Item Details

Ultimate Ears SuperFi 5vi Noise Isolating Earphones w/ Microphone

(56 Customer Reviews)

Price: $76.33
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Technical Details

• Hi-fidelity sound signature: Unique top-fire armature design ensures a snug noise-isolation fit every time with extended high-frequency response and a full soundstage.
• In-line phone microphone and control button: Switch between making calls and enjoying music and video on your iPhone® or BlackBerry® (with a 3.5 mm jack) with a push of a button.
• Flexible use: Wear them down for casual listening or over the ear while exercising or when more active.
• Find your fit: Three silicone ear-cushions and two sets of Comply? foam ear-cushions are included to create that ?magic seal? against outside noise in your ears.
• Red=right: For quick and easy left and right identification.

 

Product Details

Product Weight: 2.00 pounds

Shipping Weight: 0.10 pounds

Model: IF-P5VSM0001-02

Manufacturer: Ultimate Ears

 

Accessories

Customer Reviews

Great sound, shoddy manufacture,
by J. P. Sawyer, 2010-07-29

I really liked the large variety of rubber and foam attachments that come with these earbuds, since my ear canals are not symmetrical. The sound it delivered was extremely good -- I was able to listen to my iPhone on the lowest setting while riding the commuter train without any problem.

However, I've only had them three days and they have already fallen apart. The cord snapped in half at the control button junction box after it got snagged on something. I have had a variety of earphones over the years and they have all gotten snagged on something at one point or another, but I have never had anything even remotely close to this kind of damage result (and I wasn't even moving particularly quickly when it happened). Worst of all, the warranty expressly excludes the cord, so that's $80 down the drain.

On a separate disappointing note that I should have realized if I had read the product description slightly closer: there is no in-line volume control on these earphones, just an on/off switch.

 

Best iPhone Earphones I've Used Yet,
by Michael Guzman, 2010-07-27

I've tried a lot of earphones for my listening devices over the years and these are the best by far. I'm not an audio snob but I find the sound quality of the 5vi to be outstanding. My musical tastes run from classical to heavy metal and the SuperFi 5vi earphones performed well on all. But the biggest surprise was the sound attenuation. I usually travel by plane using active sound canceling headphones, either a muff type or a in-ear model. On a recent trip in a small, noisy regional jet the 5vi outperformed both when he came to reducing jet noise. Instead of having to crank the volume on the iPhone 4, I was able to use a much lower setting and get far superior sound.

Have had them for a month now with extensive use and have not seen any signs of the cable problems others have mentioned. Hopefully I won't run into similar problems. But to be honest I usually only have earphones for less than a year before I lose them or one of my dogs decide to chew them up. At the Amazon price I can afford to replace yearly.

 

Durability issues,
by T. Schneider, 2010-07-26

Ultimate Ears SuperFi 5vi Noise Isolating Earphones w/ Microphone
I bought these earphones specifically to have the ability to utilize the built-in microphone. The microphone stopped working after one week. There was no event that triggered the loss in function -- just stopped working while walking through an airport. Then later that day the LEFT earphone became faint. There is a FAQ at the Ultimate Ears customer support that addresses the decreased sound in the earphone as moisture in the earpiece. It says the sound should return if you let the earpiece dry out for a day or so. Well, the earphones didn't get wet and the earpiece still isn't working after 4 days of drying out.
As far as poitives, I do find these earphones comfortable since they come with several size silicon ear cushions to get a good fit. I was impressed with the robust appearance of the cords. They are much larger than those that came with the iPhone and the cables do not tangle as easily as so many other earphones. You can position the earphones to have the cords wrap over your ear as well as hang down from your ear. I found that wrapping them over the ear was very secure and eliminated the cord rubbing sound much more than if the cords just draped down from the ear. The cords are a little stiff so over the ear wearing does require a little repositioning of the cord if you are turning your head from side to side alot when wearing them with the cord over the ear. The foam ear cushions seal great but do not tolerate becoming wet so you may not want to use them if you are going to sweat while wearing the foam ear cushions ( such as during a walk here in Mobile, Al during the summer!)
Once a good seal is made in the ear they are pretty good at noise cancellation and I tolerated being beside the engine (in the cabin of course) of an MD-88 during my last business trip without the need to turn the volume to a hearing damaging level. The hard case is a great feature and I found myself actually using this to store the earphones instead of wrapping them up with the cord.
The sound quality is good but I am not an audiophile so use the opinions of others with better hearing acuity than I have to evaluate this aspect of the earphones.
In noisy environments, the microphone was sensative to picking up outside noise based on comments from the people I would talk to while using the built-in microphone. Turning down the volume on my end seemed to help. I was able to wrap the cord over my ear during walks and was still able to talk using the microphone. The in-line function button can be inadvertently pressed if you cross your arms and therefore cancels your phone call. Also I sometimes struggled finding the function button on the cord by touch alone since there are three little plastic things on the cord (microphone, cable connector, and function button) and I was still new to using these earphones.
Customer support is good. I contacted customer support by telephone and they will replace the earphones. Phone contact with customer support was painless. I first have to ship the old set to them (they are providing shipping label) and after they recieve the old set, then they will send me a replacement.
Overall I really liked these earphones until the microphone and the earpiece stopped working. Since durability is a problem with my set, I would be careful if you intend to use these for anything other than commuting or sitting around.

 

Excellent sound quality!,
by David G. Blakeney, 2010-07-26

These ear buds have outstanding sound quality! I have small ears so I had to fiddle around with the 5 sets of foam or rubber ear cushions before I found the right set for me that would allow sustained use without ear fatigue. I settled on the small, grey foam set and am very pleased! Crystal clear highs and solid lows allow these ear buds to accurately reproduce my Ipod's superior frequency response giving me better than CD sound quality. Great equpiment, and the on/off push button on the cord makes starting and stopping my Ipod child's play!

 

poor quality cable, great drivers and tips,
by J. Voegtlin, 2010-07-24

Like many others, I enjoy these headphones for their quality sound and fairly good isolating quality of the foam and silicone tips... but the cable noise is incredibly awful, even just walking or moving slightly... and I've had two pairs and the first pair completely separated at the call button box, and the second set is now separating at the input jack.