Customer Reviews

Ultimate Ears IF-P7PSA0001-02 Triple.fi 10 Pro Earphones

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

These are amazing earphones or In-Ear Monitors (IEM's) as they are also known. I have owned and listened to many many types of headphones and earphones.

Out of the top end IEM's I've listened to or owned (comparing to Etymotic ER-4S, Shure E500, etc.) The Triple.fi 10 Pro earns the top spot and is most used in my portable stable of headphones/earphones.

Having incredible detail, a very large and wide soundstage, the Triple.fi's deliver all of these sonic goodness without losing one part that is often lacking or done so poorly with headphones in general.

Bass.

The Triple.fi's have a powerful bass output, but without sounding overly muddy and boomy. The treble is also very extended, and offer all the "sparkle" and "sizzle" with incredible nuance and detail. Some may find the treble too "bright" and harsh with lesser sources, but I listen to FLAC files.

Comfort can be an issue to some, but it is always a personal choice. I wear glasses and like the memory wire part near the earpiece that can be molded to go over the ear without getting in the way. Also, the silicone rubber earpieces are very comfortable and maintain an excellent seal with my ears.

If you are looking for top of the line, the Triple.fi 10 Pro's should be at the top of your shopping list.

Call me a frustrated audiophile who could never afford the very best sound equipment. I have a decent sound system, but use it mostly now while watching movies. I used to enjoy listening to vinyl with the volume pumped up, but have not gotten the same thrill listening to CD's. My headphones are Beyerdynamic DT990's, which I guess are very good. I use a Gen 2 ipod (15Gig) and the original earbuds. I've been interested in getting better earbuds for some time now. I almost bought the superfives, based on the reviews (and price). I read the few reviews on the triplefi's here on Amazon, and decided to spring for the 'ultimate'. I found other rave reviews for these IEM's scattered about the web. I was hoping I made the right decision.

Waiting for their arrival, I re-encoded my favorite cuts in Apple Lossless and put them in a smart playlist called 'Audiophile'.

A few initial observations: They actually look more teal than blue, and the case is small, but handsome and well-made. Accessories were in little plastic bags, which will need to be stored somewhere with all the other little plastic bags and cables I've accumulated. The cable seemed short, but it just reached the Marantz amp I use to power my desktop speakers.

The sound, well, was not what I was expecting. In fact, it was downright disappointing....muffled bass, no soundstage, no clarity in the upper ranges. 'I think I prefer my DT 990's', is what I was thinking. Maybe they need to be broken in. (I was hoping my wife would not come into my office and ask me how my 'new expensive toy' was. I'm a bad liar.)

Well, I decided to try another source and plug the triplefi's into my PowerMac G5 headphone plug. (Make sure you turn down the volume first). Well, this is MUCH better. Now I'm getting sound with a presence and image, and 'air' between the instruments. Not bad, but let's plug it into the ipod. All I can say is, these phones are VERY sensitive to the signal quality and source electronics. The ipod's internal amp is really pretty darn good. And that's just dandy, 'cause I bought these to listen to when I'm on the road, or walking the dog.

I am now marveling at the quality sound coming from my ipod and directly into my ears! I'm hearing texture to sound, which I was missing. I have some Stereophile Test CDs i bought a few years ago that have some remarkable recordings on them. Vocals, symphony, electronic, and acoustic instruments are reproduced effortlessly and have neutrality, which was my major concern. The lack of coloration means hours of easy listening. I'll update this review, after a few weeks of listening to give my impressions. Let's face it, everyone has a different standard of what sound should sound like. I've been to many live concerts (more classical) that have disappointed me because i couldn't hear the impact of the tympani, or the trumpets sounded too directional. That is why I love a well-recorded piece.... the engineers can control the acoustics and optimize the sound for a better listening experience. These UE Triple.fi's appear to capture what the engineers had in mind; they are a very good link between the medium and the listener.
Best thing I can say is that I can listen to music for hours with these IEM's and I don't even know they're on. The various earplugs are all very comfortable. I could never say that about the Apple ibuds.

update:
After three weeks, I'm won over by these babies! On several occasions I've worn them to bed, to listen to some music on my ipod. Rather than lulling me to sleep, I found myself lying awake for hours, savoring the quality of the music streaming into my ears, immersed in the music. I've learned to appreciate more some of the standard works I've listened to for years (Pat Metheny's Secret Story). I've also found that some of the recordings I thought would be good, aren't necessarily so (Joni Mitchell's Shine). I compared the triple.fi's to my brother's Bose Quiet Comfort headphones, which I thought were WAY better than the earbuds I had. We listened to Madonna's Like a Child and compared. I hate to disappoint all you Bose fans, but for another $50 or $100, you can get MUCH better quality sound, and isolation from external noise with the triple.fi's. And, you can carry these in your pocket. Note: Amazon contacted me that they had reduced the price on these headphones, and they credited me the difference. You just can't beat that! Bottomline: these phones aren't cheap, but if you have a good collection of music, you owe yourself the pleasure of hearing ALL the music, the way it was meant to be heard. You will not regret buying the triple.fi pro 10's.
update two (3/30/08)
Just returned from a trip to Mexico and listened to my ipod using the triple.fi's. The sound isolation in the plane was very good. I could still carry on conversations without taking them out. I worry about losing one of the tips while they are out of the case, but so far, that hasn't happened. Also, the plugs must be kept very clean since any debris in the channels will dampen the sound. The cleaner tool is perfect for this.
I have discovered some binaural sound sources that are just too good to pass up when you have IEM's of this caliber. The most amazing are recordings by the Pasadena Symphony which can be found at ArkivMusic, or on iTunes. The Stravinsky 'Le Sacre' is just too good. Also, some very good binaural guitar music from Ottmar Liebert's Upclose: The Fritz Files (Listening Lounge).

Have to admit that I wondered just how good something like this could be - I mean, earphones after all... so I took the risk and pushed the boat out and bought the triple.fi 10 just to see really.

I cannot believe how good these sound, how alive the soundstage is, how crisp and clear the top end is and how natural the balance. I listen to a lot of large orchestral works, jazz, and other stuff all over the map. I have auditioned new systems in excess of $50k and nothing came close to the experience of closing your eyes with these things in.

399 might seem a little pricy to pay for earphones, but they are very well put together with a great little case. For me, they were a bargain, because they helped me put off the next stereo system upgrade and that would have been another $25k!

Simply incredible.

Simon

I'm a self-professed headphone junkie. And, while I wouldn't consider myself an audiophile, I do have a BFA in music so I have a pretty well-developed ear. That being said, these earphones reveal details I've never heard in songs I've listened to a thousand times.

Before buying these, I used the Super.Fi 5 Pros for about two years and I loved them. Then, I bought the Shure SE530 based on all the glowing reviews I had read. They were very comfortable and cooler looking that the phones from Ultimate Ears, but their rolled-off highs (or as some like to say, their "warm" sound) just made me long for the sparkle of my trusty Super.Fis. The Triple.Fis are a huge step-up from either--you get the sparkling highs of the Super.Fis and the clean, enhanced bass of the Shures.

To my ear, these provide the best sound I've ever heard from a headphone--period. I would have bought these at twice the price. Highly recommended!!!

I got the UE 5 Pro earphones and was extremely happy. But then Ultimate Ears came out with the Triple.fi 10 Pro and I thought, if the 5 Pro sounds this good, this 10 Pro must be something special. Well, the 10 Pro is more than special. These are the most amazing music reproduction pieces I have ever heard. I am more than impressed and more than pleased. All of my music sounds better. All of my sources seem like they are new. And the UE service is truly wonderful. A company that others may want to emulate. Thank you UE for a truly outstanding product that "is" everything you said it would be.

...and music lover. So, you don't think that a set of in-ear monitors is worth nearly 400 USD? I promise you - they are worth much more. If you love music like I do, the UE Triple.fi 10 Pros are priceless.

So, he said "priceless". How can that be? Well, for one - buy the Triple-fi 10 Pros, and you get a completely new music library! Listen to your existing music, and you'll hear things you've NEVER heard before. Listen to Tori Amos' "Toast", last track on 'The Beekeeper'. Have you ever heard her shoe squeak against the pedals on that big Bösendorfer she plays? Or heard her step off the pedal at the end of the song and hear the damper arm fall back against the stops? The resolution of these IEMs is almost magical. You _feel_ that damper hit the stops. These 'phones can reproduce a 10hz tone. You don't hear that. You FEEL it. Unreal!

These IEMs have the widest soundstage I've ever heard from an in-ear phone. You don't get the "mix inside my head" feeling you get from lesser earphones. They are easily equivalent to my reference headphones, the Grado SR325i. Spectacular clarity, ultra-fast, so very smooth. Wow. I am totally impressed with these - listen to Imogen Heap's "Headlock" off 'Speak for Yourself'. Amazing.

Note: if you listen to the stock iPod earbuds, proceed _immediately_ to your Amazon shopping cart and purchase whatever you can afford from UE - start with their lowest end model. You'll thank me for the experience. <g>

I have multiple systems at home - including Paradigm, McIntosh and Musical Fidelity equipment. I've spent 35 years chasing the "ultimate music experience", building dedicated listening rooms, trading in hardware for the latest and greatest... who would have guessed that a set of IEMs could be the attainment of that ideal? And the best part - they're totally portable. Try lugging a pair of Paradigm Reference Studio 100 speakers around with you... it's not going to happen. <g>

And even if you could carry the big Paradigms, you wouldn't get the isolation delivered by the UEs. UE claims 26db; with properly fitted silicone tips, that's a likely number. The expandable foam tips are a bit more comfortable for me; they don't isolate quite as much but provide a more than adequate seal for solid bass response.

My portable rig consists of an iPod Classic 160Gb, feeding a Headphonia CMoy "Penguin" external amp via an Audio Line Out CryoDock. While most of my music is ripped as 320k MP3, my recent CD purchases (almost 800 songs) have been ripped as FLAC lossless via Media Monkey. Media Monkey transcodes the FLAC files to 44.1khz WAV when transferring the songs to the iPod. In essence, I'm listening to CD-quality music because I'm listening to the original CD! Sure, it takes space on the iPod - but the quality difference is incredible.

I won't confuse the issue talking about external DACs and better (Ray Samuels Audio, Graham Slee, et al) headphone amps - while those things would give better performance, I'll promise that 99.99% of the folks who own iPods would break out in chills if they heard their favorite songs through these little earphones. Yes, the source device is important, and if you rip MP3s at 128k to "save space" you won't like these phones at all. Every limitation of the MP3 format will be exposed instantly through the UEs. Friends don't let friends rip music at 128k! 320k is much better, FLAC or Apple Lossless is the best because its bit-for-bit identical to the source CD.

Ifyou live for music - like me - and you need the best (reasonably) priced IEM solution, the Triple.fi 10 Pros are spectacular. I ordered several packages of the disposable foam tips just so that I can do demos for my friends. The look on their faces is just priceless!

If you get a chance to demo the UEs at a retail store, compare them against the Shure SE530s, the current "reference standard" at the $500 price point. I think most of you will agree that the UEs are _as good_ for $150 less... you can get a Penguin amp from Robert at Headphonia, and an ALO CryoDock from Ken Ball - with the money you save on the UEs. Good deal. 5 stars, plus. Trust me.

I read the other reviews for these earbuds so I ordered them. I thought they would be good, but I never imagined they would be soooooooooo GOOD!!!
Unbelievable is almost all I can say about them. I'm not a technician, but I am an audiophile who knows how to listen, and these sound devices really do perform as the reviewers say they do, but I didn't really truly know what they were saying until I got them and put them to the test. I grew up in a time when hi fidelity was the only sound system available and went through the periods of the transistor, the integrated circuit, then finally the digital age so I've progressed right along with most of the sound systems developed in the past. I've had many, many speaker systems including all sorts of high quality headphones and such. These Triple.fi 10's are the best thus far. When I have them in my ears and listening to my kinds of music genres I can't really do anything else because the music is sooo in your brain. It's like your head is the direct line to the music! I love to listen to the Pandora free music site, and it just got even better (how about four times better at least)!
Yeah, okay, it's a lot of money for a set of 'earphones'! BUT these ain't just earphones! I heard it once said that the cheapest pair of headphones is still better than the most expensive pair of speakers, and that's pretty much true in my experiences over the years. These Ultimate Ears take this axiom to the limit. If you can afford them, buy them and be truly awed and suspended in a plasm of pure musical sound.

The only thing - be sure to follow the instructions on putting them in your ears so a good seal is made and always start with the volume control turned all the way off and gradually bring it up to a comfortable listening level. I value my hearing as much as I do my eyesight. I want to always be able to hear everything from the lows to the highs for greatest enjoyment, and so far I've managed to do just that.

This is a great complement to my iPhone and iPod. The sound quality of these earphones are superb, especially with the highs being super detailed and the bass being well extended and deep. The only bad thing is the headphone jack doesn't go as deep as the iPhone recessed headphone jack, so you must buy an Apple accessory that enable the connection to occur. It's definitely not UE's fault, more like Apple trying to nickel and dime you. I would highly recommend this product for iPod, iPhone, and more importantly music lovers out there to seek the best possible sound out of your earphones.

I've had other ue products in the past and by far this is the best universal fit in ear product they make. At first they might seem too bright but as they break in you'll notice more detail in the songs you hear. They don't have as much bass as the ue superfi 5 pro but its just right also there not as loud as the lower end models so you might have to turn up the volume a little. The bad thing about these is that if you made a low bitrate mp3 or other formats you'll notice it seems harse in the sound so make sure you use at least 192 kbs or higher to get the best experience. Another small problem is they are a little fat at the ear tips so they might not go in all the way if you use the wrong size eartips. Buy these if you can afford the 400 dollar price. If not then beg for the money!!!!

Revised 12/1/2008 (9 months later) - 3 STARS
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If I could, I would change my review to 3 stars. I had two problems with the IEMs: 1) The cable ripped and separated near the connector. 2) The left earphone separated where the black and blue parts meet.

Both times, the support was helpful, but extremely sloooooww. It took about 2 - 3 weeks to get them serviced each time. I used my pair very cautiously, did not even exercise with them. If I'm going to spend $350 on headphones, the least UE could do is make them sturdy. As for the sound, they still sound amazing.

Also, the servicer (and probably the manufacturer) on triple.fi is Logitech; not too happy with that either. Will probably end up selling my set and buying a pair of Westone 3's.

Original Review
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I have used these for about a month now and I still can't wipe the smile off my face. After 7 pairs of Sony, Shure, Etymotics, Weston and lastly Bose, I decided to try these and was just blown away. I never thought sound like this was even possible in IEMs. Here's a summary...

Pros:
- Balanced sound: bass doesn't overwhelm mids or treble.
- Sound resolution: each tiny detail is perfectly reproduced. You will hear every detail of a guitar strum, a studio echo, double-tracking voice, etc.
- Separation and staging: you hear instruments separate from the vocals. Music sounds like you are in the middle of a live performance. You will truly feel like you're listening to some of your songs for the first time.
- Solid cord that doesn't made rubbing sounds inside headphones with good build quality. This was a problem for me with Etymotics and Sony.
- Every kind of music sounds great. These aren't bass heavy like most Sonys, nor are they treble-enhanced like most lower end Etymotics/Shures in my experience. The bass in Rap/R&B will be clear and punchy. The mids in treble in rock/pop will be very clean.
- These (and Shure 530s) are the only IEMs that I heard get the bass right. It sounds natural and unforced. It is reproduced just the way it was intended to be. The triple drivers do magic for headphones.
- Noise cancelling to the point where NYC subway noises and screeching can be naturally blocked out.
- Flexible wire near the eartips to fit the earphone over and around your ear. Can also be worn in regular style if you choose.

Cons:
- These stick out a little more than most IEMs. Can't wear them with your ear resting on a pillow for ex.

Note on Shure 530s:
The high end Shures sound a little different than triple.fi's, but in an good way. I had the hardest time deciding which ones to keep, at the end triple.fi 10's had a little better build quality. However, both IEMs are terrific in every respect.