Just released the Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 takes the wraps of an exciting new concept in entry level high end in-ear phones. I was so pleased to have received a pair to review and I can say that they really did a great job with these in-ears.

The Super.fi 5 takes an entirely different approach not only in the industrial design but in the way it brings the sound into your ears. Not only did they redesign the earphones themselves but also presented some new changes in the accessories included.

The design of the earphones themselves is very nice as they fit close to your head without sticking out too much. This makes for a nice sleek appearance. The silver and red color scheme also makes for a high tech polished look. One thing my staff and I had trouble with at first was figuring out the left from the right. There are indicators on the earphones but tend to blend in a little too well. I took a silver "Sharpie" and made the letters stand out a little bit more.

One of the things that bothered me about the Super.fi 3s was the cable. With the Super.fi 5s they have introduced a new material (almost feels like a silicone coating) that is really lightweight and easy to handle. The wiring folds up nicely and is not prone to get tangled. Also the noise is greatly reduced if you accidentally bump the wire while using the earphones, a great improvement.

The sound is also a great improvement, as I had to continue to remind myself that these were still single driver earphones. The sound seemed very nice and detailed and I still was able to feel the bass, low and tight. I really enjoy feeling the low end so I still could have used a little more in that department but the Acoustic EQ setting on my Zune allowed me to bump tings a bit which allowed me to get things sounding more to my taste.

In the accessory department more good news. They have included what they call a "pocket" case. This is a fantastic portable case that is really easy to handle. It also fits nicely in any bag or your shirt pocket. A nice and comical touch is there is a small graphic on the inside bottom of the case on how to wind the earphones, really cute and shows a welcome attention to detail. The silicon ear tips were also a big hit with our staff as they provided a very comfortable fit and proved to stay that way when listening for long periods of time. The silicon tips come in three sizes. They also include some "memory foam" style eartips, which are known as "Comply"eartips first introduced by Westone another in-ear manufacturer. Oh yes they also include the all-important cleaning tool as well.

The Super.fi 5s really were a pleasant surprise as they are taking the single driver earphone to new levels.It seems they knew the things that bothered me about the Super.fi 3 Studios and corrected them in a grand way with the new Super.fi 5s. Great job Ultimate Ears! You can visit them on the web by going to www.ultimateears.com

As of this writing Ultimate Ears had been acquired by Logitech which only means we can expect to see continued innovation in one of the premier earphone producers.