Phonak Audéo PFE 122 Earphones - Black

I bought the Phonak Audeo PFE 122 to replace my Ultimate Ears Superfi 4 after the cable split at the earphone end.

Having picked up the Superfi 4s at a bargain price (£17.99) I was concerned that I would have to spend considerably more to get an improvement in sound and comfort. The Phonak Audeo PFE 122s were on offer elsewhere so I read a couple of reviews and took the plunge. I'm not disappointed and about 6 months in I'm still surprised by the detail they reveal in my MP3 and AAC files.

The first thing to note is that these headphones are harder to drive and you will find your iPod or iPhone needs to be turned up slightly higher to get the same level of sound out. Its not a huge problem and although not required in the slightest I bought a FiiO headphone amp from Amazon for £12.99 and this has had the effect of helping the more subtle sounds to be brought forward a little more as intended.

Overall the sound can be described as 'reference' and by this I mean the sound is as close to neutral as I've heard so far. They don't attempt to over-emphasize bass and the low, mid and high end are equally matched. If you want unnatural punchy bass then choose the 'Perfect Bass' line produced by Phonak Audeo instead.

The last point on the sound is that you can replace specially tuned audio filters in the unit to customise the sound to your liking but I find this a gimmick and I simply stay with the default grey filter which leaves the mid range intact.

The fit is great and I found that unlike other earphone inserts I had to use the largest silicone insert to get the correct fit. I cannot emphasise enough that a good comfortable seal is essential for good sound. It takes a while to get used to if you haven't used noise isolating earphones but take the time and you will be rewarded. To this end I do no recommend using the Comply foam tips as these have a significantly negative impact on on bass delivery within the ear. Experiment for yourself but I'm sure you will reach the same conclusion.

The only negative points to note about the earphones is that sometimes the filters work themselves loose during extended use and I've lost one because of this (you do get spares) and the microphone/multi-function button are a little too high up the cable for natural use. Its minor but worth noting.

Overall these are simply great earphones for the price and will transform your iPod or iPhone experience if coming from Apple's own earbuds or cheaper alternatives.

One last point to note is that if your music collection is compressed to anything less than 160kps these will highlight all of the flaws in the music. If you use 192kps or above - you're ready to start living the dream!

I've been listening to music for many many years and have tried a lot of headphones in this time.

The Phonak PFE is one of the most natural sounding in-ear headphones I've heard. Strings, female vocals and acoustic instrumentes sound superb and the bass is incredibly well defined.

The build quality is superb. Cabling is some of the best I have seen with an earphone and the earphone body is robust (but lightweight).

The PFE 122 is highly recommended for those with an ear for quality.

I've always had problems getting earphones to stay in my ears... until now! After reading the 5 star review of the Phonak Audeo PFE 012 in Stuff magazine I did some more research and ended up buying the higher end PFE 122.

The Phonak PFE 122's sound is very clear, with warm and they have well defined bass response (not over-cooked like Bose in-ears). The cabling is very well made (compared with my Sennheiser CX300-IIs) and the earphones feel of very high quality - you can tell Phonak have been making hearing aids for 60 years.

Best of all they fit my rather small ears very well and are comfortable to wear for many hours (including a transatlantic flight). The supplied Comply Foam tips give them an even more comfortable fit and better noise isolation.