Ultimate Ears Super-Fi 5EB Review

The User Reviews

Average User Rating: 8.3

1. Amazing value

   

   By: David
   August 29, 2007 @ 9:58 AM

   I read a ton of reviews and was seriously thinking of plopping down 5 Benjamins for the new Shure E500PTH (which while I wasn’t looking became the SE530 – an even more expensive package with the same earphones).

   For the value, the UE5EB’s can’t be beat. I shopped around and found a pair for under $170 – much less than Shures or several of the others out there. I’ve tried Etys and other Shures and found the sound to be clear, but very thin.

   I listen to lots of classic rock and modern alternative and I find the out-of-the-box frequency response to be much the way I like it without any EQ adjustments. The bass is simply astounding. I’ll admit some bias, as I am a rock bassist and vocalist. So the idea of walking around with the earphone equivalent of 18″ subs in each of my ears does make me salivate to begin with. These IEM’s do not disaspoint. The only negative is that they are somewhat large, given their dynamic bass driver and are probabaly not the best for the performing musician unless you want to look a little like you came from another planet.

   But dude, if you want to experience the low-end, you need a pair of these. More bass and clear highs than just about any in-ear monitor out there and a great deal for the price.

   Rating: 9 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful. Was this user review helpful? Yes | No

2. Move lots of air but....

   

   By: John
   February 10, 2006 @ 2:46 PM

   First let me say that these are great cans for the price – they require no separate headphone amp and put out gobs of bass although muddy at times. Out of the box the mids are lost in the overwhelming bass but the highs are very bright and balanced. I’ve found that playing around with EQ settings (try the “classical” setting if you have an iPod) will yeild a pretty good balance of bass, mids and highs. I also have Etymotic ER-4P’s and a Total AirHead amp from Headroom – nothing beats ER-4’s and an amp. The HeadRoom amps are awesome – if for no other reason than the sound processing that mimics sitting in front of a real two channel sound system. The Ety’s are superb with outstanding balance and brilliant highs and tight refined bass. But the Ety’s require a headphone amp to realize their true potential. If you want a great sounding set of cans that can be driven by an iPod or similar device look no further than the UE 5EB’s. If you’re a true audiophile and want high-end brilliance you’ll need the Etymotic ER-4 series with a separate headphone amp. I also own the Etymotic ER-6i’s and they are a better value than the UE 5EB’s… unless you crave bass. The ER-6i’s have a sound comparable to the ER-4 series cans but put out a bit more bass and can be used without an amp but do sound better with an amp. Hope this helps – try to listen to these cans to decide which ones are best for you.

   Rating: 7 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful. Was this user review helpful? Yes | No

3. These need to get more attention...

   

   By: GARY
   November 7, 2005 @ 10:30 AM

   I purchased a pair of the Shure E3c’s a week before buying the UE 5EB, so I had a week with the Shure’s. I found the detail, transient responce, midrange,and high-end extraordinary. The low end was defnitely the low point however. There, but not enough. You are always cringing to try to get more punch. This is where the UE’s shine. The low end is punchy and…well, THERE. Any minute loss of detail is more than made up with the much more satisfying frequency range. And I found NO comfort issues. The detail in quality is also superior. The case is a superb, 2-level unit, nbetter materials all around, and detachable earpieces are a great touch. If the cable needs to be replaced, $20.00 is a lot better than +/- $200. for a new earphone. Needless to say, I returned the Shure’s under their 30- day refund policy. (a nice touch for them).
   GARY

   Rating: 9 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful. Was this user review helpful? Yes | No

4. Extremely Addictive!!!

   

   By: Vyas
   September 23, 2005 @ 12:02 AM

   I have many High End earphones to list a few, Senn HD 555, Ety ER6, Shure E4c, UE.5 EB and the UE.5 Pro too.
   At the moment the best most natural sounding is no doubt the UE 5 Pro, not as good as the Senn HD555 though. They reproduce sound the way they were meant to be listened, clean, crisp, detailed and very big soundstage. They much better than the Shures and the Ety.., But what make me like the UE 5 EB, is the Bass, it’s huge!!!! it’s like drums knocking inside your head… if i could have a sub in my HT.. (I already own a Sunfire Sig eq, Klipsch RW 12 and Earthquakes Mk4 12″, and soon to get is the SVS pb12 ultra 2) as you can see i like bass a lot, but problem with the UE 5 Eb is they have too much.. they’ll knock you inside from inside out. I recently bought the Koss EQ 50 just to be able to tame that freak bass a bit. For Techno, drum bass, electronic.. take the UE5 EB, for every other music take the UE 5 pro or any of the others..

   Rating: 8 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful. Was this user review helpful? Yes | No