PROS:
- Very enjoyable u-shaped sound signature
- Commendable bass extension
- Very decent fit, seal and isolation
- Very easy to drive, no additional amplification needed
- Very practical price point
- Bass heads might enjoy the amount of bass here (subjective)
CONS:
- Upper mids can be shouty on rock tracks (subjective)
- not the quickest driver performance around
- not the most resolving pair I’ve heard
- treble could use more air
INTRODUCTION:
- TRI has been around the audio community. And this is my first encounter with their products. I have not been giving attention to them till now, but I frequently see their logo, the crown-like or Poseidon trident looking logo in audio pages on Facebook. Their line-ups that I’ve heard are the TRI i3, i3 pro, starsea, starshine, and the TK2 dap that I have been wishing I have something premium like that.
DISCLAIMER:
- This unit was provided as a tour unit by Keephifi. A co-reviewer facilitated the tour. Thanks to Hurley Altoveros.
- My opinions here are completely my own. I am NOT in any way influenced of any form of incentive. This is purely my honest, subjective impressions and experience with the gear on hand. I cannot stress more that you should take this as a grain of salt for we have different perception to sound and what we hear. I always try my best to stick with the stock accessories that comes with the gear by default. You are free to try other methods such as tip rolling or cable rolling. Below are worth noting before concluding on what I say here:
- 1. DAP (digital audio player, be it phone, laptop, mobile, or stationary setup)
- 2. DAC or dongle or any external amp
- 3. Tips
- 4. Cables
- 5. Source of audio file be it offline FLACS or streaming service like Deezer, Apple music, Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify and the likes..
- My reviews are more on how music sound on our ears. The technical stuff like frequency graphs and the physics behind the tech and drivers used, I leave to other reviewers.
SPECIFICATIONS:
- Configuration: 1 x 10mm Berylium-plated DD + 1 x Knowles ED-29689 BA
- Impedance: 12ohms
- Sensitivity: 105db
- Freq response: 20hz-40khz
- PACKAGING:
-
Meteor comes with a rather medium-large box. Rich in thickness and to be honest, compared to what is inside, it is a waste of space. The packaging is quite nice. The layout and the way the contents are arrange is quite appealing. I appreciate the gesture to give a good unboxing experience. It’s just a bit bulky for me.
- Once you slide the inner box and open the magnetic flip, the IEM greets you together with 5 pairs of silicon tips. The stiff ones. Again I will assume they are bass tips. Usually there are only 3 pairs of silicon tips but there are in-between sizes. They might be XS, S, M, ML, and L. the M sized tip was used for this review.
- Below this first layer, you will find a lipstick-like box, on it written is Accessories and you will find a cleaning cloth, and another set of black ear tips. Softer ones which I will assume are wide bored and vocal tips.
- Together with this lower layer is a very nice looking, brown leather pouch. Inside the pouch you will find the cable. All black in color, very soft, loosely braided, configuration is 2-pin. The cable is very commendable. Cable is 8-core 5N oxygen free copper cable.
- A cleaning brush/tool is also included together with a warranty paper work.
PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES:
-
Meteor is a decent looking IEM. Black in color, with some icy design. To be honest it doesn’t look like a meteor to me but it is really nice to look at. I have a co-reviewer who bought this just for the looks primarily. It is light in weight and I think the material is made of resin. It doesn’t have a metal nozzle. It has a vent hole near the 2-pin terminal. The base part is smoky translucent and you can have a peek of the tech inside. Again, I’m digging this smoky design which is becoming popular among IEMs.
LOWS:
- The lows are the star of the show here. It reminded me of the rich and lush bass of Seeaudio’s Bravery. Lows have a relaxed nature rather than punchy and thumpy. Bass heads might be fulfilled here depends on their threshold. Very impressive extension. Sub bass is very gratifying along with the mid bass. If I’m going to be nitpicky, I think the focus here is somewhere between sub bass and mid bass.
- Conclusively, the lows are very commendable. Making this pair very enjoyable to listen to. Not bloated in any way, and minimal bleed to the mids.
MIDS:
- The mids are well presented. At first I thought the mids are just right in the middle but as I listened on, mids are just a bit shy and recessed. As a mid-centric guy, Meteor didn’t disappoint on mids. It is just my personal preference that I like my mids forward. Mids still have the details and nuances but they are not the focus here. Vocals are quite nice here but I must compare it to Bravery which has a more engaging vocal presentation.
- Conclusively, mids are still desirable even for mid-centrics. Guitars, pianos, percussions, toms, snares has good reproduction. It sits well somewhere in the middle to be heard and appreciated.
TREBLES:
- Trebles is safe here but can use some air. A lot of micro details sits in the treble and a roll off is quite noticeable here. It did not bother me in any way though. In fact, trebles here makes Meteor non-fatiguing for long listening hours. I can’t help but compare this one to Bravery which has a better treble extension.
- Occasionally I encounter a bit of sibilance, or just because I am treble sensitive. Hold the line by TOTO is one example that gave shouty cymbal strikes. I think it is safe to say that rock is not the best genre for Meteor. This is highly subjective which I will leave for you to judge.
- Conclusively, trebles of Meteor have a tendency to be shouty in rock tracks. Yet this is very subjective. Some co-reviewers say that it is a character of a Knowles BA driver.
FIT & ISOLATION
- I have no complains here in fitting, seal and isolation. Meteor is on par with some IEMs designed for musicians that I’ve tried. It offers exceptional fit and seal. Isolation is superb too. It blocks outside noise nicely thus very enjoyable to use even on loud environments.
SOUNDSTAGE AND IMAGING:
- Stage is average. Nothing worth noting yet nothing to complain. If I have to compare with Bravery, it is a bit wider.
- Imaging on the other hand, is very acceptable. It pin points position of instruments quite nicely and accurate.
COMPARISONS:
-
Meteor has been compared to Bravery by some consumers and reviewers in the audio community. And I would like to contribute my thoughts on this. Let me present this in a bullet type layout. Please do note, this is purely my personal take.
- Lows are both great on Meteor and Bravery
- Bravery has more engaging vocals
- Mids are almost similar
- Bravery have better treble extension
- Bravery have better resolution
- Meteor have better fit and seal
- Meteor have a better practical asking price
- Bravery has premium inclusions (Azla tips, Hakugei cable)
- Meteor has a wider sound stage
- Both are tonality focused rather than being a technical set
- SOURCES AND GEARS:
- LG V30 hifi dac (high impedance mode)
- Hiby Music player
- UAPP app (USB Audio Player Pro)
- Tidal Masters subscription
- And some offline FLACS
-
Here are some tracks I usually listen to when reviewing:
- That’s the way of the World by EWF
- Africa by TOTO
- The Girl in the Other Room by Diana Kral
- Balmorhea album All is wild, All is Silent
- Sila by Sud
- Smooth Escape by D’Sound
- Never too Much by Luther Vandross
- P.Y.T by Michael Jackson
- Ain’t no Sunshine by Eva Cassidy
- Shoot to Thrill by AC/DC
- Another one bites the Dust by Queen
- Good times bad times by Edie Brickell
- Alice in Wonderland by Bill Evans
- Ain’t it Fun by Paramore
- Redefine by Incubus
- Far Away by Nickelback
- Lovesong by Adele
- Lingus by Snarky Puppy
- Harvest for the World by Vanessa Williams
- Love Bites by Def Leppard
- No Such Thing by John Mayer
- As by Stevie Wonder
- Whip Appeal by Babyface
- Ain’t Nobody by Chaka Khan
- Futures by Prep
-
And many more… I always listen to High resolution format, being the least quality 16bit/44khz FLACS be it offline or online.
VERDICT:
-
Meteor, is a very fun sounding set. But just for fun and music enjoyment. Its technicalities fall short for me. Don’t get me wrong, details are still very desirable on Meteor. I am being nitpicky now. Being a musician, I always look for the technical side of an IEM. A large part of my music listening is related to my profession so being technical comes with the territory.
- In comparison with Bravery, Meteor really comes close. If Bravery is a bit pricey for you, the Meteor is a great alternative. But not a replacement. Heck, Bravery is out of my budget and I would pick Meteor for its asking price.
- If you are looking for an enjoyable set, Meteor offers a practical price and for the tonality and tuning it offers, it is a strong recommendation from me. Rich lows, decent mids, and non-fatiguing trebles.
- For technical purposes like mixing, studying vocal and instrument harmonies and the likes, Meteor falls a bit short. Nonetheless, Meteor has a strong potential in the ever-evolving sea of chi fi products coming out now. It had me convinced, that it is noteworthy.
https://keephifi.com/products/tri-meteor