MusicMaker Ting

MrZ's Toneking Musicmaker Ting

The review that swayed me to get on-board
http://www.head-fi.org/products/musicmaker-ting/reviews/15584

The slightly down-line 1/2 price Tomahawks
http://www.head-fi.org/products/musicmaker-mrz-tomahawk-hifi-earbud/reviews/15402



 


I will admit I have much more experience with IEMs and full size headphones than personal exposure to ear-buds. Though after using a couple ear-buds I started to understand what they do special. For me it's how ear-buds present soundstage. In many ways ear-buds present soundstage outside your ears much like full size headphones, opposed to the dramatic inner head soundstage of IEMs.

The Simple Listening Experience:
While I have not listened to the top-notch Sennheiser ear-buds nor the value-famous Monk ear-buds, I'll do my best to present the Ting as a quality headphone for better or worse.

In many ways this is a non-educated review. Though much of this hobby is simply listening and doing comparisons to other sound transducers. At times the stuff you don't know can induce a faster path to understanding headphones, bypassing any bias or prejudice questionably at hand. I'm in no way an experienced expert in ear-buds.


Physicality:
Upon arrival the Ting shows a special well made and detailed construction. Needless to say the fit and finish are an exciting part of the purchase experience here. Some of this hobby is admiring construction and simply the art of somebody creating a personal listening device. Hand drilled holes and a small chrome wire or stainless steel wire center screen covering a shinny center "speaker" is where this build magic starts to get sexy. These Chinese exotic ear-bud buys still have a level of mystery which helps keep this hobby intriguing. In many ways the Ting holds this profound strange mystery. It seems solid metal ear-buds are a trend in China, with some small, some middle size, and some laughably gigantic!

Just Right:
I would call this ear-bud middle size, though truthfully they could be between middle size and large in size for some listeners. Upon first inspection they are way smaller than they look in the photographs. Common sense states that maybe the bigger metal ear-buds are not going to stay in place? Here once placed the foam donuts and unique shape keeps the fit under-control. Once in place there is little concern for extra movement and the sound stays consistent.


So as far as ear-buds go these may first look to be on the larger size, but after doing research you will find out there are many models much bigger and heavier.


This model is the company flagship offered in either red or silver. It's made of a top-secret metal alloy of which they do not disclose. The overall material feels like iron, but could be aluminum or zinc? The silver or red micro-sandblast finish completely removes any chance of showing fingerprints. Much of the metal work seems like it's maybe aluminum but it's hard to tell, unless your MrZ.

The 4N Cable:
The Ting cable is a beautiful clear wound affair. It's not sticky or bouncy and stays untangled, though I'm at a loss to the reason why? In many ways I could enjoy this as the cable for all my headphones and IEMs. Looking at the MusicMaker on-line store it seems they do offer similar versions though only for detachable cable IEMs. Here we are gifted with no remote/mic and a permanently affixed cord.

Extras:
Just like the sparse packaging theTing comes with, we realize this effort is all about audiophile sound. I'm actually fine with just the small case, shirt clip and collection of foam covers included. I would rather MrZ keep the money invested where the sound is.

Micro-phonic Properties:
The low micro-phonic cable artifacts could be a result of these being an ear-bud and not an IEM or full-size headphone. Though the cable may be playing a special non-micro-phonic role here? After getting a bunch of scary thin TPE cables in the mail, I find a standard "thick" cable reassuring. The cable ends up being relatively heavy and simply hangs where it should generating very little fuss. You can't help but find the look beautiful and exotically audiophile. MrZ has a long dissertation about the cable technology which goes on and on paralleling descriptions of ERS paper. An ERS cable? We could only dream.

MrZ says...

"4N high purity oxygen-free copper wire using twisted pair, stronger anti-interference, high fidelity sound.

In this way, not only can resist part of the electromagnetic interference from the outside world, multiple interference can be reduced to between strands. The two insulated wires twisted together with each other, interference signals acting on these two mutually tangled twisted wire is consistent (this is called the common mode signal interference signal), the differential circuit receives signals can be common mode signal is eliminated, thereby extracting the useful signal (differential signal). A length of twisted-pair twisted cycle, called the pitch, the smaller the pitch, the stronger anti-interference ability."


Strain Relief:
There is strain relief at the plug, though the ear-buds themselves have the cable simply exiting the transducer housing. All the plugs and split parts seem to be made out of aluminum and present well for a $69 ear-bud. The cable section after the split seems to be the same style of wire only thinner. Still upon using theTing, the cable process seems to have a level of common sense and quality. Much of our perception of cable build comes from touch as well as visual clues.

Burn In:
Every time I think burn-in is just a mental thing, along comes something like the Ting which seems to prove that burn-in does something, at least to my ears. Upon first demoing the Ting, strong drums came off with a hint of low volume distortion and soundstage was considerably narrow. I would suggest anybody to just run them in off a phone or something for at least 20 hours before making any critical listening judgments.

Twenty Hours:
After 20 hours they seemed to simply open up with soundstage, became way smoother and dropped the distortions with drum sounds? Go figure? At the same time after burn-in the sound came forward slightly and offered even more detail and definition. Strangely all of the sound character personality traits which I was looking for magically arrived after burn in? Who knows?

Much of our sound quality opinions on a new product can come from what sound signature of headphone we are used to listening to. Prior to the Ting I had just spent two weeks with balanced armatures. Needless to say the balanced armature sound quality is very different from the tone of single dynamic driver ear-buds. At first I found the overall sound was very different from descriptions online, only to be reassured that they were what people said they were after a long mental and physical burn-in.

If you do get these, save yourself some confusion and just burn them in for 20 hours. They really can sound very different than when you open the package and stick them in your ears. There is chance too that they may improve even more after 50 hours?


Specifics:
- Impedance: 35Ω
- Sensitivity: 117dB/mW
- Frequency Response Range: 20-25000Hz
- Housing: Metal Alloy?
- Cable Length: 1.2m
- Plug: Straight 3.5mm
- Weight: 20g

Package Includes:
Ear-bud (Choose either silver or red)
- Small Box-like Portable Hard Case
- Shirt Clip
- 8 Pairs of foam covers

The Sound Reference




 
 
 
The Sound:
 
 
Treble:
Just a nice musical smooth response. Much of our ear-bud character is emphasizing the treble air here. It's sibilant and stridency free. But the best part is just how far away it walks from being shouty. Nice detail in a slightly warm yet accurate way. The endearment here is just how certain musical items are faithfully reproduced out in the soundstage.

The Mid-range:
The mid-range is the star of the show. Mid-centric simply due to the physical sound reproduction character of ear-buds in general, I don't know? Still there is a lot of information in the mid-range and it's displayed in a cohesive and natural way, though slightly less upfront, which I figure is just what ear-buds do in comparison to IEMs and full-size headphones?

The Low End:
Nothing like the subterranean frequencies your going to get from a sealed IEM, but there is nothing not to like here. Refreshing to find the whole experience with bass as both detailed and musical. It's not like your going to be wishing you had more bass, thus fully satisfied with the presentation at hand.

In Conclusion:
MrZ has created a special product which ends up being a nice mixture of flowing design elements and easy to like flowing sound characteristics. The Ting gets as loud as you would want to listen to with any source yet seems to be easily forgiving of bad recordings. At the end of the day The Ting also offers a romantic sound in perfect detail when used with your best equipment and sound files.

The Ting has it's own likable personality and will easily stand out in any small collection of headphones, being a great go to headphone for all listening needs. I personally like The Ting best for electronic and soundtrack music, though everyone may be different in what they mix it with?

In many ways The Musicmaker Ting has overcome many of the sonic pitfalls which have kept ear-buds in the backseat here at Head-Fi. While not offering the in-your-face razor resolution listening experience of some IEMs, they simply go about their business in a polished smooth non-aggressive way. Before you know it an enjoyment of music starts to take place, reminding us of what this hobby is all about.
 
In contrast to a frequency graph this photograph perfectly illustrates  the soundstage and intrinsic warmth/smoothness of the Musicmaker Ting.
 

 
 
https://shop64308601.m.taobao.com/?refer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.head-fi.org%2Fproducts%2Fmusicmaker-ting%2Freviews%2F15584
Company Web Location


Disclaimer:
Every review is just a single opinion. Your results may very.
 




 
Every Musicmaker Ting is hand numbered.
 



 
Get em here.
 
http://penonaudio.com/earbuds/MusicMaker-Ting Cheers!

https://m.id.aliexpress.com/item/32611955603.html




3 Month Update:

Well it's about 3 months now and these MrZs are starting to grow on me. Still if they were $100 there may be a bunch of other choices on the market IEM wise. Still as one of my often used 3 earbuds, I have to say they have become my favorite. They win-out over the Apple EarPods as well as the Remax 305ms. Maybe the best feature here is comfert. They seem to stay in place. I use them now sometimes with the foamies and sometime without. The sound signature has actually taken me months to get into. Even though they received a sparkling review here, I just had other choices which prevented the Tings as being a go to monitor or daily driver, so to speak.

Recently I have come to apreaciate the sound more and feel they are maybe more of a value if you could pick them up for $69? It's maybe me just simply getting used to earbuds as opposed to IEMs, but after a while the sound has really changed for the better. They can even do bass centric genres like EDM, though still missing the lower and lowest frequency response which the genre concentrates on. All I can say is it seems these need a lot of burn in and a ton of getting used to before really starting to sound great, for what ever that's worth. If anyone gets a pair and seems disappointed straight of of the gate, just give them some time. I'll never sell these things. They also have removable shafts where the cable exits. If a recable is needed a small turn removes the lower shaft allowing a new cable to be replaced.

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The Ting, is the Flagship Earbud from MusicMaker.
 
 
                              ~All Your Photos Belong To Us or Me~
 

 

**Disclaimer - I would like to thank "Easy Earphones & Headphones Co'ltd." From AliExpress for providing a sample in return for a unbiased review**


I have yet to find MusicMaker website, though this is their Official Taobao Page: https://musicmaker.world.taobao.com/

**Also, you are going to see a lot of comparison with the review I just finished of the MusicMaker Tomahawk Earbud: http://www.head-fi.org/products/musicmaker-mrz-tomahawk-hifi-earbud/reviews/15402 **
 

 


*Specifications*

- Impedance: 35Ω
- Sensitivity: 117dB/mW
- Frequency Response Range: 20-25000Hz
- Housing: Metal Alloy?
- Cable Length: 1.2m
- Plug: Straight 3.5mm
- Weight: 20g
 

 
 

*Content/Packaging*

- Ting Earbud (Red Version)
- Small Triangle Portable Hard Case
- Shirt Clip
- 8 Pairs of Foam Covers (2 Red/2 Red w/Hole - 2 Black/2 Black w/Hole)


While fancy packaging can be nice, there is also nothing wrong with just a simple small case in a small box, as is the case with the MusicMaker Ting. This extreme minimal packaging seems to be very common with many other earbud brands of this type as well. Though, for around $100 some buyers might expect there to be some sort of packaging.

The little hard case is triangle in shape. Inside the case you will just find a tiny Ziploc bag with 16 foam covers and a shirt clip. The hard case is built of very nice quality and looks good with the raised triangles on the outside.

I am impressed that they come with the standard and hole foam covers. I’m normally also a big fan of the Red/Black look and functionality. The only issue here is the Ting is red, so it looks a little strange IMO with the red foam covers.
 

 
 

*Build Design*

The Ting is quite a good looking metal earbud. You can tell that there is a lot of craftsmanship to the build. The vents on the Ting are hand milled out, as one can tell because the holes are not quite even or exact on the tips of the earbud. 

This full metal housing is what sets it apart from its little brother as the Tomahawk has plastic tips.  Neither material leads to a change in sound, but it is worth mentioning.

The Ting comes in two colors, Silver and the Red version you see here in my review.  The Silver Ting has a slightly darker cable, while the cable on the Red version is more transparent.  The red version cable is a feast for the eyes, as it is quite beautiful and well built.  The fancy cable leads right into the equally premium 3.5mm plug with great ease and fit. The Ting is just a tremendous Earbud.  It is well put together and feels tough in the hand and the metal housings are cool to the touch.
 

 
 

*Fit/Comfort*

The metal material is light and does not seem to be much heavier than its plastic counterparts. I found the body to be well sculpted for the ear. Fit and comfort are both very good. There is no fatigue to speak of once the Ting is inserted.  Since the body is metal, if worn naked, it can either be cool or hot depending on the ambient temperature it was stored at.  If you use foam covers, this will not be a factor.
 

 
 
 
*Sound*
 
Lows – Sub Bass/Mid Bass are both equal and EXTREMELY controlled, but don’t read that as bass light.  The lows are just at neutral.  No colorization or bias.  Instead, the Ting does a wonderful job of keeping everything in check down low for proper musical reproduction.
 
Mids – If you got out a ruler, the mids would be just millimeters north of neutral, but not forward.  Like the lows, the mids are very well taken care of.  Tones are displayed crystal clear and very revealing.  Vocals are perfectly placed and so easy on the ears. 
 
Highs – Detail goes a long way in the upper region of the MusicMaker flagship.  These are very analytical, they do not hide anything.  There is a quick smoothness to the peaks and the Ting keeps the highs from ever being too harsh.  What you get is a great end to a fantastically balanced earbud. 

Soundstage – Wide, oh so wide.  Instrument separation is one of the best I have ever heard, not just for an earbud, but for most of the products I have tested.  I’m not sure if it is the originally shaped metal housings, or what MusicMaker did, but soundstage is just awesome.
 

 
 
 
*Sources*

The MusicMaker Ting has a unique ability to bring out a true nature of whatever source you are playing it through.  This might be due to its lower impedance, for a flagship earbud.  You will find many other earbuds around this price range will have a rating anywhere from 150-400Ω, but not the Ting, it is only rated at 35Ω.  This lower Ω, gives it the ability to be driven by almost any source without having to push it too hard.  Below you will find the breakdown of what I used to test it.
 
Samsung S4 – While not having the best phone DAC, the S4 surely is no slouch either.  I found the Ting work well with the Samsung phone.  Music was presented on a good level without being overly cruel to the playback quality.  It made me wish that there was a microphone version of the Ting, then I could use the two of these products more together.

FiiO M3 – With its ever so slightly warm signature, the M3 turned the Ting into a bit more playful earbud.  I really enjoyed the way these two sound together.  The little FiiO DAP never has to push the Ting too hard to make it, literally sing. 
 
Pro-Ject Head Box DS – This is not my favorite pairing of the group.  While the Head Box DS provides a high quality sound, it also lowers the bass a bit too much on the Ting.  Mids and Treble are pushed slightly to give a slightly cool sound signature.  This did give me a good opportunity to hear how wonderful details in the upper and mid region the Ting can produce though.
 
JADE casa DSD (system) – This DAC/Amp combo unit is one of the most neutral I have ever heard, so in return, it brings out the true nature of the Ting.  The MusicMaker earbud thrives off of this setup.  Classical, Jazz, Rock, you name it sounds perfectly tuned with this pairing.  My sound profile part of the review was completed using this setup.
 

 
 
*Comparisons*

At first, I planned on comparing the MusicMaker Ting to the Dark Horse G400, since they are both close in price and are the Flagships of their earbud product lines.  However, after listening to these both back to back, it was quickly apparent that the Dark Horse was not even in the same league as the MusicMaker.  The Ting bests the G400 by a large amount in every category (though I really do like the G400 cable).
 

 
 
So next, I thought I would do a comparison that is even more important.  The MusicMaker family challenge:  Ting vs Tomahawk:
 
Now, let me first say.  There really is no winner in any of most of these category’s (with the exception of value), as both of these earbuds sound so amazingly good. 
 
Lows – The Tomahawk has a bit more presence down low than the Ting.  While the Ting stays neutral, the Tomahawk goes for a bit more fun, showing a slight boost down low that rewards the user’s ears.
 
Mids – Again the Tomahawk shows a bit more presence in the middle frequencies.  The Ting pushing vocals forward a little more than its big brother.  When I listen to the both of them back to back, it almost can seem as the Ting has relaxed mids, but that is far from the truth.  It is just that the Tomahawk has so much energy to convey in this section.
 
Highs – I found that both earbuds both do a great job of grabbing a lot of detail in the upper area, while both stay away from any sibilance.  When push comes to shove, the Ting does manage to have just the slightest bit more control, while the Ting stays on the edge of fun.
 
Soundstage – Yet again, both earbuds excel so well here.  Distance is wide and well controlled for each model.  There is very much a family resemblance here in their ability to show this kind of signature move.

Price/Value – Two Times, that is how much more the Ting costs than the Tomahawk (barring sales).  That begs the question; does the Ting sound twice as good as the Tomahawk?  Well, no.  Neither one of these earbuds really sound better than the other, they just sound slightly different.  You pay a substantial difference for the Ting’s more neutral signature and full metal body.  Is it worth it?  Well yes.  The Ting is a unbelievably good earbud for any price, the Tomahawk just happens to cost half.
 
 
 
*Overall Thoughts*
 
I can easily say that the Ting is a must have for any earbud lover.  It excels in every sound category, it is well designed and is built tough.
 
Hovering around $100 (or less) the Ting is a great buy that will reward the user with a high end, accurate sound.  I wish I could give them out to everyone on Head-Fi, as they are just a product that needs to be heard and enjoyed.  The MusicMaker gets my highest praise and recommendation.
 
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