Tripowin Rhombus

Oi! mates, welcome to my new review article, I will talk about the current product release by TRIPOWIN, The TRIPOWIN Rhombus.


Tripowin is an audio company based on China with a respectable reputation to the audio community due its uncompromising quality of their products since 2020. They are also known for their good quality products like IEMs and cables and a worthwile partnership with an audio reviewer who's quite very popular on YouTube, Hawaiian Bad Boy. To be honest, The first Tripowin product that I've encountered was the TC01, and it leaves me unimpressed with its tonal quality.


With its successive products like the Mele and The Olina, TRIPOWIN release the TRIPOWIN Rhombus along with the TRIPOWIN Cencible.


TRIPOWIN Rhombus is made of CNC-milled aluminium alloy in a polygon shape form factor. It is of a hybrid driver set-up consists of imported 10mm liquid crystal polymer film layered with polyurethane composite and a balanced armature driver from premium audio solution, Knowles. The dynamic driver supposedly handles the lows and mids to deliver a precise, detail and responsive sound while the Knowles balanced armature driver (Knowles 33518) responsible for treble frequency. The shell chassis of Rhombus feels really solid that I have confidence in its structural integrity.




It also uses a proven 2-pin connector for ease of doing cable swapping and stronger, more stable contact. As for its wearability, Rhombus seems to have a comfortable and resting well in my lug holes that I don't encounter any issues like loose fitting and wobbling but its a tad hefty on the side.




When it comes to its packaging box, TRIPOWIN Rhombus' box has black rectangular box and its inclusion is decent enough as it includes basic accessories.




Here are the included accessories of TRIPOWIN Rhombus:


● TRIPOWIN Rhombus IEMs

● 3 pairs of white coloured ear tips of different standard sizes.

● 3 pairs of black coloured ear tipa of different standard sizes.

● 4-core black SPC cable with 3.5mm termination plug.

● Cable organiser strap.

● Black velvet IEM pouch.

● Instruction manual.




As for amplification rating, TRIPOWIN Rhombus is an easy to drive set that devices with decent output like smartphones and tables can power this IEM. But driving them in a very good power source with quality DAC/Amp will deliver the fullest potential to sound more dynamic sounding.


It seems that TRIPOWIN Rhombus has a mild V-shaped sound signature as it has a perceivable elevation on bass and treble section with a bit notch midrange. Tonality is more on a laid back and quite inoffensive tuning.


Here are some of my observations of its sound characteristics of each part of the frequency range spectrum.


LOWS/BASS:


The bass of this set has this light punchiness and a bit imprecise that it gives some smudges with its midrange that it gives me an impression of a bit muddy presentation. Sub bass is prominent in the bass region as it has an ample rumble into it whenever a sub bass-laden track needs it.


Midbass has a less textured body that it does really give an inadequate slam on some bass-focus instruments like bass guitars, bass kick drums and bass-baritone vocals. Bass guitar has lack of growl and grit that it sounds dull and hollow, bass kick has thatb lack of authority sounding that its a bit soft and hollow (again) in my liking, and as for bass-baritone vocals, it really sounds weak and less power that it lacks that depth and strong.


MIDRANGE:


It has a slight trough midrange quality that its a bit lean, a touch of warmth, smooth and transparent as it is more focused on female vocals rather than male ones. Due to its inherent lean tuning, it doesn't give a proper note weight on male vocals that it lacks authority and deep especially on the alto and tenor voices. Female vocals seems benefited on this one as it gives a decent range, space and projection as it has this feathery and calm presentation.


As for instruments, strings and woodwinds are even more distinguishable compared to some instruments, especially percussion ones. Guitars(acoustics ones) has this balanced to dry sound that gives an almost equal distribution on note ranges to strong fundamental tonal pitch. Violins has this austere and "flute-like" sound feeling that are quite pleasant to hear. Flutes have this graceful and airy sound on every press on its specific note key holes. Clarinets and bassoons sound more on a mellow and warmer side on tuning. Snare drums have this dry and clattering sound with field drums (tenor drums as my brother says) has this boomy and sombre sound. And last but not the least, the sound of a piano is a bit of uneven softness that gives a mellow tone.



HIGHS/TREBLE:


The treble of this TRIPOWIN Rhombus is leaning towards into the side of dark sounding which is quite a double edge sword. You will expect a smooth upper mids to presence treble that doesn't have a hint of stridency nor sibilance due to subdued upper mid peaks but it's a bit dull in my liking due to lack of sparkle to give less definition on details.


As for treble air quantity, it is more of an average range that somehow gives an acceptable extension. Cymbals strikes seem to have that acceptable shimmer but surprisingly, it has a decent sizzle on it. Hi hats are properly depicted on its presentation on how it gives that distinct shortened "chicky" sound.



SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING & OTHER TECHNICALITIES:


On how I perceive and estimate the overall proportion of the presentation of its sound field, This set has an average-size both on width and height with a decent distance of depth from to and fro. Imaging on this one is rather two-dimensional and linear on how I was able to locate the positions of the vocals and instruments with sufficient gap and spacing with decent layering of its specific frequency and tone of each instrument and vocals but it doesn't complement well more complex, multi-instrument tracks.


As for resolution capabilities, it has satisfactory detail retrieval with good macro dynamics but it's more on dampened rather edgier definition. Coherency of drivers is rather decent than superb as DD and Knowles BA doesn't perform that cohesion to give a more homogenous sound that affects the attack, speed and decay. The tonal colour of this set is quite uneven as they are neither bright nor warm.





PEER COMPARISONS:


KBEAR Ormosia

● Both IEMs are comparable when it comes to build quality and implementation of drivers as they are both made of aluminium alloy but the differences are the shell design and implementation of pin connectors. While Rhombus follows a UIEM-style pattern, Ormosia rather follows a unique circular design that you can wear either an earbud or a typical IEM. Ormosia uses a MMCX-type of connector which might be problematic in a long run.


● Product packaging-wise, KBEAR Ormosia has a better presentation and it has plenty of inclusions of good quality while TRIPOWIN Rhombus is a bit more spartan. In regards to tonality, KBear Ormosia of a U-shaped sound signature which has matured tuning and sound more balanced compare to a more V-shaped Rhombus.


● As for technicalities, both devices are comparable but on soundstage, Ormosia has better soundstage width, better height and depth.



TKZK WAVE

● Wave is made of clear polycarbonate shell and it has similar driver set-up with the Rhombus.


● Wave is more U-shaped sounding which sounds more balanced compare to a more V-shaped Rhombus. Wave has a more texture and somehow more detail compare to the Rhombus but it has a hint sibilances and some harshness.


● Technicalities-wise, Wave is a bit better in almost all aspects of technical performances with the exception of coherency which I think Rhombus performs a bit better.

To put up my conclusion about the TRIPOWIN Rhombus, I'm applaud the development of TRIPOWIN products which to be honest that I'm not really impress and leave a bad impression on TC01 on how it sounded very mediocre and appalling. TRIPOWIN Rhombus is definitely a decent sounding IEM given of its price with an implementation of a premium Knowles balanced armature driver on its internals but given a more stiffer competition in the current state of audio market, TRIPOWIN Rhombus position is uncertain.


TRIPOWIN Rhombus is currently available and you can purchase it on LINSOUL, Click the link HERE if you are interested.






SPECIFICATION:


MODEL: TRIPOWIN RHOMBUS

IMPEDANCE: 30Ω

SENSITIVITY: 106dB

FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 20KHz

CABLE LENGTH: 1.25M

PIN TYPE: 2-PIN CONNECTOR (0.78MM)

PLUG TYPE: 3.5mm

DRIVER UNIT(S): (1) DYNAMIC DRIVER + (1) BALANCED ARMATURE DRIVERS



Some Tracks Tested: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)

Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *

Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**

Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **

Mountain - Mississippi Queen *

Queen - Killer Queen **

Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*

Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'

Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'

Pearl Jam - Daughter **

Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *

Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*

Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *

New Order - Blue Monday *

The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *

Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *

The Madness- Buggy Trousers *

Metallica - Motorbreath **

Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *

Destiny's Child - Say My Name *

Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *

Mozart - Lacrimosa *

New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *

Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*

Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *

Exciter - Violence and Force *

Diana Krall - Stop This World **

Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*

The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**

Suzanne Vega – Luka **

Lauren Christy – Steep *




P.S.

I am not affiliated to TRIPOWIN nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.


Once again, I would like to Ms. Kareena Tang of LINSOUL for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate their generosity towards me and other reviewers.

TONALITY:7.5/10
TECHNICALITIES: 7.6/10
CONSTRUCTION: 8.5/10
SOUND VALUE: 7.6/10


TRIPOWIN is a chinese earphones company that gain popularity with their tuning collab with BGGA (Bad boy Good Audio review). The Mele and Olina were their best seller. As well, before these, the TC-01 dynamic driver IEM gain good praise and recognition. Personally, I’ve just try 4 IEM from this company, the TP10 (5BA’s which was plain horrifious), the LEA (great for 20$), the Olina (excellent for 100$) and lately the Cencibel (50$ mediocre single DD).
After the overwhelming Olina success, let say the expectation are high for this new budget IEM.
The Rhombus is priced 80$, its a single dynamic + knowles balanced hybrid promising a musicality that is smooth yet near monitor like in term of resolution and balance.
Let’s see if these IEM could stand out is most overcrowded IEM market ever, the sub-100$ offerings.

CONSTRUCTION




I was impress by design and built quality of the construction, its all metal with well carved complex design. It's not too heavy, yet the 2pin connector seem a bit fragile as seen in this photo it begin to break, so perhaps not as durable as i wish. Comfort is OK. Cable is very basic, nothing impressive here.


Packaging is underwhelming both in presentation and accessories, no carrying case? Really, that is very rare, we have a cheap carrying pouch instead. As well, like with Cencibel, we only have 6 pairs of basic silicon ear tips. Presentation doesnt catch they eyes nor impress us in any way. Very average.

SOUND IMPRESSIONS

Here we have a smooth organic near homogeneous tonality, which is surprising for an hybrid IEM. I would call it a warmish balanced U shape that sit between Harman and DF neutral target. Its a smooth laid back tonal balance with hint of extra bass slam and treble crispness. We have a good all arounder here that offer rather natural tone for any instrument, in a dark way. So this isn't a crisp airy sounding IEM, nor a basshead V shape, nor a very dynamic and lively musicality offering.


The Bass is most questionnable part of audio spectrum here, it's sub bass focus, warm in slam and quite resonant, tending to add sens of veil on overall tonality and steal edge definition which isn't bad in other range. You know this harman or Crin tuned bass response that all bet on lower end weight, resonance and slam but forget about mid bass immediacy in punch and well define impact of kick drum? This is this type of over hyped bass response. Which is already borderline wrong with Aria 2021, and way less clean and transparent here with the Rhombus. Its the type of bass that deliver more oomph than confident punch, sometime sub bass line and kick will mud togheter, which is an inherent problem of this type of bass boost. As well, the warm timbre doesn't really match brighter timbre of balanced armature part that seem to cover mids and treble. Yet, while in guilty pleasure zone, it's not a bass that distract alot, even if it bleed from the back, yes the back, and stole ''silence'' and clarity between instrument, acting as a glue to create an euphonic sens of cohesion.
To note that bass response do improve after about 50H of burn in, its still warm but less muddy and better rounded. Anyway, i can't say that this low end feel completely appropriate, its a very loose and warm dynamic driver compared to crisper and bit dryer balanced armature used, so it can impact on timbral balance of cello for ex which will lack grunt, bite and natural vibrancy.

Now, the mid range is better but not as boosted as treble and bass even if overall balance is as said thick and organic as a whole. Lower mids are leaner and more recessed than upper mids, as well, they are bit darkened in resolution with bass resonance veil. So overall warm, not to thin and acceptable in tone even if sometime we have the feeling some instrument are more textured than other. When it come to balanced armature timbre, its quite smoothed and only impact on vocal breathyness in a dry way, as if their no air density to it. Both male and female vocal have clear enough presence but feel stock in the middle of music, not very open and immersive, bit cold we can say without feeling plain clinical. These aren't IEM for vocal lover. Their no sibilance, it's rather smooth mids here, with softed edge that can affect intelligibility of vocal spelling. Note weight is average, not very felt and lacking in natural impact resonance. These are the kind of mids that exist, yet doesn't attract attention nor create alot of emotion (subjective).

Treble part might be best part even if quite understated since to my ears its the bass that dominate whole spectrum in it's unique bloomy way. Its a treble that mix darkness and crispness, so, texture is rather liquid while some percussions and micro details will be impressively snappy and brilliant without going too bright. Woodblock, snare, and acoustic guitar all have sharp bite that add an appealing sens of most needed energy and vividity. Violin will have more attack lead than body and resonance, timbre for this instrument is a hint metallic and thin. Attack speed is impressive and well controled, we have good amount of micro details but it's far from being analytical.

Soundstage is average, wideness is good enough and quite open but its not very deep nor tall, so it does feel a bit stock in your head.

Imaging is badly affected by bass resonance, since it's not very clean nor very high in resolution, it's hard to pin point instrument positioning, their lack of space between instrument that make both sound layers and static instrument feel a bit too compressed. With simple pop music, it will not be an issue but with complex jazz, classical or rock track it will be a bit of a mess.

COMPARISONS

VS MOONDROP ARIA (1DD-80$)

We can resume the Rhombus as more bassy, muddy and dark sounding Aria, an Harman tuning attempt that fail since the Aria is superior in all department from resolution, to imaging, to attack speed and control, to bass separation, to natural balance and most of all a sens of openess in spatiality. Aria are more maturely balanced, more neutral U shape, less thick and boosted in bass and fuller more fowards in mids, timbre is more natural and transparent, more textured too. Treble is crisper, more airy and sparkly, more natural in resonance, more edgy in definition yet smoother too. Apart bass quantity, the RHombus are more boring sounding to me since mids lack dynamic and feel compressed and very dark compared to Aria. Soundstage as said is way more open, wide, tall and deep with Aria, which offer way better imaging capacity too, making Rhombus very messy in that regards.

OK, enough, I think it's too evident who's the winner here, both in tonal balance and technical performance. The Aria are from another league even if they sell same price.


VS TRI METEOR (1DD+1 knowles BA-90$)

Meteor is warmer bassier U shape, with a more cohesive and organic tonality that truely feel like single DD here. The balanced armature used by Meteor is superior Knowles model and indeed deliver a lusher fuller vocal presentation and more natural timbre. Bass is warm too here, even warmer than Rhombus yet way better rounded and more weighty in punch, tone is more natural and appealing and mid bass is chunkier. Mids are more upfront, lusher, smoother, less thin lean and dry than Rhombus but a bit more muddy in busy passage, still, vocal lover will prefer the Meteor here. Treble is thicker and fuller, bit dark too but less prompt to timbral imbalance or dynamic unbalance, it's less edgy in attack and Rhombus have a bit more air on top.
Soundstage is wider but less deep than Rhombus. Imaging is darker, thicker in layering, Rhombus have upper hands here, just by a finger, due to better treble definition, separation and clarity.

All in all, while technical performance are on par, the Meteor sound way more musical to my ears due to more organicaly cohesive balance, mids are fuller and bass is better rounded.


CONCLUSION


I'm not sure to understand the goal of Tripowin with this release, it feel like a clumsy attempt to achieve a crisper, bassier harman target but the natural balance isn't there.
As well, i had big expectation for the LCP dynamic driver and let say it's worst part of the hybrid, and since it covert bass and mids, it sure inflict on my final appreciation. Other part being entry level Knowles BA that only cover treble region, which feel a bit out of place and not very coherent in timbral balance.
While the Rhombus isn't plain bad, nor boring sounding, it's just another ''jack of all trades master of none'' IEM to add in overpack sub-100$ IEM offering.
Better go with Tripowin Lea or Olina than this, i can easily suggest 10 IEM that are all better in this price range too…
So, at they end. Why even bother?




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PS: I wanna thanks Linsoul for sending me this review sample. I'm not affiliated, don't receive $ compensation nor show this review to them before publishing it. As always, i'm unbiased and free like the wind.

You can buy the Tripowin Rhombus for 80$ here:https://www.linsoul.com/products/tripowin-rhombus

For more ads pollution free, sponsors free, affiliated links free honest audio reviews, give a read to my website here:https://nobordersaudiophile.wordpress.com

Intro
I’m sure most people are familiar with Tripowin, they make cables as well as IEMs.
Today I have Rhombus and Cencibel with me, Cencibel being a single dynamic driver config, while Rhombus a hybrid 1BA+1DD configuration. In terms of design, both of them are different, Cencibel having a resin based shell while Rhombus sports a metal shell with some edgy design. I won’t go much into the design/comfort and packaging and will go straight to the sound impression for both IEM.

Source
Macbook Air M2 Tidal/Apple Music -> iFi Zen Dac -> iFi Zen Air Can -> Rhombus/Cencibel
Macbook Air M2 Tidal/Apple Music -> Hidizs S9 Pro -> Rhombus/Cencibel
Tempotec V6 -> Rhombus/Cencibel
iPod Touch 2G -> Rhombus/Cencibel

Build/Packaging/Comfort

• Both shares similar packaging style, a box consisting of storage pouch, eartips and also cables (Both Cencibel and Rhombus has the same cable)
• Cencibel is 3D printed with medical grade resin, no issues with the comfort here, snug fit and beautiful faceplate, although i’d prefer if the nozzle is slightly longer
• Rhombus’s shell is aerospace grade aluminium constructed via cnc machining process, in terms of comfort, the fit is good, however the angled 2PIN port paired with certain cable does cause some discomfort due to having the earhook pressing against my ears, also the Rhombus has edges which is in contact with my concha causing discomfort after a while

Sound Impression (Cencibel)
To my ears, Cencibel is a little U shaped sounding with emphasis on both the low and highs but less recess on the mids. Quite easy to listen to in my experience. Timbre is quite natural to my ears and the note carries sufficient weight to it.

• Bass is slightly on the slower side as it can get a little boomy on some complex track due to its slower decay, and tends to bleed into the mid in tracks like People = crap by Slipknot
• Mid bass has got sufficient body and warmth to it, sub bass on the other hand rumbles but not to the point where it’s bass head level, still sufficient to enjoy EDM i would say
• The mid range is quite lush and it is very enjoyable on tracks like Imperial March, all the instruments in this range has got natural timbre
• I’d picture the vocal positioning as “quite close to your face” but not intimate, male vocal has good texture and doesn’t sound thin, low baritone voice has good note weight to it (The Moon Represents My Heart by Zhao Peng)
• Female vocal sounds good as well, listening to Red River Valley, the vocal has got enough bite
• Upper mids are slightly emphasised to give a little energetic presentation but i would still consider it rather safe and not the point where it’s shouty
• Treble is a little emphasised but i would still consider it rather safe, not sibilant and harsh
• Detail retrieval is average which is fairly common for IEMs in this price range
• I would say the soundstage is slightly out of your head, average height,depth and width, imaging is not bad and instruments can be pinpointed easily even in busy track

Sound Impression (Rhombus)

• Rhombus sounds a little dry/sterile (less musical to my ears), tuning is very inoffensive and it will be easily accepted by most people. Timbre sounds natural and realistic to my ears, it does have a very slight BA timbre to it if
• Bass on the Rhombus has adequate speed and texture to my ears, subbass does have the rumble but does goes deep, sufficient to enjoy EDM but will not satisfy basshead
• Male’s vocal is slightly recessed and lacking texture, it sounds a little thin or rather dull to me
• Female vocal however is much better, Bjork’s Army of Me, it has sufficient texture to portray Bjork’s deep voice in that song and quite enjoyable
• The lower mids to upper mids has rather smooth transition and not shouty at all, as i mentioned earlier, the tuning is rather safe and inoffensive
• Mids are a little recessed
• Treble is rather energetic but not sibilant in any way or harsh, extension is also quite good
• Detail retrieval is good and micro details can be picked up easily (possibly due to the BA that’s handling the hi freq)
• Average air and presence, but sufficient to not cause the music to sound congested nor dull
• Soundstage is rather in your head and very 2d-ish to me, lacks width and height sounds linear to my ears
• Imaging is alright, instruments can be pinpointed but when the track gets busy, it does get a little veil

Driveability

• Both are easy to drive and doesn’t require amping
• Both Cencibel and Rhombus does scale with source but you’re good to go with a decent dongle such as Hidizs’s S9 Pro or even Moondrop’s Dawn

Final Thoughts
Tripowin has always been producing high price performance ratio IEM, the Lea which I have tried is good but it is now being shadowed by 7Hz’s Zero which is considered as top tier budget iem when it comes to the 20$ price bracket.

The same can be said for both Cencibel and Rhombus, while they do offers good price performance ratio for the price they’re asking for, but they definitely need to step up their game in terms of tuning, packaging and also the price (maybe just lower the price a little ).

Nonetheless both are good IEMs and they’re definitely worth a mention, i’d personally pick Cencibel over Rhombus due to the tonality and comfort, but if you like sleek design and a slightly energetic presentation, also the fitting is not an issue for you, by all means go with the Rhombus.

*Both Cencicel and Rhombus were sent by Linsoul F.O.C in exchange for this review. I thank them for the opportunity as always.

Non Affiliated Purchase link for Cencibel and Rhombus
Cencibel
Rhombus