Altec Lansing UHP606 Backbeat Pro Reference Earphones (Black/Gold)

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...Read more

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.

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...Read more