[PixelSquish]

Buy the UM Mason Nuit Étoilée. I have heard the UM Mason Fusang and Mentor V3 during CanJam, and I belive based on their tuning (quite the opposite of Campfire house sound), you'll love the latest Mason Nuit Étoilée. Another one I recommend highly is Aroma Jewel and Subtonic Storm since they're more detail oriented and reference sounding IEMs.

That UM IEM is a ripoff and not a good thing for this hobby.

 

[theveterans]

That UM IEM is a ripoff and not a good thing for this hobby.

Well if you love Campfire's house sound like I do yes I also find UM IEMs are overpriced, but for others they'll find UM flagship IEMs worth their asking price for the Audio Nirvana that they'll experience with it. Just a simple thing that I keep repeating: one man's trash is another man's treasure

 

[zlayde]

I've been watching the reaction to the UM announcement. The psychological and social aspects of it are really fascinating. I think what is so interesting here is that this comes down to valuation. Oil and other commodities are priced based on their scarcity and demand as well as other factors (refining etc.). With products that are put on sale, it's far more arbitrary. In the end, the markets are the final arbiter. Subjectivity is in the picture. The "one man's trash..." statement is dead on. Would I pay $100 for a plain white T-shirt? No, I wouldn't. What is hard to fathom is that there is a market for it. Otherwise it wouldn't exist. Markets will slap down arbitrary pricing...or not.

I don't fault Campfire for charging $3000 for an IEM. It turns out some people love it. Some don't. If it were $1,000 I'd probably give it a go for a while.

I think another factor here is that the IEM space is in particular is delivering value for less $ very, very quickly. What was $1000 in value 18 months ago is $400 now. It's great to see. I think companies like Thieaudio and Simgot are redefining the market. A company like 64Audio or Campfire have to take notice.

 

[Rockwell75]

Just a simple thing that I keep repeating: one man's trash is another man's treasure

Truer words. For my money the Trifecta is the best IEM on the market right now and the Bonneville is easily the best thing currently available under $2k. CFA has a very distinct tuning style and approach and if you resonate with it like I and many others do their IEMs will be consistently be among your very favorites. And the opposite is also true-- but this is fine. There is something out there for everyone and there will never be an IEM that will be all things to all people. Personally I am not a fan of really dry reference style tuning, anything remotely close to Harman or the bland "neutral with bass boost" tunings that are so ubiquitous now...though I understand that this is exactly what many folks are after. And this is fine. To answer the question in the OP-- perhaps you're not missing anything and maybe this IEM is just not for you?

 

[291079]

imo, trifecta has a nice warm and analog sounding tuning. some people love such turning and some people hate it.
tbh, not many totl iems have that kind of tuning, and that might explain its popularity.
also, it's quite source dependent. I really liked it with the sr35, but not so much with other daps.
i also did not have an epiphany hearing it, nor would I put it in my top5, but I did learn to appreciate the distinct flavor that it brought.

 

[zlayde]

I think that’s right. And that’s ok. If it’s bringing joy to others then all good.

I’d still love a weekend with it though.

 

[Rockwell75]

imo, trifecta has a nice warm and analog sounding tuning. some people love such turning and some people hate it.
tbh, not many totl iems have that kind of tuning, and that might explain its popularity.
also, it's quite source dependent. I really liked it with the sr35, but not so much with other daps.
i also did not have an epiphany hearing it, nor would I put it in my top5, but I did learn to appreciate the distinct flavor that it brought.

That's fair enough. Trifecta in some ways reminds me of the UM Mentor. I remember when that IEM came out people were declaring it was the closest thing to a perfect IEM that had yet been released and all sort of other accolades. I was one of a few at the time who liked certain things about it but felt it wasn't that compelling on the whole. It would not make my personal top 10. A classic case of the YMMV nature of this hobby.

I agree Trifecta is source sensitive. SR35 is one of the better ones. I ran it with an LP6 for a few months and EQd it a bit during that time...however recently when I tried it with my newly aquired Sony WM1Z it felt like a whole new IEM to me-- one of the best examples of source/IEM synergy I've yet heard. It helps that the 1Z was the dap usd to tune the Trifecta. Again though, YMMV and all that.

 

[CodenameBK201]

Hello everybody.

I'm mulling over a Trifecta purchase and I was fortunate enough to get a chance to listen to it recently. And I have to say...I don't get it. The bass was killer and it has a wonderfully analog sound but the rest of the sound was...kind of all over the map? The mids and highs were trying to get through I guess? It was not the transcendental experience I was hoping for. I know this is a divisive IEM with people who really love it and many that don't. I wish I could've spent more time with it.

I'm not sure what I'm asking here...but what other factors play into getting the most out of it? I was using a pretty good source (Shanling H5) and the stock cable. Does it need to burn in? (the one I was using was pretty new).

Curious about others experience with. Thanks.

I was obviously very much someone who bought into the hype, having heard it very, very briefly at CanJam. I had it for 3 days and sold it. For me, it was a very, very mixed bag. What it did, it did wonderfully: EDM music had that floor speaker feel, and I've never heard such good instrument separation in an IEM regardless of track. Conversely, I found anything with tons of flanges or lots of instruments playing at once got lost in the sauce. If the sound isn't for you, it isn't for you; if it is, it is. My pair was sold to @fejnomit ; he loves them, which to me says that his library is probably very different than mine. Even on IEMs I know I like, I find albums that simply don't work on them that do work on better, more "low-res" (for lack of a better term) sounding sources, and vice versa. I do think there are better "value" IEMs out there, but frankly I think that's probably true of anything by any brand past the $1500 mark or so. Trifecta is a specialist IEM in my books, not an all-rounder, and I'll die on that hill, but if it's not for you, I'd say keep looking until you find something more up your alley.

 

[zlayde]

I was obviously very much someone who bought into the hype, having heard it very, very briefly at CanJam. I had it for 3 days and sold it. For me, it was a very, very mixed bag. What it did, it did wonderfully: EDM music had that floor speaker feel, and I've never heard such good instrument separation in an IEM regardless of track. Conversely, I found anything with tons of flanges or lots of instruments playing at once got lost in the sauce. If the sound isn't for you, it isn't for you; if it is, it is. My pair was sold to @fejnomit ; he loves them, which to me says that his library is probably very different than mine. Even on IEMs I know I like, I find albums that simply don't work on them that do work on better, more "low-res" (for lack of a better term) sounding sources, and vice versa. I do think there are better "value" IEMs out there, but frankly I think that's probably true of anything by any brand past the $1500 mark or so. Trifecta is a specialist IEM in my books, not an all-rounder, and I'll die on that hill, but if it's not for you, I'd say keep looking until you find something more up your alley.

This is an excellent summary of what's going on I think. It's not for everyone and there are so many factors at play: source chain, your musical interest, your ears and how your brain processes sound. Nobody should decide that something doesn't work for someone else.

As for value for price...I'll leave that to others to debate. If someone finds something that opens up a world of enjoyment, then they can decide if the money is worth it.

 

[PixelSquish]

Well if you love Campfire's house sound like I do yes I also find UM IEMs are overpriced, but for others they'll find UM flagship IEMs worth their asking price for the Audio Nirvana that they'll experience with it. Just a simple thing that I keep repeating: one man's trash is another man's treasure

I totally agree about different strokes for different folks. It would be strange and boring if everyone likes the same things.

But the ripoff greed fomo or hype pricing is a different subject.