Question regarding Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10

Well, I got a pair of these and they sound great...

They sound great when plugged into my Audinst HUD-mx1 DAC/amp, but they sound absolutely terrible when plugged into the headphone jack on my laptop which is a Sony VPCZ1.

By terrible, I mean it sounds rather muffled and mid-centric and sound all squashed together. I've checked and the left and right channels don't seem to be being mixed together which is what I initially thought. There isn't any hiss.

Previously, I've tried an ATH AD900 and Beyer DT250 (80 ohm version) through the same headphone jack on my laptop and they both sounded fine as far as I could tell.

Curiously, the TF-10 sound fine even when plugged into my iPod Classic (160GB).


Anyway, any ideas? Is my laptop's onboard audio having trouble driving these IEMs?

 

the low impedance is probably the problem.

use that mx1 with them or get something like a udac2 or e7 if you want something smaller or need a 2nd device because you leave the mx1 with another computer.

 

I agree with this. Too bad there are no tools to adjust the actual notebook DAC gain, but whatever.

 

Level Attenuator with Volume Control

Turn the laptop to max, use these (or similar) to adjust to a comfortable listening volume. This will present a higher impedance.

 

Thanks for the ideas and information.

What's the chance of getting channel imbalance issues at low volume with the uDAC-2 and the FiiO E7?
It seems the FiiO E7 with it's digital volume control would be better in that regard? Through some Googling, it would seem that the uDAC-2 would not really be an option due to imbalance issues.

Channel imbalance at low volume is one reason why I'd prefer not to use the HUD-mx1 with the TF-10 (nor with my other headphones).

Level Attenuator with Volume Control would also be a good option as it's less bulky.

(relatively) Locally, I've got these as options.
Shure PA235
Koss VC20

 

The uDAC is a waste of time, any imbalance issues being the least of its problems. If you're going to buy a budget amp, the E7 is a better bet.

Either attenuator would be fine. There will probably be minor channel imbalance due to the pot, but it'll probably not be audible, only measurable.

 

The TF10 should have came with an attenuator cable, give that a try first.

 

With the included attenuator cable, the sound is a lot better.

However, the Audinst HUD-mx1 still has a more open sound and sounds more crisp - with occasional sibilance. Not sure if that is just due to how the HUD-mx1 sounds..

 

I think that adds a huge amount of extra impedance. Which would explain what OP is hearing.

 

Oh well, I sent these back to be replaced. Not related to the low impedance issue, but the plug was acting dodgy due to how it came bent in it's original packaging. I know the cable itself is replaceable, but ugh...

 

I have a spare right angle cable and TF10 accesories sitting around if u need it in the future