Super Headphones, Compact Size

So now that you have the tangling problem squared away, are you ready for new headphones? I certainly am. I’m tired of using the headphones that came with my iPod. They’re alright, but they always pop out of my ears when I’m running, and the sound quality isn’t the best. Even when I’m not active, I can still hear the majority of the ambient noise around me while using those. I’ll usually use my Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones while I’m traveling, but that’s too big to tote around on a daily basis.

Although these have been out for awhile, I just discovered Ultimate Ears’ line of earphones, in particular, the super.fi 5 Pro and the super.fi 5 EB. These earphones go all the way inside your ear to give you professional-grade audio. Low and high frequency speakers are built-in each side of the headphones for excellent fidelity, and the tips help seal off external noise.

You can hear a huge difference between the super.fis and regular headphones. I haven’t tested it on an airplane yet, but the super.fi 5 Pro definitely keeps out the background noise. Additionally, once you insert them into your ears, it loops over your ear rather than hanging down. The cord is a little thicker than a normal one, but that’s what makes it sturdy. It could possibly my next choice to travel with (as opposed to taking the big hunking Bose with me), but I’ll have to wait for my next plane ride to truly test it.

Exercising with it isn’t bad, but best at the gym while on a machine that doesn’t move too much, such as the elliptical or bicycle. The 5 EB (Extended Bass) has more bass response, so it’s good for listening to rock, but the earbuds are a little bigger. The 5 Pro gives you strong acoustics for all music genres, and the earbuds fit snug in your ear. Both come with leather and metal carrying cases for storage.

The super.fi 5 Pro retails for $249.99 (white, cherry red, black and clear) and the 5 EB is a little less for $199.99 (white, black). If you’re really strapped but still want a discriminating earphone, there’s a super.fi 3 Studio for $99.99 (white, black, clear) or metro.fi for $79.99 (black only). You can find these online at www.ultimateears.com or at your nearest CompUSA (www.compusa.com). The difference in the models/pricing reflects in the sound quality.