[RikudouGoku]

Actually i think the superb soundstage of the TRI I3 is partially explained by the huge shells. Not sure if they can maintain or improve on the soundstage with a smaller shell, it will probably affect tuning with a smaller shell?

Yeah, it probably will affect it. But my LZ A6 has a much bigger soundstage than my Sony EX800st for example, and the sony has a massive vent. So the physical shape doesnt seem to be that big of a factor there. (same with the bigger Blessing 2 vs the smaller A6.)

 

[baskingshark]

ARGGGG TRI is releasing a new hybrid!!! Looks dope. Called the Starsea. Man the trident logo really gives it some Poseidon vibes.



https://www.facebook.com/groups/audioreviews/permalink/4517336644973278/

No EST though, seems to be a 2BA (knowles) + 1 DD. $129 USD. Fiio FH3 competitor??

Wow it looks like on KBEAR's FB page that there are four tuning options for the Starsea. Not sure if it is via tuning nozzles or switches. @WendyLi could u help confirm with KBEAR/TRI I3 about the "four tuning options" mentioned in this pic??

https://www.facebook.com/kbearofficial1/photos/a.115168926866221/164759645240482/
https://www.facebook.com/triofficial1/photos/a.113544117032299/163685015351542/

 

[SciOC]

I must say I do like EST and I think the Sonion quality is superb. As I am not treble sensitive, or the tuning is right on the Piezo I have [sorry: IMR R2 RED - excellent quality Aten bass and really well implemented piezo treble]. Maybe it will be less shrill for you, if the tuning is right.

Let's hope they come up with a formula and of course, they can always come back to us to seek our opinions.

Ultimately, as enough members here are interested in the 3 points of our request, namely, good fit, reasonably priced and well tuned, they have ready customers, if they get it right. I am sure they will try to get their dedicated customers something worthwhile, we hope.

I had the Rah and the piezo was the definite weak link for me. The best I could get was for it to sound acceptable via filters and EQ. The spring 1 is my "best" piezo as it doesn't sound like a piezo to me..... The nx7 pro I have shows the ability of the piezo to create detail but it just sounds shrill and ummmm, some describe it as artificial, but I think harsh or shrill is a better description and you have to keep the volume lower.

These sonion EST drivers don't do that. They create the same or better detail without sounding shrill, so you can really boost the treble and volume without it torching people's ears, and give a really nice staging effect at the same time.

 

[IEMusic]

I definitely think going with a tried and true BA is much safer than a piezo. What about a magnetostat, like in the Tape? EST would of course be the best, but pricey.

 

[Sebasistan]

What kind of cable (material, core number) makes most sense for the TRI I3? I have a sixteen core silver plated 2.5mm balanced one in my Aliexpress cart. I'm not quite sure what cable would be best in terms of pairing here...

 

[baskingshark]

What kind of cable (material, core number) makes most sense for the TRI I3? I have a sixteen core silver plated 2.5mm balanced one in my Aliexpress cart. I'm not quite sure what cable would be best in terms of pairing here...

Cables changing sound signature is highly controversial. Seen flame wars start here over it. Whatever the case, i respect both camps.

If u believe in cables, good u get an extra part of the chain to fiddle with to achieve audio nirvana.

If you don't believe in cables, also good. You'll save a ton of money in this hobby.

Personally i do believe in cables changing the sound, but it is very subtle. Tips and source will probably have more effect on the sound signature.
I pair a silver 16 core one from a banned brand starting with Y on the TRI I3 as i find the treble and sparkle is a bit subdued on the I3. So it gives a tinge more clarity. YMMV.

 

[RikudouGoku]

I definitely think going with a tried and true BA is much safer than a piezo. What about a magnetostat, like in the Tape? EST would of course be the best, but pricey.

Well, the piezo in the LZ A6 at least sounds better than the magnetostat in the Tape. And I am not sure the prices between magnetostat/piezo differs, or if they are very close in price.

 

[dharmasteve]

Dont worry, im not against the buyers but I definitely am against IMR.

I definitely think going with a tried and true BA is much safer than a piezo. What about a magnetostat, like in the Tape? EST would of course be the best, but pricey.

If they can do an EST and keep the price around $200 they would sell like Blon03cakes. I'm sure they would compete with the higher echelon.....mind you I would never know what the mystical higher echelon sound like.

 

[Sebasistan]

Cables changing sound signature is highly controversial. Seen flame wars start here over it. Whatever the case, i respect both camps.

If u believe in cables, good u get an extra part of the chain to fiddle with to achieve audio nirvana.

If you don't believe in cables, also good. You'll save a ton of money in this hobby.

Personally i do believe in cables changing the sound, but it is very subtle. Tips and source will probably have more effect on the sound signature.
I pair a silver 16 core one from a banned brand starting with Y on the TRI I3 as i find the treble and sparkle is a bit subdued on the I3. So it gives a tinge more clarity. YMMV.

I mostly just get cables for the balanced plug. I personally don't know how much credence I give to materials coloring sound. As with burn-in and other persistent audio... accepted truisms I think there's a lot of placebo/nocebo going on. I don't know where I'm falling there honestly. Just thought I'd inquire before pulling the trigger.

 

[unifutomaki]

I mostly just get cables for the balanced plug. I personally don't know how much credence I give to materials coloring sound. As with burn-in and other persistent audio... accepted truisms I think there's a lot of placebo/nocebo going on. I don't know where I'm falling there honestly. Just thought I'd inquire before pulling the trigger.

I buy aftermarket cables only when the stock one is rubbish, for better ergonomics, or for aesthetic reasons. Sound differences? Eh, can't tell really.

 

[dharmasteve]

Cables changing sound signature is highly controversial. Seen flame wars start here over it. Whatever the case, i respect both camps.

If u believe in cables, good u get an extra part of the chain to fiddle with to achieve audio nirvana.

If you don't believe in cables, also good. You'll save a ton of money in this hobby.

Personally i do believe in cables changing the sound, but it is very subtle. Tips and source will probably have more effect on the sound signature.
I pair a silver 16 core one from a banned brand starting with Y on the TRI I3 as i find the treble and sparkle is a bit subdued on the I3. So it gives a tinge more clarity. YMMV.

I would like to ignite a blue touchpaper. Anyone who believes that all cables all sound the same is confused.

 

[SciOC]

I mostly just get cables for the balanced plug. I personally don't know how much credence I give to materials coloring sound. As with burn-in and other persistent audio... accepted truisms I think there's a lot of placebo/nocebo going on. I don't know where I'm falling there honestly. Just thought I'd inquire before pulling the trigger.

I'm here with you. Gotta take advantage of the balanced power differential from most sources even if you don't believe the balanced wiring itself makes a difference. I really enjoy when pairs give you the option of getting a 4.4 or 2.5 termination... I have so many unused 3.5mm cables just sitting around.

I would like to ignite a blue touchpaper. Anyone who believes that all cables all sound the same is confused.

Meh. The only thing I'll say is that going from pure copper to pure silver is definitely not pure placebo, but I have good equipment.... They do sound slightly different. Other than that it's a crapshoot of what is influencing what. I've measured resistance on all my cables... And they do differ, most only slightly. But your players/amps output impedance also plays a role in that as well as the connector and the wiring in the IEM. If you have a player with high output impedance or play bad source material on a cheaply made IEM, are you going to hear a difference between SPC and copper or silver? Maybe, maybe not. I wouldn't say it's confusion necessarily.

With wiring, it's always good to ask, what kind of wiring is in the earphones or speakers themselves? There is almost no point to spending a ton of money on wires if you can't answer that question. It's one thing to know you have a reliable link in your audio chain, it's another to make one link way way better than the others.

 

[Sebasistan]

I buy aftermarket cables only when the stock one is rubbish, for better ergonomics, or for aesthetic reasons. Sound differences? Eh, can't tell really.

I mean, I do own a couple of KZ IEMs and all of them have aftermarket cables....

 

[dharmasteve]

I'm here with you. Gotta take advantage of the balanced power differential from most sources even if you don't believe the balanced wiring itself makes a difference. I really enjoy when pairs give you the option of getting a 4.4 or 2.5 termination... I have so many unused 3.5mm cables just sitting around.


Meh. The only thing I'll say is that going from pure copper to pure silver is definitely not pure placebo, but I have good equipment.... They do sound slightly different. Other than that it's a crapshoot of what is influencing what. I've measured resistance on all my cables... And they do differ, most only slightly. But your players/amps output impedance also plays a role in that as well as the connector and the wiring in the IEM. If you have a player with high output impedance or play bad source material on a cheaply made IEM, are you going to hear a difference between SPC and copper or silver? Maybe, maybe not. I wouldn't say it's confusion necessarily.

With wiring, it's always good to ask, what kind of wiring is in the earphones or speakers themselves? There is almost no point to spending a ton of money on wires if you can't answer that question. It's one thing to know you have a reliable link in your audio chain, it's another to make one link way way better than the others.

"The only thing I'll say is that going from pure copper to pure silver is definitely not pure placebo, but I have good equipment". So others without good equipment can't tell the difference but as you admit they are different. I apologise to you in advance for this subject matter, but we are finding out that nothing exists independently and anything in a system can make differences.

 

[SciOC]

"The only thing I'll say is that going from pure copper to pure silver is definitely not pure placebo, but I have good equipment". So others without good equipment can't tell the difference but as you admit they are different. I apologise to you in advance for this subject matter, but we are finding out that nothing exists independently and anything in a system can make differences.

Yeah, there are sooooooo many factors in all of this (soldering, connector types to wire material and output impedance and source file integrity) at the micro and macro level that it's foolish for anyone to claim they know the full truth or to really say other people are hearing it wrong. Reality could be objective, but the devil is in the details. Is it confusion? Not necessarily. It's a very, very complex system just on the audio side from the recording to the DAC to the amp to the output to the IEM . And you have to pair it with an even more complex system (the human system, ie. You, which is also subject to inherrent biases and individual senses)

Even some "good" equipment might blunt the effects of cable differences, so someone listening on something like the original hiby R6 might not hear the differences between cables at all hypothetically that you hear totally different in your equipment.

The complexity is so great I wish that people wouldn't gloss over this fact. In general, even though I just warned about this, cables are just one link in a very long and complex chain.