Tripowin TC-01 is a single 10mm dynamic driver IEM silicon coated with PU. One of the more budget options since it’ll cost you only $49.
Introduction
I’ve never heard about Tripowin so that’s gonna be my very first approach to their products but TC-01 is also the very first dynamic driver IEM from this manufacturer so I believe I’m off to a good start. Let’s see what this budget option can offer.
Packaging & Build quality
In terms of packaging I have to say it’s pretty standard for today’s affordable IEMs. We are getting a black cardboard box with minimalistic styling where on the front of the box we can see the shape of TC-01. What I praise more though is the back, because there you’ll find all the specs as well as frequency response which is actually very nice for someone shopping for some cheaper option without doing any research nor having ability to test them before buying, especially now in pandemic times. I’ll also mention that this graph is mostly correct especially in that treble section but we will come back to that while describing sound.
Inside of it you’ll find plenty of stuff for the price. You’re getting the IEMs stored in big chunk of foam, silicone tips, 2-pin 0.78mm cable, hard material case and small strap for it.
Now, to the build design. I’m honestly quite allergic to all shiny mirror finish metallic IEMs. I remember having Moondrop Kanas Pro for a review about 2 years ago. 2 weeks after casual use they were heavily scratched. So far with Tripowin I haven’t noticed massive scratches but it doesn’t change the fact that such finish will also be a massive fingerprint magnet.
Last but not least, the cable. It’s a standard 0.78mm 2 pin without any sort of additional casing which means you can buy a ton of cables for TC-01, but if you want to stick to the stock one, well, I don’t blame you. It’s pretty good, does not tangle much, also matches the style of IEMs, no complaints here whatsoever, overall good cable especially for the price.
Comfort & Isolation
That is a very strong point of TC-01. They are small and easily flush with your ear which means you won’t get any discomfort from pushing them while laying on a side in bed for example. What about isolation? Actually very good especially for its overall shape and construction. I was typing this review while listening to them for about 20-30 minutes and didn’t even noticed that someone is mowing grass literally next to my window. In terms of tips, stock ones are pretty comfortable. Definitely avoid shallow tips with these, because you saw that treble peak on the box… with shallow tips they are simply treble murder.
Sound
So far despite overall looks that I personally dislike, TC-01 is getting plenty of praise for overall package, build quality and ergonomic aspects. But that’s an IEM and IEM has one job, and how good it is at doing its job well… it’s definitely a party, V-shape type and I’m gonna tell you little more about it right now.
The bass. Or should I say The BASS. It’s definitely a bassy one and it bleeds into mid-frequencies as well. Sometimes little out of control but overall very punchy with lot of texture. Not going to lie to you, I like it. You want to do some jogging, workout or just try to max out some weights in a gym, you want energetic and pumpy music experience to keep you going and here that’s what you’re getting. Great choice for EDM!
Now onto the mids. Have to say that’s a section that gets least attention in TC-01 because not only it has a significant drop in frequency compared to bass and treble but also because so much bass bleeds into it. Because of that some vocals and instruments can sound a little bit too thick so if you’re not a fan of such phenomena you should skip these.
The treble can be rather problematic for some people. There’s a substantial peak around 8K so most of the time it’s not an issue but I noticed a little bit of boosted presence for specific instruments such as violin or some lead synths in electronic music. If your particular track will reach this frequency then you can expect slight harshness as well as sibilants. In terms of performance I’d also say it’s not as detailed as the lowest part of frequency for example. Nonetheless for just $49 even with that it is still a very good pair and I’ll recommend it even while keeping that treble issue in mind.
Soundstage is rather limited and I believe that’s due to such a massive amount of isolation despite their shape and fit, because they don’t look like a very isolating pair, which is kinda surprising. Detail is pretty good especially for the price, also for video games these are pretty good. I’ve played a little bit of Hunt Showdown and Escape From Tarkov, had no issues with pointing where this shot that killed me came from.
Pairing
Very easy to drive, my Pocophone X3 and ZX300 had no issues with powering these. Plugging it to JDS Labs Atom resulted in no difference in detail or staging. I’d recommend to avoid sources with treble boost because that peak can be pretty annoying at times. Warmer devices should be pretty OK but you will only boost overall bass bleed so keep that in mind.
Summary
TC-01 is a great option for all those people who look for fun IEMs. V-shape frequency response, lots of bass. They are also very comfortable and the stock tips as well as the cable don’t need replacing at all. One of the greatest pairs in $50 range.
Recommended.
Tripowin tc-01 was sent to us in exchange for an honest opinion.
Thanks LINSOUL fOR GIVING US SUCH OPPORTUNITY.
Gear used during this review for the sake of comparison and as an accompanying equipment:
- Headphones – Campfire Audio Solaris 2020 LE, Oriolus Finschi, Hidizs MS2, Etymotic ER4XR, Anthem Five E2
- Sources– JDS Labs Atom, Poco X3, ZX300, Earmen TR-Amp
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