Pros:
- Excellent price to performance ratio
- Great build quality
- Great accessories
Cons:
- Mediocre isolation
- Fit is sometimes weird
Introduction:
Tingker is a relatively new company that is based in China, and is actually the sister company of Audiosense. The TK300 is currently their top model in their TK series. It has a hybrid driver configuration with 2 Knowles balanced armature and 1 dynamic driver. It has an SRP of 99 USD. The TK300 was provided to me for free by Tingker in exchange for this review. It is available for purchase now in AliExpress.
Specifications:
Drivers: 9.7mm dynamic driver + dual balanced armature driver
Impedance: 18 ohms
Sensitivity: 105 dB +/- 3 dB
Frequency range: 20 Hz - 22 kHz
Source:
Poco X3 paired with iBasso DC03 and Shanling UA1
Test tracks:
Africano - Earth Wind and Fire
Dark Necessities - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Gurenge - Lisa
The Chain - Fleetwood Mac
Monsters - All Time Low
Ours - Taylor Swift
Stay - Mayday Parade
Snuff - Slipknot
Yesterday Once More - Carpenters
So Slow - Freestyle
Aurora Sunrise - Franco
Attention - Pentatonix
Blue Bird - Ikimono-gakari
You're Still The One - Shania Twain
Anyone Who Knows What Love Is(Will Understand) - Irma Thomas
Salamin - Slapshock
AOV - Slipknot
Hey Jude - The Beatles
The Way You Make Me Feel - Michael Jackson
Build:
The shell is made of aluminum with a plastic ring that holds the MMCX connection port. It does not get smudged by your fingerprints unlike other IEMs with a metal shell. There is a vent on the faceplate and another, smaller one on the other side near the nozzle.
The cable is the very same cable that you will get when you buy an Audiosense IEM. It is an 8 core silver plated copper. It is lightweight, very soft, and braided tightly. The L-type plug is made of hard rubber, the splitter and chin slider are metal, while the male MMCX connectors are plastic.
Lows:
The lows are full bodied and have a huge presence. Subbass reaches very deep, with a slow decay that carries through the midbass. Midbass is well rounded, has great texture and has above average weight to its punch. On some bass heavy tracks, there is minimal bleed to the mids.
Overall, the lows of the TK300 will satisfy most bassheads. One thing I like to point out is that while the midbass has major elevation, it is still controlled in a way that it doesn't induce fatigue or headache when listening for extended periods of time.
Mids:
The mids have a recessed presentation, accompanied by an average level of thickness. The recession is more prominent in the male vocals, while the female vocals are slightly more upfront without sounding aggressive or shouty.
Overall, the mids take a hit because of the presence of the lows, but thanks to the boost in the female vocals, the mids still have something to show for and does not sound completely bland.
Highs:
The highs are slightly forward and have an excellent level of sparkle. Upper treble reach is above average, with a decay that is rather slow and a very good amount of extension. Despite the highs having this substantial elevation, it never sounded harsh nor sibilant.
Overall, the highs of the TK300 adds a lot of vibrancy to the music. It presents details that are may be missed with neutral or midcentric gears, yet just like the lows, it is controlled and can be listened to for long periods of time without problems.
Soundstage and Imaging:
The stage expansion is above average, with more focus on the width than the height. Imaging has great accuracy, but as the tracks get busier, there is a fair amount of congestion. Layering and instrument separation are above average as well.
Conclusion:
The V-shaped sound signature is arguably the most common and most popular signature of them all. Some companies make the mistake of going overboard with the bass and treble, but that's not the case with the TK300. Tingker did the V-shaped signature correctly by giving the spotlight to the bass and treble but not going over the top with them. The TK300, with its overall technical performance, can stand its ground in the densely populated $100 price range.
Tags:
In-Ear Monitors