Ultimate Ears Triple.fi 10 Pro Earphones Gun Metal Blue

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).update three (1/28/12)After 4 years of pure listening pleasure, I need to add some comments about these wonderful earphones. I have now upgraded my computer system to an iMac 27" (i7) and now use the Fiio E-10 DAC (about $80) to process the digital signal, amplify it, and pass it thru to the Triple Fi Pro's and my speakers. I just can't imagine getting better sound into my ears! I record only in Apple Lossless or Flac-converted music files. The Triple Fi Pro's can differentiate the quality of the types of compression used on my music files. I've extensively A-B'd the same tunes compressed in different formats. The 'air' and soundstage seem to be impacted by the type of compression used. I have had NO problems with these IEM's. The cords are rugged and the comfort is still there (although it is difficult to sleep with these protruding from your ears). I am using the same silicone inserts that came with the originals. I clean them regularly with a dab of hand sanitizer, and they're good to go. I recently purchased some V-MODA Remix earphones for my spouse, and almost gagged when I listened to them. What a letdown! Granted they are far less expensive, but don't even approach the quality of the Trip Fi's. I see that Logitech has purchased UE and now they market a cheaper version of the Trip Fi's. I don't feel the slightest inclination to try them, as I am so contented with what I have now. This has been one of the best audio purchases I've ever made. The way in which they immerse you into the musical experience with pure, uncolored sound is their strongest feature.

I've been looking for the best In Ear Monitor for years now, and have tried on many models. In the end, I've always been disappointed. I tried all the Shures which are Ultimate Ear's biggest rival, and I never really thought they were all that. I like hearing sparkly details in the treble and the Shures always seem to veil the highs a bit for a smoother presentation.I've owned Etymotics IEM's for years now, and I was always pleased with their mids and treble, but they ultimately fall down in the bass, there really isn't much to speak of.Now, I know the the $1100 UE-11 custom fitted earphones are the holy grail, one of the best earphones at any price, but alas, I could never justify spending that much. So when UE announced they would come out with a model that essentially offered the same technology but with a universal fit, I knew it was my calling.At home, I've been extremely happy with my $300 Denon AH-D2000 headphones, they are all the headphone I've been wanting for years in a full sized form factor, but I was still missing a headphone that would complement that one in a portable size.I'm not going to tell you that the Triple Fi is as good as my beloved Denon, but for once I am pleased with the sound of these compared to many other Shures, Westones, and others I've tried.Here is what I like about them:- Bass is solid, and there is no lack of it.- Treble is smooth and for the most part, detailed and has just enough sparkle.- Mids are pretty solid, there is no discontinuity between the lows and the mids.- The memory wire which keeps the wire shaped around your ear is a nice touch- It comes with three sizes of rubber tips, one dual flange tip, and a foam tip so you can fit the earphone into your ear and get a good tight seal for best bass response and best noise reduction.- The wire is replaceable. You can buy a new cable if yours gets snagged or breaks.- The in-line attenuator it comes with is handy to reduce the volume if you have it plugged into an loud airplane audio jack- the solid metal case looks cool and is really handy to store and protect the earphone. It's just big enough that it's not that hard to stuff the headphone into it daily. I roll the cord around a couple of fingers to make it neat, and it all goes into the case without much fuss- The cord is the right length for portable use but it also comes with an extension cord for desktop use.- Isolation is adequate, maybe not as good as the Shures, but using the double flange rubber tip or foam tip, as good as I need without working on a construction site.The earphone is thick and I suspect that some people won't find these comfortable, but I have no problem fitting these and getting a good seal into my ear. Getting a good seal is absolutely necessary otherwise the headphone will sound tinny and harshIf I had to pick a nit with the sound, I can tell that not all the treble is there, it seems to be missing a small chunk in the very upper mids/lower treble but there is enough of it overall that I don't really miss it, but the bass and mids are well balanced with the amount of treble that is there. The sound is very clean otherwise, the tones are pure and there is less coloration in the sound than some of the cheaper portable dynamic earphones I've had.All in all, I think this is a good earphone. I had been only using my Audio Technica ATH-CK7 which was my go-to earphone, but I can comfortably say that these are an upgrade from those (as they should be at 5 times the price) They are good value in that they are one earphone that doesn't want to make me take them off during long listening sessions. Of course, $300+ is a lot to pay for something like this but they are definitely the best of the breed at the moment.So why only four stars? I find it a bit surprising that even with three drivers, the treble isn't perfect, so I'm saving five stars for the next version that addresses that. It's sooo close, but it does get my solid recommendation for those that are serious about their music.

For all that has been done for the sound quality of these ear buds, they only sound good if they stay firmly in place. I've tried all sizes of the included pads but the ear buds keep working loose. When they work loose the bass drops out and the sound becomes thin. For that reason I can only use then when sitting still. I was hoping to use then while jogging or cycling but have gone back to using my cheap Koss while exercising.By all means, if you do well wearing ear buds these are the best. If you have trouble with ear buds then spending this much money on a pair may be frustrating. Make sure your ears are compatible with ear buds before you spend this much money.

I purchased a pair of these in December of 2007. I just noticed that the wire connected to the right side earplug is fraying. I called about getting the phones repaired and they stated that there is only a 1 year warranty on the phones. $400 for a pair of head phones and they won't warranty shoddy workmanship.Don't waste your money!! This is a rip off. The phones sound great but the quality of construction is horrible. Stay away!!!BTW, these guys are now owned by Logitech. Beware!

Recently attempted to obtain custom ear pieces for the UE Triple.Fi 10 that I purchased in November. Local audiologist informed me that Westone, their supplier of custom ear pieces had a falling out with Ultimate Ears and would not manufacture custom pieces for Ultimate Ears sets. Called and left 3 messages over 10 days with Ultimate Ears Customer Service to discuss how to obtain custom ear pieces for their product. I could not get the basic courtesy of a return phone call. I now have a Shure SE530 on order as Westone (and the local audiologist) is happy to work with Shure (and most everyone else).