ddAug2011v2_Layout 1 9/07/11 1:34 PM Page 27
good, solid midrange. There’s some exaggeration at the low end and while you can almost feel the bass drum and low toms through the earphones, this may be a bit deceptive, because that’s not what you can expect through the PA. There’s been some criticism of the bulky size of the Triple Fi 10 range, which is due in part to the inline position of the ear tips, as opposed to the right-angle placement on the Shure line, for example. Personally, I didn’t find them too big or bulky, but I did find it hard to achieve a tight seal. UE seems to have skimped a bit on the tips, providing three sizes of silicon tips and a couple of foam tips – a far cry from the choice of the lower-priced Etymotics, for example. Unfortunately, Ultimate Ears has also chosen a larger bore format, limiting the choice of tips. While the difficulty in achieving a tight seal didn’t impact on performance, it did reduce the isolation effect, and a small amount of stick noise did bleed through. The Triple Fi 10 vi comes with a compact, sturdy carry case and a bunch of adaptors including a gold 6.5 mm adaptor, an attenuator and a cleaning tool. At $400, the Ultimate Ears are well worth considering, but you really do need to make sure that you can get a good seal.
Westone UM3XRC At under $400, the Westone UM3X should be on every top-end shortlist. The compact high-tech earphones are supplied with a neat crushproof case, probably the widest selection of tips, from flanged to soft and medium silicon and malleable Comply tips, a cleaning tool, a 6.5 mm jack adaptor and an attenuator attachment. There’s an option of a clear body, revealing the three drivers and circuitry inside and making the earphones look really hi-tech. At 130 cm, the cable isn’t the longest, but it is fully detachable (in the case of the RC review sample) and replaceable, with longer leads available from the manufacturer. The cable is a moderate weight braided pair that feels like it can take the demands of gigging and the attachment to the earpieces is firm and secure. With an impedance at the higher end of the samples, at 56 Ohm, the Westones were surprisingly hot (they’re rated at 124 dB), with the module dialled back just past 9 o’clock. At moderate levels, the UM3X delivered heaps at the extremes, with lots of thumping bass and tingling treble, and I found the midrange just a tad more muted than the more expensive Shures – but certainly not lacking.
$E NNI S 3 MI T H -ONI T OR %NGI NE E R 4 HE 0 OL I C E
4 HE WOR L D S MOS T A C C UR A T E
NOI S E I S OL A T I NG E A R PHONE S UPGR A DE T O
E A R MOL DS
ET YMOT I C C OM