Tin Hifi T2 Plus

Somewhere back in 2021, I purchased the TINHiFi T2 Plus IEMs. Since then, a few years have passed, and many new, more interesting IEMs have been released. And yet, to this day, I still find myself coming back to listen with these IEMs. In this review, I'd like to share with you why I still really love these IEMs, even today.

Disclaimer

The IEMs were purchased with my own money, and all my opinions about the IEMs are personal and based on my own experience using them. Additionally, this review was originally written for the AudioKnights website and translated into English, so if you’d prefer to read it in the original language, feel free to check it out at the following link.


Accessories
Unfortunately, I no longer have a picture of the packaging and accessories that came with the IEMs, but from what I remember, they came with a wide selection of silicone tips in two types, as well as a pair of memory foam tips.

The cable that came with the IEMs is about what you’d expect for the price they sold for back then—it’s not particularly high-quality, tends to tangle up on itself, and you might consider getting a third-party cable for a better experience. In any case, it’s not bad, and personally, I didn’t replace it or feel the need to buy another cable, as most of my IEMs use a 2-pin cable and not an MMCX connector, so the investment wasn’t really worthwhile for me.

Overall, it was a pretty decent package for the price back then. Today, even with $20 IEMs, you get a richer package, including a carrying case. It’s amazing how much competition has pushed the market forward in terms of accessories.



The IEMs are made of metal, which was rare in this price range back then (and still is, to be fair). They’re relatively small, so you might need slightly larger silicone tips than usual to get a good seal. Luckily, TINHiFi took this into account and provided a rich variety of silicone tips, which to this day still make up most of my silicone tip collection. So, TINHiFi, thank you!

Sound Performance

Sub-Bass
The sub-bass is handled beautifully and delicately; it's noticeable when emphasized in the song but doesn’t steal the show. It’s rumbling, satisfying, not overdone, and has just the right amount of presence. In tracks with plenty of sub-bass, you hear it, and it’s there. In songs with less focus on it, it’s still perceptible but in a balanced, non-intrusive way. Without a doubt, I really loved it.

Mid-Bass
The mid-bass is also excellent, but unlike the sub-bass, I’d say it’s a bit on the gentle side. When there’s a kick, you feel it, but it’s not overwhelming—fairly soft and relaxed. Instruments like drums feel gentle and relatively natural. While it’s not a strong point for these IEMs, I was still satisfied and, in some cases, appreciated the lack of excessive emphasis. Nonetheless, there’s room for improvement here.

Mid Frequencies
This is where the magic happens. The mids are crafted so beautifully and sweetly, with a noticeable emphasis on vocals that’s incredibly enjoyable and fun. In songs with a lot of vocals, the IEMs show impressive capability in separating voices, correct positioning, and delivering a unique and pleasant tonality that I haven’t found in any other IEM. If your library consists of vocal-rich tracks, I’m sure you’ll find them highly enjoyable and satisfying. This is undoubtedly the strongest point of these IEMs; I can revisit songs I’ve heard before on other IEMs, and suddenly discover many vocal elements I hadn’t noticed before, in such a sweet way. It’s a highly enjoyable and satisfying experience.

Additionally, instruments like piano, guitar, and similar ones sound great. While they’re enjoyable, they aren’t as full as they could be, but honestly, at this IEM’s price point and for the time they were released, I can’t really complain. Overall, the mids sound fantastic.

For higher-pitched instruments like violins, they felt lacking, with a noticeable absence of depth. There’s almost no emphasis on them, and it feels like something suddenly evaporated from the song, which was a bit disappointing.

Treble
The treble isn’t very pronounced in these IEMs, as they’re tuned with a relatively “warm” profile. In electronic tracks, I felt a slight lack in the higher frequencies. Similar to my note on instruments like violins in the mids, that’s also how I feel about the treble here. It’s not very present, but it’s there — just not substantial. While it’s satisfying enough, I expected more. If your library consists of many tracks with high-pitched instruments, or electronic and synthesized sounds, you’ll likely notice the same. On the other hand, if you’re not a fan of excessive treble and prefer tuning with more bass emphasis, this might work for you. Personally, I felt the lack here was noticeable, and it’s a point for improvement.

Technical Abilities
Despite solid performance in the bass and midrange, the technical capabilities are where these IEMs fall a bit short. The soundstage feels relatively open; it doesn’t feel like everything is clustered in one spot, which is very important and something I don’t often see in IEMs at this price range. Imaging isn’t the strong point here, which is expected for IEMs at this price; it’s not bad, but also not particularly good. Instrument separation isn’t the best — I’d say it’s average. However, when it comes to vocals, the IEMs deliver excellent performance — you can hear very good vocal separation, and the positioning sounds as it should. I really liked that.


Comparisons
Comparison with TINHiFi T3 Plus



The TINHiFi T3 Plus takes a different approach in tuning — I’d say they’re more balanced and slightly "analytical," if you will. Their tuning doesn’t emphasize any particular frequency too much, and I’d say they’re fairly relaxed, maybe even a bit boring. In contrast, the TINHiFi T2 Plus offers a richer emphasis on bass and mids, and I enjoyed them much more. In terms of technical abilities, the T3 Plus is far superior and likely more satisfying in that respect. However, due to their relatively bland tuning and tone, I didn’t find myself connecting with them as much.



Bottom Line
The TINHiFi T2 Plus is a relatively warm-tuned IEM, with impressive bass and midrange performance, and a relatively spacious soundstage. Personally, I always enjoy returning to them to listen to vocal-heavy tracks just for their pleasant and enjoyable tone, with a rich, smooth depth I haven’t found in any other IEM. On the other hand, if your library consists mainly of treble-focused tracks with instruments like violins, these IEMs might not be the best fit for you. All in all, I really enjoyed them.

TIN HiFi T2 Plus - ᴀ ᴅɪꜰꜰᴇʀᴇɴᴛ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀꜱ


DISCLAIMER: I do not consider myself as a very good reviewer, so I might make mistakes here and there. Therefore take this review with a grain of salt. Feel free to comment down below for reactions, opinions, criticisms. Your feedback matters for me to further improve myself as a reviewer.


A week ago, my order arrived at my doorsteps (Hooray for 5 days of delivery from China to Philippines!). I bought mine at $43 with seller discount and a voucher. Ever since them I've been spending my time listening to TINHiFi's newest offering in the Chi-Fi scene, The Tin T2 Plus.

My source is my one and only DAP, Sony NW-A55.


ɪɴɪᴛᴀʟ ɪᴍᴩʀᴇꜱꜱɪᴏɴꜱ (ꜰɪᴛ, ꜱᴏᴜɴᴅ, ᴀɴᴅ ʙᴜɪʟᴅ):
As I fit them for the first time, I noticed that it doesn't sit deep in your ear canals. Once worn properly, you'll notice that it's almost like it became weightless. Even with its quite shallow fit in your ear, it still achieves proper sealing with the right size of ear tips. It doesn't go off your ears when I pull the cable downwards several times, meaning with proper tips and fit you won't have to worry about these falling off.

Initially I find the bass boomy??? That's why I refrained from saying my impression of it OOTB. However that not seems to be the case, because after doing some tip rolling with the stock tips. I was able to find the ideal size for my ears, which results to a more balanced sound. I was surprised to hear the T2 Plus' sound, considering that this was from TINHiFi which are known to produce IEMs that are meticulous in details and such. For me it was balanced that is kind of warm-ish? But sometimes I do think that these are quite warm sounding (maybe because of the influence of my Sony NW-A55 dap?).

As for the build I find the shells lightweight yet sturdy, the shape reminds me of BLON BL-03 but the T2 Plus is more of a oval shape. It is also more easy to fit the T2 Plus than the BL-03. The cable is a 4 Core SPC Cable with Gold Plated Jack. The overall accent is in silver, in which there is a logo of TINHiFi on the splitter. I find the SPC used on this cable is a little bit thicker than the SPC that I use for DIY projects. Thankfully, my unit didn't have MMCX issues like loose connection and the likes.


ʙᴀꜱꜱ:
For me this is the most bassy from the TINHiFi T-series. Of all the T-series, the bass on the T2 Plus carries quite the weight and depth to it. The sub-bass doesn't go that deep, however among all the T-series this has the deepest depth of them all. Mid-bass is well controlled however mid-bass bleed is noticeable at some tracks when there's too much stuff happening in one time, though that's a quite rare occurrence in my listening sessions with the T2 Plus. The bass delivers the realistic sounds of percussion instruments, however I somehow find the bass guitar's presence is quite behind on some tracks. Overall the bass in the T2 Plus is a well rounded bass, has quite the heft and depth, however some bassheads may find the bass not appealing (not for me though).

ᴍɪᴅꜱ:
I find the vocals on the T2 Plus sweet and lively. I find the vocals forward, but not too much. Just the right amount. I like that the mids are well bodied as they're not too thin nor too thick, I find the vocals in the sweet spot between the two. Mids are very pleasant to listen to. It doesn't go shouty on the upper mids unlike it's big brother the T4. I also like the details that you can hear the nuances on the vocals of the performances.

ʜɪɢʜꜱ:
Unlike the other T-series, the T2 Plus doesn't go quite high. I find it having like a safety net above, causing the highs to be played on a safe level without being too bright. Even though with it's limitation, the highs on the T2 Plus has a pleasant extension to it. I like on how smooth they present the highs on the T2 Plus.

ᴛʀᴇʙʟᴇ:
As same with the highs, the treble also has a safety net. However even with that, the treble sounds lively for me. I like on how natural and lively sounding the treble is. It doesn't need to boost itself in order to get appreciated. The stringed instruments produces a very natural sound that are really pleasant to hear.

ꜱᴏᴜɴᴅꜱᴛᴀɢᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ꜱᴇᴩᴇʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ:
The T2 Plus has a above average soundstage, however comparing it to other T-series I think this has the smallest soundstage of them all (I have tried all of T-series except T1, take note that I didn't spend quite long time with them as I only auditioned them.). Seperation is also above average as I can properly discern the instruments and its locations. But at tracks where there's a lot of going on at one time, you might have a hard time discerning them.

ᴛᴏɴᴀʟɪᴛy:
This is what I like the most about the T2 Plus. The overall tonality of the T2 Plus is very natural and organic. Combining all the aspects with its tonality, results in a very harmonious and pleasant listening experience that you can enjoy for long periods of time.


ᴏᴠᴇʀᴀʟʟ:
The TINHiFi T2 Plus so far, is my favorite among TINHiFi T-series. It offers a very natural and pleasant balanced/warm sound signature that everybody will appreciate. If I were to recommend a TINHiFi iem to someone, I would say the T2 Plus first.

Overdue Tinhifi T2+ mini-review:

TONALITY: 8/10
TECHNICALITIES: 7/10
CONSTRUCTION&DESIGN: 8.5/10
VALUE: 8/10

The plus: balanced, natural tonality-timbre, nice vocal, smooth and inoffensive, safe tuning, rather wide-tall soundstage, mature all arounder, good macro-resolution

The So-SO: Average micro-resolution, average technicalities, lack of air and sparkle, poor imaging, strange bass to mids transition, lack of dynamism and bite in attack, a bit muddy layering, upper treble roll-off, niche tonality that will be hate or love affair in term of musical enjoyment, warm sloppy-ish unrealistic bass, soundstage have no deepness and sound is opaque.

Since the beginning i just can't fully enjoy the sound flavor of T2+, even if i try all ear tips possible, different source and amps as well as doing some mods to improve clarity of imaging and attck heft...if you were a fan of T2 lively textured sound, the Plus is NOT for you, if your a fan of something like Final E3000 or E4000, the T2+ might be an interesting side grade.

Flat, warmish and thick sounding is the T2+, the tonality is cohesive like melted sugar in caramel...everything is closely stuck together and bass tends to mix with rest of the response even if it isnt boosted.

Soundstage is above average in wideness with right ear tips but lacks deepness and tallness.

Imaging is rather hollow in clarity, so no precise instrument spotting possible, it does have a good amount of sound layers info but lacks silence and space to be articulated properly.

The bass lack texture, separation, well-defined attack and extension. It sounds like a bit muffled and you will struggle to guess what exact notes is played by a bassist cause tonality is too warmed. Midbass has good weight and thickness giving pleasant slam, not a fast thigh one but slow and not particulaly well separated from mids.

The Mids are the best part of T2+, very natural in tonality and timbre, tough not very textured and kinda dark in resolution. Both male female vocal sound alright, its not too intimate and have an open wide presentation but separation lack air and layers feel stuck together closely even if mids are on the top of the thick cake. No sibilance to be found. Smooth, pleasant, a hint organic. Transparency is just enough, which permit wide enveloping presentation.

The Treble is a mixed bag here, from low to mids treble it's near-perfect: full, natural, rich and never splashy, sibilant or harsh....but their NO air to be found, neither attack bite or sparkle which will be underwhelming for guitar lover-electric or acoustic. As well, texture and micro details are hard to find. The top is roll off and relaxed, percussions are sometimes far in the back and some details get lost behind prominent mids. Lean until it drop, not very energic, will sue bore to death the treble head hungry for attack snap and details retrieval. Lazy tonality not for lazy ears.



VS Tinhifi T2:
T2 is brighter, punchier, more lively, more W shape and energic. Soundstage is bigger-deeper. Bass have more mid bass boost but it roll of faster so less rumble length, still, separation is better and attack is tighter, we have more texture too and faster weightier attack. Mids are brighter, more detailed, have better separation and definition and more upper mids presence so less smooth-organic. Treble is more detailed and crunchy, it has more bite but not a lot of sparkle even if a bit more than T2+. Everything sounds faster and thighter with the T2, but not as balanced and lean as the Plus, treble has some tricks to add air, which can subdued highs fullness so while percussion are better to extract it isnt as natural and well rounded as T2+. Yep, the tonality of T2+ is more natural but in an ''impressionist'' way, T2 is expressionist in its musicality for the better and the worst. It take risk while the Plus is too shy and polite.



All in all, the Tinhifi T2+ is a refreshing attempt in chifi tuning, mature yet a bit underwhelming in both technicalities and musicality, the tonality is inoffensive and laid back and permissive so I think its a safe all-arounder. Perfect for a long listening session that will not distract you with spectacular music presentation, not suggested neither for bass or treble lover...more for mid-centric and dark-neutral IEM fans.




PS:thanks to Keephifi for sending me this review sample .