Tin Hifi T4 Review (3) – A New Standard?
INTRODUCTION
Much has been said and written about the Tin Hifi T4 earphone. Our blog already features two reviews, so that I keep my impressions brief.
Tin Hifi T4 review I by Durwood
Tin Hifi T4 review II by Loomis Johnson
The unit was sent to my by KopiOkaya [his portfolio], who usually does not review earphones but focuses on measurements and technical articles. Many reviewers like the Tin Hifi T4, earphone-ranking guru Crinacle even considers them as class-leading. I am a bit more careful as there is so much competition on the market…and the situation changes fast, in fact it may even as we speak.
SPECIFICATIONS Tin Hifi T4
Driver Unit: 10mm CNT dynamic driver
Impedance: 32 Ohm
Sensitivity: 102 dB/mW
Frequency Range: 10-20000 Hz
Connector: MMCX
Tested at: $99
Purchase Link: Wooeasy Earphones Store
PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY
The Tin Hifi T4 comes in a monstrous and heavy pleather box. Nice quality but more for the desktop use than for the coat pocket. 2 sets of silicone tips (S/M/L/) are included; I settled for the large white ones. The cable has been subject to some controversy, mainly because of its flimsy MMCX connectors, a problem that had already existed with its Tinaudio T2 grandfather. I really don’t like how the cables rotates around the socket and would have preferred sturdier 2-pin connectors. The memory wire part makes it impossible to wear the cable “under ear”, which was a special feature of the famous original Tinaudio T2 [review]. I find the cable a bit too rubbery for my taste. Isolation is not the greatest with my ears and I have real problems with comfort and fit: inexplicably, these earpieces keep on popping out my ears. For listening, I used my iPhone SE (2016) mostly alone or rarely with the ifi hip dac.
TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES
My tonal preference and testing practice
The T4 has a neutral-bright (towards the top) to marginally warm (towards the bottom) tonality. The bass adds the tinge of warmth. Typically Tin Hifi, it is tight and crisp — and, in contrast to its T2 grandfather, very well extended. This takes away the sterility many decried in the original T2 and rounds the overall sound nicely off. That mid-bass hump is barely audible, which is good.
The midrange may be neutral and somewhat lean, and a bit pointy, sharpened by the upper midrange peaks at 2 and 5 kHz. This makes voices somewhat energetic and not as dense and rich as perhaps desired, BUT…it does not matter that much as the midrange is NOT recessed…that is, it is not buried by the bass. The lean midrange has its advantage when listening at lower volumes: it adds perceived transparency to the image. Nevertheless can the upper midrange peaks be a bit shrill and shouty to sensitive ears.
Treble is not well extended, similar to the Moondrop Starfield, but there is this 15 kHz peak (if it is real and not resonance) that adds sparkle and fake resolution (see also Sennheiser ie40 Pro review). This means, in real life, that cymbals may be covered up by the bass to some extent.
Technicalities are average. Stage is wide and not very deep. Timbre is good.
The $109 Moondrop Starfield [review] have a somewhat fuller sound and a punchier bass than the Tin Hifi T4. They also image voices better, that is richer, while will neutrally. The TinHifi T4 have the wider stage, the Starfield the deeper one. The T4 has the tighter bass. The TRN-VX [review I and review II and video] is technically far superior. You find more comparisons in Durwood’s Tin Hifi T4 review.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
I tend to say: “the best earphone is the one you use”. I have had the Tinaudio T4 for almost 2 months and barely used it. The thin vocals and the aggressive upper midrange obviously do not appeal to my sensitive ears. But this has to be irrelevant for everybody else. You get my technical account above and will decide for yourself whether the Tin Hifi T4 is for you. Most reviewers and listeners like the T4 a lot.
The Tin Hifi T4 is a good earphone for most listeners but – as with most other earphones – a hype is not warranted in my opinion.
UPDATE 2020-06-17: Some time down the road…I have actually been using these T4s lately, but exclusively with warm sources (ifi hip dac/Nano BL). This combination works really well and pushes the sound towards the more sumptuous side while keeping it clean. It is actually quite an enjoyable combination. We learn: some good things take a while.
Until next time…keep on listening!
You find an INDEX of all our earphone reviews HERE.
DISCLAIMER
The Tin Hifi T4 was provided unsolicited by Wooeasy Earphones store. Thank you very much.
Purchase Link: Wooeasy Earphones Store
Our generic standard disclaimer.
You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.
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Tin Hifi T4 review by Loomis Johnson
