Ultimate Ears 200 Noise-Isolating Earphones - Grey

Product Description

Color: GREY

Ultimate ears 200 noise-isolating earphones—get in the zone. designed by ultimate ears, these sweet-sounding earphones give you the right fit—even if you’ve got small ears.

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 4 x 6.1 x 1.7 inches ; 4.8 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B003VAHZ0Y
• Item model number: 985-000088
  

Price : $9.99
You Save : $20.00 (67%)

List Price : $29.99

Technical Details

• Delivers noise-isolating, professional sound
• Fits all ears comfortably with five sizes (XXS-L) of soft silicone ear cushions
• Keeps looking good with three color choices and a durable design
• Reproduces clear audio and sweet-sounding acoustics
• Stows easily in a pocket-ready hard case

Customer Reviews

I have reviewed a few sets of earbuds here on Amazon. So I set out to compare these Ultimate Ears 200 earbuds with my growing collection. I'll get to the comparison below, but let me first point out that these are not noise canceling earphones. Direct from Wikipedia: "Noise-cancelling headphones reduce unwanted ambient sounds (i.e., acoustic noise) by means of active noise control (ANC). This involves using one or more microphones placed near the ear, and electronic circuitry which uses the microphone signal to generate an "antinoise" signal." These earphones are noise "isolating", which I assume means that your ears are plugged by the earbuds in such a way as to limit the outside sounds coming in. Almost all earbuds do this though, so it's nothing special. A couple other issues before the comparison... one is that the stiffer, larger cord on these earphone produces a lot of noise when touched or moved. Other earphones I have are not as bad. Another is that the L and R mark on each earbud is hard for me to see and read. Lastly, I like a straight phono plug rather than the 90 degree ones, but that's just my preference. This is all minor stuff though -- I did say I like these earbuds, didn't I? :-) On to the comparison.

To me, choice of earphones comes down to 'how do they sound with the music I like to listen to?" I listen to jazz, classical, acoustic music mostly, although I do have classic rock on my MP3 player too. What I'm looking for in earphones is a flat response curve, no sounds in the spectrum being too boomy or muffled or shrill. I played some Christmas music to test them - Chip Davis' Renaissance Holiday. These are in order of what I consider worst to best:

SkullCandy Ink'd - $20 - Seems to have a boost in the 500-1000Hz range, making them sound 'hollow' to me. They have boosted, boomy bass and weak treble. Seems like these are meant for the play-it-loud crowd. Skullcandy INK'd Earbuds S2INCZ-033 (Black/Black)

Sony MDR E821 - OK, these are not in-ear earphones, but I had to include them because they were my old standby until in-ear came along. Since these fit on the outside of the ear canal, the bass is pretty weak and the mids are hollow. The highs are not bad though, as long as you can keep them in your ears if moving around. There is no cord noise with these. Sony MDR E821V - Headphones ( ear-bud ) - black

Altec Lansing Back Beat Pro - $75 - There's a boost in the 500-1000Hz range in these as well - still sounding somewhat 'hollow'. The bass sounds somewhat muddy to me; not distinct. Treble sounds good and clear though. One thing, and it's probably just my pair, but the left channel on these has a 'buzz' in it at a certain frequency and volume. Cord noise is pretty loud. So these are not bad, but I think you can do better for less money. Altec Lansing UHP606 Backbeat Pro Reference Earphones (Black/Gold)

Radius Atomic Bass - $35 - These have nice and strong bass - seems like there's a boost in the 250-500Hz range. Bass is a little boomy, but not annoying. The highs are not as crisp as I'd like them. The music I played has live brass instruments and some cymbals, bells and other percussion. What I'm listening for is how clear and 'airy' the percussion sounds. Cord noise is very quiet. Radius Atomic Bass Aluminum Earbuds - Black

Sennheiser CX-300 - $40 - The CX-300s are my current favorite and the Ultimate Ears have given them a run for the money. The Sennheisers have airy, clear highs - cymbals and bells 'sparkle.' You can hear the pedal move and the plectrum and damper on the harpsichord. This is what I mean by 'presence' in the sound - you feel like you are listening in the front row. Bass is crisp and clear, not boomy or emphasized at all. The one complaint I have about these earphones is the midrange is a little diminished. Cord noise is somewhat loud. Sennheiser CX300-B In-Ear Stereo Headphone

Ultimate Ears 200 - $30 - I would put these either tied with the CX-300s or slightly ahead. The bass and treble are both comparable, but I think the UE 200s have a slight edge in the midrange. But very clean and clear bass and midrange; clear and crisp highs. I like it. Like I said above, if you're moving around a lot, cord noise can get annoying. But the sound is great for the critical listener and the price is right. Thumbs up!

Put in some earplugs. Or stick your fingers in your ears. Now run around a bit. This is the feeling you will get from these earphones while exercising -- they are basically like combination earplugs/earphones that shut out outside sound.

This is actually fantastic if you plan to sit and listen to music. I would absolutely use these on the metro/bus/plane/etc.

For exercise I'm going back to my other earphones (which is probably just as well since eliminating all outside noises while jogging probably isn't a good idea).

These come with a selection of rubber earpieces in various sizes. My advice is to start with the smallest and work your way up until you find one that's just big enough to not fall out. I find the larger sizes are kinda like putting a rubber stopper in your ear, can create a little air pressure and be uncomfortable. So "the smallest that fits" worked for me. It still seals out outside noise but without any uncomfortable pressure.

Sound reproduction quality is fantastic. Good bass and all around good range. Basically if you're looking for some earphones for travel/relaxing, these are perfect. For exercising I think I would actually avoid noise-isolating earphones.