[Frankie D]

Hey folks,

new traillii owner here. Just want to leave some impressions that can maybe help others to assess if the traillii is worth trying out or not.



Background
I listen to a variety of modern music but not classic and metal. (e.g. yello, agnes obel, kimyan law, dua lipa). Also sometimes to soundtracks.
I bought the traillii to see what all the hype is about. It was more of an experiment rather than reading reviews and being totally convinced.

Bass
The bass is definitely one of the better BA bass implementations out there. It allows to hear some nuances and also has texture to a certain degree to it. Can it compete with TOTL DD bass like the one of the Odin? Unfortunately not. There is still quite a gap. But what bothers me personally the most is that the subbass is quite elevated and the bass itself bleeds a tiny bit into the mids. If it was a very good bass I would maybe have no complains about it, but why elevate the bass when its average? But luckily you don't notice it on a lot of tracks, at least not in my playlist. The bass is definitely the weakest part of the traillii.

Mids
The lower mids are warm as said before due to the bass bleed. Before I got the traillii I was quite worried about the upper mids peak (2-4KHZ) as this is what made me sell my Odin. Luckily the traillii has no "nasal" or "radio" effect there and is not fatiguing for people who are sensitive to this. The mids in general are really beautiful, especially voices.

Treble
The EST driver implementation on the traillii is fantastic! Really. Instruments and tones have a quite a physical body to them that you can feel. Layering and texture in the treble is addictive. Nothing is harsh or sibilant but still very very clear. (a must listen: The Universe - Hiroyuki Sawano)

Detail retrieval
Detail retrieval in the bass region is average as already mentioned. Mids are quite detailed, but I would also say the Odin has the edge here. The treble is very detailed, I think the best treble detail I have heard in any IEM. The EST drivers do a really good job. The quickness in the treble presentation adds to this.

What makes the traillii special?
Now coming to the most important part. What's the hype about? I think there are multiple aspects why the traillii is quite special. I have ordered them according from what wowed me the most to the least.

First: You can nearly throw anything at the traillii and it will play it nicely. I have quite some tracks where a certain part of the track or some instruments or tones are crucial for me that I can enjoy that track and "bring it to life". And I have headphones that do it for certain tracks and others for other tracks. But none of them can do it for all of my tracks. But so far the traillii appears to do it for nearly everything, not always better than my other headphones, but very conistently on a high level. Also it doesn't destroy bad recordings. I haven't seen this quality in a lot of headphones.

Then there is the immense soundstage. I have the AB-1266 and had the HD800S so I am aware of how a wide and big soundstage sounds like. But the sound stage of the traillii sounds "magical". While the sound stage of the AB-1266 or HD800S is wide and there is "space" between the instruments and tones (or some call it maybe black background), or the ZMF VC has the reverb, the traillii fills it with a certain "magical" sphere that sounds very pleasing and musical.

As also mentioned, I'm quite a fan of the traillii treble. It's really addictive. (a must listen: The Universe - Hiroyuki Sawano)

The trailli manages to produce a quite balanced and natural sounding mild v-shape (bass elevation is too much for me as stated before). This allows the traillii to produce an exciting sound compared to something like the neutral QDC VX or U12T (which sound boring to me), but still gives you the impression that its quite natural. But it is not a studio monitor. If you look at its frequency graph you will see some dips and elevations, it's not meant to be dead neutral.

Pricing
Is it worth the price? As always this is a personal decision and certain aspects that are important for you can maybe make it worth the price. For me personally I would consider the traillii as a sidegrade to something like the Odin. This would be the price bracket I would see the traillii in. If the trailli had the bass of the Odin, it would be another story for me.

Bass bleeding into the mids? This is the first time I am hearing this. I have an OG Fourte that has a dd bass, and I feel the Trailli’s bass while not as powerful, is actually more realistic ( I compare it to my 2-channel stereo for instance ). The Traillii’s bass has the better timbre and is tighter.

As mentioned above I am wondering if the fit is not quite right for you? I also used the Sedna EarFitLightShorts which might make a difference. I hope it gets better for you.

 

[Dynamo5561]

On the bass side, interesting observations. I have found it to be quite terrific, in particular the way it does sub-bass, and compared to the other very good BA bass implementations (which tend to lean toward midbass punch as opposed). I can concur though that in comparison to certain IEMs the sub-bass can feel elevated, such as when I go straight from the Isabellae to the Traillii (who added the woofer to the room?! )

Don't get me wrong, bass is not bad at all. Especially for a BA bass. But there is also quite a gap to Odin's bass which is for me personally the reference bass in IEMs.

But have found marked variances depending on the tip used. Are you using just the stock tips? For example if I use the SednaEarFit (short or regular) bass becomes tighter and punchier, with less of the warmth (or bloat, depending on how you perceive it). Treble can become sharper with the tips though. I find the Acoustune AET07 a perfect complement to the bird, providing that extra sense of control and tautness in the bass region while maintaining smoothness and detail in the upper registers.

I did not use the stock tips at all. I got a good seal with the AET07 which I also did my listening impressions with. The xelastec work also fine. Still trying out some other tips:

Bass bleeding into the mids? This is the first time I am hearing this. I have an OG Fourte that has a dd bass, and I feel the Trailli’s bass while not as powerful, is actually more realistic ( I compare it to my 2-channel stereo for instance ). The Traillii’s bass has the better timbre and is tighter.

For me it definitely bleeds into the mids on certain (!) tracks. One of the first things I recognized directly. E.g. "Love is blindness - Cassandra Wilson". I also find the more you listen solely to the traillii the less you notice as your brain adapts. But when changing back and forth it gets noticable for me.
I find the bass on the Fourte also not superb and the Fourthe doesn't aim for realisitc sound at all. It's one of the most coloured IEMs I have heard. I'm not sure if "realisitc" is also a quality that the traillii aims to. If you look at the frequency graph and also when hearing there is a bass and slight treble elevation (mild v-shape) , further there is some "weird" stuff going on in the treble with some dips, the tuning does not look like its aiming for a "realistic" sound reproduction. In my books its tuned for musicality and excitement in a coherent way that sounds natural rather than being a sutdio monitor that is about neutrality and realistic sound presentation (see VX / U12T).

As mentioned above I am wondering if the fit is not quite right for you? I also used the Sedna EarFitLightShorts which might make a difference. I hope it gets better for you.

I find the nozzle short and thick, lots of my tips don't work, but I get a good seal with the AET07 (works nearly on every IEM for me) and also the xelastecs.

 

[toaster]

Nice impressions, @Dynamo5561.

Agree with you on Odin…gold standard for iem bass texture and quality.

Hoping to hear more of the same, literally, in the Evo - if it delivers the same texture with more quantity it’ll be sweet.

Check out cp155 tips. I feel they significantly improve bass response overall on the traillii.

The traillii also improves after around 20 - 25 hours of burn in, so listen for that.

Happy listening!

 

[Frankie D]

If you look at the frequency graph and also when hearing there is a bass and slight treble elevation (mild v-shape) ,

I also do not typically go solely by graphs for the sound of an IEM, rather just as another source if input. There is definitely a bit of a bass emphasis, as you mention, but still tight and controlled. (Looking forward to what the Evo will do here ). The treble dip has been covered as potentially what helps keep it from becoming sibilant yet still detailed.

 

[twister6]

Don't get me wrong, bass is not bad at all. Especially for a BA bass. But there is also quite a gap to Odin's bass which is for me personally the reference bass in IEMs.


I did not use the stock tips at all. I got a good seal with the AET07 which I also did my listening impressions with. The xelastec work also fine. Still trying out some other tips:




For me it definitely bleeds into the mids on certain (!) tracks. One of the first things I recognized directly. E.g. "Love is blindness - Cassandra Wilson". I also find the more you listen solely to the traillii the less you notice as your brain adapts. But when changing back and forth it gets noticable for me.
I find the bass on the Fourte also not superb and the Fourthe doesn't aim for realisitc sound at all. It's one of the most coloured IEMs I have heard. I'm not sure if "realisitc" is also a quality that the traillii aims to. If you look at the frequency graph and also when hearing there is a bass and slight treble elevation (mild v-shape) , further there is some "weird" stuff going on in the treble with some dips, the tuning does not look like its aiming for a "realistic" sound reproduction. In my books its tuned for musicality and excitement in a coherent way that sounds natural rather than being a sutdio monitor that is about neutrality and realistic sound presentation (see VX / U12T).


I find the nozzle short and thick, lots of my tips don't work, but I get a good seal with the AET07 (works nearly on every IEM for me) and also the xelastecs.

It is just a different perspective of looking at the bass, but I get what you are saying. Odin bass is leaner and more articulate, it's all about quality, layering, speed. Traillii's bass is about a warm analog-like impact and extension, and more elevated quantity. People refer to Traillii BA bass to sound more like DD, while Odin double DD having more BA like precision (which also confuses some because they expect LX like basshead slam due to the same DD drivers). Also, I think the "bleed" into lower mids you referring to is just part of a thicker body of Traillii lower mids, while Odin lower mids are very neutral and lean. All has to do with a relative perspective, and just the way we hear it

 

[snapandslide]

It is just a different perspective of looking at the bass, but I get what you are saying. Odin bass is leaner and more articulate, it's all about quality, layering, speed. Traillii's bass is about a warm analog-like impact and extension, and more elevated quantity. People refer to Traillii BA bass to sound more like DD, while Odin double DD having more BA like precision (which also confuses some because they expect LX like basshead slam due to the same DD drivers). Also, I think the "bleed" into lower mids you referring to is just part of a thicker body of Traillii lower mids, while Odin lower mids are very neutral and lean. All has to do with a relative perspective, and just the way we hear it

Good reply Twister and how I hear it - also worth noting Source. 3MAX adds an extra dimension to Triallii's bass and tightens it up a bit too.

Frankly the Odin and Bird are an absolute awesome complimentary pair to own and I couldn't be happier.

 

[Scubadevils]

Azla Crystal are my top choice now - excellent fit, zero pressure and sound incredible. Absolutely delighted as I feel I've found the perfect tips for Traillii.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Azla Crystal are my top choice now - excellent fit, zero pressure and sound incredible. Absolutely delighted as I feel I've found the perfect tips for Traillii.

Based on my experience with the Crystals, my guess is they would be my favorite as well. But, the nozzle must be 5 times bigger than the Crystals. It's like fitting 25 pounds of sand in a 5 pound bag. I would love to try those tips. How did you get them on?

edited to note: Sorry, I have Isabellae on the mind. The nozzle on the Isa are too big. I just tried the Crystals and I got them on my Traillii pretty easily. Going to listen now

 

[Scubadevils]

Based on my experience with the Crystals, my guess is they would be my favorite as well. But, the nozzle must be 5 times bigger than the Crystals. It's like fitting 25 pounds of sand in a 5 pound bag. I would love to try those tips. How did you get them on?

Just a bit of manoeuvring! Definitely easier than Isa but absolutely possible on both.

 

[Scubadevils]

I'm in absolute bliss with these - I had many moments of being convinced I'd have to part with them and even where some tips weren't as bad, I was still feeling discomfort which made it very hard to enjoy the music. It really was a horrible feeling having spent so much.

Tonight, I'm listening with zero pain or pressure and just appreciating the music in all its beauty!

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

I'm in absolute bliss with these - I had many moments of being convinced I'd have to part with them and even where some tips weren't as bad, I was still feeling discomfort which made it very hard to enjoy the music. It really was a horrible feeling having spent so much.

Tonight, I'm listening with zero pain or pressure and just appreciating the music in all its beauty!

I agree. My new favorite tips are the Azla Crystals. I have them on my Traillii, Odin and MEST. My LX are customs and my Z1R have custom ear tips.

I am going to have to try to get the Crystals on the Isa. I am having a heckuva time with a good seal given how small the ISA is. I think the Crystals will fix that. If that doesn't work, I'm going to purchase custom tips from ADV.

 

[snapandslide]

@HiFiHawaii808 and @Scuba Devils - did you have to size down from what you'd normally go for with the crystals?

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

@HiFiHawaii808 and @Scuba Devils - did you have to size down from what you'd normally go for with the crystals?

No, I always use large tips.

 

[Scubadevils]

@HiFiHawaii808 and @Scuba Devils - did you have to size down from what you'd normally go for with the crystals?

I'm using ML in Crystal which is the same size I use for all Azla.

 

[MatW]

I am going to have to try to get the Crystals on the Isa.

Flip the tips inside out. Works for me.

No, I always use large tips.

So do I.