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Ultimate Ears custom IEM earphones built by Unique Melody for ~$440 AUD (plus impression costs)

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Ultimate Ears custom IEM earphones built by Unique Melody for ~$440 AUD (plus impression costs)Affiliate
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ShortyX on 04/02/2011 - 09:59 amazon.com (1144 clicks)
Last edited 04/02/2011 - 17:08
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I mentioned this at http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/38920#comment-378055 but I thought I'd post it as a deal in case anyone was interested.

You can get the Ultimate Ears TripleFi earphones for about $200 AUD delivered from amazon.com or ebay.com (amazon link given - if you choose another seller on Amazon, choose one with good feedback and a fairly high number of items sold). If you choose ebay.com, you should be fairly safe with not getting a fake because as far as I know, there's no fakes around. If you choose amazon.com, use shipito.com for delivery.

(If you're wondering why the TripleFi's are cheap at the moment, Amazon had them for US$99 during their Black Friday sale last year so people are selling those)

Anyway, once you've received them, you can get them reshelled into custom molds from http://uniquemelody.com.au

Here's a breakdown of their costs:

• Reshell TF10 (including domestic postage) - $200
• Artwork - $20
• Cable - $35 (modified and improved version of the Westone cable)
• Additional Mid driver (highly recommended for the TF10 which has recessed mids but great highs and lows) - $110

You need to get a new cable so the basic package will cost $235.

So all up without the extra driver, you have a custom triple driver IEM for about $440. The UE 7 Pro starts at around $700 plus impression costs so it is a big saving.

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closed Comments

  • leeroys_dad on 04/02/2011 - 10:21

    so this is basically a 'mould' to fit in your ear comfortably?

    • ShortyX on 04/02/2011 - 10:48

      Yep, you get ear impressions from a local audiologist and send them away with your earphones so the earphones are made for your ears.

  • morphio on 04/02/2011 - 10:41

    Thanks for the info but doesn't this suit the forums more?

    How does it actually sound though?
    Does this mod actually make it on par or better than the UE 7 Pro?

    • ShortyX on 04/02/2011 - 10:51

      Yeah, happy for it to go to the forums if the mods see the need - I wasn't sure.

      As far as I know, the drivers are the same and Unique Melody are very experienced in placing the drivers to get the best sound so without ever using a UE 7 Pro, I would assume that the sound would be very similar.

  • lycos on 04/02/2011 - 11:37

    Interesting… Now i'm tempted to custom-mold my Shure SE530.. How's the build quality btw? Also, will it be possible to add High range driver? (It's triple driver already, but i always think the high range needs some boost)

  • mr_vino89 on 04/02/2011 - 11:46

    how is this a bargain? i understand that its meant to be good quality earphones and all but $440 yo! thats ridiculous!!!
    would rather buy a PS3 console or something…

    • diamondtouch1 on 04/02/2011 - 11:50
      +3

      I'd rather buy a car! not a very good one, but ITS A CAR!!

      • mickeyjuiceman on 04/02/2011 - 12:49

        Or a pocket camera! Or a meal at a top restaurant!

        (What's the cutoff limit here - would a $350,000 Ferrari going for $2000 be a bargain, or is $2000 seen as a stupid price for a car?)

        • diamondtouch1 on 04/02/2011 - 13:23
          +1

          $2000!!?! i can buy a house for $2000!! (won't be in Australia, probably in Detroit, but its a HOUSE!!!)

    • ShortyX on 04/02/2011 - 12:51

      @mr_vino89 - how is not a bargain…? You're saving a few hundred dollars but each to their own of course :) You might spend an enormous amount of money on something that I think is a waste. Custom earphones are obviously intended for audiophiles, sound engineers, and musicians. :D

  • micromanage on 04/02/2011 - 11:46

    I'm tempted to custom mold my SE530 as well. I also have a pair of broken cable er4p which i'd prefer custom molding. Will they ever do it for the ER4ps?

  • llama on 04/02/2011 - 11:52

    If you buy a Hyundai Excel for $3,000 you can spend $150,000 to customise it so it's just like a Ferrari. Sort of, if you squint, and it's dark.

    How does modifying a pair of earphones to create a "copy" of something else count as a bargain?

    • Mikinoz on 04/02/2011 - 12:22

      And will be worth less than 500.00 when finished a bit like these earphones

      • stumo on 04/02/2011 - 14:45

        Well it was a Hyundai accent not excel. And it cost around 300k pounds to turn it into a WRC car.

        Worth about 150k second hand, good for rally-cross these days.

    • Domingo on 04/02/2011 - 12:27
      +1

      It's more like buying a top of the line production sports car and customizing it into a race car.

      Likening the TripleFi 10s to a Hyundai Excel completely misses the point here.

      He is suggesting buying a super high quality pair of headphones, adding a driver to enhance the sound quality and then having it made to fit your ear properly.

      To continue the car metaphor, it's like buying a R34 Skyline GT-R, having the engine properly tuned, removing all the excess junk inside the cabin, having a rollcage put it and having it stickered up as a race car. Close enough to a race car.

    • ShortyX on 04/02/2011 - 12:42
      +1

      @llama - it's a bargain because the price is a lot less than what you'd pay for pretty much the same result buying the UE 7 or UE 11.

      • llama on 04/02/2011 - 13:25

        @llama - it’s a bargain because the price is a lot less than what you’d pay for pretty much the same result buying the UE 7 or UE 11

        Perhaps, but even after all that modification… it's still not the same thing is it? It's basically a "fake", or a copy of the real thing.

        I am not disputing whether the 'phones are good or bad, nor whether it's worthwhile paying so much for headphones. I understand audio and audiophile equipment. What I am trying to point out is that customising a set of cheaper headphones so that they look similar to a more expensive pair is NOT a bargain.

        We at Ozbargain always like compare "like with like" - a bargain is a better price for a PARTICULAR piece of equipment or service. In other words, we don't compare the price of one model against the price of a more expensive one that has a higher specification.

        He is suggesting buying a super high quality pair of headphones, adding a driver to enhance the sound quality and then having it made to fit your ear properly

        Yes, but to be classified as a bargain, we have to compare this "deal" to the same customisation services provided elsewhere by other vendors. In other words, is $200 the best price to get the reshell done? Can you get the cable fitted cheaper than $35?

        I'm obviously not explaining myself clearly enough, but to me this is not a bargain because the end result of the modified product is NOT the same as the more expensive product that people are comparing the price to.

        • ryang on 04/02/2011 - 13:30

          I think you explained it clearly enough.

          It's not so much an 'apple to orange' comparison as it is a 'granny smith to pink lady' comparison. They are the same product, just different versions.

          But yes, the basis of evaluating this as a deal would require knowledge of other prices for the base item + conversions required.

        • ShortyX on 04/02/2011 - 13:42

          I can understand what you're saying which is why I wasn't sure if I should have put it in the forums. However, the drivers in the TripleFi's are the same as the UE 7 Pro. The only difference then is the shell and the placement of the drivers. Unique Melody are experienced with the shells and placement on the drivers so I think the difference between the reshelling and the real UE Customs is negligible.

          As for other services, you'd find it difficult to find another hearing company in Australia with enough experience to tackle the reshell. Even Unique Melody send it to China to get them done but they handle all the shipping. There is one in the US (inearz.com by Fisher Hearing) and the only charge $90 (+US$70 shipping return) but apparently their build quality is not very high. Plus if the fit isn't quite right, you need to pay another US$70 shipping to get them sent back for remolding then returned.

  • Timski on 04/02/2011 - 12:18

    I've personally never used earbuds this expensive, can you actually hear the difference spending this much?

    • [Deactivated] on 04/02/2011 - 12:41
      -1

      Yes you can.
      However, I only started to notice differences in Mp3 players and canalphones/headphones when listening to music 5-6 hours a week. Prior to that I had 1 hour a week and couldn't tell the difference.

      • ryang on 04/02/2011 - 13:18
        +3

        MP3 + high quality ANYTHING = poor idea…

        You realise that even at high bitrates (300+) you're still compressing the source and losing quality - right?

        If you really want to call yourself an 'audiophile', at least do yourself a favour and switch to FLAC or similar lossless compression.

    • ShortyX on 04/02/2011 - 12:46

      @Timski - IMO, yes. Although the difference is more subtle as the price goes up. For example, a mid range headphone for ~$100-$300 will sound a million times better than a low end earphone. However a high end custom earphone will sound a little better than the mid range earphones. And of course, customs give you a very comfortable fit as well compared to universals.

      The source makes a big difference as well. For example, it's not worth listening to MP3 tracks at 128kbps with high end earphones.

      • diamondtouch1 on 04/02/2011 - 13:25

        i believe that listening to low quality mp3 files with inferior earphones actually sounds better than higher quality earphones which expose all the flaws etc.

  • sonicentropy on 04/02/2011 - 12:43

    I know they big and bulky but I will stick to my trusty HD-25s, I am over spending big dollars on phones I will lose or put through the wash like my shures.

    • ShortyX on 04/02/2011 - 12:47

      Flip, Shures through the wash? That sux

  • vinny on 04/02/2011 - 13:18

    Bah, would of went for this, I just brought IE8 over Christmas. They have their own set ups to, 6 drivers mmmmm

  • Kkuba on 04/02/2011 - 13:23
    +1

    these look very interesting, i am sure they would sound orgasmic…

    a note to anyone looking at getting these,

    do not buy them if you are planning on using them in an Apple music device(ipod, iphone). you will be wasting your money…

    • rand0m on 04/02/2011 - 13:29

      I don't see how that's fair. The DACs in apple devices may not be the best but they arent the worst.

      I have a pair of Shure SE530 with a 5th gen video ipod (rockboxed) as a source playing flacs. even without an amp it sounds 'orgasmic' and satisfies my daily commute more than sufficiently.

      • Kkuba on 04/02/2011 - 13:36

        i'm sorry, i would go as far as saying ipods are some of the worst…

        they are the worst of any branded MP3 player I have heard, by far, I have even had a cheap, chinese, noname brand MP3 player that sounded much better than my nano.

        i dunno, maybe the ones I have listened to just happen to have been duds.

        • rand0m on 04/02/2011 - 13:41

          Never heard a nano so I can't comment.

          Have you heard a rockboxed iPod playing lossless audio with decent IEMs? It's very decent. As pretentious as it might sound, I don't listen to MP3's.

          I also have a Cowon S9 which is even better but that's not to say I'd discount the quality of the video iPod. The quality of the DAC in recent Apple devices such as the newer iPods or iPhones may have gone downhill but I'll keep my 5th gen for as long as it survives.

        • Kkuba on 04/02/2011 - 13:50

          I would have actually said that the quality of the DAC in recent ipods (particularly iphones as that is what i have had the opportunity to listen to) has INCREASED, they do sound noticably better than the 1st gen nano that I had. but anyway…

          I don't know what rockboxed means, your ipod might sound very decent but what i am suggesting is that your lossless audio, would sound twice (read: better) as good on an MP3 player that would cost half (read:cheaper) the price. an iriver is the first thing that springs to mind.

        • rand0m on 04/02/2011 - 14:06

          Yes iRiver's are good but how do you know they are 'twice' as good? Do you have the equipment to measure audio quality? There are too many variables such as amplifier, quality of source file, cables, earphones, etc that reveal too many holes in your statement.

          Never heard of Rockbox? That explains alot. Here you go. Thank me later.
          http://www.rockbox.org/

        • Kkuba on 04/02/2011 - 15:48

          "would sound twice (read: better) as good"

          sorry, that was meant to say "twice as good (read: better)"
          sorry, i thought that typo was easy enough to decipher

          if that doesn't answer it, no i do not have sound measurement software, and i am just making that statement for effect and flow of words(with an appropriate correction)

          so rockbox is basically an open source operating system for mp3 players? i am not sure this would help in sound quality?

        • mickeyjuiceman on 04/02/2011 - 17:19

          Yep, they're the worst I've heard. I had a 3GS as my last Apple device, and moved from that to an Android (HTC DesireHD) and it is significantly better, and that's just another phone. (Using Westone UM2 IEMs.)

        • morphio on 04/02/2011 - 22:48

          The Wolfson DAC on the older ipods are great. Just the circuitry wasn't well made.

    • morphio on 04/02/2011 - 22:43

      And what if they have an imodded one with rockbox?

      http://redwineaudio.com/products/imod

  • Shiftin on 04/02/2011 - 16:52
    +2

    This is great value for what they are. If you're serious about your tunes then these would be a great investment.

  • micromanage on 04/02/2011 - 17:38

    Can anyone recommend a place to get impressions in Sydney?

  • grizz_li on 04/02/2011 - 17:46

    So I just got my TripleFi from LTS and thinking they are good and now theres some "pimpin" to be done.
    Sure looks like one hell of an expensive earphones once I get it back.

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