Ultimate Ears - Super.fi 5

My ear buds are jealous. Three weeks ago Blake handed me a set of Super.fi 5's by Ultimate Ears. He had a pair of the pro's and wanted me to give the economy model a test run. For years Ultimate Ears (a Logitech company) has been making quality in ear monitors for music professionals. Their endorsements look more like a Lolla schedule than a resume, and their website doesn't skimp on celebrity mug shots to prove it.

Three weeks ago they went in my noggin and three weeks ago my ear buds became backups. I can't tell, but I think the buds are pouting.

Design

The super.fi 5's came coiled in an oversized tic-tac case. The earpieces are compact and have a mirrored finish called "liquid metal" on the outside. Ultimate Ears wants your stereo to be correct so they made the left inner mold black and the right one red. It isn't the handiest when you are in low light situations, but it is a nice subtle touch. They also provide three sets of soft silicon eartips ranging from small to large, and two sets of foam pieces that do an outstanding job of eliminating CTA noise. The cord is long and sturdy, which is a plus when you are lanky and clumsy. Tangles are rare, and easy to get out. The outer design is simple and functional.

The guts of the super.fi 5's follow suit - simple and functional. They have a top fire speaker that can digest just about anything you throw at it and the tuned filter makes sure everything gets past the earwax.

Sound

I can't think of a better test for the super.fi 5's than running them through the rigors of Chicago tunes on the CTA.  Sometimes I can rely on the the El to drown out the Addison stop girls, but most of the time I have to rely on headphones and a charged iPod. To add a little more Chi-town flavor to the test I decided to listen to native Chicago musicians.

Alkaline Trio - From Here to Infirmary

Highs are the name of the game with this album. Skiba's vocals are clear and the super.fi's do a good job of conveying detail. Distortion and guitar effects are vivid and crisp. Not a whole lot to talk about in the bass department, but that isn't quite what the Trio is known for.

Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

The super.fi's continue to perform in the mid and high sections, but had more of an opportunity to display their bass capabilities with this album. They prove that they can hold their own when it comes to properly mixed bass. Detail and clarity in bass is what the 5's are shooting for and they hit the target. Wilco gets props for using Marina City as an album cover and the 5's get props for a serving up a well balanced diet of folk rock tunage.  

Lupe Fiasco - The Cool

Lupe, a Pitchfork darling, knows his beats and was my go-to for bass. I know I can pump in some low frequency garbage to rattle my fillings lose, but I wanted a well produced album with strong bass. To be honest the super.fi 5's fell a little bit short on this one. Even at full volume the bass was a little under emphasized. I set the EQ to bass boost and it still was a bit disappointing in the skull thump department. The mids and highs, which Lupe doesn't neglect, are as sharp and crisp as ever and somewhat make up for the mildly subdued bass.  

Conclusion  

These are quality headphones. Ultimate Ears wouldn't put their name on them if they weren't. They are for you if your audio tastes are scattered all over the spectrum. Moving from Motown to metal or hip-hop to hillbilly is exactly what these head phones were designed for.  They loose points for the $170 price tag, and lackluster bass. If you want your vision to blur with the back beat you are going to have to fork over the dough for the super.fi 5 Extended Bass.

7 out of 10

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