 "Huge Earphones with Unexpected Thump" | 2009-11-13 |
| - Reviewed By User: A192012PL99JVX |
| After using Shure e2c and UE SuperFi3's for 3 years. These 5 EB's absolutely blew me away. If you listen to drum heavy rock, hip-hop, or any sort of electronic music, these ears will absolutely rock your s***. Ive compared to Audio Technica's DJ can's and Shures comparable models and they don't even come close to the inear low-end power of these ears. If you tend to like a flat EQ in your sound for producing or DJing then these might annoy you, but for any casual listener, hip-hop aficionado or just plain basshead, you'd go nuts for these! I found them for $150 here on amazon, compared to $199-$250 anywhere else, so look around before you buy. These are worth the money folks. |
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| "Nearvana!" | 2009-10-15 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2YOAYO5MXJGJP |
I've been the very happy owner of a set of super.fi 5eb's for 4 years. I've gotten countless hours of enjoyment out of these and feel comfortable recommending them for most listeners, especially those who want to close their eyes and imagine themselves at a rock concert or club. These are not for the faint-of-heart (the EB does stand for Extended Bass, after all.) And if you're overly concerned about developing tinnitus I'd suggest you choose a less-efficient model (these are 119db!) Trust me: the 5eb's are quite capable of leaving your ears ringing if you're not judicious with the volume control.
After years of trying to make do with "realistic" and "flat", a.k.a. lifeless, headphones, I decided to take a chance on these. I was so tired of tinny highs and anemic bass. I tend to be a left-brained listener and all I could hear was what I wasn't. Not anymore. It's so easy to get lost in the music with these super,fi's. When you realize you'd have to spend thousands of dollars to equip a room to produce similar results these seem like one hell of a bargain!
While it's hard for me as a huge fan to come up with negatives, I do have a couple cautionary notes. Do watch the volume level and take breaks. While you may be used to using the EQ or bass boost on your audio player, you'll probably find your previous settings will boost the bass to unacceptably high levels. So if your player has limited capability for tailoring the output, you might have trouble. You'll want to use caution throwing these in a bag since the cable can easily become disconnected. I thought I'd lost one earphone till I found it under my car seat. I've taken to always using the included leather case to protect the monitors. That said, they ARE tough. They've survived many drops and multiple cat attacks over the years. I can't say the same for the cables: I'm on my third pair. But hey, how many other manufacturers' models have easily replaceable cords? Ever try to solder one of those damn things yourself?
I once let a co-worker who thought his iPod earphones were "good enough" borrow my super.fi's. After a few minutes of listening with them, he threw them on my desk and said, "Damn you!"
At the moment I'm listening to Infected Mushroom's "Avratz." I can actually FEEL the bass guitar. Despite that power, the dual driver design means the lows don't pull from the mids or highs, unlike all the single-driver 'phones I've tried. The spaciousness is still there.
I doubt there's another set of earphones available that can match these in terms of punch AND clarity at that price. When I finally upgrade I'll probably try their triple.fi's. There's no going back.
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| "Not just for "bass heads"" | 2009-08-29 |
| - Reviewed By User: A18SQLPP5SPS7A |
I bought a set of the SuperFi 5's (the non EB model) after doing a lot of research, and although the reproduction was accurate enough, the bass sounded a little lacking. So I bought a pair of the SuperFi 5 EB's and wow - what a difference - music sounds like it should. I don't listen to techno or rap - my tastes run from Sinatra to Pearl Jam, Dean Martin to Tool. Bass is key in most forms of music, not just artificially induced low notes of rap and techno. The sound isolation is also very good, although I will say that fit and insertion method are key elements to both the quality of the low end and the sound isolation.
I liked these so much I immediately bought a second pair for my wife, and we use them on planes to watch movies - they really perform well for that. She uses them frequently in the hospital during long infusion therapy - they are comfortable for her, and she doesn't say that about many in ear phones.
My only (and they are minor) gripes would be this - the cord is a tiny bit short. Fortunately, I don't carry iPods - I've always used various HTC phones for my music and radio - they need a little five inch USB to 3.5MM adapter, which makes the cord just long enough for the device to sit in my pocket and reach my ears without tension - but there's not much to spare (I am 6'5" though, to be fair). 4 to 7 more inches of (admittedly thick) cord wouldn't kill them at this price.
Also, the two piece (no hinge) case is super well made and is stylish brushed metal, but one of mine has a really tight fit and stays closed, but the other one I own is a little looser in fit between the two halves and comes apart in my notebook bag quite often.
Doesn't concern me much, though, because these have EXCELLENT quality construction, and I use these to do all my lawn work (excellent isolation from noisy gas engines and electric hedgers) - and that isn't easy on them - I sweat a lot in south Florida hear. They get jerked out of my ears or the adapter more in that kind of usage, too. I haven't been gentle, and they don't show any signs of wear. Also, they do stick out more than almost any other unit in this category, but why would I care? I'm hearing excellent quality sound through a well made product! It's not like it's a red clown wig or something.
Don't be scared by the EB label - this is for people who like the rumble of true movie sound, the full range of Dean Martin's voice, and the sound isolation to enjoy it all. |
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 "Nice sound - poor manufacturing" | 2009-08-19 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1ALDWCI2OKFC0 |
I bought these earphones 2 years ago. I'm a classical musician, and was looking for good headphones that would afford me the vast ranges of classical music. These sound great when you put them in your ear, and do a good job for their size. I enjoyed these on many plane trips as they're decent at blocking out a lot of ambient noise, and I wore them for many hours as I studied in the library while earning my master's degree.
Seeing as how I paid a lot of money for these, I made sure to take good care of them, always placing them back in their case after each use.
However, one day I noticed that the silver connector on the side of one of the earphones was coming loose. Not much longer, the connector had completely cracked away from the earphones, exposing the thin wires inside. I tried reconnecting the casing with plastic model glue, but that only lasted a few weeks. Eventually the connector began to crumble, and the wires completely disconnected from the connector port!
At this point, I was happy to have my $250 earphones repaired, as I really enjoyed their sound and mobility. Ha! Ultimate Ears is now owned by Logitech, and they do not repair ANY of their "universal" earphones (as opposed to the custom earphones). Seeing as my warranty was only for 1 year (the same for all Ultimate Ear earphones) they also refused to replace them.
I finally took the earphones to a trusted electronics repair shop, where the tech said the work to replace it would be $50+ because it would require advanced technical skills (precise soldering with a very steady hand under a microscope). He also could not guarantee it would work. I know enough about electronics to understand the difficulty, but I couldn't risk shelling out $50 on an unknown result.
Bottom line, $250 might get you 2 years of playing time. Not a good investment in my book. Be prepared to throw away these $250 earphones if they break after 1 year. |
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| "good bang for buck" | 2009-07-06 |
| - Reviewed By User: A23Q6H2NATG630 |
| Best canal phones I have bought yet (owned 5 pair). Very good bass....mids are a little drowned out. Keep in mind they are pretty big. They really stick out of your ears. I would buy again. |
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| "Tried the rest.....these are the best" | 2009-05-15 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2O129HUNEYYS1 |
OK here's the story about how I ended up with these awesome buds.
I recently decided to upgrade my earbuds. I've been using Shure E2C's which have great mids and highs, but their bass is seriously lacking which has eaten at me ever since I got them. I've listened to several of the higher level models of the Shure's as well and they all seem to be lacking in bass to me. I haven't heard the 5 series which I've been told have great bass response. Call me a bass head I guess. The E2C's are a great upgrade from stock earbuds but I wanted more.
First I tried several models from sony in the $50 to $100 range and none of them sounded good at all in comparison to the E2C's. I guess I should've expected that, but I wanted to try before spending more. I would steer clear.
Next, on a whim because I know someone who raves about them, I tried the Skullcandy Titans which, surprisingly, sounded quite a bit better than the E2C's to me. Much better bass in comparison and the mids and highs they produce are great as well. I would highly suggest them if you're looking for great buds you can pick up at target for $40. I don't think they can be beat in that price range. But I still wanted something with a warmer overall sound and excellent bass.
I decided to up my price range and tried a pair of Monster Beats by Dr. Dre and they sound almost identical to the Titans (highs, mids and lows). I expected more from them after listening to how great their over the ear models sounded on display in the store. So, not satisfied it was $150 well spent, I took them back.
Next I got a pair of the Bose in-ear. I did not like the way they felt in my ears with the silicone tips they provide that just kind of set in your ear. I felt like I wasn't getting the most out of the sound they were capable of without a good seal. So, I put my Shure silicone in-ear tips on them. Much better. The result was some very impressive bass. The problem I had with them was that the mids and highs weren't there. They sounded slightly like a speaker covered up with a thick blanket might sound. I almost settled for them because I loved the warm sound, but I decided to try one more time to see if I could get that warm sound along with the mids and highs.
So....I ordered these. The UE Super.fi 5 EB has more than lived up to it's good reviews. Great, warm sound, with very powerful bass and clean crisp mids and highs to boot. None of the others I tried can hold a candle to these. I was a little worried about the size because of all the reviews saying how big they are, but they don't seem that big to me and they're so comfortable once I have them in my ears I hardly notice them. I was also worried about the "flimsy clear wire" several reviews have pointed out. Well, apparently UE has listened to these complaints because mine came with nice, thick, highly flexible, low friction, black cables that are nicer than the ones on any of the others I tried (the Monster Beats had a big flat cable that they said was the next big thing, but I hated it....so heavy it pulls down on your ears). If you don't like bass then buy the 5 pro's instead, but if you like that warm sound with an awesome bass punch and outstanding mids and highs as well these are the ones to get. I can't imagine how anything could sound better than these. |
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