Step aside Shure, sit down Sennheiser – there’s a new high-end headphone in town. If you thought Gary Lineker had the ultimate ears – think again. After cutting its teeth making in-ear monitors for singers and bands Ultimate Ears is now going big on earphones for us mere mortal, non-rock-star folk.The new Super.fi 3 Studio ‘phones are Ultimate Ears’ entry level set – and for £85 we’re not exactly talking pocket money – but for your cash you do get a pair of buds based on the custom-moulded monitors used by UE flag wavers like Metallica, The Killers and Van Halen.With a single-speaker design they’re not likely to challenge the dual woofer delights of Shure’s £360 SE530s – but they won’t challenge your bank account like those do either. You’ll still get specially engineered earpieces that block out external racket plus a combination of deep bass, crystal clear mids and highs as crisp as a packet of Walkers.We’ll be taking a pair for a spin very soon. We’ll let you know if they really live up to the name.
Essentials Ultimate Ears Super.fi 3 Studio Price: £85 On sale: Now Contact: Ultimate Ears
coastermad December 11, 2007 16:38
These buds have been available for well over 6 months so I was a little surprised to see stuff are so far behind the crowd. My favourite feature of these buds is the replaceable cord so when it breaks just replace the cord and not the entire buds. They come with different gel and foam tips so you can find the best fit for you. Once you get a good fit these buds have a very clean sound with good bass but don't expect thumping bass as these buds are designed for monitoring applications where a flat response is critical. The cord has earloops built in as you wear the buds with the cord hooked over the top of your ear, this makes for a more secure fit and prevents the weight of the cord pulling the buds out. These buds are identical to the M-Audio IE10's which are a little cheaper, I got mine for £64 about 6 months ago.