Ultimate Ears' Super.fi 3 Studio phones

The upper-level iPod replacement canalphones market ruled by the likes of Shure and Etymotics has some new competition on the lower end of the spectrum—Ultimate Ears' new Super.fi 3 Studio phones only go for $100, but supposedly perform like their pricier competitors with excellent bass response and up to 26dB of noise isolation. Is it just us though, or are all these cans starting to look alike?

[Via Yahoo]

[bigtrouble77 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

Actually, these things look nothing (or function) like cans. They are canalphones.

[Ian Jardine @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

Ok so who says they sound better than Shure? And which Shure are we talking about 2, 3, 4 or 5?

[Toxic Bomber @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

On the comment of all of them starting to look the same...its merely a good design, so why change something that laready works so well?
But they could very well "tweak" a few things especially color, IMHO the whole "make it white and bland all over" thing is starting to get a littel old and tired...so they could swith it up with some color but other then that...i am SO getting a pair of them...might even paint them like i did my 'pod plugs.

[Jake T @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

spiffy

[Nate MC @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

I was wondering about these, they tried to sell me on them at guitar center last night, of course though it doesn't have the name brand recog of shure so I was too skeptical to buy em.

[Ian Jardine @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

Ok so who says they sound better than Shure? And which Shure are we talking about 2, 3, 4 or 5?

[Greg @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

They don't look nearly as comfortable as the Etymotic's. I have the ER6's and ER6i's and would never use a different in-ear bud...and it's gotta be the foam-y tips!!!!!

[david @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

they seem very nice from what I read about them so far.

I am going to probably pick up these or etymotic er6's in about 2 weeks

[poop face @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

iPods are lame

[scott @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

They're available in black too if you RTFL. :-)

[bigtrouble77 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

I have the super.Fi 5 pros. They are comparable to the shure E4c's ($250). the sf5pros feel like pillows in my ears compared to the shures which I had to insert halfway down my ear canal to get a decent seal.

One great thing these allow you to do is change the wire in the event it breaks.

[Jared @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

Re:Toxic's post,

Does anyone know of a source for colored headphone cord? Something to swap out dull black or white cords from Shure... I've searched Digi-key and the like, but cannot find anything but black or grey. I would like something like neon-yellow. With all the electronics manufacturers in China, is that too much to ask?

[jho @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

There is a good full review over at head-fi.org

http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=128558&highlight=super.fi

For the money, I say go Etymotic ER6 or ER6i

[Nate MC @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

Jared: Cable sleeving :) aka Wire loom. You can pickup a kit of different sizes for about 15, with two kits I sleeved all my cables inside 2 computers and still have some left to do this

http://www.natemc.com/albums/temporary/line_in_cables.jpg

It expands enough you might get it over a right angled connector but it would be cake over a straight one.

[mainfr4me @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

For most people, a simple pair of Shure E2's (http://www.fullcompass.com/Products/pages/SKU--55928/index.html) will do. They definatly sound better than most of the headphones you have out there.

Also, Shure does make foam inserts instead of the simple plastic/rubberish ones. Most of the people who use in ear monitors I know like the foam ones better (squish and insert like the little hearing protector foam deals you find at work/gun ranges/shops).

[Jared @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

Thanks Nate! That's a great idea - do you think the smallest 1/8in sleeving will be thin/flexible enough to work on earbud cords? I just wanted something different than plain black or obvious iPod white wires hanging from my ears. BTW, that image link defaults to an ilovenatemc gif.

[Jared @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

Re: mainfr4me,

I bought a bulk box of orange foam safety plugs from Walmart for $3, chopped the tips off, and melted a passage through the middle with a 3 penny nail and a lighter. They work great on my Radioshack/KOSS earbuds (well, as well as those buds could perform).

[Nate MC @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

Whoops, sorry about that Jared, I keep forgetting about the referrer stuff.

http://www.natemc.com/news/?p=45 that link will take you to a thumbnail..

THe more you stretch it out the more it seems to flex easier. Unfortunately I don't have enough left to try and loom up my iPod headphone, I'm about 4 inches shy of having enough of the small stuff. it doesn't seem to like going over the headphone jack though, would probably have to cut off the heatshrink and just redo it to get the loom over it or undo the soldered connections in the earbuds (it comes apart fairly easily) and then just resolder those.

But I think the smallest wireloom might be a bit big for the single wires.

Your other option would be to order up some colored heatshrink tubing and just unsolder the cables and put in your own wire. Would look cool with some nice copper cable and some clear heat shrink.

If you have a Fry's anywhere near you they carry a nice selection of heatshrink in different colors.

[Justin @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

Ultimate Ears has been the leader in the professional, personal, in-ear monitor industry for years. They have just begun selling their products to the public...before, they just sold them to world-famous artists...

So HELLO!...you know they are good. I've heard a pair of these and they are amazing. Crisp, Clear, Comfortable. I don't mean to sound like an advertisement for UE, but if you don't check these out for yourself, you're missing out on the sound you should have with your electronic devices. I hate in-ear headphones because I have sensitive ears, but you really can't even feel these.

In my opinion, Ultimate Ears is far superior to Shure or Etymotic's, and I've been in the studio/digital mixing business for years. Don't take my word for it, check em out at any Apple store.

[Jag @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

If you're looking at these reviews to find a good set of in-ear, sound-canceling headphones, I would suggest any of Ultimate Ears' Super.fi products (especially over the competition), but their Super.fi 5Pro's are the best in the business. Period. You can't go wrong. The rule is, spend as much on headphones are you have on your electronic device...and the $249 5Pro's really are the ultimate.

[Mike Dias @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

Hi all,

I'm Mike with Ultimate Ears. Thank you for being interested in our earphones. That truly means a lot to all of us here at UE. I just wanted to let you know that our Super.fi 3 studio's are now available at a few select Costco locations. They are being sold there for $85 as opposed to the regular list price of $99.

Here is a listing of the locations:
Arlington
Clifton
Austin
Fresno
Irvine
San Luis Obispo
Seattle
Palm Beach Gardens
Phoenix
Naperville

Hope this helps,

Mike