[theveterans]

If Bonneville is any indication of CFA’s house sound then I think I’d like Trifecta. I have the Bonneville tour unit on hand currently and it’s for sure an enjoyable IEM

Trifecta is a more “analog” Bonneville to me. I’m sure you’ll definitely enjoy it if you’re enjoying Bonneville pretty well

 

[tjzurlaaa]

One of the main reasons I want to hear Trifecta is because it’s so damn divisive. I can’t think of any other IEM that yields such a love it or hate it response. I tend to like fun, big and bombastic sound signatures so I can’t see myself not enjoying it… but whether or not I find them to be “worth” (to me personally) the MSRP, that’s another question entirely

If Bonneville is any indication of CFA’s house sound then I think I’d like Trifecta. I have the Bonneville tour unit on hand currently and it’s for sure an enjoyable IEM.

Kinda reminds me of a super saiyan Bonneville with a little extra pizazz to it

 

[Neweymatt]

Damn … trifecta hating gang just came out the cut I see what you guys are saying, but damn I had a good time with it! Trifecta was one of my favorite sets at Canjam it shocked me with its soundstage and bass And analog sound I feel like that’s enough to deserve a spot in a TOTL lineup

Well I wouldn’t say that I’m “hating” on Trifecta at all, in fact I do rather like the tuning it’s going for; reminds me a lot of the CFA Cascade headphones I bought nearly 4 years ago. I still really enjoy that headphone, so I guess I’d rather have my other investments elsewhere in something more refined/complimentary.

 

[Sebastien Chiu]

Hi everyone,

Gotten some PMs lately about FiR and response times - wanted to clarify that the team is currently dealing with a major family emergency.

The team will be operating on a bit of a skeleton crew for the foreseeable future, so please give some patience as they deal with this unexpected time.

Thank you - happy listening and we appreciate the FiR team being kept in your thoughts.

We'll provide updates as we are able to, but for the time being please respect their privacy.

-Seb

 

[wolfstar76]

One of the main reasons I want to hear Trifecta is because it’s so damn divisive. I can’t think of any other IEM that yields such a love it or hate it response. I tend to like fun, big and bombastic sound signatures so I can’t see myself not enjoying it… but whether or not I find them to be “worth” (to me personally) the MSRP, that’s another question entirely

If Bonneville is any indication of CFA’s house sound then I think I’d like Trifecta. I have the Bonneville tour unit on hand currently and it’s for sure an enjoyable IEM.

Bonneville is also the first CFA IEM I tried and love it very much, will definitely try Trifecta next CanJam.

 

[PixelSquish]

I'd like to hear a Penon Quattro and Trifecta comparison. Totally serious.

 

[Valrhona]

Found it, but have not read it though.

https://redirect.viglink.com/?forma...Reviews and Discussion - Head-Fi.org&txt=here

 

[phiemon]

Very good question. I believe the Ti had the Orphy indeed- not sure the OG had the stock cable attached or something else.

Definitely not an apples to apples comparison!

Exactly! That's why Ti came across as so technical compared to the OG.

Orphy could instantly convert even cable unbelievers to believers...

For artificial soundstage probably Ragnar?

Come on, Ragnar has an unbelievably good stage!

On the subject: I've sometimes read comments like "artificial stretched stage"... can someone explain to me what that even means?

 

[gLer]

No reason to hide, my impression of Trifecta is pretty much exactly the same. It’s 3DDs create a huge, majestic sound image that is a lot of fun, but they are so incredibly slow that the cannot keep up with moderately paced music and are lacking in fine detail. Add in the wonky treble peaks, and that is too many compromises for the price point imho.

Ok let's get down to brass tacks. Can someone please provide an example or two of tracks which, when played on Trifecta, lose out in detail/pace to 'normal' IEMs? The treble peaks are well documented and quite easily mitigated (a tip swap will do it), but I'm curious which music is being described as too fast for Trifecta. I personally quite like it with EDM, which is one of the genres often used as a stick to beat Trifecta with.

 

[Sifo]

Come on, Ragnar has an unbelievably good stage!

On the subject: I've sometimes read comments like "artificial stretched stage"... can someone explain to me what that even means?

I never said it was a bad stage, it just fits his description "the biggest at soundstage width and height? Not considering if that soundstage is hollow or filled out with sound."

I haven't heard every single Ragnar variant but at least for me artificial stages derive from tunings where certain upper frequencies are enhanced to the point where sounds and instruments in a track are appearing where they shouldn't or there's too much empty space/air between sounds which becomes really distracting. This works well with certain music but I'm gonna go out and say a large number of bands I listen to don't play that far away from each other.

 

[phiemon]

I never said it was a bad stage, it just fits his description "the biggest at soundstage width and height? Not considering if that soundstage is hollow or filled out with sound."

I haven't heard every single Ragnar variant but at least for me artificial stages derive from tunings where certain upper frequencies are enhanced to the point where sounds and instruments in a track are appearing where they shouldn't or there's too much empty space/air between sounds which becomes really distracting. This works well with certain music but I'm gonna go out and say a large number of bands I listen to don't play that far away from each other.

Well, now I understand what you mean.

In this sense, I can confirm that Ragnar has a stage that has a lot of air. But that's exactly what I really liked back then, even compared to Mentor's stage. Nevertheless, I personally wouldn't describe such a feature as "artificial", as if it didn't "fit" or was a "flow". On the contrary, at least my library (90% electronic music and derivatives) worked extremely well.

 

[PassionForMusic]

Well, now I understand what you mean.

In this sense, I can confirm that Ragnar has a stage that has a lot of air. But that's exactly what I really liked back then, even compared to Mentor's stage. Nevertheless, I personally wouldn't describe such a feature as "artificial", as if it didn't "fit" or was a "flow". On the contrary, at least my library (90% electronic music and derivatives) worked extremely well.

Can confirm. Ragnar is super airy. Almost up in an airplane level. It works amazing with certain types of music. I do believe " Airy force fed detail with a spoon." describes the Ragnar along with "Treble for days." Those make it special. I enjoyed the Ragnar, until the treble got to be too much. I will admit it is a good iem.

@Sifo What sort of music do you listen to? Could you give a couple of song recommendations?

 

[Sifo]

Well, now I understand what you mean.

In this sense, I can confirm that Ragnar has a stage that has a lot of air. But that's exactly what I really liked back then, even compared to Mentor's stage. Nevertheless, I personally wouldn't describe such a feature as "artificial", as if it didn't "fit" or was a "flow". On the contrary, at least my library (90% electronic music and derivatives) worked extremely well.

I think we are on the same page here and as usual it is a misunderstanding of words describing sound... forgive my ignorance but from my experience and limited knowledge in electronic music production, I would consider the placement of sounds on that stage to be "artificial" compared to naturally experiencing the space between instrument sounds occurring in a live venue or in a studio, even if the recordings are ultimately being mixed the same way. I'm aware not all electronic music is being produced exclusively in a DAW, but hopefully you get what I mean.

 

[Bosk]

I'd like to hear a Penon Quattro and Trifecta comparison. Totally serious.

I compared them with one another here.

Trifecta has much deeper & more overpowering bass, a significantly larger soundstage and a number of treble peaks Quattro lacks. I found Trifecta is bolder, grander in scale but less smooth & warm than Quattro which is quite a bit more intimate.

Trifecta's tuning is more exciting but is marred by very slow drivers, whereas Quattro is more relaxed and encourages the listener to focus on tonality rather technicalities.

 

[rush1]

What is the absolute best pairing of a source you have had with either an iem or headphones?

For me it would be Rockna Wavedream DAC with Envy, put Elrog 300B on top of it... Its so wicked, melt like butter.