[zato23]

Didn't he say that Icarus III was the best sounding iem he has ever made?

 

[Jackpot77]

There is an interesting conversation on IMR acoustics Instagram, in which Bob distances himself from the last IEM models that Trinity made, claiming that they were not even "his sound"! That he was following orders. I don't know what to believe, but here is part of the answers he gave when questioned about the Hunter and PM6. Does he not like them? Didn't he have any say in their sound signature?
I still think he was more than just a contractor, I thought he was the one who started the company, it always was presented that way, but truth will probably never be clear.

Didn't he say that Icarus III was the best sounding iem he has ever made?

Without getting embroiled in the Bob/Trinity situation, this is just a comment on the "sound" thing - I got to spend a week and a half with the new IMR model recently, and in terms of sound signature, it is VERY different to the Hunter and PM6, so that may have been what he was getting at. It sounds a lot more like people have described the Icarus III (I never heard them), and goes in the direction of a warm and organic sound with a big bass and balanced top end (no mid/high spikes).

I did some comparisons with the Hunter for the review on my blog, so have posted them below as it seems relevant to illustrate the point:

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Trinity Audio Hunter – ... Despite sharing a similar shell shape and tunable build, the two IEMs couldn’t be more different in terms of actual tuning philosophy, so much so it’s actually quite difficult to imagine the same person designed both pieces.

The Hunter are tuned to sound like a classic “audiophile” sound, with super-high detail levels and a taut, punchy bass which emphasises speed and leanness over impact or body. It does this by means of a pretty heavy spike in the high mids/lower treble, giving a razor sharp edge to the detailing and an accompanying heat to the treble which isn’t there in the clean and smooth high end of the R1.

The Hunter does have more filter options (12 in total), but for me only three or four of them actually suit my sonic preferences, so the tweaking potential is similar as some of the Hunter filters can be downright unlistenable with the treble heat they bring. In terms of bass on my favourite filters (gold on Hunter, purple or green on the R1), the IMR model has considerably more body and quantity, making the almost BA-style bass of the Hunter feel quite anaemic in direct comparison. The Hunter bests the R1 in pure speed in the low end, and produces a similar or higher level of texture to things like bass guitar, but lacks the sense of body and physicality of the big 13mm beryllium driver. This lack of body also contributes to the tone of the Hunter, with the hybrid sounding exceptionally cold and clean, in comparison to the warm and chunky IMR competitor. The R1 also has a more even balance between mid and sub-bass, and a stronger extension down into the really low notes as a result, with the Hunter sporting more of a traditional mid-bass “hump”.

The same holds through the mid-range, the Hunter pushing out a far more audible level of micro-detail than the R1, but sacrificing weight and tone in the process, adding a cold and almost hard sheen to the sound. For my personal preferences, I far prefer the tuning of the R1 in this regard. The Hunter also has its major flaw in this area, a quite vicious peak in the higher mid range that can bring some serious heat into play on some of the filters. Once this has been tamed with the right filters then the sound becomes more enjoyable (I found a combination of the Hunter 8-braid cabling with a warmer balanced source like the QP2R brought this more under control) but this sits in stark contrast to the more even tuning of the R1, which is pretty much enjoyable through all the options.

The Hunter is far crunchier with guitar and string instruments, emphasising the edges of notes – this works very well for more sparse acoustic arrangements, where it holds the edge over the R1 if you are looking for technical excellence over tone or timbre, but in most other genres, the warmer and more cohesive tuning of the R1 wins out for me.

Another area the Hunter excels at is imaging, projecting a slightly diffuse but almost holographic sense of space around the listener’s head, placing instruments firmly in space across all three dimensions. The R1 is no slouch here, but the warmer and thicker presentation can lag a little behind the laser-like accuracy of the Hunter in this regard. That isn’t to say the R1 is in any way lacking, but in this regard the Hunter is truly up there with other high end monitors I have heard.

Overall, these two IEMs couldn’t be further apart in the way they are tuned, and the way they deliver the music you listen to. If you are after a surgical and precise sound with less warmth or give than a sack full of ice cold rocks, the Hunter will excel, but if you are after something more forgiving, with a far thicker presentation of note and overall musical balance, the R1 is a clear winner for me here. It serves as a nice reminder that you can reproduce musical in all its technical glory, but sometimes it is more important to capture its soul instead, as that is what makes listening enjoyable.

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As mentioned, the whole Bob / Trinity situation is for people to make their own mind up on, as I don't think the full situation will ever become clear, but hopefully this week at least give some context to the latest comments.

 

[posnera]

To be clear, I really like my Icarus (wish it was a little narrower) and I'm not chasing super high end products. I just find his comments strange and disingenuous. Other than a cheap gamble on the Icarus I, I'm done with all things Trinity and/or Bob.

 

[Lurk650]

Didn't he say that Icarus III was the best sounding iem he has ever made?

That's we he said about the PM4 as well and we all know how that turned out...well, maybe he didn't say it was the best ever but the hype he may around it being "amazing" is similar

 

[Tommy C]

The designers who worked on the Icarus 3 are probably not the same who worked on the IMR.
Dan mentioned the design work will be outsourced as needed and I believe that was the case all along.
Designing complex IEMs from the ground up is not an easy task. You need multiple designers to work on this and come up with a few prototypes etc.
it also has to be tested and tuned and you need superb QC and also testing each set of IEMs against the master, making sure they are tuned the same for consistency.
let's not be too naive here. Neither Trinity or IMR can allow themselves design their stuff in-house and the R&D is most likely done in China by the manufacturer according to the vendors' requirements.

 

[Intensecure]

I just find his comments strange and disingenuous

That's my problem when reading that Instagram exchange. He always presented as the face of Trinity, it was assumed that he was the head of the company and that he designed what he wanted. He did come on here to "sell" the products, saying that the Hunter and PM6 were the peak of design and sound quality.
Reading the posts he now distances himself from the sound signature, saying they were designed to others request. He thinks "detail...at the expense of enjoyment." So he doesn't think that the IEMs are enjoyable? Detailed but not enjoyable?" Who requested them then? Who called the shots? He even said that the original models were not entirely his own choice. And that the Icarus falls far short, albeit heading in the right direction.
It's a very revealing little conversation, was Bob forced to come here and say how good the products were, when he was making something that wasn't "my sound" or was he telling the truth and now feels differently. well, more questions than answers.
Can't take anything at face value, it seems.
And it's a bit of a kick in the face for those waiting for Hunter and PM6 to be told that those IEMs are not Bob's sound signature, but were made to request by someone unknown, and don't represent what he would choose to make if he had free rein. Leaves a bad taste...

 

[peter123]

The designers who worked on the Icarus 3 are probably not the same who worked on the IMR.
Dan mentioned the design work will be outsourced as needed and I believe that was the case all along.
Designing complex IEMs from the ground up is not an easy task. You need multiple designers to work on this and come up with a few prototypes etc.
it also has to be tested and tuned and you need superb QC and also testing each set of IEMs against the master, making sure they are tuned the same for consistency.
let's not be too naive here. Neither Trinity or IMR can allow themselves design their stuff in-house and the R&D is most likely done in China by the manufacturer according to the vendors' requirements.

I think that the reason for TA failure is exactly this: they thought they could do it all by themselves. Isn't designing IEM's what Bob does (and did for Rock Jaw earlier as well)?

 

[ej8989]

Sad to see all of these after 3 months of not checking this thread out. I'm enjoying the Trinity Master though. It's an excellent IEM.

 

[cynan]

From Trinity Audio website:

Trinity Audio Blog
Hunter and Master 6
Sep 08, 2017

Starting Monday 11th September please keep an eye on your in boxes for shipping notifications. Over the course of the next 7-10 from the 11th we will be shipping all the final Hunters and Master 6.

To all of those who stuck with us on this project we thank you.

At the risk of injecting a bit of optimism into this downward spiraling thread, I got a "shipping update" notification today for the Master 6 (ordered last July). I wonder if this means they're finally on their way... Any one else get a shipping update?

I do have a pair of the phantom Sabres, which, though quality in a couple of places could have been a bit better, I consider OK/satisfactory for the money (especially given all the accessories they came with). And when I had issues, Trinity was responsive - but that was a year ago now.

After all of the intervening drama with Trinity Audio, I'm not the most optimistic about the quality and performance of the Master 6. But at this point, I'm determined to be unrealistically optimistic until (if?) they arrive!

 

[Midgetguy]

From Trinity Audio website:



At the risk of injecting a bit of optimism into this downward spiraling thread, I got a "shipping update" notification today for the Master 6 (ordered last July). I wonder if this means they're finally on their way... Any one else get a shipping update?

I do have a pair of the phantom Sabres, which, though quality in a couple of places could have been a bit better, I consider OK/satisfactory for the money (especially given all the accessories they came with). And when I had issues, Trinity was responsive - but that was a year ago now.

After all of the intervening drama with Trinity Audio, I'm not the most optimistic about the quality and performance of the Master 6. But at this point, I'm determined to be unrealistically optimistic until (if?) they arrive!

Optimism is good. Something to offset all the depression and frustration going on here

 

[Ancient.Dream]

Any one else get a shipping update?

Yes, I did.
M.

 

[dave9527]

Does it look familiar?

 

[Cloudtastrophe]

Someone should post this in the R1 thread hahahahaha

 

[Cloudtastrophe]

They are all bandwagoning on the idea (and rightly so) that bob is still actualy live and kicking at trinity and that IMR is just a subsidiary of Trinity since they share the same IP, web design language, EMAIL LIST, and physical address

 

[sejsel]

Yes, I did.
M.

On what product, if one may ask ?