Review : Ultimate Ears (UE) Super.fi 4 and 4vi (iPhone version 4 vi)
I got a chance to spend a few days with the newly launched Ultimate Ears Super.Fi 4vi, iPhone version of the also new Super.fi 4. 
My demo sample was of the retail iPhone version but in the realm of this review - the earphones, the business end are the same across both models. Of course 4vi has some extra parts to aid integration in to Apple’s iPhone stratosphere.
Prices are $130 (~£75) for the normal version, and $160 (~£85) for the iPhone version, which brings them into direct competition with the Shure SE210. We will see how they compare later on…
Earphones 
The earphones are based around a single armature driver, similar to drivers used in UE’s other earphones such as the super.fi 5 pro and triple.fi 10 pro. The form factor follows the Metro.fi introduced last year, however they are smaller and have opted for an anodised and turned aluminium housing for the drivers, with the air tube (port) end piece sporting a highly polished finish.
The fit and finish is excellent and it has gone some way in lifting Ultimate Ears in to the same design league as Shure. The current UE range like the Super.fi 5 pro, Studio 3, and Triple.fi 10 pro - just do not make the style statement that modern consumers yearn for! I hope the Super.Fi 4’s are the first of many stylish new products from Ultimate Ears. 
The cable is good and flexible, not too thick like the early Super.Fi’s. The cable length is good at 115cm (~46 inches), it is terminated in a straight moulded 3.5mm jack. The big improvement here is that the jack is now of a slim design, so it will fit players which have slightly recessed sockets.
The iPhone version (4vi) has the addition of a microphone on the cable which goes to the right earphone, and the call button approximately at the half way point. The call button can be used as a rudimentary remote control for the music player application with various click combinations as well as answering and hanging up calls. The call button is tiny and some may find it hard to actuate and resort to using finger nails.
The 3.5mm jack has an additional 4th connection used to carry the signal from the microphone and for the call button. Generally it is not a problem using the iPhone version on any other music / video player but be warned that some do use the fourth connection for wired remotes - this can cause sound issues if the wiring configuration is different. 
I tested the 4vi version with no problems on my PDA, and iPod Video (5g), however the connection on the Archos Gmini 220 was not supplying any grounding to the earphones, which could be overcome by pressing in the call button. So be warned!!!
I did not have a iPhone handy so I was not able to test the quality of the microphone.
In the box
Included are carry case and sound port cleaner. The fit kit includes soft silicone flange tips - you have the small, medium and large sizes plus a pair of dual flange tips.
UE have decided not to include foam tips which is surprising. I personally prefer the foam tips, so I did attempt to fit some - the opening in the Foam tips are too large and they would not stay on the earphones - I did get round that by wrapping the sound port on the earphones with some micropore tape.
Finally, finishing off the package is the airplane attenuator, this goes someway towards stopping you going deaf whenever the cabin staff make an announcement when earphones are used on airplane entertainment systems.
Usage
The earphones fit well and they stayed put for relaxed listening, I did find with the silicon flanges you do need to push them in to your ear quite hard if you want them to stay - so expect to feel some pain!!! I opted to use the foams for my testing which go as deep but without the pain. Generally they are comfortable and the small size means they do not protrude from the ear.
I normally like my earphone cables to go up and over my ears as I think that provides a more secure fit during periods of activity. The Super.Fi 4 cannot be used like that as the cable has just too much spring, also there is no cable tension to slide up to hold the cable in place. Obviously, you cannot considering doing this if you intend to make phone calls as the microphone would end up behind your ear - anyway.
Listening Tests
Initial listening tests left me feeling good about the earphones, they sounded warmer than I was expecting with excellent detail. The sound is well controlled but this control does tail off quite sharply for the low notes and high notes. The sound-stage is good and balanced, however I did find the sound signature to be biased towards the higher end of the frequency range. These are very bright earphones. 
Low frequency response is pretty good. Most bass notes are smooth and well damped, even the bass roll-off is very relaxed - I did find in more complex bass lines the earphones just lost control, and detail that is expected went out the window. The earphones are more than capable of producing a good thump for simple bass lines.
Problem areas are the highs, with the high frequency response coming across over sharp / crunchy and resulting in horrible high frequency ringing - very evident with lower bit-rate MP3’s. The high end problems are probably more apparent then they should be as the mid range lacks presence and can do with some EQ’ing to give it some lift. 
They have plenty of headroom, but once you start pushing the volume levels the high end is the first to give up - resulting in shrilling and tinny crackles, while the midrange is only beginning to come a life!
80’s
Quick listen of Paula Abdul’s Rush Rush intro and Jon Secada’s Just Another Day, showed off the bottom end ability with some good air movement. The complex bass lines were compromised but that did not detract too much from the listening experience. Bass was warm and smooth, not like the mid section which was non-existent. You need to EQ the mid range or the vocals are cold and left with too many artifacts from the poor high end.
High end was over powering for these typical 80’s tracks. The synthesized drums becoming too crisp and just too sharp, even the vocal suffered from being too crunchy.
Classical
Most of the pieces I listened to sounded ok, however tracks which had predominately mid range based instruments such as violins and cellos - really suffered to the point that I thought I was listening to another arrangement of this piece. EQ does help and some time spent improving the mid range is well worth it.
Tracks which had symbols or other high frequency instruments became very difficult to listen to - these instruments just sounded out of place and after a while they became quite distracting.
On a track like Albinoni - Adiagio (Academy of St. Martin in the fields) the earphones produced good music. The lack of distracting high frequency helped make is listenable. The main body of the violin’s sounded good, but during intense sections the rich harmonics did sound harsh and over sharp. This is a case of sometimes you can have just too much detail.
Rock
I played Pink Floyd - Pulse CD and musically the earphones performed well, everything was present with the bottom standing out for me for its warm and smooth sound. As with the other genres, mid range needs help.
The highs again like the other genres, came across harsh and very fatiguing. Some tracks the guitars sounded great and on some they were harsh and crisp - it likes there is a very thin line which divided the frequency ranges the earphones do well at and the ones they do badly at. 
Vocals suffered due to the high frequency bias of the soundstage with the main vocals losing presence to the female backing vocals..
Pop / Acoustic / Metal
A very changeable sound quality from these genres with some songs sounding great and some bad. I think any song which is reliant on the top end to make the melody then that song will suffer. Songs which have the melody and rhythm placed around the low end and mid range will sound great.
For example, System of A Down - Chop Suey, had problems especially with the drums but you did not lose the anger or energy in the track. However, it did sound cold during the chorus. 
Electronic
I gave Jean Michel-Jarre - Revolution album a play and I was surprised. Once the mid range was EQ’d the musical experience was very good - it was competent and well handled.
I did experience the odd track which did suffer from the poor high end response resulted upsetting the balance and became very fatiguing.
Rap / Hip-Hop
The lacking mid range left the sound very hollow. This was one genre where the limitation of the bottom end was clear to hear.
As usual tracks with high frequency components suffered.
Compared To…
I did some back to back testing with the Shure SE210, and Ultimate Ears own Metro.Fi. The SE210 and Super.Fi 4 are similar in price, but I included the Metro.Fi which is nearly half the price as I suspect it uses similar technology as the 4 & 4vi. 
UE Metro.Fi are…
Similar levels of detail. First listen they are not as bright as the 4vi, overall sound is much smoother. The High’s are cleaner in that they do not suffer from being harsh or sharp. The sound has better balance with no range dominating.
I would say they are musically better as they just come across warmer and cleaner.
Shure SE210 are….
Low end is not as smooth as on the 4vi, also they do not have the same warmth in the crucial mid bass section. The Mid and Highs are much better, and the sound has much better balance from when you climb out of the mid bass area.
Control is better over the whole frequency range, and I would say more detail is extracted by these than the 4vi. The highs do not suffer from any harshness, or distracting artifacts.
Overall, the SE210 have a cleaner and more detailed sound, with better mid and highs - the 4vi have a warmer and smoother bass end with a better roll off.
Conclusion
Musically these earphones are very good, it just that they reproduce the sound, in the words of the great Frank Sinatra - My way. If you like ‘their way’ then these are the perfect earphones for you. You can listen to music you know well, they will get out of the way and let you enjoy your music - but they do not hold up to critical listening - it is very easy to pick the sound apart and they make no attempt at hiding the flaws. 
I personally found them to be very difficult to define - until you actually listen to a particular piece of music, you just don’t know if they will excel or fail. In a sense it is like you are taking part in a musical lottery. In any genre you can listen to one track which has great guitars and bass and in the same genre another song - it will all go wrong.
I think the Shure SE210 have a slight edge and for critical listeners they are the choice - I would suggest doing some listening tests before committing to either one. The iPhone integration is good and they make the perfect upgrade for the standard Apple earphones. 
If your budget is tight and you are not a critical listener then save you money and buy the Metro.Fi.
Update (15 Jan 2008)
After my listening test, they reminded me of another earphone - the Shure E4c, they both have sharp and very harsh high response - but the Super.Fi 4 are warmer in the lower end.
Pros
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iPhone compatible
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Musically competent sound
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Ideal upgrade from the Apple earphones
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Value for money
Cons
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Lacking Mid range
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High end response is sharp and harsh
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