First of all, the insertion was a litte uncommon. As normal earbuds are inserted with the cables hanging down I tried that first but I had no luck. So I had to read the manual to get them into my ears (There is also a video on the [webpage of Ultimate Ears](http://www.ultimateears.com) if that helps). And after practicing the insertion procedure (with cables pointing up!) a few times it is now not more than a quick move to get started with a real great music pleasure.

The sound is... well, just amazing. You can hear details on your music you didn't know that they're there (high bitrates required). I never want to miss that again.

Another great thing is the excellent noise isolation (26dB). Even if there are annoying sound sources near you (like trains or crying children) you can fully concentrate on listening to your music. This is very important to me as I can not stand tedious noises, especially in the morning while I'm going to university. Works perfectly now.

Another thing I noticed is that you don't have to turn up the volume on my iPod as much as with my old earphones to get the same actual loudness. In a normal environment you don't have to set the volume above 50% (volume-capped European iPod model). And while listening to audiobooks a volume level of 30% is totally enough.

The package came with some extras which are actually useful.
The first thing is a small metallic box to put your earbuds in if you are not wearing them so they won't get damaged.
Also included are five different sets of ear tips so you can choose which of them are the best for you and your ears.
Beside a small cleaning tool there are two adaptors included: The first is the obligatory 1/4" jack adaptor. The second one isn't really an adaptor. It is a sound level attenuator which you can use if the output signal of your audio device is to high (as in planes) and it will reduce the volume level.
And as a gift from [earphonesolutions.com](http://www.earphonesolutions.com) I got a third adaptor for free - an airline jack adaptor so I can use my own earphones also on planes and don't have to use that shabby ones from the plane. Thank you!

Concluding, I would say that the phones are worth their price. Excellent sound and no more annoying noises from around you. Yes, music is fun (again) with them.

I've done a lot of research using the Internet the last days to find the right earphones.
The problem is that you can't go to your local dealer and try them on because it would be a little bit disgusting. The only thing you can do is read test reports and opinions by people who already use them.
And buying things based on opinions of people you don't know is critical, especially because such opinions are mostly subjective and everybody thinks different about it. But I found an interesting (one-year enduring) [thread](http://www.ipod-fun.de/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,111/topic,111752.0/) in the german [ipodfun.de](http://www.ipodfun.de/) forums which discusses this topic very objective. After reading through this my current favorite earphone is the [Ultimate Ears](http://www.ultimateears.com) [super.fi 5 Pro](http://www.ultimateears.com/superfi/superfi-5-Pro-white.htm). It seems worth its price.
I think I'll buy them (*if* I'll buy them) at [Earphone Solutions](http://www.earphone-solutions.com) in the United States which would save me about 80 Euros.
But before I spend that much money on some small plastic pieces I'll have to sleep over this one more night.

**Update:** I did it.