just got the TF10's about 30 minutes ago from the UPS man. first, an update on the teknines.
i've had them burning in (my version of burning in, playing various music from my collection) since I got them a couple days ago, so I guess they've had about 48+ hours of running time. in that time, the treble and mid's came forward a bit from their starting point way down in the mix, and i learned that i need to EQ the phones to a treble boost to get a sound signature with more present treble/upper mids and still astounding bass in an IEM.
the teknines are really a fun iem to listen to. they're small, the stock tips are quite comfortable and the cloth wrapped cable is very soft and flexible. i don't think it's super fragile, but i would be careful with them. there is no cinch piece on the Y section of the cable, so it could be mildly annoying if you can't get the cable where you want it. i wear them over the ear, and they do occasionally fall off. the cable is so light i don't notice it too much though. when worn down, the cable can be slightly microphonic, but nothing like a harder plastic cable flapping around tapping on things. sound wise, they have tons and tons of bass. the most i've ever heard in an iem. more than TF10's. my Shure e4c's have no bass in comparison. the treble is very clear and never ever harsh. i feel like the addition of the bass made me notice some things i hadn't before in many of the recordings i listened to. the soundstage is not huge, but i noticed some things about the way instruments were mic'ed i hadn't noticed before on David Gilmour's "On An Island." for $100, they are a great buy. for $180...they're very good, but you can give up a tiny bit of bass and get a lot more clarity and soundstage in a TF10 for the same price with sales or ebay.
to compare them with TF10's: i've had the TF10's for about an hour, so i'm not super used to them. these also function as my first impressions of the TF10. i believe they don't really require burn in, as a balanced armature iem? right out of the box, they're much brighter than teknines. i wouldn't go as far as sibilant, but this isn't the teknine's gentle treble detail. if the teknines have "clarity," the TF10's have high definition detail. the TF10's have great bass, but not as much as the teknines. TF10's have punch and thud, but the teknines have BOOM and rumble. to go to a car audio analogy, teknines are a 15 or 18 inch sub. TF10's are a tight 12. TF10's don't need any EQ to clean up muddled mids.
on the whole, the TF10s sound better to me, and on first impressions, are what i'm currently looking for in an iem, so i'm not sad my wife gets to have the teknines. i'm still glad the teknines are around, because i'll steal them from time to time when i want to get my bass on. because they are something else in that regard. and my wife is thrilled with them so everybody wins.
fit and finish comparison: the teknines cloth cable is very soft and easy to work with. the stock TF10 cable really needs the memory cable section at the iem connection point because wow, TF10's are pretty big, and the stock cable is not very flexible in comparison. i ended up switching cable ends and putting the monitors in the wrong ear to get them to fit how i want. cable over the ear, housing of the iem sorta tucked back in my ear. i've got room to do that (does that mean i have big ears? :P ), and it allows for a very easy seal for me. the teknines feel slightly more solid, and i think they are. they're tiny compared to TF10's. my wife doesn't think she could wear tf10's without custom molds, and i believe her. the teknines are perfect for her, and at this point, the TF10's are pushing all the right buttons for me, so i think we're both in a very happy place.
sean, as far as looking at TF10's for a different phone for different styles, i think you'd be very happy, if the extreme difference in size isn't a problem. for me, the TF10's are going to be my main iem, because they can cover so much ground with the sonic presentation i'm looking for.
