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: You'll be lucky to get that perfect fit...
Summary: 1 Stars
I bought these earphones off of Amazon after it was recommended to me by a friend, and after reading most of the reviews posted here. The packaging was nice enough, as was the case. Unfortunately, whenever I'd wear them, one of two things would happen:
1. The earbuds would not fit in properly, and my music would sound terrible.
2. The earbuds fit in properly, but the comfort level was very, very bad. Most people seem to touch on the fact that these earphones are not very comfortable. However, comfort is a huge deal to me. I experimented with both the medium and the small buds (I have small ears). The medium ones would deliver a slightly better sound because they formed a better vacuum, but the pressure on my ear was too much to take. The smaller ones fit in better, but delivered a much worse sound quality.
I finally decided to return these when, even after deciding I'd bear through some pain, I realized that even with a perfect fit, the music I listen to (hard rock/metal, a lot of Metallica) sounded WORSE than my regular, street style Sony headphones, which are a few years old and probably cost 30 bucks. I looked on the Ultimate site, and found out that these specific headphones were best for JAZZ MUSIC and PODCASTS. There was not enough bass, and the drums sounded too distant on most of the music I listen to.
The noise reduction was very nice, and worked great, especially when there was music playing.
These earphones are pretty powerful - I had my creative zen player on a 7 or 8 volume setting, as opposed to the 15 I need for my old pair. Unfortunately, this comes at a disadvantage, too. If I had them plugged into my laptop, it picked up way too much static, especially when there wasn't music playing.
If you have the perfect ear size to fit one of the sizes it comes with, or are willing to pay extra money to have it fitted, then maybe these are worth a shot. If not, you are probably going to have to sacrifice either comfort or sound quality by wearing these. And again, be weary if you listen to rock or metal music, because the few times that I got that perfect fit, the music did not sound very good.
Customer Review: A little skeptical at first.......
Summary: 5 Stars
.....but after wearing these for several days; I am blown away. I got these earphones to replace my shure e2's which I loved. I am the type of person to stick with something if I like it. I liked the way the shures sounded and how they felt in my ears. My only complaint was, that the wires never lasted and I ended up replacing them before a year was over. That got old and I decided to try something different.
I agonized for hours online; reading many different reviews on various types of earphones and I finally decided on the Super.fi 3 by Ultimate Ears. What caught my interest was the fact that you can replace the wires with new ones for only $20 from the manufacturer. Since this has been my problem with the Shures I thought that was awesome.
My biggest concern was the size of the buds themselves. They are larger and stick out of your ears, while the shures were pretty much hidden. Initially while trying them on, I had buyers remorse; because I thought, surely these won't work. But after getting them in (which wasn't hard) and securing the wire around my ear ( the wire is very stiff around your ears, so as to conform and stay in place; which worked quite well) I turned my Ipod on and was wowed. The sound isolation is superb, the earbuds stay surprisingly in place (I wear them while working out) and the sound is crystal clear.
I read many complaints over the lack of bass on this particular model and the shures, honestly, I think they sound great. I listen to alot of hip hop and I have no issue with the songs lacking in bass. These are earphones not a home sound system. I really do not expect to have my insides vibrate while listening to earphones. My ex was an audiophile and he would pay $300 extra to get a 'better' pair of earphones. I would listen to both, and unless I am partially deaf, I could barely discern a difference. Surely not a $300 one.
All in all, I think these are great earphones. They seem to have a good warranty system and their price is very affordable. If you are looking for quality sound and great noise isolation then look no further.
Customer Review: it hurts to give it this...
Summary: 1 Stars
It hurts because these ear buds are the worst I have ever worn. I read 60 reviews, good and bad, regarding them and bought it because the good out weighed the bad. I got them in the mail and couldn't have been more excited. I was ready to throw my Sony Fontopia $40 earbuds out the window, but they weren't meant to be. I tried every single silicone ear thingy to find the perfect fit, but they were all too large for me and they are incredibly hard to get on and off. The foam ones are a joke; they are unusable by the time you put them on the buds because you have to muscle them down so much the foam is completely flat. To give them a fair trial i also put my Sony Fontopia's silicone ear thing ( the smallest one they have) on these and gave them a try. First impression was these are insanely difficult to put in and keep a good close, they stick out like antennas and their way too heavy for earbuds. Second impression was absolutely no bass at all. None. even maxed mass with SRS and my Realtek HD internal 7.1 sound card did nothing. If this doesn't bother you, and you have large inner ears ( i have large outer ears and small inner ears) these may be for you.
The "Legendary" customer service was a joke. the nice lady at Ultimate ears promptly told me that they didn't service returns and I'd have to call their return center.... which happens to be Logitech. The man was horrible, had no enthusiasm and asked me what I wanted him to do about returning my product. He told me i had to fax the receipt, (i don't have a fax) and when I told him that, he said I needed to fax it. I promptly hung up and returned it to Amazon, whose amazing customer service ( all automated and about 30 seconds from stat to finish) got me a refund within a week, instead of Logiech's 4-6 week return payment policy.
I promptly ordered the Audio Technica ATH-A700's ( read that review) and i couldn't have been happier.
I hope the rest of you get that perfect fit, but it didn't happen for me. I would've given it a 3 or 4, but customer service was so bad, it deserved a "1" in all respects
Customer Review: Great sound, so-so comfort.
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought these headphones from Amazon after reading the reviews here. Overall I am pleased with my purchase. The reviews (taken overall) were accurate and I will give you my personal experience of the Ultimate Ears Super.fi 3 Studio Earphones:
Pro's:
1. Great sound! I don't have another pair of high-end headphones to compare it with but it is clearly superior to any headphones that come with any mp3 player. As the reviews say, the bass is not especially pronounced however you can boost the bass using your mp3 player and the results are satisfactory. Once you get used to this sound fidelity you will not be willing to settle for less in the future.
2. Hard carrying case to protect the product plus different size ear tips to fit your ear size.
3. Blocks outside noise (bus/train/plane) very well.
4. The price (I paid $67 a few weeks ago but now it is $60) reflects great value for the money.
Con's:
1. I gave 4 stars instead of 5 because the comfort is only "so-so" (meaning o.k.) I don't agree with the manufacturer that you can wear these with great comfort for hours on end however I also don't agree with the reviews that say it is not comfortable.
2. Sticking the earbuds directly into the ear canal is not so pleasant and possibly not healthy. If your ears are sensitive in that area you should get over the ear headphones instead.
3. These headphones would NOT be comfortable for jogging or moving around a lot. Recommended only for sitting relatively still and/or commuting to work/school.
Notes:
1. I have glasses and have no problem with this product, despite a review to the contrary.
2. Fitting into the ear takes getting used to and there is a specific technique involved requiring a little time/attention. There is an instructional video on the manufacturer's web site which assists greatly.
Bottom-line: It takes a little getting used to fitting this into the ear but once it is comfortable these are great headphones and good value for the money.
Customer Review: Zune Premium ear Buds sound much better.
Summary: 2 Stars
Not really worth the cost of admission. After reading the raving reviews of these headphones and contemplating for days whether to purchase or not, I finally made a decision to buy. While the premium headphones that came with my Zune 80GB sounded GREAT, the reviews for the Ultimate Ears gave me the impression that maybe I was missing out on even better sound....never has the phrase "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" range truer.
The fit and finish of these ear buds is great. It does take some adjustment and time to get used to putting them on. But they stay in once you get them in.
I think that the majority of the people giving these such high rating are folks switching from the poor quality standard Ipod ear buds. If I were transitioning from those to the U.E. then I would be in 100% agreement. These are much better headphones in every aspect. However, I have to compare them to the Premium Headphone that come standard with the Zune 80GB. And there is no comparison. The Premium Zune headphone blow the Ultimate Ears Super fi 3 earphones away!
The Ultimate Ears Super.fi 3 suffer from:
-Poor bass. VERY poor bass. VERY VERY VERY poor bass. No matter which genre of music you are into, there will be poor bass response all around. It's almost as if they went out of their way to reduce the bass response as much as possible. I've never heard a headset with such poor bass.
-Poor Clarity: Compared to the Zune headphones, the UE's sound rather "hollow". Not sure how to describe it. They just don't have that "crisp" sound that you'd expect.
-Plastic cord. The cord seems to feel a little cheap. Very waxy finish. Just doesn't seem like a high quality cord.
-PRICE: Despite Amazons great pricing on these, they still are overpriced in my opinion.
Bottom line for Zune users....stick with your Premium Zune headphones. They are much better. The fabric covered cord of the Zune headphones alone puts them a step ahead of the Ultimate Ears.