I think it's about time that I did a detailed sound analysis and comparison of the Tin Audio T2 against T2's cousin: the Tin Audio T515.
The T515 was and still is my most favourite IEM of lately. I thought being the successor to the T2, having a brighter top end, and being twice as expensive and all that it would blow my T515 away. Apparently that wasn’t the case after all. Everything that I complained about on the T2, the T515 compensates for.
Well, what are we waiting for?
Let the games begin!!!
First let’s start with bass. The lows on the T2, while deep and even more profound with its vents closed, simply do not have the strength and vigor that the T515’s bass possesses; specifically there is no bass rumble to be heard. Bassheads will definitely find the T515’s bass response to be more sufficient to that of the T2, but neither are basshead-worthy to begin with.
When it comes to lower-mids and mids, however, the T2 definitely has the upper hand in both abundance and details. There seems to be a very noticeable emphasis between 500Hz-2Khz on the T2. This results in a very thick and heavy sound that the T515 simply does not have, but if I were to be completely honest, I actually kind of like my lower-mids just a tad bit recessed.
Moving onto the high-mids, we finally get to the part where I believe that the T515 completely outclasses the T2. The T515 works wonders in its high-mids and presence area, making vocals sound so crisp, so clear, and so intimate. Accompanied with T515’s excellent imaging, it’s almost as if you are directly face-to-face with the vocalist while he/she is singing into the mic. With the T2, you get none of that spine-tingling intimacy and clarity with vocals or guitars or anything dependent on high-mids. This is quite possibly due to its rather small and dainty peak at 3Khz. The T515 also has a peak at 3khz, but is evidently much more accentuated and a bit more wider. I’ve also noticed that, compared to the T2, the T515’s high-mids peaks are more shaped like a mountain whereas on the T2 it is shaped more flat. Perhaps another—and possibly the biggest reason why the high-mids on the T2 seem more laidback is the fact that its entire mid-frequencies (500Hz-2Khz) take up most of the spotlight, leaving T2’s poor high-mids out of the action. On a positive note this means that you’ll never run into any harshness with the T2, which is rare but still occasional with the T515.
The treble region is where the T2 tries to impress, but in the end just ends up being a big sibilance monster. The biggest reason why I wanted the T2 to replace my T515 in the first place was because of the T2’s more brighter and upfront treble. The T515’s upper treble was already more than perfect, but it just needed a bit more emphasis (loudness) to leave me mesmerized. The T2’s upper treble is pretty damn emphasized I’ll give you that, but I find its timbre to be quite unnatural and is more prone to sibilance especially in vocals. In fact even with T2’s emphasized treble, I actually find the
timbre of T515’s treble to be a tad bit brighter (I would roughly speculate that it’s because the upper treble peaks on the T515—although tiny—extend further to the 15-16Khz area). So in the end I still prefer the treble on the T515 simply because its timbre sounds more natural and a bit more sparkly, even if less emphasized. However on a brighter note, the sibilant treble on the T2 is still miles better than the eardrum-shattering sibilance you will get with the highs on the KZ ZS6.
In terms of soundstage and imaging I think it’s obvious that the winner is T515. Comparing the stage of the T2 to the T515 is like comparing your bedroom to a gymnasium, there is simply no room for comparison (pun intended). Imaging-wise the T2 is fairly decent with very accurate positioning of sounds, and is luckily able to replicate a 3D sense of space even within the super confined soundstage. Layering could be considered better than the T515, mostly because of its ability to reveal a plethora of micro-details without any clutter. I think the small soundstage is the only thing that’s keeping the T2 from having a good presentation of sound, otherwise it would’ve had so much potential.
So the winner is???
Well if you want an extraordinarily detailed IEM with a lean bass and some nice thick warm mids, the T2 has got you covered. But if you want a more "colder" sounding IEM with more brilliance in its high-mids (something that I've been fond of lately) and a more laidback treble that doesn't sacrifice brilliance, then the T515 is definitely for you
I, for one, am a sucker for the T515. They are—aside from KZ ED9—the only IEMs that can replicate the strum of an acoustic guitar so realistically, they make it sound so crisp and clear and HD. They make vocals shine and sparkle with spine-tingling intimacy. They are also very suitable for EDM.
Damn now I just realized how much I love my T515 that I'll probably buy another pair before they completely run out of stock.
T515 for life!!!!!
