Customer Reviews

Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 Pro Earphones (White)

5 star:		(178)
4 star:		(63)
3 star:		(26)
2 star:		(19)
1 star:		(21)

 

 

I am a professional, classically trained musician and I have had these earphones for two weeks. I listen to mainly classical music, and have quite a collection of jazz and pop from various eras to which I listen as well. These earphones are wonderful. I did extensive research and returned several pairs of earphones (including Shure) before deciding on these.

These are canalphones, so you MUST have a good seal or you will not get proper sound. This means you have to choose the right fitting rubber inserts before they will work properly. The previous reviewer must have not fitted them properly because the sound is phenomenal when these are plugged in!

These phones have dual drivers for highs and lows. There is a lot of chatter on the internet about a weak high-end to these UE's, but I do not find that to be the case at all. The high-end is clear and defined. The strong low end, which is superb, may give many a scewed reference since most canalphones do not have good low ends, but the bass does not overpower the upper registers. Contrary to popular belief on the web, classical music sounds best when there is enough bass along with the highs. Just go to a live classical concert and listen for yourself! There is plenty of bass to go around! These phones are perfect for classical or for any type of music.

The other advantage to these phones is that you can change the wire and plugs yourself if they break or if you want a different cord of a different color. The earphones come with two nice cases, one all metal and the other in leather and the the accessorries all fit neatly together in the metal case.

Another nice feature is that there is little to no sound leakage. This means if you sleep with a significant-other, you won't disturb him or her at all. You should be careful when using them, because you won't hear much of anything other than the music.

The only downside is that these earphones will show you just how bad MP3 compression is on your player. I did a comparison with my CD player and discovered that even at 320 kbps, some of my MP3 files sound "distorted" compared to the CD. I did not notice this with my previous earphones.

If you're looking for great canalphones at a great price, then look no farther. I got mine at the Guitar Center and the sales person knocked $50 off the price, they are also the clear version. You can't go wrong with UE's proprietary monitor technology.

The UE Super fi 5 Pros have been designed to provide clear, balanced sound in a highly portable and comfortable product. As of this moment I think they represent a kind of "best buy" for iPod owners seeking to upgrade from the stock white earbuds supplied with their music players.

A key to optimal enjoyment of these IEM's is selection of the appropriate ear tip from the several provided, including a compressible foam version and several types and sizes of rubber tips. Once a proper in-ear seal is achieved (yes, moistening the rubber tips is helpful), the resultant sound quality is excellent. Since the Super fi Pros don't require deep insertion into the ear canal, wearers can avoid the potential discomfort associated with some other high-quality IEM's.

The over-the-ear design of the earpiece wires ensures that these UE's will fit securely even during exercise. The cord, however, is very thin and appears delicate. These UE cords are also more prone to tangling than any I have ever encountered. It's a good thing that the supplied metal storage case includes a winder.

The balanced two-driver design produces good musical detail, decent but not spectacular treble, and excellent bass reproduction. Those seeking the very best in musical detail, however, should consider instead the Etymotic ER-4 in-ear models. On the other hand, the bass response of the UE's is far fuller than that of the Ety's. For any kind of music in which bass slam is essential, the UE's are an excellent choice.

The use of an auxilliary headphone amp tightens up the sound quality a bit, but these IEM's are so easy to drive that an amp is not necessary. This model, in fact, seems well-suited to produce high-volume output with any portable. I suspect, in fact, that the sonic signature of the Super fi 5 Pros was designed with Apple's bass-shy iPod models in mind. The output from my Nano seemed frustratingly thin and sometimes shrill when I used both the Apple earbuds and my pair of Etymotic ER-4P in-ear monitors. With the Super fi Pro's, however, the music is reproduced fully and richly, with plenty of bass. There is excellent synergy here.

Overall, these earphones produce clear, detailed sound in a tiny, highly portable package. The sound is not as "big" or full as can be achieved with top-quality full-sized headphones, but for on-the-go use, the Super fi 5 Pros will not disappoint. People who want "the very best" can spend a lot more money to get custom-fit in-ear monitors (such as Ultimate Ears' own UE-10 Pro model). Certainly when you shell out $1000 you should expect top-notch performance. But for one-fifth this price the Super fi 5 Pro model delivers amazingly good sound. Some people will still consider these earphones excessively expensive, but consider: this is a purchase that will pay dividends every time you turn on your music player.

I recently received my Ultimate Ears super.fi Pro 5's, and I've got to add my voice to the resounding "praise" that is echoed again and again here and elsewhere. There are few products that I feel deserve my praise, and I'm a pretty picky guy with it comes to electronics. That said, I feel like I have to tell you that these are easily the best in-ear-monitors (IEMs) that I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. Like others have said, they reveal hidden details in music you already own, and for me, they seem to "unleash" the true dynamic range of the music I love.

I listen to all types of music: from sacred to heavy metal/progressive rock, from ambient to pop (okay, well just a little "pop"), from classical to jazz ... you get the idea. I was a little concerned before I dropped my hard-earned money on these super.fi 5 Pro's that they might not live up to their lofty reputation. Well, I've got to tell you that these babies simply _blew_ my mind. Crisp highs (ZERO sibilance), strong mid-range (GREAT presence), and extremely well-defined and controlled bass (I'm a self-confessed bass-head and these are the bomb-diggity). I opted for 5 Pro's in lieu of the 5 EB's because it IS possible to have too much bass, and lose the music in the wash of low-end sound -- I prefer a more "audiophile" response, and can always EQ to my tastes.

Like the others have said, with any IEM (and the Pro 5's are no exception) a good seal in your ear is a must. The excellent variety of included "tips" will provide most owners with the perfect fit. I personally use the small silicone tips, and I have no troubles inserting or removing the headphones. In fact, for me, they're so comfortable that I hardly notice I'm wearing them after a short while. When the fit is proper, you will experience some of the best sound isolation (from external sources) and high fidelity that is possible. The other included accessories are really nice: the hard metal case, which has compartments for the 1/4" adapter, attenuator, and cleaning tool; and the soft leather case are all top-notch. The owners manual is very informative and written in plain English [but seriously dude, they're ear-buds, how difficult could they be to figure out?!?!?]. They are built very well and have a two-year warranty which I hope never to have to use. Remember those Sony MDR-EX71SL's you were all excited about, with the cord that split and frayed after a short while? Well, you won't find that cheap stuff here -- these have a user-replaceable cord -- go figure! It appears that Ultimate Ears may be worthy of their name.

Pair these with a great music player like Cowon's iAudio X5L (60GB of course), and you've got yourself a killer setup you can take just about anywhere that will allow you to slip away into your own personal space and enjoy your musical experiences in the way that the artists and engineers intended. [SAFETY MESSAGE: Just don't forget about your surroundings in the process!]

Yeah, I'm sure I'll still use my Sony MDR-EX71SL's from time to time (like maybe when I mow the lawn?). No, my MDR-7506's (with Beyerdynamic velour pads) aren't going anywhere any time soon, but for amazing fidelity, portability, and aesthetic reasons (i.e. in public), I'll be using my super.fi 5 Pro's quite a bit. And while it's probably a personal choice, I'm choosing to forget about Shure, Etymotic, and Westone.

Look no further my friend, and order these from Amazon.com today!!! I love 'em, and you probably will too.

Depending on the music you listen to these canalphones might just be the ticket for the "high end". The crazy price of $250 is a bit much for these but if you are seeking the best tone - you get what ya pay for. Although I have seen these at $200 online.

Before getting these I used the Sony EX-71's. Known for their boomy muddy tone I became very use to them for the year. Finally I tried Shure E2C and was very unhappy with them. Returned them within 7 days. The problem with the E2C's was there was a lack of bass response even with a good seal. They also were hard to fit in the ear.

Next I tried the E4C and again found the bass to be poor. Good highs and mids but not so well in the bass dept. I tried to like them as I find the design awesome. The fit was very good as well. But the lacking bass turned me off so I returned them.

Finally after reading a lot about UE Super.fi 5 Pro I got them. I find these to be a lot better than the Shure E4c. Not only does it have very tight, punchy, present bass the mids bring out a lot of stuff in songs i never knew was there. The highs were ok. They sound kinda rolled off and no matter what I did on the iPods crappy EQ I couldn't get good highs and powerful lows at the same time. I use the "rock" setting and its a good medium. Also you do not have to crank up the volume with the UEs. As with the Sonys you had to crank it up because there is no MID frequency (hence the booming bass).

These are a keeper although I find the fit not as good as the E4c. But its all about tone and the UE win! Should note that the music I listen to is heavy metal/jazz/rock.

6/18/2008 UPDATE! Its been a while but I've been using these ever since. Some complaints: Original wires broke after a while so I had to purchase new wires. One earpiece broke and opened up and I had to glue it back together. Overall these phones still sound like they did out of the box. They held up ok. I'm still using them!

I have been in love with headphones and headphones for a very long time. I've had Grado, Sennheiser, AKG, Beyer, Sonny, Koss, etc....... Also I've had Headroom amps, and I curently have an Emmeline Xp7.
In addition to that I'm big on portable electronics, first I tried several discmans, then I moved to and Ipod and finally I stick with an Iriver flash player, which I found awesome in terms of sound, portability and battery life. I usually listen to progressive rock, electric jazz and hard rock so I wanted good bass. First I tried the Sonys 71 ans 81 which I found sounded good with some music but congested with others, specially in complex passages. I addition to that , vocals usually tended to be in a little distant, unless they were recorded up front in the mix, and in this cases sibilance was an issue. Therefore, I tried the Etys 4P an to my ears there was no bass....., then I moved to the 6is, and they suffered from the same problem, a hint of bass plus the highs were very rolled off to my taste. Finally I tried the Shures E2cs (horrible, muddy sounding, plus they were so uncomfortable), the E3C (too bright with only a hint of bass), the E4C (Not that bright, but the bass still was not enough...) and the E5c( excellent bass, with very rolled off highs and a little uncomfortable). Obviously, I sticked with my sonys, knowing that even though they were not the best sounding headphones, at least I was familiar with them, sonically and in the comfort department.
Being target of the claims of brands like UE, I thought in giving one more chance and got the UE Superfi 5pro and since the moment I sticked them into my ear channels I knew they were a different beast. The comfort was great, incredible isolation and the sound was absolutely spectacular. The bass was there, the mids as liquid with any top of the line regular headphones and the refined high were there. No sibilance was detected. A factor that really amazed me was the intimacy of the music since the isolation is one of the best I've heard and I've just used the medium silicone tips, I still have to try the double flanged ( are they designed for more isolation or just comfort??) and the foamies. Comparing the sound of the Sonys 81s to the UEs I could say the UEs sound way louder at the same volume, just think about it, with the Sonys I usually listen at 20 (volume) in my Iriver for a pleasant sound not too loud sound. With the UEs I usually listen at 14 and sometimes I have to turn it down. The bass on the Ues is as noticeable as on the Sonys but clearer and much better controlled and defined. The vocals are SUPERIOR, not recessed at all plus no sibilance. The highs are more refined without being too rolled off, you can clearly notice these are audiophile in-ear phones. The UEs comfort is excellent and the isolation is as good as with the Etys.
I you can afford them and still looking for the perfect in ear phones, don't think it twice, give them a try, you won't regret it.

Let me first start off by saying I spent 180 dollars on these, and after the first few songs I played them with, they were already worth the money. I had used a pair of 50 dollar Sony plugs for about 2 years and they sounded alright with OK bass, but they started shorting out after a lot of use, so I moved on to a more expensive pair and bought the Shure E2C sound isolating headphones. They got good reviews and everything, but they definately were not worth the money! It also took me seriously forever to pick the right size material to insert into my ear. I could never get them to fit comfortably for more than 10 minutes! I would always find myself adjusting them, it was annoying! At first I thought I liked them, then I thought they sounded better with a different size plug, then I thought, "I can't even really hear the bass that well at all. The quality was good but the bass would get distorted sometimes, and it simply just wasn't really there." After about only a month of having enough with those, I sold them. I came across Ultimate Ears, and I was trying to make a decision between this pair the Pro or the less expensive pair that also concentrates more on the bass. Let me just say that I am a bass head, and after I ordered these, I felt worried that what if the other pair had better bass, but there is such a thing as too much bass believe it or not, especially for plug earphones. Right when I put these on, the comfort, the bass, the sound, the treble, everything is PERFECT! I can't be more satisfied. These seriously are the best sounding headphones I've ever had on. I also am a DJ, and I think these sound better than my big Technics MDR-V700 DJ headphones! They come with all different size pieces to put on the ends of the plugs, but I haven't even needed to try those sizes. I put the headphones on however they came in the box, and they seriously fit absolutely perfectly in my ear. They kind of suction into your ear for a perfect fit making them hard to fall out. The wire is a plus too because you can bend and wrap the chord around your ear any way you want! Seriously, these are worth it.

I received my UE Super.fi 5s about a week ago, and am pleased to report that they have proven everything they were built up to be. Having used a pair of Shure E3s for the last year or so, and had been very pleased with them, I give the edge to the UE Super.fi 5s for the following reasons:

1. Two drivers (UE) are better one (Shure) -- Common sense dictates that dual drivers (assuming they are quality drivers, which UE's most certainly are) have the ability to offer a richer, more nuanced sound than their single-driver counterparts. Indeed, with the UEs, the highs are crisp and well-separated, making every string of the guitar and every key of the piano easily distinguised; conversely, the lows are rich and lush, yet never over-power the higher range. With dual drivers, they lows and the mids/highs are delivered by their own means, and, as such, never overlap. And while the Shure's are very good earphones -- and definitely the best single-driver earphones available today (particularly when compared to the Etymotic E6s, that are tinny and almost devoid of bass response) -- they simply cannot compete with UEs twin amatures.

I performed an improvised side by side comparison, by hooking up both earphones to a spliter, then listening to the UEs in my left ear and the Shures in my right ear, and what I heard truly surprised me. The Shures, which I loved for the last year, sounded fuzzy and muffled, while the UEs sounded vibrant and lush. There truly was NO comparison -- the UEs flat out kicked the Shure E3s bee-hind!

2. Efficiency, thy name is Ultimate Ears -- With my E3s and a good clean seal on the earcaps, when outside in my hometown of New York City, I would have to turn the volume on my Sony NW-407 up to 22 or 23 (the max is 30) to get the full range of the earphones and adequately block out the ambient sound. (In NYC, one can never truly block out ALL the sound, nor would one want to...get squished by a bus, taxi or an oversized pedestrian in a hurry.) With the UEs, I was very pleasantly surprised to attain the same level of volume with my Sony turned up to 13 or 14, sometimes less, depending on the bit-rate of the particular mp3. It became instantly obvious that the UEs are far more efficient earphones, and will only become more so as I find the best possible seal from the earcaps.

3. Size matters -- Here's where the E3s win a point: they fit more snugly and comfortably into the ear canal than do the somewhat oversized UEs. It's not that the UEs are uncomfortable, it's just that the Shures are MORE comfortable. I have yet to wear my new UEs for any extended period of time, so I cannot ably judge how long it takes before they start to irritate. And, perhaps, they won't, for the flexible earloops on the UEs tend to hold the earphones in place better than the Shures, which have no such fixture. As such, the UEs tend to remain firmly in place, and thus are less likely to rubs the inside of your ear, which is the major source of discomfort with in-the-ear monitors.

4. Some miscellaneous points: One thing that I did not like about my E3s was the cord was too long. As a result, it tended to get tangled up or caught on my arm, or worse, caught on some thing you pass, and ripped from your ear. Plus, the Shure's cord is thicker, and more noticeable when walking. The UE's cord is a perfect length and perfect gauge, feeling light around your neck, and virtually unnoticable after you hit your stride....the Shure carrying case is actually preferable to the UEs shiny chrome case, in that the Shure case has a secure spindle to wrap up the cord, and the UE case does not......The variety of different earcaps is about the same, except the UEs came with a pair of double-flanged silicone cap in addition to its L/M/S silicone caps and one pair of foam caps; both the UEs and the Shures caps are well-made and you are bound to find a good fit among them....Both owner's manuals are informative and user-friendly...I have not had to call upon UE for customer service, though have read in many a place that they are friendly and helpful; I once called upon Shure, and they, too, were extremely accomodating (replacing the earphones after the left channel inexplicably died).

5. Conclusion -- Unless something signficant happens over the course of the warrany period (2 years for UEs), I have to give the nod, decidedly, to the UE Super.fi 5s over the Shure E3s, with the big swing coming in the Sound Department, where the UEs truly trounce their single-driver-ed cousins. (I suspect, though, that the Shure E4s, which have dual-drivers, are an excellent pair of earphones, though the UEs beat them on cost (by about $15-$20, depending on where you shop), and carried the day.) And, at the end of the day, it's ALL about the SOUND!

Hope this informs your decision. Enjoy!

I own the Shure E2 and E3c's and have also tried several Etymotic models. After spending a year frustrating myself and being dissapointed, fighting to fit them "properly" and get any decent bass, I gave up and tried these Super.fi 5 Pros.

WOW!! Without even trying to properly fit them I slipped them into my ears right out of the box and the sound is nothing short of shocking. Powerful, real actual bass that will rattle your skull blended with clear, sharp treble that is not at all tinny or overpowering. It truly is like hearing music for the first time. They are a breeze to use - no extended hassle with getting them to seal - using the medium ear rubber flanges already installed mine sealed right in. But they pump out enough bass and pure sound to not be solely dependent on the seal - far superior to the Etymotics and Shures in my experience and these actually deliver the incredible sound you pay more for.

Where the other earbuds are painful after wearing for an hour or so and often need to be insterted too deep into the ear canal for comfort, these are perfectly comfortable and sound great without deep insertion at all. No more hassling with ever-elusive "seals" - the Super.fi 5 Pros took seconds to seal easily and are a breeze to use. Great user manual and five sets of ear tips for even a big head like mine :-)

No contest - game over. The Super.fi 5 Pro's just dominate, hands down - easy to wear and use, literally perfect sound with the kick you can't get the rest to deliver.

I'm an old geezer 51, worked around machinery all my life and have some hearing damage. I listen to my MP3 player everyday. A friend had some ETYs ER6i and they were noticibly beter than my Sonys. I bought a pair & used had them for 3 weeks. I dont mind spending $ for something I use alot, but wasn't sure if my old ears could hear the difference between $100 and $200 headphones. Let me tell you the UEs are great, night and day difference between the earbuds at all frequencies. Also you get to turn your player way lower with the UEs compared to the ETYs for the same volume. this will really save on battery life. Getting UEs is like getting my 54 inch HDTV, the 35 inch tube was good but no comparison, and the UEs are the same way. So good I wrote my first review.

Ladies and Gents,

Please remember that passing judgment on ANY head/ear phone is an extremely personal undertaking. First - we ALL hear differently and Two - What we consider as GOOD is extremely personal. So if someone is happy with the $3 earphone that came with their digital player, God Bless 'em. These folks will need a personal encounter with a superior set of phones before they 'Get-It'.

Once we get into IEMs and ICMs type earphones, we have a new layer of complications - What is a good fit??? As you may know, the manufacturers, provide fitting info and MANY sleeves, some even provide online video to try and get the idea across. Visit everyones site, maybe your model's instructions "don't communicate" but reading another's info - does get the concept across.

Four basic points:

(A) Don't make any assumptions as to which ear piece SHOULD fit, as you will read folks tell of how the KNEW it was the 'large' that would work - only to find it was the 'small' that actually gave the best fit. MAKE NO ASSUMPTIONS!!!!! TRY ALL THE 'SLEEVES', sizes and types!!!

(B) The easiest way to know if you've got a seal - Once in, make a eating or yawning action, if you hear a 'psst' type sound, the seal is NOT there, you shouldn't hear ANY surrounding sounds, it should feel like an earplug (known as 'sound isolating'). If you don't know what an earplug feels like, buy a box of cheapies at the local "XYZ" and play; once you understand how an earplug seals, it will be easier to recognize a proper fit for your IEM/ICM* phones.

(C) PLEASE remember that the better the quality of the phones, the more the phone will highlight the failings of digital compression on music. Someone noted that he was re-ripping because he felt his current source material @ 320 wasn't good enough for his UE5s. My personal recommendation to my "audio-head" friends is to use a LOSSLESS codec, or to go with WAV files - of course this requires that you use a HardDrive player with 60GB or larger. The simple reality is that most of the better phones are BETTER than MP3s @ 64, 128, 256, and even 320. You should always review a better phone with CDs!

(D) When testing your phones, you should test THEM, meaning NO equalizer, NO bass or treble, NO BBE, SRS, etc., no additional shaping of the music at all. You should judge the phones themselves, and if you have to add processing (sound shaping) to most of your music - these are NOT the right phones for YOU.

*IEM/ICM = In Ear Monitor and In Canal Monitor, the differnce is that the ICM fits deeper into your ear than a IEM, and usually provide more isolation from the outside world than an IEM.

Folks shouldn't complain so much - for there are a plethora of good phones currently available, AND customer service these days IS better in this arena than with MOST electronic products. Remember - the products you purchase from Etymotic Research, Shure, and Ultimate Ears (in particular) are really professional products or minimally developed from pro models. Things have never been this good for the ear. Unfortunately the source material, compressed music, has gotten worst. Folks have to deal with the fact that compressed music is just a bit ahead of AM radio, and most isn't better than FM radio. If you can't be happy with an ER4, a SE310, or an UE5 - there are still better phone available to you, but most folks should find any of the above to be "ear candy".

CAUTION WILL ROBINSON!!!!! Because IEM/ICMs seal the ear, they usually require LESS volume and if you insist on using higher volume levels, prepare to be fitted for a hearing aide when you get older, not to worry - that will be a custom fit.

I hope some of my ramblings prove useful, and remember:

I's about the MUSIC! NOT about the toys!

Best,

a.