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Just got Ultimate Ears Iphone headset - some thoughts

P

PDE

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Nov 16, 2005
2,484
18
Compared to V-moda:

- not as much bass as v-moda, but perhaps sound a little bit more crisp and clear treble and midrange. I prefer the v-moda sound.

- Very small and light

- the mic is tiny and doesn't weigh anything compared to the larger, clumsy v-moda mic. Sound quality seems about the same based on a few calls to friends.

- the mic button is TOO stiff and also requires that you double click very fast for it to register as double click and skip to the next song. If you don't double click VERY fast, it registers as a pause. As a pause button the button is fine. The v-moda mic button feels great in comparison, with good crisp clicking feel - but the whole mic is too big I think.

- I don't know exactly why, but the ultimate ear ones feel more comfortable in my ears. Perhaps just that they are lighter and the mic doesn't pull on them like it does on the v-moda.


When I first got them early this afternoon, I loved them, but now that I'm back home and comparing them with the v-moda, they just don't sound as good (if you like the strong bass of the v-moda set) and the button is really too stiff for my liking. I'm not sure which pair I'll keep, but I'm leaning toward the v-moda given the price difference. The ultimate ear ones just don't feel $50 better.
 
They're going back to amazon.com after the little piece of rubber on the click button started detaching from the button. They're perfectly fine and I even started appreciating the sound which, although not as much bass, is crisp and well-balanced. But I can't justify buying such an expensive headset with the problems they have (=terribly stiff button, the double-click issue, the rubber falling off). They shouldn't cost more than the v-modas given the hardware and sound quality.
 
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Sorry to hear that. I still don't know why they can't just produce a wire replacement for older model UE earphones. Oh I know why: $$$
 
hotsauce said:
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Sorry to hear that. I still don't know why they can't just produce a wire replacement for older model UE earphones. Oh I know why: $$$
Click to expand...
Except they won't get more $$$ (or even £££) because I'm not going to replace my SuperFi 3's, but would get a new cable if made available. It's not much bother to take out an earphone to speak to someone.
 
These cost $19.99 at Dell.com and go as high as $37.00 at other websites.
OP how much did you pay for them? You said they are $50 more than v-moda making them $150?!?
 
Tsuius said:
These cost $19.99 at Dell.com and go as high as $37.00 at other websites.
OP how much did you pay for them? You said they are $50 more than v-moda making them $150?!?
Click to expand...

The are the Ultimate Ears-Super.fi 4vi Mobile Earphones for iPhone which generally retail for around $150. However, they're now already coming down in price at amazon to a little over $90 so I returned the ones I had that had the rubber falling off and the very stiff call button, got a refund of $150 and ordered a new pair for $90 - for that price they're a much more reasonable deal.

I'm glad to report that the button on these is not as stiff and registers properly and, if the rubber falls off, I'll glue it back. For $60 less I guess I'm willing to put up with some deficiencies...
 
I just bought some on Ebay, new in the box for $71. I had a pair of the vibe-duo, but the left bud was substantionally quieter than the right bud, so i returned them. Still waiting on the Ultimate ears though, its been a week so I expect them any day. There were several other new sets up for auction if anyone is interested!!!!!!
 
PDE said:
The are the Ultimate Ears-Super.fi 4vi Mobile Earphones for iPhone which generally retail for around $150. However, they're now already coming down in price at amazon to a little over $90 so I returned the ones I had that had the rubber falling off and the very stiff call button, got a refund of $150 and ordered a new pair for $90 - for that price they're a much more reasonable deal.

I'm glad to report that the button on these is not as stiff and registers properly and, if the rubber falls off, I'll glue it back. For $60 less I guess I'm willing to put up with some deficiencies...
Click to expand...
How is the sound quality as compared to vibe's? How is the voice call quality as well? Thanks a lot.
 
gemini6 said:
How is the sound quality as compared to vibe's? How is the voice call quality as well? Thanks a lot.
Click to expand...

I'm by no means an expert on sound quality, but I think both the v-moda and ultimateears sound very good. The UE seem crisper and more defined while the v-moda have more bass and seem a little more muffled in comparison. They both sound very good. The UE seem to eliminate more outside sound, but that probably has to do with fit more than the technology. I found the UE to fit better and be more comfortable, in part because the mic doesn't pull on them like the v-moda.

Mic quality seems better on the UE, but I think it has to do with the placement. It's just in the right place, while with the v-moda you have to use the clip or else the mic will be too far away for really good recording of your voice.


If I could pick an choose components, I would have the UE headset with the feel of the v-moda call button (but keep the UE design), the v-moda bass but maintaining the clarity of the UE sound. But I can't choose bits and pieces and, at the end of the day, it will be a compromise and I think the UE is the set I will want to use more because of the design and comfort.

And, for under $100 they're now comparable in price.
 
UEs are great

I just got the UE set and really like them. I did not like the V-modas because of the bass-- it was too much for me. The UE set is much crisper.
 
i got this headset on thursday but returned it on friday.
i chose this headset because i read good reviews and it is dirt cheap on amazon ($65 +tax).
the main reason why i returned them was because they didn't have enough bass for my liking. they're definitely very clear.

i also didn't like the click button and it's placement. the button was really hard and i had trouble skipping to the next song.
 
Hi - I can find these on Amazon (US) but they're $150. Where are you seeing them for $90? I'm meeting a friend from the US in Paris next week and I'd like him to bring me some over

thanks
 
jonnyb said:
Hi - I can find these on Amazon (US) but they're $150. Where are you seeing them for $90? I'm meeting a friend from the US in Paris next week and I'd like him to bring me some over

thanks
Click to expand...

I think it was a temporary mistake that Amazon has now corrected...sorry. They probably confused them with the headset without the mic....
 
jonnyb said:
Hi - I can find these on Amazon (US) but they're $150. Where are you seeing them for $90? I'm meeting a friend from the US in Paris next week and I'd like him to bring me some over

thanks
Click to expand...

They were on sale from another seller through amazon (antonline.com)
I purchased mine for $72 shipped but returned them because I didn't like the sound nor the clicker .
 
I wanted to follow up on my post. The button was the real achilles heel of this headset: it was crazily stiff, the little piece of rubber started falling off, double-pressing it didn't skip songs and it was just generally a bad user experience. I sent them back to UltimateEars and they sent me a new pair:

- the new pair has a totally redesigned button that is super-easy to press and works perfectly. The best I've used, after the apple button.

- They shortened the warranty from two years to one year.
 
IF YOU ARE USING THE ULTIMATE EARS -> PUT ON DIFFERENT RUBBER EARTIPS!!

I cann't stress this enough! I put on some rubber eartips from some old creative headphones that I had, which appeared to be identical to the ones that came with the UB5's, but they made a WORLD of difference!

Bass was practically non existent with the UB5's out of the box, but with different rubber eartips, it was outstanding. There's something wrong with the stock eartips,

I urge you guys to try on a different pair before reviewing.
 
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