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Ulltimate Ears Super fi 5 Pro - Clear | 
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| Brand: Ultimate Ears
Category: CE
Buy New: £129.99
New (4) from £129.99
Rating:  43 reviews
Media: Electronics
Fragile: No
Batteries Included: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.2 x 6.4 x 2.4
MPN: 5 Pro Clear
Model: 5 Pro Clear
UPC: 050613001000
EAN: 0850613001594
Release Date: November 7, 2006
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The Super.fi 5 Pro has the same sonic signature as Ultimate Ears' custom personal monitors. It is perfect for emerging musicians or for consumers who want to listen like a pro.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 38 more reviews...
 Superb sound quality August 2, 2006
Blackevo (Europe)
22 out of 22 found this review helpful
These are expensive but well worth it in my opinion. They are very well made but some might object to the cables which are thicker and stiffer than the cables on Sony units, for example. However I guess it is to improve the sound quality which is what these are all about.
The ear pieces are slightly larger than the Sony Fontopias I am used to and a bit fiddly to plug into your ears at first but a bit of patience and careful choice of rubber plugs will pay dividends. The cables don't help at first as they are a bit heavy as well as being a bit stiff and tend to pull the units out at first. Like a lot of people I am a bit nervous about sticking strange things in my ears so was a bit cautious and shaky at first as well but once you get used to them they are a great fit and stay in well.
Other minor issues with the cables are that they are coated with sort of clear plastic whereas the ear units are black which looks a tiny bit odd. I really would have preferred black cables. Also they have a slight rubbery smell which I hope goes off with time as I am getting odd "rubber fetishist" comments from work colleagues !
Now to the sound. These things rock !!! Truly mobile high quality sound that never ceases to amaze. I am just loading CDs onto my player that have sat in my collection unplayed for ages just to hear them again.
I have yet to find any music that does not suit them, classical (both "purist" and "New Age - Bond etc."), rock, electronic, dance all sound awesome. Anything modern with complex sonic qualities just sounds so clear and detailed (try Chicane - Far From the Maddening Crowds) and they make older stuff sound fresher and more exciting. Even maximum compressed (128 kbps) MP3s sound good but 320 kbps is the way to go if you have a hard drive player or you refresh the music regularly on your player.
One often heard complaint about the player I use (Sony NW-A3000) is about the alleged EU imposed volume limit. When I first got my player I found about the hack and applied it - but still needed high volume settings (20 and above with a top volume of 30) to get any reasonable sound level with my old Sony Fontopias. But these puppies are pushing out fantastic sound at 10, which is a third of the volume the Sony player is capable of. The handbook that comes with these does mention starting to use them at low volumes and they even include an attenuator. I am guessing that lower player volumes = slightly longer battery life but not 100% sure. It does seem a reasonable assumption though.
I know they are expensive but couple these with a decent player (Sony NW-A3000 in my case), load up your music at 320 kbps and enjoy !!
Etymotic 6i versus Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 Pro September 28, 2007
Fussy Listener (Bristol, UK)
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
I'm fussy when it comes to audio and prepared to pay to get improved quality but there is a greatly diminishing return when it comes to price.
I owned a pair of Etymotic 6i headphones for over two years ( 70) which I found excellent at blocking external noise (I commute via an old & noisy train with screaming school kids). The 6i sound reproduction was even, giving crisp / fresh high notes; but they did lack bass (my favourite ear tips were the foam).
The Ultimate Ears (UEs) are broadly similar in design yet deliver three noticeable differences versus the 6i. The UEs are not discreet, the phones are angled to 'fire' the noise better (apparently) and generally have bigger drivers in the ends which makes them stick out a bit.
This comes on to my second point, the bigger drives make a great deal of difference to the quality of the bass; the 6i do not sound as rich as the UEs and the bass is simply incredible - it puts uber expensive hi-fi speakers to shame. Conversely the delicate highs are not lost in the UEs but I'd say in my subjective opinion and by a *very small margin* the 6i were better performers at this audio range.
I found the 6i sensitive to the output volume levels on the listening device but the UEs are twice as sensitive again. I'm operating at less than a quarter of the volume these days - you have to be so careful to turn the volume down before plugging in. The UE "user guide" goes so far to have a diagram of how a volume knob looks when it is set to low! (p13)
Overall the UEs do have it over the 6i but if you not so fussed about your bass (I'm guessing that's the minority of listeners) then spare the cash and go for the 6i. (There are also UE 5 Pro with extended bass but I simply can't imagine getting on with it, these UEs seem to be ample).
The Sound Level Attenuator is a great inclusion for in-flight entertainment use (I've experienced a painful transatlantic mishap with the 6i a week after use when a mic-happy pilot kept interrupting).
Amazing sound quality March 6, 2007
Mr. David A. Sturgeon (Leicester, UK)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
When i read the reviews on this and other sites i was at first extremely sceptical. i didnt believe that a set of headphones would make that much difference to my music. I have to say now that i own a pair i am truly converted. the sound is crisper, clearer. unfortunately for me the music now sounds better through my headphones than my hi-fi speakers. These headphones are worth every penny i paid for them.
Absolutely Brilliant, March 29, 2008
Eraze (London, UK.)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I'd begun to think that I'd started a new hobby, searching for the perfect earbud for me. I'd been gifted a pair of Shure E2C's which started it all off.. and After having to replace them twice because of breakages in the protective cover to the wires, I'd bought a pair of Bose Triport IE's, which when/if you could get them to stay in sounded good, as long as you wanted whatever you were listening to to be mixed with the sounds surrounding you.
I however didn't want that on a daily basis. I was after a cocoon of rich, deep, delicious sound that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up on a regular basis. Not too much to ask, is it?
I'd tried a pair of UE metro.fi 2's before, and was incredibly impressed with the sound. That had me wondering what an 'expensive' pair could do for my music.
So I bit the bullet, and bought a pair of Super.fi Pro 5's, all the while thinking that I was mad spending that amount on earbuds. How very wrong I was to think that.
They are absolutely worth the money. I'm going around wanting everyone I know to listen to them. (though not wanting them to touch them, or use them for hygene purposes... and also that look of horror on their faces when they realise that they too won't be happy until they have a pair)
Every type of music I've listened to on them suits their capability. What the extended bass versions must sound like is beyond me, as Pendulum's Slam is enough to make our eyes water as it is!
Without wanting to sound too fanboy-ish, these have changed the way that I listen to music. I now want to hear everything I own again, as the detail I've missed before is a real eye-opener.
If only I could give them a ten stars, I would.
The cable is a bonus to me. It is thick, but very pliable and the ear loops (little wires in the cables that you can mould to a shape that keeps the buds exactly where you want them) shows a real understanding from UE of what's needed to make them perfect.
Verdict: Worth the cash? Er, yes. Totally.
continually amazed December 16, 2006
Mark Widdowson (u.k)
13 out of 14 found this review helpful
I spent a long time reading reviews initially i was sold on the shure e3c but was a liitle concerned about bass content so looked into e4c seemed a better buy for the more bass hungry listener.
i came across the ultimate ears 5 pro during my reading did not know anything about them so more reading and i started to like what i was reading, 2 drivers per phone, bass plentifull sounded just like what i was after i like my bass but also my clarity without being too harsh.
I have been into home cinema and hifi for many years i run 2 rel subs in my set up i have owned many headphones in my time but these pro5 have absolutely blown my mind i cannot believe how good they are.
music i know extreamly well is being brought to life with new realism and content i find the fit good with the small ends they isolate me from surrounding noise better than my noise canceling headphones that i also own and use i cannot praise them enough they are worth every penny.
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