MagicX

I was worried about durability too, but these really hold up to pretty much everything. I tend to be super active/busy during the weekdays, so when I use them most of the time I have to throw them into my backpack (college classes demand some free time, haha). They've held up perfectly though. Plus, the cord is really durable, so I never worry about it breaking. If it actually ever DOES break, there's always the peace of mind of being able to buy a new cord on the cheap. :] By the way, I've noticed that the more I use these, the better they seem to sound! It's really neat, because I thought originally that it was going to sound its best from the get-go. As it turns out, they just keep improving!

Yeah, I think they fit great! You can actually wear them two different ways, too. You can first wear them in a vertical position with the cords pointing up, then use the cord to wrap them around your ears. The first two inches of the cord is 100% flexible to let you make secure hooks on your ears for more stability. The downside is that this position might be a tiny bit uncomfortable for some over the 2nd method. The 2nd method is to switch the cables with the earpieces, then wear the earpieces with the cables pointing downward. I wear them this way, because I seem to get a perfect seal along with perfect comfort.

Ah yes, the Skullcandy Full Metal Jackets, right? Those were what I was using before I got these. There's no contest at all between them. It made me wish I had never bought the Skullcandys, to be honest. The Skullcandys DO look great, though, and they're definitely smaller.

Unfortunately, you're right. The custom pairs cost a TON of money! The universal fit ones I got (Super.fi 5 Pro) normally cost $250 on Ultimate Ears' site, but I was able to get them on Amazon for $139 with free shipping. That really isn't too bad if you think about all of the other earphones out there that are being marketed around $99 or so (like Shures, Sonys, Bose, etc.). Either way, I'm loving these things. Listening to My Heart is an entirely new experience with them. Here's a link to these earpieces I got on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MS70SK/sr=8-2/qid=1199380185/ref=noref?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1199380185&sr=8-2 The color I got was black, but they're also available in white, red, and clear. As for sounding like a salesman...I'm not trying to, but I just can't help but tell you guys about these! I didn't think Paramore could possibly sound any better. XD

Really? That's cool. There's no chance of me being able to find it on their Livejournal now, though....lol. I'd have to go through TONS of pages

Have any of you ever wondered about those earpieces that Paramore wear when they do performances, whether they be a single song or an entire concert set? I was interested in finding out exactly what Paramore uses, so I decided to look on the internet to try to find out. As it turns out, the type of earpieces that Paramore use are called In-Ear Monitors (IEMs for short). They were designed to block out a ton of outside noise in order to protect the performer's hearing, but they also have amazing sound quality as well. After doing some searching on Google, I found that Paramore uses a brand called Ultimate Ears ( http://www.ultimateears.com ).I found out by two different methods: 1.) If you look on this page: http://www.ultimateears.com/_ultimateears/community/clientele.php You'll find a list of artists (both major label and independent) that use Ultimate Ear products. As it turns out, Paramore is on the list! To save you some searching, Paramore is on page 11. While you're there, maybe some of the other artists you like are using these same earpieces! I was surprised when I searched through for some of my other favorite artists, with a number of them showing up on the list. 2.) If you look on this page: http://www.ultimateears.com/_ultimateears/products/custom/index.php You'll see that Paramore is highlighted as the artist shown using these earpieces to begin with! (Nice advertising for Paramore on Ultimate Ears' part, BTW ) The ones that Paramore use are custom molded to fit their ears, and I was really interested in getting a pair for myself to test out the sound quality and noise isolation they get every time they perform. Obviously though, there is NO WAY I was able to afford a custom version (for the ones Paramore use, they run $700!!! Way too expensive ). However, they have a universal fit version for consumers, so I got the universal fit version which is equivalent in sound quality to the pairs that Paramore use. If you're wondering which ones I got, they're called the Super.fi 5 Pros. I still thought these were pricey, but I just had to see if they would improve my music experience as much as the site said they would. In one word...WOW. I have never heard music like this before in my life. The sound that comes out of these earphones is astounding!!! Everything is exceptionally clear and balanced, and they're also quite comfortable and isolate a ton of outside noise (once you use the right sized pair of sleeves; 5 different pairs are included to make sure you get a good fit). They even came with a nice metal case, plus the cables on the earpieces are detachable, so you can replace the cables yourself if they ever short out for some reason. I can't honestly see that happening, though; the durability and build quality is outstanding from what I can tell. I thought I would give a heads-up to you guys though, because these earphones have GREATLY improved my listening experience, especially with Paramore! There are whole new parts of their songs that I was never able to hear before. Now I can hear clearer cymbals, clearer background vocals from the guys, whispers, and on their acoustic tracks I've even been able to hear the fingers strumming on the strings! Overall their music just sounds way more enjoyable to me (coming from someone who loves this band to death and never thought Paramore could possibly sound better ). These are also great on an iPod, in case you're wondering.

I think this is going to be the final version.

Updated version:

New gfx - might edit in the future:

Here's something to remind us of the AWKIF days:

Here's their space in the article from the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly (#956 - September 28, 2007): 10 Paramore Who They Are: Youth is not wasted on these Tennessee pop-punkers, ages 22 and under. The jaunty video for their nose-thumbing single "Misery Business" (off their album RIOT!) has thus far scored 13 million YouTube views. Why They're Exciting: Fronted by the electric, 18-year-old Hayley Williams (she of the Kool-Aid-colored coif), the quartet took its Internet buzz to the next level with crowd-rallying performances on this summer's Warped Tour. With that success came the wistful realization that their lives have indelibly changed. "We were at Wal-Mart at, like, two in the morning, and they had all the back-to-school stuff," says Williams. "It made me think, I would be getting ready to go to college right now and, like, decorating my dorm room!" Instead, the foursome will be enrolled in the school of rock, hitting Australia and Japan, then touring the States through the fall. -LG EW.com Exclusive: "Decoy" If you happen to pick up the magazine, their section of the article is on page 72. UPDATE: They also have an online version of the article in their magazine. Here's the page for Paramore: http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20057685_20057687_20057782_10,00.html

Thanks.

Here's an avatar I whipped up in Photoshop in case anyone else wants to use it.

Current Standings (from iTunes - US - as of 6:30 PM EST) Top 100 Albums (Overall) Riot! - #4 All We Know Is Falling - #33 Top 100 Songs (Overall) Misery Business - #12 Pressure (Album Version) - #55 Top Albums (Alternative) Riot! - #1 Top Songs (Alternative) Misery Business - #2 Crushcrushcrush - #13 For A Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic - #69 That's What You Get - #87 Top Albums (Rock) All We Know Is Falling - #8 Top Songs (Rock) Pressure (Album Version) - #6 Emergency (Album Version) - #72 As you can see, for the most part Paramore is holding steady on the charts. They even went up quite a few in some spots (most notably AWKIF in the Top Overall Albums chart).