[IPodPJ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spyro /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sorry, and I don't have the techno-knowledge, I'm just a regular guy....but why in the world would you need an amp for IEM's with Ohm rating under 30? EQ capability? Yes, definitley, but I think the whole amp thing is grossly over-rated with IEM's. Total waste of money in my opinion. Isn't that the whole point of 95% of IEM's?? Portability without an amp???? Granted , I realize my ER-4S benefited greatly from an amp, but ONLY if the amp had EQ to boost that bass up. IMHO, if you are going un-amped, Ety's bass will always seem shy, even with ER-4P version. I'm actually starting to warm up to these Triple Fi's. It's weird. Not sure if it's burn in or my ears just getting used to them but man...they definitely have a BIG FULL SOUND! I'm not really noticing any kind of "suck out" but maybe I'm not sure of my frequencies. And this is my first pair of Ultimate Ears.

Ok, I'll try to sound like a surfer here:
Dude!!!!! DUDE!!!!!! They sound like so much better with an amp, it's tubular man!!! You just gotta' get one! Just get one! Just do it, man... just take the leap and ride the crest!!! You won't be able to go back, man... It's a whole other world with one of those magical boxes man!!! For sure, dude!!

LOL!

Seriously though, it makes all the difference in the world...but only when used with a line out dock... otherwise, the improvement is very marginal, just a louder sound, since you are thus amplifying an already subpar amp. A good line out cable makes an enormous difference too.. but take one step at a time... Training your ears to hear everything takes awhile. When I was doing that in car stereo, it took me a solid year of listening to my system before I got it tuned to the way I like it..... and with headphones, forget it!! It takes much much longer. If it didn't, people wouldn't have constant cases of upgraditis. One thing I've learned in this hobby is that no matter how good I think my rig is, there is always room for improvement... because everytime I said "no, that won't make much of a difference" it did... every --- single --- time.... But you've started with a great place... You have the Triple.Fi, and you can only top those with custom UE-10, and the UE-10 might not even have as much bass response around 60Hz if I understand correctly, but I'm not certain. So don't worry about upgrading your IEMs... you've got great ones.. just focus on a nice little amp and good line out interconnect...

See my rig below:

Monkey:
Do you feel your DACs offer more of an improvement to your UE-10 than an amp? Equal to? Tell me your feelings on DACs, and where is a good place for me to start with one. You know anyone that can swap out the DAC in the iPod 5th gen for a Burr Brown chip? Is that even possible without major hardware rewiring?

 

[IPodPJ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek /img/forum/go_quote.gif I wouldn't. I probably couldn't even fit them in my ears. That's why I had to return my super.fi 5 pros. (That, and because they sounded WAY too dark.)

Ah you must have added the rest as I was replying, because it wasn't originally there (about fitting them in your ears)... you just simply said "I wouldn't.

"
That's a little bit of a bold statement, isn't it? Well, maybe one day we will get to listen to eachother's rigs.... and the Tri.Fi sound NOTHING like the SF5pro... not the same ballpark, league, or city... maybe the same state...

Hey, a question about lossless compression.. I've recently realized that FLAC has about 10 levels of compression.. What are these for? If it's lossless, can't it only compress it so much? So what are the compression settings for?

I'm starting to think that true CD-DA files like AIFF or WAV might actually sound better, and perhaps because of the above reasoning. Forget MP3s alltogether, I can't stand them. But maybe true CD-DA files have more harmonics and other nuances encapsulated in them. Perhaps lossless files discard some of the digital info.... On certain tracks, I can't tell the difference between lossless and AIFF (as I rightfully shouldn't, if the theory holds correctly, unless the compression factor has something to do with it), but maybe it's perhaps the iPod itself that processes them differently. Listening to "George Benson and Al Jarreau's 'givin' it up' " when ripped from a CD to AIFF has somewhat better separation and staging than when ripped to iTunes' Apple Lossless (which from what I understand is one of the best lossless rippers out there). Perhaps someone can shed some light on this?

 

[The Monkey]

IPodPJ, @ the DAC query, I realized at the most recent NYC meet--thanks, in part, to the ridiculous lineup of CD players and to Bozebuttons--that I had been seriously underestimating the importance of my source both in terms of components and file encoding. Though I can't profess to be able to tell much beyond 256 AAC VBR. For those reasons, a significant amount of my listening time has been through the imac/NAD--->DAC1--->HR Millett Hybrid. So, to answer your question, the answer is yes I think the DAC (or other source) is more important than the amp. Unfortunately, to my knowledge, only MSB currently has a product bypassing the ipod's DAC and it is very expensive. So an external DAC with the ipod is not yet a real option for us mere mortals. Once you eliminate the DAC from the equation, your amp necessarily becomes that much more important.

All that said, I am generally pleased with the SQ from the ipod's line out.

 

[Spyro]

IPodPJ...I'll take your word for it on the amp/synergy but I'm still not ready or I don't require that good a sound yet.

I have owned many IEM's and never once have I ever thought burn in changed a thing about any one of them. I've put about 20 hours on these Triple Fi's and I swear the highs are coming through much clearer. Like a few layers have been peeled back or something. I'd be curious a UE's engineer's perspective about this veiled out-of-box sound.

I must shake my head at my original post after 20 hours of mileage on these. These things sound astonishing! No way in hell could I go back to E4 or ER-4 at this point. I've entered a new dimension.

These are also and easier and more comfortable fit than I thought they'd be. Originally I was trying to jam them in twisting and turning (like I'd have to with Shures and Etys) but that's really not necessary. You just need to rest them snuggly in there.

 

[ILikeMusic]

Quote:

Hey, a question about lossless compression.. I've recently realized that FLAC has about 10 levels of compression.. What are these for? If it's lossless, can't it only compress it so much? So what are the compression settings for?

The FLAC compression settings affect only file size (and have no effect on the sound quality.) A higher level of compression will reduce filesize but uses more processor time and will take significantly longer to encode. The default setting of 5 usually provides the best compromise as higher compression settings take longer to encode but don't reduce the output file size that much, but the FLAC developers included the option to increase compression for those who must have the absolutely smallest file size possible.

 

[PiccoloNamek]

Quote:

I've put about 20 hours on these Triple Fi's and I swear the highs are coming through much clearer.

The mind is a powerful thing.

 

[Spyro]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek /img/forum/go_quote.gif The mind is a powerful thing.

ROTFLMAO!!

You said it! It would absolutely KILL you to listen to another IEM that actually sounded better than ER-4S. LOL! Your mind just won't allow it.

I'll be the first to say that the ER-4 series are a great bargain at $160 but they are light years behind these TFP's as far as the whole package and sound presentation and to think otherwise is laughable.

 

[reds]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew Pielet /img/forum/go_quote.gif It really is crazy how bad the triples are out of the box. No clarity, no definition, no bass, just bleech. Compared to my Sony D77 they were HORRID. Doing an A-B I was really upset that they had nothing better or similiar to offer. After exactly 30 hours, they changed. I agree with all posts on this thread, they have a neutral quality like Etys, but more balanced in tone, volume and soundstage. That brings me to my one disappointment. These IEMS don't rock. Even my Etys rocked. My D77s rocked. These are balanced, beautiful, accurate music reproduction machines. (Not accurate in a perfect reproduction of sound way, just very subtle, chill, WLIT way) WLIT is the lite classic rock station in Chicago, think: Fleetwood Mac, Elton, Whitney Houston, etc. Kind of like easy listening. Even when you throw on something like GnR or Dire straits, or Van halen, or even U2, it takes the RnR out of it, but does play every single note and nuance you are looking for. I think this is the reason why IEMs like this and the new Westone 3 are tailored for audiophiles, or listeners rather then a studio setting. We want our music to move us, not the notes itself, but the feel of the notes, or the way a song was recorded. like the Buena Vista Social Club in the Egrem studios. It took all I love out of that album to play the notes the way they should sound. What happened to the venue sound? the whole reason why I love these recordings from Ry Cooder?? The Triples get the notes themselves PERFECT. Everything that has to do with the vibe of the recording itself seems gone. Like the whole stage setup up of the BVSC, Or the Egrem studio wood echo sound is lost for the sound of the notes. I just don't get rocking like I have before, like with etys, which IMO, only lack bass. I must Say a few things that I love about the Triples. They get the bass so right, its like there is a subwoofer in these things. The decay, the slam, the tone, the feel of the bass makes me forget Im wearing headphones. The mid-high to high end is so perfectly clear, no screechy, shreiky tones coming from anywhere like all other IEMs and headphones. They somehow did what no other headphones/IEMs could do and that is get the high end perfect. Etys sound great, but boy do those highs get painful to listen too!! I am hoping for 2 things. 1. A tomahawk improves the fun of these things. 2. I hope that Westone's gets all of what these have, plus a fun factor, and I dont mean bloated bass and tinny highs for us to think we are listening to more then there is. Been a long time since I wrote a long winded post on this site, but I was just waiting to put in my 2 cents sometime!

I was going to get the triple fi.
but this comment makes me reconsider it, as I mainly listen to rock music

 

[PiccoloNamek]

Quote:

Your mind just won't allow it.

I'd love to hear an IEM that was better. I just haven't been able to find one yet.

 

[Genetic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spyro /img/forum/go_quote.gif These are also and easier and more comfortable fit than I thought they'd be. Originally I was trying to jam them in twisting and turning (like I'd have to with Shures and Etys) but that's really not necessary. You just need to rest them snuggly in there.

Good to know. I saw their «how to fit» video and I was wondering if it took kind of Spock's ears to be comfortable with the cables....

Amicalement

PS
From a very long time Ety user.

 

[chris_ah1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spyro /img/forum/go_quote.gif ROTFLMAO!! You said it! It would absolutely KILL you to listen to another IEM that actually sounded better than ER-4S. LOL! Your mind just won't allow it. I'll be the first to say that the ER-4 series are a great bargain at $160 but they are light years behind these TFP's as far as the whole package and sound presentation and to think otherwise is laughable.

I was thinking the same thing - unless you have very specific listening tastes, other IEMS like UM2 or UM3 or e500 or TFPs probably give a much better overall experience.

I know I might personally appreciate the ety sound, but to my dad they were 'tinny' and artificial to him.

 

[The Monkey]

Must every iem thread now devolve into an ety v. the world debate? It is tiresome.

 

[Genetic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Monkey /img/forum/go_quote.gif Must every iem thread now devolve into an ety v. the world debate? It is tiresome.

I tried a John Deer lawnmower against Ety once and I was almost beaten to death....

For my part every other product has to be summitted to the «Ety's test» since we are so many to know perfectly well the Etys sound signature.

Amicalement

 

[chris_ah1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Genetic /img/forum/go_quote.gif For my part every other product has to be summitted to the «Ety's test» since we are so many to know perfectly well the Etys sound signature.

Precisely - it's the benchmark. there is no bashing of the IEMs. they are great - just some find them the be all and end all almost seemingly blindly which isn't the role of a benchmark device. The benchmark shouldn't be rosily over-estimated/over-plugged. Still, it's so subjective who am i to argue?
nobody.

I think ety should give every IEM user on here an ety er4 100ohm btw for free

 

[Andrew Pielet]

I am very happy listening to Rock w/ these Triples. I agree that I cant go back to anything else. I love how they just need to be snug too, you can jam them in there, but they always sound the same as long as you have that initial seal. It has taken about 2 weeks to get used to the "hanging out of your ear" feel to them.