Ultimate Buds?

[comacnut]

So now I have a choice: Ultimate Buds with Future Sonic earphones or Ultimate Buds with ER6i earphones. Which one would you pick and why?

 

[mcdj]

I had the ER6i version. Couldn't get a comfortable fit, and there was not much in the way of bass. If you listen to lots of vocal jazz, you very well may like the sound.

I also recently bought a pair of FS1s. The sound was much fuller, but I didn't spend much time with them as the only way they would fit my ear was upside down, with the cords over the ears. I hate wearing buds like that. I sold them.

 

[crtowles]

ER6i's are great!!

I have the Ultimate Buds ER6i's and I love them. If you are using the iphone all you need to do is go into the EQ and select 'enhanced bass'. (something I learned here) That will do the trick. They sound clean and crisp with full bass. Look at the reviews...they seem to be the favorite. I was going to try the FS 1's but really see no reason at this point.

Good Luck!

Carmen

 

[rjhouck]

I also recently purchased the Ultimate Buds ER6i's and cannot be happier with the sound quality and comfort. I tried the Shure SE310's and I like the sound quality of the ER6i's better. The Shure cords are just so thick and heavy. Anyway, I like the Ultimate Buds ER6i's for their sound quality, comfort, and size.

 

[crtowles]

Decisions....

Well with all of this talk about headphones/ear buds. I took the plunge and purchased FS1's from ultimate bud.. I was afraid I was missing something and guess what I was. These sound unbelievable. You can actually feel the bass. The highs and mids are pretty spectacular as well. So I have decided to retire my ER6i's for now..I just may give them to my daughter as there sure beat the heck out of the apple ear buds. The problem is you will never know until you try them both.

Carmen

 

[climr]

Hi Guys,

We selected the FS1 based on several factors, but the main one is that the sound profile is completely different between them and the Etymotics. Our thinking was that if you don't like one - then you will probably like the other. And with our 10 day listening trial period it's easy to give them a shot without risk of loosing your money. We even have some people order both types and return which one they don't like!

But the reason I'm posting is really to give my personal impression of the FS1, since I feel the Etymotics get more press and you guys may not know much about the FS1. First of all, I (personally) don't understand the deal with fit issues. They come with a bunch of different sizes of eartips, with the part that goes in your ear being about the same length as the Etymotics, so in my experience the fit is about the same. But I know the ilounge guys had fit issues and someone in the thread mentioned fit issues as well, I'd like to hear more about why you had to wear them upside down?

As far as sound goes... as mentioned, they provide much more bass than the Etymotics. At times it sounds like they managed to fit a subwoofer in there! But the bass is controlled and never muddy and still blends with the mids/highs very well. It seems a common trend with other single driver earphones is to provide great bass, but to loose clarity in mids/highs or to attenuate these frequencies all together. This is not the case with the FS1, the mids/highs are still great. Although if you listen to music that doesn't really *need* this type of bass response, the Etymotics are probably the best choice because the detail and clarity is pretty amazing - although some people interpret this as harshness. Another interesting thing I've noticed with the FS1s is that the sound stays balanced as you lower the volume. Some earphones only sound good when the volume is high, this is not the case with the FS1. The isolation isn't quite as good as the Etymotics, although this can be a good thing at the gym or when talking on the phone when you want to hear just a little bit of the world around you. I also prefer the fact that they don't have filters. The shaft is long enough that it is unlikely that ear wax will make it all the way to the driver, and the included cleaning tool does the job of cleaning out wax should you get any in there. The Etymotic filter isn't really a bad idea, they are just over priced, very delicate, a pain to change and easy to loose.

So I guess it goes without saying that I'm impressed with the FS1. In fact, I and a few others here are using these with our iPhones on a daily basis now. We were also able to buy a ton of these and get a decent deal so we're happy to pass the savings on to you. However, once this batch runs out and we have to buy more, the prices may go up.

Thanks to all of you for your past and hopefully future business. We may not be the biggest company out there, but we plan to bring you a wide selection of iPhone headsets as they are released by other manufacturers at great prices and with great customer service. If I can answer any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. I personally read just about every email that goes to sales@ultimatebuds.com.

Brad
owner, Ultimate Buds
www.ultimatebuds.com

 

[crtowles]

First of all, I (personally) don't understand the deal with fit issues. They come with a bunch of different sizes of eartips, with the part that goes in your ear being about the same length as the Etymotics, so in my experience the fit is about the same. But I know the ilounge guys had fit issues and someone in the thread mentioned fit issues as well, I'd like to hear more about why you had to wear them upside down?

I think that when the FS1's were originally introduced they had the bullet style and the triangle silicone flanges shipping with the buds. From all of the reviews and comments most of the folks just couldn't seem to get a good fit, they were uncomfortable and they were forced to use the foam. I guess xtrememac got wind of this and now they are shipping with the double flanged ones which offer a better seal and are very comfortable.

All I can say is, I love mine...

~Carmen

 

[Butthead]

Hi Guys,

We selected the FS1 based on several factors, but the main one is that the sound profile is completely different between them and the Etymotics. Our thinking was that if you don't like one - then you will probably like the other. And with our 10 day listening trial period it's easy to give them a shot without risk of loosing your money. We even have some people order both types and return which one they don't like!

First of all, I (personally) don't understand the deal with fit issues. They come with a bunch of different sizes of eartips,But I know the ilounge guys had fit issues and someone in the thread mentioned fit issues as well, I'd like to hear more about why you had to wear them upside down?

As far as sound goes... as mentioned, they provide much more bass than the Etymotics. At times it sounds like they managed to fit a subwoofer in there! It seems a common trend with other single driver earphones is to provide great bass, but to loose clarity in mids/highs or to attenuate these frequencies all together. The isolation isn't quite as good as the Etymotics, although this can be a good thing at the gym or when talking on the phone when you want to hear just a little bit of the world around you. I also prefer the fact that they don't have filters.
We were also able to buy a ton of these and get a decent deal so we're happy to pass the savings on to you.
We may not be the biggest company out there, but we plan to bring you a wide selection of iPhone headsets as they are released by other manufacturers at great prices and with great customer service. If I can answer any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. I personally read just about every email that goes to sales@ultimatebuds.com.

Brad
owner, Ultimate Buds
www.ultimatebuds.com

Thanks for your detailed if excessively long post

People have different shapped ear canals, 6 or a dozen different foam plugs does not guarantee a comfortable fit, ie. the iLouge guys and others. custom mold is best for fit comfort, yet with such a tight fitting form, you could get fatigued from lack of air flow on extended listening, it happens.

Can you do the $40 splicing of iPhone cable onto other manufacturers earbuds? There are lots of other quality brands that people may prefer. Ultimate Ears, etc.

http://www.headphone.com/products/headphones/in-ear-monitor/

I assume it depends on the type of cable, manufacturing...as I know those micro thin cables have lots of strenghtening fibers wrapped around a hair thin micro stranded copper conductor which is coated and nearly impossible to solder correctly for a solid bond. Would be nice if you had a 1 year warranty on these though, 90days is not much to get excited about .

audio technica has come out with the dual armature CK10 @~$349...ouch!

http://www.macnn.com/articles/07/10/04/audio.technica.ck10/

which looks promising for it's small size, so many choices, many as expensive or more expensive than the item they are plugged into. Add in a $1k headroom portable amp, and you have excessive overkill .

A very important fit factor, is that some earbuds come with a stiffening cable and insertion point, or attachable ear loop, that helps to keep the earbuds from pulling out of the ear canal while the person is in motion/moving/exercising. I think the Sure line has this?

I *hate* to constantly have to re-insert earbuds when they pull out.

If isolation is not as good, then the fit is not as good, all things being equal.

 

[LYFK]

I did the $40 mod you speak of on my buds yesterday with a $25 pair of JVC buds. I was contemplating the ultimatebuds but just couldn't bring myself to spend that much money, especially since the apple buds actually have decent drivers but horrible housings. Anyways the mod didn't take long and the volume drops a little but I gotta say that I am really happy with them and this is easily the best bang for your buck. Also the original modder adds hot glue over top of the solder so nothing moves around. I did this as well, now it looks practically water resistant!

For $25, definitely worth a try, a no brainer for anyone with half-decent soldering skills.