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"Not happy with these" on by cruzer707
Pros: Accessories, case
Cons: PRICE, muddled sound, tangled wires
Summary: I got these because of the supposed "clarity and detail", however, they produce a very distorted muddled sound on much of my music. For example they can't handle Tool or Alice in Chains very well. (I have an ipod nano by the way). They are very nice for classical music.
My second HUGE complaint is the plastic cord used for these headphones. It is extremely irritating because it is very stiff compared to other headphones and is always twisting up. Even when the cord is almost fully stretched out, it tries to return to a twisted up state. I usually look like an idiot on the metro trying to untangle it.Updated
These weren't fitting properly, but they are now much better sound wise. I still do not like the cord however. -
"These Headphones ROCK!!!" on by wilmi10
Pros: Sound Quality, Fit, Overall Quality, Variety of Ear-tips included
Cons: Price, although you get what you pay for
Summary: I spend a lot of time on the Railroad and subway in and out of NYC. Since the original IPOD headphones have poor sound quality, no noise reduction to the outside world, and have a hard time staying in my ears, I decided it was time for an after-market ear-bud headset.
My first attempt was a Christmas gift from my wife of the NEW Bose in-ear headphones. I have used Bose technology in the past and have typically never been disappointed with the sound quality. Suffice to say, these things didn't cut the mustard on fit, comfort, quality and most-importantly sound. They provide 3 different size earbuds (Small, Medium & Large) of which none of them felt comfortable or fit properly. The wire on the headset is extremely thin and frail in comparison to other manufacturers, and definitely has the potential to wear with frequent use. I was impressed with the amount of bass these little guys kick off, but the acoustics didn't live up to the standards of what I would expect from a $99 Bose Headset. (I must admit they did put a ton of money into marketing these earphones, which would have probably been better spent on engineering a better product)One of my colleagues received the same gift from his wife and had all the same complaints that I had.
While discussing my dilemma with a co-worker (Not much to do at work Christmas week, so headphones seemed like a logical topic of discussion), he broke out his Shure e2c earphones. After disinfecting the silicone eargels, I placed them in my ear and plugged them into the IPOD. I was extremely impressed with the comfort, design and durability. When it comes to sound-quality, the acoustics were awesome, but the bass was near non-existent. Shure¡¦s website claims the e4c has much improved bass, however street price is $260 bucks. My co-worker agreed that the e2c¡¦s were a bit week on bass, but a cheaper alternative to his original headphones which were stolen, the Super.fi 5 Pro. He mentioned how much he loved his Super.fi¡¦s and should have purchased another pair.
After reading a ton of reviews on the Super.fi 5 Pro by Ultimate Ears, It was a toss-up between the 5pro and 5EB (Extended Bass) version for improved bass response. The true test came when I visited the local electronics store. They had both headphones on display, and made the disposable foam ear-tips available to try them out. The minute I plugged the 5pro into my ipod and powered it up, I was immediately sold. These were comfortable, durable, and sound quality was amazing for low¡¦s and hi¡¦s. Found the bass to be more than sufficient on several different music types. I tried the 5EB and felt the bass was even more powerful, but acoustics/sound quality seemed to suffer minimally. I enjoy clean sounding music with a comfortable amount of bass to complement the entire listening experience (I should get a job with CNET with my descriptions ƒº ) The fit was amazing, and these truly blocked out almost all outside noise. This made it much easier to listen to music at a volume that won¡¦t kill my hearing as quickly. Several options of ear-tip included. At a cost of $189 plus tax, they dropped them in the bag and I went on my merry way. The only reason I didn¡¦t rate them a 10 was because of cost, but hey, you get what you pay for..
The Bose headphones are now in a UPS box awaiting delivery back to South Carolina. -
"nice sounding" on by Mrdude81
Pros: Nice bass, can by new cord, go real loud
Cons: the only con is that they aren't free
Summary: I bought a pair online for like 170 with S&H. They sound great i use them with a 2GB ipod nano. They nevere sound disotreted even with lots of bass. The highs are clear and great as well. Would recomned.
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"Sound great, but right phone went weird right away" on by luluhalabaloo
Pros: Beautiful sound, really marvelous, truly amazing
Cons: Durability issues, possible customer service issue
Summary: I have a Cowon iAudio X5 and a Samsung YPMTX6. After extensive, exhaustive research, I purchased these from an ebay seller in Canada, new and sealed, because there are no retailers here for the Super.fi's.
They were wonderful in the beginning, amazing sound, clear, great separation, amazing sound stage, nothing seemed rolled off, and good base if you can get that seal. At some points, I thought the back of my head would blow off. So I love them except:
They are not small, so getting them in and sealed takes a little work. Once in, I have had to adjust them to keep the seal a number of times, and the foams are a little big for me, but the flanges are super soft and once in and sealed, you will not know they are there.
Within 4 days of receiving them and wearing them only about two hours a day, the right phone went much quieter - muffled, maybe even like the bass driver was gone. I could still hear things, but not rounded or full, and definitely lop-sided. I cleaned them and cleaned my ears - the right phone in fact looked like it was pryed open at the manufacturer's once before - just didn't look as nice as the left one which I noticed right away in the sealed package before I even opened it as I am really picky. I wonder if there was a problem they had to fix before they were even shipped from the manufacturer.
Now I am awaiting a call back or email from UE - I emailed on the weekend and phoned again today. I was told to leave a message because he was "gone for lunch", and that he would call back, but still hasn't. I will call again tomorrow in the morning or by lunch time if I haven't heard from them.
I have never had a problem with electronic equipment before - I have good equipment and am meticulous about its care. To have such relatively expensive earphones die like that is really disturbing, particularly when it is impossible to buy them locally in Canada so you can exchange them in the first few days if they are defective. The Shure E4C was the competitor and now I am not sure (haha) I made the right choice because there is a local Shure retailer right here in Winnipeg and their selling network in Canada is proven.
I hope that since UE is just getting into the retail business, perhaps they will be very responsible. I think that the CNET reviewer may have a point about the thin cables (they are THIN) and build quality. I hope I am wrong - let's see what UE Customer Service does. And I definitely would prefer thicker cables.
The bottom line is that the sound is what is doing me in - I am addicted to the sound of these over the Shures. But can I sacrifice local service and quality for the sound?
Keep tuned as the saga continues... -
"Good...Expensive...I can live without." on by cblinkdude182
Pros: Good Sound Quality
Cons: $$$Price$$$
Summary: Why does everything good have such a price tag. I can defintily keep my 250 and buy an ipod rather than just the earphones for it.
Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 Pro user reviews (black)
Where to Buy
Pricing not available
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