Aceospades1250
02-15-2006, 11:49 AM
Here is my review of the UE super.fi 3 Studio...Kinda long but will answer some questions to the people considering them...
Enjoy!
I picked up a pair of these IEMs at a local CompUSA after returning my (painful and disappointing) Shure e2cs. I was looking for a balanced, comfortable, and comparably priced IEM for daily use. And, after going through 3 pairs of headphones and IEMS, I finally found one that I like.
First Impressions
When you first (try to) open these up, you will notice how soundly the packaging is sealed. This is typical for upper end headphones in the $99+ range, but I found these to be incredibly difficult to open. I found that running a thin guitar pick around the edges of the package to “break the seal” works the best, though if you don’t play guitar a sharp pocket knife will do. When you finally get into the packaging, you will find the headphones, manual, leather case, and the fit kit. The kit is excellent, with over 10 different pieces to choose from. The headphones themselves are soundly built, but slightly plasicky. The cable is thin and small but well built in comparison to the Sony EX-71.
Sound
As with all IEMs, this section is very subjective to your ear shape, size, and sensitivity. One of my friends said he heard basically no difference from the EX-71, yet another commented that they were tinny and lacked bass. For me, the sound is very balanced, with pronounced mids and highs and punchy but never thumpy bass. Listening to Paul McCartney’s “Chaos and Creation in the Backyard” revealed subtle details hidden by cheaper headphones. Listening to Green Day’s Insomniac revealed that Mike’s bass has a slight edge to it, something I had never heard in his bass before. Acoustic guitars spring back to life, and vocals are clear and loud.
The Bass Issue
Unfortunately, it seems that single-driver phones tend to pronounce certain aspects of their sound and recess other parts of it. For instance, the Sony EX-71s pronounce the highs and lows but recess the mids. The Shures have a good low end and mids but highs are severely rolled off. The super.fi 3s have a very clear sound, but they are slightly lacking in bass. This is not always a bad thing, since bass will never be overpowering. The step up (super.fi 5) has a considerable step up in bass richness and clarity due to the dual drivers.
Appearance
Many IEMs follow the “stick out of the ear” approach, and these are no exception. Many find them to be painful to sleep in, and I second this notion. Do not under any circumstances try to wear these while sleeping. It creates a horrible pressure inside your ear from your pillow pressing against the headphones. Many people also find these ugly in your ears. Though this isn’t an issue for me since I have hair that covers my ears, it looks a bit odd when in public. This would be the only reason I would get black, is so I could hide it in my hair. The headphones themselves look a bit plasticky, but they feel very strong, much more than the fragile ER*6i. The left and right markers are marked on the top of the casing in the same color as the shell, which could bring up a problem for people with bad eyesight. The clear version is rather ugly from a distance, but up close it is very interesting to look at. You can see the different colored wires and it looks very much like universal fit version of the UE-10.
Comfort
These headphones are among the most comfortable IEMs I have ever felt. The flanges are almost identical to the Sonys, except each size is one larger than the Sonys. The added comfort of no cord weight on your ears is a plus due to the great ear loops.
Enjoy!
I picked up a pair of these IEMs at a local CompUSA after returning my (painful and disappointing) Shure e2cs. I was looking for a balanced, comfortable, and comparably priced IEM for daily use. And, after going through 3 pairs of headphones and IEMS, I finally found one that I like.
First Impressions
When you first (try to) open these up, you will notice how soundly the packaging is sealed. This is typical for upper end headphones in the $99+ range, but I found these to be incredibly difficult to open. I found that running a thin guitar pick around the edges of the package to “break the seal” works the best, though if you don’t play guitar a sharp pocket knife will do. When you finally get into the packaging, you will find the headphones, manual, leather case, and the fit kit. The kit is excellent, with over 10 different pieces to choose from. The headphones themselves are soundly built, but slightly plasicky. The cable is thin and small but well built in comparison to the Sony EX-71.
Sound
As with all IEMs, this section is very subjective to your ear shape, size, and sensitivity. One of my friends said he heard basically no difference from the EX-71, yet another commented that they were tinny and lacked bass. For me, the sound is very balanced, with pronounced mids and highs and punchy but never thumpy bass. Listening to Paul McCartney’s “Chaos and Creation in the Backyard” revealed subtle details hidden by cheaper headphones. Listening to Green Day’s Insomniac revealed that Mike’s bass has a slight edge to it, something I had never heard in his bass before. Acoustic guitars spring back to life, and vocals are clear and loud.
The Bass Issue
Unfortunately, it seems that single-driver phones tend to pronounce certain aspects of their sound and recess other parts of it. For instance, the Sony EX-71s pronounce the highs and lows but recess the mids. The Shures have a good low end and mids but highs are severely rolled off. The super.fi 3s have a very clear sound, but they are slightly lacking in bass. This is not always a bad thing, since bass will never be overpowering. The step up (super.fi 5) has a considerable step up in bass richness and clarity due to the dual drivers.
Appearance
Many IEMs follow the “stick out of the ear” approach, and these are no exception. Many find them to be painful to sleep in, and I second this notion. Do not under any circumstances try to wear these while sleeping. It creates a horrible pressure inside your ear from your pillow pressing against the headphones. Many people also find these ugly in your ears. Though this isn’t an issue for me since I have hair that covers my ears, it looks a bit odd when in public. This would be the only reason I would get black, is so I could hide it in my hair. The headphones themselves look a bit plasticky, but they feel very strong, much more than the fragile ER*6i. The left and right markers are marked on the top of the casing in the same color as the shell, which could bring up a problem for people with bad eyesight. The clear version is rather ugly from a distance, but up close it is very interesting to look at. You can see the different colored wires and it looks very much like universal fit version of the UE-10.
Comfort
These headphones are among the most comfortable IEMs I have ever felt. The flanges are almost identical to the Sonys, except each size is one larger than the Sonys. The added comfort of no cord weight on your ears is a plus due to the great ear loops.