General/Packaging/Build/Comfort
Anyone who’s been in the hobby for quite some time will know TinHifi, the T2 especially, which is one of their biggest hits, known for one of the best bang for buck IEM offering good price performance ratio. Since then, there have been some ups and downs for the brand where some releases are a miss rather than a hit. Today, I have their latest flagship single dynamic driver IEM, the T7, featuring Precision Five-Axis CNC Machining, Ultra-High Vacuum Vapor Deposition, 10mm Ultra-Linear Gold-Plated Diaphragm, Patented Dual Magnetic Circuit, as well as Dual-Curve Acoustic Chamber. Let’s see how it fares against the single DD IEM from other brands.
The packaging certainly doesn’t disappoint, with a premium looking box which consist of several types of eartips, as well as cable with interchangeable plug (3.5 and 4.4mm) as well as leather storage case.
Build quality is very solid, with a ebony wood faceplate, it looks very premium and the shell is CNC machined, the shell’s size is rather small and I don't have any issues wearing it for a long listening session.
Gears used for this review
- Shanling M1 Plus
- Questyle M18i
- T7 stock cable and eartips
Foreword
My review is solely based on what I hear via my equipment and I never consider my reviews to be objective in any way rather a subjective approach. Do take into consideration that everyone’s ear anatomy is not the same, so the psychoacoustics perception might be different as well, but i believe it will not stray too far
Sound Impression
The T7 is clean sounding overall with a focus on sub bass. The timbre is also very natural and the technicalities are really good for the asking price, a little lacking on the mid bass in terms of note weight, but overall’s note weight does not sound thin for sure, the T7 is leaning towards a slight V shaped sound signature
Bass
- Bass quality is good on the T7 and has adequate quantity for me
- The sub bass does rumble when it’s called for, extension is quite good for the asking price
- Mid bass however is lacking some punch and body, i’d wish it has slightly better punch here
- Bass is speedy and tight, very well controlled and doesn’t sound loose at all, especially when listening to Slipknot’s People = crap
- It doesn’t bleed into the mids
Mids
- The mids has good note weight to me when listening to Imperial March by Wiener Philharmoniker, John Williams
- It is overall quite clean sounding in this range,
- Vocal positioning is neither too recessed or forward but not to the point where it is v-shaped kind of recess
- Both male and female vocal has pleasant texture and weight to the vocals, they’re not thin sounding, male vocal however does lack a little bit of body and doesn’t sound as full as it should be
- Upper mids are slightly pronounced but they’re not shouty at all, unless you are very sensitive to this range, otherwise it is fine
Treble
- The treble can be a little too forward on some songs, it can be problematic if you are treble sensitive, but not an issue for me
- Detail retrieval is very good, the same goes to the resolution
- Trebleheads will like this kind of treble presentation for sure, but due to the nature of this kind of treble presentation, it will be quite unforgiving in terms of recording quality
Soundstage/Imaging
Soundstage has good width, height and depth perception, during busy track such as Slipknot’s Duality for example, the instruments can be heard clearly in terms of positioning, they don’t sound all mashed together and muddy
Driveability
T7 is relatively easy to drive but of course when you feed it with a better source, it does perform better, in terms of bass quality and control, also depending on your preference, warmer source can tame the highs a little if you are sensitive in that range
Comparison (Final Audio A4000)
- The A4000 is also a single DD set from the japanese brand Final Audio, which i’m sure most people would know
- In terms of build quality, T7 has far better build in my opinion, the A4000 on the other hand has matte and plastic kind of finishing on their shell, packaging is also fairly minimal
- Note weight is slightly thinner on the A4000 to my ears, this is due to the emphasised treble and it is very peaky and i can’t listen to it for a long period of time, i consider myself has pretty good tolerance when it comes to upper mids and treble, but the A4000 it's just too much for me to handle
- Bass is speedy but in terms of quantity, the T7 has better bass quantity and the sub bass extension does extend deeper
- Technicalities wise, the A4000 has slightly better soundstage, a more 3D ish presentation
- The T7 seems to be a better choice compared to A4000 in terms of value and sonic performance
Final Thoughts
The T7 is a flagship single DD from TinHifi’s lineup, while it does offers good technicalities and also premium build quality and good sonic performance, personally i don’t think of it as an all rounder because at times, the treble might be a bit overpowering, but if you are someone who is not sensitive to forward treble, T7 can be added into your collection, but if you like how i described the T7’s sound signature, and you have a warmer source, by all means, try it out, you will not be disappointed.
*TinHifi T7 is sent to me from Linsoul in exchange for this review. I am in no way under any influence nor do I receive any monetary compensation for this review. All thoughts are of my own.
Head over to their store to purchase one if you are interested
TinHifi T7 - Non affiliated
