TF10 or UE customs?

The TF10 is a great universal and can be had for less than $200 with its current prices, which is very low compared to other top tiers. Now the one caveat with the TF10 is its fit, although I personally have no discomfort whatsoever with mine. It is quite a safe choice with its sond signature though and I rarely see anyone disliking it. 

I don't know about your experience with universals, but before diving into customs, I'd highly recommend you know exactly what sound signature you are looking for before investing as they have very low resell value. This usually requires a bit of trying this and that with universals. Also, why are you limiting your selection in customs to UE? 

It depends on how much you're willing to invest. Re-shelling a 2nd hand TF10pro sounds like a good idea too. You can also can cheap tf10pros at amazon which would be cheaper than anything a custom UE has to offer. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by DevlicK 

its limited to UE because thats the only one I can find atm. theres a store nearby that offers UE customs and the price includes everything. and tbh thats the only one im familiar with (besides JH). the other ones im not sure about  :S

 

I have an idea of which custom to get. its just i need that extra push to make me want to buy them.

it will also be my first pair of customs. Im just not sure whether I should get tf10 now and get customs later or just dive straight into customs.

Yeah, starting straight up with a custom isn't a good idea. Start with universals first, appreciate their sound quality, then decide if you want a custom to further improve the sound quality.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rroseperry 

It's threads like this that make me miss music_1234 who used to rant on all the customs threads.
If you're starting out either this hobby, you should take some time to figure out what you're looking for in a sound signature before dropping a lot of money. Also why customs? There are a lot of very good universals out there. You may find something that's just what you want without going through the hassles of getting impressions, etc.
And I type this as someone with two sets of customs.
Take your time, figure out what you like, and listen to as many different 'phones as you can.

I think it's "music_4321" (LOL). But anyway, did see a lot of his threads and posts where he put other IEMs to shame to compliment one. Quite a hard guy to please as I can see.

Would you mind taking a look at my thread (before 27.12.11, or 11.27.11 for US ), as the UE Triple.Fi 10 Pro's are ridiculously cheap for today (Cyber Monday/Boxing Day): Amazon UK & USA Cyber Monday (Boxing Day) UE Triple Fi 10 Pro Deals...

Quote:

Originally Posted by rroseperry 


Oh, he was impossible in many ways, but he had a point when it comes to customs and the way they're regarded on Head-Fi.

Yeah, he sold most of the IEMs he bought and are not happy with at least 90% of them. He does have a point that custom IEMs are not as bang-for-your-buck as compared to universal IEMs. 

I was in a similar boat a couple months back.  My TF10vi cable broke and Logitech offered me 25% off a custom.  But no one was able to tell me that a UE Pro 4 would sound better than a custom molded TF10.  Because of that I decided to get my TF10s custom molded and I've been pretty happy with them so far.  I'm sure at some point I'll get the itch to drop several bills on some JHs but these will do for a year...or so :)

I think if you're going to reshell a universal you need to make sure it's a sound signature you really like.  TF10 is the perfect candidate imho because it sounds great, but usually the fit for most people it terrible.  I was one of the lucky people who got in on the Amazon deal for $95.  I figure with impressions, the TF10 cost, reshelling and cable I spent $260, which helped me decide if I want to go up higher on the custom line.  The drawback would be if you don't like your reshell and your cost was about the same if you wanted to sell, you'd probably only be able to get $100 or so out of it, and only be able to sell to someone who wanted to reshell.

Having said all that I love the TF10 and reshelling was definately worth it.  I do think that when it dies, I'll go higher up the line (JH16 or Miracle).  I might even do this anyway, but definately going to keep the TF10 custom, selling it for $100-$120 seems like a waste.