Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 Pro Earphones (Black) | List Price: $249.99
Discount Price: $179.95
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Brand: Ultimate
Binding: Electronics
Features: - Dual Drivers for wide frequency response (20 to 16,000 HZ) and efficient performance
- Professional Quality Sound
- Noise Isolating Design attenuates outside noise by an amazing 26db
- Comfortable and Secure Ear Loops
- Includes Universal Fit kit and a protective metallic travel case to store earphones
Worth the cost [Posted on 2008-10-20]
Ordered just before a long flight, really made a difference compared to the cheap earbuds I have been using. Comfortable fit and amazing audio quality. As others have noted, a low quality recording will sound worse. I noticed a big improvement with large WMA files compared to MP3's...you can actually hear the difference when listening with a computer,quality is a bit lower with a PDA. Definitely recommend.
be aware of durability issues [Posted on 2008-11-04]
first of all, these are some of the best headphones money can buy, however, UE has severe problems in my opinion when it comes to cable durability, i am a producer, and music professional, and use these every day, i also have used the shure e3c in the past and various types of etymotic. i own a pair of triple.fi and these super.fi, i use the triple.fi mainly for working out, listening to ipod, etc. and use the triple.fi for work. however, these have not proven to be durable when it relates to being in the gym. i am not the kindest to these as they are my workhorse pair, so often i would roll them up and place them in my bag, however, beyond that, i did nothing out of the ordinary with them, and have suffered from a broken cable leading up to the left ear, and the cable coming loose from the right ear monitor. i definetly recommend these, with a warning, be prepared, almost no matter what. a year from now, to be calling ultimate ears needing a replacement cable.
Definitely the best value in the UE line. [Posted on 2008-11-06]
The super.fi 5's are definitely the "most bang for the buck" in the UE product line. I currently own super.fi 3's (three pairs), super.fi 5's, super.fi 5 EB's, and triple.fi 10's, so I have some basis for my statements. The super.fi 3's are serviceable and have above-average sound, but they don't touch the super.fi 5's. The triple.fi 10's are bigger, bulkier, and more expensive. While they DO sound better, I don't think they sound THAT much better than the super.fi 5's. With that out of the way, a couple comments that may be helpful:
1. Whether it's stated or not, comfort and fit are probably the most significant factors in preferring one earphone to another. This is not just because it is fatiguing to use ill-fitting earphones, but because properly-fitted earphones generally have better and more balanced sound. And, contrary to what these reviews might lead you to believe, there are NO earphones out there that fit every ear comfortably. If you follow some of the "headphone forums" you will see that every manufacturer and every model of earphone eventually comes under criticism for poor fit. Some people can improve the fit with foam earpieces, some use custom molded earpieces, some buy after-market "olives", but nobody ever says "this earphone fits everyone perfectly." Soooo....try 'em out first.
2. The super.fi's and triple.fi's have "memory" cables (i.e., there's a wire embedded under the insulation at the connection to the earpiece.) Some people hate them and find them intolerable. Some people think they work great and wouldn't be without them. I find them very comfortable and prefer them to other cable types. I normally route them back over my ears and let the cables trail down to rest on my chest. If you want limp cables that fall straight down from your ears, I do not recommend the UE's.
3. The UE's are not the smallest earphones out there. If you want small, low-profile earphones, you may want to consider some other manufacturers' models. In fact, the super.fi 5 EB's are HUGE, with a low-frequency driver enclosure that looks twice as big as that of the standard super.fi 5's.
4. The cables on the UE's are replaceable. They have little gold-plated pins that pressure-fit into sockets on the earpieces. You can easily replace the cables or even buy UE and third-party "upgrade" cables to customize them.
5. I have worn UE's for hundreds of hours and never had a problem with breakage or intermittent connections. Of course, I treat them with respect. (This is where I expect to get flamed....) I coil them neatly and return them to the carrying case after every use. I clean them periodically. I do not wear them when I'm working out. (Well, actually, I DO wear super.fi 3's when I'm mowing the lawn or working in the yard, but only because they're fairly cheap. And even then, I'm careful of snagging the cables.) I truly believe that MOST of the reports of poor durability are actually cases of mistreating the earphones or cables. And don't forget...you can replace the cable assembly in its entirety in just a few minutes if you damage it or bend the pins in the plug.
6. Active noise cancellation has its place, but I've never heard a set of earphones or headphones with active noise cancellation that sound as good as high-quality sealing earphones without noise cancellation. I've tried Sennheisers, Bose, Sonys, Audio-Technicas...you name it.
7. Finally...make sure you have a decent audio source and quality material. The UE's are very efficient and I often use them without a headphone amp. (They will benefit from increased power, though.) But you need to have decent digital files (preferably uncompressed files...none of this 128 Kb/s junk) and a good quality player.
That's it. Good luck! If you are looking at these, then you also want to consider the Etymotics and Shure lines.
Smooth [Posted on 2008-11-07]
Initial reactions:
Thick, sturdy cord
Big size
Nice box
I am very happy/glad that the size of my ears are perfect size for most IEMs. Specifically I have always found that the ear tips that are already on the IEM when I open the box, normally the medium size, fits me perfectly. This is also the case with these Super.fi 5 pro IEMs. It did take me a little bit of time to figure out how to put them in. I have to admit that I was trying to put them on in a dark room, and since I got the black ones I was trying to put the left channel in my right ear. Embarrassing, but the truth none the less. After finally getting the fit correct, it was VERY comfortable. No pressure, sound isolation was slightly more than my DTX50's, and the stiff cable coming out of the earphones help to really keep them in my ear. I even turned my head back and forth as fast as I could take and they didn't move from my ear. Finally, no tugging and losing seal from the tug of the weight of the cord.
So on to the main event. Powering the earphones will be the trusty iAudio 7. I found that these earphones can be played at a much lower volume setting. This is probably a combination of the efficiency of the earphones themselves and the great seal and isolation that these earphones have. Again, I am lucky to have ears that are able to be easily sealed by most IEMs, so if you are unable to get a good fit, please be patient and not send them back after 2 days of trying. The highs are so crisp and the mids are very clear. I was very surprised at the sound stage these things can produce. Everything is sooo smooth. No muffling of sounds in the mid to high range. The detail brings such joy to my ears. My only and minor complaint is the lower end is very accurate. This would translate to bassheads thinking these monitors have no or weak bass. From my past experiences with any type of driver or monitor is that time would only give them more life. I do hope this will be the same with these Super.fi 5 Pros. This would mean that the full spectrum would be more suited to MY audio preferences. As of now, the EQ will be tweaked a bit and only in the low end. I cannot stress enough how beautiful the mids and highs are.
While I have only spend about 4 hours of personal time with these earphones, I know they will keep me company for MANY more hours to come. I can only compare these to my other IEM which are the DTX50 and these are a lot more clear in the whole spectrum. The DTX50's are more 'boomy' in the lower end, which you might or might not like. These earphones are quite worth the investment. With further break in period and tweaking of my eq, these should continue to sound better. There will be further updates with the sound development as well as durability, since I have read it is an issue for many Super.fi 5 Pro owners.
Excellent Ultimate Ears [Posted on 2008-11-10]
These in ear headphones are definitely the earphones that someone wants if quality sound is what their looking
for. The only thing i would recomend to get the best sound from these earphones is to play them off a quality
music player (not highly recommended for an iPod).
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