Review on Earphone Balanced Armature Headphone Champagne by Sandra Price

Pros - *Big, punchy bass *Smooth, tireless sound *Excellent build quality *Very comfortable Cons - *Bass can be a bit too tight for hardcore bass heads I had never heard of TRI and was glad to try them. The TRI I4 is a new 2-way hybrid loudspeaker with a dynamic 10mm biocellulose driver for low frequencies and Knowles Single Balanced Armature for mid and high frequencies. CNC-machined from aluminum alloy, the shells look and feel premium, with reassuring weight and superb comfort. The cable is very good for a standard cable and connects via mmcx connectors. A good selection of tips are included, but I've replaced them with red and blue tips only because it's easier to tell right from left in low light. I always do this, it has nothing to do with handpiece performance. Also in the box was a very soft velvet pouch. Fine! My testing was done using 16-bit/44.1kb or higher resolution FLAC files playable on my Hiby R3. The i4 sounded good on my Samsung Galaxy Note 9, but was upped a bit with more powerful sources. The bass response is definitely higher and leans more towards the low bass, but even less towards the upper bass. Bass extension is very good, providing a tight subwoofer kick sound that's comfortable, fast, and well-defined. The upper bass is less accentuated but has a good slam and a polite, not overdone, response. I especially like its speed and clarity. Bass is served tastefully overall and doesn't ooze into the lower mids. The bass is powerful, capable of producing good fat electronic bass for hip-hop or electronic music, but it's probably too polite for serious bass players. The rest of us will agree. The mids are slightly recessed, but not enough to make vocals sound weak. There's excellent detail, but the sound isn't overly aggressive or harsh. The female vocals sound great, with a nice airiness and no hint of sibilance in the upper mids. The male vocals are a bit dry but I like them a lot. When lower mids are desired, they respond well to the EQ, although I was happy with that nonetheless. Electric guitars have good detail and range. Some might need a bit more heaviness when listening to Metal, but again I liked them the way they are. Raising your EQ by about 3k gives you more benefit when needed. Treble The upper mids and treble are smooth and unobtrusive. There is no hissing anywhere. This differs from other products in this price range, probably due to the use of the Knowles driver. They have lots of air and shine but aren't too aggressive and don't have ugly peaks or valleys. Cymbals are played with an addictive delicacy and control. No graininess or glare. Sound Signature I would describe the sound signature as soft V-shaped, but not to the point where the mids are hidden. My biggest takeaway is a very smooth and controlled sound with great timbre. They just sound very natural and solid. Soundstage The soundstage is slightly above average in width and with decent depth. Individual instruments are easy to record and place on stage. A small boost in the high frequencies can make the width appear larger, but can overshadow the mids if boosted too much. Music Genres I like the I4 in almost all genres, but it shines on less dense music where detailed mids shine and create a good sense of space. and reverb tails sound raised. Acoustic instruments like guitar, violin, cello and even the banjo sound great. The woodiness and texture of the instruments are very audible. Good! Classic rock, jazz and country are reproduced well. I like electronic music with them, but they don't deliver the long, loose bass boom and highs that some expect. A good compromise in my opinion as they never get harsh or tiring. I enjoy listening to "Slash with Myles Kennedy and the Co-Conspiritors", but I often find the vocals quite whistling and even the kick drum has a sharp, spiky tone. The i4 smooths out the tops and makes the mix sound perfect with powerful fast kicks, massive massive guitars and a pretty wide soundstage. The lack of sibilance makes them my perfect match. Comparison I've been listening to my KZ ZSX a lot lately and they're the perfect complement to the I4. The KZ is slightly more efficient, but the I4 is easily powered from modest sources. Both sets have powerful bass, but the ZSX has a smokier tone and a slightly slower decay. The ZSX's mids are a little deeper, but have more aggressive detail and grain. The treble in the ZSX is noticeably more aggressive, but it stops too much. There's more air and of course a wider stage, which works well in genres that need more hype and excitement. The I4 doesn't make a fool of itself here, but it's less aggressive. If you listen to a lot of edm, metal or hip-hop you might prefer KZ, but that doesn't hurt. In my opinion they do a great job with 1-2 hits. Conclusion If you've read this far, it's clear that I really like the I4. I have no doubt that I recommend them to everyone and they will continue to get plenty of playtime in my daily rotation in the future. I can't wait to try other TRI products once they become available. I bought them from Kinboofi store in China and I really liked them so I decided to leave a review about them here. Thank you for reading!