• Register  |  
• Login  |  
•   Advanced Search 

I really love these IEM's. I believe in burn-in and I really do think they helped on these. After about 20 hours or so of burn-in, the bass did tend to loosen up and give a little more punch, but nothing that's too exciting, or the kind of bass that makes your head throb, there's as much bass there, maybe a little less, then the artist intended. Even though bass is lacking, they are brought back to life by the quality of mids and highs they produce, which I think are the Super.fi 3's strong point. I will go ahead and say that these headphones would be excellent for Jazz, Classical, and then genres such as Hip-Hop and R&B because the bass is really controlled in these genres, it's not overbearing, but it seems just right in my opinion. As for fit issues, I wear glasses, so at first I thought this would be an issue, but since the Super.fi's have "memory wire" I can shape them around my ears so they won't rub against my glasses, and they still fit comfortably. I use the large silicone tips and I think they give good isolation, to me the foam tips are a bit small for my ears. Other notes I would like to make is that I like the fact that Ultimate Ears makes these IEM's with a user replacable cable and a 2 year warranty. I do worry that if I use the "memory wire" too much that it might snap, or leave a crack in the wiring.

I generally like these IEMs. the other review is correct, there needs to be burn in time for the bass to loosen up. But, even though it is better when it does loosen up it still doesn't meet my standards. The impact for an IEM is hard to do and the bass impact for this IEM is not great either. The bass quality is very decent for this headphone, It felt accurate enough to not be painful. The mids and highs were ok, actually without an amplifier the highs were very recessed, to tell you the truth I would not use these headphones unless I had a mini amp, I just have better headphones with me. I do appreciate the fact that IEMs have much better isolation than anything that I have, I appreciate that for my hearing, I go into a crowded bus and I hear nothing from the other people around me. They are small enough, and they have a cool case so I carry them around in that. I drop them, a good amount so they have passed my durability test. They are so improved with amplification it is not even funny, they may even be more improved with amplification than my Sennheiser 595s, not that the end sound is comparable. I strongly recommend having a headphone amplifier if you will buy these, my Headroom mini amp works well. Overall I paid 69.95 for these babies and I am happy with that, they are not great quality but, these are my most isolating phones at the moment and that makes me happy.

So your tired of your dime size i-Pod earphones falling out of your ears, or the pain caused by trying to get them into the ‘just right’ listening position. Besides, ever since you cranked that rockin version of your favorite tune, the left one just doesn’t sound right anymore. So you venture out into the mind numbing world of headphones and earphones, noise canceling, ear buds, in the ear, over the ear, over the head, behind the neck, and that’s not even all of it. Well, hopefully my words here can help you in your journey to better listening and comfort. I, not wanting the big, ‘hey check me out’ headphone look, decided to foray into the world of ‘in the ear’ design. I know some of you may be saying right now, ‘I don’t know about putting something in my ear’ well I to had some opportunity in shaking my childhood pediatricians waning of “never put anything in you ear except your elbow”. So with that being said, after all my research I decided to look hard at and eventually purchase a pair from Ultimate Ears Super.fi line (ultimateears.com). As makers of custom molded earpieces for the likes of U2, Madonna, and an absolute plethora of others I figured they must know what they’re doing.
I decided to purchase the entry level product in their Super.fi line. The Super.fi 3 Studio can be found for between 70-80 dollars online. The colors available are white, black, and clear (available exclusively at Guitar Center). The packaging was fine, a bear to rip into. The look is attractive when compared to other options in this arena. The Universal Fit Kit with small, medium, and large single flange, one pair dual flange silicone ear pieces and one pair of foam ear pieces provides the opportunity to fit all ear types. Once you find the best fit for your ear type your ready to fire up your player of choice. Point of reference here, in case you chose not to read the directions, you will want to start at a low volume as the Super.fi’s in the ear design will greatly increase, not only the quality but also the quantity of the music you will hear.
On to the sound. So the first thing that you may notice is that you cannot hear the two ladies sitting near you on your mass transit ride into the city chatting about their grandchildren’s latest accomplishments. But what was that sound? Well it honestly may have been a guitar pick hitting the floor of the studio where the album you are listening to was recorded. Yes, it’s true you will now hear all the nuances of your music. You may notice that the music is a bit bright at first, but resist a hasty snap to judgment on this point, and give them about a week. The sound will soften and the bass will settle in nicely.
One of my favorite features of the Super.fi line is the cords. At 46” they are plenty long; there is also a nice slide to tuck up under your chin or behind your head to take the weight off of the earpieces themselves. Also, the cords are replaceable. Thanks to a thoughtful design by UE, the cords plug into the earpieces via a 2 pin connection. So rest easy as the most common failure point in any ear phone is the cord, and thanks to UE’s experience and forethought, if you do need to replace your cord you can purchase replacements for 20 dollars instead of trashing the whole set. Thanks for the ingenuity UE!
In conclusion, if you are in the market for a new, improved listening experience for your player, and want to come in slow as opposed to spending the hundreds of dollars that can easily be spent here. The UE Super.fi 3 Studio is an excellent choice. Superb sound over your stock earphones, tons of experience behind the product, and a price that will not make you hands tremble. Keep an eye out for my review of the ‘Dual Driver’ UE Super.fi 5 Pro’s, the other end of the Super.fi line, and something that you may want to consider once your appetite grows for the high quality listening experience.