Digital Trends

Ultimate Ears super.fi 5 August 26th, 2008 | by Mike Kobrin

Features and Design

The super.fi 5's are midsize canalphones with non-removable cables. They're not as sleek as lower-end Ultimate Ears models, and they're not freakishly large like the higher end super.fi's. The outsides of each earpiece are mirrored silver plastic, while the sides that sit closer to your ears are in black (left) and translucent red (right).

UE's cables feel sturdy, and their rigidity and cable slider keep them from tangling too easily. They're long enough to stretch easily from ears to pocket on a 6-foot-plus person, though NBA centers may need an extension. The gold-plated plug is iPhone 1.0-friendly and works with any 1/8th inch jack.

The package includes a quarter-inch adapter, a dual-mono airplane adapter, a cleaning tool, and a plastic flip-top carrying case, plus three extra sets of soft silicone eartips and two pairs of Comply foam tips.

Image Courtesy of Ultimate Ears

Sound Quality

Like its lower-priced siblings, the super.fi 5 has only a single driver per earpiece; it manages to squeeze out good sound, but not at the level of the dual-driver super.fi 5 Pro. We tested using Apple Lossless files on an iPod Touch at home, on a NYC subway, and on a 3.5-hour flight. 

Bela Bartok's Piano Concerto No. 1 (Sofia Philharmonic Orch.): Tympani had impact but were a bit thinner than we'd hoped for with $170 buds. Strings and higher-pitched percussion like cymbals were crisp, clear, and engaging. Piano was loud but slightly hollow.

John Coltrane's Blue Train: The bassist's notes are clear and well-defined, and the ensemble hits at the beginning don't turn to a muddy mess as they do with many cheaper headphones. The cymbals don't quite have that acoustic jazz sparkle, but they're clear enough. Horns sound pretty good, though they could use more warmth. Piano is again loud but a little hollow.

Marvin Gaye's What's Going On: The high-pitched upward sweep in the intro fades out quicker than it does on UE's . Conga and finger snaps come through very clear. Good overall balance between the band and vocals, though Marvin's voice gets a little muddy at higher volumes, which is fatiguing to listen to.

Primus's Tommy the Cat: Rock sounds pretty awesome on these buds. The bass drum lacks a little depth, but everything else in this tune is right in the sweet spot for the super.fi 5's.

OVERALL: The mids can sound a little tubby, but piano and male crooners tend to bring this out. Horns and vocals lack a little warmth. The bass doesn't extend down as far as the super.fi 5 Pro's does, but it does okay for the price. That's not so hot for big drums, deep electronic bass, or organ, but the UE's should get you through most music well enough. Highs are decent, but you'll get more high-end sparkle from Etymotic's headphones.

Comfort and Isolation

They go farther in your ear canals than most other UE headphones, but they're not as intrusive as models from Etymotic and Shure. The super.fi 5's ability to block out noise is disappointing compared with most models around this price, though it did take enough of the edge off trains and planes enough to let us enjoy our music in relative peace. Café's presented a bit more of a challenge, so we put in the foam tips, but the slight improvement failed to impress.

Walking around town, we immediately appreciated the ability to wear the cables over the tops of our ears, which eliminated the sound of the cable thumping against our body. We had no trouble listing for an hour at a time; the comfort level is excellent but the sound can get fatiguing.

Conclusion

The super.fi 5's are a good-looking set of headphones best-suited to casual listening while you isolate yourself from street or office noise. The sound is good but not quite up to the $170 price tag; we feel that these could be about $20 cheaper. In this price range, we recommend the Shure SE210 ($180) if you want better isolation and beefier bass, or Etymotic ER6i ($150) for crisper highs and more detail.




Pros:

• Good sound
• Cables can be worn over ears or down
• Comfortable

Cons:

• Mediocre isolation
• Pricey