Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 Pro (black)

• Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 42 reviews
• My rating: 0 stars

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• 9 stars

  Musician's 2 cents on consumer cans

  by bebopnblu on January 3, 2007

  Pros: Full clear reproduction of sound, flat mids, accurate bass, clear accurate highs. new stronger cables and connections

  Cons: lacking richness when compared to much more expensive monitors in the $550 - $900. go figure.

  Summary: Being a musician and an audiophile, i'm always looking for the perfect audio product. I have lately been looking for an easily replaceable set of street cans (professional jargon ...

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  Summary: Being a musician and an audiophile, i'm always looking for the perfect audio product. I have lately been looking for an easily replaceable set of street cans (professional jargon for headphones).
  
  I had been using my on stage monitors the Ultimate Ears 10 Pro. These monitors are made for musicians all over the world to use on stage, and have the best isolation, reproduction, and fidelity. Everyone in the business respects Ultimate Ears as the standard for clarity and isolation. While using my UE 10 cans on the street I ran into a rain storm and realized how stupid walking around with my UE 10's actually was. Thus began the search for a pair of earphones i could STAND to use in an affordable, replaceable price range.
  
  I used several brands:
  
  Shure E5c $550 - Too expensive for the quality.
  
  Shure E4c $300 - Rolled off highs and poor bass clarity, and you have to lodge them too deeply into your ears to recieve full bass. Which means while working out or well walking you're constaly touching the earphones up to secure the fit.
  
  Bose Triport IE $100 - I still use these for coffee shops as they're non-isolating, with the volume turned down you can hear everyone perfectly and your music clearly as well.
  
  Bose Triport OE $179 - collapsable over ear headphones that in my opinion are lifeless and not nearly studio quality although the acoustic properties should delight those not looking for high detail and more fixed on hearing the rich bass. The quality however is poor and wearing them is dangerous if you live in a large city where muggings occur.
  
  Sennheiser Isolating Earphones $70 - All i can say, is No. They are the best in the pricerange but they aren't anywhere near the quality of sound i need. Give them a look if you want a Sony Alternative for accurate sound.
  
  Then Ultimately I went back to my very first Decision before i decided to play the field. The Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 Pro. I read the reviews from CNET and Honestly I think the Shure Name seduced them into rating the the E4c's Higher than these. Or more likely they didn't compare the products side by side. I believe thise because they reviewed the UE 10 Pros and gave them a higher rating and then claimed the Shure E4c is the best they've ever heard. Sorry fellas your reviews say otherwise. Now the comparison. You cannot compare these headphones to the E3c, there is no comparison. The E3c is subpar to these headphones in Sound, Comfort, and Construction. The E4c? Well for 50 dollars more you can get less Bass, (yes bass, live music contains it as well.) rolled off highs, and mids that are equally clear and robust but aren't $50 better. In sound the E4c does stack up quite nicely and may even have some bonuses on clarity. However to achieve the Bass as I said you have to make an airtight fit. with the tiny tube and flange construction this means they have to go deeper and that pressure after hours can make wearing them very uncomfortable.
  
  The UE 5Pro earphones are $250 at most retailers and can be found at some music stores for $200. They appear to be redesigned to have thicker cabling and better stronger connectors which has eliminated alot of the concerns for owning a pair upon their release. They are equipped with Memory Metal in the top 2 Inches next to the ear so that if you choose they can be wrapped comfortably over your ear. This provides a secure fit and reduces the motion that the phone is subjected to. This allows for a fit that isn't quite as deep yet more secure. Once you're used to this you'll love it. This means that you can use a larger tip for the earphone and that tip can use it's suction, and not your ear canal, to stay in place. Do not try to lodge them in your ear, start with the larger tip and roll it into your ear until you find one that will seal air-tight. At first it may feel insecure but shake your head and see if they come out, they won't. This reduces or well eliminates that uncomfortable pressure on your ear canal. Alot of the reviews I've read are from people that opened them and started trying to stick them in their ear. There is a Manual included that explains their use and to use them properly it should be read. Acoustically these headphones use a total of 4 drivers (or speakers) to produce the sound. One is for lows and one is for mids and highs. They have rich ACCURATE bass that doesn't distort the sound in the mids and highs. Making the Highs and Mids very very very clear. To test this Try other cans with a Tune like Banana Pancakes - Jack Johnson and listen for the rain. Or Erykah Badu's - Back In The Day (puff) and listen for the Fender Rhodes Piano in the background tinkling. Brilliant and Robust! Piano tunes will have you noticing the Harmonics in the Pedal Sustains as Well as the continued melody. Something Shure i'm afraid lacks. Layering. You can hear and differentiate between these sounds easily while still enjoying them. Clarity is incredible sometimes I think I can hear each bristle on a snare brush making its own music. I can differentiate all of the Instruments in the Orchestra Clearly and still notice the Percussion working. These Earphones will allow you to hear things you haven't before and for only $250 dollars. I compare them with $550 dollar headphones and honestly if you're the average audiophile or consumer you're not going to hear $300 worth of difference. Instead buy these and spend the extra $300 at the Music Store. The Equipment I used to test these ranged from my Ipod to my studio. Which is loaded with Onyx, Mackie, and ProTools equipment. The finest test a prepared was on a 24 bit Crystal Wave File... They blew me away for the price. They truly are the best street earphone on the Market.
  
  C.
  Jazz Musician - Producer
  Rio, Brazil S.A.

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  10 out of 10 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  awesome earbud headphones

  by afijaymz on August 29, 2005

  Pros: amazing sound and performance

  Cons: price; cord's a little thin

  Summary: i have both the super.fi 5 pro's and the shure E4C and i love them both. and although it may just be in my head, it seems that ...

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  Summary: i have both the super.fi 5 pro's and the shure E4C and i love them both. and although it may just be in my head, it seems that hte super.fi's quality is a little better. although the cord is thin, i love the fact that the cord is replaceable, as i've already gone through one E3C with cord problems... who knows how long the E4C's will last. the cord is the perfect length. others are longer and they snag on things easily. also, the flexible ear loops are handy!

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  7 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  2 months of exhaustive research concluded here...

  by alexacker on December 31, 2006

  Pros: Sound, fit, look

  Cons: A little expensive. Nothing else with regard to performance.

  Summary: So, for the last two months I've been reading reviews online from every source I can find and I finally concluded these headphones were for me (even it was $...

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  Summary: So, for the last two months I've been reading reviews online from every source I can find and I finally concluded these headphones were for me (even it was $100 more than I wanted to spend). I figured I'm worth it.
  
  And, so far it's been the right choice. Purchased the clear 5 pro's from headroom (headphone.com) at a pretty good $189 and have been delighted. I will not be returning these.
  
  Thankfully, they have numerous tips because (to my shagrin) my ear canals are different sizes. No problem, put the small single flange in the left ear and the medium in the right. Once you know the "technique" for getting the seal, it's easy and not a big deal. 10-15 extra seconds to get the best sound I've ever heard is a small sacrifice.
  
  Honestly, I've not tried the Shure Ec2, 3, 4 headphones but after reading the reviews: too hard to get a seal, lousy bass -- I didn't bother. I considered the Bose In-Ear headphones (good reviews, etc) but they look silly/retarded to me. With the UE clear headphones, they don't stick out like a sore thumb and the over the ear fit is quite comfortable.
  
  With regard to the sound: it's stellar, crisp, with enough bass to make me happy (diverse musical tastes). Tried standard mp3s to Apple Lossless and it all sounds good.
  
  I'm a LIRR commuter and it blocks out 85-90% which is good because I wouldn't hear when asked for my ticket or if a NYC taxi cab is about to hit me!
  
  Also, headroom was very helpful and quite nice over the phone. Good luck with your search...

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  4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 10 stars

  A great product

  by invention13 on May 26, 2006

  Pros: smooth, detailed sound

  Cons: reveals the noise floor of my iPod

  Summary: I bought these to replace the Apple ear buds that came with my iPod. Huge, huge improvement. They stay IN your ears, are quite comfortable and do a good job ...

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  Summary: I bought these to replace the Apple ear buds that came with my iPod. Huge, huge improvement. They stay IN your ears, are quite comfortable and do a good job blocking extraneous sounds (like the A/C duct above my desk at the office). How to describe the sound? It is really smooth and well balanced - nothing is overemphasized. As a result, it wears well - you can listen to these for hours. As stated by others, they are capable of powerful bass but it is really clean bass. They also reveal everything - including the noise floor of the iPod. My other headphones, which I use at home when it is quiet, are Grado SR60's. I find the UE's close in sound quality and like the Grado's they are very easy to drive. One thing others have commented on are the wires - they are thin but for some reason this doesn't really bother me. Far more important is the fact that UE put connectors on the ear pieces to make replacing the wires easy. As for cost, my philosophy is that for things you use all the time - cars, computer keyboards, earphones, etc... - bite the bullet and just buy something that pleases you.

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  4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Visceral bass. Simply put AMAZING!!!

  by dynamisoz on March 7, 2006

  Pros: Dual Driver = Clear Highs, Mids, Bass

  Cons: Still Looking.............

  Summary: I've had this earphone for a week now and the experience is just AMAZING...
  You will not go back to your old earphones..NEVER....You will hear thing you
  ...

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  Summary: I've had this earphone for a week now and the experience is just AMAZING...
  You will not go back to your old earphones..NEVER....You will hear thing you havent heard with your ordinary headsets. There are two drivers per bud. one for the lows that delivers rich, tight and full bass. And another for clear highs and mids. I've read some other user complaining about flat bass........WHAT ARE YOU SMOKING???......I will say this. you do need to have a good audio player that produce deep bass for pro5 to deliver deep bass. Listening to Super.fi 5pro using my mp3 player cell phone and iaudio U3 makes a big difference. My cell phone doesnt give me good bass, but my U3....the bass will penetrate your internal organs...(more or less. hahaha). If you check out the test WIRED mag did, it performs better than Shure E4c which is 50$ more. And also check out www.headphone.com to see how they reveiwed it...
  
  Bottom line...This in ear monitoring earphones will make you fall in love with music.

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  4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 8 stars

  I can hear music again!

  by digitspaw on January 5, 2006

  Pros: Great fit and comfort

  Cons: Expensive (even on sale)

  Summary: Well, I'd like to give this product a 9 or 10 rating but it would be an unqualified opinion. Being close to legally deaf and suffering from acute tinnitus (...

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  Summary: Well, I'd like to give this product a 9 or 10 rating but it would be an unqualified opinion. Being close to legally deaf and suffering from acute tinnitus (ringing in my ears), I'm hardly a person who could qualify as an audiofile. On the other hand, being an ex-professional musician with studio experience I know what I'm missing when I listen to my CDs......so here's what the Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 Pro earbuds do for me:
  
  As most of my high frequency hearing is gone, I no longer hear the little nuances and ambient sounds the rest of you may enjoy. I don't hear the bells and cymbals or the sassiness of brass instruments and the squeak of fingers on a fretboard. Even with a great set of cans in the form of headphones, by the time the sound traverses my ear canal, the ambience and presence has changed dramatically. Enter the earbud.
  
  Now, I'm not saying these little gems are a complete panacea to my disability, but I can once again hear MOST of what I've been missing for over 20 years!
  
  I absolutely love the sensation of having the music seem as though it's inside my head. (I'm able to secure the best isolatiing seal with the foam eartips)
  
  For the first test run, I felt obliged to choose Pink Floyd's "Dark Side Of The Moon". A classic recording for headset listening. Wow.
  Next, I wanted to hear what a true digital recording was really supposed to sound like so, I slipped in some New Age in the form of Patrick O'Hearns "Between Two Worlds". Wow again.
  Finally, I can understand and enjoy the story in Eminem's "Stan". It's as though I was returned to my hearing ability in the 1970's. I hear SO MUCH MORE with these little critters jammed into my ears! Keep in mind that I'm listening to MP3 files on my IPod and I can't wait to try them from a quality portable CD player which I understand will be somewhat better. I have to add a caveat though.....I have to use the Treble Booster portion of the IPod's equalizer to hear those high frequencies, but it doesn't seem to affect the low end enough for me to complain.
  
  Let's talk comfort! I was using AKG K1000 cans which I understand are incredible for sound (a moot case for me) but they are cumbersome and require me to lay on my back. I like to change body positions and the UE Pro 5's are light as feathers! They stay in my ears and even though they stick out a little, I can still lay on my side without too much discomfort. (Don't know that I would want to sleep with them on)
  I wore them for 6 1/2 hours straight last night with no problem!
  
  I've read every review before buying these and the cost almost deterred my purchase. I was concerned about the thin cables, but they seem as though they will last and user replaceable cables are available online. I am not worried in the least about quality or longevity issues with this product.
  
  All in all.............I'm happy that I can once again hear music at least 90% of the way it was supposed to be heard. This is a real blessing for me. It's like having a "music implant" in my head.
  
  I would highly recommend these to those of you who are even slightly hearing impaired! The 3/4 inch difference between standard headphones and sealed in the ear canal buds is nothing short of incredible. I'm now wondering if the custom fit $900.00 UE's would give me anything more.
  
  I bought my UE Pro 5's online and on sale for $179.99 at eCost.com. I ordered at 3pm Pacific time and they were on my desk by 1pm the next day. Total cost with S/H was $196.93.
  
  I would recommend these without reservation. I can only imagine and sometimes remember what the rest of you will hear! Now excuse me while I get back to enjoying Dvorak's "Serenade for Strings" in E. Ciao!
  
  Kurt G.
  Las Vegas, NV.

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  4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Litte In Ear Phone with Big Sound

  by lawadvisors on August 4, 2006

  Pros: rich detailed clean audio

  Cons: may be uncomfortable for some users

  Summary: I've tried many headphones and earphones from the Etymotic ER-4P, Shure E3C, Sennheiser PXC 250, Sennheiser HD 280, Grado SR80, Bose QC2 and QC3 and Sony MDR-NC50 in search ...

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  Summary: I've tried many headphones and earphones from the Etymotic ER-4P, Shure E3C, Sennheiser PXC 250, Sennheiser HD 280, Grado SR80, Bose QC2 and QC3 and Sony MDR-NC50 in search of the best portable listening experience. I finally settled on the Ultimate Ears Super Fi. 5 pro. The sound quality is outstanding, rich & detailed, good bass response and clean highs and mids in a compact portable size. Perfect for on the go and at home. I can sit in bed and listen to my IPOD or watch a movie on my PSP and my spouse is oblivious to what I am listening to or watching. Not so with all of the full sized headphones or even full sized closed headphones. In terms of full size headphones only the Grados and HD280s can compare in sound quality but I didn't like the large size of those phones and didn't want to own multiple sets of headphones as both of those are too large for on the go applications. IN terms of the other in ear phones, the Super Fi 5 Pros in my opinion bests the Shures and Etys because of it's better bass response and richer sound (although I must admit that I haven't heard the Shure E4cs yet). You can by the Ultimate Ears on Ebay for slightly over $150.00 thus the value to sound quality ratio is excellent. The only downside with these just like other in earphones is that comfort can be an issue after 1 hour or so for some users. Also one other small quibble-unlike the Shures and Etys I could not get the foam eartips to fit properly in my ear canals; however the double flanged tips seem to work pretty well. Isolation isn't as good as with the foam tips but better than a closed full sized headpone.
  I wouldn't even consider the Sony MDR-NC50 or Bose QC3s. Both are overpiced and have a full rich sound but have a muddy and muffled midrange and treble which is probably a result of the active noise cancellation circuit (I noticed that the Sony's sound much cleaner with the noise cancellation turned off). Unforunately, no noise cancellation equals no sound with the Bose. Thus, I will conclude by highly recommending the ultimate ears. The best all around sound solution for your portable.

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  3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 10 stars

  Amazing sound

  by adlerk on March 17, 2006

  Pros: Very rich full sound, replacable cord.

  Cons: Good sound doesn't come cheep.

  Summary: I am a cheep $%#&@* and I coudn't see my self spending more then $30 bucks for a set of earphones, Well I kept buying cheep earphones and buying, ...

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  Summary: I am a cheep $%#&@* and I coudn't see my self spending more then $30 bucks for a set of earphones, Well I kept buying cheep earphones and buying, and buying, then one day I realized that I was buying a new pair of phons about every 2 or 3 months. They would brake just after the 90 day worrenty expired. I saw that Ultimate Ears had a 2 year warrenty. I though that I easly bought $200. worth of $30 phones in the last year. I took the plung a bought the UE5Pro. The first time I pluged them in to my head (It feels like your pluging them in to your head and they sound that way, like the music is in your head AMAZING sound)
  The UE5Pro realy rock. The seperation & detail is incredable. The customer service at UE is wonderful they are great to talk to, very helpful and plesent. If you think UE's are expensive, well if you want the "BEST" soud you are going have to lay down the money. You Spent $300 plus for a MP3 player, Why not hear it at it's best. In 2 or 3 years I think you will be saying what a great investment UE's where. Just read the other reviews.

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  1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 10 stars

  Simply Awesome... Period

  by lempilot on February 23, 2006

  Pros: the sound, the music, performance, great extras

  Cons: thin cord, but it hasn't been a problem

  Summary: I have owned these buds for several weeks. I also own the Bose QC2's. I believe the ue's are as good as the QC2's. Durability is a ...

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  Summary: I have owned these buds for several weeks. I also own the Bose QC2's. I believe the ue's are as good as the QC2's. Durability is a big issue with the QC2's; I am on my third pair in a year.
  
  The ue's deliver with great bass and defined mids. They are clear not muffled. The shure e2s, which I also own, sound as though you are listening to the music in another room, whereas, the ue's are clear as though you are standing next to the musician.
  
  I shopped for two months before buying the ue's and I am happy I did, I love them and since I received them I have shelved my shure e2c's, and QC2's.

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  1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Great headphones, great customer support

  by thinktanq on January 17, 2006

  Pros: Quality sound

  Cons: Take longer to insert and remove from ears than others.

  Summary: I've tried several different high-end headphones for my iPod, and was astonished at how much better than the others these sounded. They seal tightly inside my ears, shut out ...

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  Summary: I've tried several different high-end headphones for my iPod, and was astonished at how much better than the others these sounded. They seal tightly inside my ears, shut out ambient noise, and pump tremendously rich bass. The cords fit over the top of the ear, which reduces the chance that they'll be yanked out when the cords get jostled.
  
  I'm a pretty heavy user, though, and after a couple of months, the cord got a short in it right above where it plugs into my MP3 player. The left earphone started cutting out intermittently.
  
  I was worried about getting them repaired or replaced under warranty, because I'd bought them new on eBay. But my fears were unwarranted. I called Ultimate Ears, discovered that the faulty cord can be unplugged from the earbuds, and within minutes had a new cord on its way. The customer support technician was sympathetic and helpful, and didn't make me go through the hassle of sending them purchase receipts, etc. They're even sending me the new cord without making me send them the old one first. All at no charge, of course.
  
  If you buy one of these, be assured that a solid company is standing behind it. I'm impressed.

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  1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.

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