Accessories: 3.5/5: Above average for the price.
~You get a standard magnetic-clasp case that I’ve seen in many other sets. I don’t like that style and think it cramps the IEMS. I don’t worrying the 2-pin connection is getting strained in the narrow box. Looks nice though.
~The cable is decent, and the metal connections match the IEM well, which is a nice touch. It’s a silver-plated 5N copper cable with a 4.4mm jack. It doesn’t tangle and only is lightly memory-prone. I don’t feel like I have to upgrade the cable, and for the price, this should be the standard.
~You get a full set of the famous TRI Clarion tips, as well as a set of generic narrow-bore tips. Neither, I felt, made a comfortable fit. (More on that later.)
~Finally, you get a cleaning cloth and cleaning brush. Neither of which I find personally necessary.
Shell design and fit: 3.5/5: Premium but not too comfortable.
~They brag about the aerospace aluminum shells, which is said to reduce cavity resonance, this improving the sound. They’re SUPER lightweight. The shells almost feel like plastic. But you can tell it’s metal because they’re cold to the touch. They’re VERY well-made, and smooth despite the angular lines they have.
~The faceplate is an abstract gem-cut design which is nice, but not my style. Looks premium though.
~And yes, the comfort is not the best. I tip rolled quite a bit and currently settled on the Azla Crystal 2 tips. They’re rather small shells, and you need a tip that’s wide and long enough to create a good seal.
~But the aspect here that might be a deal-breaker for some people, is that despite the shell containing two small vents, there is the worst driver flex I’ve experienced so far in IEMs. If you move your head or jaws at all, you can hear the ultra-thin planar driver crinkling. It doesn’t seem to affect the sound, but can be annoying for sure. Also, it seems like there’s pressure build-up because my ear canals ache after a while of using the I2, which shouldn’t be the case because the shells are SO light.
~Those who are treble-averse should steer clear of the I2! It’s definitely bright-neutral. I really enjoy that tuning as long as there’s enough bass and the treble isn’t sibilant.
Bass: 4/5: Good&Clean Fun
~Planars aren’t usually known for intense, warm bass, and the I2 lives up to the stereotype here. But unlike some bright planar sets I’ve had before, the I2 rides the line of “JUST enough bass for most genres” very well and usually doesn’t feel underwhelming in the bass department.
~Sub-bass isn’t overly elevated, but it does extend cleanly, with moderate authority. That being said, I did wish for more ample sub-bass presence, primarily on songs that had an already quiet bass line. In most cases, the sub-bass will be enough for most cases, unless you’re a basshead!
~Mid-bass is moderately punchy. There’s enough kick for music to sound correct, but not enough to warm up the midrange and really beat up your eardrums. Occasionally, I could have used a tad more mid-bass, but honestly, the Quality of the bass is high enough that I don’t need more bass than there already is.
~Speaking of quality, the bass on the KongTong I2 is one of the first things that stood out to me in my first listening session. It’s clean and crisp, yet is just fun enough to keep the IEMs from sounding sterile and analytical. It provides pure sonic clarity, especially to busy electronic genres, proving, for me, that quality trumps quantity in the bass department.
Mids and Vocals: 4.5/5: Detailed and Clear!
~The midrange is effortlessly clean, clear, and detailed.
~The tonality of the I2 is toward the bright side, so lovers of warm, organic sound might be turned off. That being said, the midrange isn’t completely sterile; there’s just enough mid-bass for things not to sound ice cool.
~There’s no congestion during busy tracks. The I2 plays intense music with clarity and precision.
~Vocals are neutrally tuned; they aren’t overly forward and bright, but they aren’t recessed either. Female vocals are clear and any sibilance is completely hidden by the tuning, a very important factor that ensures that a bright set is lovely rather than frightfully harsh.
Treble: 4.5/5: again, detailed and clear!
~People sensitive to treble must look elsewhere. Even though they aren’t a sibilant set, the I2 definitely doesn’t play around with any sort of warm, dark, or rolled-off treble. I personally do NOT find the I2 fatiguing, but I also can tolerate a lot of treble.
~The amazing treble extension produces an airy, free tonality and enhances the soundstage… quite impressive for a single driver! However, again, I caution that the treble is really a lot at times, and you have to love treble to like the I2.
~Really, there’s not much more I can say here: the treble is about perfect for my tastes. Pure audiophile pristine treble for sure.
Soundstage: 4/5
~For a single planar driver, the soundstage of the I2 is quite impressive. It doesn’t sound very deep, but it’s certainly a wide and tall sound.
~Soundstage is more airy than vast-sounding.
I chose a few sets with similar tonality (I could have chosen a lot more!) and all my planar sets to compare with the I2. If you want other comparisons with sets I own, let me know in the comments!
VS HiFiman RE2000 Pro Silver: WIN!
~Vocals are gentler on the RE2000, and the overall tonality is SLIGHTLY warmer and more organic.
~The soundstage is broader on the I2.
~Treble is airier and more detailed on the I2.
~Bass is about equal on these sets.
VS Kiwi Ears Orchestra II: TIE?!
~The O2’s treble is smoother and slightly more melodic. Same for mids and vocals. I2 has brighter treble extension.
~I2’s bass, particularly mid-bass, is snappier and more impactful than the O2’s.
~Both these sets are tremendously good, and despite the very different driver configuration, and the fact that the O2 is twice the price, I feel they perform on the same sonic level, with the I2 being the set that reaches up to the O2’s level of performance.
VS Tiandirenhe TD20: WIN!
~The TD20 is a warm, bassy planar set, so it doesn’t sound anything like the I2. [And yes, unlike a few people, I think the TD20 IS actually a planar driver, NOT a DD. It has that characteristic planar tonality, although mostly hidden by the bass tuning.]
~The I2 has far more treble air, which is my preference.
~The TD20 has real, impactful bass that slams much harder than the I2.
~If the TD20 had a bit more treble air, it could have won this matchup. But it’s a good set for a different flavor of planar.
VS Kiwi Ears Aether: WIN, barely.
~The Aether’s tonality is not as bright as the I2, but is not as warm as the TD20. But I find the Aether slightly warm for my preference: I have to milk out the treble with the silver-plated Zikman Seine cable, and Shanling SE100 tips. The I2’s treble is definitely crispier. So the I2’s sound is clearer and more audiophile-correct in my opinion. But if you’re treble sensitive, the Aether is easily the best choice for a planar set.
~Vocals are a little smoother on the Aether because of the warmer tuning. If you like a smoother, more organic sound with planar capabilities, you’d greatly prefer the Aether.
~I2 sounds a little more dynamic in the bass. Mainly, the I2’s bass is not as warm as the Aether’s, so it at times sounds cleaner. But the Aether also does have good bass punch, maybe slightly more than the I2.
~Both the Aether and I2 have VERY good soundstage.
~Again, we have a case of two different tunings and tonalities… It’s hard to pick an objective winner here. But overall, the I2 is more detailed and airy, and that’s important for me.
VS Tangzu ZeTianWu: TIE!
~Yes, this is the legendary classic ZTW. I have not heard the later iterations.
~Vocals/mids are more recessed on the ZTW, but not by much.
~Treble isn’t as refined on the ZTW, but again, some might be intolerant of the treble extension of the I2.
~I2’s soundstage is vaster than the ZTW’s.
~Sub-bass is more authoritative on the ZTW.
~The ZTW are long sold out, and the newer iterations I think have less bass than the original… If you like more and better treble, the I2 might be a worthy upgrade. But there’s something special about the deep bass of the ZTW. Both sets REALLY impress me about the same amount, so I’m calling a draw here.
VS EarAcoustic VSA-PM Crown: Lose…barely!
~This flagship planar set truly sounds like it was carefully crafted, especially in the tuning.
~The I2 is slightly brighter than the Crown, and treble extension is a little more noticeable. I think I like the treble tuning on the I2 slightly better in most cases. (In some though, it can be a hair too bright.) Twinklies and sparklies are more melodic and charming on the I2.
~Crown sounds more full-bodied in general, particularly in the midrange and male vocals. And female vocals are smoother and less sibilant.
~But the vocals seem a little more present and vivid on the I2. I like that better in almost every case.
~Soundstage on both sets is dramatic… Crown’s seems a little deeper though.
~Bass is surprisingly similar, but I think Crown’s is slightly punchier. Crown’s bass dives deeper with more authority for sure.
~Isolation and comfort is a lot better on the Crown.
~For the price difference ($130 vs $850), the I2 comes silly close to the premium Crown, and thus an insane value unless you hate treble. The Crown is a better all-rounder, but the I2 has a more detailed and clean sound that’s simply sublime! So the Crown is VERY well-balanced, probably a reference-level tuning, and maybe that justifies the price, because planars are HARD to tune... but honestly, they do NOT sound 6.5x better than the I2. This matchup is nearly a tie if I'm being honest, but I think the Crown will please more people than the trebly I2.
The Tri I2 KongTong truly blew my socks off, as a treble connoisseur. Yes, there’s a few times I want a more full-bodied sound, or a bit more bass, but ultimately, I think they aren’t too bright for me, and that treble air really gives them a pristine tonality that I find addicting.
The sound is SO CLEAN and crisp, that I like the entire treble response better than the $850 Crown’s. But if you found the Crown to be uncomfortably bright, stay away from the I2!
The driver flex and awkward fit drag the I2 down a bit, but the price to performance is off the charts, thus cementing the 4.5/5 star rating!