There are certain benefits of working at Logitech

[ccrome2]

So, I was up at the audio BU's facility (The guys who make all the iPod docks, PC speakers) in Portland a few weeks ago, and they gave me a couple pairs of the UltimateEars headphones. Not the customs. I got the SuperFi 5, the UE 700s, and a Triple-Fi 10.

I absolutely love the Superfi 5s, because of their small size and great form factor. I loved them so much, that I never really listened to the Triple-Fi 10. The Triple-Fi 10s are much more bulky, and I didn't really like how they hung on my ears.

Then I tried the UE 700s, and they were great too. *tiny*, which I really liked. Again, ignoring the Triple-Fi.

I often listen while going to sleep, so having something where I can stick one ear against the pillow is a great feature. The SF 5, and the UE 700 both pass that test with flying colors.

A few nights ago, I left my small headsets somewhere, so I had to pull out the bulky Triple-Fi 10s. They are bulky, and uncomfortable when resting on my pillow. But BOY! do they sound great. It's like night and day from the lower end models to this one. I was very pleasantly surprised.

Dunno how the Triple-Fi 10s rank against other high end in-canal headphones, but they sure are good. Especially for the price I paid ;-)

Does anybody else have experience with UEs or other in-canal headphones?

[SuperQ]

I use a pair of Shure SE-310 for traveling. They're pretty damn good. I've been thinking about getting a pair of Etymotic hf5 or er4 headphones to compare.

[radish]

I personally like the V-Modas (I have a few pairs of different models). SQ is decent, they're easy to put on (unlike the Shures I used to use!) and don't suffer from excessive microphonics (again unlike the Shures). They're heavy on the bass, which suits the music I listen to, and not so expensive that I worry about losing them. Great for the every day commute!

[Grahame]

I use a pair of Etymotic ERP4's which are pretty decent when using flacs out of a Sansa Clip, or now a Sansa Clip plus.

If you want more impressions of IEM's (In ear monitors) than you can shake a stick at,
check out the postings (or ask a question) at http://www.head-fi.org esp. this forum
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f103/

If that's all a bit too much, you can a find smaller, similar, but some would argue, higher S/N community at http://www.head-case.org (indeed many members are active at both sites).

If you like UE's, you may be interested in what one of their original founder's, Jerry Harvey (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultimate_Ears), is up to now.

He now has his own company JHAudio (http://www.jhaudio.com/) and has produced a follow on to his UE work in the shape of the JH-13 pro (http://www.jhaudio.com/promusic/)

They are designed to be custom IEM's (i.e embedded in a mold taken from an ear impression) . I've had the opportunity to experience the "universal" (i.e. fit with expanding foam inserts) JH-13's on two different occasions and have been very impressed.

Other people with lots of experience in high end headphones, equipment, and whose opinions I value have come to similar conclusions, to the point where they have purchased then.

Lots of details here. http://www.head-case.org/forums/port...io-stuffs.html

You asked. I hope this is the sort of info you wanted.

[Keymaster]

I have a pair of SuperFi4's and a pair of Triple Fis.

I would agree that the triple fi's are not really ideal for wearing in bed (unless you lie flat on your back and NEVER roll around), but I think that they sound fantastic. Very sensitive (i.e. the volume doesn't have to be as cranked as for other listening devices...tested on 3 or 4 sources and that seemed consistent). Pretty solid low end (as long as your "seal" is good, but that's a silly caveat as the buds include so many tip options that it's as obtainable as sunlight on a cloudless day). It's not often that you can perceive spatial depth with a pair of earbuds, but I would imagine that this is endemic to earbuds due to, among other things, a lack of subtle timing cues related to the absence of earlobe reflections (I wonder if the dual bore design aids or hinders this, or if I'm off on some psychacoustic voyage altogether). With a good recording (e.g. something from HD Tracks, played back on a 24/96 native device, e.g. SB Touch...and I say that only because it's the first time that I noticed the effect) it's really neat to experience. Ya, they play well with Squeezeboxes....

Gotta say. I'm afraid to take them anywhere, not so much due to durability (seem solid and cord is field replaceable) as I'm really attached to them and shiver at the thought of them and any peril crossing paths. I let talent use them in my studio and I use them there too from time to time (e.g. 1 in, 1 out for vocal overdubs...they obviously bleed way less than a normal pair of "cans"). On the vanity side, I feel like a really cool cat when I have them on...once you dream of rockstardom, it never goes away....LOL

As for the SuperFi4's, not really the same barrel of fish (1 armature as opposed to 3 for a start), but definitely more "eargonomic" (I'll trademark that term in the morning, thanks ). Sonics are pretty solid for a single driver bud. They are my "day to day" buds (read: excercise-a-phones). They replaced a pair of Sennheisers (decent sounding (not as clean as the SuperFi's), but alas, the cord snapped)

I was lucky enough to do a trade event recently where we were showing (among other things) UE and SB products. It reminded me what a cool company I work for. I really do mean that. I hope that isn't misconstrued as suck-uppiness, etc.; I'm very genuinely proud of the products that we manage to get to market, and I use a whole whack of them every day, professionally AND personally (and yes, I pay for most of them and would gladly do so again!)

P.S> In all fairness, I tried a pair of Shures (I think the 530's) about 18 months ago while waiting for a flight out of O'Hare. I thought they were really solid. What I noticed most about them was how smooth the high end was. I took a track that was harsh on the Sennheisers mentioned above and it sounded perfect through the Shures. What worried me at that point was accuracy, but then of course, which bud was inaccurate in that case? I haven't had the chance to bring my Triples down to a shop to A-B with some other brands. Caleb, you have a great streak of sending me on fun weekend missions of late

EDIT: Bravo to Sennheiser for beating me to the term "Eargonomic" :b

[ccrome2]

Thanks for the feedback everybody.

I definitely notice the oddness of depth with these things, but I assume that's pretty much par for the course with headphones. If something it panned to only 1 ear, it images to appear sort of behind and below my ear lobe.

-Caleb

[Grahame]

Caleb, you may want to look into Crossfeed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossfeed
and HRTF
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head-re...nsfer_function

e.g.
http://www.headphone.com/products/pr...oom-crossfeed/
http://www.headphone.com/products/pr...ix-headphones/
http://inguzaudio.com/usage/plugin/s...tereo-filters/
http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=16068

[sebp]

Does anybody else have experience with UEs or other in-canal headphones?

I use q-Jays, that look very similar to the UE 700s.
I love them, because they passed both the pillow and the "how fun this troubadour's violin sounds like Mile's trumpet" tests.

[gcurrie]

I loved my Etymotics, before the tiny cord ripped out of one of the transducers. They are great for home use, but not quite rugged enough for on the go listening.

Fantastically even response.

Ultimately, I decided to limit my use of in-ear monitors to safeguard my hearing. It's so much easier to turn up the volume with a clean source and not notice that one's ears are getting fatigued.

[Schindler]

the question is what were you doing there... ;-)

quote:
Leeloo: ...jella boom!
Korben Dallas: Boom. Yeah! I understand boom.
Leeloo: Bada boom.
Korben Dallas: Big... yeah, big bada boom.
Leeloo: Big! Bada big boom! Big! BOOM!
Korben Dallas: Yeah! Big bada boom!
Leeloo: Bada boom!
Korben Dallas: Yeah-hahaha! Big boom! Big bada boom!

unquote...

Big Boom!? eh... ;-)

Christian