Ultimate Ears UE FITS

Available in grey, lilac and black, the Ultimate Ears UE FITS come with a charging case and a USB-C to USB-A charging cable that measures 60 centimetres. While the case has a handy format that weighs 43 grams, the standalone design of the in-ears has a weight of 7.5 grams per side. Due to the integrated stem, the earpieces protrude from the ear and are not suitable for wearing under caps, but otherwise, there are no restrictions. One thing that could be criticised, however, is the build quality of the case, as the plastic lid has too much play and hangs loose when it is opened.

Battery life

At high volume, the Ultimate Ears UE FITS can achieve a battery life of eight and a half hours. In addition, the earphones can be fully charged in the case once and 85 per cent charged again for a total runtime of 23 hours and 30 minutes. One charging cycle of the in-ears takes 65 minutes. If you are in a hurry, you can also use the quick-charge function, which provides capacity for a good hour after a ten-minute power supply. You will need two hours and twenty minutes to restore the case’s battery reserve via the USB-C port.

Patented Lightform technology

The Ultimate Ears UE FITS are distinguished by their photopolymer gel fittings, which are used instead of conventional ear tips to allow the fit to be fully adapted to each of your ears. According to the manufacturer, this offers several advantages: A snug-fitting in-ear sits more stably and shields more from the environment. Bass reproduction also benefits from a customised solution, as does wearing comfort, which benefits pressure-sensitive ears. During the fitting of the gel earpieces, a listening test is carried out to optimise the bass reproduction. This is followed by light irradiation and curing of the moulding, with an app-controlled tutorial guiding you through the process.

Indeed, the result confirms these advantages. However, we noticed a build-up of odour, which is why it is recommended that you carry out the fitting process with a window open. Also missing is a transparency mode for mobile use, which would counteract the high insulation properties when required. This would increase the user’s safety and is at the top of our wish list for a future update.

Operation

Regrettably, the Ultimate Ears UE FITS were not upgraded to the latest technology when they went on sale in Europe. Instead of the current Bluetooth standard and high-resolution codec variants such as aptX Adaptive or LDAC, which corresponds to the status quo in the premium market, you have to make do with Bluetooth version 5.0 and the audio codecs SBC, AAC and aptX. Also, these in-ears do not support multipoint connections with two devices simultaneously. However, it is possible to connect the earphones with the app on a mobile device while they are paired with a laptop, for example, so that the sound controls can be used. This has been well implemented.

While the first pairing can be done by opening the case during start-up, the pairing mode has to be activated manually by pressing and holding the case button when connecting additional devices. Once a wireless connection has been established, multiple rooms can be bridged up to a distance of twelve metres indoors, whereas outdoors, there is a range of up to 18 metres. The UE FITS’s touch control can be freely configured and activated or deactivated via the app, but it is limited to a maximum of four functions. By default, a single tap controls the volume, which can be reduced on the left-hand side and increased via the right-hand earpiece. Double-tapping controls playback and is also used to answer and end calls. Alternatively, title navigation or a voice assistant can be selected. In addition, single-sided use of these in-ears is possible in single mode. However, manual switching off and on of the earpieces via the touch surfaces is not provided, which means that you always need to carry the case.

App connection

In addition to remote configuration and gel attachment customisation, the UE FITS app (Android and iOS) provides a fit test with support connectivity to troubleshoot issues if necessary. For sound control, there are six pre-configured pre-sets such as “Bass Boost”, “Bright”, “Loudness”, or “Spoken Word”, and a 5-band EQ with custom settings that can be saved. Other features include a separate battery level indicator for the earpieces and case, firmware updates and a user guide. If you wish, you can also take a selfie via the app.

Speech intelligibility during calls

According to the manufacturer, the Ultimate Ears UE FITS are equipped with dual microphones on each side, and these are supposed to eliminate wind noise in particular. In practice, however, this was not convincing, as the wind was only slightly filtered. In strong gusts, the person on the other end of the call could hardly hear your voice. Better results can be achieved in a busy background environment, as the ambient noise was transmitted and could be heard in the background, but communication remained possible. In a quiet environment, on the other hand, speech intelligibility was impeccable.

Sound

The Ultimate Ears UE FITS have dynamic 10-mm drivers and offer a tidy, clear sound image that seemed neither bright nor dark and conveyed an uncluttered, matter-of-fact listening impression without much embellishment. A realistic sense of space was a positive feature, both from studio and live recordings, especially since stereo effects were reproduced well and individual instruments could be located cleanly. The overall structure was not dissected analytically, so the sound impression was homogeneous and holistic.

The basic sound had a tight bass reproduction with a certain fullness, but this held back in the lower registers and primarily showed presence in the mid-bass range. If you want a more substantial low bass for modern music styles, you can easily adjust this with the EQ. Even if the lower bass range is boosted, these headphones don’t falter, and they sounded appealingly powerful. The detailed midrange reproduction also effortlessly fanned out complex arrangements without creating a feeling of narrowness or too much density. At the same time, the reproduction of voices was perfectly understandable. This was followed by a lively treble reproduction that provided well-proportioned accents up to “room volume”. At higher volume levels, however, the high frequencies could be perceived as a bit sharp and cheeky, especially as sibilants were prominently reproduced. The energy curve also flattened out somewhat in the upper realms, as with the bass range in the low end, but this could also be corrected via EQ.