[Precogvision]

Hopefully there will be direct comparison with Oxygen. As such, this sounds underwhelming.

wow only a 5?

Coming from precog, that's not actually terrible. Especially at that price point.

I would say that a "5" from me is about as good as it gets for $100 right now. In my mind, that's basically the equivalent of roughly a "B" grade on Crinacle's ranking list. I don't have as much data to support where this would stand on my ranking list (which is why mine is all over the place by comparison below); however, you can see that it's very high up there for $100. The only "6" I've ever given for a sub-$100 IEM is the Etymotic ER2XR which, technically, was more than $100 at one point anyways.

 

[andjayik]

then again we all have different tastes and hear things diferently.

 

[Dtagonkiva]

Hope the Xenns mangird tea2 impressions will come soon. Wondering if it can get 6/10 from 4/10 (Tea OG)

 

[Hark01]

I would say that a "5" from me is about as good as it gets for $100 right now. In my mind, that's basically the equivalent of roughly a "B" grade on Crinacle's ranking list. I don't have as much data to support where this would stand on my ranking list (which is why mine is all over the place by comparison below); however, you can see that it's very high up there for $100. The only "6" I've ever given for a sub-$100 IEM is the Etymotic ER2XR which, technically, was more than $100 at one point anyways.

Don't worry Precog, I for a second don't doubt your impressions. Feelings are toward my expectations, not your review. Would love to hear A/B comparison with Oxygen, if you manage to get the set.

(c'mon where are the flagship DDs at?)

Softears Turii?

 

[dialogue]

Tripowin x HBB Olina Impressions

Configuration: 1DD
Price: $99
Unit provided for review courtesy of HBB & Linsoul.




Pleasantly surprised to hear the Olina, as I recall the Tripowin Mele from a while back not being too impressive. The Mele generally sounded too bassy and too dark; the Olina straddles that fine balance more aptly. Indeed, the Olina's frequency response is highly reminiscent of Moondrop and Tanchjim's single-DD IEMs, and perhaps it should be expected: from conversations with HBB, I am told that the Olina's dynamic driver is at least sourced from the same factory that supplied the Tanchjim Oxygen's driver. As for whether the Olina sounds the same, I'd suggest "not quite from memory". I believe that the Oxygen and Hana 2021 were slightly more refined in the technical department than the Olina. This is likely attributable to the other components that have gone into the construction of the respective IEMs, unit variance, and aural memory just being fickle like that.

The treble response of the Olina is also a little more divisive due to the nature of its upper-treble. It has a resonance peak at ~13kHz (I want to say it's slightly earlier and stronger in amplitude than some of the other single-DD IEMs above) lending to some spice up top. I've made clear in the past that I don't really mind these types of peaks, as they beget a sense of shimmer I enjoy. However, some might find an IEM like the Moondrop Kato to be more refined in this area. Outside of this, my thoughts on the Olina could basically be a re-hash of my thoughts on the aforementioned single-DD IEMs. I'd characterize the Olina's tuning as a slightly warm V-shape; slightly upper-midrange leaning with some warmth in the lower-midrange. Bring in the above-neutral bass and (mostly) smooth treble, and you have a really natural sound; the type of set that just sounds right when you put them on. Indeed, most criticisms of the Olian's sound would be predicated on technicalities which are your usual B-grade affair. Bass is generally slightly pillowy and undefined; close to par with the Moondrop Kato for slam in A/B. Imaging might be a little more expansive than your usual single-DD, but the Olina doesn't really trigger the out-of-head feeling I recall the Oxygen and Hana 2021 sporting.

From head-to-toe, the Olina is a strong $100 performer with few weaknesses; it neatly slots in with budget titans like the DUNU Titan S (heh) and Moondrop Aria. The Titan S for the thinnest, most analytical listen. The Aria for the warmest and most pillowy. The Olina for the middle ground. I'd be remiss to mention that I tire of this wheel being reinvented so many times (c'mon where are the flagship DDs at?), but it's hard to complain with the price reductions and subtle refinements. Recommended.

Score: 5/10

All critical listening was done off my iBasso DX300.

Btw, for technicalities department, especially for complex instrumental music and busy tracks, for this area like :
speed ,
Separation between instruments, layering,
imaging,
Resolution/micro macro detail.

Which one would you rather choose or recomended to me to buy firsr, Titan S or Olina ?

Honestly with my moondroop aria 2021, a bit disappointed in that area. a bit weak. Want better. Thanks

 

[mattbass]

I've heard another tia Trio, and I liked it so much I was thinking about buying one. But I noticed the review unit I currently have sounded fairly different, and measuring it on the coupler confirmed (~6dB difference in the bass which tbh I don't really notice, and vocals pan slightly to the left). Kind of left a bad taste in my mouth, but I still like listening to it sometimes. The imaging/staging is great.

Your reviews have been super helpful - thanks! - and they've led me down a potentially-expensive path to the Tia Trio. But, your experience with the two samples that sounded different has me re-thinking it. Do you think one sample was an outlier? (Which one is the "real" Trio sound!?) I'm looking for an IEM with great DD bass and good midrange, plenty of detail, and tone that makes everything sound real. Any/all help is appreciated.

 

[redrol]

Im curious why price matters for overall rating? Not a jab, just curious.

 

[WAON303]

I honestly didn't expect the Olina to get more than the very rare 6 TBH. 5 was the grade I expected.

Almost all budget IEMs are held back by mediocre technical performance which means most won't get any higher than a 5 which is a pretty good grade given the price.

Can't wait for the Mangird Tea 2 impressions, I reckon this is an improvement.

 

[Gromu]

Im curious why price matters for overall rating? Not a jab, just curious.

It's less that price matters and more that companies generally know what they have on their hands and aren't going to release a $100 IEM that directly competes with a $2k IEM. They'll just charge something closer to the $2k price.

 

[anaveragebear]

Your reviews have been super helpful - thanks! - and they've led me down a potentially-expensive path to the Tia Trio. But, your experience with the two samples that sounded different has me re-thinking it. Do you think one sample was an outlier? (Which one is the "real" Trio sound!?) I'm looking for an IEM with great DD bass and good midrange, plenty of detail, and tone that makes everything sound real. Any/all help is appreciated.

If it helps, my guess is 64audio would probably be willing to measure the unit to confirm a channel imbalance and then replace it if it's outside of their tolerances (usually not more than 3 dB mismatch from what I've seen). At least that's what I'm hoping; my Trios arrive in a few days

 

[Precogvision]

Your reviews have been super helpful - thanks! - and they've led me down a potentially-expensive path to the Tia Trio. But, your experience with the two samples that sounded different has me re-thinking it. Do you think one sample was an outlier? (Which one is the "real" Trio sound!?) I'm looking for an IEM with great DD bass and good midrange, plenty of detail, and tone that makes everything sound real. Any/all help is appreciated.

Hey, one unit had quality-control issues where the channel matching was not correct (so the left and right sides of the earphone sounded different). I've heard another two Tia Trios, though, both of which I thought sounded great. In any case, I'm sure 64A would get you sorted if something was wrong. They definitely have measurement rigs to check.

 

[Precogvision]

Also, Taeyeon dropped her 3rd album just now:

 

[mattbass]

Hey, one unit had quality-control issues where the channel matching was not correct (so the left and right sides of the earphone sounded different). I've heard another two Tia Trios, though, both of which I thought sounded great. In any case, I'm sure 64A would get you sorted if something was wrong. They definitely have measurement rigs to check.

Ah, cool. Thanks, that's good to know. It was actually the ~6db higher base shelf in one of the Trios you tried that gave me second thoughts. Seems like a big jump. But, you felt the 6db difference between one set and the other didn't really have much impact?

 

[aaf evo]

Man I miss the Tia Trio, I wish they offered it in CIEM.

 

[Zerviscos]

The sweet spot for the all-rounders actually tends to be around a grand in my opinion. At least when I think all-rounder, it brings to mind IEMs that aggregate around Crinacle's style of tuning. Some other good ones to give a listen:

• 64A U6t (probably the most "colored" out of these IEMs)
• Moondrop B2: Dusk
• Shuoer EJ07M
• Softears RSV
• Symphonium Helios

Flagship IEMs tend to be more colored and catering towards specific niches. I guess the U12t would be the closest to an all-rounder out of the flagship IEMs I've heard, though.

Interesting take on this. Might need to try the Helios at some point. Concerning the Tia Trio, I've read a fair a bit about it and was one of the IEMs I'm interested in at above $1500 alongside U12T. What makes me want this is I primarily also tend to listen to some EDM tracks and some songs with a good amount of bass and this seems to be one of the IEMs that have quite a slap on it. However, in one of your reviews, you say due to the dip in the midrange it robs some of the vocal presence, though commented afterwards the vocals still sound quite nice even though it's not as good as the U12T. In that regard, I also listen to quite a bit of songs with female vocals, so would considering the Tia Trio still perform quite well in a lot of tracks, even if it's not as well-rounded as the U12T?