Pros:
- Spacious sound
- Great transparency
- Great build quality
Cons:
- MMCX connectors are strangely tight
- Some audible overlap on upper mids to treble transition
Introduction:
TinHIFI is, by now, a well known company in the portable audio industry. They were made famous by their T2 which was a big hit. As of writing this review, TinHIFI is exclusively producing IEMs, with their T series utilizing dynamic drivers exclusively, except for the T3 which has a hybrid driver setup, and their P series which uses planar magnetic drivers. The T2 Evo is the third iteration of the T2, and currently retails for 49 USD. The T2 Evo was provided to me for free by TinHIFI in exchange for this review.
Specifications:
Driver unit: 1 10 mm dynamic, carbon composite diaphragm
Impedance: 32 ohms
Sensitivity: 93 dB
Frequency response range: 10 Hz - 20 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
...and a lot more.
Unboxing and Accessories:
The T2 Evo comes in a white rectangular box. Upon opening, you will see the T2 Evo earphones inserted in a block of foams. Lifting the foams up will reveal the accessories; a black drawstring pouch, the cable, instruction manual, warranty card, a single pair of foam tips, and 5 pairs of silicone eartips, with the 6th pair already attached to the earphones. One thing to note about the eartips is that it has a stem design similar to Spinfits.
Build:
The shells are made of metal with some sort of a matte finish so it doesn't smudged by your fingers easily. The faceplates have a single vent, and embossed with a curve that is colored red and blue to indicate the right and left side respectively. At the rear side of the shell there is another vent, and the nozzles with a metal mesh filter and a lip to hold eartips in place.
The cable is an 8-core twisted silver plated copper which is a bit thinner than usual but feels well made nonetheless. It is soft, lightweight and easily manageable. The MMCX connectors are made of metal which really, really tight and very hard to remove once inserted. The splitter and 3.5mm gold plated plug are made of metal as well, while the chin slider is made of plastic.
Now let's get to the sound.
Lows:
The lows come in with a light approach. Subbass depth is great, however, the rumble and impact doesn't have much weight to them. The decay is on the average side but sometimes it seems to dissipate quicker due to the dominance of the mids. The midbass is placed a little more forward than the subbass, and has adequate thickness.
Overall, the lows are the least audible division in the T2 Evo's sound. But on some very bassy tracks, the bass can go really deep. It seems that the driver TinHIFI used is capable of producing impactful lows but they just tuned it to be this way.
Mids:
The mids are obviously takes the spotlight in the T2 Evo's sound. The mids feel spacious, transparent, with a very good amount of air between the voices and the instruments. It also slightly leans on the thin side, with the upper mids having that familiar elevation. Despite that, aggressiveness in this section is non-existent.
Overall, this is the most enjoyable part of the T2 Evo's sound. Female vocals are presented nicely with that extra bump in the upper mids and while it doesn't get shouty at all, the upper mids sometimes hinder some frequencies especially the bass and lower treble.
Highs:
The highs, just like the mids, have a noticeable elevation. Lead guitars and cymbals sound solid with an above average level of crunch in them. The reach in the treble and the accompanying decay are both slightly above average, but there are times where the lower treble gets drowned out by the mids.
Overall, the highs provide a great amount of sparkle to the T2 Evo's sound. However, the treble lacks a bit in the upper reach to present some small details vividly and satisfy the trebleheads.
Soundstage and Imaging:
The stage has an above average expansion, with the height and depth expanding equally. Imaging has good clarity, while layering and instrument separation are great. However, sometimes they get affected by the mids in instances where it overpowers the highs. Congestion, on the other hand, is at the minimal even in complex tracks.
Comparisons:
TinHIFI T2 Evo (1 DD, 49 USD) vs. BQEYZ KC2 (2 DD + 2 BA, 55 USD)
Both of them have the same level of loudness for the same level of volume. The KC2 has more rumble quantity in the subbass, but the T2 Evo reaches significantly deeper. Midbass is about the same in terms of impact and weight. In the mids, the T2 Evo has better articulation. Vocals are more forward with the KC2 but the T2 Evo has better clarity. As for the highs, the T2 Evo has a bit longer decay, but KC2 has the better reach. Soundstage has more width in the T2 Evo, while the height seems to be just the same.
Conclusion:
I have tried most of TinHIFI's T series of IEMs before. That includes T1, T2, T3 and the T4, with the exception of the reiterations of the same model number like the T1 Plus, T2 Pro and so on. All of them had the same sound signature, and that is being neutral that slightly leans to being bright. The T2 Evo right here is no exception, carrying the signature that runs in the family.
Tags:
In-Ear Monitors