TRN V90

The V90 is a 10 driver hybrid earphone with four balanced armatures and one diamond/carbon 10mm dynamic driver per side.
The V90 was sent to me by Senlee audio in exchange for review and my honest opinion.


Specification:
Impedance: 22Ω, Sensitivity: 110dB/mW,Frequency range is 7-40000Hz,Connectors:3.5mm\ 0.75MM 2 pin, Cable length:1.25+\-0.05m, Aluminum-magnesium alloy metal shell design comes in Midnight blue or Black.


Comfort: Definitely one of the best fitting earphones I've tried probably # 3 in my top 5 list also Its rounded shape and smaller size make it ideal for sleeping.

Build is solid with some good ergonomics and decent stock cable and eartips.

Sound:
We will start with the Bass that controlled, rapid, punchy mid-Bass and deep Sub-Bass is very pleasing for music that takes advantage of it. Mids are mildly recessed but this doesn't hinder the upper midrange and there is little to no bleed into the mids from its great bass response giving the mids a nice detail retrieval and some pleasant vocals. The Treble is forward but no sibilance is detected only a nice transition upward from the mids.

Overall this is a smooth yet energetic IEM with transitions from low to high being enjoyable for almost every music types.


https://www.amazon.com/Monitors-Hea...e&qid=1571246923&s=musical-instruments&sr=8-3

This is a review of the TRN v90, a $53 hybrid IEM that boasts a single DD and 4 BAs. I got this as a review unit from Linsoul. If you're interested in it after reading this review, you can grab one here.


Overall Sound Signature: Generically V-shaped but otherwise inoffensive with a notable BA timbre and decent DD.



Bass: As a V-shaped IEM, it has a significant bass boost that makes it undeniably bassy. Subbass extends low with solid rumble and minor roll-off. The DD is neither boomy or punchy, with OK transients and a slightly slow decay response. Bass quality itself is fairly decent and nothing to complain about. Honestly, there isn't much to say here. It's good without any real outstanding pros or cons or noteworthy points.



Mids: The bass response does bleed into the mids, bringing some thickness and warmth into the lower mids. There is a slight muddiness to it overall, but nothing outside the ordinary. Vocals are very slightly recessed but are nicely separated and as mentioned, on the warmer side. Both male and female vocals are well balanced. One thing to note is that the BA timbre is a little noticeable in the mids, particularly with the electric guitars for me. It has that feeling of "dryness" to the timbre while being quick.`



Treble: The treble is pretty smooth without any troublesome peaks, though once again the BA timbre is noticeable. As a V-shaped IEM, it does have an elevated treble response, but it's quite tame. Particularly, there isn't a strong emphasis on lower treble energy and thus they lack a crispness to the sound. However, it has just enough mid-upper treble to keep your attention in the region without being fatiguing. Thankfully, unlike the V80s, the V90s are not sibilant. There are times when the treble does get messy with the hats/cymbals, a common issue with many IEMs.



Staging and Imaging: A little above budget IEM level of staging and imaging. It's never claustrophobic sounding or without some form of imaging but is otherwise unremarkable.



Resolution and Separation: Like many of the newer BA based budget IEMs, the V90s have an above-average amount of resolution. Separation is fairly decent as the V90 doesn't feel very congested even with its thick lower mids.



Build and Fit: The V90 has a solid build, being fully made from metal. The fit is very good and is comfortable for long listening sessions. The 2-pin included cable and tips are your standard stock accessories. Not the best, but they'll do the job.



Should you buy it?: For $53, the TRN V90 is nothing but a solid budget IEM and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a dependable budget V-shaped IEM. It doesn't really do anything wrong and is a good all-rounder. At the same time, it doesn't do anything particularly well and to be honest, it still has that budget feel to it and feels ultimately forgettable. To me, they're an example of something very generic but done well. It won't be the first thing I recommend to someone, but it'll be somewhere in the shortlist of things I would. If you're looking for something on the bassy side and can't make up your mind on what else exactly what you're looking for in your first IEM, the V90s would fit the bill.

TRN V90 REVIEW :

SOUND: 8/10
CONSTRUCTION: 9/10
DESIGN: 9/10
VALUE: 8.5/10

Now it’s time to review the last (i think) multi hybrid BA’s from chinese audio company TRN.

TRN are mostly know for their dual DD dual BA’S iem call V80, wich get very popular due to their very affordable price, bass and vivid sound and excellent construction. While I wasn’t a big fan of mid range tonality and timbre as well as treble, i can understand why the V80 became so popular for average audio enthusiast because the V80 are everything but boring or lacking in bass or details.

Now, after lot of water pass under the bridge, i decide to give second chance to TRN company by testing their new budget killer V90 iem that score 1DD+4BA’s in a very well crafted metal housing.

What hook me is really the look of V90, as well as the drivers implementation.

Priced around 40$, the TRN V90 can be a very promising iem in term of value, let's see if it's the case in this review.

DISCLAIMER: No disclaimer needed as I buy these with my own absurd money.



ACCESSORIES, CONSTRUCTION & DESIGN :


UNBOXING is boring. And this is surely to keep price as low as possible so i do not complaint to only have a little KZ like box with 4 pairs of silicone eartips and an okay cable as accessories.



CONSTRUCTION is very impressive and I would have say that even if these sold 100$, its beautifull brushed metal that promess good sturdiness and do not show craftmanship flaws. Only part of plastic is the nozzle and 2pin connector wich are both well assembled in the body. The housing is a little similar to BGVP DMG (or NiceHCK M6) but smaller and more comfy. Cable is nicer than the one we can get with KZ or other Chifi brands, but its still standard braided copper one.



DESIGN is very well done, it have an organic shape that fit naturally in ears. As well, their 2 big venting hole in the back, wich have a purpose but to the cost of affecting isolation and sound leakage negatively.

SOUND :



OVERALL SUBJECTIVE APPRECIATION is positive in term of technicalities while its mitiged in term of musicality. I say this without even taking the price into account, and would say the same thing if they cost 5 or 10 times the price. The V90 are VERY capable iem that deliver a revealing sound with clear accurate imaging, well extended bass, bright but smooth tonality and transparent slightly dry timbre. While the treble deliver plenty of details with good crispness, its never treble, wich explain why i admire the tuning work at 99%.

SOUNDSTAGE is out of your head with an holographic feel, its not the widest but have above average deepnest and tallnest for its price. Its circular and time to time you will find yourself turning your head to ‘’see’’ a sound on your shoulder….or perhaps i’m just on Acid right now?

IMAGING is above average for its price, its a mix of transparency and accuracy wich give spacious instrument separation that never feel forced or unbalanced. Okay, here, its the mid range that is sharp in separtion, the bass is less good and treble is less natural. Let’s be grumpy and search for subtle imperfection!

CLARITY is excellent, again, especially in mid range and highs, the bass is less clear and more their will be instrument, more it will sound tamed and muffled (aka, less clear).

TIMBRE is where MY musicality is negatively affected, this should be take with grain of salt because i’m very sensible to timbre unlike some people. To me it lack thickness and naturalness, it’s slightly dry and just a little grainy with its emphased texture.

TONALITY is on the smooth side of the Bright, yeah, more you go up more this brighness show itself. In upper mid bass, you will know its there.

BASS have good extension, sub bass being bumped with good rumble and transparence while mid bass is soft and thin in body. We are in dry bass territory, but even if rather thin, the sub bass body can offer good weight sometime. This type of bass, due to its softed attack, will lack body to some. Its remind me the type of bass we get from planar earphones or headphones, wich is strange...but this isn’t hefty thumping bass wich can even be good for jazz music because the acousticbass line will extend well without veiling mid range. Yep, this bass respect mid range, perhaps a little too much tough.

MID RANGE is EVERYWHERE. The V90 cover full mids frequencies up to 8khz, not in a super flat way, but in a vivid, fowards and slightly bright way. To my ears, this is mostly delicious because most of instruments do benifit in clarity and accuracy in this range, its not just about vocal here, so this isn’t tuned to underline presence of vocal only. This is audacious because it will sure affect naturalness of musicality to try to extract everything in mid range so here we come: it sound a little clinical and have some upper mids sibilance. But never in a disastrous way, even V80 were more sibilant than those. To have this level of clarity and separation in whole mid range at this little price is really what make Chi-Fi miraculous for budget audiophile. As well, i do not find any isntrument or voice sound harsh or too agressive, and this is surely due to great transparency of mids. Again, i tell you the ying and the yang is that vocal can sound thin and too intimate. As well, instrument attack is softed, another explanation to benificial lack of harshness for such a revealing sounding earphones.

TREBLE is sharp and very extended and avoid to be trebly. We do not have lot of sparkle and decay, but crispness is there for sure. I would love more sparkle but i can live with that due to rather good attack and brilliance, wich is tigh and super controled. No splashiness or too fowarded percussions that will step on mid range here. In fact, treble make the V90 sound hyper-realist instead of lushly natural.


SUB BASS : 7.5/10
MID BASS : 7/10
MID RANGE : 8.5/10
TREBLE : 8/10
SOUNDSTAGE : 7.5/10
IMAGING : 8.5/10
TIMBRE : 7/10
CLARITY : 8.5/10
ATTACK-DECAY : 7.5/10


COMPARAISONS :

VS FAAEAL HIBISCUS (60$):


SOUNDSTAGE is more out of your head, significantly taller and wider than the V90 but not has deep and clean.

IMAGING go for V90, wich is way sharper and more articulate than darker Hibiscus.

BASS of Hibiscus is thicker, weightier and juicier but lack transparence and separation with mid bass wich sub bass warm, V90 is dryier and a little more textured and while the punch is thinner it still feel more controled and clearer, making kick better separated.

MIDRANGE while sounding more natural and liquid with the Hibiscus, is darker and less clear than V90. Vocal sound wider but less foward than V90, as well, whole mid range is less detailed and energic, lacking definition in attack and sounding very mellow compared to more energic V90. TREBLE is smoother and little roll off compared to sharper and crisper V90 that certainly dig more mircrodetails than Hibiscus.
ALL in all, Hibiscus is smooth U shape sounding compared to more neutral and agressive V90.


VS BLOOOOOOOOOOOOON BL-03 (35$) :


So, this is the real battle everyone is waiting for. Well, let me begin by saying you should get BOTH!
Why? Cause they are near opposite sounding iem. V90 is technical beast for its price, to the cost of having a colder musicality. Let’s see why.
SOUNDSTAGE is notably taller and wider with the BLON, while the V90 have slightly more deepnest but still lack this out of your head more airy presentation of BLON.
IMAGING is sharper and more precise with the V90, but its more congested as well, while BLON do not offer as much layers of sound it tend have better macro-imaging as a whole, while mid range imaging of V90 is clearly superior.

CLARITY is crisper and more detailed with V90, diging alot more micro details as well a making the sound brighter than BLON.
BASS is thicer, weightier and rounder with the BLON, the V90 bass feel quite thin and dry compared to it as well as lacking naturalness in timbre wich is very enjoyable with the BLON even if it gently warm lower mid range.
MID RANGE isn’t just warmer with the BLON, its fuller, thicker and more pleasant for they ears than more fowards, clinical mids of V90. While technicaly its ‘’better’’ and offer higher definition and attack ,timbre is more artificial and even sometime a little shouty at high volume.
TREBLE is more emphased with V90, its agressive without being super trebly, but it feel less balanced and little more splashy than smoother rounder BLON treble. Treble head joy to the cost of less lushness in musicality. As well, BLON have more sparkle-decay and air between highs.

ALL in all, my favorite is the BLOOOOOON because of a more natural and refined tuning with lusher timbre and more laid back enjoyment that do not forget to offer highs sparkly in its big airy soundstage.

VS BQEYZ KB100 (50$) :


I find these 2 slightly similar and mid centric, but V90 is more analytical with treble and thinner-dryer in timbre.

SOUNDSTAGE is wider and slightly deeper than V90, its not night and day different tough.
IMAGING is more detailed but less spacious than KB100 , still definition of instrument separation is better.
BASS is more pumped in sub region with the V90 and give more slam than flatter KB100, wich have tigher bass and better separation between sub and kick.
MID RANGE is smoother, thicker and more natural with the KB100, as well, vocal have more presence and less sibilance. V90 have more detailed whole mid range, wich is thinner and more artificial sounding.
TREBLE is more emphased with V90, offering more micro details but less natural resonance, making it as well a little trebly and overly analytical.

All in all, KB100 are smoother and more mid centric, wich is translated in better vocal tonality and timbre, while the V90 is more bassy, vivid, mids aggresive and analytical with slightly more saturated dynamic.


CONCLUSION :



While the TRN V90 are perhaps not the Giant Killer I was expecting it to be, its the best tuned one I try until now.

The construction is phenomenal, the sound is vivid, detailed and well enough balanced and the price is very affordable. Sure, again, timbre deliver by cheap balanced armature aren’t as natural as cheap dynamic drivers or knowles BA’s, but it isn’t as harsh as other offering in this price range too.

To get this level of sound definition from low to highs at less than 50$ is something to applause, and to me it proof that TRN are working hard and slowly evolve with their tuning abilities. Now, its more about acoustic spacial perception as well as sound timbre that they should study more and i’m confident they will do nail perfect tuning balance in a near futur.

disclaimer: The TRN v90 was sent for review. I have reviewed several TRN offerings in the past and have found them quite mixed with some like the v80 having definite potential and others like the X6 showing a bit less upside, so I went in with an open but some what skeptical mind regarding the v90.



Unboxing / Packaging:

Packaging on the v90 will be familiar to anyone who has bought anything from KZ, TRN, or several of the Chi-fi brandings. White slip-cover package with the line drawing of the earpiece on the front and specs on the reverse. Sliding the cover off shows the buds in a tray behind a clear shield. Accessories are hiding under the tray and in this case include manual, warranty card, three sets of tips, and cable. A fairly spartan package, but this is a budget model.





Build/Fit:

If the v90 is the follow-on to the v80 as the number implies, it sure looks like the v80 was the rough-out and the v90 got the finish treatment when it comes to build. About every aspect of build is improved. Gone are the squared edges and over-sized shell and the anodizing that sometimes matched and sometimes didn’t. The v90 is smaller by roughly 15%, nicely shaped with no squared edges save the bi-pin connector, and the anodizing is deep and well mated. Shells are 3 parts with faceplate, inner-shell, and nozzle. faceplate and inner shell are anodized aluminum while the nozzle is black plastic with a lip to hold tips. The basic shape is still the half circle with the nozzle at bottom front and the cable exiting top front. The rake of the nozzle is fairly steep in the forward direction but has no rake vertically. There is a small vent on the inner surface just above the nozzle and two larger vents on the outer shell also in line with the nozzle. One caveat, the small inner vent can be inadvertently sealed if the earpiece is pushed too far into the ear or a large double flanged tip can occlude it. If that vent is blocked, the sound changes significantly for the worse. It is a poor position for the vent as it forces the user to be conscious of it and adjust accordingly. I found the v90 comfortable for extended wear and that it stayed well during exercise. At least in build quality, the v90 is 10 points better than its predecessor (assuming 100 point scale).





Internals:

The v90 is a 5 driver per side hybrid with a single 10mm dynamic driver with a graphene coated diaphragm handling the bass duties, a pair of 50060 balanced armatures that cover the mids, and a pair of the 30019 balanced armatures handling the treble details. An electronic crossover is built on the back of the dynamic driver and handles the signal distribution tasks to the drivers. Nominal impedance is listed as 22Ω with a sensitivity of 110 dB/mW. I found the v90 was acceptable directly from a phone or tablet, but does scale with better sources are really needs a bit more power than the average phone provides to do its best work. I’d recommend either something like the LG phone on high power output or some form of amplifier to really get the most out of the v90. Having said that, I did find that the noise floor needs to be fairly low or the v90 can show some hiss. it was not a good fit with the Burson Fun for example but did fine with the Euterpe with a 12au7 preamp tube installed.







Cable:

The provided cable is an oxygen free copper braid with black coating in the double twist design up to the splitter where it leaves as 2 twisted pairs to the earhooks. Earpiece terminations are standard .75mm bi-bin connectors (not the hooded type that has become popular of late). The jack is a straight style with a black metal barrel with the TRN etched. The splitter matches the jack nicely and gives an overall subdued look to the cable. No chin slider or cable management is provided. While nothing out of the ordinary in today’s market, the cable is well put together and should serve nicely.






Sound:





Bass:

The v90 has bass emphasis that centers on the sub-bass region and then drops back as you move into the mid-bass with the emphasis fading from view at roughly the 400Hz mark as you move into the lower mids. Sub-bass extension is quite good with good texture, but can get a bit loose as it lacks a bit of speed that would help keep it tighter. The same goes for mid-bass, it has good quantity and reasonable texture, but suffers a bit from lack of speed in both attack and decay and can sound a bit boomy at times when the track tends toward it anyway. The v90 will please those looking for big rumble and slam, but will not please those looking for the most articulate and defined bass. Thankfully, bleed into the mids is very little as the mid-bass has dropped off its peak before the transition.



Mids:

The drop that starts in the mid-bass continues into the lower mids with the lower-mids being the trough of the V. Once past the mid-point of the V, things start climbing back forward and as a result upper-mids are much more present in the mix than their lower counterparts. Male vocals are markedly behind their female counterparts and can at times seem a bit distant in the mix as a result. Those who prefer that vocals sit in line with the instrumentation will probably like the v90 a bit better than those who prefer a bit of a lift. Guitar has good growl when called upon, and acoustic guitar has good timbre but again can seem slightly distanced from the listener. Strings suffer a little as the recess keeps them from sounding entirely realistic but then again the tuning of the v90 is much more geared to pop/rock than orchestral so this isn’t a surprise.



Treble:

This is where I was most interested in seeing what TRN had done with the v90. To me the v80 was a fairly good effort ruined by a grainy, over aggressive treble so would the v90 be more of the same? Happily, I can report that while the treble is still energetic, it is no longer overly so, and is much more polite than its ancestor. Lower treble is still pushed a bit forward but not annoyingly so, and above that it falls back and if anything is a bit recessed. This is a big change from the previous generation that had several smaller spikes and gave the treble a grainy nature. The v90 does have a lift at about 10kHz that adds some air back into the top end but has limited sparkle because of the treble tuning. Roll-off is fairly steep immediately after the 10k push so top end extension is average at best. Treble detail is fairly good with a nice clean delivery.



Soundstage / Imaging:

Soundstage is limited with a bit more width than depth which is not surprising for a small, mostly closed in-ear. This is not helped by instrument separation being average at best due to the previously mentioned lack of speed in the low end dynamic driver. Instruments rendered by the BA drivers fair a little better as they have cleaner definition and a bit better separation as a result. Seating the orchestra has a few anomalies where instruments are more beside than behind each other, but overall is acceptable and spatial cues are well produced with movements around the stage being easily tracked.



Thoughts / Conclusion:

Were this 2017, I would be telling you to go buy this earphone. It does a lot right, but in 2019, the Sub-$50 space has become crowded with models that do a lot right. The v90 is certainly better than the v80, and deserves consideration if you are looking for a new in-ear in this price range, but it shares that market with the ZSX and C12 both of which offer a bit more detail than the v90, the v2 which has recently been updated and has a more neutral tuning, and the BQ3 which sports a bit better top end extension. The good news is all of these are good sounding in-ears and any of them should provide hours of enjoyment. The bad news is, without knowing an individuals preferences, I can’t begin to tell them which one should be their choice. For TRN, the v90 is certainly movement in a positive direction and offers the user good value at the price point. End users have a lot of great choices to pick from, and the v90 expands that list.

The TRN V90 is a hybrid in-ear monitor (4BA +1DD), retailing for $45 at the NiceHCK Audio Store on AliExpress at the time of this review. The V90 was provided to me by NiceHCK in exchange for a fair and objective review.

This review is also available on my blog: Bedrock Reviews

SOURCES:

I have used the TRN V90 with the following sources:

Windows 10 PC > JDS Labs The Element > TRN V90

Pixel 3 > Fiio BTR1K (Bluetooth Apt-X) > TRN V90

Windows 10 PC > Fiio BTR1K (USB-DAC) > TRN V90

Pixel 3 > Apple USB-C to 3.5mm dongle > TRN V90

I have tested these headphones with local FLAC, Spotify Premium, and Amazon Music HD. Visit my last.fm page to get an idea of what I listen to.

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES:

The TRN V90 comes in a small white tray with a black and white slipcover. The selected mic and color options are indicated on the right side of the box, and the V90’s technical specifications and TRN’s contact information are listed on the back. The V90 comes with a detachable .75mm 2-pin cable, three pairs of dark grey silicone eartips (S, M, L), a user manual, a QC pass chit, and a warranty card. The V90 does not include a carry bag or case.

BUILD QUALITY / DESIGN:

The V90 has a three-part, all-metal housing with a triangular cross-section. The longest edge of the triangle faces forward. There are no sharp edges anywhere on the housing. The inner face of the housing has a gentle crescent shape, with a small protrusion on the top corner. The nozzle is swept down and forward from the bottom corner. There are two rectangular vents on the bottom corner of the outer faceplate, and one circular vent on the inner face of the housing. The nozzles have a small lip for securing eartips. The V90 has mild-to-moderate driver flex. The V90 has the same venting issue as the Simgot EM1, where if the inner vent is covered during insertion, the sound produced by the IEM is muffled and must be gently tugged away from the ear to restore proper clearance.

The V90 comes with a braided 4-core cable with angled 2-pin connectors and a straight 3.5mm jack. The cable has little-to-no microphonics. The 2-pin connectors have indented markings to indicate left and right. The cable has pre-formed ear-guides without memory wire. The TRN logo is printed on the 3.5mm jack housing. There is no chin-adjustment choker. The cable is not tangle-prone. There is strain-relief above the 3.5mm jack but none at the Y-split.

COMFORT / FIT / ISOLATION:

The TRN V90 is intended to be worn cable-up only. The V90 has a deeper than average insertion depth and I was able to get a good seal using the stock eartips. I found the V90 very comfortable to wear for long periods. Isolation is above average, and I have not received any complaints about sound leakage (in comparison to the TRN H1, for which I have received complaints at equivalent volumes).

SOUND:

The TRN V90 has a bassy V-shaped tuning.

The V90 does not have a mid-bass hump, instead emphasizing sub-bass over mid-bass. Sub-bass extension is striking. The bass region as a whole is elevated above the lower midrange. There is abundant rumble and powerful slam. The bass has average speed and articulation and can become confused and indistinct during complicated, bass-heavy passages. This is most evident in heavy varieties of electronic dance music. The bass is highly textured but can be boomy and borderline overwhelming.

Although the lower midrange is recessed compared to the mid-bass, male vocals retain good intelligibility and have plenty of warmth and body. Female vocals are a bit further forward than male vocals. The overall timbre is realistic. There is enough presence to give distorted electric guitars bite without being fatiguing.

The treble is energetic but surprisingly smooth. Transients are crisp without being unrealistically quick. There is a healthy amount of sparkle and air. Overall resolution and detail retrieval are middling. Soundstage, imaging and instrument separation are average for a budget multi-BA hybrid.

MEASUREMENTS:

My measurements were conducted with a Dayton iMM-6 microphone using a vinyl tubing coupler and a calibrated USB sound interface. The measurements use a compensation file derived from relating my raw measurements with Crinacle’s published measurements. The measurements are presented with 1/24th smoothing. The magnitude of the valley at 7k is a coupler artifact. There is a resonant peak around 8k. Measurements above 10k are not reliable.

AMPLIFICATION REQUIREMENTS AND SOURCE PAIRING:

The TRN V90 can be driven to comfortable listening volumes with a smartphone or dongle. There is noticeable hiss with some sources.

COMPARISONS:

TRN V90 vs Blon BL-03

The Blon BL-03 uses a single carbon nanotube dynamic driver. It has a more neutral sound signature, with a much more restrained bass presentation and a less forward upper midrange and treble response. The BL-03 has better bass definition and articulation. It is much easier to get a good seal using stock tips with the V90. Because I need to use double flange tips with the BL-03, the V90 is more comfortable. The BL-03 has worse driver flex. The V90 is easier to drive but is much more prone to hiss. The V90 does not come with a bag or carry case, while the BL-03 comes with a Blon-branded pouch.

KZ ZSX vs TRN V90

The KZ ZSX is a six-driver (5BA+1DD) hybrid IEM. The two IEMs have very similar tunings, but the V90 is bassier than the ZSX and has a more elevated lower treble response. Despite this, the V90’s treble is smoother-sounding than the ZSX’s. The V90 has more defined, better-articulated bass than the ZSX. The V90’s upper midrange is a touch more forward than the ZSX but has no issues with sibilance. The V90 has better clarity and detail retrieval. The V90 has better imaging. The V90 has slightly worse driver flex. The V90 has less hiss. The V90 is more comfortable.

CLOSING WORDS:

The TRN V90 is a great-sounding budget hybrid IEM with an annoying usability concern which prevents me from recommending it without qualification. If the venting issue sounds manageable to you, it replaces the CCA-C10 as my go-to consumer-friendly sub-$50 hybrid recommendation.