Ultimate ears super.fi 5 pro earphones.

Manufacturer: Ultimate Ears, 5 Jenner Street, Suite 100, Irvine, CA 92618; 800/589-6531; www.UltimateEars.com

Price: $249.99

Source: Manufacturer Loan

If you have the ideal home set-up, when you want to listen to music you retire to the music room, where the Big Rig lives, and you shut out the world and listen to splendid full-range sounds without competition or distraction. But few of us live in such an ideal world, and even those lucky folks have to travel occasionally.

So how can you achieve the properly isolated audio listening environment even if you don't have a dedicated listening room, or a cooperative family, or--worse case--you're on an airplane?

Earphones.

Not headphones. Headphones are either on-ear pads, which don't produce much bass or isolation from outside noise; or cups that seal around your ear (unless you wear glasses) and get you all sweaty; or those clip-on sports models that sound pretty bad.

Earphones. Not earbuds, the free things that come with iPods, which are convenient (except when they fall out) but sound pretty bad too. Serious earphones, which seat down in your ear canal to block out ambient sound and allow deep bass, like Etymotic Research has been making for years. But now there's competition from Ultimate Ears, with a full line that starts in the bargain basement at $100 and goes all the way to the couture level with a custom set molded to your very own ear canals for $950.

I've been using the Etymotic Research ER6s ($150) for several years with great results ("What did you say, Stewardess? Peanuts? No, I'm listening the "The Peanut Vendor."). But the bass is a little shy, so I thought it would be nice to try a step up with the Ultimate Ears super.fi 5 Pro, the top model in their ready-to-wear line ($250).

The 5 Pro uses dual drivers to provide full-frequency sound (unlike the ER6 and the cheaper models in the super.fi line), and comes with a full assortment of ear tips (three sizes of single-flange silicone, one double-flange silicone, and a starter pair of disposable foam), as well as two carrying cases (a practical leather one and a geeky metal can), a 1/4" adapter jack (for the Big Rig when you can't get any privacy), a sound level attenuation jack (to tame overloud sources like the direct airline feed), and a cleaning tool to clear ear wax.

Comfort: Earphones may take a little getting used to. You have to learn the insertion technique (which is different for Etymotic Research and Ultimate Ears) to get good bass and isolation, and then you have to get used to the feeling of having beans in your ears. But once you get over that, I find them much more comfortable than the around-the-ear headphones. The 5 Pros are similar in feel to the ER6s, but they are easier to insert and especially to reseat if the seal weakens.

Isolation: During my first test session, the ER6s seemed to provide more isolation than the 5 Pros (using the medium-size single flange ear tips), but on retest it was clear that both models have similar isolation.

On airplanes I have found that earphones totally eliminate the engine drone in the cabin, reduce the captain's announcements to awareness without comprehension, and turn the cabin attendants into French mimes.

I got equally good isolation with all the 5 Pro silicone ear tips. I couldn't get the foam tips to seat, so I didn't really try those; they are supposed to provide the best seal and most secure fit, but only if you get them in! And then you need to lay in a supply because they can't be cleaned.

I finally settled on the small single flange tips for my best combination of seal and comfort. Your earage may vary, but one of the choices should work for everybody.

Sound: You could just wear these things on an airplane to cut out the cabin drone, but most of us will probably want to use them to listen to music too.

I initially planned to compare both sets of earphones to a freebie set of earbuds, but the only ones on hand were from a PSP game console and they sounded terrible with music. I finally got my son to return our iPod earbuds, which sounded better--but they had a buzz in one ear that suggested they are damaged. So I went with the Etymotic Research ER6 head-to-head (or rather ears-to-ears) with the Ultimate Ears super.fi 5 Pro.

I went through my usual listening suite. On the Dvorak the 5 Pro had a full rich natural sound, all the way down to the bass fiddles, which sounded like cellos on the ER6. The piano on the Liszt sounded like a full concert grand on the 5 Pro, and more like a baby grand on the ER6. On both models it was critical to get a solid seating in the ear canal, but the ER6 never achieved bass equal to the 5 Pro.

On a few selections I wondered whether the 5 Pro was too warm, but more often, the ER6 seemed too lean. On the Prokofiev the extra bass weight on the 5Pro made the Montagues vs. Capulets a real street rumble, rather than the welterweight fight on the ER6. The Delos Bach organ CD on the 5 Pro had the best balance from top to bottom that I've ever heard (even on Big Rig speakers). The Dorian Bach organ CD got real muddy, but most speakers with full bass do that too. The Nowell handclaps were naturally weighted, and the dulcimers and flute were very natural (they were quite up-tilted on the ER6). The Chesky test CD LEDR test showed more upward movement on the 5 Pro; the other LEDR tests were similar on both.

Conclusion: The Ultimate Ears super.fi 5Pro is an excellent in-ear-monitor earphone that offers full-range sound with a pleasantly warm timbre and deep bass, good isolation, and excellent comfort through a choice of five ear tips. They are very sensitive, to save batteries on your iPod or portable CD player. And they come with a generous two-year warranty. Highly recommended.

--GK