Yggdrassilious
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2009
- Posts
- 551
- Likes
- 32
Hi all!
This is my maiden post. I thought I'd dedicate it to a pair of IEMs that I got not long ago. Actually I just wrote this review for amazon, where I bought them, and decided to post it here for a more knowledgeable audience.
Since I am new, I am still trying to figure out how to post pictures and stuff, and I don't have my DC with me so...pictures will have to wait, if they come at all.
Now here's the review,hope ya'll like it
:
While I am glad that Ultimate Ears finally decided to throw out their ugly old designs and went for a more stylish look with the SF5, I can't help but feel disappointed with the direction the sound is going.
By no means are the SF5s replacements for the SF5 Pros, and you realize that the moment you try to open up the package. There is no easy way to do so. You are gonna have to tear it open. (I've always criticized people from unboxing videos about the way they destroy the nice packagings. And I HAVE spent like 15 minutes looking around the box of SF5 to find an opening. None)
The insides are nicely packed, with four different layers of plastics forming three compartments, one for the earphones, one for the cardboard with warranty card, and another for the bean shaped carrying case with a cleaning tool and a hidden set of comply foam tips inside, and changeable ear tips.
The SF5 Pros offer upgradable/changeable cable with memory wire, duel drivers, sound attenuator, flight adapter, and a metallic hard-shell case. The SF5 has none of that. And the $50 dollars cheaper price speaks for itself that the SF5Pros and SF5 are NOT in the same league, class, line, you get the idea.
The cables are much more stiff and bouncy than that found on the Shure SE310s, and in a bad way.(As opposed to the stiff wires on the SF5Pros, which is actually quite secure, durable, and has zero microphonic). The SE310s cables, while not memory wires, are very soft and yielding (not to say they are not thick and sturdy, which they are). If you loop them around your ear, the wires tend to stay that way in a loop. Not the SF5 wires. They have problems staying looped behind my ears if I don't tighten them with the little thing down at the joint. Maybe because they are new, but my SE310s are only two weeks older without much more use than the SF5s. Wearing the SF5s upside down definitely feel more secure and comfortable than the old way, and also reduces microphonics, which are kinda bad on the SF5s(because of the bouncy wire).
These are definitely more comfortable than the SF5Pros, which just sticks out of your ears.(Even then the memory wire on the SF5Pros are welcome here) You cannot wear them with hats, you cannot lay on the side with them. Well you can do that now with the SF5s! The SF5s are very light and compact. However they are too light, and the straight up design really doesn't add to the IEM experience, nor does the all-hard-plastic construction help. (Seems like they took the tube from SF3s, twisted them 90-degrees down the middle, slapped SF5 on them, and doubled the price)
I still much prefer the SE310's snug feel. Love the way the slightly heavier wires of the SE310s weigh down a little bit on your ears, together with the curved shapes of the earphones and the half-rubber/half-soft plastic construction, they really offer a secure and comfortable feel. No UE or Ety or other brands offer that kind of comfort.
The 3.5mm plug feels kinda cheap and not very thoughtfully designed. It's very long and hard (hee heee hee) and has no "give" to the wire. Makes one worry about durability. The 90-degree or angled plugs would be MUCH more durable and easier on your devices as well. The watered-down 1-year warranty also worries me. Hope these little guys last.
Also, the SF5s are the only case of sub-$200 IEMs that I actually prefer the silicon tips than the foam ones. The comply foams feel really cheap and wimpy (like the ones you'd get from a $10-JVC marshmellow or something). They are way too soft and does not have the sponginess other IEMs have. (Even the SF5pros foam tips are better than these) The straight up design of the earphone's tubes mean that these go deep into your ears, so the foam tips don't feel that good once deeply inserted into your ear canal and expands. And once again, I think about my SE310s and how wonderfully RIGHT its foam tips feel. They just feel right, the SE310s. (They rest a little more on the outside of your ear canals because of the curved design. Easier on the ears, isolates just as much sound, and you can wear them longer without fatigue)
Now the SF5Pros, SF5, and SE310s (three IEMs I own now that are in similar price range) all use Balanced Armature drivers, and there has been varying opinions as to whether BAs require burn-in. My brand new replacement SE310s do not sound different at all than the 1-year old ones they replaced. So I am leaning towards not requiring burn-in. But since UE and Shure use different transducer design and technology, I am giving the SF5 some cushion points for being younger than my other phones. (Since my SF5Pros seemed to benefit a bit from burning-in)
The SF5, in so few words, sound like krap. They do not stand out in anyway whatsoever. The soundstage is not that large like some people have suggested. It "feels" large because every frequency is so recessed and colorless that you perceive this as being "spacious", when really you are just standing outside of the concert hall. It's like there is a filter in the tube that removes all lively, sparkly, colorful, exciting and mood-influencing/infecting elements out of the music. I listen to my favorite albums and songs, and feel nothing...
I have not tried the SF3s but am convinced they probably sound the same, more or less. Like I said, seems like they just took the straight tubes from the SF3s, twisted them 90-degrees down the middle, painted a shiny coat, replaced the 3 with a 5, and doubled the price.
You will excuse that the SQ section is so short, but there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to write home about these headphones. They are dull, dry, boring, and totally flat(not in the way that they are totally "accurate", but flat as in an un-carbonated Coke. Ew, gross! Right?)
Since many people here care nothing but bloated bass, I thought I'd say a few words. The bass is blegh, just like every other aspect of the SF5s. It's there, but it is mushied and blended in with the mids and the highs, unlayered or displaced, and all of them are behind that thick wall standing between you and the actual concert.
What do the SF5s do better than my $15 JVC aircushions?
- SF5s use BA driver, therefore has tighter sounds, but only slightly
- Bigger sound stage. (probably because of the bigger earpieces)
What do my $15 JVC aircushions do better than the SF5s?
- More,deeper, and harder impact bass
- Actually good at SOMETHING (i.e. bass) rather than NOTHING (i.e. SF5)
- cost 10% the price of the SF5s, more expendable and possibly more durable
- Feels more comfortable
So, do yourself a favor and skip these pretty faces.
---------------
P.S. As you can see the SQ is under the assumption that BA-drivers do not require burn-in. I will update if in the future the sound changes for the better from burning-in...
This is my maiden post. I thought I'd dedicate it to a pair of IEMs that I got not long ago. Actually I just wrote this review for amazon, where I bought them, and decided to post it here for a more knowledgeable audience.
Since I am new, I am still trying to figure out how to post pictures and stuff, and I don't have my DC with me so...pictures will have to wait, if they come at all.
Now here's the review,hope ya'll like it
While I am glad that Ultimate Ears finally decided to throw out their ugly old designs and went for a more stylish look with the SF5, I can't help but feel disappointed with the direction the sound is going.
By no means are the SF5s replacements for the SF5 Pros, and you realize that the moment you try to open up the package. There is no easy way to do so. You are gonna have to tear it open. (I've always criticized people from unboxing videos about the way they destroy the nice packagings. And I HAVE spent like 15 minutes looking around the box of SF5 to find an opening. None)
The insides are nicely packed, with four different layers of plastics forming three compartments, one for the earphones, one for the cardboard with warranty card, and another for the bean shaped carrying case with a cleaning tool and a hidden set of comply foam tips inside, and changeable ear tips.
The SF5 Pros offer upgradable/changeable cable with memory wire, duel drivers, sound attenuator, flight adapter, and a metallic hard-shell case. The SF5 has none of that. And the $50 dollars cheaper price speaks for itself that the SF5Pros and SF5 are NOT in the same league, class, line, you get the idea.
The cables are much more stiff and bouncy than that found on the Shure SE310s, and in a bad way.(As opposed to the stiff wires on the SF5Pros, which is actually quite secure, durable, and has zero microphonic). The SE310s cables, while not memory wires, are very soft and yielding (not to say they are not thick and sturdy, which they are). If you loop them around your ear, the wires tend to stay that way in a loop. Not the SF5 wires. They have problems staying looped behind my ears if I don't tighten them with the little thing down at the joint. Maybe because they are new, but my SE310s are only two weeks older without much more use than the SF5s. Wearing the SF5s upside down definitely feel more secure and comfortable than the old way, and also reduces microphonics, which are kinda bad on the SF5s(because of the bouncy wire).
These are definitely more comfortable than the SF5Pros, which just sticks out of your ears.(Even then the memory wire on the SF5Pros are welcome here) You cannot wear them with hats, you cannot lay on the side with them. Well you can do that now with the SF5s! The SF5s are very light and compact. However they are too light, and the straight up design really doesn't add to the IEM experience, nor does the all-hard-plastic construction help. (Seems like they took the tube from SF3s, twisted them 90-degrees down the middle, slapped SF5 on them, and doubled the price)
I still much prefer the SE310's snug feel. Love the way the slightly heavier wires of the SE310s weigh down a little bit on your ears, together with the curved shapes of the earphones and the half-rubber/half-soft plastic construction, they really offer a secure and comfortable feel. No UE or Ety or other brands offer that kind of comfort.
The 3.5mm plug feels kinda cheap and not very thoughtfully designed. It's very long and hard (hee heee hee) and has no "give" to the wire. Makes one worry about durability. The 90-degree or angled plugs would be MUCH more durable and easier on your devices as well. The watered-down 1-year warranty also worries me. Hope these little guys last.
Also, the SF5s are the only case of sub-$200 IEMs that I actually prefer the silicon tips than the foam ones. The comply foams feel really cheap and wimpy (like the ones you'd get from a $10-JVC marshmellow or something). They are way too soft and does not have the sponginess other IEMs have. (Even the SF5pros foam tips are better than these) The straight up design of the earphone's tubes mean that these go deep into your ears, so the foam tips don't feel that good once deeply inserted into your ear canal and expands. And once again, I think about my SE310s and how wonderfully RIGHT its foam tips feel. They just feel right, the SE310s. (They rest a little more on the outside of your ear canals because of the curved design. Easier on the ears, isolates just as much sound, and you can wear them longer without fatigue)
Now the SF5Pros, SF5, and SE310s (three IEMs I own now that are in similar price range) all use Balanced Armature drivers, and there has been varying opinions as to whether BAs require burn-in. My brand new replacement SE310s do not sound different at all than the 1-year old ones they replaced. So I am leaning towards not requiring burn-in. But since UE and Shure use different transducer design and technology, I am giving the SF5 some cushion points for being younger than my other phones. (Since my SF5Pros seemed to benefit a bit from burning-in)
The SF5, in so few words, sound like krap. They do not stand out in anyway whatsoever. The soundstage is not that large like some people have suggested. It "feels" large because every frequency is so recessed and colorless that you perceive this as being "spacious", when really you are just standing outside of the concert hall. It's like there is a filter in the tube that removes all lively, sparkly, colorful, exciting and mood-influencing/infecting elements out of the music. I listen to my favorite albums and songs, and feel nothing...
I have not tried the SF3s but am convinced they probably sound the same, more or less. Like I said, seems like they just took the straight tubes from the SF3s, twisted them 90-degrees down the middle, painted a shiny coat, replaced the 3 with a 5, and doubled the price.
You will excuse that the SQ section is so short, but there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to write home about these headphones. They are dull, dry, boring, and totally flat(not in the way that they are totally "accurate", but flat as in an un-carbonated Coke. Ew, gross! Right?)
Since many people here care nothing but bloated bass, I thought I'd say a few words. The bass is blegh, just like every other aspect of the SF5s. It's there, but it is mushied and blended in with the mids and the highs, unlayered or displaced, and all of them are behind that thick wall standing between you and the actual concert.
What do the SF5s do better than my $15 JVC aircushions?
- SF5s use BA driver, therefore has tighter sounds, but only slightly
- Bigger sound stage. (probably because of the bigger earpieces)
What do my $15 JVC aircushions do better than the SF5s?
- More,deeper, and harder impact bass
- Actually good at SOMETHING (i.e. bass) rather than NOTHING (i.e. SF5)
- cost 10% the price of the SF5s, more expendable and possibly more durable
- Feels more comfortable
So, do yourself a favor and skip these pretty faces.
---------------
P.S. As you can see the SQ is under the assumption that BA-drivers do not require burn-in. I will update if in the future the sound changes for the better from burning-in...
