elnero

All the times I've tried the TF10's I've only used Comply tips and I didn't really have any fit problems per se, it was more just getting them inserted initially and the awkwardness of both stock and Null Audio cables. That and they stick out not allowing for listening while lying down which while not necessary is certainly a bonus. I tend to be stationary when I'm listening as well, either at my desk at work or home or just sitting down for a listen so I'm not sure how well they'd fair if I was more active while using them. My only real issue with the TF10's is technically they sound very good, with the Null Audio cable I'd say even one of the better balanced IEM's but at times I find they're not quite convincing if that makes sense. That's really a rather minor gripe and at this point on a purely sonic level I think for me it would be a toss up between the IE8's and the TF10's with Null Audio cable. I don't have a lot of hours on my pair of IE8's as yet so there is the possibility that could change.

I've owned or had extensive auditions of all you list but the PK1's, I've stayed away from buds because they don't sit right in my ears. The SA6's a very nice IEM especially for the money. IMO they're kind of the entry point of high end universal IEM's. They don't tend to do any one thing exceptionally well but they do everything pretty good. The versatility of being able to fine tune them and the cord rotating 360 degrees add a level of value a lot of IEM's twice their price can't match. I've never been a big fan of the Ety's myself. I've tried them on extended auditions a few times now and while I don't dislike them I find them a bit too dry and analytical sounding for my tastes. The highs a just borderline as far as sibilance goes and the bass lacks the weight I feel is natural. There's no doubt they have their virtues and I can understand why they have such a following but they're just not for me. The Westone 3's are really nice but the only way I was able to solve sibilance issues was with tips that irritate my ears. When I first heard them I felt they were a bit of a step above the other's I've tried but now that I've had some time with a Null Audio recabled TF10 and the Sennheiser IE8's I'm inclined to say that's not the case. I haven't been able to directly compare the 3's to the recabled TF10's but when I had a loaner pair of IE8's here I felt they were on the same level if not better than the 3's. My 3's are off to Westone for replacement because of the cable coming unraveled so I haven't heard them in awhile and I don't plan on opening the replacements when I get them, they'll just be going up for sale because, at least initially, for comfort reasons I've since gone the IE8 route. In between sending the 3's back to Westone and receiving the IE8's was when I had the recabled TF10's and I was so impressed with how good they sounded with the recable that I wondered if I had made the right decision. The recabled TF10's have a great balance, a tight punchy bass, the midrange recession I had noted previously is fixed with the recable and the highs are present, with a natural sparkle I've not heard from other IEM's and they've lost the bit of harshness they had with the stock cable. I briefly compared them with the IE8's when I got those. The IE8's have a fuller, more open sound that is a bit darker. The highs don't quite have the sparkle of the recabled TF10's and the bass is a bit thicker but IMO the IE8's have a more natural tonal presentation that is bigger and more satisfying on an emotional level. The IE8's a proving to have a real mixture of virtues that I've like about other IEM's and compromise in all the right areas for my preferences. I should note that another determining factor between the IE8's and recabled TF10's is comfort and ease of use. The Null Audio cable is somewhat short and stiff making it somewhat awkward and the TF10's themselves are a pain to insert and not nearly as comfortable as the IE8's. I'd suggest adding the IE8's for consideration but if for some reason you're not inclined to do that then I'd say look into a Null Audio recabled TF10.

Hope it was a good one!

They're not really economically feasible for me. The cost of getting impressions around here seems to be upwards of $100 which would be on top of the cost of the tips themselves. Considering the modded tri-flanges are the only tip to solve the sibilance issues for me and how finicky the 3's are in regards to tips I'd be very reluctant to spend what would probably end up costing me close to $250 - 300 on something that only might work for me especially when they wouldn't fit my other two possible options. In addition with my sensitivity to many of the materials used in these tips I'm not convinced I won't have the same problems with customs.

I don't know for sure how much the cable is but I don't think it's too expensive. Sibilance seems to be cleaned up to the point where it seems quite natural as do cymbals. I'm fairly sensitive to "hot" treble but I thought this time round the Tri.fi's sounded revealing and extended without being fatiguing. I'm not sure that the treble is lessened much but it seems cleaner less smeared. I should note I've had a bit of a head cold while auditioning them but I'm going to have them for a little while yet so I should get a better feel for how they perform.

To go back to some earlier discussion in regards to the Triple.fi's, I have the same pair on loan again but this time recabled with the Null Audio cable and again only with Comply tips. Comfort is still a bit of an issue and the cable itself is rather short and stiff but I'm liking the sound. Based off my previous impressions the bass seems like it might be lessened just a touch but the mids are more forward and the treble hasn't lost any presence but seems cleaner, less smeared. They're still a touch dry but overall I'm really liking them especially for things like Muse and Porcupine Tree. Do I now like the Triple.fi's more than the Westone 3's? That's a tough call, they're very different beasts, the Triple.fi's seem to excel with my more rock based music while the 3's do a very nice job with more acoustic music. I'm now adding the IE8's into the mix as well, I had a couple of days with a fairly new pair and was impressed enough with them to order my own pair. Ultimately the 3's will likely have to find a new home because of the tips irritating my ears so I'm expecting it will come down to slugfest between the IE8's and Triple.fi's.

I think the number of 3's that went up for sale shortly after their release may be a bit misleading. I think there were at least a few that were bought via the cashback deals on US Amazon which were only available to US residents that had the 3's going for around $250 then flipped for profit on HF. The number of 3's in the FS forums has certainly dropped significantly since that time. No doubt the 3's are a bit of an enigma though.

Before investing that much in customs I'd suggest trying some of the higher end universals to make sure for yourself that laying out that kind of cash for customs isn't just going to end up being pissed into the wind. Buying used here or on HF you likely won't lose too much when reselling. Considering you've stated universals have been painful, depending on your financial state, it might even be worthwhile to try one of the cheap customs to at least try to make sure you're not going to have the same issues with the UE's. You could always keep this pair for kicking around when you wouldn't necessarily want to chance losing or damaging $1100 custom IEM's.

Heh, mine got revoked.

Well, I've only played a fretless bass a couple of times before but considering I played cello for the better part of my early life fretless feels more natural to me. It's been quite a while since I played so I figured if I was getting something I might as well get a fretless. I've been surprising myself, not nearly as many flat or sharp notes played as I would have expected.

Dragonfly :: 4 String Fretless in black. I haven't played in quite some time but I've had the itch to play again now for awhile, so when I stumbled on this pretty amazing deal I couldn't pass it up.

I'll just follow after you... in a few minutes.

That's what buying a house gets you! Just wait till you get a couple rugrats running around.

I'm late to the party as usual, well, better late than never I guess. Happy Birthday Reks!

Sold HeadAmp AE-2 Bought HeadAmp Pico with DAC Sold Shure E500's Bought Sleek SA6's Bought and Sold Klipsch Image X10's Bought Westone W3's Bought Audio Technica ATH-ESW9's For 2009 Not much planned at this point, the Westone 3's and ESW9's only just arrived recently. The only tip that's working for me with the 3's is a modified tri-flange which causes a bit of irritability for me so I may end up looking further into the Sennheiser IE8's. By the end of the year I may be looking further into tying my computer to my speaker system and in turn starting on a full-size home headphone rig again although at this point there's not a lot of full-sized headphones in my price range that I haven't tried or that interests me.

You should get one biggie.

X2 on the AE-2, a very sweet amp that with its RCA's on the back will fit nicely into a home system in a pinch.

It's seeming more and more like fit (placement) and tip selection are the real determining factors for the 3's. Some people seem to be able to get a comfortable fit and decent sound right off the bat while others really have to work at it. For myself Shure tri-flanges with the stock cut down gets a pretty decent sound with little to no sibilance issues but unfortunately those tips tend to irritate my ears a bit. It hasn't been too bad though because due to the design of the 3's the tri-flanges don't go nearly as deep as they did with the E500's. Which brings me to something else I've noticed about the 3's, some people, me being one of them, can't use the shorter tips at all. The tri-flanges I'm using barely go far enough to get a proper seal.

MarkL has reviewed the 500 in his sponsored thread over at HF.

I'm still in a bit of shock over the Toronto vs. Pittsburgh game last night. I'm a Toronto fan but fully expected them to get trounced last night, who would have thought it would be the reverse.

My pair has very nice bass as well. I guess I'm envisioning the difference between the W100 and W1000, my W100's were a warm, very natural sounding headphone whereas the W1000's were lean and bright and possibly a bit more transparent but in the long run I kept the W100's because they suited my preferences more.

Thanks Beefy!

I was surprised by my pair of 9's, they're quite a bit brighter than I expected and sibilance can be just borderline on some recordings. That's not necessarily a bad thing though, from the limited amount of time I've had with them the treble seems quite clean. I've been quite enjoying them overall, in fact I'd say I like them better than most of the under $500 full-sized phones I've heard. The previous owner said he had about 50 hours on the pair I bought, I've put maybe 20 on them for a total of around 70. How long do they typically take to settle in? I'm curious if there will be any changes.

If the ESW10's are truly brighter than my 9's as many have said, then I think I've lost interest in them. Oh and thanks for the link to the case, now does anyone know the best place to buy one?

What is this HPP5 you speak of?