[rolla]

maybe i'm missing something but when i switched cables on my 3's, they look exactly like they did when before. What exactly is the point of switching the cables??

 

[8lias]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rolla /img/forum/go_quote.gif maybe i'm missing something but when i switched cables on my 3's, they look exactly like they did when before. What exactly is the point of switching the cables??

It's for Left and Right purpose. You don't have to switch the cable just put the right unit in the left ear and vice versa, then you would have switch you ears as well to hear your music correctly, I am kidding of course, simply put, it's for L and R purpose. Enjoy.

 

[8lias]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blehmann /img/forum/go_quote.gif I approached this modification with a combination of skepticism and quiet desperation (yes, I know this is a bit much). I had become quite disenchanted with the super fi 5's in place of their much cheaper cousins, the Senn cx300s, and was on the verge of relegating them to use only in airplanes. This mod made all the difference: the accuracy, clarity, and headstage all came back. For this I am most grateful!

Glad to hear this works for you, enjoy.

 

[IPodPJ]

As posted way back in this thread, the mod to the SF5pros diminishes sound quality. If you can't tell, well, I dunno what to say, I'm glad it works for you. It makes more sense that it might be effective on the 3studio since they are only single driver IEMs... but when you start inverting the dual bores, the sound enters your ears differently and yields totally different sonic qualities (somewhat displeasing to my taste)... and with the Tri.Fi, forget about it, you can't do it... it totally ruins the soundstaging.

 

[Pianist]

Hmmm.... Are the wires in FS mod supposed to be connected with the 'L' and 'R' markings pointing backward instead of forward? Never thought it would make any difference, but it did!

I connected the wires that way yesterday, and all my problems with a wierd soundstage and hollow bass are now gone! The super.fi3s seem to sound at least as good now, as they did without the FS mod, but provide much better isolation and comfort!

 

[JimBob1971]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pianist /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hmmm.... Are the wires in FS mod supposed to be connected with the 'L' and 'R' markings pointing backward instead of forward? Never thought it would make any difference, but it did! I connected the wires that way yesterday, and all my problems with a wierd soundstage and hollow bass are now gone! The super.fi3s seem to sound at least as good now, as they did without the FS mod, but provide much better isolation and comfort!

Thats kind of what I was asking above and no-one answered.

I assume the lines on the cable have to point to the letters on the phones. I thought that phasing meant that one of these had to point the other way, but maybe I was wrong.

As the original poster says
"There's a "tiny" bump at the end of the wire and the driver unit, make sure they line up with each other to avoid out of phase sound, wear them like the pictures show."

(I genuinely can't notice much difference when both cables point the same way, either to the letter/bump or the other side)

 

[sorrick]

Quote:

Originally Posted by IPodPJ /img/forum/go_quote.gif As posted way back in this thread, the mod to the SF5pros diminishes sound quality. If you can't tell, well, I dunno what to say, I'm glad it works for you. It makes more sense that it might be effective on the 3studio since they are only single driver IEMs... but when you start inverting the dual bores, the sound enters your ears differently and yields totally different sonic qualities (somewhat displeasing to my taste)... and with the Tri.Fi, forget about it, you can't do it... it totally ruins the soundstaging.

IpodPJ, I totally agree with you in regards to the triple.fi's. I upgraded from the sf5p about a month ago (preordered in october but didn't receive them till the beginning of march) and, because I had been using my sf5p's with the FS mod, I immediately switched the cables on the triple.fi's. I really liked the sound to be honest, but just today i decided to try them the normal way....and wow! The balance and soundstage is much much improved. I actually find the triple.fi's more comfortable the standard way as well.

Incidentally, I have also modded some shure black foamies (stretching out the inner plastic tube with some needle nose pliers) and I find that these tips blow any of the UE tips out of the water. Both isolation and comfort improve (and b/c of increased isolation, the sound is better too).

Also I have tried my triple.fi's with the ibasso T1, the C&C box v.2, the go-vibe v6, and the new TTVJ Millet Portable. The T1 sounded like crap....it hissed like crazy (I think mine might be defective, but I couldn't get rid of the damn hiss). The C&C was good, but slanted a bit towards the treble so things could get bright at times. The Go-Vibe v6 was very very nice. It improved soundstaging, imaging, and transparency. While it did help the midrange a bit, it is a somewhat laid back amp in its presentation so it did not bring the mids as forward a whole lot.

Which brings me to the TTVJ Millett Portable. If you can drop the 459 bucks on this thing, do it! Simple as that. It makes the triple.fi's shine! Hell it makes anything you plug into it shine. Mids become liquid smooth, and definitely more forward. Separation, imaging, soundstage, and transparency all go up to 11. Its an amazing combination. I have my gen 5.5 ipod running vbr mp3's 192 to 320kbps (I find the differences between these and lossless to be very minimal) to a ALO cryo mini and then to the millett portable. I also will run it off my powerbook g4 with an echo indigo dj (using the line out jack on the indigo dj) with a C&C crystal mini to mini, into the millett portable. Guys the sound is just mindblowing!

So in summery, the triple.fi's definitely (IMHO) sound better when worn the normal way, I highly recommend trying modded shure olive foamies on the triple.fis, and if you are looking for an amp, and can manage the price tag, the only amp to get is the TTVJ millet portable! If you are on more of a budget, you can't go wrong with the go-vibe v6 which sounds very good with the triple.fi's and many other headphones.

 

[stereophile]

I see pros & cons regarding some users are saying this mod improves SQ, while others say it makes SQ worse.

Now that some time has passed, can experienced Superfi.5 users tell us their opinion: do you prefer the SQ when wearing the 5's as orginally intended, or do you prefer this mod?

Thank you!

 

[music065]

This mod does improve the comfort of the Superfi.5's in my ear, and perhaps gives a better seal.

But is SERIOUSLY REDUCES SQ, imho.

With my test tracks: (some rock/classical/electro/house/r&b/jazz) and source (Cowon D2); it fails.

Reasons:

- IEMs become muddy. Are not muddy when I wear the 5's the orginal way.

- In addition to Ipodpj's comment regarding how the mod reverses the dual drivers configuration in your ear, this mod also reverses the L-R cables!
I'm surprised I didn't see this point mentioned more in this thread.
This reversal completely destroys the soundstage (imho); and completey destroys the great characteristic of the 5's that allow my music to move from L to R & vice-versa, across the aural stage, (many of my tracks have movements like this), and this was one of the reasons I bought the 5's.

-I'm a believer that L and R do matter in stereo equipment. Otherwise, why bother to mark any stereo equipment L and R? Jazz ensembles, classical, etc, particular instruments usually come from the left, right, center, left-center, etc, and this mod destroys that. Also, on a more subtle level some musicians actually try to record music so when played on high-end equipment, you can for example hear one instrument moving from left to right, while simulatneously hearing another instrument or sound moving the opposite way. This mod reverses all that, sends the sounds to opposite sides of the brain, etc. Art side vs logic side, and all that.

Bottom line: Props to the OP for a mod that makes the 5's much more comfortable, and arguably a better seal for many users. Too bad it reduces the SQ characteristics - and too bad UE can't design a 5 model that fits as nicely as this mod does, while retaining 5's signature SQ.

 

[epithetless]

Quote:

Originally Posted by music065 /img/forum/go_quote.gif ...In addition to Ipodpj's comment regarding how the mod reverses the dual drivers configuration in your ear, this mod also reverses the L-R cables! I'm surprised I didn't see this point mentioned more in this thread...

The cables need to be swapped along with the earphone housings. Since the cables are removeable (a core feature of UE earphones), either earpiece can be made to be "left" or "right" depending on how you plug the cables in.

As for the other reductions in sound quality (muddiness, etc.), I wear my super.fi 5 Pros in the stock configuration, so I can't comment from my own experience...though I trust people when they say they hear a difference. stereophile -- I suspect, like many things audio, that it's up to user preference whether the FS mod is a good fit for you. There's certainly no harm in trying or reversing it (as long as you're careful with those cable connections...

)

 

[YoungClayB]

Quote:

Originally Posted by epithetless /img/forum/go_quote.gif Since the cables are removeable (a core feature of UE earphones), either earpiece can be made to be "left" or "right" depending on how you plug the cables in.

exactly...think about the earpieces are tiny speakers...i.e. when you buy a pair of speakers, they aren't labeled "right" or "left"; you just hook them up to the speaker cables and place them correctly in the room.

 

[Orcin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stereophile /img/forum/go_quote.gif I see pros & cons regarding some users are saying this mod improves SQ, while others say it makes SQ worse. Now that some time has passed, can experienced Superfi.5 users tell us their opinion: do you prefer the SQ when wearing the 5's as orginally intended, or do you prefer this mod? Thank you!

I think the mod improves the SQ, simply because I get a better seal. I would never go back to the normal way.

 

[8lias]

Quote:

Originally Posted by epithetless /img/forum/go_quote.gif The cables need to be swapped along with the earphone housings. Since the cables are removeable (a core feature of UE earphones), either earpiece can be made to be "left" or "right" depending on how you plug the cables in. As for the other reductions in sound quality (muddiness, etc.), I wear my super.fi 5 Pros in the stock configuration, so I can't comment from my own experience...though I trust people when they say they hear a difference. stereophile -- I suspect, like many things audio, that it's up to user preference whether the FS mod is a good fit for you. There's certainly no harm in trying or reversing it (as long as you're careful with those cable connections... )

EXACTLY, I concur, it's been a while.

 

[konon]

I loved the mod, better comfort and improved sound isolation. However with the mod I also experienced HUGE drop in clarity and sound stage.

The only explanation to quality loss s is a reversed polarity. It occurs when you plug the wires with bumps on wire facing bumps on headphone. If you try to plug the wires with bumps NOT facing the bumps on the headphone - the sound quality is as same as with traditional way of wearing the headphones.

To test the polarity you will need a poltes.wav file available along with explanation from http://www.d-and-d.com/mrivers/poltest.html

It's ten seconds long, and mono--at the five-second mark, the polarity inverts. Original polarity signal (0-5sec) sounds more "bassy" than the inverted signal (5-10sec).

Test it for yourself...

-Alex

 

[konon]

Has anyone tried to reverse the wires so the marks are not aligned? I'm curious if it worked for someone?

-Alex

Quote:

Originally Posted by konon /img/forum/go_quote.gif I loved the mod, better comfort and improved sound isolation. However with the mod I also experienced HUGE drop in clarity and sound stage. The only explanation to quality loss s is a reversed polarity. It occurs when you plug the wires with bumps on wire facing bumps on headphone. If you try to plug the wires with bumps NOT facing the bumps on the headphone - the sound quality is as same as with traditional way of wearing the headphones. To test the polarity you will need a poltes.wav file available along with explanation from http://www.d-and-d.com/mrivers/poltest.html It's ten seconds long, and mono--at the five-second mark, the polarity inverts. Original polarity signal (0-5sec) sounds more "bassy" than the inverted signal (5-10sec). Test it for yourself... -Alex