Ultimate Ears rolls out top-firing Super.Fi 5 earphones

It looks like those still on the hunt for that perfect pair of sub-$200 earphones now have a rather intriguing new option to consider from Ultimate Ears, which has just rolled out its new Super.Fi 5 and Super.Fi 5vi models that boast a top-fire-armature speaker design -- the first such buds on the market. In addition to that stand-out feature, both sets pack a frequency response range of 15 Hz to 15 kHz and a top sound pressure level of 115 dB, while the Super.Fi 5vi adds a mic to mix to let you use 'em with your phone of choice. You'll also get three interchangeable soft-silicone ear tips and two Comply foam ear tips with each to ensure just the right fit and, of course, a carrying case to keep 'em in pristine shape. If those sound like the buds you've been looking for, you can grab either the Super.Fi 5 or Super.Fi 5vi right now for $170 and $190, respectively.

[Via I4U News]

[eggothewaffle @ Nov 19th 2008 2:16PM]

Hey guys, earbuds provide great sound quality and you should totally spend $170 or more on them.

Why else would everyone be wearing them?

[Coolty @ Nov 19th 2008 2:18PM]

I like your style.

[YpoCaramel @ Nov 19th 2008 2:21PM]

You do realize the huge differences in the drivers between these, more commonly known as IEMs, from common earbuds, right?

[eggothewaffle @ Nov 19th 2008 2:25PM]

It's meaningless if the acoustic space they're projecting into is terrible (or in this case, doesn't exist).

Unless you really dig that kind of sound.

I sure as hell don't; I don't mix in that environment so why would I want to listen to music in that environment?

[telepheedian @ Nov 19th 2008 2:31PM]

They project directly into your ear canal, are saying your ears are terrible/don't exist?

[eggothewaffle @ Nov 19th 2008 2:32PM]

Yes, that is *exactly* what I'm saying.

[jollyllama @ Nov 19th 2008 2:35PM]

Um... Possibly because listening to open-back cans on the bus is impractical both for portabilility and politeness?

[eggothewaffle @ Nov 19th 2008 2:41PM]

Riding the bus is impractical and impolite in general!

[lowdef @ Nov 19th 2008 3:04PM]

you are just a regular acoustical engineer aren't you??? awww shucks...

[John @ Nov 19th 2008 3:21PM]

I haven't laughed at Engadget commentry in years. High ranks for all!

[UnixSystemsEngineer @ Nov 19th 2008 4:43PM]

egothewaffle,

What, like you get a better soundstage with your drivers a half inch from your ears instead of inside the ear canal? Get real.

IEM's sound way better than any other type of personal listening device I've ever tried.

[Shinigami @ Nov 20th 2008 2:57AM]

People! Please note:

if impedance is lower than 30 ohms (approx, my other headphones had more than 30ohms, and there was no issue, these have 23ohms), it possibly makes a weird sound the moment you connect it to a turned on device. This thing happens to my Super.fi 5 pro when I connect it to iPod, or when I connect it to my PC speaker system. But if I turn the device off, there is absolutely no sound.

This sound is hard to hear if there is any ambient noise, but my room is usually nearly totally quiet at night and this sound makes things rather annoying.

Other than that these are the best headphones I've ever used.

My recommendation: listen to headphones in a quiet room with the device you intend to use them with before buying.

[Flaystus @ Nov 19th 2008 2:18PM]

I just can't see spending that kind of cash on earphones. My apple set is a bit small, fix that problem and they are fine.

[Dan @ Nov 19th 2008 2:24PM]

Exactly, I guess I don’t take my music listening that seriously… I would never pay that much for earbuds.

[G. I. @ Nov 19th 2008 2:30PM]

You are morons.

[NHAnimator @ Nov 19th 2008 2:36PM]

Well then, you can count me in with the morons. The most I would ever pay for headphones is $50-$75. And I'd like a least a little noise-canceling for around that price.

[From My Cube @ Nov 19th 2008 2:43PM]

I used to be in the same boat, then i bout a pair of V-moda vibes...compared to the Apple phones its like going from driving a chevy to a BMW

[UnixSystemsEngineer @ Nov 19th 2008 4:44PM]

So buy the cheapest Shure or UltimateEars or whatever for $99. Worth the money.

[iSpy @ Nov 19th 2008 2:22PM]

fail

[Cybergypsy @ Nov 19th 2008 2:24PM]

Fail,, big time

[Robot @ Nov 19th 2008 2:26PM]

15kHz? Seriously? I suppose if you listen to them at their max. output (115 dB), that's all you'll be able to hear up to anyway.

Certainly not about to pay that price for underperformance in frequency response. That's bad enough to audibly choke out cymbals and all of the fake high-end added to crappy pop singers' voices. Uh...not that I listen to crappy pop singers.

[Miguel @ Nov 19th 2008 4:07PM]

I'm an amateur audio engineer, and regularly mix on professional Mackie boards (one 16-channel and one 32-channel). The frequency range on the EQ knobs? 13kHz. Yeah. For in-ear buds (which are NEVER going to give you the sound quality of over-ear cans, or heck, even on-ear phones), 15kHz is more than acceptable range. If I had $250 lying around, I'd buy the Super.Fi 5 Pros (with a passive cross-fader that splits the low-end from the mids and highs to dedicated drivers). This is a good buy for the audiophile.

[Robot @ Nov 19th 2008 4:31PM]

Well, for what it's worth, I'm a professional audio engineer. The frequency indicated on the equalizer section of a console is only that which you can affect with that circuit, and in no way indicates the frequency response of the device itself. Look up the specs on your mixer, and you will find that it probably goes up to or near 20kHz, the textbook upper limit for human hearing (most people can't hear quite that high, though there is evidence that humans can perceive the effects of frequencies well beyond 20kHz).

Though perhaps not comparable to professional open-backed headphones, well-built in-ear monitors can actually produce fantastic results. I haven't heard these earphones, so perhaps they do sound good overall, but 15kHz is really not acceptable for that price; I once had a pair of $75 Sony's (which broke, go with in-ears made for stage use) that went well past 20kHz.

That being said, most everyone who purchases these will use them to listen to compressed, bandwidth-limited audio files such as MP3's anyway. The storage capacity of DAPs has gotten so massive that hopefully the average consumer will begin using higher quality files, such as WAV or AIFF...try it and see what kind of difference you notice.

[gonintendo @ Nov 19th 2008 4:41PM]

well, my $20 skullcandy smokin buds get 20khz.

[noyp @ Nov 19th 2008 9:02PM]

Specifications don't really matter for headphones. They probably aren't even true for a lot of them. It's what it sounds like that matters.

[feng @ Nov 19th 2008 11:27PM]

Robot, what's the model number for 20kHz Sony's?
Would really like to try them out.

[bob sakamano @ Nov 19th 2008 2:32PM]

i don't get these.. the cords don't connect? the length of the cable in the picture isn't long enough to even reach my ears from my ipod!

[ZaxCG2 @ Nov 19th 2008 2:32PM]

Seriously? No.

[web2.oh @ Nov 19th 2008 2:43PM]

ATTN: Morons posting comments here

These are not comparable to the cheap earbuds that came with your MP3 player. These are in-ear-monitors, sometimes called canalphones. This style of headphones actually go into the ear canal (kind of like a pair of earplugs), providing very good sound quality and superb sound isolation. IEMs are the best out there for portable headphones. There are sub-$100 models and even $1000+ models (custom molded to fit your ear) available.

That said, I can't say how these specific IEMs compare to others, and IEMs certainly aren't suited for everyone. Getting them to fit properly can be tricky depending on the brand and design, and sometimes the sound isolation they provide can be too much. Good for a noisy train ride, not so safe walking down a busy street!

[Brando @ Nov 19th 2008 3:01PM]

And now for something completely different...

[DC @ Nov 19th 2008 3:10PM]

And I should heed the words of someone who has chosen a picture of a guy sitting on a toilet for their reader icon because...why?

[NoFi @ Nov 19th 2008 3:15PM]

Though I do agree IEMs are a very good choice for portable headphones due to their size, they are in no way "the best out there"
Quality wise you would want an open-air headphone (what most professional sound engineers use when studio monitors aren't accessible). An excellent choice is a not so well known brand called Grado. They might not have the most recent design, but if you are truly intersted in quality they simply can't be beat for the price. Their SR60s or 80s would be a great choice as far as value goes. For 60$ and they undoubtable beat this in terms of sound. Sennheiser also makes some very quality cans, both brands are really good to look at if your in the market. These are no contest for any IEM due to their overall design, not to mention IEMs are notorious for lack of soundstaging. I've owned several IEMs myself, as well as open-air headphones and as far as sound quality, and build quality (ive had half of all the IEMs i've bought go bad whereas i've never had any issues with open-air headphones) they are really some of the best.

Although I do certainly agree there is no contest as far as sound isolation goes, but that has always been a bit of a crapshoot anyways as "sound isolation" is a very relative term and has really become more of a marketing buzzword lately. I don't know about you but i'd sacrifice being able to hear a little bit of what's happening around me for real quality any day.

[web2.oh @ Nov 19th 2008 8:01PM]

@ NoFi:
Great post, but remember I never claimed that IEMs are the absolute best, I specifically said that IEMs are the best out there for *PORTABLE* headphones. Grado and Sennheiser do make great cans (I've got a pair of HD280s, love em' to pieces), but they certainly aren't pocketable like my Shure EC2s. :-)

@ DC:
It's a guy sitting on the toilet tapping away at his cellphone, which I feel is very much in the spirit of this site. It's actually from an ad for Opera Mobile.

[unFi @ Nov 19th 2008 2:59PM]

Sound = god.
Good sound = better god.

You do want a better god don't you?

[y2julio @ Nov 19th 2008 3:00PM]

Ultimate Ears make GREAT in-ear-canal buds.

[julie @ Nov 19th 2008 3:08PM]

Ultimate Ears cords shred within 2 months....

[sixtyfps @ Nov 19th 2008 3:14PM]

You want isolation? I can hear my pulse during quieter passages when I'm wearing my Ultimate Ears, and even the 80 bucks I spent on that model yielded excellent sound after a proper fitting (It came with several sizes of silicone tips). Like other commenters say, please don't think canalphones/IEMs are comparable to loose-fitting earbuds.

[EB @ Nov 19th 2008 3:15PM]

The only headphones, of which, you can hear yourself (piped through the headphones), are the original stock apple iPhone earbuds. That means with all other headphones you'll have to pull it off one ear to hear yourself speak. Nobody ever mentions this.

[danroderic @ Nov 20th 2008 5:29AM]

which headphones do i have to buy so i don't hear YOU speak?

[Gaze @ Nov 19th 2008 3:19PM]

I wonder what people's reactions would be when they visit head-fi and see discussions where people are pondering whether to go for midrange ($150-200) IEMs or the top of the line (~$500) ones.

[unFi @ Nov 19th 2008 3:42PM]

They'd become angry with resentment.

Then they'd submit to their consumer programing as I did and buy a pair of AKG 701s and wonder if the 99.99% oxygen free cable was enough or if upping it to 99.999% was worth the extra $300 meanwhile applying for food stamps to offset it a little.

[Gaze @ Nov 19th 2008 4:41PM]

I am sure the music must have sounded a little more neutral when decreasing the oxygen, just like the musicians must have wanted it to (as if we know how they wanted it to sound)!

[noyp @ Nov 19th 2008 9:04PM]

Sennheiser Orpheus FTW!!!!!

[Dan @ Nov 19th 2008 3:40PM]

I have been using them for about a month for when i go to the gym. I got the vi ones with the microphone because i have an iphone and it works great. I really enjoy them. The foam buds are awesome. Only thing is when i sometimes lean on the button when i work out it pauses the music on me. Understand that these were not made for working out with thought they fit my needs as being a high end headphone that has iphone capabilities.

[dM @ Nov 19th 2008 3:45PM]

15KHz is an honest figure reflecting real world measurements. Kudos to Super.Fi and seriously those of you who don't know anything about anything, why bother letting us all in on your secret?

http://www.headphone.com/technical/product-measurements/build-a-graph.php?graphType=0&graphID[]=711

[dM @ Nov 19th 2008 3:47PM]

That's the response curve for the Shure E530's which are $400 IEM's and very highly regarded.

[Robot @ Nov 19th 2008 5:39PM]

...and, though I know firsthand that E530's sound excellent, they are not made for listening to playback devices, and are built so well for stage use to the point of being inappropriate for consumer use, which a Shure representative will tell you just as I've heard them tell others. Who needs to hear anything above 15kHz on stage at a 20,000 seat arena?

I'm sure Super.Fi makes great stuff, but this is clearly targeted at those with phones they use as DAPs (note the microphone in the vi model) and reasonably large incomes, and not at those who are knowledgeable and wanting the best quality for the price.

Go back to Full Sail and save your bitchy comments for gearslutz.com.

[Jeebus @ Nov 19th 2008 3:46PM]

Are these better or worse than the Super.Fi.5 Pro, which have been around for a while?

[JAY JAY @ Nov 19th 2008 4:20PM]

BASS!!!

[Unique Gift Ideas @ Nov 19th 2008 5:05PM]

I have a pair of really good headphones, but I see where most of the people in this thread are coming from when they say that they would never pay that much for a pair of headphones. I'm sure $200 headphones don't make THAT much of a difference to the average Joe who downloads his crappy radio-pop at 128 kbit/s. If sound quality actually matters to you, then stock iPod headphones are way out of the question.