[brconner]

I've read the "Ultimate Ears UE4 Pro Review (Well, A Mini-Review Anyway)--The Poor Man's UE10 Pro" and read many different reviews on the Triple.fi's. One concern I have with the Triple.fi's is the fit. It sounds like many people have a hard time getting these to fit correctly as they are quite bulky. I've also read that the drivers in the UE4's are the same as the one's in the Super.fi headphones. So I'm curious how the UE4's compare to the Triple.fi's in sound quality since they are the same price excluding ear impressions. I originally wasn't considering the UE4's because they're customs, but after reading about the Triple.fi's fit issues with people, I'm considering the UE4's. If any has tried both of these IEM's, whats the difference in sound quality between the Triple.fi's and the UE4's?

Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[koven]

go w/ the ue4.

 

[brconner]

Is the sound quality a good reason to pay the extra cash for the ear impressions? or is it more so just an upgrade on the comfort?

 

[Bilavideo]

I own Triple Fi 10 Pros. They are not identical, in driver design, to the UE 4 Pro. The Triple Fi 10 Pro is a three-driver design while the UE 4 Pro is dual. When UE speaks of the UE 4 Pro as "the Poor Man's UE 10," all it's really saying is that the UE 4 Pro is the lowest-priced product in the Custom series. For $400 - the same price you'd pay for a Triple Fi 10 Pro - you can have a "custom fit" UE 4. But while the "custom fit" is definitely an advantage, the driver in a UE 4 is not as good as the driver in a Triple Fi 10 Pro.

If it were, they wouldn't call it a UE 4 Pro and charge you $400. They'd call it a UE 10 Pro and charge you $900.

The key hint is in the description of the SuperFi 5 Pro, which says, "The SuperFi 5pro has the same sonic signature as our custom personal monitors. It is perfect for emerging musicians or for consumers who want to listen like a pro."

It has "the same sonic signature" as their "custom personal monitors?" Which ones, do you think? I'll give you three guesses; the first two don't count.

"Housed within the universal body are two individual speakers and an integrated passive crossover circuit board that directs the low-end frequencies to a dedicated speaker for bass and the high and mid-range frequencies to a dedicated speaker for treble."

Why, isn't that the same design as the UE 4 Pro?

"Inside each custom earpiece you’ll find our proprietary dual-armature speaker system. In addition, an integrated passive crossover circuit directs the low-end frequencies to a dedicated speaker for bass and mids, and the high frequencies to a speaker dedicated for treble. The result is reference-quality, evenly balanced frequency response."

Truth be told, the real "poor man's UE 10 Pro" is the Triple Fi 10 Pro. You get the same drivers for $500 less. What you don't get is a "custom fit." I'm not here to suggest that a custom fit isn't worth having, because everybody who has gotten the fit has spoken highly of it. But if you can find the right tips to make the Triple Fi 10 Pro work, you've got one heck of a IEM for a fraction of the cost of a UE 10 Pro.

I know because I own one. When I first put it on, I was disappointed in the sound, which seemed tinny. I had to play mix and match with the tips. One complication is that the Triple Fi 10 Pro sports a sound tube (for lack of a better term) that is unconventionally large. You can't use regular-sized tips with this IEM, not unless you bore a bigger hole. This makes finding the right tip more of an adventure than with other IEMs. But anybody who wants to save $500 can get awfully creative in a hurry. I prefer foam over rubber, so modded some foam Comply tips to serve my needs (wide but not particularly deep earholes).

Sorry guys. I'm not forking out the other $500 anytime soon. And if I can make it work, anybody can.

 

[gameboy115]

Go for UE 4

 

[cyberspyder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bilavideo /img/forum/go_quote.gif I own Triple Fi 10 Pros. They are not identical, in driver design, to the UE 4 Pro. The Triple Fi 10 Pro is a three-driver design while the UE 4 Pro is dual. When UE speaks of the UE 4 Pro as "the Poor Man's UE 10," all it's really saying is that the UE 4 Pro is the lowest-priced product in the Custom series. For $400 - the same price you'd pay for a Triple Fi 10 Pro - you can have a "custom fit" UE 4. But while the "custom fit" is definitely an advantage, the driver in a UE 4 is not as good as the driver in a Triple Fi 10 Pro. If it were, they wouldn't call it a UE 4 Pro and charge you $400. They'd call it a UE 10 Pro and charge you $900. The key hint is in the description of the SuperFi 5 Pro, which says, "The SuperFi 5pro has the same sonic signature as our custom personal monitors. It is perfect for emerging musicians or for consumers who want to listen like a pro." It has "the same sonic signature" as their "custom personal monitors?" Which ones, do you think? I'll give you three guesses; the first two don't count. "Housed within the universal body are two individual speakers and an integrated passive crossover circuit board that directs the low-end frequencies to a dedicated speaker for bass and the high and mid-range frequencies to a dedicated speaker for treble." Why, isn't that the same design as the UE 4 Pro? "Inside each custom earpiece you’ll find our proprietary dual-armature speaker system. In addition, an integrated passive crossover circuit directs the low-end frequencies to a dedicated speaker for bass and mids, and the high frequencies to a speaker dedicated for treble. The result is reference-quality, evenly balanced frequency response." Truth be told, the real "poor man's UE 10 Pro" is the Triple Fi 10 Pro. You get the same drivers for $500 less. What you don't get is a "custom fit." I'm not here to suggest that a custom fit isn't worth having, because everybody who has gotten the fit has spoken highly of it. But if you can find the right tips to make the Triple Fi 10 Pro work, you've got one heck of a IEM for a fraction of the cost of a UE 10 Pro. I know because I own one. When I first put it on, I was disappointed in the sound, which seemed tinny. I had to play mix and match with the tips. One complication is that the Triple Fi 10 Pro sports a sound tube (for lack of a better term) that is unconventionally large. You can't use regular-sized tips with this IEM, not unless you bore a bigger hole. This makes finding the right tip more of an adventure than with other IEMs. But anybody who wants to save $500 can get awfully creative in a hurry. I prefer foam over rubber, so modded some foam Comply tips to serve my needs (wide but not particularly deep earholes). Sorry guys. I'm not forking out the other $500 anytime soon. And if I can make it work, anybody can.

Ditto...now time for someone to verify this....I can't envision Logi**** coming with anything groundbreaking...

 

[brconner]

That has been my understanding of the differences between the drivers. Currently I have a pair of E3c's that the cord is crapping out on me. So I feel like either pair would be an upgrade, but I'm just trying to get the best bang for my buck. I feel like with what I know right now, it's sound vs. comfort, unless someone can clarify how the two compare in sound directly. I feel like the better comfort might be worth just a touch of quality in sound unless the sound quality is a significant difference between the two.

 

[xiaoipower]

Having used both the SF5Pro and TF10Pro I would imagine that at least the universal line of the UE range share the backbone that is the UE house sound signature. I can only postulate that this also extends to the UE custom series.

Based on these two assumptions I would recommend that you go for the TF10pros

1. You will be buying a top end IEM so sound quality is up there with the best
2. You will experience first hand if you like the UE sound
3. If you don't like the sound/fit you can resell at minimal loss (obviously customs have no resale value)

 

[steviebee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by xiaoipower /img/forum/go_quote.gif Having used both the SF5Pro and TF10Pro I would imagine that at least the universal line of the UE range share the backbone that is the UE house sound signature. I can only postulate that this also extends to the UE custom series. Based on these two assumptions I would recommend that you go for the TF10pros 1. You will be buying a top end IEM so sound quality is up there with the best 2. You will experience first hand if you like the UE sound 3. If you don't like the sound/fit you can resell at minimal loss (obviously customs have no resale value)

x2, heck 3!

 

[Bilavideo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by xiaoipower /img/forum/go_quote.gif Having used both the SF5Pro and TF10Pro I would imagine that at least the universal line of the UE range share the backbone that is the UE house sound signature. I can only postulate that this also extends to the UE custom series. Based on these two assumptions I would recommend that you go for the TF10pros 1. You will be buying a top end IEM so sound quality is up there with the best 2. You will experience first hand if you like the UE sound 3. If you don't like the sound/fit you can resell at minimal loss (obviously customs have no resale value)

Excellent points! There's something slightly terrifying about buying a custom version of an IEM without knowing whether you like the sound, or would like some other sound better, because you can't easily resell a custom to somebody else. Who wants a cast of your ear canal?

Personally, I find the idea of buying a $200 IEM for $400 too close to a ripoff to merit my money. If you buy a UE 4 Pro, you're not buying "the poor man's UE 10 Pro." You're buying the rich guy's Super Fi 5 Pro. Does the difference in drivers make a difference in sound? Ask UE - or maybe Logitech. The difference in drivers is obviously worth $500 to them, as that's the difference in price between a UE 4 Pro and a UE 10 Pro. If one is as good as the other, why the $500 difference in price?

This is a good time to look into your own soul. Are you the kind of person who appreciates things for what they are, and does not get happy feet? If you are, then maybe the UE 4 Pro is the right product for you, since you'll have to stick with it till it rots. If, on the other hand, you're like so many of us who are always looking for that next great product, it's going to eat at you that you bought a Super Fi 5 when you could have had a Triple Fi 10 for the same dollar. What's more, if you have the time to make an appointment with an audiologist, and the patience to wait while your specs are being shipped to a lab, does it really take any more time or patience to try out different tips and different positions?

Think about it: Better drivers, same money, but you have to find the best fit for your ear. Do you want to take a chance on getting a $900 IEM for $400, or do you want the sure thing - a $200 IEM for $400?

 

[Spyro]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bilavideo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Truth be told, the real "poor man's UE 10 Pro" is the Triple Fi 10 Pro. You get the same drivers for $500 less. What you don't get is a "custom fit."

Uh...yea. and dual driver Super Fi Pro is garbage compared to TF10Pro.

 

[brconner]

Thanks for all the points everyone! I think I'm going to take Bilavideo's advice and get the Triple.fi's since they are better drivers. I wouldn't say I get happy feet haha. But they way I'm looking at these headphones is I want to get the best sound I can, but these will not be my final headphones. Hopefully in a few years I'll be getting the UE10's or whatever at the time is at that level, maybe UE12's

Thanks again everyone.

 

[Sinocelt]

From another thread:

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict At the UE table I thought the UE4Pro universal demo IEM using Complys tips sounded quite similar to the UM3X I tried earlier with my Westone UM56 custom tips. It's difficult to compare directly when running from room to room to do it. I told them that if the Triple.fi 10 pro had sounded as good as the universal demo of the new UE4 that I would still have them. The UE11Pro demos did seem to be much closer to my ES3X, and I slightly preferred them to the UE10Pro demos which were still very good. I also preferred the UE11Pro demo more than the JH demos (again, likely due to the different tips and not being made for my ears). The gap in performance between the UE4Pro demo and UE10Pro wasn't huge, but it was bigger than the gap between the UE10Pro and UE11Pro demo which was smaller.

Emphasis mine.

 

[Scott_Tarlow]

If you cannot find the right tips for the TF10's..... you can get them reshelled

 

[lisztian420]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott_Tarlow /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you cannot find the right tips for the TF10's..... you can get them reshelled

That's right! That is what I heard. But I do have to share this point: Even if UE uses both Universal and Customs with the same BA drivers, a custom shell will always sound better. I dunno if this mean UE4 will sound better than triplefi 10P but I am sure the UE4 will sound better than the Superfi.

I am also a skeptic on whether the more drivers always means better SQ. Don't get me wrong, I am sure the JH13 is gonna be the S**T but I think there are a lot more factors to SQ than just number of drivers. I read some people posted a very favorable impression o UE4 and I think they might use a slightly more advanced technology than the old super and triple fis.

Finally,.. if you want to take the safer route and don't mind potentially spending a little more, gettin the triple.fi and then later reshell them at UM is a very very good option! I sent my old Superfi for reshell and additional driver upgrade. Will post a impression between the UM10 and UM3x next week when I get them