Ultimate Ears SuperFi 3 Studio Noise Isolating Earphones (Black)
by Ultimate Ears
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List Price: Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Ultimate Ears SuperFi 3 Studio Noise Isolating Earphones (Black)
Customer Review: Balanced Sound and Affordable
Summary: 4 Stars
As many audiophiles have already mentioned, these are great canal earphones (or IEMs though they are only entry level). If you're a bass head and expecting thumping bass, look elsewhere.
I purchase these overseas in the summer of 2006 based on the feedback of the store's owner who also own a pair (and a pair of Super.fi 5s). He assured me they were great 'phones for the money and he had even gone scuba diving with them a few times. I went from cheap low-end earbuds and a pair of 20 year old Sony entry reference circumaural headphones to these.
I remember plugging them into my newly bough iPod Nano (1G) and immediately noticed a big difference in sound quality in my collection of Dave Matthew Band, Tim Reynolds, and various classical music pieces. I was hearing background noises more clearly and could even discern other instruments that I never knew were in the piece. Sound isolation was pretty good and could block out 95% of the background noise and conversations in a loud mall and blocked out most of the engine noise and hum on a trans-Pacific flight aboard a Boeing 767.
Since then, I have bought two pairs of Senn HD201s and have listened to a few other 'cans such as the HD405, HD555, and even the vaulted Grado SR60. The sound is pretty even and balanced (true to marketing) and sometimes I find the lack of a thumping bass in some pieces a of a let down. The highs and mids are very clear and even at high volumes, the overall sound quality does not become distorted or blurry.
I've since lost 2 pairs (smaller foam ones) of the 5 pairs of silicone buds that came with the Super.fi 3 Studio. I find the medium-sized ear pieces the best fit. Unfortunately, I have noticed that my inner ear area has expanded slightly due to long term use of these canalphones. The don't fit as snugly anymore and the bendy wire loopy is a pain to get right. One other thing to note is that if you tend to build up ear wax (like me) or sweat a lot (again like me), you'll find these will pop out easily if any sweat or ear wax gets on the silicone tips when you're walking around. Even after fiddling with it and getting it "right", the slightest push upwards on the cord ends up pulling one or both phones out of my ears. If the had left the design with the wire hanging straight down, it would have been better.
I now bring them with me almost everywhere and prefer them over every pair of phones in the house except for my HD201s which have a thumpier bass feel (and are cans rather than plugs). Currently I use them with my iPod Nano (1G) and my Cowon D2 PMP (easily drives the Super.fi 3).
Customer Review: Sketchy fit hurts an otherwise great experience!
Summary: 2 Stars
"It's like hearing your music for the first time." That's the hook that the folks over at Ultimate Ears want you to bite. That's what they want you to believe, and in reality, it may be true for you. But for a person whose had these $129.99 (much less here) in-ear studio monitors for just a few hours, I can safely say that if this is how music sounded the first time I heard it, I'm not sure I would've ever become a fan of it.
That's not to say that the Super.fi 3 is a bad set of earphones. They aren't. Not really. These small little earphones pack a powerful punch, and exhibit such clarity that you may think for a second that you really are hearing all your music for the first time. But give it about 15-20 seconds, just enough time for that tight in-ear fit to come loose, and you'll find yourself listening to your music through what sounds like the earphones of that annoying person sitting next to you on an airplane. The sound is tinny, undramatic, and just flat-out bad.
Of course, this may just be for me. Each package of Super.fi 3 Earphones comes complete with 5 distinct sets of tips so that getting the right fit may just be a matter of switching tips. For me though, I've found that the only tip that I have any luck with is the large tip. Of course, like I said, this only lasts for a few seconds at most. I've gone to the Ultimate Ears website where they have a video detailing how to properly insert the earphones, simply insert and twist (or "Rock and Roll"). You know you have the right fit when you feel a slight bit of suction, as this is how the earphones stay in place. For a few fleeting moments, the sound quality you get is great and rivals that of over-the-ear studio monitors. Then the seal breaks, and your quality is lost. The user manual recommends wetting the tip of the earphones before insertion, but there is still no difference in performance.
Many people may find the Super.fi 3s to be to their liking. After all, it's really just a matter of finding the right fit, and if you do, you'll be in for a real treat. But for those of us whose ears are just unfit for this product, the Ultimate Ears Super.fi 3 Studio Earphones are just a waste of a significant amount of money (for earphones, at least). At their current price, the Super.fi 3s are just too much of a gamble for people who may fall into the same category as I do. For studio purposes, I find that my competitively-priced over-the-ear monitors work much better and offer a significantly richer sound. It's almost like hearing my music for the first time, but not really. That's all marketing nonsense.
4 out of 10 Stars
Customer Review: excellent earbuds!
Summary: 5 Stars
i purchased these to replace my damaged ultimate ears metro.fi 2's (my own fault) and i figured i would stay within the ultimate ears family. reading through some of these reviews, i honestly cannot believe what i'm seeing. i'm a music afficionado and DJ, i prefer buds for my commute even though i own several other pairs of headphones. i am not an insane audiophile, but i like quality... i am not like every other person in my generation that can tolerate those god-awful apple buds or tinny little computer speakers.
while getting these in your ear can be a bit tricky, i admit, opening the manual (who would've thought?) will explain how to do it quite well and there's even video tutorials. since i already had used UE, i knew which size tips would fit me. the fit is pretty good and comfortable as long as you don't shove them in. the cord, like other UE products is thick. the hard case is awesome. the foam tips are very comfortable and add even more sound blockage. one other reviewer said they couldn't get the tips onto the bud, and gave it a one star review for that reason- are you kidding me? they're a bit tricky to put on so they don't slip and fall off all the time, and as long as you have at least the intelligence and manual dexterity of a ten year old you should not have an issue putting the different size tips on.
the sound is spectacular. i really thought my Metro.Fis were phenomenal, and these really blow them out of the water. the armature driver gives the sound a different quality. listening to some of my favorite recordings really did reveal new depth to the sound and tiny little elements i hadn't heard before. switching over to hip hop did leave the bass a bit lacking compared to the Metro.Fi buds, but a bit of EQ helped that, and it's not nearly as bad as others are saying. the bass is there, it just has a different quality- on most recordings it's tight and punchy rather than deep and boomy.
having spent some time recording, these really do sound like studio monitors- they are VERY flat. the tagline on the packaging says- "hear your music for the first time"- and i really believe this now. this is not just hype, this is what you get with these.
honestly, anyone who thinks that these sound tinny or that any buds under $100 with the exception of Etymotic or Shure are even in the same league, you're out of your mind. go get the standard apple garbage that comes with your iPod and listen away. if you want to take the time to get them fitted correctly and learn how to put them on so you can truly HEAR your music, buy these right now.
Customer Review: Very Impressed At This Price
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm a big music fan (hell, isn't everyone? :)), and as such I've always made sure to get the best sound equipment I could afford. For most listening I use TripleFi 10's, but at their price I'm pretty scared to put them at risk such as at the gym, even though I'm never rough on them. I had tried a few other earphones at this price a while ago, but this time I figured I'd go with UE again since I liked the TripleFi's so much. They don't sound as good (duh!), but I'm far from disappointed :D.
Just to give you an idea of what my basis for this review is, after letting them burn in I tried them on a Cowon S9, Sansa Clip, Xonar D2 sound card, and iPhone 3G, using only lossless audio files (FLAC and Apple Lossless). I listen to rock (and variants), techno, rap, and classical.
=== SOUND QUALITY ===
These earphones are balanced for midrange, with slightly less treble and bass than you'll get on others (except Shures, which have very little bass). So you might need to use an equalizer to tune them to sound natural. That being said, they can easily handle booming bass if you turn it up in the EQ. But the best part is that they have exceptionally low distortion. You'll be amazed at how clear Vocals, Electric Guitars, Pianos, and Trumpets sound on these, especially at this price. And there is a clear definition between instruments and notes, such as two guitarists playing the same tune, two singers, or a chord on a piano.
Other earphones might not drop off as much with the bass and treble, but have more distortion. The frequency response can be adjusted with your EQ, but the distortion can't. This is what makes them great.
=== NOISE ISOLATION ===
Like most IEMs, these are great for blocking out external noise. And like anyone will tell you, IEMs like this are much better than that noise cancelling crap from Bose. I just had to point out that you really shouldn't bother with those, music or no music.
=== IPOD USERS ===
To put it simply: don't buy these. They really show the ipod's inferior audio quality. It's missing just as much bass and treble as the earphones are (so the sound's much more accentuated in the midrange than on other players), and it won't be able to drive them as loud either(I have to turn the volume all the way up to hear them comfortably on my iPhone). Actually, I think that for the iPod the best earphones to get are the Senneheiser CX300's. They bring out the missing bass and treble from the ipod and have a higher sensitivity, so they sound even better than these do on it, and at 1/4 the price.
Customer Review: Excellent value for the money
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought these as a replacement for a broken set of Shure E3C's. I was initially a little concerned about buying these versus replacing with another set of Shure's as the Ultimate's are an older set.
However, after I received them and gave them a listen I actually find I like these better than my Shure's. The sound is as good, or better, than my old pair of Shure's no matter what I am listening to. As some have pointed out, these types of earphones do not have a lot of bass. And especially if they are not used correctly, they can appear to have no bass at all. Not liking a heavy amount of bass, I find these have a perfect level when inserted correctly!
Regarding fit. Both Shure and Ultimate's are designed so that the cord wraps over the top of the ear to prevent the cord from tugging and breaking the seal. I've always worn my Shure's with the cord hanging in front (like normal earphones) and have never had a problem. But, if there is a tug on the cord the seal is easily broken. However, putting the phone back in my ear takes under 3 seconds so it's not an issue.
I highly recommend these at the current Amazon price!
Pros:
1) Sound every bit as good as the higher priced Shure's.
2) Better construction than the Shure E3c's which cracked right around the tip. The Ultimate's are one single unit.
3) Ability to replace the cord should it break or you need a longer cord. Personally I like the shorter cord vs. the Shure and I am a tall person!
4) Fit kit provides options that work better for me than the Shure's. But this is highly subjective and personal.
Cons:
1) Difficult to find replacement foam tips if that is what you choose to use.
2) What's with the junky metal case? The Shure's winding case is much better and is what I am using since I already own it. If you don't have one, I highly recommend getting a winding case.
3) An airline attenuator is included in the package, but the manual doesn't mention what it is for or how to use it. Okay, it's really simple to use - just plug it into the airplane seat headphone jack and then plug the ultimate's in - but would be nice to have it mentioned in the manual.
On the airplane attenuator, I actually use Shure's airplane adapter and find it's better and easier to use as it has an external volume control. But you don't really need this.