Ultimate Ears 100 Noise-Isolating Earphones - Black/Green

 (258 customer reviews)

While I don't use earphones often, when I do, I'm pretty picky. After all, these are MY ears, and I really don't want any problems with them. So I gave this particular set of earphones a solid "going-over" to see if I would be comfortable with them.

Test #1 - The comfort test. With several sets of soft plastic ear buds designed to fit every ear, these passed wonderfully. They felt nice in my ears, and didn't bother me (hurt) like some do after only a few minutes.

Test #2 - These are supposed to block a significant amount of outside sound. Without plugging them into music, I tried them while riding in the car, while listening to a radio, and while simply sitting at home with background. I estimate that they removed a significant percent (60-70%) of the background noise I was experiencing.

Test #3 - Quality of sound. Wow. And double Wow. My split tracks were genuinely split, my stereo came in clearly, and I could clearly hear the difference between...Read more

Throw away your those packed-in earbuds. For less than $20, you can purchase high quality earbuds that will isolate, look sharp, and deliver very good sound for the price.

Build Quality:
As I unpacked the the UE-100s, I could immediately identify the physical strengths of the headset. The cable feels substantial and pliable, though thankfully, it is not prone to tangling in your pocket or gym bag. I have experience with offerings from Sennheiser, Skull Candy, and J-Buds in this price rance, and I have yet to encounter a product that feels as sturdy as the UE-100. The 3.5mm jack is a right-angle plug, which puts less strain on your devices. The attention to detail continues, with a slider that allows you to synch the buds up in your bad to avoid tangling, or to synch the cable under your chin so that it is stabilized when you're moving around.

Fit:
Ultimate Ears included a variety of conveniently matching silicone gel tips for the buds, so chances...Read more

I spend much of my day at home with earphones in. Generally I have 3 goals with my headphones:
1. They must be comfortable for extended use (8+ hours)
2. They must be able to isolate me from outside noise even without the music being really loud (I generally use them while studying and reading either at home or at Starbucks, listening to music to keep me from being distracted)
3. They should have good sound (I generally listen to instrumental where there are no vocals to distract from bad sound).

Ultimate Ears 100 gets 5 stars on #1 & #2, but 3 stars on the sound quality. I think that the sound is about equivalent to what I hear with Apple earbuds. And when the music makes heavy use of bass, the sound is poor. It does much better at mid and high ranges.

But it is a very inexpensive headset and the noise-isolation and comfort are among the best I've had. So I strongly recommend these if you are looking for inexpensive earbuds primarily for comfort...Read more