We start with a warning for potential Super.Fi 5EB owners

 

Getting over the hideously disappointing Super.fi 5 EB’s was very easy. They were the most hateful earphones I’ve ever had the displeasure of buying. With that said, I still wanted to give Ultimate ears a good go, after all the 5EB’s had a very good top end, a brilliantly controlled low end with buckets of bass (which I love) and they had bulletproof build quality.

But there were many downsides. Yje weighted as much as two opera singers, the supporting wire that hangs over the top of your ears acts as an ear slicer because the 5EB’s weigh so much and worst of all, the 5EB’s suffer from the most unbalanced, unpredictable, desynchronized midrange in the universe. It is foul! So much so, that on an Art trip to Leeds, I decided to devise a little test.

“The difference in weight is instantly noticeable with the Metro.Fi 2’s. The depths these can go to, for the money, is amazing”

I decided to grab some unsuspecting members of the public, and try the 5EB’s against the much loathed Bose Triport OE’s, and as you might have guessed, every-single one of them went for the Bose. Comments about the super.fi 5EB’s included things like,

“They don’t sound right.”

“They’re no good.”

“No, I don’t like them at all”

“I’d go for the other ones .”(meaning Bose).

Not good for Ultimate ears then! So how bad are the 5EB’s? Now to be honest it’s been such a long time since I’ve tried the 5EB’s that I’ll have to refer to some notes written when they were in use.

Build Quality

So here we are with the Metro.fi 2, single driver unit, built like a nuclear bomb shelter……which means that we’ve just covered the topic of build quality. But they are solid! There’s nothing flimsy about the Metro.Fi 2’s, nothing! There is a slight issue though and that is the cable. It’s also bullet proof and I don’t mean that in a good way. It’s as solid as crow bar and about as easy to bend. You could use the replace the steel cable of the Golden Gate Bridge with the Metro.Fi cable, and I guarantee the Metro.fi cable would be stronger!

Now, lets warn you about the V-Moda Vibes

However, don’t take this as a bad point, the Metro.Fi inspire so much more confidence than the flaky build quality of the V-Moda Vibes, which had a slight problem when I tested them…….

“I’m positive that on this pair there’s a slight leaning to the right. Even adjusting the left hand ear bud, pushing at further into my ear, doesn’t solve the issue.”

That slight leaning to the right actually resulted in the left driver giving in completely, and my friend Jeswin having to ship them back to V-Moda in America for inspection two weeks after my review. Don’t blame me, it wasn’t my fault.

You know me, when it comes to build quality I like to push the item to the limit. Stand on them, sit on them and in the case of special headphones like the Stax SR-001, I like to get my wife to leave a pile of clean washing on top of them before informing you that they have no build quality issues. Needless to say Metro.Fi’s have past with flying colors or if you’re not from the UK, colors.

Accessories

Unfortunately the Metro.Fi’s accessories haven’t really bared up under even the mildest stresses of everyday use. Along with your lovely Metro.Fi earphones, you’ll also get the following.

• Additional sized earplugs (and you’ll need them to experiment with fitting)

• A lovely carrying pouch (which is nigh on useless, because the cable is so stiff, you won’t be able to wrap them up)

And there you have it. Not a huge great list of extras then, but there are other companies that give you less. When you buy a pair of Grado headphones, you’ll be lucky to get a presentation box with them. However the most essential items that you will need for the Metro.Fi 2 are there, and that’s the earplugs. This is where you’ll need to do some serious experimenting for the best fit. So let’s get onto the next subject.

Velcro is peeling off already, and I haven’t even use the carrying case yet

Fitting

Being a hardened headphone fan, I do have a lot of issues when it comes to IEM’s fitting in your ears properly…..if that sentence make sense to you? I find that for the best part, even for great IEM’s like the CrossRoad Mylars, they gently slip out of position far too easily, resulting in you getting less than 100% of the what they have to offer.

Even jamming and screwing the ear buds in your ear, a slight movement from yourself or a rapid movement of air, can just put them out of place and once again, you’ll miss out on the full performance. Often it’s the bass that suffers, because you don’t get a proper seal in your ears. Like I said, this niggle can hamper even the best IEM’s, and I’m afraid that the Metro.Fi 2 …….. and the Super.Fi 5EB both suffer the same concerns.

“Ask me where to put your money, and I’d struggle. Ask me which one I …… couldn’t do without, and the answer would be”

I’m sure there are many an IEM expert that’ll tell you how to insert the ear buds properly in your ears, but as far as I can tell you, a perfect fit 100% of the time is nigh impossible. The problem is compounded by heavier ear buds, hence (I assume) the supporting wire of the 5EB’s. The Metro.Fi, although only slightly bigger than the Mylars, are slightly heavier as well. We’re not talking grotesquely over sized here, but you’ll notice the difference when you where them.

So what ‘s the solution?

Recently I had a serious play around, first of all changing the standard fitting ear buds for the CrossRoads ear buds, and that worked well. For this, you could use a pair of Sennheiser CX300 ear buds, but although they look the same as the Mylars ear buds, they didn’t give as good a fit as the Mylar ear buds.

The best and mot confident fit however, are from the smallest ear buds in the 5EB replacement range. They feel more rubbery than the Metro.Fi silicone ear buds, and they give more of a grippy feel when in your ears. The Metro.Fi 2 ear buds (smallest) are fine, and for the reason that I’m trying to get rid of my Super.Fi 5EB’s, I’ve stuck with the smallest range of Metro.Fi replacement ear buds.

Try and screw them as tightly as you can into your ears, and they’ll provide you with a good seal and then you’ll also feel the full effect form the bass. It’s not a perfect solution, and if I was intending to keep the 5EB’s, I’d nick their replacement ear buds, but the Metro.Fi 2 ear buds do a good enough job.

Of course it’s down to what you think gives you the best fit. I know some advice to go for the biggest ear buds, but I feel on this occasion, the smallest ear buds are the best solution.

So, are they better than the CrossRoads Mylars?

More on that next week.

Only joking! let’s try something classic (another better word than sad) and something quite quick. I like to keep my mind open, even though I think that the Metro.Fi’s are going to be better, I’ve yet to test the two of them back to back.

I’m going to start with two versions of the theme tune to the film ‘Bullit’ starring Steve McQueen. Why two versions? Because the version on the ‘Shaken Not Stirred’ Album is faster, and the version on the DVD I know has better, deeper bass. Brilliant film, although I wasn’t really taken aback with the car chase. You want a car chase, get Ronin!

imac - DVD player

Bang and Olufsen Beosound One

CrossRoads MylarOne X3

Ultimate Ears Metro.Fi 2

CrossRoads MylarOne X3

With the CrossRoads Mylars everything starts off well, with a fair amount of low end weight. Getting into the music, I could do with a little more detail, the highs seem to roll off a little too much. I’m going to put it down to the DVD recording rather than the Mylars ability.

The sound staging is good, and you’re able to place the interments quite easily. Unlike a piece of music with vocals, I don’t think everything is supposed to be dead center, but the sound staging calms down when the gangsters are breaking through the glass. this is an old film though, but bullets are flying about and you can hear them movement well enough.

The Album version is much more focused than the film version, and although in the versus, there is quite a bit of leaning to the right hand-side throughout the song, it’s balanced with a quick blast of instruments on the left hand side. So unlike the V-Moda Vibes, the Mylars don’t have any build quality issues, Phew!

Everything is crisp and clean just about enough, and they’re as detailed as you would expect from the Mylars. The instruments are well positioned and again you can easily pick out the position of each. The midrange is free and easy, but the top end isn’t as crisp as I’d want it to be. However, judging by the next track, It’s the fault of the recording rather than the Mylars.

Ultimate Ears Metro.Fi

The difference in weight is instantly noticeable with the Metro.Fi 2’s. The depths these can go to, for the money is amazing, however how does the rest of the sound stack up. To be honest, with the film recording of Bullit, unless you’re a hardened bass nut, I think that these might be a tad overbearing for you.

The sound staging is a wide as the Mylars, but it’s also very vague. It’s far more difficult to place the instruments as firmly as it was with the Mylars. You can hear each one, but the separation isn’t as good. This maybe a bad start for the Metro.Fi 2’s but this DVD version isn’t the best recording. Again, the breaking of the glass, isn’t as crisp, but 3D imaging comes in when the everyone starts firing their guns.

The power and warmth of the Metro.fi 2 shine though on the Album version of ‘Bullit’, the Mylars are a shrinking violet in comparison. This is true, loud, upfront, in ya face performance. Yet again the Metro.Fi’s show little delicacy in picking out fine detail. It just wants to shout at the top of its voice all the time.

“Here I am. I’m a big manly pair of earphones! Yes, hear me everyone.”

Don’t get me wrong, they can do detail, but you get the feeling that the Metro.Fi wants to hit you like a sledge hammer rather than caress you with a nice cozy eiderdown. When you want to concentrate on sound staging and detail, the Metro.Fi’s just slaps you in the face and screams “What the heck are you worrying about all the nonsense for.” then they proceed to give you a swift kick in the gut, with it’s hard hitting low end weight. And you know what, I love them for it!

Jamiroquai - Too Young Too Die

Back on the CrossRoads MylarOne X3’s, this is the Mylars home ground, good sound staging with JK in the center, and everything else going on around him. but to be honest the backing music doesn’t have enough clarity to satisfy. Even when it reaches the chorus, you just want more refinement.

When the vocals come in, things sound less focused, but the vocals are the problem. They sound slightly out of balance with the rest of the music. I‘m not sure if this is on purpose but it make for a very fatiguing listening experience. You’ll strain yourself trying to listen to the backing music. I’ve heard much better from the Mylars.

Let’s try ‘Corner Of The Earth’(Jamiroquai). That’s much, much better, with good easy to pin point separation. Although you get the sense that you’re still very much forced to focus on the vocals, the guitars have a nice, weighty feel behind them. Ooooooh that bass is nice and warm, not overpowering, just nicely weighted. But still you’re left wanting for a bit more detail. Maybe that’s unfair given the price of the Mylars, they do represent great value for money. At least this track has proven one thing, The Mylars can do bass when partnered with the right music!

Switching to the Metro.Fi 2’s, from the off, I know I’m going to be much happier with these than the Mylars. The weight is very forthright, but it’s the sound staging and detail that are a big welcome. Each instrument is waiting for you to guess where about they are, and with the Metro.Fi’s it’s easier to pick out each instrument. The percussion although very much in the background, is far more noticeable with the Metros’ than with the Mylars.

To my surprise, and even with the heavier bass, the Metro.Fi’s offer a more relaxed listening experience. You’re not straining yourself with the Metro’s. When it comes to ‘Too Young To Die’ the Metro.Fi’s have it.

The start of ‘Corner Of The World’ is a little harsh, and that bass weight is very……powerful, but not at the expense of hearing the finer detail. Yes the Metro.Fi’s are for hardened bass heads, and they may not reach as high as the Mylars, but the sound is feels balanced, warmer, more welcoming, but not at the expense of detail, and that’s quite hard to do.

Again, you’ll get all you want from the percussion, and where the Mylars were starting to give me a headache, the Metro.Fi’s are far more relaxing.

Conclusion

The First thing I have to comment on, is to all those thinking about a pair of V-Moda Vibes, and it’s this, Don’t! Just don’t buy them. The V-Moda’s are a stunning pair of headphones, but the Metro.Fi’s have far better build quality. I would say the sound signature of the Metro.Fi’s lean towards the Vibes more so than the Mylars, so if you’re a Vibe owner, and you want better build quality, then get the Metro.Fi.

The second point is that as you can guess, I’m far more pleased with the Metro.Fi 2’s than I am with the Super.Fi 5EB’s, because they work well. No more of that horrid midrange. Sure, the rest of the sonic range isn’t as good as the Super.Fi 5’s, but with that dreadful midrange, the 5EB’s never really worked for me at all. It’s all or nothing, and with the 5EB’s it might as well be nothing.

I’m no technician, but the problem with the 5EB’s must be down to the twin driver arrangement, and whoever signed these off as ‘fit for market’ should get a stiff kick in the posterior. They just don’t work, but the Metro.Fi’s do, and with that reassurance, I’d be far more receptive to try another pair of Ultimate Ears, and put the 5EB’s down to a bad experience.

So, are they better than the Mylars?

This is a very hard one. If you’re not a bass head, these might be a bit too much for you. If you are a bass head, then there’s nothing better. I would sum up the sound as ‘Warm’ and ‘Full’ where I would describe the Mylars as ‘Fine’ and ‘detailed’. But the Mylar’s are a much more subtle proposition than the Metro’s. Does that mean I prefer them?

The thing is this, the Metro.Fi’s have yet to venture outside in the real world. They’ve been housebound since I got them. The Mylars have come out with me on a regular basis. The reason? The cable! because the Metro.Fi cable is thicker and therefore stiffer than the Mylars, I can’t wrap it around the ipod shuffle plastic wrapper thing, and the wire is too thick to fit in the gripping thing on the ipod wrapper. it simply won’t fit. So the Metro.Fi’s aren’t as practical as the Mylars. But do they sound better?

Much as I would pine for the sweeter detailed Mylars at times, I’d still go for the warmer, fuller sound of the Metro.Fi’s. Somehow, for your money, you feel that you get more bang for your buck. The Mylars are brilliant and until the end of this article, they still reign supreme, but if I had to ask myself ‘which of the two I couldn’t live without?’ it would be the Metro.Fi 2’s!

I just couldn’t live without that power, I couldn’t live without the build quality, not to say the Mylars build quality is bad, it isn’t, but the Metro.Fi’s feel like they would last a millennia, at least. The Metro.Fi’s offer about 70-80% of the Mylar refinement, but they’re at least 200% ahead in bass depth, and upfront performance. And no, that bass weight doesn’t come at the price of detail.

Ask me where to put your money, and I’d struggle. Ask me which one I …… couldn’t do without, and the answer would be the Ultimate Ears Metro.fi 2s. Are they better than the Mylars? I’m not sure. However, I just could not, not have the Metro.Fi’s in my life!

Click here and tell me what you think.