Logitech Ultimate Ears 300 review

Logitech's purchase of pro-headphone and in-ear monitor maker Ultimate Ears has given them a major leg up against the likes of Shure and Etymotic. The £27 Ultimate Ears 300 earphones are a moderately priced entry in a range that goes up to the £200 mark, but they sound excellent.

A close look at the back of the earphones reveals tiny holes that open the drivers, producing a wider, bassier sound than you'll usually get from in-ear headphones. Although the bass is lively, treble and mid-tones aren't overwhelmed.

The earphones are designed for vigorous activity. Securely fitted into your ear canal, with the flexible ear-hooks positioned firmly around the back of your ears, they sound great and effectively block out most outside noise, justifying their "noise isolating" tag in spite of having only plain rubber tips. However, if they're even slightly mis-positioned in the ear canal, you lose parts of the sound, while the ear-hooks and rubber-sheathed cable can transmit the vibrations of vigorous movement up to your ears.

When we were running with them, we found that if we had them inserted securely enough to sound right and not fall out we were unable to hear our surroundings, which makes them a potentially dangerous choice if you run on the road. This is an excellent and reasonably-priced pair of earphones but although they stay in place securely, they're not as well designed for sport as we'd hoped.