The V90 is the new flagship hybrid IEM from TRN, who are probably best known for their excellent 2DD + 2BA V80 hybrid earphone. The V90 is a 5-driver IEM (1DD + 4BA). It employs a 10mm dynamic driver with a “diamond graphite” diaphragm for the bass, two 50060 BAs for the midrange and two 30019 BAs for the high frequencies. This configuration resembles the KZ ZS10 Pro and CCA C10, with the 30019 BAs replacing the venerable 30095 units in the earlier models. The 30019 BA has been seen before in the BGVP SGZ-DN1S.
The IEMs are presented in a small rectangular box very similar to those used by KZ, CCA and KBEAR, whereas previous TRN models had their own corporate branding and design. With similar drive units to earphones from these other companies, it is likely that they originate from the same source. On the front of the box you will find an outline drawing of the earpiece with a red TRN logo above, the title “TRN V90” below and the description “4BA +1DD 10 Hybrid Drivers In-Ear Monitors” under that. Opening the box, the earpieces are nestled in a cut-out with the same text. Under the cut-out you will find the 2-pin cable, spare eartips and documentation, quite a basic package and very similar to that provided by KZ, etc.
The earpieces are very well made, being all-metal construction. They are understated in design compared to recent offerings from CCA (C12) and KZ (ZSX and ZS10 Pro) and are compact considering that they contain five drivers. They have a rounded profile resembling a pebble and have a smooth black anodised finish. There is a large circular TRN logo on the rear of the earpiece and two large vents for the dynamic driver. There is discreet channel identification and recessed 2-pin sockets. The detachable cable is similar to that supplied with the V80, being a black braided OFC copper cable with a straight metal 3.5mm plug and metal Y-split. There is no chin slider. This cable is preferable to that supplied with IEMs from KZ and CCA, etc. Comfort was excellent, in fact very similar to that achieved with the previous V80 model and isolation was above average.
The earphones were left burning in for over 72 hours before testing and included tracks of white and pink noise, glide tones and other audio conditioning tracks. After this I used a Hifi Walker H2 DAP with a Fiio A5 amplifier and a Sony NWZ-A15 for evaluation. Initially, the supplied cable and tips were used, but I achieved and improved performance by using a Senlee 8 core single crystal cable and JVC Spiral Dot tips, which were used for the purposes of the review.
The V90s displayed a well-balanced sound signature with solid sub-bass, clear articulate midrange and clean open treble with no discernible peaks. The 30019 treble BAs are tuned very well here and produce a preferable sound to that of the 30095 units found in most other recent “Chi-Fi” IEMs.
Bass
The sub-bass dug deep and possessed good texture and resolution, yet at the same time not dominating the overall sound. The rest of the bass region was nicely contoured and did not bleed into the mids. The lively powerful bass presentation came to the fore in Junior Tucker’s “The Kick (Rock On)”. The infectious bass line drove the track along in entertaining fashion and brought a smile to my face. It was clean and well-textured and was in perfect balance with the rest of the production. The menacing bass drums in Sibelius’s “The Swan of Tuonela” performed by the Lahti Symphony Orchestra provided a perfect foundation for the strings and the beautiful cor anglais solo in this moody and atmospheric work. Electronic music also benefited from this excellent bass extension with Jean-Michel Jarre’s “The Watchers” from “Equinoxe Infinity” displaying superb depth and attack from the arsenal of synthesisers deployed in this piece.
Midrange
The midrange was unusually clear and open, with accurate positioning of instruments. Solo instruments and vocals stood out but at the same time integrated well with their accompaniment. Detail retrieval was top-class, and the 50060 BAs displayed a very natural timbre. “Tomorrow is So Far Away” by Design was a good example of this with the “trippy-hippy” multi-tracked vocals being clearly depicted above the jangly guitar parts and percussion. Solo instruments in classical pieces also came over very effectively with the concertante parts in Holst’s “Venus” performed by the Montreal Symphony Orchestra under Charles Dutoit being beautifully rendered and accurately positioned within the stereo image. The complex tonalities and arrangements in Richard Souther’s “Beginnings” from his “Heirborne” album were well differentiated, allowing the different timbres of the synth patches to be appreciated. The lively rhythmic qualities of the piece were also preserved well.
Treble
The treble was very impressive. The decision to use the 30019 BAs instead of the more commonly found 30095 units was a good one. The extension, clarity and smoothness was immediately apparent, enabling the most subtle details to be heard with excellent resolution. Andreas Vollenweider’s “The Glass Hall” from his “White Winds” album features a wealth of crystalline percussion sounds which were reproduced with astonishing realism. Transient attack and dynamic range were also notable here. Orchestral strings possessed a wonderful timbre, with the beautiful string arrangement of Holst’s “Moorside Suite” conducted by David Lloyd-Jones being a good example. The high violin harmonics towards the end of the piece were particularly well portrayed and blended perfectly with the orchestral accompaniment. The subtle sounds of the violins being played “col legno” (with the strings being struck by the wood of the bow) at the conclusion of Sibelius’s “The Swan of Tuonela” are very difficult to reproduce but the V90s passed this test with flying colours.
Soundstage
The V90s managed to combine an expansive three-dimensional soundstage with excellent stereo imaging and accurate positioning of elements within the image. Recorded ambience was reproduced well enabling the character of a recording venue to be appreciated. Malcolm Arnold’s wonderful “Cornish Dances” performed by the LPO with the composer on the rostrum showed what the V90s could do with a huge spacious image filled with orchestral colour with the remarkable tambourine strikes having an impressive sense of distance. The somewhat “tongue-in-cheek” nature of the piece came over very well under the composer’s baton. Patrick Bernard’s “Hands of Sacred Light” is a beautiful new age piece from his “Angel Reiki” album. It features harp-like sounds and angelic voices underpinned by deep synthesised bass and the V90s did not disappoint, presenting a wide open airy atmosphere perfect for this kind of material. Smaller-scale pieces were also accurately depicted with Jacques Loussier’s famous Bach piece “Air on a G string” displaying piano, bass and drums in an authentic intimate acoustic. The almost tangible atmosphere of this piece was very impressive to hear.
Conclusion
With a large number of multi-driver hybrids recently released, the V90 has had to face impressive competition. KZ’s ZS10 Pro and ZSX, and CCA’s C10 and C12 are all vying for dominance in this market. The V90 with its well-balanced sound signature manages to combine the best of all these models with its impressive deep sub bass extension, expressive and articulate midrange and clean sparkling treble with no noticeable peaks. The 30019 treble BAs were very impressive with a resolution and timbre equal to that of the Knowles drivers in my Tin Hifi T3 and TRI i4 IEMs. If you are looking for a multi-driver hybrid IEM in this price range and you value a well-balanced or neutral signature, then this is definitely the one to go for.
This review sample was supplied by Gina at Senlee at Amazon.com. Product link:'https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07X7S3QTK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The IEMs are presented in a small rectangular box very similar to those used by KZ, CCA and KBEAR, whereas previous TRN models had their own corporate branding and design. With similar drive units to earphones from these other companies, it is likely that they originate from the same source. On the front of the box you will find an outline drawing of the earpiece with a red TRN logo above, the title “TRN V90” below and the description “4BA +1DD 10 Hybrid Drivers In-Ear Monitors” under that. Opening the box, the earpieces are nestled in a cut-out with the same text. Under the cut-out you will find the 2-pin cable, spare eartips and documentation, quite a basic package and very similar to that provided by KZ, etc.
The earpieces are very well made, being all-metal construction. They are understated in design compared to recent offerings from CCA (C12) and KZ (ZSX and ZS10 Pro) and are compact considering that they contain five drivers. They have a rounded profile resembling a pebble and have a smooth black anodised finish. There is a large circular TRN logo on the rear of the earpiece and two large vents for the dynamic driver. There is discreet channel identification and recessed 2-pin sockets. The detachable cable is similar to that supplied with the V80, being a black braided OFC copper cable with a straight metal 3.5mm plug and metal Y-split. There is no chin slider. This cable is preferable to that supplied with IEMs from KZ and CCA, etc. Comfort was excellent, in fact very similar to that achieved with the previous V80 model and isolation was above average.
The earphones were left burning in for over 72 hours before testing and included tracks of white and pink noise, glide tones and other audio conditioning tracks. After this I used a Hifi Walker H2 DAP with a Fiio A5 amplifier and a Sony NWZ-A15 for evaluation. Initially, the supplied cable and tips were used, but I achieved and improved performance by using a Senlee 8 core single crystal cable and JVC Spiral Dot tips, which were used for the purposes of the review.
The V90s displayed a well-balanced sound signature with solid sub-bass, clear articulate midrange and clean open treble with no discernible peaks. The 30019 treble BAs are tuned very well here and produce a preferable sound to that of the 30095 units found in most other recent “Chi-Fi” IEMs.
Bass
The sub-bass dug deep and possessed good texture and resolution, yet at the same time not dominating the overall sound. The rest of the bass region was nicely contoured and did not bleed into the mids. The lively powerful bass presentation came to the fore in Junior Tucker’s “The Kick (Rock On)”. The infectious bass line drove the track along in entertaining fashion and brought a smile to my face. It was clean and well-textured and was in perfect balance with the rest of the production. The menacing bass drums in Sibelius’s “The Swan of Tuonela” performed by the Lahti Symphony Orchestra provided a perfect foundation for the strings and the beautiful cor anglais solo in this moody and atmospheric work. Electronic music also benefited from this excellent bass extension with Jean-Michel Jarre’s “The Watchers” from “Equinoxe Infinity” displaying superb depth and attack from the arsenal of synthesisers deployed in this piece.
Midrange
The midrange was unusually clear and open, with accurate positioning of instruments. Solo instruments and vocals stood out but at the same time integrated well with their accompaniment. Detail retrieval was top-class, and the 50060 BAs displayed a very natural timbre. “Tomorrow is So Far Away” by Design was a good example of this with the “trippy-hippy” multi-tracked vocals being clearly depicted above the jangly guitar parts and percussion. Solo instruments in classical pieces also came over very effectively with the concertante parts in Holst’s “Venus” performed by the Montreal Symphony Orchestra under Charles Dutoit being beautifully rendered and accurately positioned within the stereo image. The complex tonalities and arrangements in Richard Souther’s “Beginnings” from his “Heirborne” album were well differentiated, allowing the different timbres of the synth patches to be appreciated. The lively rhythmic qualities of the piece were also preserved well.
Treble
The treble was very impressive. The decision to use the 30019 BAs instead of the more commonly found 30095 units was a good one. The extension, clarity and smoothness was immediately apparent, enabling the most subtle details to be heard with excellent resolution. Andreas Vollenweider’s “The Glass Hall” from his “White Winds” album features a wealth of crystalline percussion sounds which were reproduced with astonishing realism. Transient attack and dynamic range were also notable here. Orchestral strings possessed a wonderful timbre, with the beautiful string arrangement of Holst’s “Moorside Suite” conducted by David Lloyd-Jones being a good example. The high violin harmonics towards the end of the piece were particularly well portrayed and blended perfectly with the orchestral accompaniment. The subtle sounds of the violins being played “col legno” (with the strings being struck by the wood of the bow) at the conclusion of Sibelius’s “The Swan of Tuonela” are very difficult to reproduce but the V90s passed this test with flying colours.
Soundstage
The V90s managed to combine an expansive three-dimensional soundstage with excellent stereo imaging and accurate positioning of elements within the image. Recorded ambience was reproduced well enabling the character of a recording venue to be appreciated. Malcolm Arnold’s wonderful “Cornish Dances” performed by the LPO with the composer on the rostrum showed what the V90s could do with a huge spacious image filled with orchestral colour with the remarkable tambourine strikes having an impressive sense of distance. The somewhat “tongue-in-cheek” nature of the piece came over very well under the composer’s baton. Patrick Bernard’s “Hands of Sacred Light” is a beautiful new age piece from his “Angel Reiki” album. It features harp-like sounds and angelic voices underpinned by deep synthesised bass and the V90s did not disappoint, presenting a wide open airy atmosphere perfect for this kind of material. Smaller-scale pieces were also accurately depicted with Jacques Loussier’s famous Bach piece “Air on a G string” displaying piano, bass and drums in an authentic intimate acoustic. The almost tangible atmosphere of this piece was very impressive to hear.
Conclusion
With a large number of multi-driver hybrids recently released, the V90 has had to face impressive competition. KZ’s ZS10 Pro and ZSX, and CCA’s C10 and C12 are all vying for dominance in this market. The V90 with its well-balanced sound signature manages to combine the best of all these models with its impressive deep sub bass extension, expressive and articulate midrange and clean sparkling treble with no noticeable peaks. The 30019 treble BAs were very impressive with a resolution and timbre equal to that of the Knowles drivers in my Tin Hifi T3 and TRI i4 IEMs. If you are looking for a multi-driver hybrid IEM in this price range and you value a well-balanced or neutral signature, then this is definitely the one to go for.
This review sample was supplied by Gina at Senlee at Amazon.com. Product link:'https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07X7S3QTK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1