Review of the Trinity Audio Vyrus.
http://imgur.com/gallery/vrOLJ
Keep in mind that this is my first review, and the only notable IEMs I have ever used are the Piston v3 and Hifiman RE-400. I'm using the included bi-flange tips as my preference.
The smaller brother of Trinity Audio Phantom Sabre. It's a bit bigger than the RE-400, but smaller than other IEMS in this price range. Now, for the review.
Wear type: Over-the-ear or cable down
Accessories (9/10) - Two braided removable cables, one with memory wire and one without. 2 foam tips (M/L), 1 bi-flange tips, 4 silicone tips (S/M/M/L), 3.5mm L-plug adapter, 3.5mm-6.3mm adapter, 7 sound filters, filter case, shirt clip, and an IEM case. My only issue with the accessories is that the removable cables are thin for my preference, but it's braided so it's okay.
Build Quality (9/10) - metal housing on the IEM and plug, strain relief for the 3.5mm plug, metal filters, braided cables. Again, 9/10 because the cables are thin.
Isolation (8/10) - find the right tips for you and bam, great isolation. It isolates more than my Piston v3 and Re-400.
Microphonics (4/10 cable down, 10/10 over-the-ear) - Microphonics is the susceptibility to cable noise. It has no cable noise if you're gonna wear it over-the-ear, but it has noticeable cable noise cable down, but it can be solved by using the shirt clip included in the package.
Comfort (9/10) - with its small housing, the Vyrus is really comfortable. Just pick the right tips for you. It's really light so it doesn't really strain the outer ear.
Filters explained as indicated in their site:
GUNMETAL (Smooth) = Natural. Offering a more balanced sound signature across the frequencies.
SILVER = Enhanced bass. Offering a V shape signature while retaining plenty of musical detail.
PURPLE = Treble. Offering a reduced bass signature with an focus on upper mids and treble.
GOLD = Perfect balance between gunmetal and purple filters.
SILVER (with damper) = Enhanced bass. Offering a V shape signature while retaining plenty of musical detail with smoothed treble
PURPLE (With damper) = Treble. Offering a reduced bass signature with an focus on upper mids and treble. (treble smoothed)
GOLD (With damper) = Perfect balance between gunmetal and purple filters (treble smoothed)
Sound Impressions(Relative to price) using the default filter (GUNMETAL)
Sound is subjective, and your experiences may vary. This is all based on my preferences.
Bass (10/10) - The Vyrus has a clean tight bass. It has a little more bass than RE-400, but a little less than the Piston v3. It's tight, clean and punchy. The bass is controlled and doesn't drown the mids, and it has ample sub-bass. The sound is a bit warm, definitely not neutral. And definitely not muddy. Though, for mid and treble centric people, it may be more than enough on some tracks. Definitely not for bassheads, but hey you can tune the sound using the filters anyway!
Mids (9/10) - The mids are clean, clear and smooth. Not as forward as the RE-400, but not recessed. I like it the way it is. I can really appreciate the vocals of Sitti in her song, Tattooed on My Mind. Midrange sounds full and rich, and presents good detail resolution. But I think it can be more forward like the RE-400. Mid centric people can appreciate it, but not want it. You can change the filters to put forward the mids anyway.
Treble - (8/10) - I'm a little sensitive to treble, so please bear that in mind. Good, and clean. It's definitely present, and not muffled. For me, it isn't sibilant, and very detailed. But on some songs, I can feel a bit of sparkle, which I can handle. The treble doesn't fatigue my ears. It's very detailed and refined. I find it similar to the RE-400 regarding the highs.
Others: It's very detailed, great resolution in all frequencies, good instrument separation and layering, better soundstage than my Piston v3 and RE-400(I used Bubbles by Yosi Horikawa as a test). Sound presentation is great for me, except for the little sparkle in the treble. I'm gonna experiment with other filters to find which one is perfect for me.
In the end, I preferred the undampened gold filters. It refined the treble a bit, and tightened the bass more while losing a bit of quantity. Quality > Quantity.
http://imgur.com/gallery/vrOLJ
Keep in mind that this is my first review, and the only notable IEMs I have ever used are the Piston v3 and Hifiman RE-400. I'm using the included bi-flange tips as my preference.
The smaller brother of Trinity Audio Phantom Sabre. It's a bit bigger than the RE-400, but smaller than other IEMS in this price range. Now, for the review.
Wear type: Over-the-ear or cable down
Accessories (9/10) - Two braided removable cables, one with memory wire and one without. 2 foam tips (M/L), 1 bi-flange tips, 4 silicone tips (S/M/M/L), 3.5mm L-plug adapter, 3.5mm-6.3mm adapter, 7 sound filters, filter case, shirt clip, and an IEM case. My only issue with the accessories is that the removable cables are thin for my preference, but it's braided so it's okay.
Build Quality (9/10) - metal housing on the IEM and plug, strain relief for the 3.5mm plug, metal filters, braided cables. Again, 9/10 because the cables are thin.
Isolation (8/10) - find the right tips for you and bam, great isolation. It isolates more than my Piston v3 and Re-400.
Microphonics (4/10 cable down, 10/10 over-the-ear) - Microphonics is the susceptibility to cable noise. It has no cable noise if you're gonna wear it over-the-ear, but it has noticeable cable noise cable down, but it can be solved by using the shirt clip included in the package.
Comfort (9/10) - with its small housing, the Vyrus is really comfortable. Just pick the right tips for you. It's really light so it doesn't really strain the outer ear.
Filters explained as indicated in their site:
GUNMETAL (Smooth) = Natural. Offering a more balanced sound signature across the frequencies.
SILVER = Enhanced bass. Offering a V shape signature while retaining plenty of musical detail.
PURPLE = Treble. Offering a reduced bass signature with an focus on upper mids and treble.
GOLD = Perfect balance between gunmetal and purple filters.
SILVER (with damper) = Enhanced bass. Offering a V shape signature while retaining plenty of musical detail with smoothed treble
PURPLE (With damper) = Treble. Offering a reduced bass signature with an focus on upper mids and treble. (treble smoothed)
GOLD (With damper) = Perfect balance between gunmetal and purple filters (treble smoothed)
Sound Impressions(Relative to price) using the default filter (GUNMETAL)
Sound is subjective, and your experiences may vary. This is all based on my preferences.
Bass (10/10) - The Vyrus has a clean tight bass. It has a little more bass than RE-400, but a little less than the Piston v3. It's tight, clean and punchy. The bass is controlled and doesn't drown the mids, and it has ample sub-bass. The sound is a bit warm, definitely not neutral. And definitely not muddy. Though, for mid and treble centric people, it may be more than enough on some tracks. Definitely not for bassheads, but hey you can tune the sound using the filters anyway!
Mids (9/10) - The mids are clean, clear and smooth. Not as forward as the RE-400, but not recessed. I like it the way it is. I can really appreciate the vocals of Sitti in her song, Tattooed on My Mind. Midrange sounds full and rich, and presents good detail resolution. But I think it can be more forward like the RE-400. Mid centric people can appreciate it, but not want it. You can change the filters to put forward the mids anyway.
Treble - (8/10) - I'm a little sensitive to treble, so please bear that in mind. Good, and clean. It's definitely present, and not muffled. For me, it isn't sibilant, and very detailed. But on some songs, I can feel a bit of sparkle, which I can handle. The treble doesn't fatigue my ears. It's very detailed and refined. I find it similar to the RE-400 regarding the highs.
Others: It's very detailed, great resolution in all frequencies, good instrument separation and layering, better soundstage than my Piston v3 and RE-400(I used Bubbles by Yosi Horikawa as a test). Sound presentation is great for me, except for the little sparkle in the treble. I'm gonna experiment with other filters to find which one is perfect for me.
In the end, I preferred the undampened gold filters. It refined the treble a bit, and tightened the bass more while losing a bit of quantity. Quality > Quantity.
