Pros:
- Beautifully designed
- Well-balanced sound
- Great price to performance ratio
Cons:
- None
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 T3 Plus is the second iteration of the T3, and currently retails for 69 USD. The T3 Plus was provided to me for free by KeepHIFI in exchange for this review.
Specifications:
Driver units: 10 mm dynamic, liquid crystal polymer diaphragm
Impedance: 32 ohms
Sensitivity: 105 dB
Frequency response range: 10 Hz - 20 kHz
Source:
Poco X3 paired with FiiO KA3, iBasso DC03, Shanling UA1, Tempotec Sonata E35 and Zishan U1
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 T3 Plus comes in a medium sized white box which has a side opening. The inner box has a top lid where a QR code card and the instruction manual are inserted. Underneath are the earphones resting on foams, with medium silicone eartips already attached. Right next to it is a smaller, rectangular box that contains the cable with a velcro strap, a drawstring cloth pouch, and two sets of silicone eartips.
Build:
The shells are made of UV-cured resin. The faceplate has this glittery, marble design that reminds me of the See Audio Bravery. The faceplate also sports the TinHIFI logo. Right now if you browse the T3 Plus' product page in any store, you will notice that the faceplate has a "TINHIFI" text instead of the logo. This is because they decided to change it for some reason. At the top portion of the shell, there is a single vent. At the rear side of the shell there are printed R and L indicators and another vent at the center of the driver. It can be noticed that the dynamic driver is placed closer to the nozzle compared to most IEMs. The nozzle is a separate piece and is made of metal. Additional to the lip, the nozzle is also wider than usual, so eartips are locked in place. The nozzle also has a metal mesh filter.
The cable is a twisted 4-core oxygen-free copper which is the same cable that comes with the TinHIFI T5. It is soft, and a little thinner than average but feels durable enough. The 0.78 mm 2 pin connectors, splitter, chin slider, and the 3.5 mm gold plated plug are all made of metal.
Now let's get to the sound.
Lows:
The lows are presented in a rich manner. Subbass is forward and noticeably has more focus than the midbass. Subbass reaches very deep, accompanied by a slightly elevated amount of decay. Midbass is tighter in comparison, with a sufficient weight and slam that never interferes with the mids.
Overall, TinHIFI changed how the lows are tuned in the T3 Plus. Before, most of their IEMs have tight, fast rumbles and hard-hitting midbass. Now with the T3 Plus, the lows have much more substance, with a more vibrant sounding midbass.
Mids:
The mids are placed at just the right spot; not forward nor recessed. Vocals have a slightly above average level of articulation. There is a small bump in the upper mids that makes female vocals partially more forward than the male ones. Acoustic guitars, pianos, and other instruments sound lively and has an added shimmer to them.
Overall, the mids of the T3 Plus is tailored to perform better on tracks with a female vocalist. But, although very minor and pretty much negligible, that small upper mids boost can sometimes give a hint of aggressiveness in some tracks.
Highs:
The highs also exhibit a slight emphasis. Treble reach is adequate while the decay is noticeably extended. On some tracks, the upper treble has a tendency to sound a little grainy, especially in genres like rock or metal.
Overall, the highs are reminiscent of TinHIFI's previous offerings. Sufficient details are present but the elevation is focused more on the lower treble; a safe option especially for treble sensitive people.
Soundstage and Imaging:
The stage has an adequate amount of space. The width has a very, very slight edge over the height. Imaging has great accuracy and clarity. Instrument separation and layering are great as well, with each instrument having substantial airiness in between them. And since the three major frequencies are fairly balanced and harmonious, there is only minimal congestion even in complex tracks.
Comparisons:
TinHIFI T3 Plus (1 DD, 69 USD) vs. TinHIFI T2 Evo (1 DD, 49 USD)
As expected, the T3 Plus has more meaty lows. Subbass depth is identical but the volume in the rumble and the decay is much greater in the T3 Plus. Same thing with the midbass. The T3 Plus has thicker, stronger midbass slam. In the mids, they have the same timbre. However, the mids of the T2 sound slightly thinner. In terms of the highs, the T2 Evo has the better reach and extension, but the difference is not that much. Instruments sound more airy in the T2 Evo, soundstage is also slightly wider and taller. Imaging is slightly clearer in the T3 Plus. With the instrument separation, it's very, very close, but the T3 Plus is better in this section as well due to the lows having more presence.
Conclusion:
The T3 Plus feels more like an "evolution" than a "plus". If I were to decide, this should've been named the T2 Evo because first, the T3 uses a hybrid driver setup, and launching its sequel, changing the driver setup to a single dynamic, then naming it a "Plus" just doesn't feel right. And second, TinHIFI was known for their neutral to bright in-house sound signature, and the T3 Plus is way different from that. The T3 Plus is much more refined, more comfortable in terms of its extension in both ends of the spectrum, and I dare say offers better value for money than the rest of TinHIFI's T series of IEMs.
Tags:
In-Ear Monitors