Ultimate Ears Triple.fi 10 Pro

If you want them to last, anything with batteries will die and be unrepairable. Wired ones, specifically those with detachable/replaceable cables are the only way to go. I have Ultimate Ears Triple.fi, amazing sound quality, I’ve gone through 2 lots of cables, but they’ve lasted almost 20 years

I have IEM’s from 2009 (Shure SE530 and UE Triple Fi 10’s) that still work great and destroy the sound quality of any Apple AirPod. Not as convenient, sure, but they sound better and don’t need charged. I only use my AirPods Pro 2 for mowing the lawn/walking my dog connected to my Apple Watch. Oh, and the DAC in modern iPhones is plenty for damn near any IEM, some even have a USB C DAC built in to the cable since Apple had “courage” to remove the headphone jack.

Alright.... Time to show off my age. **Sony EX70/71**. One of the first consumer grade IEM to show what IEM was like before IEM was in the hobby's consciousness. If you know, you know. This was one of the first consumer level IEMs available. This was 2003, and I got mind around 2004/5? **Shure E2C.** Around the same time, Shure released their IEM, the E-series to the general public. Slightly more darker tuning if I remember right, but the E2c was one of the first **professional IEM** that was available for the general public. I think I liked it better than the EX71, because it was more rounder and/or more decent sounding. Few years later, the **UE TripleFi** went on sale on Black Friday for $99. That one holds a special place in my heart. First 3x BA driver with detachable cable and was pretty good sound. Sony got my wallet back in the 2010s with their XBA series. **XBA-3** around 2012, 13? That one still remains one of my favorites and I still have them to this day. It just hits right for me. Then... KZ hit the market with their ATE, then ZS series.... and everything changed, in a very positive way. **ZS5** was the major milestone. And that was amazeballs. Multiple BA and DD drivers? For less than $50, let alone $100? Mindblowing. Was it neutral? No, not really. Was it controversial? Yes. But it sounded really good. And I think I got lucky getting the v1 rather than v2? But still. That was mindblowing. Chinese OEMs were now making stuff that sounded good as mainline brands, at fraction of the price! The new wave of $20 to $50 Chi-Fi IEMs impress me to this day. From the **Wan'er** to the **Moondrops** and maybe even the **KZ ZS12 Pro X** (non tuning). I'm going to jump on the cheap bandwagon with the **ARTTI R6 USB-C** version. $3.50? And it sounds better than what was considered state of the art 10 years ago?! Are you fucking kidding me? You newcomers have it immensely good. Before 2017, 16(?), you had to spend at least $50+ to get something worthwhile (SQ, detachable cables, etc) because that was the state of the market.

Ultimate Ears Triple.Fi 10 Pro. Got them senior year of highschool, just before heading off to college out of state. Used them with a Cowon J3. They were completely transformative. Replaced the cable a few times over the years. They're still on my shelf and work fine. Since then the only other IEM I've gotten (and still use) is the Gizaudio x Binary Acoustics Chopin. Not the same magic, but also a different price category.