Ultimate Ears 350vi Review

Update: As of September 2013, my Ultimate Ears 350vi started losing volume on the right earphone. The mic which was attached to the right earphone works fine so there was no problem with phone calls. But it was annoying to only hear sounds on the left earphone.

About in early 2013, the silicon tips on the earphone started falling off. As good as the UE 350vi are, the silicon tips don't hold on the earphones very well after a year. My Shure E2C tips holds very well even after 4 years. But the UE350vi tips falls off when I just brush them on my jacket.

I finally stopped using my Ultimate Ears 350vi when I dropped one of the tips in the sewer when I took them out of the jacket to use.

To be fair, these earphones lasted longer than my Sennheiser MM50i. The left ear still works fine, but you can really only use it as an earphone by then. If the silicon tips were designed better, they would stay on the earphones better.

Would I buy Ultimate Ears again? Perhaps, they are still one of the better earphones I've used and I do miss the sound isolation they bring. I'm currently using the Apple Earpods for now while I look for a new set of earphones. While the Apple Earpods have good sound, they suck when you're on the road or ride transit as it provides no sound isolation so it's hard to hear what you're listening to.

I got myself a replacement earphones last week after my Sennheiser MM 50i died on me a few months ago. I've owned the Sennheiser for about 7 months, but while I was listening to some music and a phone call came in, it suddenly lost 90% of the volume. I thought my phone was shorted, but it's not. I loss all the bass on the left earphone and I can hardly hear anything on the right earphone. Basically, the Sennheiser MM 50i shorted while playing music and my phone rang.

I'm very disappointed. In my previous review of this Sennheiser, I gave it 4 out of 5 stars. Now, I'm downgrading it to 2 stars. Why not 1? It's still a good earphone, if it lasts. I've never had any earphones die on me, never. I've owned Sony earphones since the 1980's, it's still working brilliantly. This is the first time I had an earphone die on me.

So I started looking for a new set of earphones, I was trying to decide if I should just buy an Etymotic or Shure, but they were a bit expensive. I did have a old Shure E2C earphones which I was using in the meantime. It works great for noise isolation and sound quality. The only drawback is, there is no mic on this one so it's hard to use with a phone especially when your hands are full.

While browsing through the Apple Store, I found the Ultimate Ears 350vi on the shelf. I don't recall them having these before so it really grabbed my attention.

It was also on sale so I decided to pick one up to replace my Sennheiser.

Background

Ultimate Ears was started as custom in-ear monitors for musicians and is now part of Logitech. They make high end custom earphone but now they make consumer earphones for iPods, iPhones and other phones and MP3 players.

First test

When I first tried it on, it sounded better than my old Sennheiser. The bass was deeper than the Sennheiser, but not that deep. It just sounds a little more solid on the bass. I only listen to rock and roll music so I can't really comment on how it sounds when you play hip hop. But I'm more satisfied with the overall sound of the UE 350vi than the Sennheisers. And this isn't because the old ones shorted out.

The UE 350vi comes with five (5) silicon ear cushions from XXS to L and a hard case. I initially used the attached ear cushion which is the Small and I found that I get no noise isolation whatsoever. I tried almost all of the sizes until I found one that gave me the best noise isolation with the most comfortable fit. The size "S" was not very comfortable to use for me, it kept falling off and did not reduce any outside noise.

Once I found the proper ear cushions, the noise isolation got better. It's not a good as the noise isolation I get from the Sennheiser but the better sound makes up for it. The Shure E2C provides the best noise isolation because of the design, but it does hurt my ears when I wear it too long. The UE 350vi sits in my ear better than the Sennheisers because it is a bit bigger. The Sennheiser was a bit small and the design makes it sit too deep in my ear which I didn't really like.

Design

One thing I didn't like about the design with the UE 350vi is the earphone cables are equal length, so they dangle in front of you. If you happen to pull hard on them, they pop out of your ears. The Sennheiser MM 50i cables are of unequal length so the cords go around the back of your neck minimizing the chance of them popping out when you pull them.

The mic and control is a lot better on the UE 350vi compared to the MM 50i. You have volume control and the middle button has the same control as the iPhone earphones. Voice quality is clear and mic sensitivity is very good.

You can buy a pair of Comply Foam Tips for the UE 350 to get even better noise isolation. Comply Foam is not part of Logitech but rather a spin-off of 3M specializing in dynamic memory foam for earphone tips.

As I wear my UE 350vi, it starts feeling better and better to the point that I don't even notice wearing them. I can't say the same for my Shure E2C. I want to take them off after an hour of wearing them.

Sound

First of all, everybody's ear is different. There is no right or wrong earphones, some will work well for you, some won't. It's just the nature of our ears so you have to just keep testing them especially if you are using in-ear earphones. The fit could be wrong, the comfort is not right, or you just can't get the earphones to sit properly in your ear to get the best experience. In short, there's just too many factors that will affect your ability to enjoy in-ear earphones. Having said that, if you do get the proper fit, you can experience the full capability of your earphones.

That's what I discovered after playing around with several earphones. If it sits properly in your ears, you get the full bass you want and the highs as well. If not, sound leak will make it a horrible experience for you. Your only other alternative is to get custom made earphones or use over the ear headphones that covers your whole ear so they would sound like regular speakers.

Once I got the proper ear cushion on my UE 305vi, I got the right sound I was looking for in an earphone. The UE 350vi is more of a middle of the pack in performance. It's not too loud but not too soft. The bass is just right and not very heavy. In short, it doesn't thump your heart that much.

I also listen to audiobooks and the voice is very clear. Much clearer than what I get from Sennheiser and I have the volume up on the Sennheiser. Music by Queen, Tears of Fears and The Beatles comes out really really well and you can hear every instrument played. With the comfort of these earphones and the sound quality. It feels like they singing in front of you. It's really really good value for money.

The main drawback I see on the UE 350vi is the noise isolation. Even with the proper size ear cushions, the noise isolation is still not as good as the Sennheiser or the Shure E2C. There are some noise isolation, but not as much as those other earphones. The comfort and performance though outweighs that small drawback.

Overall, I'm extremely satisfied with my UE 350vi. If I ever decide to buy a higher end earphone, Ultimate Ears would be one of my choices. I bought my pair on sale for $49.00. For the performance you get, I think it's well worth the money.

Update February 2012

I've been using my UE 350vi for almost 3 months now and I must say I am very happy with these earphones. My only complaint is that I think my ear canals got de-virginized and it seems the ear buds I have doesn't fit as snugly as before. It does happen when you have earphones stuck in your ear everyday. When I run, the ear phones slip out which is a bit annoying. The solution is to push the ear phones in and angle it a bit upward so the back of the earphones is supported by your ear to stop it from popping out.

Doing this gives you a better fit and more seal resulting in increase sound isolation. Great if you're indoors, but can be dangerous when you're on the street as you can't hear bikes, cars and people around you.

The sound quality is still the same even though I use the ear phones everyday. Music quality is the same as it was when I first bought it. Bass is still mellow, not deep with a thud. But I'm not complaining as I don't listen to hip hop. It's great for rock and roll music and audiobooks though. Making the spoken words very clear.

The mic is also very clear and phone conversations are crystal clear. I would like to test the higher end versions in the future. Hopefully I'll find another sale.