General Information
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ASTROTEC ARCHIMEDESHybrid 14.8mm planar+ 9 layers piezo drivers -
KeepHiFi HZSOUND GINKGO Dual-Driver HiFi Earphones, PVD-coated Composite Diaphragm Piezoelectric Ceramic Driver, Interchangeable Tuning NozzlesHZSOUND GINKGO Dual-Driver HiFi Earphones Key Features PVD-coated Composite Diaphragm... -
$15 KBEAR NZ02 Gaming Earbuds-A very Budget Choice for HIFI Gaming Listening ExperienceA very Budget Choice for HIFI Gaming Listening Experience: KBEAR NZ02
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Noble Audio Shogunhttps://nobleaudio.com/collections/wired-universal-monitors/products/shogun
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COLORFLY Silver ReferenceA new IEM model release by Colorfly and it has three dynamic driver configuration.
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FiiO BTR15FiiO BTR15
Latest reviews
TRI I3 MK3 Technical Specifications
This is a set I bought with my own money, but with a good discount from Keephifi (discount that I have shamelessly asked for). The story of these is quite funny. I recently bought the PW Audio anniversary cable and when I saw a review of Tri I3, I thought “these look great and they match my new cable”. So I enquired and eventually bought them. Big thanks to KeepHifi!
The review is not influenced by the discount, but it is obviously influenced by my existing biases towards a tuning or another.
I listen mostly to metal, so obviously this influences the rating, since some sets are more suitable for this kind of music than others. This puts them a bit at disadvantage, since they are rather mid-centric. However, they ended up doing a wonderful job.
The build quality Is very good, they are feather light, the colour looks great and the cable is of good quality. No memory, but a a bit of microphonic. Not enough for preventing me from commuting or using them when doing things around the house.
A lot of tips (3 sets of silicone tips and one set of foamies) are included in the package, so I am confident everyone will find something it works both ergonomically and sonically.
The shells are on the small size, which for mea meant that they don’t get to rest on the back of the concha, so the fit is a bit loose. This can be fixed by using foam tips, provided in the package, or by resorting to those sticky silicone tips, the likes of Azla. Another alternative, of course, is the use of Eletech Baroque tips. I was able to get a good fit with the provided tips though.
Sound
The Tri i3 mk3 are neutrally tuned, to the point that they might sound boring for some. For me, out of the box, they sounded too mid forward (I usually listen to U or V tuned IEMs). After some burn-in and more importantly brain burn-in, I started to appreciate this tuning that goes a bit in the opposite direction compared to the bulk of my IEMs.
Bass has good extension and high speed. There is relatively little in the way of rumble, but there is enough impact. Cleanliness and control are the first attributes that come to mind when I think of the bass. The decay being rather short, they are very good for fast paced music. There is decent level of details, and the mid bass has good texture, lending the bass guitar an organic sound, if a bit dry sometimes.
With their neutral tuning they are very good for metal. No matter how fast the music is, they can keep up with tight control and each drum sound is perfectly separated from the others, no mushy drums here.
Mids are very good, with a slightly dry sound, but all in all a natural tone. Vocal-centric songs are the best choice for these IEMs. Female voices seem to have a bit of advantage, as they are very forward and particularly clear. That is not to say they are overly clinical, the right mixture of details and emotion is present.
Sometimes when the music gets very intense, adding many instruments to the voice, they might sound a bit on the bright side. For me, at normal listening volume, this is not a problem, I do like a bit sizzle in the treble. Notes have enough body, especially at this price range. I have heard a lot more expensive sets sounding a bit thin in the mids. Since the mids are so forward, thin notes would have been a problem, but luckily it is not the case. I would have preferred a tad more warmth in the female voices.
In the treble, there is decent extension and airiness. The cymbals sound fairly natural, as expected from a planar driver. The body is particularly impressive. What I like less is that on faster music, I could no longer clearly hear every hit on the cymbals, they tend to get a bit fused. It’s not always noticeable, but if your main preference is metal, you should know this.
The sound stage is correct for this price range, definitely outside the head. The stage extends more sideways and a lot less vertically. Given the overall note thickness, I think it has the best size. There is just enough music to fill the stage, so
Instrument separation is also good, in line with the expectations.
Sources: Dongles - Cayin RU7, L&P W4, Questyle M15i; DAPs - Cayin N3U, Nipo N2, AK SP3000T, AK SR35.
Comparisons
TRN Azure Dragon. This is a nice single drive planar, more V-shaped than Tri. It sounds fuller in both low and high end. The voices are definitely better on Tri. It’s a very close one, but Tri sounds more natural. The Dragon sounds a little bit artificial, the bass, although more in quantity is not as dynamic and controlled as the Tri’s.
QDC Superior EX - This is another neutral IEM. The QDC, however sounds a bit more detailed and natural in the mids. The bass is very lean, much more than the other two. QDC’s treble lags behind the others.
Chimene Badi - Si j’avais su t’aimer
The voice is strong and clear. Details are good, in line with the positioning of this set. When the instruments kick in, they remain in the background, not overlapping with the voice. It enforces the impression that they have been tuned to get the most out of female voices.
I prefer Tri to TRN Azure Dragon, which has more bass, but that does not bring anything in this case.
QDC Superior EX is somehow similar, but overall Tri wins on clarity of the voice.
Indilla - Boîte en argint
A bit of sibilance here, but not enough to disturb. More like a distant echo. The voice comes across detailed and clear with good body. A touch more warmth would have been beneficial, but since the aim was to build a neutral IEM, I’d say they perform as foreseen.
For this song the bass extension could have been better, it feels a bit lacking.
TRN Dragon had more bass, but this didn’t really help with the voice.
Dream theatre - A change of season
This is a 23 minutes behemoth of a song that has everything and the kitchen sink in it. It starts with acoustic guitar and piano, then comes the full band, then vocals and so on in an alternance of slow and fast paced passages. Tri I3 does a very good job, maintaining the keyboard at a steady level throughout the song. Labrie’s voice(s) do benefit from the Tri’s very central positioning of the voice. WIth the PWAudio cable (that is the reason for buying the Tri), the treble is spot on.
I find the lean sub bass tuning to work really great here. The drums sound natural, with just the right amount of elasticity, but a couple of dB more would have helped. Mid bass is very good, with the right amount of volume and enough details.
Beth Hart - Better man
If for prog metal it was difficult to establish a hierarchy, here things are simpler. I3 Tri has a more natural sound, despite the Dragon having the more detailed treble.
The other two lagged behind, but the difference is not night and day.
Conclusion: I bought this set as a joke, but I ended up enjoying it. Neutrality is the key. It seems tuned more for Asian pop than my usual mixture of doom metal (that requires more grunt in the bass) and other odd bits. While the Tri i3 mk3 does work well with a variety of genres, it is particularly suitable for fast paced music. For me they worked best with heavy metal from the 80's. It can sound bright when paired with a source that is overly analytical. But with a warmer source, eventually with tubes, it pairs nicely and is a good entry point for musical enjoyment.
All in all a welcome addition to my stable.
Note about the rating: I am always at a loss when using the 1-5 stars rating, to me 4 stars means already very good, with 5 stars reserved for my flagship sets that I absolutely love.
- Driver Configuration: Tribrid setup
- Dynamic Driver (DD): 1 x 10mm Beryllium-plated diaphragm (for bass)
- Balanced Armature (BA): 1 x Sonion 2356 (for midrange)
- Planar Magnetic Driver: 1 x 10mm (for treble)
- Impedance: 21Ω (Ohms)
- Sensitivity: 104±1dB @1kHz
- Frequency Response Range: 20Hz - 20kHz
This is a set I bought with my own money, but with a good discount from Keephifi (discount that I have shamelessly asked for). The story of these is quite funny. I recently bought the PW Audio anniversary cable and when I saw a review of Tri I3, I thought “these look great and they match my new cable”. So I enquired and eventually bought them. Big thanks to KeepHifi!
The review is not influenced by the discount, but it is obviously influenced by my existing biases towards a tuning or another.
I listen mostly to metal, so obviously this influences the rating, since some sets are more suitable for this kind of music than others. This puts them a bit at disadvantage, since they are rather mid-centric. However, they ended up doing a wonderful job.
The build quality Is very good, they are feather light, the colour looks great and the cable is of good quality. No memory, but a a bit of microphonic. Not enough for preventing me from commuting or using them when doing things around the house.
A lot of tips (3 sets of silicone tips and one set of foamies) are included in the package, so I am confident everyone will find something it works both ergonomically and sonically.
The shells are on the small size, which for mea meant that they don’t get to rest on the back of the concha, so the fit is a bit loose. This can be fixed by using foam tips, provided in the package, or by resorting to those sticky silicone tips, the likes of Azla. Another alternative, of course, is the use of Eletech Baroque tips. I was able to get a good fit with the provided tips though.
Sound
The Tri i3 mk3 are neutrally tuned, to the point that they might sound boring for some. For me, out of the box, they sounded too mid forward (I usually listen to U or V tuned IEMs). After some burn-in and more importantly brain burn-in, I started to appreciate this tuning that goes a bit in the opposite direction compared to the bulk of my IEMs.
Bass has good extension and high speed. There is relatively little in the way of rumble, but there is enough impact. Cleanliness and control are the first attributes that come to mind when I think of the bass. The decay being rather short, they are very good for fast paced music. There is decent level of details, and the mid bass has good texture, lending the bass guitar an organic sound, if a bit dry sometimes.
With their neutral tuning they are very good for metal. No matter how fast the music is, they can keep up with tight control and each drum sound is perfectly separated from the others, no mushy drums here.
Mids are very good, with a slightly dry sound, but all in all a natural tone. Vocal-centric songs are the best choice for these IEMs. Female voices seem to have a bit of advantage, as they are very forward and particularly clear. That is not to say they are overly clinical, the right mixture of details and emotion is present.
Sometimes when the music gets very intense, adding many instruments to the voice, they might sound a bit on the bright side. For me, at normal listening volume, this is not a problem, I do like a bit sizzle in the treble. Notes have enough body, especially at this price range. I have heard a lot more expensive sets sounding a bit thin in the mids. Since the mids are so forward, thin notes would have been a problem, but luckily it is not the case. I would have preferred a tad more warmth in the female voices.
In the treble, there is decent extension and airiness. The cymbals sound fairly natural, as expected from a planar driver. The body is particularly impressive. What I like less is that on faster music, I could no longer clearly hear every hit on the cymbals, they tend to get a bit fused. It’s not always noticeable, but if your main preference is metal, you should know this.
The sound stage is correct for this price range, definitely outside the head. The stage extends more sideways and a lot less vertically. Given the overall note thickness, I think it has the best size. There is just enough music to fill the stage, so
Instrument separation is also good, in line with the expectations.
Sources: Dongles - Cayin RU7, L&P W4, Questyle M15i; DAPs - Cayin N3U, Nipo N2, AK SP3000T, AK SR35.
Comparisons
TRN Azure Dragon. This is a nice single drive planar, more V-shaped than Tri. It sounds fuller in both low and high end. The voices are definitely better on Tri. It’s a very close one, but Tri sounds more natural. The Dragon sounds a little bit artificial, the bass, although more in quantity is not as dynamic and controlled as the Tri’s.
QDC Superior EX - This is another neutral IEM. The QDC, however sounds a bit more detailed and natural in the mids. The bass is very lean, much more than the other two. QDC’s treble lags behind the others.
Chimene Badi - Si j’avais su t’aimer
The voice is strong and clear. Details are good, in line with the positioning of this set. When the instruments kick in, they remain in the background, not overlapping with the voice. It enforces the impression that they have been tuned to get the most out of female voices.
I prefer Tri to TRN Azure Dragon, which has more bass, but that does not bring anything in this case.
QDC Superior EX is somehow similar, but overall Tri wins on clarity of the voice.
Indilla - Boîte en argint
A bit of sibilance here, but not enough to disturb. More like a distant echo. The voice comes across detailed and clear with good body. A touch more warmth would have been beneficial, but since the aim was to build a neutral IEM, I’d say they perform as foreseen.
For this song the bass extension could have been better, it feels a bit lacking.
TRN Dragon had more bass, but this didn’t really help with the voice.
Dream theatre - A change of season
This is a 23 minutes behemoth of a song that has everything and the kitchen sink in it. It starts with acoustic guitar and piano, then comes the full band, then vocals and so on in an alternance of slow and fast paced passages. Tri I3 does a very good job, maintaining the keyboard at a steady level throughout the song. Labrie’s voice(s) do benefit from the Tri’s very central positioning of the voice. WIth the PWAudio cable (that is the reason for buying the Tri), the treble is spot on.
I find the lean sub bass tuning to work really great here. The drums sound natural, with just the right amount of elasticity, but a couple of dB more would have helped. Mid bass is very good, with the right amount of volume and enough details.
Beth Hart - Better man
If for prog metal it was difficult to establish a hierarchy, here things are simpler. I3 Tri has a more natural sound, despite the Dragon having the more detailed treble.
The other two lagged behind, but the difference is not night and day.
Conclusion: I bought this set as a joke, but I ended up enjoying it. Neutrality is the key. It seems tuned more for Asian pop than my usual mixture of doom metal (that requires more grunt in the bass) and other odd bits. While the Tri i3 mk3 does work well with a variety of genres, it is particularly suitable for fast paced music. For me they worked best with heavy metal from the 80's. It can sound bright when paired with a source that is overly analytical. But with a warmer source, eventually with tubes, it pairs nicely and is a good entry point for musical enjoyment.
All in all a welcome addition to my stable.
Note about the rating: I am always at a loss when using the 1-5 stars rating, to me 4 stars means already very good, with 5 stars reserved for my flagship sets that I absolutely love.
Tri i3 mk III documented experience ( (c) Ozboyblu )
Big thanks to Audio Geek group to organize the tour and to@KEEPHIFI to provide us a tour unit !
I got only a small case, a cable and the IEM itself, so no unboxing experience. No tips were provided (zero problem for me).
There is no pressure on how and what I write however these are still one man's subjective opinions.
The IEM costs 219 USD at the time of writing.
IEM looks very good in person: shiny (but not a fingerprint magnet) purple with pearly white cable.
Inside is a bit CIEM shaped, fits well. IEM is on the smaller side; comfortable to wear even for long sessions.
I tried the IEM with Penon OCC849 (sound was a bit muffled), ISN AG8 (sound was bright, as expected) and the original silver plated copper cable (which worked the best).
Bass is deep, hits right, rumbles; details are on the middle.
Mids are there (but not emphasized), not overshadowed by bass; no BA metallic sound et all.
Treble is good but no airy; I did not have any problem with pinna gain or really high frequencies.
I can summarize my experience in one word: Tri i3 mk III is mild. Nothing sounds bad but nothing stands out either. This is for me an allrounder set: good for everything but not best for anything.
This set is too V shaped for neutral lovers and too neutral for V shape lovers: a typical "in between".
If you are somewhere there it could be a good starter one; this set is much better than a "usual" cheap 10-50 USD one but has no chance against a kilobuck set (this is not a KZ Krila, understood ?).
Easy to drive: at 32/100 on Onix Xi1 it is loud enough for me; usually 28 is enough. For other IEMs I use 32 for average/low volume listening and 36-40 for high volumes.
Some tech info:
Will I be happy if this is my only set ? To be honest if I did not hear a lot of others, answer is a sure "yes". After hearing the variety of IEMs ? Answer is neither a strong "yes" or "no".
Big thanks to Audio Geek group to organize the tour and to@KEEPHIFI to provide us a tour unit !
I got only a small case, a cable and the IEM itself, so no unboxing experience. No tips were provided (zero problem for me).
There is no pressure on how and what I write however these are still one man's subjective opinions.
The IEM costs 219 USD at the time of writing.
- I am a 56.6 year old dude; no detected hearing loss but no musical study either; I do not make music any way. I do not have the hearing of a musician; I do not hear a lot of things reviewers do, so sorry to say, I can barely give more detail. My hearing "ends" about 12.5 kHz.
- I am a low-to-mid loudness listener; I rarely listen on high volumes.
- However I think I command good English (40 years in IT has it's uses) it is not my native. Feel free to play the grammar nazi with me (but be prepared for my answer
).
- My photo skills are ... mediocre at best. I only have an Xperia 1 IV, no camera. Allow me to have an opinion without any photo (or just some).
- I am a low-to-mid loudness listener; I rarely listen on high volumes.
- However I think I command good English (40 years in IT has it's uses) it is not my native. Feel free to play the grammar nazi with me (but be prepared for my answer
).- My photo skills are ... mediocre at best. I only have an Xperia 1 IV, no camera. Allow me to have an opinion without any photo (or just some).
- Detail, quality and quantity in bass, quality in treble are the most important to me. I do not consider myself basshead but I am far away to be called a treble or neutral head. Likewise I like warm much better than neutral, bright is not for me.
- I rarely listen to vocal centric music; metal (very selected, mainly Metallica, Korn, some Marylin Manson), dark ambient (mainly Cryo Chamber), some electronic music (older Jean-Michel Jarre and most of Vangelis) and a very few very selected classical music (Rachmaninov 3rd piano concerto; Sibelius violin concerto, Wieniawski 1st violin concerto plus some very popular pieces from Dvorak, Vivaldi and similar). I also follow 28 artist and label on bandcamp; I bought 199 albums there. Let me say living in Hungary makes me not fear to use liberal methods to get my music; I better pay for small ones than already-millionaire bands.
- Timbre is secondary (only the real bad ones are out).
- I have yet to find an IEM really uncomfortable for me; even the Hidizs MP145 is a good fit (which is a huge one). CIEM-like shape is not always the best fit (but still usable).
- As I have ~12 different kind of tips I rarely try/use the original ones (sure I am always thinking on a possible later sell on all of my IEMs). In general I use "M" tips (except the Moondrop Spring tips where I need "L" size ones). Finding good fit for most IEMs is not difficult for me.
- I try the original cables but I switch nearly always to my own ones; Penon ASOS, Effect Audio Cadmus "Z" 8w, Penon OCC849, ISN AG8 are the prominent ones.
- For the IEM, look is nearly unimportant (sure, no young girls or pink on IEM).
- Look of box and accessories are secondary. Unboxing experience is not really important: if it is better than cheap KZ it is good enough for me.
- Soundstage, imaging is not important: even intimate sounding IEMs are OK for me; too vibrantly changing the source place disturbs me (one of the main reasons I do not listen to that kind of music).
- Unfortunately Bone Conduction is in general not for me; tried only the Penon Fan3 with it: sound is very OK but spins my brain the very wrong way in minutes. I like bass but too much of it could cause the same.
- I rarely listen to vocal centric music; metal (very selected, mainly Metallica, Korn, some Marylin Manson), dark ambient (mainly Cryo Chamber), some electronic music (older Jean-Michel Jarre and most of Vangelis) and a very few very selected classical music (Rachmaninov 3rd piano concerto; Sibelius violin concerto, Wieniawski 1st violin concerto plus some very popular pieces from Dvorak, Vivaldi and similar). I also follow 28 artist and label on bandcamp; I bought 199 albums there. Let me say living in Hungary makes me not fear to use liberal methods to get my music; I better pay for small ones than already-millionaire bands.
- Timbre is secondary (only the real bad ones are out).
- I have yet to find an IEM really uncomfortable for me; even the Hidizs MP145 is a good fit (which is a huge one). CIEM-like shape is not always the best fit (but still usable).
- As I have ~12 different kind of tips I rarely try/use the original ones (sure I am always thinking on a possible later sell on all of my IEMs). In general I use "M" tips (except the Moondrop Spring tips where I need "L" size ones). Finding good fit for most IEMs is not difficult for me.
- I try the original cables but I switch nearly always to my own ones; Penon ASOS, Effect Audio Cadmus "Z" 8w, Penon OCC849, ISN AG8 are the prominent ones.
- For the IEM, look is nearly unimportant (sure, no young girls or pink on IEM).
- Look of box and accessories are secondary. Unboxing experience is not really important: if it is better than cheap KZ it is good enough for me.
- Soundstage, imaging is not important: even intimate sounding IEMs are OK for me; too vibrantly changing the source place disturbs me (one of the main reasons I do not listen to that kind of music).
- Unfortunately Bone Conduction is in general not for me; tried only the Penon Fan3 with it: sound is very OK but spins my brain the very wrong way in minutes. I like bass but too much of it could cause the same.
Shanling Onix XI1 DAC, original cable, Moondrop spring and Penon Licky Orange tips. No blind tests.
Usual test music in no particular order:
Except the first one all are local FLAC files: 44.1 or 48kHz / 16bit. I tested many times: I do not hear more in kHz or bit so no reason to store my music in higher resolution.
Henryk Wieniawski - Violin Concerto Nr.1 | Ray Chen is my number one test; the only one I use from youtube: details, treble, layering
Sibelius Violin Concerto in D minor Op.47 played Hillary Hahn on violin: details and high treble
Korn - Lost In The Grandeur : bass and subbass
Rammstein - Giftig : treble
Rammstein - Adieu : treble and bass together
Depeche Mode: Pimpf : building up a really busy track
Gdanian: Induction and Mechanical gods albums : details and bass
Lustmord & Karin Park - ALTER : all kind of bass; deep female voice
The pretty reckless - Death by Rock and Roll album : female vocal (Taylor Momsen has a fantastic voice !)
Arch Enemy - Handshake With Hell : many kind of female voice (same Alissa White-Gluz), guitar, drum
Jinjer - Pisces: 2 very different kind of female voice from the same singer (watch the video)
Jean-Michel Jarre - Ethnicolor (1st track from the album Zoolook): gets very busy, good for details
Metallica - The Call Of Ktulu (from S&M, 1999): details, bass, mids ... a busy one !
... and of course a lot more depending on my mood.
Usual test music in no particular order:
Except the first one all are local FLAC files: 44.1 or 48kHz / 16bit. I tested many times: I do not hear more in kHz or bit so no reason to store my music in higher resolution.
Henryk Wieniawski - Violin Concerto Nr.1 | Ray Chen is my number one test; the only one I use from youtube: details, treble, layering
Sibelius Violin Concerto in D minor Op.47 played Hillary Hahn on violin: details and high treble
Korn - Lost In The Grandeur : bass and subbass
Rammstein - Giftig : treble
Rammstein - Adieu : treble and bass together
Depeche Mode: Pimpf : building up a really busy track
Gdanian: Induction and Mechanical gods albums : details and bass
Lustmord & Karin Park - ALTER : all kind of bass; deep female voice
The pretty reckless - Death by Rock and Roll album : female vocal (Taylor Momsen has a fantastic voice !)
Arch Enemy - Handshake With Hell : many kind of female voice (same Alissa White-Gluz), guitar, drum
Jinjer - Pisces: 2 very different kind of female voice from the same singer (watch the video)
Jean-Michel Jarre - Ethnicolor (1st track from the album Zoolook): gets very busy, good for details
Metallica - The Call Of Ktulu (from S&M, 1999): details, bass, mids ... a busy one !
... and of course a lot more depending on my mood.
IEM looks very good in person: shiny (but not a fingerprint magnet) purple with pearly white cable.
Inside is a bit CIEM shaped, fits well. IEM is on the smaller side; comfortable to wear even for long sessions.
I tried the IEM with Penon OCC849 (sound was a bit muffled), ISN AG8 (sound was bright, as expected) and the original silver plated copper cable (which worked the best).
Bass is deep, hits right, rumbles; details are on the middle.
Mids are there (but not emphasized), not overshadowed by bass; no BA metallic sound et all.
Treble is good but no airy; I did not have any problem with pinna gain or really high frequencies.
I can summarize my experience in one word: Tri i3 mk III is mild. Nothing sounds bad but nothing stands out either. This is for me an allrounder set: good for everything but not best for anything.
This set is too V shaped for neutral lovers and too neutral for V shape lovers: a typical "in between".
If you are somewhere there it could be a good starter one; this set is much better than a "usual" cheap 10-50 USD one but has no chance against a kilobuck set (this is not a KZ Krila, understood ?).
Easy to drive: at 32/100 on Onix Xi1 it is loud enough for me; usually 28 is enough. For other IEMs I use 32 for average/low volume listening and 36-40 for high volumes.
Some tech info:
- Driver Configuration: 10mm DD for bass, Sonion 2356 BA for mid, 10mm Planar magnetic driver for treble
- Impedance: 21Ω
- Sensitivity: 104 dB
- Frequency Response: 20Hz–20KHz
- Cable: 612-core 5N OCC Silver-plated coaxial cable
- Cable Length: 1.2m
- Pin Type: flush mount 0.78mm 2-pin connector
- Plug Type: 4.4mm
- CNC Machined Metallic Housing (most probably aluminium): light (5.4 gramm a piece) but hard
- Premium Finish With Anodized Oxidation Process
Will I be happy if this is my only set ? To be honest if I did not hear a lot of others, answer is a sure "yes". After hearing the variety of IEMs ? Answer is neither a strong "yes" or "no".
FreeWheelinAudioLuv2
I enjoy it quite a bit, and at one time it was top 3-4 for me in my rotation, but as a year has gone by since I bought it, it has slipped out of the top 10. Maybe still top 12? Thanks for the impressions!
Disclaimer
KeepHifi reached out and kindly sent me the TRI MKIII IEMs in exchange for my honest opinion. As always, you can only read my unbiased findings, regardless of whether the product was gifted or loaned.
Introduction
First and foremost, I listen to full sized, open-back headphones. My current daily driver is a pair of ZMF Caldera open with thick earpads which I love. IEMs are a side interest for me, I am not following the latest releases. That said, I do have some experience with IEMs, just lately Meze sent me their relatively new Alba for review, but previously I also tested near $3000 IEMs from Unique Melody. I believe my extensive sonic experience with multiple headphones throughout more than a decade will compensate for my slightly less up to date stance on the current IEM market.
For this evaluation I mostly used my ZMF Aegis tube amplifier, but also my Cayin RU6 dongle DAC. The RU6 might not be the absolute best pairing with the I3, as the R2R DAC is warm, smooth and very analogue. While the I3 is neutral, it is also very smooth, so you might be better off with a crisper, more dynamic sounding portable source.
On the other hand, the ZMF Aegis is a very clean, precise and dynamic sounding tube amplifier. I also rolled clean and dynamic sounding tubes in it. The I3 scales surprisingly well with better sources, just like the Meze Alba does which later on we will use for direct comparison as a reference point.
ZMF Aegis and the chain I mostly used. Holo Cyan 2, EverSolo DMP A6 with LPS upgrade. Tubes are GEC U52, Mullard ECC35 slim base and Philips EL50/4654.
KeepHifi
I have to admit, I have not heard of KeepHiFi previously, so I did some research. They are a China based company, specialised in budget IEMs. When I say budget, I mean they even offer nice looking IEMs for only $10 (!). You can find several IEMs on their website with various driver types and combinations between $10 and $100. Some offerings between $100 and $200, and their current flagship, the TRI I3 MKIII for $219, which we are having a look at today. KeepHiFi owns three brands: TRI, KBEAR and CCZ. The sound engineer behind these IEMs seems to be one person. KeepHiFi is also a distributor of four other brands.
I wonder, if KeepHiFi was able to come up with such cool IEM names as 'Draco', 'Starsea' and 'Rosefinch', why on earth is their flagship called TRI I3 MKIII? A forgettable code name.
Packaging, design, comfort
The TRI i3 MKIII comes in a nice box with plenty of accessories. The carrying case with a magnetic lock looks cool and feels good quality. There is a generous selection of eartips included as well as a nice and good quality, light and non-tangling 4.4 mm cable. Not having a 3.5 mm cable is fine with me, most people use 4.4 mm with their IEMs these days.
Foam tips and three types of good quality silicon tips can provide a good fit for anyone.
The I3 is a 'tribrid', triple driver IEM with a 10 mm beryllium coated dynamic driver for bass, a quality Sonion 2356 balanced armature driver for mids, and somewhat unconventionally, a small planar transducer for treble. The three drivers are packed in a nicely designed, very comfortable and ergonomic, durable aluminium chassis. The solid, CNC aluminium body is anodized to reach this colour, not painted. This will prevent scratches, further increasing a premium feel and longevity. I like that KeepHiFi decided to go with a bold colour instead of a boring black or grey, even if this colour would not necessarily be my personal choice.
I often struggle with a comfortable fit when it comes to IEMs, but the I3 just sits in my ears perfectly. I never experienced any discomfort even after hours of listening. These IEMs sit quite deep in the ear canal, much deeper than the Meze Alba for instance. This helps to achieve a good seal for more people easier, which is crucial with IEMs, and also increases passive noise isolation. Overall, the I3 is nicely built, comes with a generous number of accessories, a nice cable, plus they are also very comfortable. All boxes ticked so far; how do they sound then?
Dynamic driver, BA and planar achieving coherence coming from three acoustic channels.
Sound
Tuning different types of drivers in order to provide a coherent sound is not an easy task. I have heard bad examples previously, like the UM 3DD-Ti. The three dynamic drivers in that very quickly discontinued IEM just lacked coherence and a seamless transition between frequency ranges. Luckily, on the I3 I cannot detect any issues on this front; the dynamic, BA and planar drivers work well together, the soundscape is coherent, one whole.
One of the first characteristics of the I3 that pops out is its smooth and inoffensive nature. They provide a creamy smooth and rather neutral sound without any noticeable, troublesome peaks. The sound has good texture, body and thickness, notes are rounded and have adequate weight.
Technicalities
In my opinion overall technicalities on the I3 correlate with their price point, they offer what one would expect from a $200 IEM. Soundstage is not enormous, but has a good size with pretty accurate instrument placement. The size of the stage is slightly bigger than on the Meze Alba. I would call the I3 a neutrally tuned IEM with a little sub-bass emphasis. Mid-bass is not emphasised and there is a complete lack of treble peaks which both contribute to a neutral sonic impression.
The I3 is not the quickest sounding IEM, transients are a little bit on the slower side. Attack is a bit soft and decay a bit lazy. This helps tremendously with softness, smoothness and texture, but does not help dynamics, speed and impact. Still, within this neutral and pleasantly smooth tuning the I3 offers enough detail and resolution that one would expect at this price point.
Now, let us have a look at the frequency ranges, as mostly that is where I am not entirely happy with everything I hear.
Bass is fine in general, but to my ears and taste it is slightly imbalanced. It sounds like the designer engineer intentionally pulled back mid-bass, but at the same time put some emphasis on sub-bass. I am not against a pulled-back, flatter mid-bass response, this is a tuning choice. (I also find the over-emphasised bass presentation of TWS earbuds irritating.) In a way, it is refreshing to hear a neutrally tuned mid-bass on a relatively affordable pair of IEMs, but at the same time this tame mid-bass area just lacks punch and excitement for modern music. This tuning is actually quite helpful for monitoring purposes, if not musical enjoyment is your number one objective. For musicians on a stage a flatter response can be quite handy, until we sink into the elevated sub-bass region. In a way it is good to have excellent bass extension, but the quantity below 80-100Hz is noticeably more than what you get between 100-300Hz. Ideally, I would like to see a better balance: a little less sub- and a little more mid-bass. I never thought I would write down such a sentence, as I usually prefer a controlled mid-bass and good sub-bass presence, but in the case of the I3 I think they went a bit too far.
Sub-bass gives a good foundation to bassy songs, but the mid-bass punch, bite and impact is often missing from certain tracks. With some music it is fine, with others it feels a bit unusual and imbalanced.
Lovely cable.
Mids are where these IEMs excel. The BA driver does a good job in providing a natural timbre with good texture. Detail is adequate and the overall smoothness helps to create pleasant vocals and believable acoustic instrument characteristics. The flatter mid-bass somewhat carries onto the lower-mids, putting a little more emphasis on upper-mids. This helps female vocals but is slightly less favourable for male vocals. Female vocals have a nice, open presence while male vocals occasionally can feel a little subdued. Overall, I am happy with the smooth and natural mid presentation of the I3. Body and texture of the mids are the highlight of these IEMs.
Everything is better with tubes, even better if they are clean and dynamic sounding like on the ZMF Aegis.
Treble is the area I have the most issues with. I am relatively treble sensitive and often like a smoother, darker treble versus a bright one. For example, I prefer Audeze LCD 2/3/4 versus oval HiFiMan headphones for this reason. The I3 to my ears sounds a bit like the other extreme on the spectrum: treble is so smooth and inoffensive, lacking any sorts of frequency peaks, that often it feels like the upper frequencies are shadowed. In the marketing material KeepHiFi says you can expect 'electrostatic-like' treble from this planar driver. I cannot hear that. Electrostatic sound is fast, nimble, detailed. This treble has a good body, but it's a bit dark. It is only dark on certain spots, but that is pretty consistent.
On the one hand it is good news that the I3's inoffensive and smooth treble won't cause anyone treble fatigue; on the other hand, the complete lack of treble frequency emphasis makes some treble detail and information remain so much in the background, they almost feel lost. On the frequency graphs that I found online, I can see a strong downslope from 4K upwards. My ears also confirm this pulled back treble that lacks any kind of shimmer or excitement. For some strongly treble sensitive people this could be a good thing, but I think the majority of listeners will miss a bit of a shine, shimmer and openness in the high frequencies. Tuning treble is a tricky game, as many people are sensitive to different treble areas, but in my opinion KeepHiFi just played this game too safely this time. So safely, that the lack of treble bite actually bit back.
Versus Meze Alba
The best direct comparison I could come up with was my Meze Alba, Meze's entry level, single DD IEM for $159. I call it entry level, but currently this is the only IEM Meze officially offers. Previously they had higher-end IEMs like the $600 Advar or the originally $1000 Rai Penta which are both discontinued.
So, how does the entry level Meze compare to KeepHiFi's flagship? I was surprised to realise that they actually play on similar grounds, when it comes to general performance. Despite the single DD versus tribrid configuration, detail level, resolution and overall technical performance are absolutely comparable. The I3 sounds more neutral, smoother and has a thicker body, but lacks the airiness, clarity and dynamic energy of the Alba. In fact, the only area where in my opinion the I3 has an advantage is the more textured mids. The Alba sounds livelier, with a more open treble that sparkles at the right places. For example, percussion on the Alba sounds snappy and 'shiny' while on the I3 snare drums can come across damped, almost blunt. Initially the Alba might sound a little thinner, but to my ears it is better balanced. Mid-bass is slightly emphasised on the Alba which with its quicker transients and stronger dynamic punch leads to a more enjoyable performance. Alba sounds airier, cleaner, tighter, more alive and exciting. Someone who is after a more neutral, smooth, completely inoffensive and thicker sound, might prefer the I3, but to my ears the Alba is the better tuned IEM and I find the sound more interesting, more engaging.
A handful of example tracks from the many I used
Billie EIlish - Bad Guy: good sub-bass base, but mid-bass lacks dynamics and impact. Claps sound flat and dull compared to Meze Alba.
London Grammar - Talking: nice, smooth and full female vocal but some background treble information gets lost.
Vibrasphere - Northern Sunsets: full sub-bass is nice, but almost too much in quantity versus other areas. I miss the treble openness and sparkle.
Rúnahild - Ørnedans: Nice tone and body for acoustic instruments and vocals. Treble lacks air and sparkle, resulting in a slightly claustrophobic upper end of the stage.
Elsiane - Vaporous: Drums and percussion just feel a bit soft and damped, lacking snappiness and dynamics. Nice vocals though.
Conclusion
While I think the I3 has strong points at build quality, comfort and accessories, to my ears the tuning is a bit uneven and has areas to improve. I did like the overall smoothness, rich texture in the mids and good body of the sound but disliked the uneven quantity between sub- and mid-bass as well as the shadowed treble that occasionally even lacks some information. Despite my criticism I think the I3 is not a bad sounding IEM, they actually sound alright, without significant faults. I rated them four out of five stars, which means good but not excellent. The issues I highlighted are not deal breakers, but areas to improve in my opinion. I think, if KeepHiFi wants to stand out from the ocean of budget IEMs, they need to improve the tuning balance. In a review like this I have to be critical, hopefully in a constructive manner.
If you like a smooth, neutral sound with thick body and texture and a highly inoffensive treble, these might be for you. If you like a bit more open sound, more air, better dynamics, excitement and punch, there are more attractive alternatives out there. KeepHiFi, thank you for this opportunity and I wish you all success with future releases!
KeepHifi reached out and kindly sent me the TRI MKIII IEMs in exchange for my honest opinion. As always, you can only read my unbiased findings, regardless of whether the product was gifted or loaned.
Introduction
First and foremost, I listen to full sized, open-back headphones. My current daily driver is a pair of ZMF Caldera open with thick earpads which I love. IEMs are a side interest for me, I am not following the latest releases. That said, I do have some experience with IEMs, just lately Meze sent me their relatively new Alba for review, but previously I also tested near $3000 IEMs from Unique Melody. I believe my extensive sonic experience with multiple headphones throughout more than a decade will compensate for my slightly less up to date stance on the current IEM market.
For this evaluation I mostly used my ZMF Aegis tube amplifier, but also my Cayin RU6 dongle DAC. The RU6 might not be the absolute best pairing with the I3, as the R2R DAC is warm, smooth and very analogue. While the I3 is neutral, it is also very smooth, so you might be better off with a crisper, more dynamic sounding portable source.
On the other hand, the ZMF Aegis is a very clean, precise and dynamic sounding tube amplifier. I also rolled clean and dynamic sounding tubes in it. The I3 scales surprisingly well with better sources, just like the Meze Alba does which later on we will use for direct comparison as a reference point.
ZMF Aegis and the chain I mostly used. Holo Cyan 2, EverSolo DMP A6 with LPS upgrade. Tubes are GEC U52, Mullard ECC35 slim base and Philips EL50/4654.
KeepHifi
I have to admit, I have not heard of KeepHiFi previously, so I did some research. They are a China based company, specialised in budget IEMs. When I say budget, I mean they even offer nice looking IEMs for only $10 (!). You can find several IEMs on their website with various driver types and combinations between $10 and $100. Some offerings between $100 and $200, and their current flagship, the TRI I3 MKIII for $219, which we are having a look at today. KeepHiFi owns three brands: TRI, KBEAR and CCZ. The sound engineer behind these IEMs seems to be one person. KeepHiFi is also a distributor of four other brands.
I wonder, if KeepHiFi was able to come up with such cool IEM names as 'Draco', 'Starsea' and 'Rosefinch', why on earth is their flagship called TRI I3 MKIII? A forgettable code name.
Packaging, design, comfort
The TRI i3 MKIII comes in a nice box with plenty of accessories. The carrying case with a magnetic lock looks cool and feels good quality. There is a generous selection of eartips included as well as a nice and good quality, light and non-tangling 4.4 mm cable. Not having a 3.5 mm cable is fine with me, most people use 4.4 mm with their IEMs these days.
Foam tips and three types of good quality silicon tips can provide a good fit for anyone.
The I3 is a 'tribrid', triple driver IEM with a 10 mm beryllium coated dynamic driver for bass, a quality Sonion 2356 balanced armature driver for mids, and somewhat unconventionally, a small planar transducer for treble. The three drivers are packed in a nicely designed, very comfortable and ergonomic, durable aluminium chassis. The solid, CNC aluminium body is anodized to reach this colour, not painted. This will prevent scratches, further increasing a premium feel and longevity. I like that KeepHiFi decided to go with a bold colour instead of a boring black or grey, even if this colour would not necessarily be my personal choice.
I often struggle with a comfortable fit when it comes to IEMs, but the I3 just sits in my ears perfectly. I never experienced any discomfort even after hours of listening. These IEMs sit quite deep in the ear canal, much deeper than the Meze Alba for instance. This helps to achieve a good seal for more people easier, which is crucial with IEMs, and also increases passive noise isolation. Overall, the I3 is nicely built, comes with a generous number of accessories, a nice cable, plus they are also very comfortable. All boxes ticked so far; how do they sound then?
Dynamic driver, BA and planar achieving coherence coming from three acoustic channels.
Sound
Tuning different types of drivers in order to provide a coherent sound is not an easy task. I have heard bad examples previously, like the UM 3DD-Ti. The three dynamic drivers in that very quickly discontinued IEM just lacked coherence and a seamless transition between frequency ranges. Luckily, on the I3 I cannot detect any issues on this front; the dynamic, BA and planar drivers work well together, the soundscape is coherent, one whole.
One of the first characteristics of the I3 that pops out is its smooth and inoffensive nature. They provide a creamy smooth and rather neutral sound without any noticeable, troublesome peaks. The sound has good texture, body and thickness, notes are rounded and have adequate weight.
Technicalities
In my opinion overall technicalities on the I3 correlate with their price point, they offer what one would expect from a $200 IEM. Soundstage is not enormous, but has a good size with pretty accurate instrument placement. The size of the stage is slightly bigger than on the Meze Alba. I would call the I3 a neutrally tuned IEM with a little sub-bass emphasis. Mid-bass is not emphasised and there is a complete lack of treble peaks which both contribute to a neutral sonic impression.
The I3 is not the quickest sounding IEM, transients are a little bit on the slower side. Attack is a bit soft and decay a bit lazy. This helps tremendously with softness, smoothness and texture, but does not help dynamics, speed and impact. Still, within this neutral and pleasantly smooth tuning the I3 offers enough detail and resolution that one would expect at this price point.
Now, let us have a look at the frequency ranges, as mostly that is where I am not entirely happy with everything I hear.
Bass is fine in general, but to my ears and taste it is slightly imbalanced. It sounds like the designer engineer intentionally pulled back mid-bass, but at the same time put some emphasis on sub-bass. I am not against a pulled-back, flatter mid-bass response, this is a tuning choice. (I also find the over-emphasised bass presentation of TWS earbuds irritating.) In a way, it is refreshing to hear a neutrally tuned mid-bass on a relatively affordable pair of IEMs, but at the same time this tame mid-bass area just lacks punch and excitement for modern music. This tuning is actually quite helpful for monitoring purposes, if not musical enjoyment is your number one objective. For musicians on a stage a flatter response can be quite handy, until we sink into the elevated sub-bass region. In a way it is good to have excellent bass extension, but the quantity below 80-100Hz is noticeably more than what you get between 100-300Hz. Ideally, I would like to see a better balance: a little less sub- and a little more mid-bass. I never thought I would write down such a sentence, as I usually prefer a controlled mid-bass and good sub-bass presence, but in the case of the I3 I think they went a bit too far.
Sub-bass gives a good foundation to bassy songs, but the mid-bass punch, bite and impact is often missing from certain tracks. With some music it is fine, with others it feels a bit unusual and imbalanced.
Lovely cable.
Mids are where these IEMs excel. The BA driver does a good job in providing a natural timbre with good texture. Detail is adequate and the overall smoothness helps to create pleasant vocals and believable acoustic instrument characteristics. The flatter mid-bass somewhat carries onto the lower-mids, putting a little more emphasis on upper-mids. This helps female vocals but is slightly less favourable for male vocals. Female vocals have a nice, open presence while male vocals occasionally can feel a little subdued. Overall, I am happy with the smooth and natural mid presentation of the I3. Body and texture of the mids are the highlight of these IEMs.
Everything is better with tubes, even better if they are clean and dynamic sounding like on the ZMF Aegis.
Treble is the area I have the most issues with. I am relatively treble sensitive and often like a smoother, darker treble versus a bright one. For example, I prefer Audeze LCD 2/3/4 versus oval HiFiMan headphones for this reason. The I3 to my ears sounds a bit like the other extreme on the spectrum: treble is so smooth and inoffensive, lacking any sorts of frequency peaks, that often it feels like the upper frequencies are shadowed. In the marketing material KeepHiFi says you can expect 'electrostatic-like' treble from this planar driver. I cannot hear that. Electrostatic sound is fast, nimble, detailed. This treble has a good body, but it's a bit dark. It is only dark on certain spots, but that is pretty consistent.
On the one hand it is good news that the I3's inoffensive and smooth treble won't cause anyone treble fatigue; on the other hand, the complete lack of treble frequency emphasis makes some treble detail and information remain so much in the background, they almost feel lost. On the frequency graphs that I found online, I can see a strong downslope from 4K upwards. My ears also confirm this pulled back treble that lacks any kind of shimmer or excitement. For some strongly treble sensitive people this could be a good thing, but I think the majority of listeners will miss a bit of a shine, shimmer and openness in the high frequencies. Tuning treble is a tricky game, as many people are sensitive to different treble areas, but in my opinion KeepHiFi just played this game too safely this time. So safely, that the lack of treble bite actually bit back.
Versus Meze Alba
The best direct comparison I could come up with was my Meze Alba, Meze's entry level, single DD IEM for $159. I call it entry level, but currently this is the only IEM Meze officially offers. Previously they had higher-end IEMs like the $600 Advar or the originally $1000 Rai Penta which are both discontinued.
So, how does the entry level Meze compare to KeepHiFi's flagship? I was surprised to realise that they actually play on similar grounds, when it comes to general performance. Despite the single DD versus tribrid configuration, detail level, resolution and overall technical performance are absolutely comparable. The I3 sounds more neutral, smoother and has a thicker body, but lacks the airiness, clarity and dynamic energy of the Alba. In fact, the only area where in my opinion the I3 has an advantage is the more textured mids. The Alba sounds livelier, with a more open treble that sparkles at the right places. For example, percussion on the Alba sounds snappy and 'shiny' while on the I3 snare drums can come across damped, almost blunt. Initially the Alba might sound a little thinner, but to my ears it is better balanced. Mid-bass is slightly emphasised on the Alba which with its quicker transients and stronger dynamic punch leads to a more enjoyable performance. Alba sounds airier, cleaner, tighter, more alive and exciting. Someone who is after a more neutral, smooth, completely inoffensive and thicker sound, might prefer the I3, but to my ears the Alba is the better tuned IEM and I find the sound more interesting, more engaging.
A handful of example tracks from the many I used
Billie EIlish - Bad Guy: good sub-bass base, but mid-bass lacks dynamics and impact. Claps sound flat and dull compared to Meze Alba. London Grammar - Talking: nice, smooth and full female vocal but some background treble information gets lost. Vibrasphere - Northern Sunsets: full sub-bass is nice, but almost too much in quantity versus other areas. I miss the treble openness and sparkle. Rúnahild - Ørnedans: Nice tone and body for acoustic instruments and vocals. Treble lacks air and sparkle, resulting in a slightly claustrophobic upper end of the stage. Elsiane - Vaporous: Drums and percussion just feel a bit soft and damped, lacking snappiness and dynamics. Nice vocals though.
Conclusion
While I think the I3 has strong points at build quality, comfort and accessories, to my ears the tuning is a bit uneven and has areas to improve. I did like the overall smoothness, rich texture in the mids and good body of the sound but disliked the uneven quantity between sub- and mid-bass as well as the shadowed treble that occasionally even lacks some information. Despite my criticism I think the I3 is not a bad sounding IEM, they actually sound alright, without significant faults. I rated them four out of five stars, which means good but not excellent. The issues I highlighted are not deal breakers, but areas to improve in my opinion. I think, if KeepHiFi wants to stand out from the ocean of budget IEMs, they need to improve the tuning balance. In a review like this I have to be critical, hopefully in a constructive manner.
If you like a smooth, neutral sound with thick body and texture and a highly inoffensive treble, these might be for you. If you like a bit more open sound, more air, better dynamics, excitement and punch, there are more attractive alternatives out there. KeepHiFi, thank you for this opportunity and I wish you all success with future releases!
