TRN BA5

Intro:

The TRN BA5 is an all balance armature IEM with 5 drivers per side. Each side utilizes three 30095 BA drivers for highs, one 29689 BA for mids, and one 22955 BA for low frequencies.



Accessories:

The TRN comes in a small white box typical of of TRN's latest offerings. Accessories are pretty bare bones with 3 sets of silicone tips and a detachable 2 pin QDC style cable. The included black braided 4 core cable has metal plugs, inline microphone, and splitter, while the 2 pin housing is plastic. The cable also has preformed ear hooks.



Build Quality:

Build quality is very good with an all metal shell made from aluminum or magnesium alloy according to the product listing. The nozzle, however, is made of plastic and has a lip to secure ear tips. The finish is a little rough in certain areas and not completely uniform between the left and right shells. There is a metal grill covering the small opening at the center of the faceplate with a single trox screw located at the lower tip of the faceplate. The screw looks to be cosmetic only.



Fit and Comfort:

The smooth sculpted shells provide good comfort for extended listening. Although I found the shells a little bulky, I did not notice any pinching or sharp edges during listening. For me, the IEMs did not fit as securely as I would have liked possibly due to the bulk and shallow insertion depth. Sound isolation is average. There is noticeably more sound leakage in the BA5 due to the open vent design.



Sound Quality:

The bass is fast, tight, and controlled, but lacks the sheer quantity and rumble that bassheads would desire. The strengths and weaknesses of BA bass vs dynamic bass is apparent here. You are trading impact and power for more precision and detail.


Mids are more forward sounding and less recessed compared to many budget offerings in this price range. Mids are clean sounding but have good body so they don't sound thin. There is also good detail and resolution in the midrange.

The treble is well extended with good detail and crispness. There is nice airiness in the upper registers without any shrillness or sibilance.

The soundstage is large with excellent instrument separation which provides good cohesiveness between the musical elements and prevents complex tracks from sounding congested.



Conclusion:

The BA5 is a very well put together IEM. Good build quality, excellent tuning and great sound quality. These are a recommended get for those who like BA bass with smooth, clean mids, and bright airy trebles with superb soundstage.

For any questions, please respond down below and I will do my best to answer!

We will start with build quality as this is very impressive for a under $50 IEM.
A solid metal body feel surprisingly light for an all BA earphone, though completely different looking it is as solid and the light as V90 from the same company. Great ergonomics and good wieght make this very comfortable for long use.

Looks are at least to me very appealing with it's cyber looking angled design and large vent in the middle of the unit.


Let's get this out of the way, this is not your next bass cannon but that said there is surprisingly a decent amount of bass with excellent detail to it. Mid-bass is tight and punchy and sub-bass has a detailed response.
Mids are perfectly clear with a nice slightly forward positioning to them, giving vocals a nice amount of emotion and with a seamless response alongside the bass, no bleed was detected.
Treble as a very nice sparkle on the top and then drops off perfectly allowing one to enjoy the detailed highs without any harshness.
Soundstage is wide but natural and the BA5 has good imaging to it as well.

Overall a set of earphones that offers not only great micro details but is a all around fun listening IEM as well.

I had been using TRN BA-5 as my daily driver for 10 days , there are things that I want to describe about this beauty :
1. TRN BA-5 doesn't bring fatigue level when in comes to long listening session
2. TRN BA-5 had few sibilance in rythme that spark like most female long timbre , I found the way to reduce it with silicone eartips (cheap : Sony or Philips eartip , comfy and durable ) ( quite pricey : acoustone 08 )
3. TRN BA-5 one thing that I could describe about it's bass , it's not rumble and no decay , fast yet not too aggressive which makes it relaxing , and for bass freaks this is no no choice , yet you can use TX-300 foam tips comply although it just extend a little sub bass
4. If you use regular player like smartphones , I think 16 cores cable is a must in this beauty , but of course buy it same trn cables I mean not from other cable cores like **** , kbear, jcally . The characteristic of the trn ba5 will change
5. Trn BA-5 is really sentive driver , she can be modified in anything that you want which require pricey cables and eartips , yet it is more likely for the eartips for dramatic changes , cables only smoothen and extend some of trn ba-5 characteristic
6. Best traits in this iem I think it's mid which I found no one able to defeat this beauty in price range 50 $
7. Conclusion : buy it and experience the way you want with this iem
8. I compare it with kzn pro ;burn in with custom cables , kzn pro make me tired to listen

The TRN BA5 is the latest model from the company, following hot on the heels from the very successful V90 hybrid IEM. The BA5, as the name suggests, is an all-BA design featuring five balanced armatures per channel. The types used are: One 22955 bass driver, one 29869 mid-range unit and three 30095 treble armatures. This is, as far as I know, a unique configuration.

The BA5 comes simply packaged in the now-familiar small rectangular box similar to those from KZ, CCA and KBEAR. The IEMs are displayed in a card cut-out below which you will find the detachable 2-pin cable, two sets of eartips (the medium size being pre-fitted on the IEMs) and documentation. A basic set of accessories, but as expected.

The IEMs themselves are very well made, being crafted from CNC machined aluminium, (or magnesium, descriptions vary!). They have an attractive graphite finish and look as they will last a lifetime. The profile is triangular in outline with four triangular sections meeting in the centre of the earpiece, surrounding a small vent with a silver-coloured grille. The design is rather futuristic, resembling a Borg implant! It is unusual to see an all-BA design with a vented housing. The cable is the same type as supplied with the V90, employing a “Type C” or QDC connector. The supplied tips are dark grey with a red medium bore.

The IEMs were left burning in for 100 hours to settle down the components, after which they were evaluated using a Hifi Walker H2 DAP connected via line out to a Fiio A5 headphone amplifier. Due to the unusual angle of the nozzles, I found I needed to us a smaller tip, so the stock tips were changed for JVC Spiral Dots (size M) and a 16 core silver-plated cable from TRN was used instead of the supplied cable.

The immediate impression of the BA5 was of balance. Being familiar with the sound of the 30095 treble BAs from experience with models from CCA, KZ and KBEAR, I expected a much brighter and incisive top end from the three treble units, but was surprised by the smoothness and extension of the treble, as well as its resolution. Another pleasant surprise was the strength of the bass. Whether it was due to the vented design or some other factor, the bass had much more depth and impact than the CCA A10 which uses the same single bass driver, and more than that of the CCA C16 which employs two 22955 units. The overall sound was, therefore, much warmer in tone and displayed a very attractive natural quality. Midrange, too, was impressive with no noticeable recession, in fact being a little forward in the mix but not suffering from bass bleed The soundstage, too, was impressive and opened up nicely during the burn-in period.

Bass was firm and well-extended, but was linear in nature with excellent resolution and free from overhang. It had the speed and detail associated with BA bass while at the same time having the warmth and musicality of a DD unit. The transient response here was incisive and clean, with the impressive percussion section in Ravel’s “Alborada del Gracioso”, performed by the Minnesota Orchestra showing what the BA5 was capable of, the bass drums and timpani displaying stunning immediacy and impact. The ability of the BA5 to reproduce subtleties came to the fore in Philip Riley’s “Awakening” from his “Visions and Voices” album. Towards the end of the piece, a solo bodhran is struck five times and the natural decay of the drum fading into silence was very well-rendered. The deep synthesised bass tones in John Flomer’s “The Ha of Myplys Myn” were well-textured and impactful, providing a perfect foundation for the complex rhythms and imaginative key changes.

The midrange continued in the same vein with a linear profile free of bass bleed and a tad north of neutral. Clarity and openness were the keywords here, enabling the subtlest nuances to be appreciated. Classical music benefited from this with a very natural timbre. The bright brass sonorities in Hamish McCunn’s “Land of the Mountain and Flood” performed by the BBC Scottish Symphony conducted by Martin Brabbyns shone out clearly from the orchestral arrangement and one could imagine the light glinting on the brass instruments which possessed a natural rasp and air, resulting in a very authentic sound. The many layers of keyboards in Camel’s beautiful instrumental “Selva” were laid open impressively by the BA5 and complemented Andy Latimer’s solo wonderfully well, with the guitar, placed high in the centre of the image, cutting through the production clearly with superb texture. The stereo imagery in Richard Burmer’s “Willow Song” was another example, with the various elements spread across the stage, each occupying its place in the production. The solo woodwind sample with its effective synthesised breath sounds was full of character.

The BA5’s treble was beautifully tuned, making this the most impressive implementation of the 30095 BA I have heard so far. Gone was the occasional metallic or “steely” timbre to be replaced by a natural and very well-extended response capable of resolving the finest details. Mozart’s “Eine Kleine Nachtmuzik” performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under Karl Bohm was beautifully portrayed with clarity and enabling the delicate counterpoint to be appreciated. The performance came over with verve and enthusiasm and was very entertaining. The impressive washes of sound in Robert Carty’s “Beautiful Attractor” from his album “In Neptune’s Wake” were almost overwhelming with a wealth of detail and precision and the whole panorama of sound filling the space between my ears!

Soundstage was first class with plenty of space and separation, and stereo imaging nicely rendered. Gerry Rafferty’s “The Right Moment” displayed excellent positioning with his voice in the centre and with good height and the synthesised accompaniment spread across the stage, producing a very effective atmosphere. The beautifully played first movement of the “Moorside Suite” by Holst in a string arrangement conducted by David Lloyd-Jones was another example with the various string sections clearly delineated yet coming together to produce a coherent whole.

The BA5 is an unreserved success. The tuning is very different from recent all-BA releases from KZ and CCA which possess a somewhat bright tonality and immediacy, but remain rather cold and analytical in nature. The BA5 is unashamedly musical in its presentation with a warmer cast to its sound, whilst still maintaining accuracy of timbre due to its ability to reproduce those harmonics which endow an instrument with its individual character. The overall effect is one of naturalness. The soundstage is larger than that of the KZ and CCA models mentioned above.

The bass performance is also impressive considering just one bass driver is used. I have been enjoying my music more with these than any other IEM recently and after all, that is what they are for! The BA5 is described as a “Reference Grade In-Ear Monitor”. I cannot disagree with this!
This item was supplied at a substantial discount by Gina from Senlee at Amazon.com. Product link:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B081HGWMG3/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

I'm a long-time lurker and the TRN BA5's are the latest pair of universal in-ears to join my collection and they seem to fit into the better end of the spectrum. That includes the KZ ZSN, ZS6, ZSX, Tin Audio T2, Westone ES3X, Beyerdynamic DT880 Pros, etc. for reference of what I'm comparing these to.

I was given these from **** for review. This is unbiased and I'm not required to do or say anything specific in exchange, which is great. They've included me on a few products and it's really helping me build my ear and pros/cons between similar products.

Bulid
These are a metal shell design that is extremely durable and pretty small in size for having 5 drivers per side. They fit well in each ear cavity. For me at least, they're actually close to flush with the rest of my ear. The center vent looks great and these look better than their retail price.

Included Items
The box includes small, medium and large tips in the rubber/silicon material. The cable material is nice and the connections are snug. The rubber bits around the ear are slightly loose for my taste and can't be remolded into a tighter fit, but they still work relatively well. This is an easy swap and half the people into headphones will do some sort of cable upgrade anyway. I'm also not into silicon tips and replace everything with foam, so I won't go into that. I did this review with the included tips though, so that's the sound profile I'm getting.

Soundstage
Stereo separation on the lows and mids is significant. It makes genres that utilize those types of mixes, like electronic music, sound absolutely huge. It's very enjoyable, and makes high-energy music feel that way. There's a big soundstage with high accuracy. When I put them on, I was immediately questioning if they were sealed correctly because the stereo panning placements were rendering so differently compared against monitors like HS8's or a pair of open-backed overears like Beyerdynamics that don't have as much detail in the placement.

Lows
The low end is extremely present and sounds accurate. Listening to the cult emo/indie band American Football, the bass sounds exactly how it would've in the studio, the kick drum is present, and everything sounds like I'm hearing them on the monitors in the studio. There's a tightness and speed to the low end that is appreciated. Switching over to Chon, the headphones enter what I'd consider the beginnings of "basshead" territory and the kick drum, bass, and low toms are booming and super present. They sound EQ'ed in a bass-heavy direction. They teeter on the edge of what some people would consider muddy, others would say it's "full" -- that said, it seems very isolated to the mix of Chon's specific album. Turning on SoundCloud for some compressed-ass browser bangers with Minesweepa, Posij, Dabow, Habstrakt, etc., the BA5 are absolutely insane. The bass is fast, tight, agressive, and perfect. These sound like the T2's with the vent mod, but even more of a tight punch. If you like electronic music ...wow. 4.75/5

Mids
The mids are very pronounced and forward. Guitars amd vocals are very obvious to hear while still blending into the overall mix effortlessly. There is a big emphasis on roundness and warmth -- you need to like those qualities. If you find yourself creating a small bump around the the 1k~2k Hz range when EQ'ing, then you'd love the way these sound out of the box. 4.25/5

Highs
The highs are probably the most narrow part of the sound signature. While very present, there isn't a ton of width. The mid-highs are loud and the highest highs do sparkle. At a high volume, these could be sibilant depending on what you're listening to. Seems though that if the music is mixed and produced well, no negative effects are produced. There is a good amount of detail. I'd give the highs 4.25/5

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Overall, these are a safe buy in this price range and it's easy to recommend these over some other models. There's a lot more balance with the BA5's than other competitors that seem to be hiked in one way or another. Not sure if I'd dare to say that these steal the crown from the T2, but I have no problem putting them in the same grouping. Enjoy!

First, I would like to thank Kiki from Kinboofi for sending out the TRN BA5 in exchange for an honest review.

I did all the listening on my Hiby R3. Source files are all FLAC 16bit, 44.1k or better.

CONSTRUCTION

The BA5 is an all balanced armature iem from TRN. It contains 3 30095 balanced armatures for high frequencies, one 29689 balanced armature for midrange frequencies, and one surprisingly mighty 22955 balanced armature for bass frequencies.

The shells are all metal, similar to the new TRN V90, though the BA5 has a stylized face plate with flat surfaces and a vent in the center. I have no idea if the vent is functional or just for looks. Most balanced armatures don't require vents, but there are a few out there that can benefit from one. The shells feel good in the hand, giving a feeling of quality not found in plastic shells. The nozzles are metal and feature a prominent lip so, no tips left behind in your ear. The cable is the standard TRN cable which is nice for a stock cable and seems sturdy. It utilizes the new QDC connector that ensures a robust connection and is less prone to breakage. Comfort is all day good!

BASS

The BA5 has a surprising, robust bass response, especially considering it uses a balanced armature bass driver. To me, it actually sounds like a well tuned dynamic driver albeit, with the faster, more controlled sound of a balanced armature. Very nice! These actually extend pretty deep and have nice, fast slam on the mid bass. Kick drums are fast, deep and powerful. There is no bleeding into the mids. These are really well tuned bass drivers! All but hardcore bass heads should be happy.

MIDS

Mids are smooth, detailed and not recessed. Vocals and guitars sound wholesome and natural. Low mids are just right, yielding full, powerful male vocals and thick, punchy guitars. Stringed instruments have a nice, woody timbre to them. There is a small peak around 4.5kHz that gives edge and cut to vocals and is just shy of sibilance. I had initially switched to large bore tips, but going back to the narrower bore stock tips actually smoothed out the upper mids while maintaining clarity in the vocals.

TREBLE

Treble is smooth and detailed. It is bright, but not excessively so. There is nice air up top. I enjoy the lack of sibilance. Good detail and nice air without any grain or metallic ringing.

SOUNDSTAGE

The stage is wider than deep and is just above average in size. It's not super closed in, and I love the air around voices and instruments. There is a good sense of space and individual instruments can easily be picked out. Acoustic instruments sound wonderful.

COMMENTS

I really enjoy airy, less dense mixes with these, though I can reccomend them for most types of music. They will even cover genres with deep electronic bass though, if you boost sub bass frequencies too much, you will distort the woofer. Anybody who wants more bass would do well to try TRN's V90 as it has massive sub bass. The BA5 is easy to drive even with modest sources. My Samsung Galaxy Note 9 drives them just fine though they have more authority when fed from a source with a bit more power. It is easy to recommend the BA5 to anyone as it sounds very good on most any type of music. I can see metal fans liking these as the bass is fast enough to keep up with double kick drums and not turn to mud.

Well done TRN!

Thank you Kiki from Kinboofi for the review sample and thanks for reading!

Here is the link to purchase the TRN BA5 from Kinboofi's Amazon store.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZR8NFHZ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_c9g5Db0KN6637

TRN BA5--$50 5BA entrant from TRN, whose prior releases have been hit or miss. Packaging and accessories are as minimal as you’ll find—literally just headshells, one set of M tips and a generic, slightly microphonic cable. Shells themselves are nicely done in a matte titanium and look more premium in person than in pictures; fit is snug and, considering the prominent vents on the shells isolation is good.

Very loud and sensitive, to the extent that some hiss can be heard at dead level. The BA5 is bright, with a generally balanced signature, which is not to say ruler-flat or bass shy—compared to other all-BA designs like the B5+, bass is surprisingly punchy and impactful, with well-sculpted notes and very quick decay; these deftly balance having good midbass quantity without smearing into the midrange. Mids are nicely forward and well-etched, while well-extended treble very closely resembles that of the TRN V80, which is to say energetic and highly extended, though somewhat sharp/strident, with the typical 2-4k ChiFi spike. Micro-detail is present, though these avoid the overanalytical quality of similar designs. Compared to similarly-priced hybrids, the BA5 are very coherent and well-integrated; however the timbre is somewhat hopped-up and artificial sounding, especially on electric instruments; these lack the smoothness of say, the Blon BL03 or BQEYZ and treble-sensitive folks should avoid (foams do help smooth the presentation). If, however, you find more accurate but less frenetic players like the T2 or the BL03 underwhelming, you’ll enjoy these.

Like the V80, soundstage here is enveloping and has impressive width and depth (though limited height); imaging and layering are okay but not class-leading—there’s a bit of “surround-sound” effect on more complex material which makes precise instrument placement tricky.

Like a high-alcohol craft beer with a lot of flavor but a little too much hops, the BA5 lacks the refinement to recommend unqualifiedly--as expected for the price point they use generic drivers, which account for the occasional harshness. That said, they have a lot of positives--I like these more than the recent KZ hybrids and are fun to listen to. Good value.

Intro
Only recently TRN released the V90, a hybrid 5-driver-in-ear, now they send a pure 5-BA-driver-in-ear behind. Their 6-BA model X6 has largely failed with the critics (I didn't have the opportunity to hear the X6 myself) and now they're trying their luck again. Personally I think the BA5 is quite successful, with its typical BA sound characteristics, but the sibilants and the sometimes unnatural high frequencies disturb me a bit.

Handling
The full aluminium housing, which is the same material as the V90, is very light, ergonomically shaped and more like a Custom-In-Ear. It is very comfortable to wear when using tips that allow you to get far into the ear canal. If this is not the case, the BA5 sits somewhat wobbly in the ear and stands too far outwards, whereby the fit of the BA5 no longer fulfills the sense and purpose. With the right tips, the BA5 fits the ear perfectly.

For the first time TRN uses the connector and cable that we already know from the KZ ZSX and other newer KZ and CCA models, or TFZ. For me it is the safest connection in combination with the 2-pin connector, because the pins cannot break off and also offers a secure hold. In general, I prefer 2-pin solutions. Otherwise nothing is new about the contents of the package. A small selection of tips will be added, but nothing more.

The isolation is fine, but certainly does not offer autonomous listening.

Sound
Since the BA5 is quite tip-sensitive, different results can be achieved when listening. I use either foamtips, or the smallest silicone tips and enough to get into the ear, which has a big impact on the bass.

The bass is a typical BA bass. Quite dry, midrange accentuated, fast and precise. Nevertheless, the kick could be a bit harder. I usually prefer dynamic drivers for bass reproduction, because BA drivers often make it too sterile and dull for me, but the bass of the BA5 is really quite good in comparison and also has sufficient dynamics. The 22955 is used here, but not by Knowles but a custom version, as it can be found for example in KZ models.
The tuning was done more for balance than for prominent bass. The BA driver can actually do more, which you can certainly tickle out with an equalizer. All in all a homogeneous bass with good detail presentation and speed.

The mids are also controlled by a single BA driver (29689). These are very clear, clean and push themselves somewhat into the foreground, but the BA5 is not a mid-centered IEM. Female voices are somewhat better. I'm missing a bit of body and volume, which is also more obvious in male voices. This makes voices seem too bright for me in the beginning, but you get used to them quickly. The same applies to instruments. Basically, the mids are very relaxed, rich in detail and high-resolution and seem neither too flat nor sterile. Together with the excellent three-dimensionality of the BA5, clearly the strength of the BA5.

I don't know why the treble was given 3 BAs at all. Of course you can reduce the distortion/distortion factor, but this is only the 30095 that is often used in Chi-Fi circuits. In my opinion these are difficult to individualize and tune, because they always have a metallic basic timbre and tend to unpleasant peaks. Nevertheless, I have to admit that the BA5 did quite well. The highs are generally in the foreground and bring a lot of details with them. However, they don't always sound natural, so you have the feeling that artificial sounds have been somewhat exaggerated. In addition, the sibilants are very strong, which of course depends on the voice, but they are always present. Here I would wish for a softer tuning and would also accept detail cutbacks, respectively would also minimize the artificiality. Nevertheless it is fun to listen to some tracks with the BA5 for a certain period of time, but for me it is not a permanent solution.

What makes the BA5 really good is the stage and its spatial arrangement. The BA5 sounds open, certainly also favoured by the quite bright tuning and voices distinguish themselves very well from instruments and effects. I would say that this is where the strengths of the BA5 lie.

Outro
The BA5 is a good representative of the pure multi-BA driver models on the market, which impresses above all with its feel and fit. In terms of sound, it's more for fans of higher frequencies if you don't have an equalizer at hand. Nevertheless, I find the bass and mids very harmonious. One could say that if TRN now combines the bass and mids of the BA5 with the highs of the V90, a very round product should come out. So for my taste the BA5 is rather something for lovers of pure BA sound.

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Unboxing / Packaging:

Packing is the standard white box with the line drawing on the front and specs on the reverse. Inner packaging will be familiar as well as the earpieces sit in a foam tray with the manual, warranty card, tips, and cable hidden underneath. Tips are 3 sizes of silicone with the mid size being a slightly different style than the large or small. Overall, it is a kit we are used to from the budget conscious brands but with others in the $50 range stepping up their game, a case might have been appropriate to the mix.




Build/Fit:

The Ba5 is an aluminum shell and face-plate of medium size with a plastic nozzle and hooded bi-pin connector. The Face-plate is nearly triangular with the single point in the downward position. A single screw at the bottom of the face-plate holds it in place and a fairly large screened vent is positioned at the center of the face. While the vent may seem odd in an all balanced armature design, it is functional and obstructing it will change the signature (see graphs in sound notes). The reason for this change is likely that there are no sound bores running from the nozzle to the exits of the armatures themselves and allows the shell to act as a resonance chamber. Nozzles have a pronounced lip and a steep forward rake but no rake in the vertical plane. The connectors are well fitted but slightly raised so the base does not seat flush with the metal surrounding them. L/R markings are present immediately in front of either connector while markings on the cable are on the lower portion of the hood and can be tough to see as it is clear on clear.

Fit is comfortable for me for long wear, but those with smaller ears may find them uncomfortable so trying a pair before purchase is advised if you have previously had trouble with mid-large sized in ears. Because of the fairly shallow fit and venting, isolation is only average.




Internals:

The Ba5 as the name implies uses 5 balanced armatures per side. Lows are handled by a tuned 22955 driver while mids are pumped out by 29689 driver and highs are done by three (3) tuned 30095s. I’ll admit a certain amount of trepidation as the 30095 has been called a treble cannon in some other budget applications so using 3 of them seems a bit onerous. (fears were mostly unfounded – see sound notes). Rated impedance is 20Ω with a sensitivity of 101 dB/mW which should translate into a fairly easily driven earphone, and indeed it does. I had no trouble using the ba5 directly from a smartphone and tablet. It does scale some with more potent sources both qualitatively and quantitatively but the ceiling for quantitative improvements is fairly low so those using a phone or low powered source are not missing out.



Cable:

The cable is unchanged from previous TRN offerings and is a 4 wire tight double wrap up to the splitter from the straight 3.5mm jack then exits the black metal barrel as two twisted pairs. No chin slider is provided and the north end of the cable terminates with .75mm Type C (hooded bi-pin) connections with preformed earhooks. The only caveat is that the L/R labels are on the hood of the connector and centered on the small flat. Look between the pins in the flat section closest to the tip of the pins to find the markings. My set needed a quick hit with a hair dryer to get the earhooks tight enough not to slip off my ears but other than that, nothing outside the expected. The TRN is in my estimation one of the better budget cables being shipped in the below $50 class.




Tips:

The provided tips were a good fit for me and while I played around with a few other personal favorites, I don’t think any (save the foams) did much to change the signature of the Ba5 and I came away thinking I could be happy with the provided tips. All sound notes were done with the large size provided silicone tips.



Sound:


The above graph uses the standard large tips provided with the Ba5. The graph below shows the effect of blocking the vents. While certainly less than seen in some models using dynamic drivers, the changes are still fairly substantial.



Bass:

The Ba5 exhibits what I would call typical bass for a balanced armature. It has good speed, is well detailed and fast, but lacks that visceral punch on the lowest notes and instead chooses to center the bass boost around the 100Hz mark. Below 50Hz, the roll-off is substantial and as such the Ba5 won’t satisfy those looking for huge sub-bass for movie playback or the like, but it is a more realistic tuning than some as very few instruments produce tones much below 50Hz. Mid-bass has good texture and with both attack and decay being quicker than average the Ba5 exhibits good control and detail.



Mids:

Lower mids are behind the mid-bass but don’t sound particularly recessed as with no significant bleed and very tight control over the mid-bass, the lower mids don’t get overlapped nearly as much as is typical with hybrid dynamic/ba arrangements as this tends to the be overlapped between the two driver types. As you move up the scale, the mids climb to the front and female vocals do stand in front of their male counterparts as a result. Male vocals seem a bit thinner by comparison and gives the Ba5 a slightly bright sound to the vocals. The details save it here as the lack of body can be forgiven when it allows this much detail to be brought into the mix.



Treble:

I said earlier that the 30095 has a reputation for hot treble (and deservedly so in some applications) so when I heard the Ba5 had three of them, I was a bit worried. The 30095 to my ear tends to sound a bit harsh in the lower range and can take on a very metallic sound with percussion if not tuned very carefully. The good news is that the 30095 is not 3 times as prominent as the other drivers despite the numbers. The tuning takes where the upper mids leave off and plateaus the lower treble with it so it does have a good bit of lower treble energy but then drops off quickly above about the 6kHz mark to keep the Ba5 from getting strident. There is some energy added back in the 10-11kHz range but that peak is well below the main focus and doesn’t cause the metallic click on high-hat like the 30095 sometimes can. With the clear emphasis on the lower treble, it can sound a bit out of proportion at times as the upper mids/lower treble care clearly the emphasis of this model.



Soundstage / Imaging:

Stage on the Ba5 is mid-sized with reasonable proportion and even manages a good sense of height. Stereo separation is also above average, but this is also partially a downfall as it causes some imaging issues at times. I enjoyed the Ba5 through several of my normal test track regiment and then hit “Go insane” (L. Buckingham) and suddenly the acoustic guitar is coming from upper left and the vocal is centered or very slightly to the right. This is an odd placement as it is an acoustic guitar played by a seated singer. I am used to this track presenting vocal over guitar with both nearly centered on the stage. After finding that oddity, I began listening for it on other tracks and found a few more that presented similar anomalies, “Baby Driver”, Simon & Garfunkel has guitar to the left and above vocals and also pulls the stage out too wide at times. I didn’t find this problem in all tracks or even the majority, but it was present in enough to prove the anomaly is not in the track. I tried several sources to eliminate those as causes and even asked other colleagues to confirm the behavior using their hardware where the only things in common were the tracks used and the Ba5.



Thoughts / Conclusion:

I went into this review expecting something quite different than what I got. Based on the specs, I expected the Ba5 would be light in the sub-bass, have boosted mid-bass to make up for it, and be overly aggressive in the treble with its three drivers in that region. I have to say that what I got was a good bit better than that. Yes, it does have a typical Balanced armature low end where it is fast, precise, and clean. It is mildly mid-bass elevated, but not overly so. Mids are well done with good details and those who like choral music will appreciate the vocal tuning of the Ba5. Again, good precision and control help the Ba5 deliver good detail without getting overwhelmed by busier tracks. Highs are definitely a focal point, but not as much so as having 3 drivers dedicated to them would suggest. The lower treble boost helps with vocals while the roll-off above that keeps the Ba5 from getting strident or harsh most of the time. It does walk a fine line there and for those who are treble sensitive it may well come down on the harsh side of the line at times. Stereo separation is better than most in its class and stage is larger than anticipated. Imaging is mixed with it being good at times and odd at others as it pulls things too wide. Overall, the Ba5 and v90 are the best TRN offerings to date and proves TRN is headed the right direction. This is a vast change from the previous all balanced armature offering as the X6 was all mids and very little else. The Ba5 won’t please the bassheads, but does a good job of checking a lot of the right boxes and is a pleasant listen. If you get the chance, give them a listen, they are surprisingly good for less than 50 USD.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Best of both worlds: a well-resolving 5 BA with the tuning of a dynamic driver.


INTRODUCTION

The TRN BA5 is another iem tuned by co-blogger KopiOkaya (such as the TRN V90…see bottom of this review). 5 BAs, no dynamic driver for the low end in the budget segment, a risky affair. Following their highly acclaimed V90, TRN are obviously attempting to compete with the model output of Knowledge Zenith. As I always tend to wonder: why 5 whatever drivers in the budget segment instead of a single quality one. Well, KopiOkaya had to work with what he was given (and he did this 200% pro bono, as always). He presumably wondered, too, as he, in my opinion, undermined his job and tuned this earphone like a single dynamic-driver, but with the resolution of a multi-BA. Two ducks with one stone. Clever. After all, we two are single DD aficionados at heart.


SPECIFICATIONS

Driver unit: 5 balanced armature (BA) each side
Impedance: 20 Ω
Sensitivity: 103 dB/mW
Frequency Range: 20-40000 Hz
Connector: 2-pin
Tested at: $65


PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY

Box content of the TRN BA5 as shown in the photo. For some reason, there was only one pair of medium tips included…something must have gone wrong during packaging. Build as depicted: the earpieces are of CnC machined alloy, can’t be much better — they do feel really good in my hands. The design of the TRN BA5’s earpiece is similar to a recent TFZ model and I wonder who copied from whom…and speculate both copied from somebody else. The nozzles are a bit on the short side so that the earpieces have to be inserted deeply. Fit is otherwise ok, and so is comfort, isolation is only soso. Cable works but is not the sexiest around. In terms of tips, in the absence of large stock tips, JVC Spiral Dots worked best for me…but they are pricy and I am a budget guy at heart so thatthese did the job equally well…no sound differences found [Warning: these narrow-bore budget eartips are well made but they generate a boomy bass in most earphones…good for pure BA multis but no so much for dynamic drivers].



As source I used a Macbook Air with a Schiit Fulla amp and an iPhone SE with and without the Audioquest Dragonfly dac/amp.


TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES

The TRN BA5 is a surprisingly bassy earphone. One would think the assigned BA does not dig that deep and has a fast decay. Not here provided the right tips are used. The level does not drop off into the sub-bass. And I would call the bass rather on the slow side (for a BA). Decay is almost dynamic like, maybe a bit faster. The low end is a massive brick wall (with 3% spandex like in your jeans) and I wished it was a bit more textured.


Frequency response measured with an IEC711 coupler by KopiOkaya. Hey, that thing is stretched out like a Wiener dog. A more compact horizontal scale would be preferred.

Yes, the bass smears a bit into the lower midrange/male vocals, which has a positive, amplifying effect when it comes to rhythm guitars: it adds this feel of satisfaction. Without such, it can remove sparkle and clarity from the image and veil it a bit. The vocals department is actually pretty decent: voices, male and female, are well sculpted and reasonably intimate. The mids are refreshed by these moderate 2 kHz and 4.5 kHz peaks: nevertheless no sibilance or piercing, no hardness or hardness. Note weight in the midrange is also quite good. Similar with the treble: it is pretty forgiving. The tuner clearly has responded to the preferences of the western ear. Overall, I’d call the sound of the TRN BA5 robust because of their strong low end. In less bassy pieces, the clarity is excellent.

Playing the tips game “modding 201”: I tried the “Flip Tips” as invented by Slater, which effectively extend the nozzles, that is the distance from the nozzle’s front to the ear canal is increased. This slims down/cools the sound, adds air, and attenuates the bass — which also enhances clarity and 3-D perception. The result may appeal to the audiophile-inclined listener.

Imaging of the TRN BA5 is very good, too: the stage has quite some depth and it also rather tall. Width is average. Stage can be quite crowded with complex instrumentations. Surprisingly the single dynamic-driver Trident Diamond prototype separates better in busy situations. Timbre is not as natural as a single DD in this class, such as the Blon BL-03 or the forthcoming Trident Diamond, but it beats the Blons in terms of note definition. The older brother TRN V90 has a more organic timbre but lags slightly in technical finesse, especially in the midrange. I personally don’t care that much about resolution but more for the timbre as I listen to classical music. The TRN BA5 is almost there with its timbre…yes, I listened to a piano concerto without pain…but it works best with rock, pop, edm, and similar genres. Sorry that I can’t compare the TRN BA5 to similarly priced KZ models…I have learnt to survive without repeated disappointment from unsatisfactory tuning (“thin, overenergetic, agressive mids”) and therefore have no recent model handy (apologies if I do injustice to their latest iterations).


CONCLUDING REMARKS

The TRN BA5 adds another budget multi to this crowded market segment. Yes, it is a good one: does everything I want it to do: well made, well priced…a work horse that does the job well. While I am not sure that the world needs another budget multi iem, this one files under “can’t really go wrong with it”. The tuning of Kopiokaya makes the difference here, who, as a Singaporean, also understands the preference of the western ear. I used the TRN BA5 for hours on end and always had a good time. And you will, too.

Keep on listening!


DISCLAIMER

The pair of TRN BA5 was supplied unsolicited by TRN and I thank them for that.