My new King of IEMs (Tony's Triple.fi review)

[HeadphoneAddict]

Originally Posted by FeedMeTrance

Anyone got any comparisons of the TF10 vs LiveWires?

1) The Livewires are a little more transparent, which allows you to feel closer to the live instruments (good).

2) There is a slight hump in the midbass of the Triple.fi 10 Pro (not good) that sounds better when removed via EQ, but hump doesn't have to be removed if you just take time to adjust to it.

3) The Triple.fi 10 pro have more low-end bass (good).

4) They both (LW and TF) have better treble than the SE530 (good), which is smoother than the ER6i treble, and without the slightly less detailed treble of the Denon AH-C700 (good).

5) The Livewires fit like a glove, but inserting the Triple.fi into smallish ear canals feel like you are OJ Simpson trying to make The glove fit.

That's it in a nutshell.

[FeedMeTrance]

Seems like LiveWires for the win for me, but still waiting on what the Super Freq has in store!

[HeadphoneAddict]

Well, I've done gone and sold off the Triple.fi 10 pro (and ER6i) as promised.

They just didn't compare as well to the "Live right there" sound of the Livewires which I compared them to above. Livewires is an appropriate name for an earphone so transparent that it vanishes when listening to a good source.

[EsthetiX]

LOL usps first class. I'd rather take a plane and go pick it up myself.

[wquiles]

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict

1) The Livewires are a little more transparent, which allows you to feel closer to the live instruments (good).

2) There is a slight hump in the midbass of the Triple.fi 10 Pro (not good) that sounds better when removed via EQ, but hump doesn't have to be removed if you just take time to adjust to it.

3) The Triple.fi 10 pro have more low-end bass (good).

4) They both (LW and TF) have better treble than the SE530 (good), which is smoother than the ER6i treble, and without the slightly less detailed treble of the Denon AH-C700 (good).

5) The Livewires fit like a glove, but inserting the Triple.fi into smallish ear canals feel like you are OJ Simpson trying to make The glove fit.

That's it in a nutshell.

Thanks for that great comparison. I really like the sound of my Triple.Fi's, but the fit is horrible. I am now trying custom tips, but I am still thinking that a true custom might be the perfect way to go!

[antonyfirst]

I've updated my review with additional information. Hopefully some people will find it useful:

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (04/04/2008):
Instead of people reading the huge thread, I'll try to sum things here.
Apart from the in-ear fit (which I solved with Shure black foam tips), in December I had another problem that made me hate the Triples. The cable was so stiff that used always to get in the way, press against my face, move the earpieces in my ears whenever I was turning my head and shoulders, and so on. I'm very sensitive to comfort, and this cable and its nasty structure completely spoiled my listening. I tried a number of things to make the cable user friendly, but it was impossible.
All this discomfort made me sell the Triple fi in a couple of weeks. I could have ordered a Westone cable and try to fit the Triple.fi (people like Uncle Wilson at Jaben can file the pins to adapt the removable cable to that of the Triple.fi), but couldn't afford to keep them in a drawer for a 1-2 months (this is the time needed for Italian Customs to release an object from outside Europe... I think it depended on that period being near Christmas).
I tried different alternatives. Yesterday, 04-03-2008, I got the Triple.fi again from a friend, as trade (in exchange for my ATH-ESW9, good hotel room portable cans-perfect for his needs-, not enough isolating for the road or train as requested by myself). The Triple.fi came with a Westone ES cable and Comply T400 tips. The Westone cable, as noted elsewhere (with my previous Super.fi 5 Pro), is a lot more flexible and thin. Extremely comfortable, it feels like it disappears after being worn.
Comply tips are much better than Shure black olive foamies. While Olives weren't made for the Triple fi, and had to be adapted, feeling huge in the ear, Comply are perfect and make the Triples feel small and comfortable. It's a soft feeling: the Triple fi seem to lay at the entrance of the ear (this can be felt when pulling them off). Anyway, these two mods improve comfort extremely and make Triple.fi on top for convenience, as well as sound.

Additional information is that Apuresound will come out with his own recable for UE IEMs, hopefully improving the SQ. We'll see when it comes out.

For now, happy listening to anyone who owns such a great IEM!

Tony

[tnmike1]

Antony: enjoyed the resurrection of this thread: I'm in the midst of trying different tips with my Triples; this after doing the "flip flop" and finding that works quite well.

So far, really like the stock UE large size tips and the biflanges, altho the biflange on the left ear doesn't sit as well as on the right.

Also have Complys: to me, they irritate a bit BUT I may be trying to shove them in too far. Do these just rest inside your ear??? I find if I push them abit I pick up more bass. Also with the Comply--do you "roll" them a bit in your finger to make them a little softer so they expand when placed in your ear??

Have on their way two sizes of Shure Olives--large and medium. So will be playing with them too.

Unlike you, I didn'thave a cable problem, but then again, I'm using these while sitting at a desk or lyingin bed. For portability, using my Etys--altho seriously considering buying the Sleeks again and trying the olives with them.

[antonyfirst]

I don't roll them, but I pull my earlobe down and shove the tip in my ear. It works well and is super fast.

[tnmike1]

Originally Posted by antonyfirst

I don't roll them, but I pull my earlobe down and shove the tip in my ear. It works well and is super fast.

O thanx--will try this.

Lemme see now: Ety wants you to reach over your head with your opposite hand, grab the top of your ear and pull to open your ears.

You want me to pull down myearlobe.

The things we do to get good insertion with our tips

[steviebee]

Nice thread Tony!
As I said to you a few days ago, if I'd have read your review before I bought my Trips, that alone would have steered me onto Triple Fi's

And welcome back to the UE fold...

[antonyfirst]

Originally Posted by tnmike1

O thanx--will try this.

Lemme see now: Ety wants you to reach over your head with your opposite hand, grab the top of your ear and pull to open your ears.

You want me to pull down myearlobe.

The things we do to get good insertion with our tips

Opening your mouth while pulling down your earlobe will help too. This is the only way of insertion I know.

[Al4x]

Originally Posted by jinx20001

nice review and thoughts thanks for your input on them.

im a big fan of the ue universal line, but when i went from super fi 5 to triple fi i was initially dissapointed,they didnt sound as fun and powerful and slightly light.

i went to shures se530 and found the timbre and fun in the music again (bear in mind im very much a rap/hip hop and reggae man) so i never went back to the triple fi, i think i personally will always love the shures more its just my signature, i prefer the shures over ue10's also, just me i spose.

anyway after reading your review i may shake the dust off and have another listen, i must be missing something you guys are not.

thanks again for the short review

makes sese, you music tastes are polar to mine and so is your iem choice!

[jbr]

I wanted to share a brief word of appreciation for Tony's hard work that many of the forum members never see.

For the past few days, I have been in contact with Tony via PMs to ask about the small details of the TF10 Pros and the improvements that you can make to raise it to the highest level. These suggestions have been tossed about but never fully established as a solid recommendation that you would not be wasting your money.

Many tributes to Tony for helping us all to know that the TF10 Pros are a worthy instrument and made comfortable to use with the ES cable and the Comply T400 foam tips. And if you are worried about the TF10s sticking out or pressure on the ear, try the flip-flop method, feel the comfort and enjoy your music to a new level.

One last recommendation from another thread on head-fi that I contacted today that I would like to share.

If you are seriously considering the purchase of the UE TF10 Pros, you will not find a better price in the U.S. than if you contact Adam Grede at Full Compass. If you will call him personally, you will find a price that is well under the competition by many dollars. This is NOT available through the Full Compass website. You need to contact Adam directly. You will be very pleased.

Adam Grede at Full Compass
1-800-356-5844 Ext. 1386

Tell him Martin from head-fi.org made the recommendation (credits to the original thread). Several dozen forum members have taken advantage of this arrangement and have been amazed!

Tony, thank you again for your hard work!
david

[Brewmaster]

A little repetative from some of the other threads, but I thought it worth mentioning that the Shure E2C tips fit the TF's great. I've moved to the Large grey tips as they seem to stay in my ears better than the large UE tips.

[HeadphoneAddict]

Originally Posted by antonyfirst

Opening your mouth while pulling down your earlobe will help too. This is the only way of insertion I know.

That's how I insert my Livewires.