Ultimate Ears MetroFi 200 Noise Isolating Earphones

by Ultimate Ears

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 3 x 2 inches ; 3.8 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0014QQ8I2
• Item model number: IP-P2SSB0004-02
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 26, 2006

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

From the Manufacturer For over 12 years, Ultimate Ears has been designing custom ear monitor products for your favorite professional musicians for use on stage and in the studio. Musicians put their hearts, their souls, their breakups, their memories and their passions into every song and they count on Ultimate Ears products to get the most out of their music. Now, Ultimate Ears has taken the same sonic principles from its custom personal monitors and created the metro.fi line. These earphones are ideal for fashion conscious on-the-go individuals.

Ultimate Sounds for On-The-Go Individuals

	metro.fi 100 The metro.fi 100 offers superior sound quality with extended bass and noise isolation. The form factor is small and lightweight, providing excellent comfort and fit. It has a low-friction fabric cord that eliminates tangles and minimizes cable microphonics. Through it's comfortable in-ear design, the metro.fi 100 provides noise isolation that reduces ambient interference and enhances quality of sound. Accessories include three gel ear tip sizes: small, medium and large, as well as a pocket-ready hard carrying case.
	metro.fi 150 The metro.fi 150 has excellent acoustic speaker technology, making it one of the best in-ear speaker products in its price range. The metro.fi 150's comfortable in-ear design provides noise isolation that reduces ambient interference and enhances quality of sound. The body has a lightweight yet durable form factor for the active lifestyle. Accessories include three single-flange silicone ear tip sizes, one set of dual-flange silicone ear tips, and a pocket-ready hard carrying case.
	metro.fi 200 The metro.fi 200 utilizes some of the highest quality audio components available today, making it the most advanced Ultimate Ears product in its price range. The metro.fi 200's comfortable in-ear design provides 16dB of noise isolation, reducing outside interference and enhancing the quality of its sound. Its lightweight yet durable form factor is perfect for individuals who have an active lifestyle. Accessories include three single-flange silicone ear tip sizes, one set of dual-flange silicone ear tips, and a pocket-ready hard carrying case.

Getting the Ultimate Fit from Your Ultimate Ears Just ordered yourself some Ultimate Ears or already own a pair? Click the image to the right to see a short tutorial on how to insert your Ultimate Ears to achieve the best seal for your ear-canal. (The tutorial will open in a new window.)

Product Description

The Metro.fi 200 has the best quality acoustic technology available, making it our best single value in-ear speaker product. Thre Metro.fi 200's comfortable in-ear design provides noise isolation that reduces ambient interference and enhances quality of sound. The body has a small and lightweight yet durable form factor for the active lifestyle. Accessories include three single flange silicone ear tip sizes: small, medium and large, and one set of dual flange silicone ear tips along with a pocket ready hard carrying case. Product specifications are single, high performance, dynamic speaker, 104 dB SPL/mW at 1kHz input sensitivity, 16 Ohms nominal impedance, 46 inch cable length, 1/8 inch (3.5mm) gold plated stereo plug, 20 Hz-13,000 Hz frequency response, and 16 dB of noise isolation

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best for the price, January 22, 2010

By 

TD (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ultimate Ears MetroFi 200 Noise Isolating Earphones (Electronics)

This review is about the Ultimate Ears Metro.fi 200 series. I got these about 1 month ago from an "unnamed" bargain website for $30. By far the best headphone purchase I've made. I have previously owned a few pairs of Shure E2C's, V-Moda Bass Freq earbuds, and numerous cheapos.
I wear these around the city on a daily basis (Go Steelers), and in the loud environment around the hospitals and buses, the -16dB isolation stands true. This doesn't mean you WON'T hear the noise, but it doesn't override your music. Admittedly, I struggled to find the earbud tips that provided the best isolation with the best bass response (I prefer a slightly emphasized but truly-tuned bass response). Ultimately, I stuck with the ones that came stock on it (though they weren't the most bass).
These are comfortable, versatile, and true to the sound of your music. I love that they have a "slider" to tame the cords a bit, and you can wear them quite easily by wrapping the cord around your ear (illustrated in video).
I'm quite the audiophile, but I just can't afford a nice $500 pair of headphones (who can?!?). These are as close as you're going to get to a nice pair of dual or triple-driver earbuds without shelling out the kind of money that those traditionally cost. The frequency response on these is true to the specs. They have a CLEAR sound and allow me to hear some finite background add-ins that I had struggled to hear in my music before. I'm a studio engineer by trade, and I know good sound. Though these aren't the best earbud-style headphones I've ever used, they by far outperform Shure E2Cs, V Moda Bass Freqs, Shure E4Cs, SCL2s, and the new M-Audio U.E. imitation monitors.
All in all, I'd buy another pair of these if they broke - no questions asked.
Enjoy the music!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Metro.fi 200 (note: with mic) - Excellent, February 16, 2010

By 

Craig White (Cambridge, MA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ultimate Ears MetroFi 200 Noise Isolating Earphones (Electronics)

(Caveat: this review is for the Metro.Fi 200 with inline mic, I think it applies here too though)
As a wearer of numerous different models of in ear monitors over the years, from cheap Fontopias to Nu-Force NE-7M mid range, to some low-end Shures (I forgot the model number but I got them for $109 about 2 years ago...) I feel like I've had enough exposure to the variety that's out there to comment. I'll provide a perspective on these from three different vantage points, with an overall value for money score at the end.

Sound Quality: 8.5/10
Obviously this is the most important aspect of any head/earphone. I find these to be fantastic. Comparing them to the Nu-Force NE-7Ms they are definitely much more crisp, but still have excellent bass. The Nu-Force and the Shures were good, but the Nu-Force were fairly "muddy" and missing the clarity of the UE's. The Shure's audio quality was excellent too. I don't recall being as impressed with the Shures as I was with these UE's. Overall I give the UE's a 8.5/10

Comfort: 6/10 (or 9/10 with alternative rubber "earbuds")
This is where I miss my old Sony Fontopias. Compared to the Sonys, these UEs don't seem to fit my ears as well. They do prvide a good seal, eithrr in standard insertion or in the "around the ear" type insertion. I do notice that I have to keep reinserting them when I'm at the gym as they tended to lose their seal after a lot of facial contortion or movement of the cord. Compared to the Shures, the UE's are great. The Shures were just uncomfortable. With the rubber "earbuds" provided the UE's are comfortable for approximately an hour per day. They tend to leave my ears feeling bruised after long period of wear. I could wear the Sonys all day with no problem. After changing the standard rubber "earbuds" for the ones that came with my old Sonys, the UEs fit much better. Fortunately, it seems as though the UE and Sony use the same size "earbud" and they fit just fine. I'm also constantly annoyed by the fact that the button is halfway down the cord, which means the button tends to get pressed accidentally when I'm at the gym. I'd prefer they put the button together with the mic like the Apple models do. ALso, if the UE's came with the Sony rubber attachments, they'd score higher, btu because they don't I give them a 6/10.

Durability:- 10/10
I've had them for approximately 6 months and they are still like new. I even accidentally stood on one (momentarily with my rubber soled shoe on, on a wood floor) and it seems unscathed. 10/10 for durability.

Value for money: 9/10
I got these when they were on sale on Amazon for $25. This can't be beaten. If they are available for this price again, I'd probably buy another set for my wife. And maybe another as a backup for when I accidentally stand on these again...

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not good for small ears, August 25, 2010

By 

Michele Koler - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ultimate Ears MetroFi 200 Noise Isolating Earphones (Electronics)

I have small ears and ordered these earbuds based on the reviews I read relating to sound quality. The sound quality is excellent, but because I am a petite female (5'3") with small features, the earbuds kept popping out of my ears during simple exercises such as walking even with the smallest ear bud inserts that come in the package. They did well when biking, only due to the helmet straps somewhat securing them to my ear. I did further research based on earbuds for smaller ear canals and am pleased with the new product that I ordered. Just wish I knew this upfront when purchasing.

Great product - just don't purchase if you have small ear canals!