FiiO RC-UE1 Portable Headphone Booster Cable - For Logitech Ultimate Ears UE TripleFi 10, SuperFi 5, SuperFi Pro

Most recent updated (scroll down): 2012-10-06TL:DR? Still doing great.Original review from 2012-01-14:I've gone through 7-8 sets of standard Ultimate Ears original cables for my Super.Fi 5 Pros, and I finally got sick of paying Logitech for a defective product that they refused to fix. One of two of the original/replacement connectors failed, which is easy enough to replace, but shortening the cable didn't help matters as the original lines for the monitors were always too short for how I wear my MP3 player. In general though, the cables always did one consistent thing: 7"-8" of the wire near the ear buds would become stiff after 4-5 months. No idea if this was from UV exposure, or sweat from my hair, I was never able to pinned it down. This happened consistently with all of their wires regardless of the black, white, or clear models.This might not sound like a big deal, but those stiff wires literally cost me a pair of Super.Fi 5 Pros, because it put strain on the plastic housing of the driver where the cable connects, in a twisting motion. After years of faithful beautiful audio output, the connector twisted out of the driver housing, solely due the stiff wire putting additional torque where it should've flexed and moved. Logitech didn't care a bit, about their cables, or what they did to expensive drivers.On to the FiiO RC-UE1. I was worried that they wouldn't fit right because they don't have the memory wire in the last 2"-3" near the drivers, but after putting them on today I'm mad I didn't pay a little more a long time ago. No more bending or twisting the cable end so my drivers are snug, these heavier coated wires flex smoothly and allow my drivers to sit naturally in my ears, achieving the "ear plugs" feel that I love without hassle. Obviously because they flex they won't have the "memorized hook" the original wires provide, but they bend so well it doesn't need it. I feel this will be better in the long run so it's not putting additional stress on the driver's outer frame as well.This cable simply feels sturdier, and is a few inches longer than the original UE cable, which is a huge plus for me. The 3.5mm jack feels of good quality, even if it seems a little large for the cables. As of right now, day 1, I would buy these again if I screwed up the wires some how, but it'll take some time to see if these become stiff like the original UE's line did, which I don't think it will because the material seems so different. If it starts to stiffen, I will update this review with the details.I looked around for alternatives to UE's terrible original cables on several occasions before, and there's vague sites with fancy descriptions here or there. From what I saw the "custom" cables for aftermarket replacements started in the $80 price range on the low end, boasting exotic wire materials that some how made electrons care about the path the current will travel over 4.2 feet of metal as it completes the circuit and transmits beautiful sound to your ears. Look up what a placebo is, and why M-nster Cab1es are such a huge scam, same thing with fancy audio cables. Even if the lines make a difference, most people can't physically distinguish or depict those minute details anyway, and that would be assuming the music they're listening to isn't degraded and coming out of really high end equipment.Save your money, get these, you won't regret it.------------UPDATE: 2012-04-04Been wearing these constantly, and no sign of stiffening yet. I added some nylon braided sleeving to the lower half of the cables, to try and increase the durability, but I'm kind of regretting it because of the added weight constantly pulling on my ears. On that note, I do miss the wire inserts of the original cables on occasion, particularly after long listening sessions when the silicon adapters of the buds get a bit slick, or if there's a lot of movement. Easily cleared up with a quick wiping of my ears and the buds.One other annoyance is how big the plug is. It's of great quality, but excessively long. Kinda wish there was a right-angle option without me having to re-wire it.Still no regrets in my purchase.------------UPDATE: 2012-09-17My right ear just went out, so these lasted 9 months for me. At first I thought it was my Super.Fi 5 Pros. Over the time I've owned this pair they've cracked and split, and they're held together by epoxy now. I coated most of surface, to compensate for the thin failing plastic of my buds. Glad I switched the channels to check.Really wish the connector wasn't so big, or that it came with a right-angle option. I've crushed the jack several times, bending the 1/8" connector slightly. It wouldn't stay straight, so I epoxied the phono plug straight, that seemed to fix the issue. Probably going to attach my own right-angle on my next set.9 months and the outer rubber still isn't stiffening, I still can't recommend these enough. From another review the company is said to know about the issue of failing leads, and attempted to resolve it months ago. Buying my 2nd set right now, even if they didn't resolve it it's worth the lowered price of $24.------------UPDATE: 2012-10-06Turns out I was an overly hopeful idiot about not having to get another set of headphones, my right ear bud was the problem, and IS going out. Also, when I first got the cables, apparently I too thought the crimped section for the bud connectors looked flimsy, and had super-glued the little pressure-point holes in an attempt to hold the outer jacket in place.So my original cables are still good, and I have a spare set now. So just I need to keep an eye out for some cheapened Triple.Fi 10s, since Super.Fi 5 Pros are a rare overpriced commodity as of this writing.

This is the second time I've had to replace the cord on my Audio Technica (legacy Ultimate Ears 3i's) IEMs. While they're not the $250 plus Super Fi 10s, they're still my all-time favorite earphones I've ever owned. They've always sounded great, until the cord takes a crap on me. The first cord lasted like 2 and a half years, then the rigid wires closest to the ear bud started to work its way out of the insulation. Soon, the whole thing was a de-laminated mess, finally losing signal to the buds themselves. I bought Logitech's replacement cord.. very similar in construction but they never became de-laminated... rather one side just was at like half volume one day (after about a year and a half). I could make them sound nearly perfect fora few days by slightly twisting the cord relief thingy at the center of the "Y" in the cable. But that was Mickey Mouse.So I found these here on Amazon, and even with no reviews stated that ANYONE has gotten more that 2 or 3 years service from them, I wanted my IEMs to work. They arrived when they were s'posed to, and I hooked em up, making sure that I got them in phase with each other. These cord ends have a slight angle to them, which helps to direct the cables into position that's more likely to stay put in my ears. I still need to slide the little piece up under my chin to create a slight bit of pressure on the cords so they stay in place. True, the rigid wires worked better to keep them in place, but that was the weak point on at least my first cord, if not both! When I plugged the newly assembled IEMs into my Samsung Android phone and queued up some music, I couldn't believe it!! They were AT LEAST twice as loud as they EVER were before!! I dunno HOW these cords could actually CREATE VOLUME, but they do!! I enjoy my music at a goodly volume, and my Creative ZEN player has been at the max volume setting more than a few times in the 10 plus years I've owned it. But with this cord on my old fave AT (UE 3i's), I can't raise it up even to 20 on the volume scale with 25 being max. The dynamics sound crisper, the gain is far superior, I LOVE ITT!! I had to go into my EQ settings and dial back the lowest lows and highest highs to get the best sound from that player. I've had the same EQ settings as a default for years till this cord came to me.

The cable is of pretty high quality, and I've noticed that it makes my TripleFi IEMs sound a little smoother, more warm than they do with the stock cable (which is fine with me, though some may not like it). The cable is thick and doesn't tangle, and I like the way the bud connectors are angled rather than straight as with the original. I don't particularly like the design of the connector on the end as there isn't any strain relief; the cable was frequently sitting at a 90 degree angle against the end of the jack while in my pocket. I don't imagine it would hold up terribly well in the long term, and it's that oversight that prompted me to dock a star.Unfortunately, my first cable had a flawed 1/8" connector on the end; the ring-sleeve structure of the tip wasn't stable, and started shifting and bending after around five days of use. Rather than wait for the four or five days it'd take to exchange it, I cut the end off and replaced it with a connector from RadioShack, and what I have now is probably as close to perfect as such a thing can get. I also ordered a second cable to have in reserve, and I will probably go ahead and replace the end on that one as well, though it doesn't appear to have the same flaw. (The RadioShack jack is just superior in terms of design, and includes a spring sheathe for strain relief.)I can't comment on the issue other people seem to have involving the cable coming apart at the bud jacks, as I've only had the cable around two weeks. I'll be sure to update if I encounter it.UPDATE: 12/7/2012Still no sign of the cable separating from the bud connectors as described in the other reviews, and I think I would have by now if it was going to happen; I wear my Triple.Fis 40+ hours a week while working, which comes out to more than 800 hours of heavy use since the time of purchase.

So yes, a little miffed that the original cable did not last forever on expensive earphones. The daily grind to work on public transport and by foot is intolerable without them though. The decision to buy the 'phones in the first place was influenced by the option of a replaceable cable after two pairs of cheaper headphones died in the same way. At least there are replacement cables on offer.This replacement cable is thicker than the original and lacks the reinforced bendable over the ear section. I actually prefer this though as the cable conforms over the ear better. I find I get less noise on walking with these than with the original, it's a bit shorter and doesn't get caught up so much.One down side is that the jack plug is set straight at the cable end rather than set at 90 degrees. It's obtrusive and not a good fit for when the player is in a jeans pocket for example.I could convince myself that the sound is better, but it's subjective and not as good as the  Logitech UE 900 Noise Isolating Earphones  which I borrowed in the interim. All in all, a good buy to get your  Ultimate Ears Triple fi 10 - Metallic Blue  back on the road. Should you have to ? That's a different story. Logitech UE 900 Noise Isolating EarphonesUltimate Ears Triple fi 10 - Metallic Blue

It seems to have a decent build quality but in some ways feels overkill for in-earphones that I use with an iPod or phone. For example, the size of the headphone jack and the thickness of the cable.On the other hand, it doesn't tangle and I do enjoy the texture of the cable.I had did have a couple of the cheaper Ultimate Ears replacement cables in the past and they only lasted a year or two before breaking at the point near the earphone connection, where you can reshape the wire to fit around your ear. This cable doesn't have that but it's not a problem for me.I've only had this wire a couple of months so it remains to be seen how long it will last but so far so good.*** I decided to edit my review. The cable has now developed the fault that I believe others experienced, that is, the wire seems to have become damaged near the jack connector and the cable is now unusable. Knowing this potential weakness I tried to be careful but in the end that wasn't enough. I put the review to two stars rather than one because the other good points to the cable still count. I suspect that anyone who doesn't use this with an mp3 player that sits in their pocket would get more use out of it, it's lasted only 6 months for me and really isn't up to the job. I would now say that the Ultimate Ears brand replacement cables are better purely because they last longer. ***

Without a doubt, I prefer this cable to the stock one. I currently own triple-fi 10s, and previously owned pro 5s. Some reviewers claim these are stiff, but that simply isn't true. They are much thicker and heavier than the stock cable, but they are much softer, and more flexible. If you own the original one, you'll know that you can have it for years, and the original packing kinks never fully come out of the cable.These drape nicely over the ear, and the weight of the cable eliminates the need for the stiff wire around the ear. It feels solid and well made. My original cable was on the fritz a little, so I was most likely experiencing some signal degradation, but with the replacement cable they definitely sound as good as new. Well recommended. If you are buying ultimate ears for the first time, and have a bit more spare cash, then you wouldn't go amiss buying this cable along with them, as it really is more comfortable imo. The only reason I give a four star rating, instead of five, is because I haven't had them long enough to fully test the durability, though I expect they will be worthy of a five.

There are undoubtedly issues with this cable as other reviewers have pointed out. The cable is so heavy-gauge that, even though the 3.5mm plug is pretty substantial too, without taking great care in handling it is possible to inadvertently damage this junction.I happen to be a big fan of the UE10 - I've had a few over the years (losing pairs to thieves & voracious puppies - not through any manufacturing fault). You will only be reading this if you've encountered the exasperating problems with the standard cable.Do not be put off by the negative reviews.I was going to buy a pair of UE900s (may still do so) and already have a pair of B&W P5s which are rather likeable and definitely more robust (really good soundstage but lacking the UE10s range & clarity) - but giving my UE10s another chance with this cable has been a revelation.Wow! What an improvement. My UE10s (powered by a Cowon Z2) are now even approaching my full-blown home system's Grado SR325is. Yes they are that good. This level of audio performance for me outweighs the cable's shortcomings.

Had high hopes for this cable as this is now my 3rd cable (including original cable) for my ultimate ears triple fi's! Unfortunately, as with some other reviewers here the cable has failed, after only 5 months in my case.The 3.5mm plug into my phone (note, getting same problem when plugging into PC so problem not with phone) appears to have a loose connection now such that the sound is not coming through the left headphone without jiggling the cable about to get it into a certain position. Ironically, the FiiO 3.5mm plug looked to be much more robust on this cable than previous replacements I've had in the past.Having now spent over £50 on cables I'm wondering whether just to cut my losses and buy a different set of earphones. As much I love the sound from my triple fi's, I've come to the conclusion that there aren't any cables out their that are fit for purpose i.e. when I'm paying £25+ for a cable I expect it to last longer than 5 months!