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: Great a blocking noise, but not so great at producing sound
Summary: 3 Stars
After poking around http://www.headphone.com/technical/product-measurements/ for a little while, I decided to ask for this pair of "studio earphones" for Christmas 2007 based on the Super.fi 3's favorable price/performance ratio. Upon receiving them and using them for a number of weeks, I have to say that I am disappointed; although they basically turn even the most crowded, busy, and loud workspace into near silence (when playing light music), the music that they do produce doesn't have the depth of sound that I'm used to. My other sound equipment consists of a set of Grado SR60s (which I simply adore), a Logitech Z-2300 THX-Certified 200-Watt 2.1 Speaker System (which is also top-notch!), and a Yamaha YHT-360 XM-Ready 5.1-Channel Home Theater System (Black) (which is great for movies but not so great for listening to music). All of these other pieces produce full, rich sound, leaving my Super.fi 3's to feel somewhat out of place in my life.
Observations:
(1) The packaging for the Super.fi 3's warns against prolonged use--something like an hour per day is the maximum that they suggest. In my opinion, this sort of defeats the purpose of these earphones; I'm only ever using them when I want to concentrate for an extended period of time in a location where it's loud OR when I'm on an airplane traveling for several hours at once. Because keeping my ears healthy is important to me, I'm worried about the extended use of these earphones.
(2) Walking around in a busy urban setting with these engaged is dangerous! For me, my ears play a vital role in situational awareness, so not being able to hear *any* environmental noise (something that these earphones do excel at) can be a handicap. You'll kindly note that I have not labeled this as a "con"--it wouldn't be fair to rate this device poorly because it was good at what it advertised! :)
(3) The aluminum case that comes with earphones is very sturdy, and I like it a lot.
Conclusion: I'd trade my Super.fi 3's in for a different pair of earphones with richer sound if possible, but for now, they'll do.
Customer Review: I'm very happy with these earphones
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been using these earphones with my IPOD for about 6 months now and I'm very happy with them. I bought them to replace the crappy bud earphones that come with the IPOD. As a disclaimer, I'm not a big time audiophile and I haven't used any of the bud earphones in this price range ro up (but I haven't had a need to as I'm happy with these).
Sound quality, to my non-audiophile ear, is very good to excellent. Definately vastly superior to the cheapo headphones that come with the ipod (if you're using those or similar earphones, it's definately worth the money to upgrade to these or, to a similarly priced competing product, in my opinion).
The fit is very good and for me was very quick and easy. These earphones come with 4 or 5 different earpieces (it says the number in the item description), and it only took me about 5 minutes to choose the correct earpieces. If you try these headphones and aren't happy with the sound, it's probably because you're using the wrong ear piece so make sure you are before writing these off.
The sound dampening/blocking ability is also very good. These aren't "noise cancelling" in the same sense as say, bose noise cancelling headphones, but the ear pieces fit your ear similar to an earplug and do a good job blocking out ambient noise when listening to music. This feature is very much appreciated when you're on an airplane - for one thing I've found when I'm on a plane, listening to an audiobook with my ipod and my utlimate ears is vastly superior to trying to read a book as it almost completely blocks out the screaming kid sitting behind you (it unfortunately doesn't block out his constantly kicking the back of your seat). Unlike true noise cancelling headphones though (like bose), these are nice and compact and can simply be wrapped around my ipod and fit into my pocket.
If there is one drawback to these, it's that i'm probably damaging my ears by using them - but that's true with any headphones if you like listening to loud music. If anything, noise blocking headphones like these are probably better than regular ear buds in this regard as you don't have to turn the music up that extra notch to block out ambient noise.
If you're not a hard-core audiophile and are looking for a low- to mid-priced set of bud style earphones, I would highly recommend the ultimate ears super.fi 3 studio earphones.
Customer Review: Ear Plugs with a speaker in them
Summary: 2 Stars
My much anticipated new Super.fi 3 headphones arrived today.
After carefully reading the manual I inserted them in my ears, plugged in my mp3 player and checked them out.
The very first impression I got was that I must have put them in wrong because the sound was REALLY mid-rangey with very little low end.
I've been a musician for almost 30 years, and a lover of music all my life. I listen to all genres of music.
I've auditioned these monitors with a lot of different music from solo piano, to vocal/guitar, to studio jazz/rock.
My conclusion is that these earphones are:
1. Definitely very good at blocking outside noise. They are basically ear plugs with a speaker in them.
2. Definitely NOT flat in their frequency response. Low end is very weak, mid range is overly prominant. They sound weird and un-natural.
3. They have a very unique sound which is overly mid-rangey. The effect is that vocals have a kind of hollow sound. The vocals almost sound like somebody put too much reverb or delay on them. Probably a matter of frequency response.
4. Isolation is obviously very good because your head is in the way.
5. They are very efficient so you don't need to crank the volume to hear the music over backround noise.
6. They sound like regular $20 ear buds, just pushed farther into the ear to block extraneous sound and deliver the sound more deeply into the ear canal.
I think I'll probably really like them on the subway because they REALLY block outside noise. Perhaps a little tweaking of the EQ will help.
UPDATE:
I've gotten used to these earphones and do infact really enjoy them on the subway due to the isolation/efficiency they have. EQ does help, but I can never seem to get a really natural sound using the EQ built into consumer devices I don't generally use it. I've ended up using the double-flanged silicon ear pieces which seem to work the best for me. They offer the most isoltation and seem to deliver the sound deeper into my ear canel which has improved the sound quality considerably. I'm still not sure they are worth what I paid for them. Perhaps the more expensive models deliver a more impressive performance. There are less expensive options out there which I believe probably sound as good.
Customer Review: My impressions (Update: "Breaking In")
Summary: 4 Stars
Got these at radion shack (red), being discontinued for $40.
FIT: These also have the 2-flange and plane adapter. I tried all 4 of the rubber ones one day each and none fit correctly with my left ear, even right after showering (so no grease issue). The sponges are the way to go for sure as the owner's manual recommends. I plan on getting some replacements here online. Fit well and firm. More comfortable than the brookstones I had previously. I have the UEs coming from the back and wrapped around the top of my ears.
QUALITY: Pros: Sound very accurate and am impressed - like I said, I had clip on brookstones as well and noticeably better (and sound doesn't change because they come loose since the fit stays with the sponge adapters). Construction is obviously pretty top notch. Heavy cabling, plug is well designed (flat across ipod), and extra plastic near ear pieces. Stiff cabling. Good sound isolation - I ride the bus and subway everyday and these go along way in me finding peace with my music. No issue with sound of cable rubbing being heard, but see below for another issue. Cons: When I walk, I hear the thud of my footsteps in my ears but if I loosen them a little (I'm out of the bus/subway), I'm okay. Assuming all earphones of this type have this issue? Yes, bass is not somewhat lacking for bassheads - I play at about 50 - 55% with hiphop equalizer normally if I want to get into the music. I remember playig at around 70 - 80% with the ipod ones I originally got.
UPDATE: I haven't edited any of my 1-week impressions. Now that I've had them for a month, the sound and stage of these earphones have improved quite a bit. I thought talk of "breaking in" was an audiophile term that I didn't think I would notice. WRONG. The stage has developed now where sounds come not from the two little openings in the phones, but out THERE, in space. I should also mention that I've recently turned off "Sound Check" on my iPod - has improved not only the volume, but I think the clarity where I've gone from initial "Hip Hop" to "R&B" and "Dance" equalizer settings to now "None". Bass is quite improved. Not overpowering and not satisfactory for bassheads, but range has deeper. So for the initial $40 I spent, I'm more than happy with these and if I ever do spend $200 for a set of earphones, I have something to compare to, even if it is $40.
Customer Review: slightly uncomfortable, stiff cord...but good sound and sound-isolation
Summary: 4 Stars
After spending a LOT of time searching around amazon for headphones, I've discovered that there is no such thing as a universally perfect pair. Unfortunately it all depends on what you value most -- e.g. noise-canceling, sound quality, fit, volume, etc. Since not everyone is looking for the same thing, there are a lot of conflicting reviews out there, and it's hard to make sense of all of it. So instead of just giving an overall review, I'll try to be specific about the different characteristics. I bought these for my brother, so I'm basing this on his take.
Sound quality: My brother is a jazz composition major in school and absolutely loves music, so he definitely values sound quality, but he is not an audiophile. He thought the sound quality was good, nothing to complain about.
Volume: The headphones had the capacity to get incredibly loud. He had it at the midway point and said he probably couldn't handle it if they were too much louder than that. That probably means half of the volume settings are useless, but maybe they would be good if he were on the subway or something.
Sound-isolation: I've never seen headphones that could block sound out as well as these. They're not noise-canceling though, so you don't need batteries, and you don't get the annoying buzz. While he was listening to some music I kept trying to get his attention by shouting his name, but he couldn't even tell that I was saying something. Eventually I had to throw a cushion at him, since he really couldn't hear a thing. Unfortunately, at the louder volumes, the sound "leaks" a lot, and everyone else is able to hear the music also.
Fit: My brother complained that the buds were pretty large, and a little uncomfortable. They stayed in pretty well, but it didn't take much to dislodge them.
Cord: My brother's biggest issue with these is the cord, which is thicker and stiffer than most. Because it doesn't have very much give, the buds get yanked out much more easily, and he has a harder time trying to snake the cord through the hoodies he always wears.
Longevity: I only gave them to my brother a couple days ago, so I can't testify as to how these will hold up over time. **UPDATE: They broke a couple months later. He wears them ALL the time, but still...not impressed.