:
Balanced, mature tonality
Soft presentation, suitable for long listening sessions
Light on the ears
Also easy to drive, plug and play!
:
Staging feels 2D
Minimal packaging
Uses QDC cables
Sit back, relax, enjoy the warzone!
MSRP: $29 or around IDR 300,000 in Indonesia
This IEM was provided by CSI Zone and Tinhifi for me to review.
This review is subjective. I’m writing it as objectively as possible, but there may still be influences from my personal preferences.
This review reflects my opinion at the time it was written, and that opinion may change over time as audio technology evolves.
This IEM suits these genres:
-
Top 100 Pop
-
Anisong
-
Acoustic
This IEM is NOT suitable for these genres:
-
Jazz
-
Hip-hop
-
Any bass-heavy genre
PREFERENCES & DAILY SETUP
My sound preference is V-shaped, mild V-shaped, U-shaped, basically anything with bass, I tend to like.
I prioritize timbre and coherency over technicalities in general.
My daily setup includes:
-
Laptop
-
KAEI Design TAP2 DACs
-
EPZ TP35 Pro
-
Hidizs ST2 Pro
-
Beyerdynamic Xelento
-
Custom IEM “NVD”
-
Various types of eartips
Genres I like:
-
Hip-hop
-
Orchestra/Film scoring
-
K-pop
-
Nu-rock
-
Any fast-paced genre
INTRODUCTION
Tinhifi may not be a name often heard among newer audiophiles, but in reality, it’s an old player that used to release IEMs that were once considered hot, high-cholesterol items in their heyday.
I still remember the Tinhifi T2 Plus and Tinhifi P1 being frequently recommended. So with the C1, can they return to their prime? Let’s see!
This IEM is reviewed using the stock cable, and small bore eartips from other IEMs.
Sources used:
-
Laptop
-
EPZ TP35 Pro
-
KAEI Design Tap2 DAC
ACCESSORIES
The box is minimalist, nothing specific worth mentioning.
Box contents:
-
1x Tinhifi C1 IEM
-
1x SPC cable
-
1x Set of eartips
CONFIGURATION & DRIVEABILITY
The Tinhifi C1 has a single dynamic driver with a DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon) diaphragm, 106dB sensitivity, and 32ohm impedance.
This IEM is EXTREMELY easy to drive. Just plugging into a phone is enough. Even from a laptop, you won’t need high volume to get a proper listening level. Using the EPZ TP35 Pro is a bit unnecesary, and pairing it with the 1W @32ohm KAEI Design Tap2Dacs is definitely overkill
FITTING
It feels like the IEMs just slip into your ears, no pressure, no discomfort, they just kind of disappear.
Unfortunately, the stock eartips didn’t seal well for me, so I had to use tips from another IEM with similar material.
Tinhifi clearly designed this with gamers in mind, those who play for hours won’t feel sore or experience ear fatigue.
SOUND IMPRESSION
My overall review is basically an deep-fit insertion style. I prefer this.
Bass presentation leans towards sub-bass, creating an atmospheric sensation only when needed, kind of like the “All Around You” Dolby intro at the movies, but much more subtle, with minimal rumble and thump. It’s not bass-less, but if you're new to audio, your first complaint might be the bass not being “fun.”
Interestingly, this kind of clean bass is what tonal reference listeners seek because it doesn’t interfere with other frequencies.
In practice:
-
Sub-bass effects are only felt when deep rumble is actually present in the track.
-
Kick drums like in “Through The Fire and Flames” by Dragonforce feel pushed into the background, lacking physical impact.
-
In hip-hop tracks like 50 Cent’s “In Da Club” and Eminem’s “Gnat,” the sub-bass is noticeable if you get a proper seal, because the bass is already minimal to begin with.
In gaming:
This kind of minimal bass gives a grand impression during warzones with explosions, but without being overwhelming. Bombs don’t sound exaggerated, and because the rumble is short, you get better clarity, important for competitive play, where too much bass muddies crucial sound cues.
MIDRANGE:
Following the bass, the lower mids are also minimal, just enough to give male vocals some weight so they don’t sound robotic. The mids sit in the same “line” as the bass, contributing to an overall balanced presentation.
In practice:
-
Male vocals are best for raspy types like the late Chester Bennington in “Faint.”
Deeper voices like Josh Groban’s feel a bit thin, lacking depth and emotional pull.
-
Female vocals hit a sweet spot between energetic and mature. Ai Higuchi’s voice in “Akuma no Ko” has just the right amount of sweetness, though with a slight lack of air.
Voices like Utada Hikaru’s, breathy and sultry, retain the sweetness, but lack emotional depth, don’t "tickle the heart," or send your mind wandering.
Sibilance is audible, but only in tracks with heavy S, C, and T sounds.
TREBLE:
Described in three words: rough and dark.
The “rough” part refers to the texture, far from smooth. But overall, the treble is very safe. However, because of the roughness, it can feel overwhelming at high volumes. This texture may trick you into thinking the transients are fast, but that’s not quite accurate.
In practice:
-
Songs with heavy electric guitar like “Canon Rock” and “Through the Fire and Flames” have a gritty, aggressive edge, “zrrrnggg” vibes.
-
But due to the overall calm treble, some parts feel held back or lack airiness.
-
This can be improved with wide bore eartips, but don’t expect full openness.
In gaming:
Perfect for competitive shooters. You can drop into the busiest areas in CODM or PUBG and not feel overwhelmed by gunshots, unlike with sharp V-shaped IEMs where treble gets piercing and fatiguing in chaotic firefights.
TECHNICALITIES
Overall technicalities are average, not amazing for the price, but not bad either.
Sound presentation is textured but soft.
SOUNDSTAGE:
Feels grand and wide, like recording in a large enclosed studio.
Reverb is minimal.
In gaming:
Doesn’t feel narrow at all. Why?
Because in FPS games, there are many subtle sounds like distant gunfire, cars, and explosions that are mixed differently than in music.
So I didn’t feel “claustrophobic” in-game.
IMAGING AND LAYERING:
Left-right imaging is spread out, not pinpoint, giving a grand impression.
Front-back layering feels a bit 2D, and I didn’t notice much depth.
In FPS games like PUBG or CODM, directional sound rendering is decent.
But since the stage is shaped more like a fan, sounds from behind your head feel like they’re inside your head, not behind it.
Then again, at this price, I’ve never heard an IEM that truly renders rear sounds correctly.
TIMBRE:
I’d call it natural, with extra texture for guitar and violin plucks.
SYNERGY
As mentioned earlier, here’s how the C1 performed with different sources:
-
Laptop? Totally fine. No lack of dynamics or loudness. Sweet spot around 30/100 volume. No shocking zaps either, lol.
-
EPZ TP35 (CS43198 x2)? Adds headroom and slightly more height to the sound.
-
KAEI Design TAP2Dacs (CS43198 x2, 1W output)? Feels like it only increases volume. Makes things sound more 2D because every frequency feels pushed forward.
Eartips matter too, I couldn’t get a proper seal with the stock tips, so I used similar-material tips from another IEM.
I prefer small bore tips to tame the treble’s roughness a bit, even if it slightly reduces resolution.
So, Tinhifi C1 has modest scalability, which is a plus, no need to spend extra on sources.
Maybe just replace the eartips.
COMPARISON
VS. Moondrop Chu OG
Chu OG has more forward vocals and can sound shouty, but wins in vocal sweetness.
C1 wins in atmospheric bass that gives a more grand, cinematic rumble.
VS. Moondrop Chu 2
Chu 2 and C1 are similar in bass/vocal presentation, but Chu 2 has more sub-bass spice and energetic treble.
C1 wins in more textured and clean overall presentation.
FINAL VERDICT
Tinhifi C1 might not perfectly align with my personal taste, but in terms of tonality, it’s clearly maturely tuned and meets the needs of new audiophile gamers who enjoy FPS games like CODM and PUBG.
It really seems like the Tinhifi C1 was tuned with gamers in mind.
I admit, I need to broaden my reference base for IEMs in this price range, because these days, tonality that once cost hundred dollars can now be found in products under $50.
Lastly, thanks to CSI Zone and Tinhifi for giving me the opportunity to review this IEM.
What’s next? How about something specially tuned for ASMR? wink wink at Tinhifi
