Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 Earphones

Introduction

Ultimate Ears has been in the in-ear industry since the very beginning. What is special about Ultimate Ears is that they produce all types of earphones right from cheap in-ears aimed at promoting safe listening for kids to high-end quad armature custom IEMs for musicians and sound engineers. The company's reputation is rock solid and they are known to produce some of the very best universal in-ears around. Today I will be taking a look at the newest addition to their product line-up namely the new Super.fi 5. The Super.fi 5 fits in their product line-up just below the Super.fi 5 Pro which is a dual armature design, however, the Super.fi 5 does have a few things to offer that makes it unique. For example it is the only earphone currently in the Ultimate Ears line-up that features a top firing balanced armature and features a smarter more ergonomic design.
Ultimate Ears has already announced a version of the Super.fi 5 with an on cable microphone. This version aimed at iPhone users will be available from the first of October and is dubbed the Super.fi5vi.

Specifications

• Input Sensitivity: 115 dB SPL/mW at 1 kHz
• Frequency Response: 15 Hz – 15 kHz
• Impedance: 13 ohms at 1 kHz
• Internal Speaker Configuration: Single driver, proprietary balanced top fire armature
• Noise Isolation: 26 dB
• Input connector: 1/8 inch (3.5mm) gold plated

The sensitivity is really high like you might expect from an armature based in-ear design. The frequency response is probably true but the variation in amplification within that area is probably extremely high. Noise attenuation wise this earphone is just as good as any other on the market, 26 dB is the standard.