Ultimate Ears Super.fi 3 Studio (black)
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"These are Excellent IEMs" on by Glorybox3737
Pros: Great sound, Replaceable cord, Comfortable, Two Year Warrenty
Cons: The foam adapter don't last that long.
Summary: I picked up some UE super.fi 3s. Going from apple ear bud to these is a huge differance. With the iems in my ear I can hardly hear the outside world, that's before i cut on the music. Once I press play on my nano I can't hear a thing, that's at 20 percent volume. So I'd recommend these right away for the noise isolation. That's not why I love them though.
The sound is great on these. I feel that my $100 was justified. I listen to a little bit of everything but my heart lies in alternative metal and beats and breaks (electronic). I'm also known to get into some R&B when the mood hit's me. These iems perform well over all the genres I love.
With R&B i feel they sound the best.The bass doesn't take over the music, it's just represented well. The highs hit you harder than anything. The mids fill everything out. Also you pick up on more things in the music I can hear the singer taking in breaths like it's a natural part of the music.
With electronic music these excel. The bass again is represented well. What makes these excel is hearing more in the music. So fans of the crystal method, cirrus, fat boy slim, moby...you get the picture will love these. If you're into deep house and hardcore trance avoid these. The bass is represented well but not overpowering like you'd need in deep house or hardcore trance.
Now with my favorite genre, alternative metal, i fell in love with the UEs. Where cheaper earbuds put tons of bass in, these iems keep it nice and level. The highs hit hard and that's what I love, to hear the guitars wailing. So lover's Tool, Deftones, Incubus and etc... rejoice!
I've also listened to adult alternative, pop and acid jazz. I was very happy with the sound. I just love that the bass doesn't take everything over. I love that the highs are prominate and the mids fill things out. Right now I'm listening to Celine Dion "My heart will go on" and it's just beautiful. Now when people ask me why I cry when I listen to this song I can tell them cause my UEs are so good, not cause I'm a sissy...
So anyway just to let you know I don't claim to be an audiophile. I just know the differance between crappy and good. Apple ear bud are crappy. All the other headphones I've gotten, mostly Sony's, are crappy. These UEs are good. I recommend these to people who listen to the genres I've stated. For people who prefer highs and accurate bass. Most of all I recommend these to people who don't want thier music interrupted by the outside world. Oh yea by the way they are pretty comfortable. The most comfortable Iems I've tried. If it weren't for the awesome sound I'd forget they were in my ears. -
"Started Great. Now...not so much" on by kubasic
Pros: Sound quality
Cons: Design, durability
Summary: Here's the skinny on these. They are indeed well made for sound quality and passive noise cancelling. In these respects, these are great. However, my biggest gripe with these is the design. They are not easy to insert in your ear and get the perfect seal. Also, if you intend to use these while wearing any type of hat or garment that covers the ear...forget it. This will drive the bud into your ear and make things VERY uncomfortable. Additionally, my pair have started to fray at the top of the ear piece the flexes around the back of the ear, exposing the internal wiring. So, in this respect, these are not very durable.
So, my final recommendation on these is to treat them very gently and don't plan on wearing them outdoors in cold weather. Let's not forget that these are quite expensive and one would expect more from them. -
"You don't need to look any further for <$100 in-ear headphones" on by matt87109
Pros: Flat Response gives you accurate musical response, nice design, shipped with nice items
Cons: Like all in-ear earphones, you have to figure out how to wear them
Summary: Topics:
1. About all speakers and all in-ear headphones
2. Super.fi 3 Studio Review
About All Speakers and all in-ear headphones:
Flat speaker response is a good thing. Flat response ultimately lets your hear what was intended. Some people say “these speakers base hard” or “the tweets are really high”….what this typically means is the speakers have a “gain” in those frequencies. This is BAD as you are not really listening to what your music player is playing. What you are listening to is what your music player is playing plus extra inaccurate base and extra inaccurate treble. When a speaker has a flat response across the frequency range it means you are going to hear exactly what your player is playing. Add a little EQ to taste to flat response speakers and you have music just like you want that has detail and clarity. Adding EQ to speakers that do not have a flat response really does not work as you lose clarity and detail. Making a speaker with a flat response is more difficult than making a base box that is not accurate. Many people mistake hard hitting base and over crisp highs as “good speakers” and while they might sound good with a particular style of music, they don’t sound well overall. Don’t get me wrong, I like solid base and clean treble, but if it’s at the expense of accurate reproduction of the other ranges it simply is not a good speaker.
2. In-ear ear phone require at least 30 minutes to an hour experimenting getting a proper fit. When you first put In-ear headphones in your ear you will say “these sound like they are in a tin can and have no base.” This is a complaint you will hear over and over again. I guarantee you any quality set of in-ear headphones will play base, so don’t give up after two minutes. It takes time. Once you figure it out you will be amazed at what you can hear from a tiny speaker.
Super.fi 3 Studio Review:
This is the third set of in-ear ear phones I have owned in the last six weeks. If you are looking for a solid upgrade over your OEM ear phones in the "entry level" of quality head phones, I strongly recommend these.
My general opinion of the Super.fi 3 studio’s is they are well made, comfortable, have a flat and accurate response, and are an excellent value from online retailers (I paid 73 dollars with 3 day shipping). Compare this price to the E2c’s and you will notice these are less expensive. The lower price is really nice if you are a closet audiophile and don’t really want to fork over more money for your phones than you did your player. I bought my head phones by going to ultimateears.com, retail partners, earphonesolutions.com (I think you may get a lower price by going thru UE’s site. Earphonesolutions.com had the clear wires cheaper than black or white and they look cool in my opinion.
I previously owned Shure's E2c and Sennheiser's CX 300s. While the E2c's are solid headphones as well, I prefer how the Super.fi 3's fit in my ears and are less massive. In addition the Super.fi’s are less expensive than the E2c’s. The CX 300s honestly are not even in the same league even though I rated them an eight previously. The CX 300’s do not have flat response…. They pump up the base and treble and the mid range is very dull and inaccurate. Musical instruments lost their depth with the CX 300’s. After a few days with the CX 300’s my ears hurt as the excessive high and low end response became irritating. Even with turning the lows and highs way down with my players EQ I still ended up with a less than desirable sound because the CX 300’s were hard to balance for each type of music that I was playing. Flat response is very important for a speaker in my opinion. I like the shape, size, and cost of the Super.fi’s over the E2c’s and the flat response and stiff ear wires that reduce thumping wires over the CX 300’s
I don’t get what others are saying about weak wires…. Doesn’t make sense to me. Mine appear as thick as I’d want them….. any thicker and it would just be difficult to manipulate. The connections do not seem to be week either. I guess if you jam them in your pocket they will damage. The Super.fi’s have a stiff memory wire that is a couple inches long in the wire near the earphone. This wire is used to wrap over the top of your ear. My first impression is “oh great I have to deal with this stupid wire”, but honestly what it does is keep the wires close to my head and where I want them. In addition it keeps the wires from transmitting “thump thump thump” into my ear as I exercise (this was a hugh problem with the CX 300’s…. I mean really bad just walking). So maybe this wire makes them a little higher maintenance than the type you can just wrap around your player and stick in your pocket. I guess if you constantly reshape the wire it will strain harden and break like a paper clip, but for me I like the advantages the wire offers and take good enough care of my stuff that I’m not worried in the slightest. The clam shell case that comes with the super.fi is easy to get them in and out of… just use the case! Otherwise they have headphones at your Mega-Lo Mart for 4.99.
I don’t think you are going to find better head phone for less than 100 bucks (remember you can get these to the door in the low to mid 70’s which is the same cost of the far inferior CX 300’s and much less than the comparable E2c’s. I did not try the Etymotic ER-6’s which are a bit more expensive, but worth a comparison.
I love my Super.fi 3’s for 65.99 plus shipping!