[Indygreg]

Quick background: I have had SF.5's for about a year (but just got new ones from UE as mine broke). I never loved the fit. I did love the sound. I tried e500 and took them back. I hated the cables, loved the sound and comfort, did not like the price.

Today I got my UM2's. I also got the Shure fit kit and some tri-flanges to start off with all the options.

Initial impressions:
X Packaging - good enough. Not as good looked as US or Sure IMHO
X Included options - not as good as the others, we all know this
X Cord. First the pros. Easily the most comfortable cord - just very limp and slick (insert jokes here). The con - the "Y" is not as long as I would like. It is not too short to use, but it is not very long. No microphonics (I think that is what you all call it).
X IEMs - nice and small. I got the clear. Nothing wrong with them at all, but for some reason they look lower end than Shures and UE's. Hard to better describe than that, not poorly made . . . just if you laid them out with the others most would say these are the cheapest. No official research to back that up.
Tips - I love all the tip options that are available - that I got.

So I put them in.

Comfort.

They are the best of the 3. Much better than SF5 and better than e500. I can use a number of tips with great success. I am not used to IEMs being so 'not there'.

Sound
I will report more later after I try them out. It is good no doubt, but it is different. I am trying to find the best settings on my ipod (I use no amp at this time and I do use the EQ sometimes on the ipod). Plenty of bass - no problem there. I was worried that they would be less than the SF.5 and they simply are not.

Isolation: Better than the SF5's and probably a hair better than the e500's - although it is probably the same with the same tips.
They do have the 'direct from ipod hiss' that the e500 had (just as much)(the SF5's have this to a much much less extent).


I think I am going to burn them in some as well.


I would say that I going to be keeping these. I will put my essentially new SF5's up for sale.

 

[LFC_SL]

I don't want to say I told you so... so I won't

Glad you like your new toy and agree on most points

Now I know 2 head-fiers (myself included) who has gone 5Pro > UM2 (with a minor detour via E4s (still own) for me)

Now you need to avoid the Westone 3 thread

(finding it hard myself. OK, I have posted in there)

Edit: if Indygreg went from EBs > UM2, change wording to UE > UM2

(why still only 'Ety' smiley?!)

 

[_M2]

hey so does the OP have the Super.Fi 5 PRO or EB. Seems like he has EB to me.

 

[Indygreg]

I have the pros, not the EB's.

The UM3 does not really appeal to me at this time, just as the UE Triple.fi would not (if UE's fit my ears that is). Stuff I have read on both of them say they are not 'upgrades' from UM2 or SF.5 respectively. Instead, they are just different animals. Terms like 'analytical', 'not as musical', 'not as fun', 'less low end' seems to be themes. Those are just not what I wanted.
I read the UM3 thread and would have waited for sure if I thought that was what I wanted. Another $100 would not have been a show stopper if that was the IEM for me.

 

[audiomagnate]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Indygreg /img/forum/go_quote.gif X Cord. The con - the "Y" is not as long as I would like. It is not too short to use, but it is not very long.

How big is your head? The "Y" only has to be long enough to reach behind your head between your ears. I've got a pretty big noggin and I've got about 4 inches to spare.

 

[LFC_SL]

Sorry, but the cord splitter on the UM2 is at my throat for me. Just about long enough, but another 1,2 in would be good for leeway

 

[audiomagnate]

The cord is designed to go over your ears and behind your head. Then you snug it up with the sleeve. It's not designed to dangle under your chin.

 

[Indygreg]

I have a large head, but that is not the issue - my ears are not much further from my neck than a normal head.

Anyhow, as others said, I can wear them in front (my preferred way to be honest) just fine. The Y is just a few inches under my neck, whereas with the e500 or SF5's it is maybe 10 inches. Not a huge deal really, I just do not like the tighter look of this. I guess I could wear behind my head, but I have never liked that as much. If I were standing like a guitar player in concert - then behind is great. Sitting, not so much.

 

[LFC_SL]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audiomagnate /img/forum/go_quote.gif The cord is designed to go over your ears and behind your head. Then you snug it up with the sleeve. It's not designed to dangle under your chin.

I know, but
a) Excellent fit of the UM2 means it is flexible in this way
b) When you have your source in front of you (like my laptop right now), or in your front coat/shirt pocket, wearing the UM2 in front is more preferable

 

[Saigon]

I too prefer to wear the cord in the front. I tried using it the way it was supposed to but tightening the cord in the back caused it to annoyingly tug the earpieces everytime I turned my head. What i ended up doing was that I removed the clear plastic thing from the cord splitter thus increasing the length of the y-part. Now it doesn't look quite so ridiculous when weared in front.

 

[Indygreg]

I agree with the others - I do not like wearing the cord to the back unless I am standing (which is actually a decent amount of the time I listen to my IEMs - standing in a datacenter working).

More on the review.

I have to be honest - I am not sure I love these yet. Fit, ease of insertion, and comfort are off the charts good. Amazing in fact. Mentally I am having issues with being able to just stick them in and be done with it. My SF5's (in my ears - everyone is different) took several attempts to get in and usually had to be redone after a short period.

The issue is inconsistency. Some songs sound brilliant - great bass, impact, and clear mids and highs - all with what I think is very good detail. Good sound stage, etc. Then the next song sounds like I am under water and the mids and highs are very bad. I will go back through the same sequence of songs with my SF5's and they seem to be more consistent. The UM2's also are much less forgiving of poorly encoded (low bit rate, bad encoder, etc) songs than the SF5's. That is probably a good thing, as they are showing more details.

Stuff I have read on the UM2's (mainly here doing searches) talk about fit being so important and it takes a while to get it just right. Maybe that is it, but I am not sure why one song sounds so great. Also, of the IEMs the UM2 reviews nearly always talk about improvement after burn in. They are balanced armatures like the others and most agree they do not need burn in . . . but UM users seem to believe it more than most. I am running them at a decent volume (just a bit louder than I listen to music) with pink noise when I can (a few hours at work and overnight last night). We shall see.

 

[Indygreg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saigon /img/forum/go_quote.gif I too prefer to wear the cord in the front. I tried using it the way it was supposed to but tightening the cord in the back caused it to annoyingly tug the earpieces everytime I turned my head. What i ended up doing was that I removed the clear plastic thing from the cord splitter thus increasing the length of the y-part. Now it doesn't look quite so ridiculous when weared in front.

On that topic - another beef I have on the cord is the quality and design of that slider (the thing that can tighten the "Y" - what a complete POS. It is a very cheap plastic and it dos not move very smoothly at all. I have never really used those things anyway, and as soon as I decide I am keeping the UM2's for sure, I will remove mine as well.

 

[Indygreg]

I am a believer in burn in for these IEMs (FWIW, the folks at earphone solutions also say it is real on these - that they sound muddy at first). They sound wonderful now (4 nights of pink noise burn in, plus a few hours here and there during the day). Not muddy at all. Very detailed and clear in my ears. Maybe just a hair less detailed in the mids when compared to the e500's, but a 'better' sound to me. They have the impact and bass of the SF5 as well. And the comfort is better than anything I have tried.

I am sure part of it is fit and learning to get them in my ears, etc - but I am sure the burn in opened them up.


So my essentially new (just replaced from UE) Super.Fi 5's will be going up for sale soon (I am waiting on on member who PM'd me to decide on an offer before I put them up officially). Brand new from UE with a bag of foamies and a spare bag of medium tips (plus everything that came with it) - and a 2 -year transferable warranty from Guitar center. Well, they are not for sale yet, so I think this blatant ad is ok.

 

[fredman22]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Indygreg /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am a believer in burn in for these IEMs (FWIW, the folks at earphone solutions also say it is real on these - that they sound muddy at first). They sound wonderful now (4 nights of pink noise burn in, plus a few hours here and there during the day). Not muddy at all. Very detailed and clear in my ears. Maybe just a hair less detailed in the mids when compared to the e500's, but a 'better' sound to me. They have the impact and bass of the SF5 as well. And the comfort is better than anything I have tried. I am sure part of it is fit and learning to get them in my ears, etc - but I am sure the burn in opened them up. )

I think the burn-in associated with UM2s is really more an acclimation of your hearing to their sound sig. I, too initially found them muddy throughout the spectrum and simply listened to them for 3 or 4 days before they seemed to change with a restored clarity and tightening of bass, but retaining their trademark warm, fun sound. Tips will make a difference also. Depending on the shape of your ear canal, the various tips seem to alter sound more than other IEMs, probably because UM2's nozzle doesn't appear to go as deep, and remains recessed in a lot of tips, which might stunt the sound. Experimentation here is best as one man's cure is another's poison, etc. Comfort and cable-wise, they're the tops. Like others, I removed the y-sleeve and simply wear them in front (newer models have a few more inches of Y which solves any tightness) and find them comfortable/convenient enough that way. These are the first of any IEMs or cans that I've own that are so comfortable, it's easy to wear them unnoticed for 2-4 hour sessions. UM2s do have a unique sig and if it appeals to you, I think it is among the closest to closed cans in an IEM. I've had mine for about 15 mos. now and wouldn't trade 'em as they're perfect for my portable use. Definitely an IEM that just sound better and better with use. Good luck and enjoy!

 

[krmathis]

Congratulations with an excellent earphone.
The UM2 are good sounding, have good comfort, and stay flush inside your ear. An ideal IEM if you ask me.