Customer Reviews
wierd looking 
2008-09-20
these things look wierd but they work well-function over form I guess.They are comfortable-if you chew when they are in your ears there is a little noise generated but it is nominal....
Dreadful waste of my money 
2008-09-13
To put it simply, these were the most disappointing monitors I've ever had the displeasure of owning. That might be a bit harsh. The highs were very good, and the bass (when you finally, miraculously got the position right) was good, but not the best.
My main gripe is the overall package. These are far too big, and the adjustable wire cut into the tops of my ears. But they are ridiculously big.
I thought my Grado's and Stax SR-001 MKII were uncomfortable (you can get used to the Stax after a week) the 5EB's took 'uncomfortable to another level.
And because of the weight they slipped out of position far too easily, even with the cheese wire they use for the over the ear support!
The biggest problem is that midrange which was (I had to get rid of them) very out of sync with the treble and bass. It was far too unpredictable. With one song the singer was two miles away, with the backing vocals screaming down your ear, with the next track the singer was screaming down your ears and the backing vocals were two miles away, and you can't predict with the next song, which it was going to be.
Don't get me wrong; I love my UE's..... I have 3 pairs of them, but my favourites still remains the Metro.fi 2, which kicks.
As for the 5EB's a very bitter experience, and a bitter disappointment.
Dreadful, truly dreadful.
I'll give them two stars because the bass and treble were good, but the overall package wasn't what i expected for money i spent on them
Mixed feelings! 
2008-08-21
Ok! There are two very important instances that these headphones come into question. One is, if on a tredmill at the gym, the headphones keep
falling out of ears and 2 they stick out of my ear too much, so getting comfy lets say with you head on the left or right side on a pillow is out of the question! The resaon I gave them 4 stars in the sound quiity
is very good. The base is rich and tight and the highs are very clear
which, in my opinion, at least in the sound department makes the Ultimate Ears Super.fi EBs a very well-balaned set of ear-phones.
Best customer service 2008-08-04
Ultimate Ears is a company that will take care of you. I had the headphones for almost two years before problems arose. The wire that hooked into my mp3 player was frayed and my music sounded washed out. I called the company, immediately talked to a human being, and within 3 minutes had a free replacement wire on its way to me (you can easily replace the wire attached to the earbuds). In fact, the customer service representative even apologized to me that the quickest they could get the free replacement to me was within 3 days (I live on the opposite coast)! I didn't need a receipt or serial number--how much easier can it be? Amazing customer service that has made a customer for life.
I love listening to hip hop and electronica (house, ambient), and these headphones allow you to really enjoy bass far beyond any earbuds I've ever used. Sure, it won't be as if you were in a club, but you will not get any closer with any other earbuds. The sound is great, a huge improvement over the mediocre headphones that come with almost every mp3 player. Also, because these stick in your ear, you can listen to a lower volume than you used to and still hear the music, which really saves our fragile eardrums. One warning: these headphones are very big, and it will take time to get used to them sticking out of your ear, but after a few days, you won't notice any difference.
Spectacular Sound Quality, Lousy Construction. 
2008-07-14
I purchased these headphones after much contemplation and review because of the sound quality they promised especially enhanced bass response. I was not disappointed. The bass response is huge! The highs are great but a bit too much in the background but not muffled. The fit was a bit tricky at first but included is a number of different types of replaceable tips which I finally got the best fit with the double silicone ones.
That's the positives. The negatives are the headphone construction is not very durable and doesn't stand up to more rigorous applications such as workouts at the gym (my primary usage) and outdoor activities such as hiking where conditions are not ideal. I have owned these headphones for about a year now and the connection point of the wire to the headphone comes loose (breaks) and has done so three times. I sent the first pair back and UE replaced it no problem after the right side broke but it soon broke again and I used epoxy to reattach it. Now the left side has broken and once again I'm in the role of repairman. Terrible! The last problem I have found is the type of wire used in these headphones. It is rather stiff and retains its coiled shape causing me to bend and work the coils out of it just prior to putting them on. Also, the wire itself as it is visible thru the insulation is starting to discolor, showing signs of corrosion. The sound quality has not noticeably diminished however it leads one to the conclusion that the wiring is not sealed well indicating further lack of thought in its construction. Other headphones I own have flexible wiring and seem to handle daily usage much better and don't have this coiling problem.
Overall, I would not recommend these headphones to anyone who plan on using them for working out or any other applications where they might be exposed to less than perfect conditions.
NOT A GOOD URBAN HEADPHONE 2008-06-28
From the makers of Ultimate Ears professional ear monitor products comes the super.fi 5 EB earphones. Join stars like U2, Green Day, Ashanti, Madonna, No Doubt, Beastie Boys, Eve and many others in using Ultimate Ears' premiere earphone technology and get the best experience from your iPod or other personal audio device. Imagine professional quality sound out of earphones designed for your "on-the-go" lifestyle. The compact, lightweight design and metallic storage case allow the earphones to go where you go. The flexible ear loops comfortably secure the earphones in place and the fit kit enables maximum noise isolation from the world around you. Best of all, the combined armature and diaphragm driver technology delivers hip hop, rap, metal, techno and other bass rich music with the low end output you expect - without distortion. So if you want full spectrum audio performance but also enjoy heavy, driving bass beats, plug into a super.fi 5 EB - your ears will love you for it!
Great Earphone 2008-06-27
If you can tolerate an object in your ear canal then you would love the rich high sounds and deep bass.
As expected, these perform well for the bass lover. 2008-06-01
Please take my review with a grain of salt. I am not a hardcore music/sound critic. I simply wanted a pair of multi-purpose headphones that I could also use for gaming. In summary, I am really satisfied with these headphones and recommend them to the bass-music lovers and/or gamers out there.
Pros
1. Excellent bass response (comparable to some of the giant headphones)
2. Great sound quality
3. Comes with most of the needed accessories
4. Comes with 5 types of earbuds for maximizing fit (takes some experimenting)
Cons
1. The bass armature causes the external appearance to be larger than most in-ear headphones (not really an issue for me)
2. For first-time users of in-ear headphones, it takes some getting used to (getting comfortable with them and making sure not to eat while listening - eating noises interfere greatly)
Nice for Stationary listening, but has VOC gases 2008-05-31
Hello, I've been utilizing these for several months. I was looking for something sturdy for the Gym and to block out the noise in the back ground so I could concentrate on my workout. These work great while lifting or more stationary activities. While doing cardio on the elliptical machine, they keep loosing the seal, and the sound quality. So while I working out I keep on having to slide them back in, not something I want to keep doing for a 30-45 minute set. It took a bit of time but once you get the right size ear insert, and tight seal, I was able to reduce my ipods, volume level to 25%. The quality was better than the Shure E3. So that was a plus. One note of concern, when I take them out of the nice case, I can smell out-gasing from the plastic. I let them sit on the bench while I dress, 5 minutes or so I'm able to wear them. If you leave yours out all the time, you won't have this issue. The wire thickness and type is a lot better than the Shure I had. I had the E3's and they lasted just over a year. These are easy to work into your ear, and remove. Since Cardio is a major part of my workout, I went and bought a pair of Vibes. The are smaller, the wires aren't as thick, but they stay in place better. The Vibs are a bit harder to remove, since I don't want to pull by the wires. On lifting days I will use the UES's hands down. For the others days it seems the Vibs are in.
I see people still wearing the basic ear buds and wonder what kind of ear drum damage they may be doing. I used to wear them, and the type that had the big foam pad over the ear, my volume level was 3/4's to full power. I notice I have some hearing issues, so thought spending a little might be better.
It took a bit too get use to the case for UES, but Once I figured how many fingers to use to wrap the wires around my fingers in a circle, to slid into the case not a big issue. No tangling if ever.
The Vib, has a thin vinyl case, since the wires are thin, I'm getting tangles.
Hopefully this is helpful for other out their.
Thanks M.
Superb ear phones 2008-05-30
I bought this 3 months ago and am very pleased with its quality and performance. I owned an Etymotic Research ER6i Isolator In-Ear Earphones (Black) and Shure E3c-n Sound Isolating Earphones (Black) before. I think a lot of people have already reviewed about the sound performance so I'll just add my experience in terms of durability.
The Etymotics have a very flimsy cable and can get damaged easily.. as for the Shures, I liked their thick wiring, alas, it was more prone to damage when its bent for a long time. I think the UEs cable thickness goes in between the two.. Only time will tell how it will last, good news is that the cables are replaceable, so I'll give UE another plus point for that.
