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Ultimate Ears metro.fi 2
MSRP $79.99
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The Ultimate Ears Metro-Fi2 are designed as entry-level ear canal headphones priced to attract folks just getting into quality portable audio. From that low-price perspective they succeed decently -- they sound tons better than the earbuds provided with portable audio players or gaming devices -- but they also have a few flaws we feel to be clinkers. First, the earpiece driver size seems just a bit bulky for listeners with small ear canals so the shorties amongst us found some of the plastic/silicon Metro.Fi eartips vaguely painful to wear for any extended period of time. The overall isolation properties of the Metro.Fi are also acceptable but for maximized noise-blocking the earphones need to be deeply seated into the ear canal which only serves to exacerbate the difficult ergonomics of the design. However, as with many in-ear headphones, if you happen to own the right ear canals, the fit could turn out to be perfectly dandy. Sonically, they skew towards the warmer side of the tonal spectrum with rather full albeit slightly undistinguished bass response and a smooth-sounding but rolled-off flatness in the upper treble ranges. All in all, an OK choice for listeners on an extra-tight budget seeking that famous Ultimate Ears "house sound" at a rock-bottom price. However, at nearly the same pricepoint, take a look at the superior UE Super.Fi 3-Studio ear canal headphones which provide quality sound reproduction at the price, improved isolation factor over the Metro.Fi, a potentially more comfortable fit, and a slimmer profile look as well.
The UE Metro.Fi2 come in a cool black/silver color scheme and are outfitted with a fairly thick but pliable 46-inch cord that helps to minimize cord noise microphonics and the always-dreaded cable tangling. The "universal" fit kit includes 6 single-flange silicone eartip sleeves (2 small, 2 med, 2 large) plus 2 dual-flange silicone eartip sleeves to achieve that critical personalized in-ear fit as well as a highly useful travel/storage case. The claimed ambient noise attenuation of the Metro.Fi is around -16dB so not nearly as much isolation as the top-shelf ear canal headphones but nevertheless enough to provide respectable noise-blocking on an airplane or commuting around town. The MetroFi earphone cable is terminated to a gold-plated 1/8" mini-plug (3.5mm) and the Ultimate Ears 2-year product warranty remains standard on all UE earphone products.
Specifications:
- Coupler Size: Small
- Connector Type: 1/8" with 1/4" adaptor
- Manufacturer Warranty: 2 Years
Additional Resources:
- Manufacturer's Website
- ultimateears.com
- Product Info
- Ultimate Ears Insertion videos
- Insertion Modification info
- Product Reviews
- CrunchGear Mike Kobrin, may 07
