Entered CNET Catalog: 10/28/2007
SKU: 0850613001655
Manufacturer: Logitech Inc.
Manufacturer description
The metro.fi 2 is based off the same sonic principles as Ultimate Ears' custom personal monitors. This model is ideal for fashion conscious on-the-go individuals.Product summary
The good: The Ultimate Ears Metro.fi 2 earphones offer nice, balanced audio quality for a reasonable price. Includes a decent case and a two-year warranty.
The bad: The Metro.fi 2 earphones suffer from a ho-hum design and may not fit all users correctly, causing sound and comfort issues.
The bottom line: The Ultimate Ears Metro.fi 2 earphones are a great value for the average listener who desires good sound quality with a balanced audio response, but the drab design and questionable fit could be an issue for some.
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 07/15/2008
Ultimate Ears has been a familiar name to musicians and other audio professionals for a decade, but the company has gained quite a following with its consumer line as well. Earphones in its Metro.fi, Super.fi, and Triple.fi lines range in affordability and scale nicely, from discerning listeners to audiophiles. Falling in at the bottom is the $79 Metro.fi 2, a rather standard-looking set that offers nicely balanced audio to go with its affordable price tag. Unfortunately, getting a secure and comfortable fit may be a challenge for some users.
There's nothing exciting about the look of the Metro.fi 2 earphones. Each earpiece is encased in hard, black plastic with some minor silver accenting. The cable, which starts in a Y that unites into a single cord about a foot down, measures about 45 inches from the 'buds to the straight, gold plug. It's long enough for most portable applications. A slider at the Y helps to prevent tangles during storage, for which Ultimate Ears includes a nice leatherette pouch with a Velcro flap. The package also contains four sets of silicone ear tips: small, medium, large, and double flange.
Despite the array of sleeves, we had some difficulty getting a secure and comfortable fit because of the large size of the earpiece apertures. It took some finagling to get a seal with the ear, which is necessary to enjoy the Metro.fi 2's sound-isolation capability. Even then, we found the noise-blocking ability to be inferior to that offered by the Shure SE line. Users with smaller ears may not be able to achieve a proper fit at all, so these earphones are best suited for those with average-size ears.
Once the fit issue is worked out, the Ultimate Ears Metro.fi 2 earphones offer solid audio quality. In general, music sounds even and balanced across ranges, making the 'buds a good choice for people who like to listen to a variety of genres. Bass is tight and present without muddying up the overall sound. Mids are warm and encompassing, and clarity is good. However, high-end detail doesn't quite shine, so if you're after shimmery acoustics and twinkly triangles, these won't cut the mustard. Given that you can find the Metro.fi 2s for less than $65 online, though, we still think they're a great value for the average listener.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3out of 3 user reviews
Almost great price, great quality
Pros: Great bass (mp3 player is set to Rock music type mode), Very handy case included (its rather important if you want your UE earphones to last longer), silicon plug is placed nicely on my ear (I used medium sized silicon ear tip)
Cons: Low white noise when playing rock music. Earpiece style is prone to scratches (has a soft feel in ear piece coat). Doesnt look nice appearance after the scratches. Silicon ear tip falls off easily after frequent 1-2 months use. Lost sound in one ear.
Im not picky how loud and detailed my earphone sounds but I find this earphone metro.fi 200 has much louder bass than the predecessor. Another good feature of this is that it has a bit better protection from breakage at the cable near the ear piece. That was my problem in 150v.
I just bought Metro.fi 220 yesterday and I find metro.fi 200 having low white noise when playing a rock music. And like I said in the first paragraph, the end cable is not well made against breakage. I move around alot and most of the time my mp3 is inside my bag. That is how I got it broken. It is recommended to put it in a case if its not in use if you want make your moneys worth on spending nearly $100 worth earphones. Keep it away from places that makes the end cable end 90 degrees as much as you can.
For people who can fit in medium sized UE metro.fi silicon ear tip, this is a great buy. especially in this month if you can still find it in stores due to its sale price. I think its because it wont be around soon (it was replaced with Metro.fi 220). Otherwise, buy Metro.fi 170 instead.
I place it as 4 out of 5 due to the bass quality in not-great-quality mp3 music.
out of 3 user reviews
Great Sound
Pros: Portable, Blocks outside sounds, Seem durable
Cons: No foam tips, in ear design takes time to get used to
out of 3 user reviews
This is a terrible product
Pros: If your looking for ear phones that will last you 2 maybe 3 monthes if your lucky, this is the way to go.
Cons: Everything. These sound pretty good at first but after a few months the one ear piece stoped working. I HATE this product and will never use ultimate again.
