Customer Reviews

Ultimate Ears MetroFi 200 Noise Isolating Earphones

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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!

(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...

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!

The sound quality of the MetroFi 200, in my opinion, far surpasses the other earphones that I use on a regular basis:

- JBuds J2 Premium Hi-FI Noise Isolating Earbuds
- Skullcandy Full Metal Jacket Earbud, 11mm
- Skullcandy Ink'd

The MetroFi 200's provide a very nice, high quality sound throughout the full range of sound. I did notice that I have to have the volume a few notches higher to achieve the same sound level as the in the earphones listed above - but this is likely due to the MetroFi's higher sound quality.

The other advantage of the MetroFi's is that they are also designed to have the cable wrap over and behind your ear and down your back. There's a small plastic piece that allows you to tighten the cables behind your head.

The advantage is that when you're running or working out, the cables won't get in your way. There's also no pulling on the earphones in your ear (especially when running) that causes the earphones to fall out. The other advantage of this design is that cable noise is reduced/eliminated as you run.

I've only had these a few days, so I haven't yet used them extensively. You can find these on super sale where they cost less than the earphones I listed above. A super deal considering they're quite good earphones.

Quick Take - Well worth the cash especially if you can catch a deal on them from an authorized retailer.

It's easy to get caught up in all the deals that are offered during the holidays. Try as I might, I couldn't resist scooping up a pair of these for 25 bucks and free shipping.

I'm glad I did, as the sound from these guys would probably justify paying full price. At 25 bucks, it is really a no brainer purchase.

The Ultimate Ears pump out fantastic sound in a wide range of music genres. The only knock is the bass. While I did find the bass to generally be nice and thumping, it does start to distort a bit and even overpower the rest of a song at higher volumes. However, at anything less than 30 to 40 bucks, that is hardly a dealbreaker. The overall sound provided by these earphones certainly blows away anything else I have heard for under 30 to 40 bucks.

The build quality seems good, but it is tough to evaluate that after just a few days.

Like all earphones, getting a proper fit is the key to the sound. If the plugs do not fit properly in your ears, the sound quality will be terrible no matter which brand you purchase. The default ear tips were too large for me, but the smaller set fit perfectly. Normally, I would suggest testing these out to check the fit, but if another 30 dollars or less deal comes along, I think it would be worth it to roll the dice and scoop them up anyway. I don't think you will regret it.

I got these earphones for $24.99 from [...]. Before anyone decides to comment on any earphones, you have to first know whether you are buying authentic brand names. Sennheiser, UE, Shure, and a bunch others are imitated in China everyday and sold in the USA as authentic products. I have owned 3 pairs of Sennheiser, and 3 pairs of Ultimate Ears in my lifetime. One pair of my Sennheiser was fake, but I didnt know it. Back then, it was cheap and there were a bunch of them on Ebay. I put out the extra money and bought a pair of Sennheiser on Amazon (a authorized dealer), and the sound was totally different. Much much better. I actually contacted Ultimate Ears and asked them if [...] was an authorized dealer. UE confirmed that they are indeed. Listen up, for $25 bucks, these in-ear earphones are bad-ass. The sound quality after you burn them in is above average for earpnones in this price range ($25). As for design, they are sleek and decent, as for durability, I cant tell you, because I just got them. I am an avid runner and gym go'er, so I will be able to comment in the next month or so. If you cant get these for $25-$39 bucks anymore that is most unfortunate. I would not buy them if they were over $40, and here is why, for anything higher than $40 bucks, say $40 to $60, you can look up Sennheiser. But make sure you are buying from an authorized dealer. I kid yo not when I tell you about fakes that look so real, you cant tell the difference until you have a side by side comparison. If you are into good quality, clarity and clean bass sounds, and you are not willing to spend over $25 bucks, and if you are looking for "in-ear earphones", then this is a great buy! Go for it. The ony thing that may not work for you is the fit. Not all in-ear earphones fiot the same for everybody. For instance, Jbuds and Sennheiser in-ear earphones fit better for ME, then these UE Metro 200. Despite the slight little imperfection in MY opinion, at $25 bucks, they are definetly a keeper.

I have enjoyed my earphones. The sound quality is great and they block out the noise around me when I am at work so I can better concentrate on the task at hand.

I like these earphones for their sound quality and build quality. I would most definitely not pay more than the twenty five dollars I paid for them. These rank (IMO) in the budget earphones category. The bass is decent (most earphones are) and the mids to highs are great. I cant complain on the sound quality aspect.

These earphones are REALLY big. They are very wide which makes them hard to get used to. Once I found the correct silicone tips that work (multiple sizes included), I soon forgot that they were so big.

I also own Acoustic Research ARE09 's. Noise Isolating Earbuds

They are smaller so they fit my ears better (I fall asleep with them on). I do think the audio quality is a tad better on these 200's though.

This is my first review and I felt obligated to share my experience on these earbuds. These sound great, by far the best that i've owned yet. However, they after the first year due to the wires being so stiff. I would have expected the thick and stuff wires to hold up better because, they are thick! But no, the first thing to break was the wire cracked all the way awround near each ear bud. I attempted to fix it with some liquid electrical tape, but that only lasts so long. The second part and final killer for me was the jack. It broke somewhere inside the jack and now one of the ears no longer works. These earbuds came with a case and they recommend you wrap the wires around 3 fingers and place the ear buds back in the case. Due to the stiffness of the wires, I highly recommend you do not wrap them in that tight of a coil as it will decrease the life of these. I only wore these at work and wrapped them up when I went home which is where they stayed until the following day. I hoped that by following the instructions they would last longer than they did, but they did not.

Overall, I loved the earbuds, but because of the non replaceable stiff and easily breakable wires, I will not purchase an expensive set again unless the wires can be replaced.

I picked these up for less than 15 dollar shipped. I've had them for around a year and they are holding up well. I will use these when mowing the lawn and they'll do a good job of blocking out the hum of the engine. They stay in place well and are I haven't had any issues with comfort. Good deal!