KBEAR TRI I3 Review (2) – Silver Machine
Pros — Huge soundstage; big note weight; smooth, non-fatiguing sound;
Cons — Needs amplification; lacks treble extension; not the best detail resolution; stock cable and eartips don’t harmonize with the earpieces; most eartips get stuck in my ear canals.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The KBEAR TRI I3 is a big and smooth sounding, never fatiguing magnetic planar earphone that impresses by its gigantic soundstage, healthy note weight, and natural vocals reproduction. Needs lots of power to shine and falls a bit short of its technical abilities.
INTRODUCTION
Much has been said about the KBEAR TRI I3 earphone. It was released in Q3 of 2019 and has survived until now – Q4 of 2020 – which is quite uncommon for a Chi-Fi product. When I was offered a review unit in November 2019, I thankfully declined, expecting the KBEAR TRI I3 being a screamer with an unnatural sound. A young company being able to properly incorporate a magnetic planar driver? Not likely!
Well, sometimes it can be just right to be wrong. After having heard good things about the KBEAR TRI I3, the company sent me a review unit upon my request. Luckily, I had not fallen out of grace. And to let you know right away, the KBEAR TRI I3 not only belongs to my top three earphones of 2020 so far, it blew me out of my shoes upon the first listening…and does so every time I plug it in.
PLANAR MAGNETIC?
The purpose of a planar magnetic driver is optimizing bass response. In the earlier days, planar magnetic headphones reached down to 20 Hz whereas dynamic drivers only to 50 Hz. This has changed now. On the other hand, a dynamic driver has more punch and slam. The dynamic drivers have a cone- or dome-shaped diaphragm, whereas planar means, yes, keep your dog on the leash, it means flat. The triple driver setup (I3!!!) is a bit odd as the rather large 8mm dynamic driver will probably reach down from the midrange quite a bit in order to support the planar sibling. The balanced armature driver takes care of the upper frequencies.
SPECIFICATIONS
Drivers: 1* 100 mm planar magnetic flat diaphragm + composite 8mm dynamic driver + balanced armature driver
Impedance: 15 Ω
Sensitivity: 103 dB/mW [needs amplification]
Frequency Range: 20 – 40,000 Hz
Cable/Connector: 2-pin 0.78 mm (an earlier version used MMCX)
Tested at: $149
Product Page/Purchase Link: KBEAR Official Store
PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY
In the box are the earpieces, an occ copper cable, lots of eartips (none of which fit me) and foams (kill the sparkle for me), a velvety bag and the paperwork.
The metallic earpieces are rather large and heavy, but they fit surprisingly well and are comfortable for me. Isolation is average. Weirdly enough, most eartips popped off the nozzle instantly or decided to stay in my ear upon pulling the earphone – every single time. I finally found the Final E series eartips to stay on, provide a good seal, and access the sound properly.
Co-blogger KopiOkaya found a sonic flaw in the occ cable (“mid-bass bloat adding haze” in combination with this type of earphone…see here) so that I followed his advice and attached this <$20 NiceHCK pure silver cable right away. The KBEAR TRI I3 needs an amp to develop its full potential, it works on a phone but sounds rather dull and uninspiring.
TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES
My tonal preference and testing practice
Equipment used: MacBook Air & EarMen TR-amp, $20 4N pure silver cable, Final E series tips.
The KBEAR TRI I3 excels by its gigantic soundstage, its wonderful midrange, and its “pleasant” sound. Another characteristic is its early treble rolloff which cuts into clarity, as well as a bass that does not have the biggest punch. So yes, when using a reasonably juicy amp, your reward is SUPERSIZE….the tallest stage there is…probably only to be found in premium models.
OK, bass slam is typically magnetic planar: not the strongest but somewhat realistic – and a bit fuzzy. Could be tighter and a bit more articulate, but it is not soft or muddy either. Extension is good. I’d say the bass is of average quality, and, with the silver cable, does not smear into the lower midrange.
Vocals are just great: full, lush, and big. Lots of note weight. One of the best vocals reproductions I have heard in an iem. And that’s where your $150 is. Now you can stop reading. Upper midrange is relatively safe leaving the vocals smooth and agreeable.
Treble rolls off early which limits sparkle, air, and resolution. There is certainly some extension missing.
Midrange transparency, clarity, and resolution are also not the greatest, possibly as there is some energy from the 3-4 kHz region missing. Timbre is (maybe not natural but) very pleasant, however separation, layering, detail resolution etc. are average.
In summary, the KBEAR TRi I3 are overachievers in some departments but average in others. Luckily, none of the misses are tragic and never compromise listening enjoyment…and the positive traits outweigh the negative ones by far.
The similarly priced but more filigree sounding KBEAR Believe with their pure Beryllium diaphragm have a wider but less deep and tall soundstage, they are generally better resolving in the midrange an treble however have less body in the vocals department. The bolde, bigger sounding KBEAR TRI I3 have a fuzzier and stronger sub-bass however not the Believe’s mid-bass boom so that the I3’s bass is leaner more soothing.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
A mid-price Chifi-Earphone that is not fatiguing and that has weighty vocals and a huge stage? Here it is. The KBEAR TRI I3 is a very good earphone with the biggest headroom I have experienced in any mid-price Chi-Fi earphone. And IT IS DIFFERENT from most of the other mid-term fare offered. OOTB it is somewhat messy and it needs some TLC to show its strength. Cable and eartips need to be replaced…and you need a neutral, dynamic amp to bring the KBEAR TRI I3 fully to life. Once this has been done, the KBEAR TRI I3 is pure pleasure and provides for long, fatigue-free, enjoyable listening sessions. Made it on my “Gear of the Year 2020” list.
Until next time…keep on listening!
You find an INDEX of all our earphone reviews HERE.
DISCLAIMER
The TRI I3 earphone was provided by KBEAR upon my request, and I thank them for that.
Get the KBEAR TRI I3 from the KBEAR Official Store.
Our generic standard disclaimer.
You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.
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Damn JK (i like “Otto Motor” the best!), i read this and immediately reached for my TRI3s again hoping they’d be reborn…but can now only say your “pleasant” translates for me as possibly the most lacklustre earphone i have ever heard! In a word, if this is *magnetic planar*, i want my money back! They just sound so damn lifeless and feeble, regardless of how much volume I feed them or tips or anything else!
Tried amplification?
At least three different kinds! That’s just what i meant by feeding them volume!