B comparison with the Sennheisers, I actually felt like the Sennheisers were tinny and thin sounding after switching from the Altec Lansings. The bass end of the earphones is fine, no difference really from the Sennheisers or Radius I have reviewed. Less bass than the boomy JBud J2s. Otherwise, though, these Backbeat Pro earphones seem to be pretty accurate, so I would say that with some equalizer tweaking for your musical taste, these earphones would sound great. This testing was right out of the box with no burn-in time. After about 4 hours of burn-in, the results are pretty much the same – maybe a little better clarity in the high range; it’s hard to tell.
Another plus with these earphones is the comfort. I would say that these are the most comfortable in-ear earphones I have tried. They give you several different sizes of ear tips like most others, plus add a pair of dual-flange tips for even more noise isolation. The neoprene tips fit very well in the ear canal – more comfortable the my Sennheisers.
So I would recommend these for the comfort and the apparently flat response. I’m still going to go with my Sennheisers for every day listening, but maybe for long trips or high-noise situations (airplanes, work zones, etc) these Altec Lansings will work nicely. Of course this is all subjective, so your ears and music may vary. 
From the Manufacturer
From the Manufacturer Gone are the days when high-definition audio meant loud noise through bulky earphones. Ideal for computers, laptops, or portable devices such as MP3 players, Altec Lansing’s BackBeat PRO earphones provide studio-quality sound through lightweight, miniaturized speakers by isolating ambient noise rather than competing with it. Altec Lansing’s single-balanced technology allows you to hear ‘true’ sound at relatively lower volume levels than other earphones, while the BackBeat PRO’s design balances high-definition audio, comfort, and affordability.
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Three sets of different-sized tips are included to let you find your perfect fit. |
Enjoy full-range, distortion-free sound. |
Studio-Quality Sound at an Affordable Price
With the BackBeat PRO earphones, you will hear just what a sound engineer or professional musician hears in the studio. Recipient of three Innovations Design and Engineering Awards, Altec Lansing uses single-balanced armature technology in the BackBeat PRO. The armature is a high-precision microstructure that generates and moves the natural sound through the earphone chamber. The result is high-definition audio that matches your ears’ natural response to sound, making for an intimate, distortion-free listening experience.
Comfort, Not Competition for an Optimal Listening Experience
Chief among the many benefits of the armature technology is the miniature size. Whereas traditional earphones are often heavy or ill-fitting, BackBeat PRO earphones provide a comfortable, secure fit within the ear canal. Because no two ears are alike, three sizes (small, medium, and large) of flexible SnugFit ear tips are included.
These tips are designed to conform to your ear, providing a custom fit as well as a superior seal to block out ambient noise. Rather than competing with outside noise, sound is transmitted directly into your ear, so you can enjoy full audio definition at lower volumes.
Lightweight and Tangle-Free
Your music is portable, and your earphones should be too. Weighing a mere half ounce, the earphones are extremely lightweight. The BackBeat PRO cable is tangle-free, so you won’t need to wrap the earphones or untie cumbersome knots. In fact, the cord goes well beyond the ordinary, featuring braided reinforcement for strength and tangle-resistance, smooth PVC coating for friction dampening, and oxygen-free copper for a superior audio conduit. For added protection, a soft-sided, lightweight carrying case is also included.
Compatible with Computers and MP3 Players
BackBeat PRO earphones are compatible with desktop and laptop computers, as well as with a wide range of MP3 audio devices, including the iPod and iPhone. Whether you are mixing sound in your home studio or listening to your favorite album on an airplane, the BackBeat PRO audio technology ensures that you won’t miss a beat.
What’s in the Box
BackBeat PRO earphones; reinforced, tangle-free cable; eight-piece fit kit with neoprene ear tips (small, medium, and large); one set of dual-flange tips, and neoprene carry case.
| Other BackBeat Headphones from Altec Lansing | |
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BackBeat Classic
The stylish, versatile BackBeat Classic noise-isolating earphones are great for everyday listening. They provide crystal-clear sound with passive noise reduction and comfortable, custom fit. |
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BackBeat Plus
The BackBeat Plus noise-isolating earphones with enhanced bass deliver powerful deep bass and stunning audio free from distortion and the distraction of outside noises. |
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BackBeat Titanium
The BackBeat Titanium noise-isolating earphones are designed for the discerning music enthusiast with titanium-enhanced micro-speakers that deliver vivid, full-spectrum sound with exceptional clarity and realism. |
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