Ultimate Ears Triple.fi 10 Pro Earphones Gun Metal Blue with Roadie Case

While listening to my UE 6 Pro and writing up a review I decided to listen to my original UE triplefi 10 set which led to procrastinating on the UE 6 review and writing one up for this old pair instead. A little back story first though! Back in 2007 during my senior year of high school I had made a decision to upgrade from my crappy earbuds to something better. My dad being an audio engineer told me to try out the Shures or Ultimate Ears of the time. I really loved the electric blue color of the UE tf10 and after saving up for what felt like forever through my senior year and I got the tf10 for $400 bucks. I’ve owned this original pair since then and these had burned through 6 or more UE stock cables. Had the part of the shell that has the nozzle come off. The right driver definitely has a channel imbalance problem now that I listened to them again. That being said they’ve been through hell and back with me while growing up. I still love them and they were my gateway into the hifi world when I thought mp3s in 320kbps were the most hifi you could get and beats headphones were endgame.

Now let’s get to the review of the sound! My personal preference are a dynamic hybrid iem where I get good hitting bass and have a brighter treble with decent mids. I listen to a lot of genres but I hover in the classic rock, blues and edm music with some rap here and there.

Gear used
iPhone X with headphone adapter, FiiO m11, smsl sh8/su8 combo, and a good ol iPod nano!

Lows- They have a good low end. It’s borderline almost bloated but I’m not sure if it’s cause they’re 13ish years old or not. After listening to them again I was like “oh! These still have a nice low end” no thumping hit or rumbles though.

Mids- Recessed for sure. But at the time it blew my mind.

Highs- Super relaxed and calm. This was the best I had at the time so it sounded super detailed back then haha these didn’t age all that well.

Imaging- Average.

Soundstage- Intimate. No sources help open it up.

Cable rolling- I never really got into cable rolling with the tf10 since the left monitor was the opposite polarity of the right so getting cables made was hard. The original ue cable broke so many times I probably bought like 6 of them for the first 4 or 5 years of owning them. I still have a labkable....cable I got shortly after giving up on the horrible stock UE cable. I ended up not being a fan of that cable and after a few years I found out about null audio. At the time they specialized in tf10 cables and I got the lune Mk3 cable and that’s what’s been on there since. Whether the cables made a difference or not is hard to say. Both the labkable and null cable sound the same to me when swapping.

Amping
Amping doesn’t seem to do much if anything to these. They aren’t hard to drive at all. Even the clinical sounding FiiO m11 did nothing to the treble for the tf10. My smsl desktop combo just made the bass bloated. Balanced does nothing to them either.

Overall thoughts
I bust these out once in a blue moon to go down memory lane to remind myself what got me into the hifi world and I’ll say they still make me smile but when comparing them to a $200-500 set of modern iems these are most definitely lacking. They have a special charm about them though. Ask anyone who has owned a pair of the tf10 and they will probably say they love them too. My five star review is somewhat bias to the nostalgia I have with these. Had this review been from 2007-2008 I would of definitely given them a proper 5 stars. If anyone ever has a chance to sit down with a pair of the tf10 for a day or two I would definitely say do it.

I bought these to replace my old friends; the UE Super Fi 5, that broke after 7 yrs due to MY mishandling.  I'll try to keep this short as SO MUCH has been written about these classic earphones!  I'm a longtime audiophile (30+ yrs!).  TT - Linn LP12/Lingo/Ittok IV/Ortofon Blaupunkt, CD - Arcam FMJ CD 23T, Amp - Music Reference RM9 (tube), Preamp - Audio Research LS15 (tube), Phono Preamp - Audio Research PH3 (tube) , Spkrs - Spendor S100, this makes up the bulk of my rig, along with racks, cables, and a few other toys.  I've got an Ol' School headphone rig -  Sennheiser HD600's with a Musical Fidelity tube headphone amp, that I've owned for close to a decade.  While my system isn't the best of the best or the latest and greatest, I'm confident in my ability to determine good sound.  That said, the fact that one can achieve this level of sonic performance with a pair of buds straight out of a stock Ipod (a mid-fi component at it's best) is nothing short of a miracle!  I'll add that flip-flopping (reversing) the earpieces should be considered mandatory!  I never did this with my SF5's as I only learned of this method recently (here!), it's been a revelation in every way, the earpieces along with the all-important 'seal', 'lock' into position and don't budge 'til you decide it's time.  I paid less for the TF10's than I did for the SF5's, an absolute win-win for me!  At the price these bad boy's can be had for now, it's a no-brainer!

9.2.12 (or 2/9/12 for US)
 
I received a very small USPS package with my supposedly "new in open box" TF10's. The box, actually, was still sealed, and was from the Amazon Black Friday sale. For a brand new TF10, it's a pretty good price considering it's much after Black Friday. Anyways, some pictures of the box and what was inside...And what it looks like now. And no, dual flange does not mean massive ear aches.
 


 
Sound-wise: Out of the box, they felt slightly V-shaped in FR. Vocals weren't as emphasized as I liked, and there was a bit of bass emphasis. On my HP TouchPad, the sound felt slightly hollow and very distant, although still enjoyable. The treble was clean and unoffensive to my ears, although YMMV depending on how sensitive you are to treble. Even the sparkly songs (Endless Story) didn't cause any fatigue, despite the obvious treble emphasis. Despite all of that, I felt it could use an extra mid driver to spice up the midrange to my liking but it really isn't as recessed as some say. Dual flanges did stop the slight bass bleed, so that helped a bit. Definitely great for the price though. On a higher power source like a laptop, with the noise attenuator (aka impedance switch/increase), it's quite a balanced sounding earphone. Vocals feel airy, natural and anything but recessed. Much more forward and natural sounding for female and male vocals. Overall, it can be a hit or miss IEM. For me, I think it's a home run.
 
Comfort and appearance?
I looked and felt like Frankenstein so I decided to go ahead and jump into the flip mod and not a single regret was had. Dual flange and flip mod made for a very comfy fit, although they still stick out a bit. I'm probably not sleeping with this puppy on. Maybe a Westone UM1 or something of the like, but definitely not this. Too much risk of breaking the cable and then forcing me to go reshell. Now this may put more strain on the memory wire, but I used it as more of a clip, like those clip on headphones so the IEMs stay put no matter how fast I'm moving.
I'll give you guys a picture of what I mean with them still sticking out a bit though.

Yeah, I'm not sleepin' with that thing sticking out of my ears.
 
Soundstage and precision: Not quite as airy as dynamics but still plenty of space. It isn't extraordinarily precise either(compared to UM3), though it does beat out my other headphones by quite a bit. It is definitely more than enough to pick out where a missile is, barreling towards you at two and a half times the speed of sound.
 
Isolation/Sound blocking: Dual flange is more than enough for being outside and about. Enough to walk undisturbed but still hear the idiot's red SUV barreling at me going 50mph.
 
Build: The earphone itself is pretty tough and I like how it appears with the flip mod. It's fairly flush to the ear, but even when noticed, appears quite professional and unobtrusive. The electric blue can grab a bit of attention though in the wrong places. With the detachable cable, the pins breaking are my only concern. It seems maybe Westone pins might fare better since they are thicker. It's either that or I'll ask for recessed connections when they are reshelled.
 
Overall, it's quite a competent build and sounds quite nice. UnEQ'd, and depending on your source, they may sound a bit recessed or overly emphasized in the midrange depending on source. Feed them enough power, and they'll show you great potential. I may just try to get an E6 for this. Out of the box though, I can say this: I love'em already.
 
Scratch that, you need at least a small amp. My smartphone and laptop can't drive them to 100% potential.
 
 
Tracks used...
Endless Story-Yukari Tamura
My Dearest-Supercell
mezzo forte-Minori Chihara
Launch, White Devil, Gotta Stay Fly, Naval Warfare, Beyond the Canal, Horizon, Release - Ace Combat Assault Horizon Original Soundtrack
A Light Illuminating the Depths, Rush Out!, Aoi Kiseki, Termination-Falcom Sound Team JDK
Alchemy, Little Braver, Shine Days, Run With Wolves, 23:50 - Girls Dead Monster
And many more. I couldn't stop listening .

As a sound engineer, I am fussy about audio and the UE Triple Fi 10's have made me a happy man.
Right out of the box they sound fantastic, despite a slight problem with fitment. After a short play with the different buds, I settled on the Comply buds and they provided a decent seal.
Overall they are great, and I use them for listening enjoyment direct from my iPod, and also mixing on my laptop, and the resulting mixes prove the Triple Fi's are a good reference!
Now I just need to get some ACS custom moulds for them! 

So far they're great...with the Comply tips they isolate very well and are very comfortable as well.  The detail is amazing, and the soundstage is about the best you can expect from a universal IEM.  Separation, as expected with a 3 way crossover high-mid-low setup, is great.  Can't recommend these enough, and at the prices these are going for now you'd have to be crazy not to buy them.

love it!

I must have HUGE ear canals, because with the large silicone tips provided in the box, I got a perfect fit with an impeccable seal! Now i simply get the most amazing sounds ever from an IEM i've owned, and i've owned MANY! I must amend to say that the simply stellar sound quality extends to FLAC (lossless) sources. The TF 10's tend to struggle a bit with mp3's. Even the 320 and V0 quality files. You lose about 10-20% of the sound stage and depth with mp3 files. Still....worth every penny, and I must laugh at those who complain about it being a bad fit or uncomfortable ect ect. I sleep with mine in. As i stated earlier I got an impeccable fit. I love my TF 10's. Now on to the Sennheiser IE80's and Westone 4's. 

The TripleFi 10 noise isolation earphones by Ultimate Ears are a highly rated pair of earphones. These high performance headphones gave way to the term “triple-driver earphones” and became popular as they were known to be used by professional musicians and celebrities. With quality headphone reviews from stars such as Pete Wentz, bassist for Fall Out Boy, Grammy award winning artist Seal and Serj Tankian, former singer for System of a Down, Ultimate Ears products such as these TripleFi 10 noise isolation earphones are sure to be an ideal selection for a wide variety of needs.

If you’re a music enthusiast looking for an excellent pair of earphones, or a rising star in the world of music, these earphones can give you a feeling of being in a music studio. For the audiophile or hi-fi enthusiast, the Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10 noise isolation earphones provide a great listen, while a variety of musicians will find these earphones to be an excellent selection for performances or for backup earphones if customs fail. These earphones provide a professional level of sound you’re sure to love.



Choosing The Best Noise Canceling Earphones

Quality earphones are an investment that should not be taken lightly, unless you have hundreds of dollars to waste on sub-par selections, which is why it is important to consider various aspects of noise isolation earphones before making your selection. With the advancements being made in modern technology, picking something that is up to date and full of the most advanced technological features is vital. Considering aspects such as technological features, user reviews and components is necessary to make an informed decision. Some features to consider include:

* Sound Quality
* Comfort and Design
* Noise Isolation
* Price

You should also be aware of any additional features, such as warranties or guarantees included with the purchase. Considering each of these aspects for the best noise cancelling headphones is important to making the most informed decision for your next pair of noise isolation earphones. Let’s take a look at the Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10 noise isolation earphones and see how they rate.

Sound

As far as sound quality goes, these earphones are off the charts with their amazing sound! Across the board, users were blown away by the quality of sound coming out of these earphones. These earphones have a unique, triple (hence the name) armature speaker design that splits the sound to reproduce three different frequencies – high, mid and low range. This enables the ultimate listening experience.

The sound quality is also improved with audio filters designed to shape the sound, creating an experience that almost feels like you’re in the recording studio. Additionally, these earphones have an incredibly broad sound range to supply you with a thumping bass, blended mid range, and detailed treble sounds.Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10 Earphones

Comfort And Design

These earphones have a cord that can be custom shaped to your ear, just like professional monitors. Each earphone set includes several sizes of ear cushions so you can find the fit that’s right for you. Ear cushion options include three different sizes of soft silicone cushions, as well as foam cushions that provide a perfect fit every time.

The Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10 noise isolation earphones also feature a customizable fit. You can wear these earphones in two positions – either down like regular earphones or bent to fit over your ears, just like professional monitors. The cord is also designed to be tangle resistant.

Noise Isolation

These earphones fit comfortably inside your ear to create a secure seal that will block up to 26 dB. The foam cushions, only available with premium models such as the TripleFi 10 option, create the perfect seal to lock all the musical sound inside your ears while keeping outside noises at bay.

Additional Features

This pair of earphones comes with a hard case that’s ready for the pocket so you can safely transport these earphones anywhere. Additionally, the TripleFi 10 noise isolation earphones come with a variety of jacks so you can use a wide assortment of devices.

Pros Of Ultimate Ears Triplefi Noise Isolation Earphones

Incredible sound that will blow you away!
Individualization of three different frequencies
Super broad range
Versatile cord design
Customizable fit
Noise isolation of up to 26 dB
Available at half price
Hard carry case
Jacks included
Cons of Ultimate Ears TripleFi Noise Isolation Earphones

Size of the ear buds
Only available in one color
Price

These earphones are listed at $399.99, but they are available for much less if you search the right places. Amazon has these earphones listed at a significant discount. Used pairs can be picked up for about thirty dollars less than the new price. While this may seem like a steep price for a pair of earphones, it is important to realize that these are highly advanced earphones that use a patented technique to give you the best quality level of sound every time. Musicians are known to use these earphones as backups to their custom fitted earphones, indicating that the TripleFi 10 earphones are an extremely high quality choice.

Very good at performing EDMs and rock music. Owned for 2 years and gave it to my ex girlfriend. 

I noticed so much praise around here that my expectations were quite high and I gotta say: I was not disappointed at all. There's little new we can say about such a famous/infamous IEM. I bought a pair to reshell them and try customs so I can't comment about build quality. Not really a fan of V-shaped signatures but this one is special, some people can argue about the overwhelming bass hiding mid-details, but again, the TF10 are really wonderful! Highly recommend them!

Well, I got this on Black Friday 2010 for below $100, what can I say, this thing is worth beyond every dollar I spent for me thanks to dramatic drop of the price. This guy is currently tagged at $250 price range.
 
So, here is what I wanna say: this headphone is probably too good for me
All I have is a Sony extender which connects my Triple Fi 10 to my Asus Xonar DX
as far as I listen, I can often hear the background gitter due to electric interference from the sound card.
I did exactly what a HTPC does not want to do: Beefy Power Supply, Tower Heatsink, Multiple fans and Hard-Drives, GTX 460 Hawk (2 fans), and therefore I often suffer from the Ttzzz sound from this headphone
 
Well, that shows how good this guy is.
The vocal and instruments stretch out far and clear. Unlike other headphones, I feel the sounds come from a big line. It is as if I am listening to live play
 
Here are the following songs I use to test:
Guns N Rose Lies (the whole album)
Guns N Rose Greatest  Hits (again the whole album)
Macross F OST (the whole freaking thing)
Gumdam 00 OST (season 1+2 OP and ED)
Jam Project Skill, Olympia (sadly, this is the only non-loseless and was in 320K MP3)
 
The vocal is not as joyful when it comes to Macross compare to Audio Technica, which is nothing but female vocal and some simple instrument. Yet the instrument part, such as Guns N Rose, it is the perfect synergy. Drums are crystal clear. Which is a really big thing for me. Guitar and Bass all mingle together. Even if the Vocal overlaps with either Guitar or Bass, they do not cover each other. Instead, all sounds hits the ear the same time. No wonder people say this thing can fight against IE 8.
In terms of music I listen to and the price I get, IE 8 sounds like a dumb deal.
 
Yet this headphone is not all that great:
1. this guy is tagged at $250 range, yet unlike IE 8, it only comes with few earbuds.
2. the ability to be able to swap the line is good for me, since that is one of the reason this guy attract me in the first place. Yet for those that use headphones without any thoughts about modding them, swappable line means the lines die faster
3. it is expected that the lines will not tied up or curl together, yet it is exactly what Triple Fi 10 did
4. I gave it to many people to listen, yet most people have problem keeping this thing on their ears on the first few tried. I personally have no problem. After a few tried I find some angles which fits me nicely.
5. there are other minor points, yet it only bothers me, and they are rather minor compare to the first four, therefore I will not list them out
 
Verdict:
This really is the crossroad for me. Before this headphone, voices are never this clear and mix together for me. That is why I call Triple Fi 10 the crossing line. At this level and beyond, it is highly recommended to get DAC/Amplifier. I can bare with the static noise, since I plan to purchase a DAC already. However, it does not mean the static from my horrible setup does not influence my musics. In fact I am suffering from those backgorund noise quite heavily. Yet for the price I get, I can afford to purchase a DAC to fix it.

 
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I really like them, they are not as crisp as my sennys and the soundstage is more narrow (to be expected from iems) but their bass is noticeably better (it extends much better) and they are very enjoyable to listen to, I do not think there is any "burn in" time on them because of the armature drivers, but I will continue listening to see if anything changes. Also the sound insolation works quite well and I notice details I never have before because I assumed I was hearing outside noises on my open cans (the tapping of someones foot on a recording of chopins "revolutionary etude") so that is pretty cool. They are not as analytical as sennheisers notoriously are, but they warm without the exaggerated bass and thin treble that grados sometimes suffer from (I cannot stand it personally, it was grating, sr80s).
 
I am sorry I cannot compare it to any other iem, but the closest iems Ive heard are bose, so I dont even bother.
 
the size and shape does not bother me at all because I have large earholes so they fit fine, although I have a bit of trouble figuring out how to angle them in my ear sometimes. 
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Absolute steal at this price.
Should have given a review on these a long time ago but unnecessary because for one simple fact.
You either get a good fit on these and experience pure nirvana or dislike it for any possible conceived ideas.
It's quite inaccurate to listen to people's opinions as well.
Some people clearly state that the IE8 is much better than the Tf-10 but the Se530 is inferior. Others state the Tf-10 is worse than the ck-10s. There are even people that claim the tf-10 lack bass and the highs are sibilant. This all depends on many confounding factors.
But regardless to say, imo, I couldn't be happier with these.

I jumped on these when Amazon had them on sale.  I had only been on Head-Fi for a month and was looking around to expand my listening horizons. I've had them for nearly a month, but hadn't reviewed them because I wanted to get past the new toy period and listen to them over an extended bit of time and with lots of different material.
 
Fit was an issue initially. They're huge and I have smallish flush ears. There was a lot of rubbing on the right pinna until I did the flip thing and put on Comply TX-500 tips.  The best fit has come with medium Sony hybrids.
 
But even before I got the fit right, I was in love. I have the RE0 and Etymotic ER6 and ER-4P. All of these are "analytic" phones, full of detail and cool. They're all great in their fashion, but the TF10s have made me jump in my chair twice.
 
The first time was listening to Janelle Monae's "Tightrope"  There's a kick drum at the beginning that just pops with these iems.
 
The second time was Saint Columbe's "Sonnerie de Sainte Germaine".  This is 17th century chamber music. The viola da gamba rips like a crosscut saw.
 
I've read about the recessed mids with these phones and it's true, they don't work well for everything. I don't think they're good for rock music. But they've been great with  John Zorn's guitar work and other mid-centric music for me.  I don't think they're great with the EQ on my Cowon iAudio 9. But they shine with the Clip+ and iH140.

its amazing

got these during one of the Amazon gold box specials.  Wow.  My new everyday phones.

Audio quality-These things sound awesome. Knock out anything in the price range, compete with Westone 4s and Shure 535. Discontinued, so really low price.
Design-These are huge. Really big. If you can get them to fit right, not an issue,though they look a little odd.
Comfort-Pretty comfortable. Big though, can't lay down.
Isolation-Really good with the included Comply tips.
 
Two small caveats. The foam tips dirty quickly due to their color, and will need to be replaced as they become saturated with wax. The cable is awful. It retains its shape from packaging, full of kinks. The memory wire by the ear pieces can punture the wire.
I love the case that came with these. Its really nice. And the cables are replaceable, which I plan to upgrade. The treble is overbearing, and very fatiguing with the silicone tips. If you get the Complys to fit really well, the bass picks up and sounds awesome. Push them into your ear a little harder while wearing them-does the bass pick up? If so, they aren't in properly.

after listening to TF10 for 2hours i decided to write a review of it
1. there's only few people WHO can wear this earphone for me i can't it'd fell off when i put it in my ear
2. the mid isn't that good since there's no mid driver (JH5 doesn't have mid either but the mid isn't as bad as the TF2)
but the stage - when you listen to orchestra songs the TF10 can separate the instrument very well comparing to other universal IEMs
 
 
i would recommend this to people who listen to:
•jazz
•orchestra

YOU MAYBE THINK IM MAD WHEN ISAY I PAID $280 for this.
 
but its the REAL price inChina
 
hardly have cons.
I think its better than WEstone UM3X