TRI I3 MK3 : A KEEPER!

Best in ear headphones? 

The TRI I3 MK3 is the 3rd addition to the i3 lineup, known for its unique driver combination and sound. The MK3 is no different than that, it features 1d+1ba+pr driver combination and is very hard to see at the price of 219$. Usually other's settle down with a hybrid driver configuration but TRI went the extra step and made a tribrid at this price and its actually deserves the title "KEEPER"!

NOTE

KBEar sent this to my friends at Sonicmantra.org for review purposes. Huge thanks to KBEar and the Sonic Mantra team. However, these are my honest opinions; I am not being paid or influenced in any way to say anything good or bad.

TESTED WITH

• Cayin RU7
• ddHiFi TC44Pro E2
• Onix Alpha XI1
• Fiio Btr7

SPECIFICATIONS

• Driver Configuration: 10mm DD, Sonion 2356 BA, 10mm Planar magnetic driver
• Impedance: 21Ω
• Sensitivity: 104 dB
• Frequency Response: 20Hz–20KHz
• Cable: 612-core 5N OCC Silver-plated coaxial cable
• Cable Length: 1.2m
• Pin Type: 0.78mm 2-pin connector
• Plug Type: 4.4mm

WHAT’S IN THE BOX

• TRI I3 MK3 Pro IEMs
• OCC Silver Plated Cable
• 2 pairs of blue foam tips
• 3 pair of wide bore ear tips
• 3 pair of balanced ear tips
• 3 pair of Clarion ear tips
• Cleaning brush
• Cleaning cloth
• Leather case
• User manual

BUILD & DESIGN

Since the TRI I3 MK3 is made of CNC machined aluminium alloy they look and feel absolutely solid, TRI didn’t leave any space to complain about their build here! Design wise they have a similar design which has been slightly changing over each generation and I think TRI has finally nailed it with I3 MK3, switching to a completely unique color and to a matte texture was indeed a wise decision and something I personally dig a lot!

FIT & COMFORT

Fit wise it's nearly perfect, only nitpick would be how protruding the nozzle is but a larger eartip fixed the issue for me. And comfort on these iems are just too good, due to their smooth surface and the way shells are shaped. I didn't find any sort of discomfort even in prolonged periods of usage.

CABLE

TRI has provided their “Grace Pro” with the I3 MK3 and I absolutely just love this cable! It is a 5N OOC plated silver cable also it is braided in 2 core manner and I just love this type of braiding and more importantly the cable has very minimal memory to it. Lastly, something I personally want in every stock cable is that a 4.4mm balanced termination and they did provide a 4.4mm balanced termination but if I really have to nitpick an interchangeable would've been an even better option!

SOUND

The TRI I3 MK3 in ear monitors has a balanced tuning with emphasis put on the upper midrange and the air region. The bass is clean but rather on the subtle side of things keeping the vocals and instruments as the main priority. Treble is clean while staying energetic and bright.

SUB-BASS

Sub bass on the I3 Mk3 is more focused on how clean the overall presentation is rather than a huge amount of it. It sounds like it's in the background, but it always keeps its presence noticeable. This is definitely not for people who want earth shaking rumble but targeted towards those who want a clean subtle rumble in this music.

MID-BASS

Midbass follows the same path as the sub-bass as it is definitely there but more on the subtle side. The thump or slam is very clean and tight. It adds a slight warmth in the lower midrange while not bleeding or making the lower mids sound bloaty and it has a good body to it , not only that the midbass also has a decent texture to it.

MALE VOCALS

The male vocal reproduction is a bliss for people who want slightly warm male vocals , they are rich, smooth and well textured. It sounds very natural and well bodied here. And its presentation is slightly forward in the mix which I personally like but it might not be for people who want them to take a laid back presentation.

FEMALE VOCALS

Female vocals are the best part of it in my opinion, they are presented in a smooth and energetic manner. I really enjoyed listening to female artists alot with this iem, they sound lively and rich. Also they are quite forward in the mix too but in some tracks it might sound they are just a bit too upfront. Also due to extra emphasis on the upper midrange it might sound a bit too energetic to some.

INSTRUMENTS

Instruments sound great, they sound just right nor too thin or thick also I didn't find any presence of any metallic timber here. They are upfront but some might find them to be too "in your face" in some tracks. Other than that instrument sound reproduction is one of its highlights!

TREBLE

As mentioned previously its treble is very airy due to the emphasis in the air region. It's sparkly, energetic and bright but not only that it also has good extension to it but this type of treble is not for everyone, to some in prolonged periods of usage it might be fatiguing. But people who like such energetic and airy treble will love this.

SOUNDSTAGE & IMAGING

Soundstage is above average for the price, only nitpick would be that it lacks the width, it's not like its sounds intimate or compressed just falls slightly short compared to some which excel in this price. Depth and height wise it excels, no complaints regarding that.

Imaging is really good here, you can very easily pinpoint the placement of each instrument or even faint vocals in the background, they did a really good job in terms of imagining.

DETAIL RETRIEVAL & LAYERING

Details retrieval is just decent or average, nothing to write home about to be honest, still it picks up some micro nuances and subtleties in the music.

Layering is another aspect where it's just decent, you can definitely hear each layer but not as clearly but then again it's just nitpicking at this point.

DYNAMICS & TRANSIENT RESPONSE

Dynamics wise I expected more from it but it's just good or average if I say so. But transient response is the section where it excels, no matter what I threw at it, it just didn't fall back. It kept up with everything, it didn't sound slow or sluggish at all.

CONCLUSION