Found this pretty good review on the website. Anyway here goes.
Fast forward a year, and Ultimate Ears is now offering several universal fit models at substantially lower price points, which are marketed under their super.fi line. Today I will be taking a look at their super.fi 3 Studio Earphones, which are available in white, black and a clear model that is offered exclusively through Guitar Center.
This packaging is a bear to open…GRRRR
Included in the Ultimate Ears (UE) package are the earphones, a soft leather travel case, a cleaning tool, five sets of various sized eartips, and a user guide.
People and their ears come in so many sizes, so it makes sense that there wouldn’t really be a simple way to provide a “universal” fit, especially if yours is a company used to only dealing in custom fitting ear pieces. With proper fit in mind, UE includes a large selection of eartips in this starter kit. Included are a set of small, medium and large single flange silicone tips, a set of dual tip dual flange silicone tips and a set of foam. It’s possible that one type tip might feel better in one ear, and another might feel better in the other. Having a selection like this makes it easier to mix and match. Since these items will eventually wear out, once the tip that provides the best fit is chosen additional pieces may be ordered from the super.fi accessories page.
I decided I best liked the single flange silicone eartips, so that is the pair I wore for much of the review process.
The 1/8″ (3.5mm) input tip is gold plated, which is important because gold will not corrode or oxidize as will other common metals. The removable earphone cable is 46″ long, which allows the music player to be stowed in just about any pocket on the user or their backpack.
A cleaning tool is provided because over time, unless the wearer is a freak of nature, ear wax will accumulate in each earphone’s ear conductor. Using the cleaning tool to keep the conductor unobstructed is the way to guarantee that the Studio 3’s sound quality is kept as good as when they were new.
The leather travel case is handy for those that like to keep their kit neat when not in use; I should confess that I generally just wrap my cable around the player.
So let’s take a look at the earphones themselves…
Because these are in-ear speakers, they do have inherent noise isolating properties. In direct comparison to the other previously mentioned earphones that I have reviewed, I felt that the 3 Studios let in a little bit more background noise than the others had when music was playing on lower levels. While this might not be as desirable on a long flight with a chatty seatmate, it is probably better for daily use, since people will not have to jump in front of the wearer to grab their attention. However, if the music is turned up past about 50% on an iPod, the wearer is not going to hear anything else going on around them. At lower levels, outside sounds are definitely dulled if not entirely muted.
The proper method of wearing these earphones is a little bit different than what I am used to, because instead of going directly into the ear at the most obvious angle – where the stem of the earphone hangs downward, the 3 Studio is meant to be worn with its stem pointing upward. The clear plastic casing around the wire directly exiting the earphone is meant to be molded to fit over the wearer’s ear. Proper placement in ear is achieved in this manner…
Yes, I admit that I was wearing them wrong at first, but I finally read the manual. ;0)
Once the earphones are in place, the cables can either hang in front or behind the wearer. I found them to be more comfortable hanging behind. Music coming through the earphones was as good as I expected. Since wearing in-ear headphones, I have become accustomed to hearing all of the background noises sometimes missed on music tracks when they are played over a conventional speaker system: muffled voices, quiet laughter in the background, whispered words before the beginning of a song, things like that. With an in-ear speaker, all is heard.
Music heard through the Studio 3s sounds quite good. Perhaps partly due to the player’s equalizer setting (pop), bass was thumping, vocals were clear and high notes were crisp and clean. All in all, I was very pleased with the sound produced through the
I thought it was interesting that when directly comparing the fit of the Studio 3s to the Etymotic 6is, the Studio 3s didn’t seem to feel like they were as deeply positioned in my ear canal. I am not sure if that is a good or bad thing, it’s just something I noticed. The fit of the Studio 3s is definitely secure, so it’s not like I ever felt that they were loose or that they might fall out.
Overall, I am quite satisfied with the fit and performance of the Studio 3s. Considering that they are a third less expensive than the other two in-ear headsets I have reviewed from similar professional in-ear monitor manufacturers, makes them an excellent value in my opinion.
There you go.. review on super fi 3 from different website computed together! =]
