If you don’t know who Tri is, they are a sub IEM group started by KBEAR back in 2018. The Tri branded IEM is a bit like how Toyota makes a Lexus, or Honda who makes Acura. The Tri group is basically KBEARs higher end division. So it makes a lot of sense that anything marketed as Tri brings KBEARs best design and tuning philosophies in other words their very best effort.
I have reviewed a handful of Tri IEMs in the past and own the original I3 which I feel put Tri on the map as far as a landmark IEM goes for the group. One of the earliest IEMs I can recall circa 2020 that used a planar driver for its tribrid configuration. So Tri is not foreign to making IEMs based on the Planar diaphragm. The new KongTong 12 it is called uses a very specialized 12mm planar magnetic driver which is made up of a composite polymer material. Housed in a light but strong Aerospace grade aluminum alloy housing.
I have reviewed a handful of Tri IEMs in the past and own the original I3 which I feel put Tri on the map as far as a landmark IEM goes for the group. One of the earliest IEMs I can recall circa 2020 that used a planar driver for its tribrid configuration. So Tri is not foreign to making IEMs based on the Planar diaphragm. The new KongTong 12 it is called uses a very specialized 12mm planar magnetic driver which is made up of a composite polymer material. Housed in a light but strong Aerospace grade aluminum alloy housing.
Compact and physically smaller in comparison to your garden variety hybrid and tribrid IEMs nowadays. The design aspect of the KongTong 12 is simple and cleaner yet has a bit of shiny silver splashiness to its looks.
Nothing like the blingy looking IEMs from TFZs new rebranded EarAcoustics but the shells resemble a rough round diamond cut like an accessory design. Which if I am to be honest does not really match how sophisticated and well designed this IEM sound truly is. This is yet another IEM that you cannot judge just based on how it looks. Regardless of how it looks, the more important aspect to its design is that it's a very comfortable compact fit in the ears due to its smaller round form factor. I can see even smaller eared folks having no issue with fitment with this one. The housing literally has enough space in it to fit the 12mm driver, its metal cavity and that is it. Compact efficient and this larger planar driver delivers quite the extended sound from your best sources.
Nothing like the blingy looking IEMs from TFZs new rebranded EarAcoustics but the shells resemble a rough round diamond cut like an accessory design. Which if I am to be honest does not really match how sophisticated and well designed this IEM sound truly is. This is yet another IEM that you cannot judge just based on how it looks. Regardless of how it looks, the more important aspect to its design is that it's a very comfortable compact fit in the ears due to its smaller round form factor. I can see even smaller eared folks having no issue with fitment with this one. The housing literally has enough space in it to fit the 12mm driver, its metal cavity and that is it. Compact efficient and this larger planar driver delivers quite the extended sound from your best sources.
What it comes with.
It's a fairly simple accessories package, a magnetic lid compact carry case. A 2 strand 5N OFC silver plated copper cable in balanced 4.4mm. 2 sets of silicone tips, one of which is their outstanding Tri clarion wide bore tips.
If you have never used the tips that these IEMs come with. They are truly one of the better design wide bored tips in the industry. I have been using a set of these in large on my IEMs for a while now and they have consistently given the biggest open sound for any IEM it is attached to. I know it seems a bit strange that I am highlighting a tip of all things that comes with an IEM but the tri clarion silicone tips deserve some spotlight. If you own more than your share of IEMs. You will most definitely benefit from some Tri Clarion tips to use for your collection. A cleaning tool and a cleaning cloth rounds out the accessories package.
About burn in.
Believe in it. Your IEMs will benefit from burning in. KongTong 12 was burned in for a total of a week's time, well over a 100 hours and in that time the improvements to its sonics can clearly be heard. I make it a point to listen to an IEM out of the box to gauge what the sound design is about first but never do I write an IEM review based on open box experience. Planar Magnetic IEMs do benefit from a burn in procedure. Better coherency, better dynamics, more solid notes from bass to treble as a result. Burn in your IEMs folks. You have nothing to lose but only a better sound to gain.
With that I would like to thank Keephifi for the review sample of the KongTong 12. They were provided for the purpose of a review. As always I burn in every IEM I get for a week's time and are now ready for review using my sources. Fiio K9pro ESS, Ibasso DX300Max, Ibasso DX180, Ibasso D16& PB5 combo, Ibasso PB6, IFI signature Fiio M15, Fiio M15s. You can find more information about the KongTong 12 here.
What's it about?
The KongTong 12 is easy to drive meaning you can use them on just about anything you got as a source but it was when I put them on my Ibasso PB6 and PB5 amps that was when I realized its true sound potential. The sound it portrays is a punchy energetic, nicely balanced engaging sound presentation. Planar IEMs excel at precision and imaging, in fact I would consider these highly proficient on a technical level especially at its price point. There will not be too many IEMs at its budget friendly price that will have the technical aspect of the KongTong 12. A clean tonal character with precise imaging, details be it macro with surprising micro details, sound layering especially noticed for its mids, a spacious yet intimate surround like stage, tight transients with mostly an accurate timbre is all done nicely on the KongTong 12. Its speedy attack and decay elements contribute to its “planar timbre” aspects but I noticed for vocals and instruments its timbre is actually done exceptionally well. If you enjoy your music with precision and a clean tonal presentation from your IEM sound. There is a lot to like about the KongTong 12.
It has a slightly taller than a deeper sound which brings imaging up close and intimate to how one hears them. If I was to nitpick a thing or two on its sound, I feel it lacks a bit of width to its stage making them sound more intimate than diffused, which separates the KongTong 12 from higher level planar IEMs. Its presentation can be somewhat rigid, which is more of the effect of the driver it is using. Planars in general have tight imaging with quicker decay elements to its sound vs other drivers used for IEMs and the area of sound that this has somewhat of a negative impact on is for its bass presentation. Otherwise at its price point, I feel it stands out for its nicely realized technical sound. The balancing of the 3 cardinal areas of sound has good balance where I don't feel one area of sound dictates over the others but it does have a bit of an upper mid boost for better clarity with more mid bass emphasis over sub bass for its bass region.
Sound breakdown
Trebles.
This is the area I feel is a strength of planar IEMs in general. With today's multi driver IEMs you will notice higher end IEMs use 2-5 driver arrays or more just for the treble note. The KongTong 12 has no issue with the trebles. Has a good balance of presence and ability. A crisp clean tight treble note is to be expected. Given the strength of the sonic properties of a proper planar based IEM, its treble presentation has plenty of sparkle on tap as well as its extension. A tight precise treble presentation, which can sound just a touch clinical at times but overall I have no issue with how its treble is presented. I would rather have an IEM that clearly shows its inherent abilities at the frequencies it is taxed with vs an IEM that are detuned in the region for the sake of a safe sound. Treble timbre can come off a touch rigid in character but again nothing that makes you wince or makes you fast forward a track.
Having ample upper mids which leads to its emphasized lower treble region, I didn't hear a musical note the KongTong 12 masks which shows its range of sound from bass all the way to its upper trebles. Showing an airiness, trebles have finesse with lightning quick transients which I have reviewed IEMs 3X the price point that don't have the treble abilities of the KongTong 12 which says a lot just how detailed and resolving the KongTong 12 is due to the driver it is using.
Mids
A clear standout for the KongTong 12 is its mids presentation. As mentioned before I feel its imaging is an intimate experience, which bodes extremely well for vocal performances. A strong contender for one of best IEMs anywhere close to its price range for vocals of all things. Very precise nicely imaged vocals can be heard from using the KongTong 12. Its layering in space is about as good as it gets at the price range here as well. Very coherent due to using a single driver, the mids performance is what really turned me into a fan of the KongTong 12. Its tonal character is clean, accurately neutral with the ability to portray the gamut of music genres with no struggle. Mids has an uncanny ability to draw the listener into the music. Has enough dimensional character to make the sound feel more surround like in character vs being flat or uninspired. Add to that the elements of its highly technical ability and you get an engaging sound experience. I would say the overall sound can use a bit more meat or noteweight but once again I am more nitpicking on its sound presentation more than anything. Its vocal performance outweighs any real shortcomings of the sound. A highly capable mids presentation is what the KongTong 12 presents with.
Bass
As much as I would like to admit the Planar used for the KongTong 12 is somehow a new level or vastly different from others around this range and to be fair its mids can sound spectacular for vocals and instruments but the bass end is where some familiar timbral and transient nature of planars for IEMs creep its head. With ample impact for mid bass the KongTong 12 is more mid bass focused vs sub bass. Planars for IEMs do have a quicker attack and decay which is both good and bad. When you think of natural woofer bass for IEMs most folks adhere to the good old dynamic that does woofer bass ideally. Some planars do bass better than others like some dynamics do bass better than others but it's the bass end of the KongTong12 that is just ok and nothing really that stands out. I feel the bass end emphasis is clearly ample in impact and its ability is generally in the good side of the bass front but due to its relative short decay of bass notes. Bass becomes a touch digital sounding which is again an inherent sound presentation of planars in general. When listening to tracks in a casual manner for non bassy tracks, I have no issues with how the KongTong 12 bass presents but tracks that require a very high level of bass definition and authority, the KongTong 12 unfortunately is just average for planars which is again both good and bad. Sub bass is there but not the most textured or realistic as far as its rumble goes
I feel its bass end is just ok here at the price range but clearly capable of keeping up with the rest of the sound. To that I wish Tri would have considered using this exact same 12mm planar and throw in a nicely resolving DLC type bass dynamic for a true bass experience and then we can get something truly special for its sound. So just know the KongTong 12 is not really for bass enthusiasts but does just enough for good versatility when it comes to music genres including EDM. The plus about a quick attack and decay is that its bass is speedy. I would say about the same speed as BAs actually. Which is the speediest of all. So that just means if you're into your speed metal, look no further. But for slower bass genres that requires big bass to be alive with a deep textured dive. Can’t say these will satisfy. Amplification really helps with the bass department. Regardless of the KongTong 12 being very efficient. They need some extra power for the driver here to come alive and I have noticed the bass end especially becoming more tactile and better defined with the addition of some power behind the sound. To be fair if the KongTong 12 was more bass emphasized I don't know if that would work with its more intimate sound presentation. Bassy IEMs in general need the widest stages for IEMs just so it has room to do its thing. From a design standpoint the KongTong 12 delivers. It's not the be all of planar bass by any means but it's certainly capable of holding up its end of the sound bargain here. It lacks the physical nature and texture of a well tuned bass dynamic but don't hold that against what it does best which I feel is more focused for its mids and treble presentation.
In the end
The KongTong 12 is an impressive sounding IEM. I still consider its price range in the budget realm and it is astonishing to me what level of IEM on a technical level these IEMs represent at the price Tri is asking for it. Due to the high levels of overall detail proficiency I can see the KongTong 12 being a great media type IEM. Meaning they will be excellent for watching movies and playing games where precision matters. It doesn’t have the widest of IEM stages but easily makes up for it with its tight accurate sound production. Planar timbre is evident but again when imaging and tonal character is as clean as it is. Why not, a planar IEM will emit a planar timbre. Quick snappy transients in full force is what I am talking about which leads to that planar timbre. Its sound presentation can and does sound a touch clinical at times depending on the track but just how many IEMs are we talking about in the price range can you say actually sounds a bit clinical is my point? So my back handed comment actually becomes a compliment if you know what I mean.
Its tight speedy sound is something you have to adjust to but adding some amplification with some tubes involved really helps bring a full rounded sound experience provided by these little IEMs. Something I was very surprised about. Don’t let the price level fool you thinking these are another try hard Chi fi IEM that doesn’t quite cut it. To my ears the KongTong 12 is successful in the main reason why we use and collect IEMs in the first place. It is to get that detail and imaging in space that we crave about IEM sound presentations. Well done Tri, now I would like to see this very same driver focus on what it does best: its mids to trebles go ahead and add your best bass dynamic with it and call it the KongTong 12+10. Add that 10mm DLC dynamic for bass. Use a medium sized semi open shell to spread out that sound presentation with a much wider stage. Watch them enthusiasts gobble it up. Thanks for taking the time to read. Don't sleep on the KongTong 12. I feel it stands tall at its price point especially if you value vocal and instrumental music.