Leaving nothing to chance and striking while the iron is hot, Tin HIFI is back with a great measure of public buildup to further recreate and refine what was an already great package of sound and price to performance ratio with their T2 and T2 Pro IEMs. The ensuing outcome of Tin HIFI’s efforts is their newest audiophile offering, the Tin HIFI T3, which I was glad to receive ahead of the launch date to get in-depth and see if it’s worth the jump from its predecessors.

The Tin HIFI T3 diverges from the T2 and T2 Pro right off the bat with its driver configuration which now features a single Knowles Balanced Armature and single PU+PEK 10mm Dynamic hybrid driver. It however opted to retain the same design language from its younger siblings and still uses a CNC-machined all metal build. The Tin HIFI T3 is spec’d out with a 10 to 40000 Hz Frequency Response, 16 Ohm Impedance and a 95dB Sensitivity. Priced at $69 with a launch priced of $60, you can check out the launch price from the Massdrop Tin HIFI T3 drop. Are current T2 and T2 Pro owners missing out big in terms of changes on the T3 and would it once again be a heavy favorite at the sub $70 price range just like its siblings? Let’s find out.

Packaging and Build Quality

Packaged in a relatively bigger glossy white box housing a now glittered and jagged surface blue flap box, the Tin HIFI T3 suggests that it has much more overall mass to it than the T2 and T2 Pro. Opening the glittery blue box reveals a white velvet cutout with the ever metallic looking T3 embedded on it and a now gray full foam ear tips being pre-installed rather than the previous bright sky blue full foam ear tips that came with the T2 and T2 Pro. Underneath this velvet clad cutout is a plethora of ear tip options: a complimentary medium gray full foams, a set of pseudo-sony hybrids(S, M, L) as well as a set (S, M, L) of Spinfit look-alike ear tips.

The Tin HIFI T3 still looks a lot like the T2 and T2 Pro with only a subtle change on the faceplate design which now rocks a raised round metal outline. The overall look, feel and weight of the T3 shell is basically the same with the T2 and the T2 Pro.

The single most distinct aesthetic change that sets the T3 asides from its kin is the included 1.25m 5N 8core oxygen free copper (OFC) Silver-Plated Wire which is now a herring bone braid with a metal Tin HIFI logo branded y-split and a glass bead for a chin slider (there was none on the T2 and T2 Pro, I was asking for this). The MMCX connectors are now all metal with white R and L markings although the blue and red markings were still retained on the IEMs themselves, the transparent MMCX connectors in my opinion were more aesthetically pleasing however if this change is for a more solid build, I’d take it but if not, let’s hope it makes a comeback on the T3 Pro if there would be one. There is also a very discrete memory wire to aid for over ear usage which out of the box I struggled to get a fit but thanks to the rotating MMCX, I was able to find an excellent angle to have the memory wire sit snug on my ear lobe curvatures. No microphonic noise was observed as well on this new neat looking cable, storage was also great since it has a nice tension to its braid while still resisting tangles.

Tonality

Maturity within the Tin HIFI team was evident on the Tin HIFI T3 with the T3 now showing an accurate and well balanced sound. The 1^st thing that stood out for me was how resolving and clean its background was. I used its pre-installed gray full foam ear tips since it now has a softer feel to it than the sky blue foams that came with the T2 and T2 Pro allowing for a more comfortable listening session while still giving great seal and isolation. The Tin HIFI T3 was driven by the Xduoo x3ii and the Sony CAS-1 desktop setup off an MSI GF 62 8RE laptop via Foobar2000 v1.4 for the whole realview, this also underwent the “recommended” 50-hour burn-in process.

Lows

Enhanced, Improved and Enriched. The very frequency which took a beating on the T2 and T2 Pro was how its bass was “mediocre” compared to the stellar midrange and upper frequency performance is now taken care of. The lows now go down deep and Linkin Park’s “Leave Out All the Rest” in 16/44 FLAC allowed for a smooth transitioning sub bass entry exhibiting a mild decay which can easily be discerned and felt throughout the track. The bass drops had great body and control progressing towards a clean lower midrange.

Midrange

Calling on Micheal Learns to Rock rocking out “Sleeping Child” in 16/44 FLAC delivered another strong performing lower midrange providing clarity of the harmonic tones. The male vocals were lush and full, energetic and inviting, a sure-fire guarantee you’d be singing along save that we can’t sing as well as Jascha. The upper midrange performance was non-fatiguing and timbre was accurate across the harmonics.

Highs

Run-DMC came to join the Tin HIFI T3 party repping with their “Dumb Girl” in 16/44 FLAC. The highs are delivered clean with great definition and clarity. This set of IEMs gives an enjoyable treble bite and sparkle. Harsh and peaky highs are absent. Sibilant? You must be on to something, even a full run of Depeche Mode was amusing on this set.

Soundstage and Imaging

With a focus on depth and height, the Tin HIFI T3 showcases a rather intimate soundstage but one with pinpoint accurate imaging. The T2 and T2 Pro had a wider soundstage but the darker background sets the T3 apart from its siblings.

Conclusion

Listening to feedbacks and insights are critical and with the availability of platforms to have our voices heard, there’s a great chance these little quirks from us would be taken into account when audio companies develop their upcoming products. Not to say that Tin HIFI had the public feedback as top priority with the developments and changes the T3 came with, it’s safe to say that they at least listened. A cleaner balanced sound and this time not neglecting the low-end performance coupled with a much improved stock cable and a myriad of ear tip choices and still coming close to the $60 price the T2 Pro had on launch makes the Tin HIFI T3 an easy recommendation. Please include a pouch or storage case next time though.