TRI I3 MK3 Technical Specifications
This is a set I bought with my own money, but with a good discount from Keephifi (discount that I have shamelessly asked for). The story of these is quite funny. I recently bought the PW Audio anniversary cable and when I saw a review of Tri I3, I thought “these look great and they match my new cable”. So I enquired and eventually bought them. Big thanks to KeepHifi!
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Driver Configuration: Tribrid setup
- Dynamic Driver (DD): 1 x 10mm Beryllium-plated diaphragm (for bass)
- Balanced Armature (BA): 1 x Sonion 2356 (for midrange)
- Planar Magnetic Driver: 1 x 10mm (for treble)
- Impedance: 21Ω (Ohms)
- Sensitivity: 104±1dB @1kHz
- Frequency Response Range: 20Hz - 20kHz
This is a set I bought with my own money, but with a good discount from Keephifi (discount that I have shamelessly asked for). The story of these is quite funny. I recently bought the PW Audio anniversary cable and when I saw a review of Tri I3, I thought “these look great and they match my new cable”. So I enquired and eventually bought them. Big thanks to KeepHifi!
The review is not influenced by the discount, but it is obviously influenced by my existing biases towards a tuning or another.
I listen mostly to metal, so obviously this influences the rating, since some sets are more suitable for this kind of music than others. This puts them a bit at disadvantage, since they are rather mid-centric. However, they ended up doing a wonderful job.
The build quality Is very good, they are feather light, the colour looks great and the cable is of good quality. No memory, but a a bit of microphonic. Not enough for preventing me from commuting or using them when doing things around the house.
A lot of tips (3 sets of silicone tips and one set of foamies) are included in the package, so I am confident everyone will find something it works both ergonomically and sonically.
The shells are on the small size, which for mea meant that they don’t get to rest on the back of the concha, so the fit is a bit loose. This can be fixed by using foam tips, provided in the package, or by resorting to those sticky silicone tips, the likes of Azla. Another alternative, of course, is the use of Eletech Baroque tips. I was able to get a good fit with the provided tips though.
Sound
The Tri i3 mk3 are neutrally tuned, to the point that they might sound boring for some. For me, out of the box, they sounded too mid forward (I usually listen to U or V tuned IEMs). After some burn-in and more importantly brain burn-in, I started to appreciate this tuning that goes a bit in the opposite direction compared to the bulk of my IEMs.
Bass has good extension and high speed. There is relatively little in the way of rumble, but there is enough impact. Cleanliness and control are the first attributes that come to mind when I think of the bass. The decay being rather short, they are very good for fast paced music. There is decent level of details, and the mid bass has good texture, lending the bass guitar an organic sound, if a bit dry sometimes.
With their neutral tuning they are very good for metal. No matter how fast the music is, they can keep up with tight control and each drum sound is perfectly separated from the others, no mushy drums here.
Mids are very good, with a slightly dry sound, but all in all a natural tone. Vocal-centric songs are the best choice for these IEMs. Female voices seem to have a bit of advantage, as they are very forward and particularly clear. That is not to say they are overly clinical, the right mixture of details and emotion is present.
Sometimes when the music gets very intense, adding many instruments to the voice, they might sound a bit on the bright side. For me, at normal listening volume, this is not a problem, I do like a bit sizzle in the treble. Notes have enough body, especially at this price range. I have heard a lot more expensive sets sounding a bit thin in the mids. Since the mids are so forward, thin notes would have been a problem, but luckily it is not the case. I would have preferred a tad more warmth in the female voices.
In the treble, there is decent extension and airiness. The cymbals sound fairly natural, as expected from a planar driver. The body is particularly impressive. What I like less is that on faster music, I could no longer clearly hear every hit on the cymbals, they tend to get a bit fused. It’s not always noticeable, but if your main preference is metal, you should know this.
The Tri i3 mk3 are neutrally tuned, to the point that they might sound boring for some. For me, out of the box, they sounded too mid forward (I usually listen to U or V tuned IEMs). After some burn-in and more importantly brain burn-in, I started to appreciate this tuning that goes a bit in the opposite direction compared to the bulk of my IEMs.
Bass has good extension and high speed. There is relatively little in the way of rumble, but there is enough impact. Cleanliness and control are the first attributes that come to mind when I think of the bass. The decay being rather short, they are very good for fast paced music. There is decent level of details, and the mid bass has good texture, lending the bass guitar an organic sound, if a bit dry sometimes.
With their neutral tuning they are very good for metal. No matter how fast the music is, they can keep up with tight control and each drum sound is perfectly separated from the others, no mushy drums here.
Mids are very good, with a slightly dry sound, but all in all a natural tone. Vocal-centric songs are the best choice for these IEMs. Female voices seem to have a bit of advantage, as they are very forward and particularly clear. That is not to say they are overly clinical, the right mixture of details and emotion is present.
Sometimes when the music gets very intense, adding many instruments to the voice, they might sound a bit on the bright side. For me, at normal listening volume, this is not a problem, I do like a bit sizzle in the treble. Notes have enough body, especially at this price range. I have heard a lot more expensive sets sounding a bit thin in the mids. Since the mids are so forward, thin notes would have been a problem, but luckily it is not the case. I would have preferred a tad more warmth in the female voices.
In the treble, there is decent extension and airiness. The cymbals sound fairly natural, as expected from a planar driver. The body is particularly impressive. What I like less is that on faster music, I could no longer clearly hear every hit on the cymbals, they tend to get a bit fused. It’s not always noticeable, but if your main preference is metal, you should know this.
The sound stage is correct for this price range, definitely outside the head. The stage extends more sideways and a lot less vertically. Given the overall note thickness, I think it has the best size. There is just enough music to fill the stage, so
Instrument separation is also good, in line with the expectations.
Sources: Dongles - Cayin RU7, L&P W4, Questyle M15i; DAPs - Cayin N3U, Nipo N2, AK SP3000T, AK SR35.
Instrument separation is also good, in line with the expectations.
Sources: Dongles - Cayin RU7, L&P W4, Questyle M15i; DAPs - Cayin N3U, Nipo N2, AK SP3000T, AK SR35.
Comparisons
TRN Azure Dragon. This is a nice single drive planar, more V-shaped than Tri. It sounds fuller in both low and high end. The voices are definitely better on Tri. It’s a very close one, but Tri sounds more natural. The Dragon sounds a little bit artificial, the bass, although more in quantity is not as dynamic and controlled as the Tri’s.
QDC Superior EX - This is another neutral IEM. The QDC, however sounds a bit more detailed and natural in the mids. The bass is very lean, much more than the other two. QDC’s treble lags behind the others.
TRN Azure Dragon. This is a nice single drive planar, more V-shaped than Tri. It sounds fuller in both low and high end. The voices are definitely better on Tri. It’s a very close one, but Tri sounds more natural. The Dragon sounds a little bit artificial, the bass, although more in quantity is not as dynamic and controlled as the Tri’s.
QDC Superior EX - This is another neutral IEM. The QDC, however sounds a bit more detailed and natural in the mids. The bass is very lean, much more than the other two. QDC’s treble lags behind the others.
Chimene Badi - Si j’avais su t’aimer
The voice is strong and clear. Details are good, in line with the positioning of this set. When the instruments kick in, they remain in the background, not overlapping with the voice. It enforces the impression that they have been tuned to get the most out of female voices.
I prefer Tri to TRN Azure Dragon, which has more bass, but that does not bring anything in this case.
QDC Superior EX is somehow similar, but overall Tri wins on clarity of the voice.
Indilla - Boîte en argint
A bit of sibilance here, but not enough to disturb. More like a distant echo. The voice comes across detailed and clear with good body. A touch more warmth would have been beneficial, but since the aim was to build a neutral IEM, I’d say they perform as foreseen.
For this song the bass extension could have been better, it feels a bit lacking.
TRN Dragon had more bass, but this didn’t really help with the voice.
Dream theatre - A change of season
This is a 23 minutes behemoth of a song that has everything and the kitchen sink in it. It starts with acoustic guitar and piano, then comes the full band, then vocals and so on in an alternance of slow and fast paced passages. Tri I3 does a very good job, maintaining the keyboard at a steady level throughout the song. Labrie’s voice(s) do benefit from the Tri’s very central positioning of the voice. WIth the PWAudio cable (that is the reason for buying the Tri), the treble is spot on.
I find the lean sub bass tuning to work really great here. The drums sound natural, with just the right amount of elasticity, but a couple of dB more would have helped. Mid bass is very good, with the right amount of volume and enough details.
Beth Hart - Better man
If for prog metal it was difficult to establish a hierarchy, here things are simpler. I3 Tri has a more natural sound, despite the Dragon having the more detailed treble.
The other two lagged behind, but the difference is not night and day.
Conclusion: I bought this set as a joke, but I ended up enjoying it. Neutrality is the key. It seems tuned more for Asian pop than my usual mixture of doom metal (that requires more grunt in the bass) and other odd bits. While the Tri i3 mk3 does work well with a variety of genres, it is particularly suitable for fast paced music. For me they worked best with heavy metal from the 80's. It can sound bright when paired with a source that is overly analytical. But with a warmer source, eventually with tubes, it pairs nicely and is a good entry point for musical enjoyment.
All in all a welcome addition to my stable.
Note about the rating: I am always at a loss when using the 1-5 stars rating, to me 4 stars means already very good, with 5 stars reserved for my flagship sets that I absolutely love.
The voice is strong and clear. Details are good, in line with the positioning of this set. When the instruments kick in, they remain in the background, not overlapping with the voice. It enforces the impression that they have been tuned to get the most out of female voices.
I prefer Tri to TRN Azure Dragon, which has more bass, but that does not bring anything in this case.
QDC Superior EX is somehow similar, but overall Tri wins on clarity of the voice.
Indilla - Boîte en argint
A bit of sibilance here, but not enough to disturb. More like a distant echo. The voice comes across detailed and clear with good body. A touch more warmth would have been beneficial, but since the aim was to build a neutral IEM, I’d say they perform as foreseen.
For this song the bass extension could have been better, it feels a bit lacking.
TRN Dragon had more bass, but this didn’t really help with the voice.
Dream theatre - A change of season
This is a 23 minutes behemoth of a song that has everything and the kitchen sink in it. It starts with acoustic guitar and piano, then comes the full band, then vocals and so on in an alternance of slow and fast paced passages. Tri I3 does a very good job, maintaining the keyboard at a steady level throughout the song. Labrie’s voice(s) do benefit from the Tri’s very central positioning of the voice. WIth the PWAudio cable (that is the reason for buying the Tri), the treble is spot on.
I find the lean sub bass tuning to work really great here. The drums sound natural, with just the right amount of elasticity, but a couple of dB more would have helped. Mid bass is very good, with the right amount of volume and enough details.
Beth Hart - Better man
If for prog metal it was difficult to establish a hierarchy, here things are simpler. I3 Tri has a more natural sound, despite the Dragon having the more detailed treble.
The other two lagged behind, but the difference is not night and day.
Conclusion: I bought this set as a joke, but I ended up enjoying it. Neutrality is the key. It seems tuned more for Asian pop than my usual mixture of doom metal (that requires more grunt in the bass) and other odd bits. While the Tri i3 mk3 does work well with a variety of genres, it is particularly suitable for fast paced music. For me they worked best with heavy metal from the 80's. It can sound bright when paired with a source that is overly analytical. But with a warmer source, eventually with tubes, it pairs nicely and is a good entry point for musical enjoyment.
All in all a welcome addition to my stable.
Note about the rating: I am always at a loss when using the 1-5 stars rating, to me 4 stars means already very good, with 5 stars reserved for my flagship sets that I absolutely love.
