Tinaudio T2 Review – Unparalleled In Its Class
Pros — Build, neutral sound; vocals reproduction
Cons — May be somewhat cool sounding for the unsophisticated ear. Not for bassheads.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Tinaudio T2 is a very popular rugged dual dynamic-driver earphone with a neutral tuning that is unparalleled in its price category. Vocals are particularly well reproduced.
INTRODUCTION
I’ve had the Tinaudio T2 for 1⁄2 year at the time of this review. I had paid $33 on sale, the regular price at the time of this review is around $49. One of the housings’ MMCX cable contact got loose after 4 to 5 months so that Tinaudio sent me a replacement through my seller Jim from NiceHCK store after I had contacted them via their Facebook page. I promised to write a quick review in gratitude for the excellent customer service by both Tinaudio and NiceHCK store. My opinion of the T2 earphones had existed prior to this exchange. I tend to call a spade a spade, am skeptical towards window dressing, and won’t beat around the bush. I don’t believe in burn-in/break-in for tens to hundreds of hours and also don’t subscribe to bogus cable-sound discussions. For audio testing, I consult a cross section of music while making sure to include enough naturally produced sounds such as voices and string/wood instruments.
You can read about the unboxing experience and the accessories or view fancy photos in other reviews. This is not relevant (for me) and would be repetitive at best.
In my selection of over 60 earphones, the T2 stick out in that they are built sturdily and have a relatively flat sound signature. The earpieces feature a minimalistic industrial design reminiscent of theBauhaus, and they are made of metal and are attached to the cable by MMCX connectors. This has the (questionable) advantage that the cable can be rotated around the contact but such contacts are prone to failure – even in the most expensive earphone. 2-pin connectors are much more reliable and I had recommended Tinaudio to implement these. The braided cable including the straight 3.5 mm audio jack is rather fancy. The haptic of both earpieces and cable is impeccable.
The earpieces with the included largest-size, wide-bore rubber tips fit my ears well. The cable can be worn around the ear or under the ear. I drove the T2 easily with my iPhone 5S.
TONALITY
In terms of sound signature, whereas most earphones in this price category and below have a V- shaped frequency response curve with somewhat weak mids/vocals hidden between dominant bass and treble, the T2 offers more prominent vocals in comparison. Some see a downside in this and block the bass vents with blue tack in order to increase the bass – which drives “audiophiles” up the tree. There is nothing wrong with a somewhat realistic sounding bass, which is actually one of the T2’s strong sides. The bass is just fine for me.
The mids are the strongest point of the T2. Voices are well rendered and natural sounding without any sibilance.
Treble is not piercing and cymbals and hi hat are well resolving.
Soundstage is not the biggest, image is class average and reasonably airy, instrument separation,
resolution, and layering are good. The timbre is a bit on the cool and bright side. Clarity, transparency, and detail are ok. There is no real overall weakness in the tonality.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
In conclusion, this is a good sounding and comfortable earphone for people who like a neutral tonality and well reproduced vocals, independent of price. And it is well worth its money. In fact, it has developed into one of the most-liked earphones in its category. The only comparable neutrally tuned, similarly priced earphone I knew were the discontinued Fostex TE-02. If you prefer a warmer and fuzzier sound, I’d point you to the Tinaudio T1 or the Fidue A65.
I recommend reading the many qualified T2 reviews found on Head-Fi and other blogs such as the contraptionist, aproar, primeaudio, and elsewhere to get the broad body of opinions on the Tinaudio T2.
P.S. NiceHCK store asked me to add a product link to the Tinaudio T2 after reading the above review. Here it is!
