My time with the IMR EDP and TRI i3.
IMR is a "boutique" firm based in the UK.
It has produced a number in ear monitors resulting in a following of loyal fans of the "IMR house sound".
The IMR EDP were limited in number and sold by pre-order. They are now sold out and they were sold at £159 plus tax and postage.
They come well packaged in a case with the earphones, two 1.4m cables, one 3.5mm single-ended, the other is a choice of 2.5mm or 4.4mm balanced cables.
The cables are good quality and appear to have been hand made in Poland by the company, Forza. In addition the case holds two metal strips with various metal nozzles choices for the customer to tune to their heart’s content. You then have the usual selection of tips to cap your choice of nozzles.
Having seen the earphones in pictures, I thought they looked odd and industrial with the red strip. When I got them in my hands my view changed. The little grapes with red strips feel great well machined and "polished". They also fit in my ears well enough, not perfect though.
The cables are very good quality twisted 4 strands, leading up to two strands ending in a two pin connector.
The IMR EDP driver combination includes a 9mm planar magnetic driver and a 10mm dynamic driver.
TRI is an offshoot company of KBEAR. The TRI I3 is their second model, the first being TRI I4.
The TRI I3 was released sometime at the end of 2019. They have 3 drivers, one 8mm planar magnetic driver, one 10mm Dynamic Driver and a BA.
The IEMS come in a small package including, a cable, a soft velvety pouch and a selection of tips.
I bought the TRI I3 for £127 from Ali Express.
The soft velvety pouch which comes with the TRI I3 is nice to the touch but as it is a soft pouch, it does not offer much protection for the IEMs.
The TRI I3 has been described as "ear potatoes", which is an indication of their size. They look and feel huge initially. They are shiny chrome pieces (which sounds "blingy") but they have a good look and feel. More importantly, despite their size, they fit my ears snuggly and comfortably, without much protrusion. Isolation is very good, you get little sound intrusion.
The cable looks similar to the Tin P1 cable and they did not sound good as far as I am concerned. I replaced them with Dunu DUW02 cable with detachable and interchangeable plugs, which works perfectly well.
The TRI I3 fit better, in my ears and isolate better, than the IMR EDP.
Comparison
In summary, for those who do not want to read in detail, I am happy to say, both sets are very good and the differences in this comparison are marginal and arguably about sonic preferences rather than one being generally better than the other.
Both these IEMs are fantastic! No hyperbole, these are very very good IEMs. I don't believe in saying, "good for the price" and I am not saying that now, because in my view price does not determine quality and in the context of audio gear I refer to sound quality. I also think there is a lot of hyperbole around more expensive IEMs and over ear headphones which do not always live up to the hype. Granted, the cost of good quality materials and, research and development, add up to the cost, but what matters to the end user is the tuning.
The sound
The IMR EDPs deliver crisp and clear detail with such competence that you feel like you are in a studio. They do so with no sibilance in the treble, bloated bass or shouty mids. They also scale up in volume flawlessly.
The TRI I3 are like speakers stuffed into the ears. What makes them even better for me is that they scale very well. At low volumes (as low as 5 of 120 on Fiio M11)
Resolution is precise on both IEMs. Both IEMs sound clearly and with good separation, so that they present you with clear details. As you increase the volume there is no distortion. Although it must be said that they are in their element with amplification, which brings out their full potential.
I paired them with Samsung galaxy note 10 and Fiio M11, as my source, and for amplification variably, a Samsung dongle, Fiio BTR5 and the Littlebear B4X "pseudo tube" dac amp, mostly balanced 2.5mm on high gain.
I used the Fiio music player app, but primarily the PowerAmp v.3 music player app plus Amazon, Idagio and Soundcloud streaming apps.
You may want to put on your monitors of choice and check out the music using the links.
Bass
On both IEMs, bass, is delivered as recorded and where the recording presents sub bass, the sub bass on the TRI I3 felt like REL speakers (I am serious) visceral bass which is delivered to your body without bothering with your ears. That rich and solid but tempered REL type bass presents itself better, in my view, than the brutal bass on other so-called bass monitors (speakers, over ear headphones or IEMs) because the bass does not attempt to knock you over the head like a thug with a blunt instrument. You know that type of bass that kills every note around it when it hits? That is not the bass on the TRI I3 or the IMR EDP, the sub bass and mid bass here is mature, sedate and yet satisfying.
The difference between the two IEMs is marginal but, for me, the TRI I3 has the more mature sub bass, it is a velvety, lush, deep and viseral bass. While the IMR EDP is only marginally behind, mainly because the sub bass is less pronounced than on the TRI I3.
Fourplay's album, Heartfelt, track Chant is a bass heavy song is [0.22]delivered with such wonderful after taste to every bass note and sprinkled with delicate mids and treble notes it just feels like the musicians are on a huge stage on the TRI I3 . The IMR EDP also delivers a healthy rich dose of music which feels like a recording studio playing with pin point accuracy as opposed to the more wider open stage on TRI I3.
Fourplay - Heartfelt - Chant:
Mids
What a joy, planar magnetic smooth mids are. Just so satisfying to hear Aretha Franklin and Michael Mcdonald deliver the vocals instruments on "Ever changing times" or hear Andrea Bocelli render "Besame Moucho". Whether it is a pianist, guitarist, singer or saxophonist theses IEMs will deliver their work faithfully. The mids on both the IMR EDP and the TRI I3 remind me of Byrilium headphones, the harmony, instruments working together beautifully. The difference is that the mids are further forward on the IMR, which makes them very good for vocals, guitar and piano for example.
Aretha Franklin and Michael Mcdonald - Ever changing times:
Andrea Bocelli - Besame Moucho:
Treble
On the TRI I3 treble is delivered without fanfare, just right. The IMR EDP is more forward giving the listener a prominent delivery of mids. Although treble is not overdone, listening to both IEMs takes you to the limit without sibilance. Listening to classical music, jazz and salsa was a joy. These two IEMs do sparkle quite well. The piano on the track 88 ways to love by Marcus Johnson is like the auditory version of popping candy in your mouth....pop, crackle, ting, tishaaaa, ping.....just the right amount and a good bass line to hold good the rhythm together. The difference is again marginal, and I sometimes struggle to tell these IEMs apart in the treble region but I will say the IMR EDPs are more forward in presentation of treble.
Marcus Johnson - 88 ways to love:
Harmony
For me, the sonic signature on the IMR EDP is comparatively brighter and the TRI I3 comparatively, darker. However, again here we are talking of marginal differences.
The TRI I3 is such a harmonic set (sometimes referred to as "musicality") no frequency is overdone, so no notes feel uncontrolled, on the contrary, the notes are so well controlled to be part of a harmonic whole that unlike the Blon B20 open back planar headphones (which I enjoy a lot, but at the right time) the TRI I3 do not demand my attention with delivery of detailed pinpoint notes,
The IMR EDP which are not demanding or exhausting either but are more forward so appears more detailed in their presentation of mids and treble without being in your face.
On other hand the TRI i3 just makes music sound harmonic. Some say, smooth, but that must be put into context, because they don't take away detail, sparkle, mids or deep viseral bass. It is about the harmony of instruments, not the individual notes, although you can pick specific notes out with ease, the tuning is for harmonic expression of the instruments together... music.
Sound stage
The sound stage on the TRI I3 is just fantastic and feels so realistic. The IMR EDP do not disappoint by any means but in comparison with the TRI I3 they fall short on sound stage.
Listening to Dave Koz "Saxophonic" on the TRI I3 is like being dropped on the front line of a battle between instruments with auditory weapons firing from all angles on both sets but more rounded on theTRI I3. I followed that with Carlos Santana "Nothing at all" a much calmer track but no less encompassing. The Acoustic Alchemy track, "Jamaica heartbeat", gave me even more of this wonderful sensation. Help! I could live in this fantasy world indefinitely, the sensation is so good.
Carlos Santana - Nothing at all:
On occasions when you have a good pair of earphones which give you the impression a sound is coming from outside your earphones as opposed to from within your earphones, you appreciate the good tuning. With the TRI I3 the clarity and resolution give the impression you are hearing sound from outside your earphones regularly. I was listening to a recording of live music from a forum on HEAD-FI (I believe it is:"Official free FLAC file music") and it felt Iike I was there with the musicians.....so good!
These two IEMs sound perfectly good without any EQ. I did stream, Amazon, Idagio and Soundcloud but without EQ and both sets were good fun, although the quality of recordings do vary. I have yet to use the additional nozzles and tips which come with the IMR EDP and apart from the cable I have not changed anything on the TRI. However, I use the same EQ settings on both using which has been interesting. The drivers handle the full range of the frequency spectrum with ease. Using PowerAmp, I set the various EQ settings I like, (not presets which in my view sound horrid).
With or without EQ, you can appreciate why both these IEMs could have been sold for much more and still be considered very good sets of IEMs. They are worth every penny and much more.
In conclusion, my view is the IMR EDPs are a very good set of IEMs, they give you very good bass, great mids and treble. Their studio-like delivery of music sound is very engaging and make you want to listen to music for hours, especially vocals, guitar and piano stand out on the EDP.
The TRI I3 also make you want to listen to music for hours but they are slightly darker and give you deep weighty bass and REL type viseral bass, while delivering delightful mids, brilliant sparkling treble and bringing everything together for sublime and wholesome harmony. The sound stage on the TRI I3 sets it apart from many IEMs and the IMR EDPs are also overshadowed by the TRI I3 on sound stage, the TRI deliver a concert type sound stage, without the shortcomings of open air live music, in other words precision is not lost. I have to say that puts the TRI I3, just, but only just, ahead of the EDPs for me and it is a question of taste. However, you cannot go wrong choosing either the TRI I3 or the IMR EDP, you will get exceptionally good IEMs which will give you a lot of pleasure, regardless of whichever set you choose.
Enjoy!
