Ultimate Ears Triple.fi 10vi Noise Isolating Earphones user reviews

5.0 stars

"Best sounding any year headphones." on August 29, 2010 by TheKelth

Pros: I have had these headphones for three years now the balance and clarity are unsurpassed by any thing I've used to date,and that includes top-of-the-line Etymotics and Shure and Klipshe.

Cons: these headphones are huge and not right for all ears and the cables are rather thick.

4.5 stars

"Stunning sound quality let down by design choices" on December 10, 2009 by clarinetJWD

Pros: Great sound quality (Better than Westone UM2), iPhone controls and microphone

Cons: Comfort is an issue, cables exhibit microphonics, gigantic

Summary: Sound quality is absolutely excellent, as expected from IEMs in this range. I compared them to Westone's UM1 and UM2, Etymotic's ER6i and ER4, and UE's own SuperFi.3, as well as some high end headphones as well. While the phones still have the edge in overall sound, they don't exactly travel well, and require a bit more power than a portable player can provide. In my comparison, it boiled down to the Westone UM2 and the Triple.Fi 10 vi. I put one in one ear, the other in the other and listened, then switched the ears. In the end, I can't decide. The UE's have much better high extension, but the bass seems overpowering at times. The Westones seemed a bit better balanced through the mid/high range, but lacked the high end detail of the UEs. This being said, I'm still listening to the UEs right now, while the Westones sit on my desk.

Comfort is less excellent. As many reviews say, these are freaking huge, and can hurt your ears if not absolutely perfectly placed. I seem to have found the sweet spot, but can't see myself wearing them for very long periods at a time. The Westones, on the other hand are nearly universally hailed as the most comfortable IEMs on the market (approached only by the rest of Westone's line).

The cable on the UE pair is interesting. The first couple of inches is stiff, and can be molded to fit around the ear and hold it in place. It's a nice touch, but doesn't do a lot to block the microphonic noise of the loose part banging around (common with single strand cables). The Westones have a 3 strand braided cable that is robust enough, but exhibits almost no cable noise.

Last is the in line media control. First thing I did was plug these into my phone, pull up some music, and hit the button. Nothing. I tried everything from resetting the phone, re-plugging, and turning off features that might conflict, but still nothing. If this happens to you, shut the phone down, stick a paper clip into your headphone jack and pull the lint out...

Final thoughts: If you're absolutely interested in sound quality, the UE Triple Fi's have the edge against all the ones I could compare it to, but the Westones prove a bit better for daily and extended use due to better physical design. I'm not getting rid of either.