Product Description

Ultimate Ears SUPER.Fi 5 uses the same speaker and sound signature used in our professional monitors. It offers the most detailed and sonically rich experience when listening to all type of musical genres. The top fire armature produces a detailed and full soundstage. The metallic silver body with UE logo is stylish, low profile and ideal for a person on the go. The earphones are color coded and makes for easy left and right identification. Cables can be worn down for casual listening or over the ear for active lifestyles. Accessories include three sizes of soft silicone ear tips, 2 sets of Comply foam ear tips, cleaning tool and a pocket ready pebble-shaped case.

Product Details

• Color: Silver
• Brand: Ultimate Ears
• Model: IF-P5SSM0001-02
• Dimensions: 2.64" h x 5.63" w x 6.61" l, .3 pounds

Features

• Noise isolating design and customizable ear tips maximize noise isolation from the environment and allows the listener to listen at lower volumes
• Innovative top fire armature speaker produces powerful and extended high definition sound
• Ultra low profile and lightweight for comfort and fit. Color coded housing for easy left and right identification
• Universal fit kit including silicone ear tips Comply foam ear tips and cleaning tool
• Pebble shaped pocket ready carrying case

From the Manufacturer
From the Manufacturer

The Choice of 75% of the World's Top Touring Musicians*

The world's top performing artists choose Ultimate Ears custom in-ear monitors for one reason—they are made to deliver the best fit and sound reproduction available. Ultimate Ears represents the culmination of years of experience designing, testing and refining professional in-ear monitors. Ultimate Ears brings this experience to every pair of earphones that they make. The unique sound signature of Ultimate Ears earphones has been tuned to be sonically accurate, yet musically impressive. The earphone designs and ear cushions create a soft, snug seal for long wearing comfort and noise isolation. And Ultimate Ears' sleek, refined designs complement your personal style—instead of overwhelming it.

Ultimate Ears SuperFi 5 – Fit, form and frequency. The unique top fire balanced armature speaker design gives you the flexibility to fit any situation the moment you plug in. Wear them down to listen casually or over the ear while you're exercising. Either way, you're hearing nothing but a clean and clear, well-rounded sound.

		Premium Quality Sound Single Top Fire Balanced Armature Speaker Design Custom tuned top fire balanced armature speaker design gives you a snug and secure fit while producing a more extended high-frequency response and a full sound stage. Immersion Sound Signature: Exclusive Immersion sound signature is tuned to provide a 3-D sound stage that makes you feel as though you are experiencing the quality, energy and emotion of a live performance. Noise Isolation: Armature speaker design allows the earphones to fit naturally and comfortably inside your ear to create a more secure seal to block outside noise by up to 26 dB. Frequency Range: Broader frequency range of 15Hz – 20kHz delivers cleaner, clearer mid and high tones.
		Personal Style Finish: Liquid silver earphone color with black cord provides an extra hit of style. Improved Comfort Better Fit for Active Listening: Ergonomically designed earphone housing can be worn down for casual listening or over the ear while exercising. Perfect for the gym, jogging or running. Comply Foam Ear Cushions: Comply foam ear cushions provide maximum comfort and noise isolation. Available only on Ultimate Ears premium earphone models. Soft Silicone Ear Cushions: Includes small, medium and large silicone ear cushions to comfortably fit all ear sizes.

Convenient Features Flexible Listening: Can be worn comfortably down for casual listening situations such as sitting or walking, or can be worn over the ear to keep the earphones securely in place during running or exercising. Tangle-Resistant Cord: Durable cord is strong and does not tangle as easily as thinner ear bud cords. Cord length of 46” is specifically designed to prevent earphone fallout. Pocket-Ready Hard Case: Black flip-top pocket-ready hard case safely stores your earphones and slips easily into a pocket or bag.

Compatibility Audio Players* iPod and other MP3 players iPhone and Blackberry (audio only) Home audio Gaming consoles Video/portable DVD players Computers/laptops *with 3.5mm jacks

What's in the Box Ultimate Ears SuperFi 5 earphones Pocket-ready hard case Soft, silicone ear cushions (S, M, L) Two sets of Comply foam ear cushions Cleaning tool Instruction manual 1-year limited hardware warranty

Find Your Ultimate Ears

Good

Better

Best

Model

Speaker Design

Noise Isolation

Comfort Features

Compatibility

		TripleFi 10	Triple Armature Speaker Full 3D Sound Stage, Closest Experience to Our Custom In-Ear Monitors	26 dB	Comply Foam & Silicone Ear Cushions Shapeable Cord for a Secure Custom Fit	Audio: iPod, iPhone, & MP3 Voice & Audio: (vi Version): iPhone, Blackberry and other Smart Phones
		Ultimate Ears 700	Dual Armature Speaker Optimized Frequency Response for More Precise Audio Reproduction & Punchy Bass	26 dB	Comply Foam & Tapered Silicone Ear Cushions Micro Design for Long Wearing Comfort	Audio: iPod, iPhone & MP3
		SuperFi 5	Single Top Fire Armature Speaker Extended High Frequency Response	26 dB	Comply Foam & Silicone Ear Cushions	Audio: iPod, iPhone, & MP3 Voice & Audio: (vi Version): iPhone, Blackberry and other Smart Phones
		SuperFi 4	Single Armature Speaker Crisp Full Sound & Improved Noise Isolation	26 dB	Comply Foam & Silicone Ear Cushions	Audio: iPod, iPhone & MP3
		MetroFi 220	Single Titanium Coated Diaphragm Speaker Authentic Sound with Improved Clarity	16 dB	Silicone Ear Cushions	Audio: iPod, iPhone, & MP3 Voice & Audio: (vi Version): iPhone, Blackberry and other Smart Phones
		MetroFi 170	Single Diaphragm Speaker Tuned for Authentic Sound Quality	16 dB	Silicone Ear Cushions	Audio: iPod, iPhone, & MP3 Voice & Audio: (vi Version): iPhone, Blackberry and other Smart Phones

*Pollstar Top 100 Touring Artists.

Customer Reviews

Great Headphones
I am not an audiophile, but my previous headphones were the Ultimate Ears' Super.Fi 3 and these are much crisper in sound. I went through a pair of wires for the super.fi 3 and instead of buying a third set, I decided to upgrade to Super.Fi 5. Most of the review concentrates on comparing both.

The cable is much more delicate but it allows the wires to be wrapped much more easily. This may be a problem at the gym, but I have yet to try. It is also a lot shorter than the Super.Fi 3.

The package did not come with any booklet (the Super.fi 3 did) and the headphone case is pretty pathetic for what you pay. It looks like a dental floss package w/o the floss inside. The Super.Fi 3 came in a nice aluminum(?) or metallic-feeling case, but it scratched pretty easily. It was also bigger.

You are also given a set of four different-sized pairs of rubber buds, a pair of foam buds, a cleaner, and a spare foam bud. Unlike the Super.Fi 3 as well, there isn't a set of staggered buds.

I am happy with my purchase, but it was twice the price I paid for the Super.Fi 3. If you aren't an audiophile, and budget is a concern, you can probably get away w/ the Super.Fi 3. But I made the change and there is a pretty significant difference in sound quality.

Very good, not great
First the good: excellent midrange resolution. Much, much better than the typical earbuds included with portable electronics. The midrange is also free of obvious frequency aberrations. The low impedance makes them very easy to drive, i.e., they will play loudly from pretty much any electronics. (Please don't play too loudly. Once damaged, the lost hearing doesn't come back.)

Now the bad: top end is pretty severely rolled off. Extreme low end is also rolled off. Low end is a bit muddy. The SuperFi.5 is good, but not as good as I expected.

The foam and Silicone earpieces sound very different. The foam is less clear. My best guess would be that they either dampen the sound in the ear canal differently or they point the sound tube differently with respect to the eardrum. The foam has much greater attenuation of external sounds.

As another reviewer noted, the cable handling noise is pretty severe. This means that vibrations and physical impacts on the cable are audible through the earphones.

What range of sounds is produced is very good, but the frequency extremes are lacking and the top end in particular is peaky at certain frequencies and missing at others. A frequency response graph would probably show this pretty clearly.

My reference is the Sennheiser HD600 played over Cardas cable from a Pioneer Elite source, improved Assemblage DAC-3 DAC and Headroom headphone amplifier. See [...] for details.

Update: The SuperFi.5 sounds better for me when worn with the armature body up and cable over the ear. Instrument sounds are more natural. It seems that the ear pieces are significantly deeper in my ear canal that way too. This probably depends somewhat on the shape of your pinna (outer ear) and ear canal. Cable handling noise also seems decreased since the cable is up and out of the way, though over the ear cable routing is a little less convenient to me.

If the earpieces are deeper when worn armature up, then the sound levels are higher, so that's a confounding factor in evaluating sound quality. Sound intensity falls off as the inverse square of distance, and even small differences in sound level make an enormous difference in perception.

Beautiful - simply beautiful (if worn correctly)
I wanted to upgrade from my Sennheiser CX-300, which I enjoyed for the past year, but I knew that better sound was possible. I bought these after much research. I was willing to pay more than this and was considering the UE 700 and several Shure models, but several comparison reviews convinced me that these would be the best price/performance choice.

When they arrived and I tried them, I was initially disappointed. They sounded a bit better than the CX-300, but not $100 better, and they were lacking the bass of the CX-300.

Ok, I thought, live and learn. Later in the day I was looking through the reviews here and saw Jeffrey Chan's comment that "The SuperFi.5 sounds better for me when worn with the armature body up and cable over the ear". I tried that, and WOW! For me, this position was perfect for creating the proper seal.

Suddenly these sounded incredibly better than the CX-300. There was plenty of base (but not at all muddy). Instrumentals and vocals were crisp and clear, even at the lowest listening levels. Separation between instruments is distinct and spacious. The sound isolation is excellent.

Since then (about a week ago), I've been listening to music from several genres and several decades, hearing subtleties I had never heard before. It is like musically, everything old is new again.

Bottom line - if these don't sound gorgeous, they aren't correctly positioned or sealed in your ear.