UE Cable - is it crap?
Mar 2, 2009 at 4:49 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 17
jleewach

jleewach

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Hey all. I just received my Altec Lansing UHP336 (superfi clone) and just had a quick question about the user-replaceable cables. I’ve noticed that the memory wire portion near the actual bud tends to kind of poke out around the bottom of where the memory wire ends & the normal wire continues on, so much so that it appears it will soon tear a hole in the cable’s material, allowing the harder memory wire material to push through. Is this a common problem with this type of cable for the superfi 3/5 pro/ triplefi 10’s? If so, about how long should I expect till the puncture takes place, and do UE’s other models (superfi 4/ 5 original) have the same memory wire portion even w/o the user-replaceable cables? My apologies if this is a repeat post. I did a search but couldn’t find anything.
 
Mar 2, 2009 at 4:56 PM Post #2 of 17
I've had both SF3 and UHP336 & I think the SF cable is of a better quality than Altec's. Both have stiff cables at the ends. The Altec cable also seems to tangle easier. I'm sure the Altec cable is adequate but I ordered a clear UE cable anyways
 
Mar 2, 2009 at 6:12 PM Post #3 of 17
I think the UE cable is terrible, Ive had the Super.fi 3 for 2 days now and already I had to shrink wrap the area around where the memory wire connects to the connector of the headphone. And also I went to take the cable off the headphone and I came 2 millimeters away from ripping the armature right out. I am not happy with the build quality of the Ue headphones at all. I do love the sound though.
 
Mar 2, 2009 at 6:30 PM Post #5 of 17
Quote:

Originally Posted by ThePandemonium /img/forum/go_quote.gif
And also I went to take the cable off the headphone and I came 2 millimeters away from ripping the armature right out. I am not happy with the build quality of the Ue headphones at all.


Woe, maybe I shouldnt have purchased these. I'm pretty clumsy.
 
Mar 2, 2009 at 7:28 PM Post #8 of 17
Quote:

Originally Posted by midget /img/forum/go_quote.gif
i've had the 336s for a few months now. and havent encountered such problems. i guess im lucky?


I had SF3 for over a year with nop probs and no probs with the Altec cable so far although I've only had the UHP for 1 week. The Alec cable and UE cable for that matter may be prone to tangle and memory wire doesn't work for everyone, myself included but I don't consider the cable quality to be crap either. I have read that the newer UE replacement cable is better than the included cable on SF3 and SF5.... we'll see. I still consider UHP336 to be an excellent value at $40.00
 
Mar 2, 2009 at 8:50 PM Post #9 of 17
My Super fi 5 pro's also have the memory wire "skewing" out of the rubber casing as you described. But it hasn't ripped for me yet and doesn't seem like it ever will. I wouldn't be too worried, and if they do, then AL/UE should cover that.
 
Mar 2, 2009 at 9:27 PM Post #10 of 17
Quote:

Originally Posted by Thade /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I still consider UHP336 to be an excellent value at $40.00


No doubt about that. I love the headphones, and prefer UE's sound signature over that of Shure's. Maybe not as good of a bargain as the KSC75's I just bought at Radio Shack for $5.00, but still pretty good deal. I actually had someone at the store asking why I wanted to "waste" my 5 bucks on headphones that looked so ugly. I felt like smacking her.
 
Mar 2, 2009 at 9:41 PM Post #11 of 17
I sent Ue a long email about all my problems... whats the chances of them responding back?

Im thinking zero...
 
Mar 2, 2009 at 9:45 PM Post #12 of 17
Speaking about ergonomicity, yes, universal UE cables are crap.
 
Mar 2, 2009 at 9:53 PM Post #13 of 17
I don't know about Altec cables, but UE ones are crap indeed. I never had any issues with the memory wire cutting through the cable isolation, because the UE cable are very tough and hard to break. However, I had the issue of hardening cables. My UE Super.fi 3 cable completely hardened after about a year. I still have the Super.fi 3s, but I never use them anymore because of the damn cable - it hardly bends at all now and the microphonics are thus terrible. My clear Super.fi 5 Pro cable was of somewhat better quality and didn't harden that much until over a year of use, but it did oxidize and turned into this rather ugly dark green colour. Ewww...
frown.gif
Personally, if I was to use UE Super.fi/Triple.fi again, I would get some third party cables like some Westone ES cables or whatever and would sell the UE stock ones ASAP.
 
Mar 3, 2009 at 2:16 AM Post #14 of 17
I just got the UHP336 the other day and I'm impressed for $40.

What options are available for replacement cables that fit? If there's something thinner and more flexible and not too spendy I might get a spare cable.
 
Mar 3, 2009 at 3:45 AM Post #15 of 17
I ordered a clear UE replacement cable from earphonesolutions.com for my UHP336. I haven't received it yet. There are a handful of user reviews posted that claim the replacement is better quality than the stock cable & many claim an improvement in SQ. The Altec cable seems inferior to the stock UE cable so I'm sure it will be an improvement. I mostly bought it for the clear/black color combo... shallow I know
smily_headphones1.gif


Ultimate Ears Replacement Cable CLEAR for Super.fi Earphones
 
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