Auglamour T100
disclaimer: I purchased the Auglamour T100 from OPA Audio for purposes of this review. I did receive a discount for this purpose, but have no financial interest in OPA or Auglamour and was not compensated in any other manner for this review. I was interested in reviewing the T100 as it shares a shell with the Dunu 480, The TRN IM2, and Yinyoo ASH. I found the TRN, Ash, and Dunu to have very different signatures so was interested to see if the Auglamour added a 4th signature or mirrored one of the others. If you are interested in purchasing the Auglamour T100, check the OPA Audio store here.
Unboxing / Packaging:
Auglamour has always had a flair for packaging and still does with the T100. The round case with clear top exposes the earpieces and the swirled black and white pattern on the box is a nice touch. Lifting the top of the box allows removal of the foam tray with the earpieces and exposes a compartment beneath it that contains the remainder of the kit. The T100 comes with a cable, 3 sets of tips, and a cloth carry bag. This may seem a bit sparse, but remember this is a budget minded offering with a retail below $25.
Build/Fit:
The T100 uses a 3d printed resin shell made by an OEM for Auglamour. Auglamour is responsible for the driver and tuning. The shell is a 3 piece design with printed inner-shell and faceplates, and aluminum alloy nozzles. The inner shell is ergonomically shaped and smoked transparent material making it easy to see the drivers, while the faceplates are black/white marbled with the Auglamour logo in gold. Fit and polish of shells is good with the bi-pin connector raised above the surface of the shell slightly, but not as pronouncedly as many other hooded type connections. Unlike the 480, the Auglamour does provide a hooded cable so this seems a more realistic choice. Nozzles exit the lower front of the shell with a slight forward and upward rake that allows for about average tip depth and isolation. A pronounced lip holds tips firmly in place as well. I found the shell quite comfortable for extended use as it is on the small side.
Internals:
The Auglamour T100 is powered by an 8mm graphene coated Coaxial dynamic driver (very similar in spec to the DM-480). Nominal impedance is listed as 19Ω with a sensitivity of 98 dB/mW. This puts it slightly lower sensitivity than the rest of those that share the shell, and right in the middle of the pack in impedance. I found the T100 easily enough driven with a smartphone or tablet, but it does enjoy a bit of extra push and the high output mode of the LG works best of the smartphones I tested (Samsung, LG, Moto, Apple). With a bit of additional power, the driver comes a bit more to life and the T100 is a more coherent listen as bass in particular improves. These are not recommended for low volume listening as the bass rolls-off if not adequately driven.
Cables:
The provided cable starts with a 90º 3.5mm TRS jack in a black plastic housing with a proper strain relief before the 4 wire twist exits. The cable is listed as silver plated oxygen free copper but in the solid black housing visible proof is hard to come by. The 4 wire twist stops at a black plastic splitter and exits the other side as two wire twists. No chin-slider is provided as the microphone would negate its use anyway. The single button remote is on the right side cable, while the left side is bare until the pre-formed earhook that terminates in a clear housing .78mm hooded bi-pin connector with L/R stamped into the housing and a red dot visible on the right hand side in addition. I prefer the cable of the Dunu model by comparison, but the TRN, Auglamour, and Yinyoo versions are all roughly equivalent.
Sound:
Bass:
The bass rolls-off higher up than it should when the T100 is under-powered. I found when using the LG phone on low power, bass was basically non-existant. When switching to high power output, bass improved dramatically, and when moving to a higher powered DAC, the bass takes it proper place in the signature. Once fully powered, bass is quite good and exhibits good thump and rumble but retains fairly tight control as well. Mid-bass drops back from the sub-bass peak but remains elevated above the mids for most of its range. Mid-bass again is fairly clean without a lot of bleed or slop. Both attack and decay are fairly quick which gives the sound a touch of warmth without blooming or overtaking other elements.
Mids:
While the graph would lead you to believe the T100 is a big V or U signature, it doesn’t sound nearly as big as the graph looks. Mids are behind the bass and treble, but don’t feel particularly recessed or distant. Male vocals have good weight and a realistic timbre while their female counterparts are a bit more forward in the mix. Guitar has good tonality and even strings are better than anticipated. The Upper-mid push helps move vocals to the front but is not as pronounced as many and quite frankly is a more mature tuning than expected. Control of the mids is also quite good with detail being well rendered and micro-detail being more present than expected.
Treble:
Lower treble continues where the upper-mids leave off, but plateaus fairly quickly rather than continuing to climb. Much like I found with the DM480, the T100 treble is fairly smooth at lower volumes, but can become a bit grainy and fatiguing at higher volume. Detail is good, but not class leading and is hurt by a fairly early roll-off that limits air at the top end. Cymbals can be metallic at times and snare rattle is less than realistic as it is a bit smoothed out. Treble is certainly tuned to a more moderate level than many V shaped iems in the price bracket, but can still be fatiguing at higher volumes.
Soundstage / Imaging:
Soundstage is wider than deep and while it has some height, it is fairly minimal. Instrument separation is quite good and seating the orchestra is straight forward. Layering is good up to a point and then as tracks get highly complex or fast/complex it does begin to show some thickening. Imaging is well done as well with positions in space being easily identified and movement fairly easy to track around the stage.
Thoughts / Conclusion:
The signature of the T100 is very similar to that of the Dunu DM-480 as can be seen in the graph below. With the price difference between the two, the T100 is clearly the winner as at $20 the improvements in the DM480 (cable,tips,etc) can be purchased separately if desired and still save a few bucks besides. The signature won’t be for everyone as it is a bit smoothed over and lacks a bit of top end extension. Those who listen at lower volumes will find the bass too rolled-off to be enjoyable, but those who listen at higher volumes will be rewarded with one of the better sub-$25 models available.
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7.5/10
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6.5/10
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6/10
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6.5/10
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7/10
Summary
Pros – Fit is easy even for small ears. Tuning is mature with good timbre and better than expected detail.
Cons -Not for listeners who prefer low volume as rolls off bass badly. Can be fatiguing at higher volumes, lacks a bit of energy and aggressiveness.