Logitech UE 6000

Logitech is taking the Ultimate Ears brand places it's never been before. The recently refreshed lineup now includes speakers, and in addition to the established UE earphones, new over-ear headphones, like the UE 6000. The $199.99 (direct) UE 6000 is a bass-oriented, modern-looking pair armed with decent noise cancellation. With a removable cable and built-in iPhone controls, it's not lacking in the features department, but audiophiles seeking a balanced response should look elsewhere?it's hard to describe the UE 6000's low frequency response as anything less than booming.?

Design
The circumaural (over-the-ear) design of the UE 6000 features severe angles cut along the headband and earcups, creating an almost futuristic look. The primary colors are black and matte gray, but the most eye-catching hue is used as an accent?the inside of the comfortable memory foam earcups, a small ring around the outside of the earcups, and the audio cable are electric blue.

A Power button and the connection point for the cable are located on the right earcup, while the left earcup houses the AAA battery compartment. The power switch isn't the easiest to operate while the headphones are in use, but this is a minor complaint.

The cable, which houses a microphone and controls for the iPhone, is removable. It's hard to stress how much value this adds, as cables are typically the first thing to malfunction, so this allows you to simply replace the cable rather than pay for repairs or replacement. As for the controls, they offer a standard level of intelligibility for phone calls?call clarity is not the iPhone's primary strength, and the UE 6000 does nothing to change that.

The headphones run off of not one, but two AAA batteries?most competitors use only one, or more ideally, a rechargeable option. Two batteries are included, and Logitech estimates battery life at roughly 40 hours, but this will depend on the brand and your own usage patterns. The good news is, unlike the Bose QuietComfort 15?,?the UE 6000 can play audio when the batteries and noise cancellation are not engaged. The audio performance is slightly less powerful in passive mode, but the difference is primarily a volume level discrepancy and can be adjusted for easily.

Included with the UE 6000: a soft case with a diagonal zipper, a "shareable splitter" adapter for plugging in multiple headphones into a single 3.5mm jack, and the aforementioned cable and batteries.

Performance
Like much of the competition of late, the Logitech UE 6000 focuses quite a bit of the attention on the low frequencies. If you're a fan of deep bass, the UE 6000 doesn't disappoint. Even at modest volume levels, there is a strong bass presence that, while intense, is not so over-the-top that it overwhelms the mix completely or makes things muddy.

On the Knife's "Silent Shout," a track with serious deep bass response, the UE 6000 delivers the powerful thumps of the electronic drum loop with palpable resonance. Even at top volumes there is no distortion.

Music with less intense bass is still delivered with pronounced low-end presence?while the new Grizzly Bear record, Shields, is by no means meek in the bass department, it's got nothing on The Knife, and yet, the kick drum and electric bass parts sound almost thunderous on the UE 6000, even at moderate levels. Luckily, Logitech has kept the high frequencies crisp and articulate by boosting them to match the UE 6000's low-end intensity.

The sculpted sound lends some excitement to modern pop, rock, and hip hop mixes, which tend to have more sub bass content, but when we get to instrumental and classical tracks, things start to sound a little unnatural, as they do on John Adams' "The Chairman Dances." The lower register brass loses a bit of its growl and sting as its pulsating pattern is weighed down a bit by the added bass response?the mids and high-mids that make the brass sound so intense seem slightly dulled. The highs are well represented, however?wooden percussion and higher register strings are delivered sharply and articulately.

But the lack of bite from the lower brass, as well as the over-the-top intensity of the deeper percussion in the piece, paint a picture of boosted lows and highs, and a scooped out mid-range. It's the classic graphic EQ preset for Rock or Pop, but it doesn't do classical music any favors.

This isn't to say the UE 6000 isn't a solid pair of headphones, it's just a pair that works well for modern mixes and popular music, and less so for genres like classical and jazz that benefit from a flatter response.

As for the noise cancellation, it's unlikely to blow your mind. While the UE 6000 definitely reduces some overall ambient hum from any noisy environment, it also adds in a slight hiss, which is a trademark of lesser noise-cancellation circuitry. The UE 6000 may be able to deliver audio passively, but in terms of pure noise cancellation, it's no match for the Bose QuietComfort series. The minor added hiss, however, is not nearly as noticeable as it is with Sony MDR-NC200D Digital Noise Canceling Headphones , so we'll go ahead and place the noise cancellation performance somewhere in the middle of the spectrum of quality.

If you're willing to spend a bit more and noise cancellation is the top priority, it's hard to go wrong with the QuietComfort15. For a focus on audio performance, however, we like the AKG K 490 NC , which also does a great job with noise cancellation?it's a recent standout in this crowded field. If deep bass and a modern look are important to you however, the UE 6000 represents a more affordable option than the quite popular Monster Beats by Dr. Dre, which also employs some decent-but-not-stellar noise cancellation. Finally, if you'd rather have a pair with a much flatter response, and again, excellent noise cancellation is less of a priority, the Tivoli Audio Radio Silenz might be worth checking out.

However, a removable cable, distortion-free delivery, and passable noise cancellation all serve to make the UE 6000 a solid deal at $200. If you're looking for a noise cancellation pair with some extra bass response, it's not likely to disappoint.

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