M-Audio offers up triple-driver IE-40 earbuds

Those scouting a fancy new set of earbuds will be delighted to hear that M-Audio's latest are shipping now, and on paper, they certainly look swell. The IE-40s sport a triple-armature driver design for separate high-, mid- and low-frequency reproduction, an integrated passive crossover network, 26dB isolation from outside noise, a dark chrome motif and a dual-bore design that reportedly "delivers highs and lows via separate canals." You'll also get a swank carrying case, an extension cable, a full set of tips and a 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch adapter. 'Course, you'll be laying down a cool $499.95 to take these home, but we never said quality came cheap.

[Via DigitalMediaThoughts]

[Blakamin @ Oct 16th 2007 1:15PM]

Holy Shiat!!! They'd want to sound like the band was in your ears for that price! Lucky I'm a cheap pr*ck, I'll be sticking with my SkullCandy smokin buds.

[Kurt MacD @ Oct 16th 2007 6:02PM]

I'd be awefully terrified if they could fit a band in my ear.

[NSoria @ Oct 16th 2007 1:21PM]

Mmmm... looks like I'll have a replacement for my e4c s when the price hits about 350 on ebay :)

[NSoria @ Oct 16th 2007 1:22PM]

Mmmm... looks like I'll have a replacement for my e4c s when the price hits about 350 on ebay :)

[ihavetinyballs @ Oct 16th 2007 1:34PM]

Don't trade your Shure phones for these AVID/M-AUDIO $hit phones. M-Audio sucks, Shure is a million times better.

[eboychik @ Oct 16th 2007 1:41PM]

Still don't look as good as my Ultimate Ears UE10 Pros (damn - now they've got the 11pros!)

[Steven @ Oct 16th 2007 1:35PM]

HUGE are they anyway! Is it Ultimare ears who makes these? Same form factor..

[bannas @ Oct 16th 2007 4:15PM]

yes UE makes them, they are just rebranded Triple.fi

[bombastinator @ Oct 16th 2007 1:41PM]

Really? I had no idea I had separate high and low ear canals. In fact neither did medical science!

I guess the company has either made an earth shattering discovery about mammalian anatomy, or they added a useless feature designed to suck you into paying more for a set of ear buds.

[Jacob @ Oct 16th 2007 1:48PM]

Separate canals on the phones themselves. Please, don't be a tool.

I've been very happy with all the M-Audio equipment I've purchased (sound cards, MIDI controlers, software, etc.). Pretty sure these phones would be top notch, but I could never imagine myself dropping 5 bennys on a set of earbuds...

[Cagrino @ Oct 16th 2007 1:55PM]

Did you even read the article...

The section "Patented Dual-Bore Design" clearly is talking about canals in the earphones and not YOUR ear canals.

*shakes head*

[bombastinator @ Oct 16th 2007 1:57PM]

I know that. The only reason "seperate canals",coming from a single speaker I might add, would do anything at all is if we actually had separate high and low ear canals. After the sound exits the ear bud in the outer ear the sound is totally mixed up. There is no way this "feature" can do anything useful.

[bombastinator @ Oct 16th 2007 2:21PM]

as an addition to the previous post IMHO this dual canal feature is designed to appeal to the concept that better speakers have more than one cone. this is actually true in large speakers. a cone dedicated to a given frequency can be optimized for that frequency. If a single cone is used, however, there is little that can be done.

It's about injecting the odor of multiple speakers since ear buds cannot actually provide them.

There is a lot of BS in the the speaker industry. High end audiois about 90% marketing

I worked for a company for a short time that produced automotive speakers. This is how model fabrication worked:

The graphic/industrial designer would think up a concept that sounded cool and looked visually "badass" (it was a corporate term there. Much like Micro$oft and "innovate")

AFTER the speaker design was finalized, the design would be whisked over to production where it would be very quickly sent through a program designed to make sure the speaker "worked" and which would make small adjustments in the design if necessary. This software was so old it ran on a 286 machine. The most expensive part of the speaker, not infrequently above 50% of the cost, was generally the grill and paint work. the actual enclosure and speaker(s) were minor costs.

[KR @ Oct 16th 2007 1:42PM]

M-Audio actually uses Ultimate Ears tech in their earphones. I've found M-Audio's stuff to be good across the board, and these should be no different.

Although, these IE-40 seem very similar to the UE triple.fi 10 Pro earphones, which go for $400, rather than the $500 for the M-Audios. So, if you're in the market, you might wanna check out UE directly...

[KR @ Oct 16th 2007 1:45PM]

It's not that your ears have separate canals, it's that you can get better precision when you have separate drivers dedicated to a certain frequency range.

Just like your home stereo system will likely have a subwoofer, a mid-range woofer, and a tweeter, with each speaker covering it's own area of the frequency spectrum.

It means you don't have to force all frequencies out of a single driver and increase your chances of distortion.

But you enjoy your medical science.

[bombastinator @ Oct 16th 2007 3:22PM]

One Earbud. One driver cone.

I have seen references to multiple "armatures". these are apparently multiple drive magnets attached to a single drive cone. One is attatched to the center of the drive cone and the other affects the outer edge.

While it looks clever and complicated I am not at all convinced it actually does anything. It is possible this system may in fact actually improve sound, but I am having a great deal of trouble actually finding any numbers, which does not bode well.

If it did anything concrete The drive cone would need to stretch to accommodate the different vibrations. Stretching is not a good thing in speakers.

In times of old speaker cones in earbud headphones were made of mylar. This material would eventually stretch out from the vibration, making the headphones last for about 3 weeks of heavy use before their sound quality degraded significantly. At that time if you wanted good sound it was better to buy a pile of bargain bin headphones and assume they were each good for a month than buy some high end ones since in three weeks they would be sounding worse than some brand new cheapos.

This was a long time ago and I understand things have changed. Ductile metal cones may help with the stretching issue for instance.

I'll believe it when and only when I see the research though. The BS level is just too high in this industry to trust anything until empirical testing is done.

[Teve Torbes @ Oct 16th 2007 1:46PM]

These are just rebranded Ultimate Ears Triple.Fi 10 with a $100 premium (though I like the silver and black of the M-Audio's better than the metallic blue the UE's come in). If you look at the other M-Audio headphones, you'll see this isn't the first Ultimate Ears rebadge they've done.

ihavetinybals, M-Audio phones are not 'shit', just overpriced.

NSoria, eBay has Triple.Fi 10s for $360 if you really want these now.

Blakamin, if you ever heard real IEMs (especially triple driver IEMs like these or Shure E500s) you'd know how much better these are than SkullCandy's 'bass and nothing else' earphones.

[Blakamin @ Oct 17th 2007 1:17AM]

Actually, I used to record and mix for bands and have had some excellent Shure IEMs... but with the job I'm doing these days, there is no way I would spend more than $30 on anything that could get easily broken. (working with expensive machinery in an extremely tough outdoor enviroment)

[KR @ Oct 16th 2007 1:47PM]

That was @ bombastinator, for the record.

[ihavetinyballs @ Oct 16th 2007 1:58PM]

Actually m-audio doesn't make anything themselfs its all oem and rebrands. Avid / M-Audio blow. Crappy everything. Shure is much better.

[Jeff Tronti @ Oct 16th 2007 2:03PM]

"Actually m-audio doesn't make anything themselfs its all oem and rebrands. Avid / M-Audio blow. Crappy everything. Shure is much better."

Thats funny because my friend is a EE there. I guess he gets paid to sit around.

[Wyze @ Oct 16th 2007 2:03PM]

yeah....I make music on a high end production machine ( mpc-1000) didn't cost that much....I also use ableton live ( a pretty robust computer based music production program) also didn't cost that much......I use it on my mac powerbook pro which i got from the apple store on sale for less than that much....the cost of listening to my own quality productions? ( http://myspace.com/wyfy) priceless....cant see paying more than it cost me to make good music to listen to someone else's ...mind you I do appreciate high end equipment..and quality....but I have some pioneer ear bud monitors which sound awsome paid $80 for those...and as mentioned above i have some skull candy smokin buds....while i can tell the difference they are also pretty dag on good.....sometimes I think the only people who will be allowed to live in the Jetsons age are the Rockefellers of the world.....tech should bring people together ....not divide by pricing the good stuff out of reach....they are probably outstanding quality the price however keeps em way up on the shelf and out of reach to someone like myself who could appreciate them........

[ihavetinyballs @ Oct 16th 2007 2:39PM]

"Thats funny because my friend is a EE there. I guess he gets paid to sit around."

I guess so then. Apparently he does get paid to sit around, because either he/she or you are lying. EE's at M-Audio just do repairs, they do not design anything.


Former M-Audio Exec.

[ihavetinyballs @ Oct 16th 2007 2:17PM]

"Thats funny because my friend is a EE there. I guess he gets paid to sit around."

I guess so then. Apparently he does get paid to sit around, because either he/she or you are lying. EE's at M-Audio just do repairs, they do not design anything.


Really "cool" headphones that stick out more than an inch and a half from your ears.

p.s. These headphones cost M-Audio $23.50 a pair and that includes shipping to them from Shanghai
Former M-Audio Exec.

[foundationiv @ Oct 16th 2007 2:53PM]

Wow, you really know how to name drop. And while I haven't heard your tracks yet, your MPC is the most inexpensive ever built (high end?). And Ableton Live! is a great DJ tool (robust? for who, DJ SuperFresh?). Aside from this, the most expensive piece in my rig is the monitors (no name drop necessary). If you can't hear what you're mixing, the most expensive hardware in the world will sound like butt. While it's debatable that you can successfully mix with earphones it's not a good idea. Hearing loss would be almost the worse thing that could happen you.

Keep it movin.

[trey @ Oct 16th 2007 3:03PM]

Retail Prices...
MPC-1000: $1,000
Ableton Live: $500
MacBook Pro Refurb: $1,700

Maybe you read the price wrong? They are $500. They are also just a rebranded version of the Ultimate Ears triple.fi 10 Pro buds at $400.

It's worth it to ear the nuance in your recordings.

[Preston @ Oct 16th 2007 2:24PM]

I was interested till I saw the price.

[chris fredette @ Oct 18th 2007 6:15PM]

preston I will buy your red 2G nano for $140. I couldn't find a way to email you directly and this is you last post I could reply to. [e-mail]

[TDG01 @ Oct 16th 2007 2:58PM]

I've got a pair of Shure E5c....they're amazing....it's almost inconceivable that anything can sound better...but I'm "sure" it is....

Why would anyone chose these over a pair of Shures? Not being sarcastic...serious question....is there a compelling reason?

[trey @ Oct 16th 2007 3:13PM]

The Shure e5c is an old design. They have released a new line of IEM that surpass the quality of the old EC line (see the 3 driver SE530). The other IEM manufacturers make compelling products that rival or surpass the sound quality of the Shure product (see Etymotics, Ultimate Ears). Ultimate Ears will even take a custom mold of your ear canal and build your monitors inside.

[TDG01 @ Oct 16th 2007 9:24PM]

according to this independent review...and they seem independent....shure ranks highest...though i realize that everyone's tastes and preferences are different....you can also get custom ear molds with the shure stuff...as I have them for my e5s

http://www.earphonesolutions.com/beeaforip.html

[ihavetinyballs @ Oct 16th 2007 3:13PM]

to: WYZE


never heard of you, probably never will. No one cares about your equipment, regardless of how cheap, or shitty it is.

Skull Candy....they sell that shit at toysRus

[bombastinator @ Oct 16th 2007 4:03PM]

I think he was showing that the stuff he uses is in fact inexpensive, and was mentioned merely as examples to point out how pointless it is to buy Ear buds that cost more than the equipment used to make the music.
It might also show how trained his ear is. People who spend a lot of time using a particular sense day in and day out often developed increased sensitivity. Chefs and wine makers are good examples of this. It is possible that the guy may do enough of this to have refined his ear somewhat. Your statement does imply that he may be more of a hobbyist though in which case his ear may not be significantly developed and his opinion may have less weight than it might.

[Jesse S @ Oct 16th 2007 4:27PM]

Skullcandies are overpriced shit. At least Bose headphones are just overpriced. But Skullcandies are actually BAD. And overpriced to hell.

I'm happy with my LiveWires.

The best canal phones are LiveWires, and Future Sonics. Nothing else compares to them.

[ihavetinyballs @ Oct 16th 2007 4:38PM]

I know your not promoting skull candy loser. I am just saying its funny you use ToysRus headphones and your pretending to be a professional. I guess it does not pay well to do what you do.

I take it, you DJ for free, like a garage band DJ or something. I understand the difference between talent, skill, and good equipment. Clearly the music is horrible so maybe you can make it sound a little bit better with some better gear. Banging on a toy drum isn't better than a real drum set, regardless of how good you are. Or in this case, how bad you are.

word to ya motha

[Magallanes @ Oct 16th 2007 4:58PM]

$499.95 ??

ouch! that's hurt.

[Leon @ Oct 16th 2007 5:22PM]

$500 to slowly go deaf? I think I'll pass. And you audiophiles who would spend $500 on EARBUDS are stupid. The marginal increase in quality cannot be worth it at all. You can get a semi-decent HDTV for that price.

[Gabe @ Oct 16th 2007 8:53PM]

Leon you foool.... have you ever tried on iems? guess not. youre prolly an ipod fan who had 50cent earbuds in your ears forever and feels satisfied with the crap sound

[Tyler @ Oct 16th 2007 5:24PM]

These are just an M-Audio rebadge. UE Makes these for M-Audio, end of story. UE isn't itself a bad company, and I'm sure these are excellent canalphones, but they've already been released.

UE, in fact, had all their products made by another company for a long time. That company is called Westone, and they also make hearing aids. They introduced a "triple driver" canalphone a few months ago, and it is simply wonderful.

I've not heard the M-Audio, but I've heard quite a few canalphones (including the UE's the M-Audio is modeled on), and the Westone UM3 is both the best sounding and by far the most comfortable. If you are seriously considering spending $500 on canalphones, please also consider these.

As always, if you even the most passing interest in headphones, http://www.head-fi.org is the place to be.

[Tyler @ Oct 16th 2007 5:31PM]

And seriously, Leon, can you display your ignorance any more proudly? These aren't earbuds, they're canalphones. They create a seal in your ear that acts as passive noise cancellation. People buy these, in other words, to prevent themselves from going deaf. They're like earplugs with speakers in them.

Plus, I've been gone for a few months, but last I checked there was nothing "semi-decent" about a $500 HDTV. That's the bottom of the barrel for HDTVs. Come on, Leon. You owe yourself more than this. Treat yourself to something nice, not just whatever's on the bottom shelf at Circuit City.

[Wyze @ Oct 17th 2007 9:35AM]

dear ihavetinyballs.....uh nevermind your handle kinda says it all eh?.....your point?...i am not promoting skull candy....i'm advocating better pricing dick breath....

[bombastinator @ Oct 16th 2007 4:14PM]

While I assume advocating lower cost dick breath may be appreciated in certain circles, I would assume the cost of acquiring dick breath varies greatly from person to person, as evidenced by that recently famous lawmaker.


P.S. Sorry, No offense. It just amused me too much not to say.

[Interested Party @ Oct 17th 2007 3:35PM]

These earpieces do indeed have three individual speakers in each ear. They are balanced armature drivers -- no cones -- and they have separate magnets, coils, etc.

As someone else mentioned, "dual bore" refers to two bores or channels leading from each earpiece into the user's ear. This is patented by UE and does make a difference in the sound.

[Peter D. Lai @ Nov 18th 2007 1:16PM]

FWIW, these can be found on eBay for $350-400 new.

[ktisma @ Jan 10th 2008 6:40PM]

I know, I'm late to the party...

Setting the record straight - IE-40's are 399.99 street price (check your local Guitar Center), 499.99 is MSRP. They are a collab with UE - and the technology is the same as their Triple.fi 10 Pro.

M-Audio DOES design their own product, and the EE's are hardly just repair tech's.

Making up facts makes you a liar. Resist the temptation.