TRN impressions thread

[ASpencer]

Is anyone else noticing that the Kirin requires a ridiculous amount of power to drive?

That was a main debit for me. It sounded best when I ran it through a particularly power draining DAC. The VX Pro, BAX and ST5 soar at lower volumes.

 

[dougms3]

That was a main debit for me. It sounded best when I ran it through a particularly power draining DAC. The VX Pro, BAX and ST5 soar at lower volumes.

It is just very unusual, I guess thats how planars are.

Same experience with the ST5. I can drive it very easily, even directly from my sony xperia without an amp.

 

[zadillo]

It is just very unusual, I guess thats how planars are.

Same experience with the ST5. I can drive it very easily, even directly from my sony xperia without an amp.

I dunno, my Letshouer S12 runs just fine off of nothing more than my Apple dongle.

 

[dougms3]

I dunno, my Letshouer S12 runs just fine off of nothing more than my Apple dongle.

Maybe its incorrect spec on the product page then.

I think some others have also mentioned that it requires alot of power to drive, unless its just my set thats like that.

 

[ASpencer]

I noticed Amazon reviews for the ST5 sold through Linsoul where the reviewers are taken aback by the quality for the price, also how these punch above their weight along with praise for the tuning TRN achieved. I wonder if they'll try an ST Pro next or some other ascension from this prototype?

 

[dougms3]

I noticed Amazon reviews for the ST5 sold through Linsoul where the reviewers are taken aback by the quality for the price, also how these punch above their weight along with praise for the tuning TRN achieved. I wonder if they'll try an ST Pro next or some other ascension from this prototype?

For linsoul to sell it fulfilled by amazon indicates they are confident it will sell.

Fulfilllment by amazon means Amazon stocks the item at their warehouse and ships it as they would any of their own products and charges the seller about 20% commision.

Its risky for most products because if it doesn't sell, they're charged warehouse storage fees per month. They would probably only do this for the products that have a minimal chance of being returned. Its what I would do if I were running their sales on Amazon.

After about a week with my set, I've noticed a few things with the ST5. It plays better with my hiby r5g2 than on my desktop. Since my desktop setup is a more complex r2r setup, it brings to light some minor issues on that setup whereas it doesn't seem noticeable on the hiby dap which a delta sigma dac.

There is a small bit of haze in the transition in the mids, separation could be better. Bass is strong and clean but could be a little faster. Thats pretty much it.

I think magnesium reflects certains aspects of the sound, bass seems to hit cleaner, airier treble, and a sweetness to the tonality just as certain woods seem to reflect specific frequencies in instruments. The st5 and kirin use magnesium alloy shells, my focal clears have a magnesium dome, the headphone in my profile pic, the pioneer semonitor5 had earcups made of entirely magnesium alloy. I really like this particular sound, perhaps thats why I'm drawn to the kirin and st5.

The st5 really has an excellent 3D space effect, the soundstage is not just wide but also has depth. The signature has a warm tilt but not overly warm to my ears. I'm a basshead but I'm very particular about the quality, the st5 gets my approval. I still prefer the kirin over the st5, but I will concede that the st5 does some things better than the kirin and the overall presentation is outstanding especially when considering the price point. TRN really set the bar pretty high with this one.

 

[ASpencer]

The st5 really has an excellent 3D space effect, the soundstage is not just wide but also has depth. The signature has a warm tilt but not overly warm to my ears. I'm a basshead but I'm very particular about the quality, the st5 gets my approval. I still prefer the kirin over the st5, but I will concede that the st5 does some things better than the kirin and the overall presentation is outstanding especially when considering the price point. TRN really set the bar pretty high with this one.

I definitely notice the 3D effect when playing jazz and soundtrack instrumentals. And, like you, I find a specific DAP works best with the ST5. In my case, it's a Lotoo PAW 5000. The least expensive Lotoo pairs well with an inexpensive TRN.

There's definitely confidence about this product. I was initially surprised to see two day Prime delivery. I hope this provides a breakthrough for TRN and a broader consumer base. They done good.

 

[jmwant]

Looks pretty good for the price.

 

[saldsald]

Looks pretty good for the price.

Look really tall for a pair of buds and I bet they don't fit most people's ears.

 

[Deleeh]

Hello,

Are there any testimonials about the Trn Kirin Superior?

https://www.linsoul.com/products/trn-kirin

Would be paired with the Ifi Hip Dac 2 if it would work together.
I would be new to the Iem world and looking for something decent to start with.
Since the Hip 2 is relatively neutral, it shouldn't be too neutral with the Kirin.

 

[dougms3]

Hello,

Are there any testimonials about the Trn Kirin Superior?

https://www.linsoul.com/products/trn-kirin

Would be paired with the Ifi Hip Dac 2 if it would work together.
I would be new to the Iem world and looking for something decent to start with.
Since the Hip 2 is relatively neutral, it shouldn't be too neutral with the Kirin.

I would say the signature is harmanish with accentuated treble. I love them. Opinion seems very divided though.

I will say, these took quite a long time to burn in. Some have stated that its bright out of the box but I think that it really needs a good 100 hours or so to settle in. I would not consider it bright by any means after having them for a couple weeks now.

I've come to notice that some people do not like the shimmer of the sound that magnesium reflects. Kind of like how some people feel about Focal's house sound, they love it or hate it.

And they require quite alot of power to sound their best even though the specs indicate otherwise. It sounds alot better on my desktop system vs my dap. Hip dac should be more than enough though.

Out of curiousity, since there so many options, is there any particular reason why you are looking at the kirin vs the rest of the competition?

 

[Carpet]

There are a LOT of new Planars available. I'd check more of them out before settling on the Kirin. It's not one of the top current recommendations. HBB has done a series of YouTube videos out called "Planar Wars" I think he's up to number eight now! There are heaps of reviews by other people too. Plenty of time left before 11/11, when hopefully we will see all the Planar manufacturers trying to undercut each other!

 

[Deleeh]

I would say the signature is harmanish with accentuated treble. I love them. Opinion seems very divided though.

I will say, these took quite a long time to burn in. Some have stated that its bright out of the box but I think that it really needs a good 100 hours or so to settle in. I would not consider it bright by any means after having them for a couple weeks now.

I've come to notice that some people do not like the shimmer of the sound that magnesium reflects. Kind of like how some people feel about Focal's house sound, they love it or hate it.

And they require quite alot of power to sound their best even though the specs indicate otherwise. It sounds alot better on my desktop system vs my dap. Hip dac should be more than enough though.

Out of curiousity, since there so many options, is there any particular reason why you are looking at the kirin vs the rest of the competition?

Hello,

Thank you for your feedback.
What you say doesn't sound bad.
To answer your question how I came up with it is simple.

As a newcomer, I also find the market a bit crowded.
And the shops are very unsorted.
My wife got the Samsung Ear buds 2 as a gift with her mobile phone contract.
I didn't like them without the dac on the ipad, the sound was very deep and the details came across very badly.
I still had the old Akg in my drawer, which were supplied by Samsung at the time, and I found them too bright on the Hip Dac and they distorted very quickly.
With the Hip Dac it was a bit too bright for me and listener fatigue.
This made me look for something better and for $100 I thought I could get something better than the Ear Bud 2.
The ones that were interesting like Tin Hifi, timeless are okay from a review point of view but it's always something.
Either too cool in sound or shrill at the top, I don't want that.
Muse Hifi or Raptgo are also more expensive but there still seem to be a few problems.
Muse hifi is said to be a bit husky in sound,Raptgo has quality problems with the cable.
With the Trn Kirin, I haven't found anything yet that I can't buy, oddly enough.

And should still be enough for work and more than enough I guess without sounding distorted or shrill.

 

[iFi audio]

Would be paired with the Ifi Hip Dac 2 if it would work together.

As far as specs go this pairing should work nice, but I haven't heard it so can't say much beyond that.

 

[dougms3]

Hello,

Thank you for your feedback.
What you say doesn't sound bad.
To answer your question how I came up with it is simple.

As a newcomer, I also find the market a bit crowded.
And the shops are very unsorted.
My wife got the Samsung Ear buds 2 as a gift with her mobile phone contract.
I didn't like them without the dac on the ipad, the sound was very deep and the details came across very badly.
I still had the old Akg in my drawer, which were supplied by Samsung at the time, and I found them too bright on the Hip Dac and they distorted very quickly.
With the Hip Dac it was a bit too bright for me and listener fatigue.
This made me look for something better and for $100 I thought I could get something better than the Ear Bud 2.
The ones that were interesting like Tin Hifi, timeless are okay from a review point of view but it's always something.
Either too cool in sound or shrill at the top, I don't want that.
Muse Hifi or Raptgo are also more expensive but there still seem to be a few problems.
Muse hifi is said to be a bit husky in sound,Raptgo has quality problems with the cable.
With the Trn Kirin, I haven't found anything yet that I can't buy, oddly enough.

And should still be enough for work and more than enough I guess without sounding distorted or shrill.

I've only heard the 7hz timeless in terms of planar iems and I can safely say that I much prefer the kirin.

The timeless is very vocal forward and doesn't have as much bass by comparison. I found the vocal forwardness to overpower everything else. Not my cup of tea.

The competition is fierce in the planar market but I really like the kirin, it makes me want for nothing else. The sweetness in the tonality and timbre that magnesium brings is unique to TRN. While it may not be for everyone, if you enjoy the focal house sound, it will probably appeal to you.

As with pretty much all planars, its very fast. Resolution, separation and detail are excellent. I find it to be very balanced with accentuated treble.

The only thing I would consider its weak point is the soundstage. Its a more intimate experience but not bad by any means, just average.