Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
High End Audiophile Goodness, on the Go., March 8, 2007
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.
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23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bring new life to your music collection, December 14, 2007
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).
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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simply Awesome, August 12, 2007
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
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