:
Looks quite nice with the sharp corners and curves
Build quite well(The metal part)
Clean CS sound signature
Midrange is textured and rich
Detailed treble section
Absolutely zero compatibility issues
:
The transparent plate might get easily scratched
Indication light is annoying in dark environments
Bass is a bit on the subtle side
Female vocals sounds a tad bit sharp
Driver unavailability(had to contact them for it)
The Tri Tk1 is a new addition to their TK lineup. A rather budget friendly dongle compared to their previous release in the TK series which was the monstrous TK2 which I got a chance to use previously and I liked it back then. So when I saw Tri was about to release a new addition to this lineup, I knew I had to get my hands on one and surely I got them eventually and I have been using them for quite a while now. It surely did not disappoint!
Note
The Tri Tk1 was sent out to me by Keephifi in return for my honest and unbiased review. There were no monetary transactions between us nor any copy checking was done before posting this review. Everything that I have said in this article are my subjective thoughts on this dac. And after reading this, if you intend to purchase this iem. Do check out their website.
Specifications
Brand: TRI
Product Name: Third Eye
Model: TK1
SNR: 130dB @ 4.4mm/4Vrms； 125dB @ 3.5mm/2Vrms
headphone jack: 3.5mm&4.4mm
Version: Type C to Type C; Type C to Lighting
Frequency Response: 20-20KHz
DNR: 135dB
Color: Black
Microphone: Available
Paired with
Aful Magic One
Letshouer S12 Pro
Dunu x Koto Ito
SoundRhyme SP01
Earacoustic Vsa Max
Roseselsa Quitesea MKII
Roseselsa Aurora Ultra
Roseselsa Photon Pro
Sivga M100
Sivga Nightingale Pro
SIvga SM100
Build & Design
I think the Tk1 is made out of aluminium but it's just an assumption and can be any other metal as well. Only the top and bottom are made out of sort of clear plastic and not glass, It has been smoked out. But if you shine light to it from the ports you can clearly see the board and all. I think the build is fine for the price it's going for. Pretty solid but what concerns me is the plastic panel which might get scratched up eventually. Design wise it reminds of quite a few of other dongles which were released previously by various other companies. I have a side which is more protruding and has some curves on it which I really admire. One con about the semi transparent look on the top is the light it emits when it's running, it's quite bright and annoying at dimly lit environments. (I used to cover up with masking tape for it and also for it to not get scratched)
Sound
The Tk1 uses Dual Cirrus Logic CS43131 dac chips and like any other dongle utilizing these, they have that same Cirrus logic taste to their sound. I have used quite a few dac dongles and even a few daps that use this same chip and they more or less have a similar tonality to them. If any of them truly stands out it’s mainly due to how it was being tuned for that device. For example the Cowon Plenue R2, an exceptional dap that uses the same chip and sounds nowhere near the other CS43131’s. Anyways, the usual tonality of this chip is mainly neutral to ever so slightly bright.
Bass
The bass section here is a bit on the loose side of things. Not as precisely tight as many might want but I still found it to be quite enjoyable. The sub-bass on it is not as prominent but noticeable enough with decent texture to it. Mid-bass punches were there but not as depthful or a massive body to it, more of a subtle presentation to it.
Midrange
Starting off with male vocals, they sound a bit laidback and relaxed, Also some heft to their voices. The smooth relaxed is perfect for people seeking something which is not so right in their face and enjoyable. Female vocals on the other hand are more lively and upfront with a more textured approach. Though at times they sound a tad bit sharp, not the kind that disturbs you by poking your ears but the one that makes you think as “Damn, this needs to be a bit smoother”, that one. Instruments don’t sound any different, a tad sharp but enjoyable. The energy is on point but needed a bit of soothing to it but that's just nitpicking at that point.
Treble
Treble sounds like how it should sound from a CS chip, clear and detailed. Some emphasis has been put on here, which doesn't sound bad but I think it makes it more lively and just goes to prove the fact that “yeah this is how a CS chip should sound like”. I think this has pretty good sparkle and air in it, nothing overboard to ruin things but enough to make it sound enjoyable.
Technical performance
Starting off with the soundstage, it's wide and doesn't have any sort of confinement to it. But as expected you can't expect something truly exceptional at this price. It's wide enough to let everything fit in without any issues and that’s good for the price.
Detail retrieval is somewhat about average I’d say, even when I was using the magic one. I was surprised with the amount of details it was pushing. So yeah, this has you covered in terms of details.
The transient response is pretty darn good, it kept up. It deserves a praise for that truly, I thought maybe here it will start to bottleneck the driver and cap its speed but nah. It simply lets it flow as water flows through the river.
Power output & synergy
Tri has not really put out a number in terms of mW. Rather in Vrms and I’m no smart guy to understand all of it in terms of power output units and all. But what I can say from using it is that it does possess some decent power output. Planar iems like my S12 Pro and also iems like Magic one which is quite hard to drive, ran completely fine and I still had quite some headroom to push it but then again you’d turn deaf to listen at that loud volume. Pairing wise, I think it goes well with mostly everything except the super bright ones , that will be a total no go from my end. Other than that ? Just plug it man.
Compatibility
Well, I tried it with my iQOO Z10 Turbo pro, Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 pro and an Iphone 14 Pro max, it ran without any issues and as far with pc, no issues were found in terms of compatibility. But if you are like me and you use Foobar or any other music player for bit perfect output, you’d need the drivers for it but is it available out to the public? No, I had to message someone from keephifi about and she was very helpful about it and she emailed me the driver file. So, yeah you’re basically covered regarding using it with basically anything, no issues.
Conclusion
I think the Tri Tk1 for the price it's going for is a fantastic dongle dac, Built well with impressive sound that goes with a pretty wide genre of different sounding gears. To have it as your first or a budget one as your on the go partner. This is great and deserves the highlight it’s missing out on.
Adios!
