TRN ST1 Review.

Mikio Lu
TRN ST1

TRN ST1 review everyone! It’s your man, Mikio, back again with another review of one of the hottest IEM in the budget Chi-Fi bracket courtesy of our friend from TRN. We have reviewed the TRN M10 and the TRN V80 on this site so there’s definitely some history to us.

This time, the cool peeps from Classicour on Amazon JP sent us one of the interesting IEMs in the $20 bracket, the TRN ST1!

Priced at JPY 2,680, this dual driver hybrid IEM will be reviewed honestly and you will get the important details in just a few minutes. So what are you waiting for? Read on!

TRN ST1 Specifications:

  • Hybrid driver, 1 balance armature + 1 dynamic driver
  • Acrylic Shell Alloy Faceplate and Airflow Vent
  • 3.5mm OFC Cable

Packaging

TRN ST1 accessory set

As the other TRN products I’ve reviewed, this one comes with the traditional TRN box. Enclosed are the ever reliable braided OFC Cable, three pairs of Silicone Ear Tips, and the usual manual and warranty cards.

Like I said with the TRN M10, they don’t go messing around and drop the bomb (which is the ST1) upon unboxing.

Build Quality

TRN ST1 shell and faceplate

Because of its stylish and futuristic acrylic shell and alloy faceplate, the earpieces are light and durable. Also, it comes with an airflow vent which does exactly what it is meant for… for airflow.

The good ‘ol OFC cables makes it easy to untangle the wires, but the over-ear memory wire most of the time gets stuck on the wires. Nevertheless, for the price, it is indeed beautiful, durable, and gets the job done.

Comfort

Honestly, it is one of the most comfortable IEM’s I have tried on. Despite hours of usage, it doesn’t give ear fatigue or pain.

Sound Quality

Lows

With TRN’s so-called “professional tuning” and the 2-way system, the bass came in strong but not overly dominating. I could listen to heavy-bass music, hear the footsteps of the enemies on Call of Duty Mobile, and enjoy the sound of explosions when watching zombie apocalypse movies. It isn’t the most impactful and powering of bass responses but it doesn’t lack it either.

Midrange

Because of the exceptional bass, there was an wee bit of bass bleed when listening to classical music. Despite that, it gives more warmth to the sound when dramatic music is played. I particularly enjoyed using the TRN ST1 review unit when hearing the lively and full of emotion voices when the characters face a moment of desperation when watching the movie “Alive”.

Treble

The clarity of the highs on the ST1 did pull a surprise move on me as it was rendered easy to the ears and not annoying. The sound of glass breaking(Alive movie once again) and other sharp sounds were detailed and crisp without being painful to the ears. Also, when listening to the high loads of EDM hits, there was no sudden peak hits and no sibilant sound was observed as well.

Isolation


As expected, the ST1 passed with flying colors on this part. Because of the vented design, the staging was spacious. On top of that, the ST1 offered great sound isolation with its well-contoured shell shape.

Conclusion

Like I said earlier, TRN ST1 is one of the more interesting IEMs in the $20 price level. Due to its dual hybrid and single balance armature feature, it provides deep bass, wide soundstage, and great clarity. It might be a little too familiar with the KZ design language which is its biggest turn-off as others might easily dismiss as another “KZ” design and therefore, KZ-like sound but it provided a different experience for me. I truly enjoyed reviewing this piece and will surely be added into my rotation which I’m slowly building. It has strong points, with minimal weak points.

Mikio Lu