Hello,
I like the Ultimate Ears TriplfeFi10. I'd be satisfied with them, period.
Problem is, I can't get a good fit. I even sent them off for custom re-shelling. I got ear impressions made, and Fisher Audio did the reshells. I sent them back and forth three - four times until Fisher stopped paying for the shipping. My right side doesn't get a good seal, and at this point I can't tell if the issue is Fisher Audio or the audiologist. I think that the audiologist made good impressions as the molds were placed uncomfortably deep into my canals.I even sprang for the upgraded Westone replacement cable.
I say all of this to indicate that I went through the time, trouble, and expense of going the custom route--that's how highly I thought of the TF10s. But I let the TF10s sit for over a year b/c they wouldn't freaking fit.
In the meantime, I went through other IEMs--Etymotic HF5s, RE0, Audio Technica CK10, Shure SE530, the usual heavy hitters. And each of these fit better than the TF10s, but I was not nearly as happy with the sound as I am with the TF10. Etymotic--too clinical. RE0, wonderful (my 2nd favorite to TF10s) but spectacularly shoddy build quality (broke in 1 month), CK10 (icy icy yet bright, not for me, but built like a tank), Shure SE530, (poor build, R side no sound).
So now I'm back to the TF10s. It's the only IEM that I've heard that has left me wanting to listen to music more and continuously. I have a decent number of posts here, but I am by no means good at describing what I want. But only the TF10s have what I want thus far. I like the fact that the soundstage seems very wide. The highs, seem like they have some reverb added or an echo effect, and the voices and instruments' sounds decay over a long period of time. Whatever the proper term is, it's intoxicating. The bass isn't copious but very fast and six-pack abs tight, and that's all I need. I am hearing instruments and little flourishes in the music that on no other IEM I have heard before. It's the only IEM where I listen and I'm like what was that? I've never heard that before. It also seems like I can hear harmonies very clearly and pick out each layer very cleanly. I love being able to hear every little flourish and being able to pay attention to normally hidden layers of the music if I so choose to. I can do none of these things on any of the IEMs that I mentioned.The overall sound is very balanced and cohesive. I thought that the Etys would fit the bill, but for some reason they do not because I can't get that sparkle, that wide soundstage, hear those flourishes, or hear those layers. Maybe it's all there with Etys or other highly detailed IEMs, but it's not nearly the same as the TF10s. I can not tell if the differences I am talking about in reality is just a game of inches, so to speak, but to me the differences between the TF10s and the others are very real. It seems like a sizeable gap.
Knowing this, what should I do?
--try to reshell again at great expense
--get TF10s and try different tips (I have small canals, the honkers just won't fit)
--try another IEM (I hear IE8, Westone 3?, UE700)
--Regarding the UE700, just buy these for cheap and hope for a similar sound (pretty sure that they will fit very well), and wait until the TF10 successor comes out?
--move to a portable headphone?
--Removeable cables seem to be a great plus as well since 3 out of the four that I've listed have broken on me.
Thank you!
Edited by pufftissue - 1/5/12 at 11:16am
