Klipsch IMAGE X10 vs UE triple.fi 10 Pro initial & final thoughts - Page 4

First off, Tony was one of the people who has influenced me into converting my Ety4p with a new Apuresound cable. They went off yesterday and can't wait for their return.

On to the Images: agree with him totally about the bass aspect. BUT, what type music are you listening to?? I'm listening to jazz, female jazz vocalists and BIG symphonic music--Mahler, Bruckner, Beethoven, etc. I also experimented with tips: to me the Comply provide the best fit and function. So combine a eartip choice with my music choices and I don't see the big "bass blossom" Tony's hearing But, this could be because of my choice of music and eartips.

Does source come into play also? COuld be. My source is 5.5g Imod with Reference amp. To me, this is a perfect match for the Images; so as is often repeated here, we all have our own sonic preferences and our own combination of listening tools.

Quick answers:

Bloodsugar,
I didn't like the SE530, mostly because of their midrange. People usually say that the Shures are forward, and I expect that the E3c, E4c, SE210 and SE310 are, indeed. Anyway, the SE530 are a different beast, and while they keep the rolled off treble, the midrange is very subdued compared to the bass. Once, I said as a joke that the SE530 start to roll off at 500Hz. It's not quite so, but after that point there is a severe recession.

Mike,
I can't wait to hear your impressions about the Apuretys. Please wait for 150 hours of burn in, too. I am not a big burn in believer, usually, but it makes a difference with this cable, improving fullness. Jlingo felt the same way too.
As to what music I am listening with the Images: 70's Rock (Kraut rock, Zappa, Psychedelic rock, Progressive rock and so on), Jazz (not much: Joni Mitchell, Coltrane, Mingus, Wynton Marsalis) and, blasphemy, a couple of Trance albums.

I don't have any complys. I have tried Shure olive tips. It's the first time they feel huge in the ears, due to the deep insertion of the Images. Though, I thought that the Olives improve the highs compared to the stock tips. I wish I had a pair of small ones, since they would fit my ears perfectly and I could benefit from the improved treble. You guys should try this combo. (with any other IEM that fits olives, I always use medium tips)

Just got my X10s about 1hr ago and I must say I am impressed vs my Denon C551s. They truely hit the low end (I am a basshead) and do not give a overly high end (listen to spokey dokey alternative).

A big bonus is my custom tips fit these! They seem to just slide all the way to the end of the iem (right before the curve) and give a great seal.

I will post pics of the custom tip look tomorrow.

pink

I thought the X10 beat all the previous top universal IEM that I have heard, including SE530, Triple.fi, SA6, q-JAYS and C700; until I got the Westone 3 last week.

so which has the more full bodied sound triple 10 or x10?
i personally love the fact that the triple10 dont have sibilance, i had to sell the w3 for that very reason, aslo the c710 has rediculous highs.
thinking about comparing the two, i do prefer bass but i generally really like the ue10, and i think they are great build quality

Anyone interested in an upgrade from the X10 might also consider the Ortofon e-Q7. IMO they are very similar to the X10 but with better highs, detail, soundstage and less microphonics.

i have not experienced this problem and im wearing them right now i personally love the fact that you get the clear highs without the sibiance

ahh now i see, i have the triplefi 10vi, and it has the mic option, unfortunately the cord that comes with the vi is even more rubbery than the normal triplefi,, this causes the cord to be noisy,,,,, thats my one complaint against the triplefi 10,,, also
note ,, the right angle extender that comes with the triplefi seemed to degrade sq so fyi

[QUOTE=antonyfirst;5088605]I wanted to add my impressions to this useful thread. In the end, I got curious and bought the Image X10 just to see what was with this pair of IEMs.
There is little I could add to Asr's thought: he is spot on. When I first read this thread, I figured the Image were a sort of Head-Direct RE1. There are some similarities, actually, in the general sound signature: bass-oriented headphones, subdued treble.

Anyway, the Images have the most powerful deep bass I have heard in any IEM (as of today, I haven't heard the Westone 3 yet). They actually have too much bass overall when using the biflanges, while there is a hint less with the single flanged medium tips, which help Trance not to be too boomy.
They are bass and midrange oriented headphone. The overall sound is lush, full, seducing. If a red sunset had a "sound" signautre, it would be that of the Images. Vocals sound less chesty than the Head-Direct RE1. The overall sound is still relaxed, very pleasing, romantic.

Going up with the frequencies, at 6-8kHz I detect a dip, which makes (just like Asr said) cymbals very weak. This is the part I don't like much of the IEM. It's very weak at treble. Some would call them smooth, but for me the best treble representation is that of the Head-Direct RE0: flat, never spikey, smooth and crisp at the same time. The Image fall short at treble and music that has to be exciting. they finally roll off at around 10-12kHz.
I felt the Head-Direct RE1 were even more subdued in the cymbals region.
The Image X10 do impressively well with slow jazz, romantic songs, like Joni Mitchells. A friend says that they have decent timbre with classical, unlike the Triple.fi that sound fake-ish. Unfortunately, I am not competent in assessing timbre of classical instruments, but he (Cool_Torpedo) is reliable when it comes to Classical taste. He also finds that the Image have a bit too much bass.

Music that is full of "metallic" details is a bit crippled, since you know you are missing something.

Soundstage: I don't think the soundstage is small, at all. It varies with songs, and sometimes I had to turn my head on a side, thinking the music was coming from outside. Vocals, though, tend to be closer to me than other sounds.

Asr talked about dynamic range, and I could detect the same thing. These are some of the few earphones to do well at dynamic range, just like the Apuresound ER4P.

The Images are pretty detailed, even if they don't seem as resoluted like the Head-Direct RE0, for example. It might depend on the recessed treble the Image X10 have.

The Images sit very deeply in the ears. This is a reason for Shure Olive tips aren't a good match for them. I like the Shure black foamies a lot, but not with the Images.

The cable looks cheaply made, but it's very flexible. It has two problems. It seems likely to break at entrance of the strain relief, near the jack that goes into the mp3 player.
Its other weakness resides near the earpieces, where the left and right wires enter other strain reliefs. There, the wires tend to move inside the rubber tube and often do a microphonical sound ("Tic, tic, tac tic toc tic") when one moves. This is the worst part of the microphonics, while other kinds of noises aren't annoying.

The cable doesn't tend to be pulled down. Most IEMs, using stiffer cables, tend to do so, but not the Images. This is a good point.

Comfort with the provided tips is pretty high. It's the first time I find myself comfortable with silicon tips. Still, they don't provide enough isolation, and on train I can hear people around me talking when the music is calm.

All in all, they are a very nice IEM and I can undestand why some people worship them. They are by no means perfect, and there are IEMs that are technically better. Anyway, where the Head-Direct RE1 are "dark and thick", the Head-Direct RE0 are "uncolored and fast", the Apuresound ER4P are "aggressive and exciting", the Image X10 are "musical and romantic".

Just my thoughts.[/QUOTE

really great review: i do disagree that the triplefi sound fake..
how would the x10 fair against the westone 3 which some people seem to say are better

very intiguing iem, ive never heard of.... how does the bass compare to the ie8 and the triple fi 10 or the w3

also how does the bass and highs compare wetween the fx500 and the ie8?

Comparison to all my top IEMs (including FX500 and IE8, sorry no W3 or TF10) is in the Ortofon e-Q7 impressions thread. Besides you got PM, don't want to lead this thread OT.