[DeJaVu]

Have any of you had pressure issues with the i3 Pro? It feels like the vent isn't working right, when I put them in there's a delay for the pressure to release and everything is muted for a few seconds. I also noticed that, when I turn my head or look down, I get the same feeling. If I look up I actually get more volume, maybe a change in sound too, compared to looking straight ahead. I've played with different tips and they make no difference. They just arrived today and I love them aside from this.

Edit: I'm almost certain a reviewer said they had to change filters, there was an issue and Tri sent replacements, but I don't remember who or if it was the Pro or OG.

Its not that the vent isnt working, there is none on the nozzle which would release the pressure. And the driver is glued shut in its place so no air(or very miniscule ammounts) can escape from the top vent(intentional or a mistake in production cant say). Only way i find the I3 Pro useable is with Foam tips.

Edit: Have tried them with the nozzle filters removed, and it improves the situation a bit, but still far form being useable ear pressure wise even without the filter. So replacing it wont do any miracles.

 

[PirateFreder]

I don't have the i3 Pro, but I have the exact same issue with Tri Starsea on the left side. Using it with foam tips turned out to be the only viable solution. You could also try puncturing the silicone tip with a needle close to the lip of the IEM nozzle to facilitate air evacuation on the affected side.

Good idea, poking one hole per side does help. It still gets bad when I move my head and takes too long to go away. I'm gonna experiment with more holes as well as order foam tips.

TL DR; just wiggling the damned thing normally fixes it!

That does work, unfortunately the pressure comes back the next time I move my head . Between this and poking holes, it's almost livable.

Its not that the vent isnt working, there is none on the nozzle which would release the pressure. And the driver is glued shut in its place so no air(or very miniscule ammounts) can escape from the top vent(intentional or a mistake in production cant say). Only way i find the I3 Pro useable is with Foam tips.

Edit: Have tried them with the nozzle filters removed, and it improves the situation a bit, but still far form being useable ear pressure wise even without the filter. So replacing it wont do any miracles.

The vent doesn't actually connect to the nozzle?! I thought that was the whole reason they added more vents . Well crap, I was hoping it might be an easy fix even if I had to crack the open, sounds like it's not. I may just end up returning these and ponying up for the Szalayi, similar configuration with ostensibly higher quality. I'll probably try foam tips though, you're the second person to say they fix it.

 

[Carpet]

Good idea, poking one hole per side does help. It still gets bad when I move my head and takes too long to go away. I'm gonna experiment with more holes as well as order foam tips.


That does work, unfortunately the pressure comes back the next time I move my head . Between this and poking holes, it's almost livable.


The vent doesn't actually connect to the nozzle?! I thought that was the whole reason they added more vents . Well crap, I was hoping it might be an easy fix even if I had to crack the open, sounds like it's not. I may just end up returning these and ponying up for the Szalayi, similar configuration with ostensibly higher quality. I'll probably try foam tips though, you're the second person to say they fix it.

The other thing that you could try would be to place a vent in the umbrella of a silicone tip. It would need to be at the front next to the bore to prevent being occluded by being pressed against the wall of the ear canal. You''d need to place a rigid support on both sides of the membrane. Then clamp it and drill a small hole. Look at vent size in IEMs to get an idea of required size. I'd probably start at 0.3 mm. It would be functionally equipment to a vent in front of the DD. Just an idea!

 

[DeJaVu]

The vent doesn't actually connect to the nozzle?! I thought that was the whole reason they added more vents . Well crap, I was hoping it might be an easy fix even if I had to crack the open, sounds like it's not.

Its a dual chamber design like most iems out there. They could probably have left some hole in the driver shelf so the air could escape through the top vent, but looks/feels like they didnt. This would affect the bass ammount(would lower it), so it might be conscious decision idk.
Havent cracked them open yet, but there could be a posibility that there is some hole in the driver shelf, that got plugged in production with glue that you might manage to wiggle out. Or even if there is none, removing some glue if there is a space around the edges of the dirver to sneak in a needle tip, might help with the situtaion. And also reduce some of the bass in the process, which will actually do them good as for my taste in the factory tuning theyre have pretty narrow genre selection that they sound good with. Simplest PEQ that improves things for me is lowering the bass shelf by about 3db.

I'll probably try foam tips though, you're the second person to say they fix it.

Yeah, this will fix it, as foam is porous and air has a way to escape when youre inserting them and/or moving your head/jaw. Though you will loose some of the treble with foam, which wont do the sound any favors. Foam + PEQ is how i use them and theyre pretty great that way, ootb theyre meh. Its a project IEM
If you do poke holes in silicone tips, you need to make sure theyre bit larger and remain open at least a bit. As if you just go through with a needle, hole will close up when you pull it out and wont make too noticeable difference. Maybe use some tiny drill, 0.5mm or less, or a small sized pointy diamond powdered engraving tip that would shave some of that silicone for the hole to remain open and let air through.

In case you do crack them open and poke around, take few photos, would be curious to look inside. I was considering drilling some tiny hole on the nozzle(which will also reduce bass) to deal with the problem once and forever, and glue a filter on the hole if bass becomes too low. But still havent gotten to it and havent figured the best way to do it without risking damage of that ba in the nozzle or how to prevent some metal shavings getting stuck inside the chamber. Now that you got me thinking, poking around the driver shelf thats near the nozzle may be the safer alternative and the better option to first look into for a permanent solution and ability to use all silicone tips comfortably.

 

[kibot]

Privet guys and nice to join to the TRI-lovers club!!!

 

[ChrisOc]

Privet guys and nice to join the TRI-lovers club!!!

Good to have you on board.

 

[Ahmad313]

Privet guys and nice to join to the TRI-lovers club!!!

Looks very beautiful , love to hear your thoughts

 

[lgcubana]

Tri StarLight

First IEM that really needed the least amount of tweaking (*EQ, added a smidge to the low shelf) on my part, for my preferred sound signature (an authoritative low end, with a relatively clean mid bass). Reading some of the reviews, I was concerned that I would have to dampen the 8khz range; but that didn't come to pass. In comparison, the Tri i3 (using same model cable & foam tips), sounded thin and bright, with the same settings on the MonoPrice THX DAC/Amp.

TLDR:
All around usage, not limited to a specific genre. Has an expansive sweet spot. Favors all of the vocalists that I could think to throw at 'em.
Admittedly, I don't do Heavy Metal, so that could be an outlier, as well as (one of my favorites) DanceHall Reggae, as the recordings are rarely of a high quality and a highly resolving set like the StarLight only highlights this.


Soundstage & detail
"Come Together", The Beatles: In the 1st 5 seconds, there's a rolling drum beat that clearly goes from center to right. The drums are really what highlight the detail. I can clearly distinguish between the kick drum and the distinctive lingering note of the snare.
"Wicked Game:, Chris Isaak: This is 3D. It's playing outside of the confines of my noggin: up, down, left, right. For a minute detail, that stands out, there's a constant drum brush that is near perfect.
"A Time to Say Goodbye" Sarah Brightman & Andrea Bocelli: You really are at a live performance, three rows deep, center stage.
"Blue Bayou", Roy Orbison: A very unique artist, with a three\four octave range. On other IEMs, his unique signature gargle/yodel (no idea what it's called) can get lost, not so on the StarLight.
"Ain't No Sunshine", Bill Withers: Vocals and most instruments are centered, but the violins have a perceived presence (width & height) well outside of the earphones.

Overall Playback
"Me and Mrs. Jones", Billy Paul: To use a catch phrase from that era, it's a panty dropper. Sooo sultry. The lower notes are just the right amount of thick and the vocals sound like a live performance
"House of the rising Sun", The Animals: There is a clear and discernable hiss, on every lyric that ends with an "s", in the 1st 30 seconds. I use this song as my measurement for sibilance. While still over pronounced, the Sssss are not fatiguing.
"Blue Bayou", Roy Orbison: A very unique vocalist, with 3-4 octave range; his full range is well represented
"Un-break My Heart", Tony Braxton's contralto voice (had to look this up), there are **lyrics where she hits so low and slow that it would be comical on a set with lower definition.
"I Will Always Love You", Dolly Parton: The clarity in details and overall presentation of the vocals are a clear demonstration that the StarLights can accurately hit the full vocal range.

Final thoughts:
If you look at the prior reviews, one thing becomes apparent, we all hear things differently. Some of the reviews found the upper bands to be a bit fatiguing or a set intended for "Trebleheads". For myself (someone who is hypersensitive to the 2khz - 4khz range), I wore the StarLights for well over an hour, without any fatigue. Two tangents that could attribute to the lack of needles in my ears, is my choice of a high purity copper cable and foam tips; but that's what I had on hand.

Diminishing returns: This is my third dip into this price tier, the other two being the original Dunu Zen and the FiiO FD7; while those two definitely were a notch up and were worth the purchase, the breadth, width and clarity of the Starlights make them worth a steady diet of beans and toast.


Audio chain
Amazon Music HD Ultra -->PC, via USB -->MonoPrice THX Dac/Amp (*Low shelf set to +3.0 +2.5, 90 hz) -->Balanced, 4 Core, 7N Single Crystal copper cable -->Tin HiFi 2nd gen blue tips

(lowered the shelf to 2.5, 90hz)



**"Don't leave me out in the rain"
**"Come and take these tears away"

 

[qua2k]

I do miss my Starlights. I will say the treble peak in them goes away and the great bass impact is more pronounced after a good amount of burn in. I also had a Cayin C9 paired with it and I feel the nano tubes gave them a bit more warmth and mid range considering the Starlights scale greatly with the more power you give it.

 

[Surf Monkey]

Recap: landed a great deal on the I3 Pro for the 11:11 sale. Got them today. Super impressive right OOTB. They’re really analogue sounding to me. Reminiscent of the Tipsy Trromso but with more accurate timbre and better controlled bass.

Very positive about these so far.

 

[Carpet]

Recap: landed a great deal on the I3 Pro for the 11:11 sale. Got them today. Super impressive right OOTB. They’re really analogue sounding to me. Reminiscent of the Tipsy Trromso but with more accurate timbre and better controlled bass.

Very positive about these so far.

TTROMMSO and I3Pro both remind me of valve amps!

 

[Surf Monkey]

TTROMMSO and I3Pro both remind me of valve amps!

Very much so.

 

[lgcubana]

Recap: landed a great deal on the I3 Pro for the 11:11 sale. Got them today. Super impressive right OOTB. They’re really analogue sounding to me. Reminiscent of the Tipsy Trromso but with more accurate timbre and better controlled bass.

Very positive about these so far.

Considering the 11.11 sale price on the Tri i3 Pro, I question the viability, of the current invasion of single planar driver units.

 

[Surf Monkey]

Considering the 11.11 sale price on the Tri i3 Pro, I question the viability, of the current invasion of single planar driver units.

No kidding. This is a fantastic set and it’s flown completely under the radar in the so-called planar wars.

 

[AmericanSpirit]

No kidding. This is a fantastic set and it’s flown completely under the radar in the so-called planar wars.

I’m enjoying i3 pro too, although it’s a smaller one of planar that i3 Pro uses, but they got BA and DD for the back up, ended up pretty smooth set good for acoustic.

i3 Pro somehow reminds me of Moondrop’s KXXS tonality-wise, maybe because of the reverb handling, it has a unique veils that makes music euphoric.

Treble may be slightly north of treble sensitive group, in an exchange of vivid detail retrievals.

With this planar wave coming, if someone feeling single Planar lacks definition and articulation, and need the last niche of sub-bass’s extension, i3 Pro is something they could try IMO. It’s not a upgrade or substitution to Timeless etc, but some new taste.

Timeless got better resolution, and coherence overall, but i3 Pro got wider sound stage mainly contributed by BA, and dynamism by DD.