Thinkpads Forum

Hi Thinkpad forums.

Being a frequent on-the-fly MP3 listener, I was getting tired of the daft sound of the standard iPod earpieces. So I went to a friend of mine who's really into these things. Tried out a pair of Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 Pro's he had. And oh my god, what a sound!
Really really crisp. A little short on bass at first, but it's enough. The EB (extra bass) version supplies a heavier bass, but compromises clarity in sound. As I listen mostly to rock/heavy rock I went for the Pro.
Although they come with a hefty 250$ pricetag (210 incl shipment at earphonesolutions.com), they really were worth the cash.

Only problem is, they really demand good media. Alot of my older MP3's which I ripped (legally, I might add) from my CD collection in 128kbit, really sound alot worse than the newer ones in 320kbit. Didn't have harddrive space to spare back then, like I do now

Btw, you can check specs etc. out here: http://www.ultimateears.com

Anyone else in here tried out these, or any products like them?

Took a few shots of them, along with my iPod Nano. Take a look. (click again for full size image)

http://alcoholic.dk/?p=show&id=333
http://alcoholic.dk/?p=show&id=334

I hadn't heard of that brand before. They seem similar to the Etymotic Research type, and people rave about those all the time.

A great place (the best I think) to check on headphones or earphones are the head-fi forums: http://www.head-fi.org

I personally don't use earphones because I've always found them uncomfortable, although it is true I have never tried the custom-made type that are supposed to fit your ear canal like a glove. I use regular headphones: Sennheiser HD580 and Sony MDR7506.

I understand why you think your old MP3 files sound like crap though. I had the same problem. Not only that, but you will find that if you have a good MP3 you will hear things that you couldn't have heard before in your music (even things that perhaps you weren't meant to hear, such as people turning pages in a concert hall performance, and that sort of thing).

I use a pair of Shure E4C IEMs (in ear monitors) with either a Sony HD5 (Network Walkman - 20GB hard drive) or a new RH1 Minidisc player/recorder. I tend to prefer the compression of Sony's ATRAC3+ codec, especially when combined with Sony's hardware. In my experience, the main problem with the iPod (which everyone and their dog seems to have) is that the audio quality of the unit itself is, I find, lacking. Has nothing to do with the codec. I just find the sound quality of the iPod, even with the highest possible encoding to AAC, rather anemic. Despite what you might read about the SonicStage software from Sony having huge problems, I can tell you that I've not had a problem in the year a bit that I've used version 3.4 (I started using version 2.5 years ago).

The Shure's are fabulous IEMs. Slightly forward in the mid-range, bass is clean but not booming. It's actually rather accurate. They tend to work fine un-amped, so the HD5 and the RH1 drive them just fine. Shure also has a two-year warranty. Only three weeks ago, my right earpiece started to crackle. I contacted the local distributor and had a new pair two days later. Brilliant.

Just to add: I use the RH1 to record soundscapes/soundseeing tours. For that, I use a pair of binaural stereo mics from The Sound Professionals. The RH1 will record to Linear PCM (1.4Mbps), but I usually record at a fairly high setting (ATRAC3 plus @ 256kbps). The recording is then uploaded (using Sony's SonicStage) in raw .wav format, and then edited and encoded to mp3 @ 320kbps for sharing with friends/family.

If anyone is interested, I recently made a few recordings in Singapore (one of thunder, the other of some various stuff on campus at the University) and can send a link - PM me.

An audiophile that has an iPod? That's a new one.

gearguy wrote:An audiophile that has an iPod? That's a new one.

Never said I was, Sparky. I was however looking for someone with similar experience with good earphones.

I can vouch for the Etymotic ER-4P (and S). They are great headphones although more microphonic than the Shures. I've tried e2c and e3c's so I would imagine that the e4c's are also good too.

Yeah, head-fi.org is the place to go for reviews and the like on headphones.

My personal preference is- if you're mobile most of the time, go with the Shures. If you're semi-mobile, then go with Etys. I've never heard the UE so I can't say how they sound. If you want least expensive, go for the Shure e2c- it can be had for around 65 last time I checked.

David, you have PM. GREAT recordings

Well, UE really noly feature good products - can you even get them in Denmark?
Not really using much portable stuff, but if i do it is a S/E w810i (4gb flash) -> Mini M^3 amp -> Senn HD25-1 (OFC cable). For a small headphone, i think it's worth recommending. I'm always using headphones (also for home listening) as opposed to canal phones or IEMs because of discomfort and small ear canals, and because they isolate too well for commuting outside.

I won't say I am audiophile, but I am *very* intersted in audio gear - window shopping mostly. I own a pair of Sennheiser HD 201s which I got of from Amazon for $17. They are the *best* headphones under $25, and I'd vouch for that anytime.

That said, one of the labs in my department does a lot of research work in speech modeling and stuff, and they use the Sennheiser HD 650 for thier work. These are one of the best cans that I have ever listened to in my life, after the one and only Grado RS 2.

yea grado absolutely rules! I used a cheap SR60 and it still sounds like a million times better than the ipod ones, which are rather unclear and muffling.