[sillbeer]

5 years ago I randomly bought a pair of UE super fi3's and was in love with them.  I bought a replacement cable about 2 years ago and it is now starting to break up again.  When I went to change the cables out it ripped the inside of the iem out.  The cable I bought was the Fiio RC-UE1.  Seems like a nice cable but now I don't have any iem's to use them with.
 
I'm in the military and travel a lot so i need something to make the airplane noise go away when flying for 10+ hours.  I mostly listen to rock and metal and am not into overdoing the bass.  The wife gave me the go ahead to buy some UE triple fi10's but I'm not sure if that's the best choice...is it?  I'm not looking to spend more than about $180.  What other iem's are out there that are in the same class that you all recommend?
 
TIA,
 
- Destin

 

[loxxrider]

Quote:

5 years ago I randomly bought a pair of UE super fi3's and was in love with them.  I bought a replacement cable about 2 years ago and it is now starting to break up again.  When I went to change the cables out it ripped the inside of the iem out.  The cable I bought was the Fiio RC-UE1.  Seems like a nice cable but now I don't have any iem's to use them with.
 
I'm in the military and travel a lot so i need something to make the airplane noise go away when flying for 10+ hours.  I mostly listen to rock and metal and am not into overdoing the bass.  The wife gave me the go ahead to buy some UE triple fi10's but I'm not sure if that's the best choice...is it?  I'm not looking to spend more than about $180.  What other iem's are out there that are in the same class that you all recommend?
 
TIA,
 
- Destin

If nothing else, bump because I travel to the middle east frequently as well and am looking for something with basically the same criteria. From my research, the TF10 will have the same problems your superfi 3's did. I bought the Shure SE215 when I was in the airport last time. They do a great job of isolation and sound nice. I think they'd be a decent choice for metal too because they are laid back on the treble (not too fatiguing for a long flight). The bass is sufficient, but not overly-so. I'd suggest taking a listen to them if you get the chance. I am new to this however, and haven't tried many other IEMs, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt.

 

[davisxu]

The fit for the TF10's is a big issue. I'd rather recommend the Shure SE420's... IMO theyre better than the TF10's in terms of comfort and have a more neutral, natural sound. They're also way ahead of the SE425, ironically, cause the 425 can be uncomfortable and have sound issues cause they dont go in too deep.
 
Shure 420's can be found off amazon for a great discount since they're discontinued...
 

 

[JayMitch]

Fit is a personal thing, but I never had an issue with the TF10’s for the short time I had them. Isolation was merely average coming from Etymotic. I liked the fuller bass compared to the Ety's but disliked the recessed midrange and (too my ears) thin and sibilant high's. Too much of a V signature. Returned them and bought Westone 4R's but obviously a much different price point to where the TF10’s are today.

I've never tried them but Klipsch's top offering are supposed to be awesome, and I've seen some recent sales where they're in line with the TF10’s. In general what I read about them regards the fit and comfort as excellent, and they seem to have a more well-rounded sound signature.

http://www.klipsch.com/image-x10i-in-ear-headset

http://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-X10i-Audiophile-Noise-Isolating-3-button/dp/B00368CICQ

http://www.amazon.ca/Klipsch-IMAGE-Audiophile-Isolating-Earphones/dp/B00368CICQ/ref=pd_sxp_f_pt

Strangely they're showing cheaper at Amazon Canada.

 

[davisxu]

I got the X10's as a black friday deal off amazon for $95 a while ago... they're great for isolation and comfort (best IEM's for fit, IMO), beautiful, and the thin but tiny cable much MUCH more durable than most headphone cables.
 
That being said, the SQ was subpar. There was very little bass extension and the high rolled off a bit. Also need to be amp'd 
 

 

[thecomprachico]

I would recommend you try out Fischer Audio's DBA-02 MkII as well. They're crisp, detailed, aggressive with clear, precise bass and sparkly higher-frequencies-- which can be great or not depending on the kind of metal you listen to (for example stoner metal won't benefit as much from an analytical sound signature as something like Cynic). I think Joker did a review on them too. 

http://www.head-fi.org/t/478568/multi-iem-review-254-iems-compared-philips-oneill-tread-klipsch-s3-added-09-19-12

Just Ctrl+F '2A25' to get to the review. 

 

[sillbeer]

Thanks for the replies from all.
 
I did a lot of reading and ended up with the TF10's.  I was kind of leaning that way anyways.  I was liking the styling of the Klipsch X10's but decided against trying a new brand.  I was pretty impressed with the Super Fi3's and am still a bit bummed that they broke.  Right now I think the comparison between the 2 is fairly similar however I'm not 100% sure without trying them back to back.  I tried the TF10's with the stock cable then tried them with the Fiio cable I bought and to be honest I don't hear much difference.  Maybe I'm not that in-tune with the sound yet.  I'm not going to swap the cables back and forth for fear of ripping out the inserts in the ear pieces.  I ordered this set of ear tips.  
 
http://www.meelec.com/MEElectronics_Eartips_p/ts6-cmb-35-bk.htm
 
The tips that come with the TF10's seem fine but I'm somewhere between the medium and large silicone tips that come with them and think I can get a better fit.  I think the double or triple flange silicone tips will have a better fit.  I'll know for sure when they arrive.
 
I'm considering the Fiio e17 as a dac/amp and think I can have a better sound and something fairly cheap to learn from.  I think the TF10's can benefit from an amp.  I'm running them from an iPod nano right now and they sound ok but I believe there is room for improvement.
 
- Destin
 
 

 

[alv4426]

Good Great choice on the TF10 and buying those me electronics tips, the doubles are my favorite. I don't find much if any difference in SQ from my UERM cable and the turdy stock cable, but it is of course much much improved in every other way. I believe the TF10 do benefit from an amp and although Ive never used the E17 it gets great reviews around here for its price point. 

Thanks for the replies from all.
 
I did a lot of reading and ended up with the TF10's.  I was kind of leaning that way anyways.  I was liking the styling of the Klipsch X10's but decided against trying a new brand.  I was pretty impressed with the Super Fi3's and am still a bit bummed that they broke.  Right now I think the comparison between the 2 is fairly similar however I'm not 100% sure without trying them back to back.  I tried the TF10's with the stock cable then tried them with the Fiio cable I bought and to be honest I don't hear much difference.  Maybe I'm not that in-tune with the sound yet.  I'm not going to swap the cables back and forth for fear of ripping out the inserts in the ear pieces.  I ordered this set of ear tips.  
 
http://www.meelec.com/MEElectronics_Eartips_p/ts6-cmb-35-bk.htm
 
The tips that come with the TF10's seem fine but I'm somewhere between the medium and large silicone tips that come with them and think I can get a better fit.  I think the double or triple flange silicone tips will have a better fit.  I'll know for sure when they arrive.
 
I'm considering the Fiio e17 as a dac/amp and think I can have a better sound and something fairly cheap to learn from.  I think the TF10's can benefit from an amp.  I'm running them from an iPod nano right now and they sound ok but I believe there is room for improvement.
 
- Destin