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

I had the opportunity to try out both the offerings from Ultimate Ears...these and the Super.fi 5 Pro...there isn't that much of a difference to me to justify the much higher price. I got these from Amazon when they were on sale for $300 and the Super.fi 5 Pro's were $189. The main difference to me is better lows on the Triple.fi 10's. I don't listen to that much soft music that I hear all the better mid range vocals that everyone swears they hear on these earbuds. I also noticed that the gain on the Super.fi 5 Pro's is a little stronger...meaning that they get a little bit louder at full volume than the Triple's will allow you to get. For about $100 difference, I am going to stick with the Triple.fi 10's...I probably wouldn't if I paid much more for them...like $350-$399 for them. I also noticed something wild with both sets of earphones. I experimented with the different size rubber ear pieces that fit for different size ears. I put the smaller size rubber pieces on and the earphones didn't sit right in my ears at all (and when I did this, the sound had almost NO BASS at all...so I can understand why some reviewers say they sound very tinny when they put them on for the first time). YOU MUST make sure you are using the right size rubber fitting on the earbud no matter if it's Ultimate Ears brand or Shure or whoever you go with. Once I put the larger size rubber plugs on the earbuds, it was like music to my ears...actually, it was music IN my ears. The sound was pure and clean. Again, for the rock and roll (60's, 70's and 80's) that I listen to, it was a tough decision as I play it loud and the Super.fi 5 Pros seemed to be able to get a little bit louder (gain) than the Triple.fi 10s but for overall sound and three drivers on the soft music I listen to, I'll stick with the three drivers in the Triple. fi's. Another thing that is nicer about the Triples...on the Super.fi 5 Pro's, it is almost impossible to see the labeled "L" and "R" for which ear as it is tiny and I had the black set...virtually impossible to tell which was which...on the Triples, because they are blue phoes, the white labeling of which is "L" and "R" is very easy to see. After you get used to using these headphones, you will know by how they fit. I don't think you can go wrong with either set...I have never tried the Shure headphones as all I have ever used other than these two sets was the factory earbuds (garbage) that came with the Iphone. I hope this helps someone out with the same tough decision I had to make as there arent' too many comparisons between the two models I've mentioned here other than looking at the specs on the UE website The frequency response listed on their site is from about 11=17,000 for Triples and from 16-16,000 for the Super.fi 5 Pro's. I also like the harder case (metal) that comes with the Triples and the better or "stronger" looking cable they use...it just seems like it would hold up better over time..also, the Triples come with an extra cable to use between the headphone cable which will extend the length of the cable. Here's one thing to note: The Triple 10s are supposed to have a (1) year warranty if you call UE at the company...while the Super.fi 5s have a two year. The Triples I got show a (2) year warranty card in the box and when I contacted someone at UE, they told me whatever came in the box is what you get...maybe it was an older stock set of earbuds. Also, I have read on numerous reviews on earbuds that most sound better after being used for awhile...not sure why this is...almost like a break-in period until they reach their top sound. Anyway, good luck shopping for earbuds and again, I hope this helps someone outl ULTIMATE EARS earbuds ROCK !!!

I hope this review will assist Etymotic ER-4P owners who are considering the Ultimate Ear Triple.Fi 10 Pro.

BACKGROUND
My first pair of earphones was Etymotic 6i. With the low price and small size, it was ideal to be pair with any portable mp3 player on the go. However, it lacked the clarity in the treble department so crucial to female vocal. The first upgrade to the Etymotic ER-4P was night and day. ER-4P absolutely sparkles in the high range. The small nuances all the sudden became evident, and the clear separate between the spark treble and crystal mid-range made me cycle through my musical selections that's been left untouched. The only flaw with the ER-4P was it's bass. It's there, it's punchy and tight. At moments, you can somewhat "feel" the punch. But in general, it's like a bad tease that leaves you hanging and mumble "only if the bass could just extend a little bit further....". Thus started my quest to look for an upgrade. The obvious contenders were Ultimate Ears Triple.Fi 10 Pro and Shure SE530.

CHOICES
After hours of googling on the comparison between Ultimate Ears Triple.Fi and Shure SE530, I got no where. Its almost a 50/50 split with opinions that often resulted in contradictions due to personal preference in music genre. Unfortunately, there were no dealers in the area that carries either one for test drive. The only choice was to order online. My decision was made based on the following rationale - the main objective was to find a product that retains the treble and mid-range but provides more bass.

In all the comparisons, the most concerning issue with the UE Triple.Fi was the mentioning of "sucked out mid-range" which is crucial for female vocal. Equally concerning is the Shure SE530 notable treble roll-off that's practically mentioned in every review - again, critical to female vocal. The primary trade-off is between the Triple.Fi clean high treble and SE530's smooth mid-range and famous bass. In the end, the retention of the clear treble with well documented bass boost over the ER-4P won me over. There was still a risk with the "sucked out mid-range" - it was a risk that was put to rest after several listening.

FIRST IMPRESSION
To be honest, the first listening session with Triple.Fi left me with mixed feeling. The treble is "Clear" and projects the small nuances well, however, it does not sparkle like the ER-4P. By sparkle, I mean the music does seem to have as much dimension. To be fair, Triple.Fi does provide dimension with lots of details, it's just not as prominent. The mid-range is "Clean" although just a touch more flat than ER-4P. Again, the dimensions is there with lots of details like the ER-4P, but it's just not as prominent. The bass was the biggest difference leaning towards the positive, it was deep, smooth with plenty of tight thump that can be felt. Words of warning to the first time ER-4P owner - the bass was almost overwhelming; it felt disproportion and overshadowed the less dimensional treble and mid-range. However, this is primarily due to our ears being accustom to the overly prominent treble and mid-range in ER-4P.

SUBSEQUENT IMPRESSION
I withheld my assessment and gave the Triple.Fi a second test run. This time with less focus on the individual range, but more on the overall sound. The combined result was a a treble that's clear with lots of detail, a mid-range that carried female vocal cleanly, and a smooth bass that could be felt. I can distinctly hear the high instrumentals, the mid female vocal and the deep strong bass beat all at the same time. Additionally, it seems my ear has adjusted to the heavier bass, it no longer feels overwhelming (This was the adjustment I mentioned earlier). Neither the high nor the mid-range is as distinct as ER-4P, but in a qualitative analysis using ER-4P as the baseline, Triple.Fi sounds 90% the treble, 90% the mid-range and 200% the bass. The overall slight flat equalization across treble, mid range and bass made the overall sound a joy to listen to.

ISSUES
After several listening sessions, I've noticed a correlation between volume and clarify/detail which don't seem to be proportional. At low volume, the detail isn't apparent. As volume increases just above the mid-level, clarify and detail seem to kick in. I've not notice anything similar on ER-4P. So if you have to pick one issue with the Triple.Fi, this maybe it.

AFTER THOUGHT
I believe Triple.Fi is a worth upgrade from ER-4P, and is probably better value than Shure SE530. General impression with Shure SE530 is the treble has a larger roll-off than Triple.Fi. Given Triple.Fi's treble does not sparkle like the ER-4P, I could not imaging going with something with even less treble. Secondly, Shure SE530 is known for it's bass, some would say even heavier than Triple.Fi. However, Triple.Fi's bass is already significant better than ER-4P, any more may offset the balance between treble, mid-range and bass.

FASHION & FIT
The two complains I've heard regarding UE Triple.Fi have to do with fashion and fit. In almost every comparison between Triple.Fi and SE530 that mentions fashion, the complaint is with how significantly bigger Triple.Fi is over SE530. Yes, it is bigger, but no less aesthetic pleasing than a small headphone which makes this argument moot. If fashion is worth additional $120 dollars over functionality, then by all mean, purchase the Shure SE530. The second complaint deals with the fit. Triple.Fi doe not come with the tri-flange that comes with ER-4P. Instead, it comes with the regular rubber nib which leaves the insertion slightly looser on it's own. To compensate, Triple.Fi made the wire near the earbuds moldable around the back of the ear. Spend a little time following the instruction to mold the wires around your ear will significantly improve the seal.

Sound: 9.5 - bass is done better than anything at or below this price point

Comfort: 9 - Comfortable for extended listening but probably not for small ears - I have medium ears and have the smallest tips in place.

Isolation: 10 - Turned off these phones are like top notch ear plugs. While listening to music I doubt I'd hear the fire alarm. Don't miss my Boss active headphones at all.

Aesthetic: 6 - Actually small for 3 drivers but everyone wondering what's sticking out of your ears isn't going to be giving you credit for that. The metallic blue color will be out of style by... oh, too late.

Cost: 10 - I think "audiophile" is synonymous with "waste of money". These phones are at the upper end of "you get what you pay for". More expensive than this and the connection between cost and performance becomes increasingly disconnected.

Cables: 5 - Good: memory cable wraps around your ear. Bad: they hold the folded shape from storage instead of draping like nicely flexible cable should. Glossy black cable perfectly matches that stylish metallic blue color.

Accessories: 9 - case is actually nice - doesn't go with the "klassy" color of the phones. Good fit kit, decent adaptor and extension.

The question you need to ask yourself: "Am I willing to look a bit conspicuous to get the sound, and do I really care $350 worth?" I am but maybe you aren't.

Don't even think about it if you have small ear canals or have ever said "what's wrong with the earbuds that came with my iPod?"

A caveat to begin: these were a big upgrade for me. I have another pair of Sennheiser circumaural headphones, but I have not owned any other IEMs. I wasn't really even aware of IEMs as an idea until a friend of mine I was flying with had a pair of Klipsch Images and let me try them out. After some research, I chose these on the basis of the Amazon reviews on basic physics that a triple driver should allow for more detail at all frequencies.

I spent a lot of time thinking about whether it was worth spending the money for these (as opposed to, say, Klipsch custom-2s or UE Super.fis). I haven't actually listened to either of those two, and I would be very interested in comparing them. But based upon my experience so far with the triple.fis, I have no regrets.

I have had these for a week. I feel like I purchased an entirely new sense of hearing. Almost every recording has new tonalities and details that were never there before: from the carefully constructed fuzz of Billy Corgan's guitars to the tone of Janos Starker's cello to the many carefully overlaid samples of the Chemical Brothers to . . . well, pretty much everything I own I feel like I am rediscovering as I listen with these. It's as if there had been a layer of audio mud between me and the music before that was cleaned away, or I had some aural version of cataracts removed. It is sometimes hard to do other things while listening to music with these -- the music has so much presence that I just want to stop and listen.

Bass is fat and huge but it does not at all get in the way of other tones. I am listening to Depeche Mode as a write. I feel like my pants should be shaking from the bass, but it also seems like Dave Gahan is singing right in front of me.

The "medium" single-flange silicone tips work perfectly for my ears, and getting a good seal has been easy. I tried the double-flanges but they were just a little too far in my ear, and did not make any difference in the sound. I have worn them for multiple (like eight?) hours at a time without any discomfort. For the first five minutes the idea of the over-the-ear cord seemed a little strange, but it keeps them in place without really being noticeable. The cord has the right amount of stiffness that it keeps the shape of the wrap when you take them off, which makes it easy to plunk them back on.

So, anyway, if you're on the fence about these, I'd say go for it. I think they are one of the most amazing objects I own.

Update 3-26-08: I had an issue that the connection between the wire and the earpiece just wasn't quite right and would partly cut out now and again. I called up the number on the UE website. An actual real live person answered. She gave me an RMA, I sent it back in, and I had a new set in a week. Kinda wish I hadn't had the problem at all, but at least they had good support.

I was having a hard time deciding between UE triple.fi and Shure SE530. I read a lot of reviews and the following results were obtained:
Why triple.fi is better than Shure SE530:
-Shure SE530 sounds as good as UE triple.fi however their wire is not user
replaceable and within 2 years of use, Shure's earphone wires tend to wear which deteriorate the essential sound of the earphone.
-Shure Microphones would probably be the best ones out there but what about earphones? hm... probably good but I'd go for UE, the company that specializes on personal monitors.

Before I got my triple.fi I had a super.fi 5 pro and to be honest, I really did not hear or notice any difference from my $10 sony earphones.
I ended up returning the super.fi 5 pro. After couple of days of research, I was still very careful on purchasing the triple.fi mainly because I thought I am not that kind of a guy who can tell differences between a good pair of earphones and regular ones. After couple weeks, I just couldn't stand my $10 earphones from SONY (cuz I got shocked every hour or two) that I've purchased at Target so I decided to take the risk and get the triple.fi.

Man! at the moment I put them on, I couldn't believe what I was hearing!!! it was so amazing. You could hear every little detail of the song! If you are reading this review or doing the research for the triple.fi, I gotta tell you, you won't know it before you try it.

As I said, after trying the super.fi I got discouraged, but once you put on the triple.fi you feel like you are in a totally different world!