I've had my UE Triple.Fi 10's for a few days now and thought i'd write a little comparison between them and the Super.Fi 5 Pro's.
Obviously the Triple.Fi 10's come out on top, but i thought this might be useful for people thinking of an upgrade, or looking for a set of IEM's and aren't sure how much to blow.
These comparisons are taken from an iPod Classic playing AIFF. To give you an idea of the kind of music i listen to here are some bits i've been listening to over the last few days:
Audioslave
Foo Fighters
Linkin Park
Tori Amos
Blindside
Norah Jones
Van Morrison
James Taylor
Pink Floyd
Trivium
Pendulum
Basshunter
Timbuktu
Rodrigo Y Gabriel
There is quite a range there. It does represent the diversity of my listening taste, and i really wanted to see how the Triple Fi's stepped up over the whole range.
Lets start at the bottom and work up. I haven't tried to use all the fancy words in the glossary, this is just how i perceive it, my opinions and thoughts.
Bass
This was the first difference i noticed and it is big. The bass on the Super.Fi's is good, very good, but they lack clarity in various instances. The Triple.Fi's have control, and depth over the SF's most probably brought about due to the use of dual armatures for the low end. Music with low bass lines and a powerful kick drum struggle somewhat with the SF's, where as every note is definable in the TF's. The TF's produce bass you can really feel. Instruments like piano's are given room to breath, its is a far more realistic reproduction.
When listening to bass heavy music, like Basshunter, Pendulum, The Knife, Goldfrapp, etc, the SF's do a very good job, but there comes a point when you start to think they are being pushed beyond their means. It is still deep, and very pleasant, but when you compare them to the TF's, they just can't compete.
Mids
Quite close here. The most noticeable different is the spaciousness, increased sound stage of the TF's. Again, it is through the comparison that the SF's caveats are brought to light. TF's don't necessarily sound like IEMs (nor i am i claiming that they sound like full sized cans), they just sound bigger than they really are. There is greater separation in the TF's, the music seems to have more room to breath.
Vocally the SF's are very very good, and the differences i noticed were in the nuances. When an artist breaths, or quivvers, its is more noticeable in the TF's.
I have read some people say the vocals on the TF's are 'sucked out' ... to be honest im not sure what this really means. But to me the vocals are there, maybe very very slightly forward, but i enjoy them greatly.
Highs
The SF's and TF's get closer and closer the further you go up the frequency range. Until the very very top, where the TF's sparkle more, a little more realistic, not rolled off. But not bright.
Both are very true to the music, the highs are pleasant, and it is very close between the two. I wouldn't say either wins out here, it is just too close. The benefit for the TF's is that it completes the whole. It is the final piece of the puzzle.
Over all, it is not surprising that the Triple Fi's are a marked improvement over the Super Fi's, but the SF's are still fantastic IEMs. They are still very good and fun to listen to. I wouldn't say the TF's are analytical overly, they are more detailed, fuller, but they still maintain that enjoyable rounded sound.
When i only had the Super.Fi's i thought they were amazing, it's only once i got the Triple.Fi's i realised how much better things can get.
These are just my opinions, im not trying to make people with the SF's feel bad, it is going to be very very hard to part with them, but i just can't afford to keep both. People might disagree with me, and thats fine. I just thought id put my opinion out there.
Here are some comparative photos...
Obviously the Triple.Fi 10's come out on top, but i thought this might be useful for people thinking of an upgrade, or looking for a set of IEM's and aren't sure how much to blow.
These comparisons are taken from an iPod Classic playing AIFF. To give you an idea of the kind of music i listen to here are some bits i've been listening to over the last few days:
Audioslave
Foo Fighters
Linkin Park
Tori Amos
Blindside
Norah Jones
Van Morrison
James Taylor
Pink Floyd
Trivium
Pendulum
Basshunter
Timbuktu
Rodrigo Y Gabriel
There is quite a range there. It does represent the diversity of my listening taste, and i really wanted to see how the Triple Fi's stepped up over the whole range.
Lets start at the bottom and work up. I haven't tried to use all the fancy words in the glossary, this is just how i perceive it, my opinions and thoughts.
Bass
This was the first difference i noticed and it is big. The bass on the Super.Fi's is good, very good, but they lack clarity in various instances. The Triple.Fi's have control, and depth over the SF's most probably brought about due to the use of dual armatures for the low end. Music with low bass lines and a powerful kick drum struggle somewhat with the SF's, where as every note is definable in the TF's. The TF's produce bass you can really feel. Instruments like piano's are given room to breath, its is a far more realistic reproduction.
When listening to bass heavy music, like Basshunter, Pendulum, The Knife, Goldfrapp, etc, the SF's do a very good job, but there comes a point when you start to think they are being pushed beyond their means. It is still deep, and very pleasant, but when you compare them to the TF's, they just can't compete.
Mids
Quite close here. The most noticeable different is the spaciousness, increased sound stage of the TF's. Again, it is through the comparison that the SF's caveats are brought to light. TF's don't necessarily sound like IEMs (nor i am i claiming that they sound like full sized cans), they just sound bigger than they really are. There is greater separation in the TF's, the music seems to have more room to breath.
Vocally the SF's are very very good, and the differences i noticed were in the nuances. When an artist breaths, or quivvers, its is more noticeable in the TF's.
I have read some people say the vocals on the TF's are 'sucked out' ... to be honest im not sure what this really means. But to me the vocals are there, maybe very very slightly forward, but i enjoy them greatly.
Highs
The SF's and TF's get closer and closer the further you go up the frequency range. Until the very very top, where the TF's sparkle more, a little more realistic, not rolled off. But not bright.
Both are very true to the music, the highs are pleasant, and it is very close between the two. I wouldn't say either wins out here, it is just too close. The benefit for the TF's is that it completes the whole. It is the final piece of the puzzle.
Over all, it is not surprising that the Triple Fi's are a marked improvement over the Super Fi's, but the SF's are still fantastic IEMs. They are still very good and fun to listen to. I wouldn't say the TF's are analytical overly, they are more detailed, fuller, but they still maintain that enjoyable rounded sound.
When i only had the Super.Fi's i thought they were amazing, it's only once i got the Triple.Fi's i realised how much better things can get.
These are just my opinions, im not trying to make people with the SF's feel bad, it is going to be very very hard to part with them, but i just can't afford to keep both. People might disagree with me, and thats fine. I just thought id put my opinion out there.
Here are some comparative photos...
