Ultrafit 3000 headphone review
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EndersShadow
Posts: 17,528
Ultrafit 3000 Review
This is a quick review of the Ultrafit 3000 headphones from Polk. This review is after listening most of today to these headphones and not over a long period of time (I stole em from my wife who is sick at home today).
To start off let me say I am normally HATE IEMS. I wear glasses and I just havent found a pair of IEMS that fit my glasses right and also didnt cause my ears to start hurting after a bit. Normally though the IEMs I was using were of the 15 dollar variety. I also am not a big headphone guy since I normally dont get lots of time at work to use them. The only headphones I have heard are the 50 dollar Sonys I have been using on and off for 7 years..
Before someone says anything, the reason I own these is simple: I won them from that survey Polk sent out a couple months back. So I figured I should actually use em and let you guys know my thoughts.
My setup was pretty simple. I have my iPhone streaming Pandora at work connected via a 3.5mm adaptor to an Objective O2 headphone amp that is driving the IEMs. You DONT need to use a headphone amp AT ALL, I simply have one so I figured why not use it. I chose to use this setup for eval purposes since its the kind of setup (iPhone streaming) lots of folks will do. I dont have any music on my iPhone yet so I cant tell you how good AIFF files sound, but lets be honest.. thats overkill for a set of IEM headphones meant for portable use.
Some quick notes non audio related:
The 3000s come with a small carrying case that is quite nice. They have a BUNCH of different earpieces so you shouldnt have a problem finding one that works for you. I kept the ones on my wife had because I am lazy
. The cord is quite flexible and very thin which makes them very easy to move around with. They have a built in volume control that worked with my iPhone. In addition I believe they have a microphone built in as well but dont quote me on that. The headphone jack itself is very thin and not nearly as bulky as many I have seen. It should not have a problem fitting in your phones 3.5mm jack for those with cases over their phones. Overall the accessories are top notch and unexpected given its price point.
The over the ear part of the headphone is flexible so you can mold it to be comfortable on your ears which is quite nice as most are plastic and non flexible. This makes for less pain for me personally.
Sound:
They are about the best IEMs I have ever heard, or even headphones for that matter. They lack in the bass department for a basshead like me, but thats expected. Noise isolation is quite awesome and you dont have to turn them up too loud to totally be immersed in the music. The vocals are very good as are the mids. You really do get a sense of being there. I havent really enjoyed a set of headphones/IEMs this much in a long long long time. I feel they really do what they need to do well, which is give you good highs and mids. If your looking for thumping bass IEMs aren?t your thing anyway.
I have been listening to lots of rap, rock, heavy metal, techno and these faithfully reproduce the sound IMHO. I actually busted out my old 50 dollar Sony over the ear headphones thinking they would have more bass. They did, but everything just sounded so ridiculously sloppy and muddy they got put back in my bag and probably wont ever be used again as I am planning on getting a good set of headphones soon.
For someone looking for a good set of headphones and not wanting to spend a bunch of cash, these are your ticket. The sound quality is much better than I expected given their cost. I have no doubt they would stay in with no problems on a run, working out, ect. The headphone case is about the size of my wallet and quite easy to carry with you.
I am honestly shocked and surprised at how well these sound. So far my ears dont hurt, I can barely feel they are there and am thoroughly enjoying them. I might just not give them back to my wife...
This is a quick review of the Ultrafit 3000 headphones from Polk. This review is after listening most of today to these headphones and not over a long period of time (I stole em from my wife who is sick at home today).
To start off let me say I am normally HATE IEMS. I wear glasses and I just havent found a pair of IEMS that fit my glasses right and also didnt cause my ears to start hurting after a bit. Normally though the IEMs I was using were of the 15 dollar variety. I also am not a big headphone guy since I normally dont get lots of time at work to use them. The only headphones I have heard are the 50 dollar Sonys I have been using on and off for 7 years..
Before someone says anything, the reason I own these is simple: I won them from that survey Polk sent out a couple months back. So I figured I should actually use em and let you guys know my thoughts.
My setup was pretty simple. I have my iPhone streaming Pandora at work connected via a 3.5mm adaptor to an Objective O2 headphone amp that is driving the IEMs. You DONT need to use a headphone amp AT ALL, I simply have one so I figured why not use it. I chose to use this setup for eval purposes since its the kind of setup (iPhone streaming) lots of folks will do. I dont have any music on my iPhone yet so I cant tell you how good AIFF files sound, but lets be honest.. thats overkill for a set of IEM headphones meant for portable use.
Some quick notes non audio related:
The 3000s come with a small carrying case that is quite nice. They have a BUNCH of different earpieces so you shouldnt have a problem finding one that works for you. I kept the ones on my wife had because I am lazy
. The cord is quite flexible and very thin which makes them very easy to move around with. They have a built in volume control that worked with my iPhone. In addition I believe they have a microphone built in as well but dont quote me on that. The headphone jack itself is very thin and not nearly as bulky as many I have seen. It should not have a problem fitting in your phones 3.5mm jack for those with cases over their phones. Overall the accessories are top notch and unexpected given its price point.The over the ear part of the headphone is flexible so you can mold it to be comfortable on your ears which is quite nice as most are plastic and non flexible. This makes for less pain for me personally.
Sound:
They are about the best IEMs I have ever heard, or even headphones for that matter. They lack in the bass department for a basshead like me, but thats expected. Noise isolation is quite awesome and you dont have to turn them up too loud to totally be immersed in the music. The vocals are very good as are the mids. You really do get a sense of being there. I havent really enjoyed a set of headphones/IEMs this much in a long long long time. I feel they really do what they need to do well, which is give you good highs and mids. If your looking for thumping bass IEMs aren?t your thing anyway.
I have been listening to lots of rap, rock, heavy metal, techno and these faithfully reproduce the sound IMHO. I actually busted out my old 50 dollar Sony over the ear headphones thinking they would have more bass. They did, but everything just sounded so ridiculously sloppy and muddy they got put back in my bag and probably wont ever be used again as I am planning on getting a good set of headphones soon.
For someone looking for a good set of headphones and not wanting to spend a bunch of cash, these are your ticket. The sound quality is much better than I expected given their cost. I have no doubt they would stay in with no problems on a run, working out, ect. The headphone case is about the size of my wallet and quite easy to carry with you.
I am honestly shocked and surprised at how well these sound. So far my ears dont hurt, I can barely feel they are there and am thoroughly enjoying them. I might just not give them back to my wife...
"....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
Post edited by EndersShadow on
Comments
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A tip for you: Try the small foam tips (you being lazy and not trying ANY of the other tips is why you report poor bass), and PROPERLY seat them in your ears. Yes, take a minute, maybe two, and seat these properly. Work the foam so its soft and work the ear tip into your ear so it makes a nice seal. Wrap the back piece on top of your ear or around back if you can manage.
The reason I stress this is because when I used the wrong tips or half-assed seating them in my ears, I had little to no bass. These little ear buds have some serious kick. -
A tip for you: Try the small foam tips (you being lazy and not trying ANY of the other tips is why you report poor bass), and PROPERLY seat them in your ears. Yes, take a minute, maybe two, and seat these properly. Work the foam so its soft and work the ear tip into your ear so it makes a nice seal. Wrap the back piece on top of your ear or around back if you can manage.
The reason I stress this is because when I used the wrong tips or half-assed seating them in my ears, I had little to no bass. These little ear buds have some serious kick.
Those small foam tips are the ones currently on it. I just took a couple mins to look at the rest of the tips and honestly these are probably the best ones for me. I am not saying there is NO bass, just not enough for my personally. They provide as much bass as one could expect from an IEM and I am not disappointed by them. Its more meant that if you like thumping pounding forcefull bass you wont get them from these (like Beats Audio bass). You get an accurate representation of the sound.
I also am NOT listening to what I would qualify as a "quality" source since its Pandora streaming on my iPhone. Listening to better quality music might have a different result, I simply dont plan on spending time doing that right now.
Personally I would gladly recommend these to just about anyone I know. This is meant to be just a quick review saying they are REALLY good for what they are, and I wouldnt hesitate to buy them if I was looking for a good set of IEMs"....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
Nice review, thanks for sharing.Source: BRP Panasonic UB9000, CDP Emotiva ERC3 - Display: LG OLED EVO 83 C3 - Pre/Pro: Marantz 8802A - Amplification: Emotiva XPA-DR3, XPA-2 x 2, XPA-6, Speakers, Mains/2ch-Focal Kanta No2's, C-LSiM706, S-702F/X, RS-RTiA9's, WS-RTiA9's, FH-RTiA3's, Subs - Epik Empire x 2
Cables: AudioQuest McKenzie XLR's/CDP/Amp, Carbon 48/BRP, Forest 48/Display
EXPERIENCE: next to nothing, but I sure enjoy audio and video MY OPINION OF THIS HOBBY: I may not be a smart man, but I know what quicksand is.
When I was young, I was Superman but now that old age has gotten the best of me I'm only Batman -
EndersShadow wrote: »Those small foam tips are the ones currently on it. I just took a couple mins to look at the rest of the tips and honestly these are probably the best ones for me. I am not saying there is NO bass, just not enough for my personally. They provide as much bass as one could expect from an IEM and I am not disappointed by them. Its more meant that if you like thumping pounding forcefull bass you wont get them from these (like Beats Audio bass). You get an accurate representation of the sound.
I also am NOT listening to what I would qualify as a "quality" source since its Pandora streaming on my iPhone. Listening to better quality music might have a different result, I simply dont plan on spending time doing that right now.
Personally I would gladly recommend these to just about anyone I know. This is meant to be just a quick review saying they are REALLY good for what they are, and I wouldnt hesitate to buy them if I was looking for a good set of IEMs
I get your point. That's fair.
I have large canal's so I prefer the larger tips or these small foam ones. I'm super fussy about fit and seal. -
I get your point. That's fair.
I have large canal's so I prefer the larger tips or these small foam ones. I'm super fussy about fit and seal.
Understand. I also have to keep taking em in and out since I do IT and am constantly answering my phone, so getting them to seal right is hard. Add to it my glasses and its darn near impossible to get a perfect seal.
Plus I am a "bass boost" kinda guy when listening to portable sources :biggrin:
I really like these and will keep using them until either my wife notices they are gone, or my modded ultrasone hfi-780's come in
"....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
My set of 3000A showed up today. The intent is to use them while running. With the fit snug in the ear canal my early impression is that there is plenty of bass.
