Home > Consumer Reviews > Ultimate Ears Triple.fi 10 Pro Earphones Gun Metal Blue

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.

First, let me mention that i've tried earphones out in the past and found them to be extremely uncomfortable in most cases. The Bose earphones are comfortable, but they don't go very far in your ear. The Shure E3C didn't sound good and they hurt so much they were unusable. After that experience I skipped out on earphones for a long time.

For the past few years i've been trying and using many different headphones. My favorite of the last year has been the AKG 701. They're huge and really need a good headphone amp. Don't laugh, but my main source of audio is an ipod using a headphone amp and Lossless audio. WAV format or Apple Lossless.

I wanted to downsize my setup a bit for some uses, so I needed something smaller that could work well without a headphone amp.

Did maybe two days of research and found these and was shocked at how many good reviews on Amazon there was for these. That's not very common with earphones it seems. It was a hard decision to go with these over a similar Shure model. The size of these ALMOST made me not get them. Please don't let the size keep you from getting them. It's not a problem. The other Shure model also seemed to have more Bass (according to reviews). That's a negative for me. I don't like any extra bass usually. That's one reason I love the AKG 701's. They have a perfect balance of everything.

Ok, with that out of the way I bought these and immediately found that even the smallest ear piece was too large and hurt my ears after just a few minutes of use. I'm not really a small person, but I was surprised that the small ear piece was a tight fit. Sony earbuds come with a small sized one that would work perfect, but I didn't want to risk it.

I tried the foam piece and it was defective! The foam was not glued on properly to the plastic insert. Imagine if I did not notice this! I'd be prying that thing out with tweezers perhaps.

Please do yourself a favor and get the "Comply" foam inserts. There is a link on Ultimate Ear's website. Once I got these everything was perfect. No pain at all.

Also, be sure that when you use these to make sure the wire goes on TOP and back around the ear! It's a bit different than other earphones.

The nice thing about these is that they feel like an earbud with the ear clip. The wire that goes above and around your ear is really stiff and kind of keeps the earbuds in your ear.

I'm not good at describing the sound, but with earphones or headphones it's best to pick something that sounds good to YOU. Many times i've picked up headphones based on suggestions and they just didn't have my prefferred sound. They either had too much bass or were too bright or had too much coloration. To me the sound from these just sounds perfect. Not to sound corny, but the sound is pleasing to the ears and there's not too much of anything at all. Perfect everything. To me, the sound is almost similar to that of the AKG 701, which is probably around the same price. With these those you really feel like your right there in the studio. I can't say that about any other headphone/earphone. Not even Grado stuff.

If your wondering what else i've tried before getting these. I've owned Sennheiser HD-555's, 580s and 650's. Beyerdynamic DT-990s, Grado SR-60, Grado 325i, AKG 701 and lots of other's.

For portable use SR-60's are good for some types of music, but I don't like the design, although it was my preffered headphone for portable players maybe.

AKG 701 was without a doubt my favorite headphone. Some may not like them, but it's my preferred type of sound. Second favorite were the Beyers of course.

Purchased the Grado 325i two months before the Ultimate Ears and thought they were good on some music, but terrible on others. They stress my ears out too much and I can't wear them for more than an hour. I think there can be such a thing as too much detail!

So now these are my new current main earphone/headphone. Believe it or not they can be used on an Ipod or Sansa View without a headphone amp. Of course they will sound better with an amp, but it's not always needed. Thanks to these new earphones i've now converted some of my old CDs that were ripped to mp3 back to WAV or Lossless.

Is the price too high? I don't think so at all. Never once felt like they were too expensive after using them for a week. I've compared them to many other headphones/earphones and they sound just as good as any other similar priced model.

Had the foam insert defect and that isn't enough to knock off a point. My suggestion to Ultimate Ears is too include an even smaller insert like Sony does. Including Comply Foam insert on this model would be a huge plus, but that'll never happen. For the price, why not?

I'm sorry, but as much as i'd like to come up with some more negatives, I can't. These are very good! Best i've tried yet. After hearing these I doubt i'll ever go back to regular headphones.

Okay, so I know that most of the people who read this review will be audiophiles who know more about the technical aspects of earphones than I, but this is for the uneducated person like me who is picky about sound. I haven't tried the Shure E530's, but they're so much more expensive that I don't think I'd consider them.

I graduated with a degree in piano performance, so I feel like my ear is fairly well trained. I got tired of listening to the flat sound of my cheap $30 Sony headphones, so I researched and found the UE Super.fi Pro 5 headphones. I figured these would be a big upgrade but was hesitant about spending that much for headphones. I got them for Christmas and was amazed at how much more you can hear. There really is a level of sound separation that makes you able to hear instruments that you couldn't hear before. I have had my Super.fi's for about 3 1/2 months now and love them.

Like I said, I'm picky. While I enjoy the Super.fi's, I wanted to hear every detail of classical music that I listen to. I read that the Super.fi's lack a little bit in the midsection and I agree (they're still much better than any sub $100 headphones). So I went totally nuts and shelled out the cash for a set of Triple.fi's. I figured I could eBay them if they weren't a big enough improvement over the Super.fi's.

These earphones are AMAZING! The voice separation is even better than the Super.fi's. I hear a great balance through the orchestra and can hear every detail. It's almost like being in a concert hall with the Vienna Philharmonic. I appreciate the solid, tight bass with a full midrange. The highs are crisp and clean and none of the ranges overpower the others. Popular music sounds great and has plenty of bass (I listen mostly to pop, jazz, oldies, a little R&B, and a tiny bit of country). These IED's are more comfortable than the Super.fi's (maybe just a personal fit thing?). In short, I think these earphones are worth every penny.

I never though I could spend 300+ on earphones but after reading the reviews here, I took the plunge. After two days with these things, I must say they are the greatest piece of audio equipment you can buy. These earphones give me sound quality that my home theater can't even hope to touch (and that whole system cost over $5,000).

If you are a person who really listens and pay attention to music, these are well worth the price. If you just kind of listen to music on a train when you are zoning out, it probably isnt. This is probably as close as you can come to actually being in the studio as the record is being recorded. Every detail down to the singer exhaling and inhaling between bars can be heard. It's almost like hearing brand new versions of your existing CDs.

I use in-ears for live monitors in my band. I've tried a lot of different brands and I like Ultimate Ears the best for several reasons. With Ultimate, each level of in ears sounds very good and they are built like a tank with thought full features, like replaceable cables. I also like the fact that all of the accessories, like foams, cables, etc. are interchangeable between models.

I also own the Super.fi and Extended Bass. The Extended Bass version is perfect for MP3 players. I also think the Super.fi is great, but there is a scooped midrange quality that is great for listening to music and also ok for monitoring. However, I was looking for something with more midrange definition. I play guitar and wanted to hear those frequencies more clearly. So I tried the Triple.fi and I am so happy. These have a much more balanced sound, which is perfect for what I'm using them for. I think for listening to music, the Super.fi is fine, but for critical listening the extra cost is well worth it.