TRN TA2

disclaimer: I was sent the TRN TA-2 for review by a TRN representative.  I have no financial interest in TRN or any of its subsidiaries or distributors, nor have I received any instruction or remuneration for this review.   If you have an interest in TRN products please see their official store here.

 

Unboxing / Packaging:

The box for the TRN TA-2 has a picture of the lower portion of the face-plate occupying a large portion of the front of the package and it does a good job of drawing the eye.  At first one isn’t sure if its a Star Wars like villain about to appear from the dark or an automotive louver on some high end exotic.  TRN states in their ad-copy the intention was the automotive reference.   The options selected are listed on the rear panel which is largely blank.   Lifting the cover reveals the earpieces tucking in foam and the pill-box style case below.  Opening the pill-box reveals the cable, 7 additional sets of tips, a 6.35mm adapter, and a velcro cable tie to round out the package.

 

Build/Fit:

The TA-2 uses a small-mid sized inverted teardrop shape with the face-plate being anodized aluminum and the inner shell a 3d printed resin in matching color.  Color options include the blue I received, silver, black and a rose color.   The face-plates have four horizontal cuts through the central portion and a bright stainless screen behind the cuts that acts as a vent along with a pin-hole vent directly over the dynamic driver on the under-side of the shells.  Nozzles are brass regardless of which color is chosen and exit with a forward rake that allows for deeper insertion.  Overall comfort is good and the TA-2 is a bit thinner front to back than the ST-5 I also had in for testing and thus sits a bit easier in the ear.   I found medium tips were the best fit due to the insertion depth and isolation was good despite the fairly large venting to the exterior of the shell.

 

Internals:

While some brands focus on a single type of driver or hybrids,  TRN makes several models that are single dynamic drivers, another collection that are dynamic/balanced armature hybrids, and yet another collection of tribred models that add an electrostatic driver to the mix.   The TA-2 falls in the hybrid category with a an 8mm dynamic driver with a carbon nano-tube diaphragm handling the lows and a pair of Knowles 33518 armatures in the nozzle handling the mids and high frequencies.    Typically we see pairings that use a 30095 in the nozzle to cover just the highs so the use a a more broad spectrum armature likely means the TA2 is crossed-over a good bit lower in order to let the armature handle the mids in addition to the highs.   I was unable to find an exact frequency at which the hand-off is occurs but would bet on roughly 800Hz based on my testing.    The TA-2’s nominal impedance is 16Ω with a somewhat staggering sensitivity of 118 db/Mw which makes it extremely easy to drive but somewhat susceptible to hiss.   High potency sources are not needed and are counterproductive as the TA-2 is clearly designed for use with phones and dongles where power is limited.

Cable:

The cable provided with the Ta2 is quite good with a 90° 3.5mm jack in a brushed aluminum housing with a proper strain relief before the 4 wire double twist exits.  The wire is silver plated oxygen free copper in a clear casing with two strands tightly twisted together and then each of the pairs wrapped tightly again to create the helical pattern.    The splitter is a simple molded clear plastic Y with each of the two twists parting company and heading to ear-hooks before terminating in hooded bi-pin connectors (squared off variety rather than rounded).  the cable is nice and pliable with no memory or tendency to tangle and it does a good job of preventing movement from translating into microphonics.

 

Sound:

Bass:

The TA2 starts off with a sub-bass emphasis centered at about 80Hz and a gradual drop to either side with roll-off only becoming evident in the lower 30Hz range where it transitions into a felt rumble rather than a heard note.   The mid-bass gradually declines as it moves into the lower mids while retaining a bit of emphasis throughout the bulk of its range.   Mid-bass has good speed which helps keep textures well defined and no bleed or blurring is heard.   Kick drum has good slam without lingering too long and there is enough low-end to make hip-hop and drum&bass tracks quite enjoyable.    Resolution is good but not class leading as the mid-bass seems more focused on getting the macro-details correct with less concern for surfacing every micro-detail in the mix.

Mids:

While the lower-mids do take a step back and are not emphasized like the bass, it is hard to call them recessed as they simply do not sound distant or lacking.   Mids have good clarity with no bleed from the mid-bass obscuring the lower-mid details.   Lower voices have good tone if not quite as weighted as some.  Guitar growl is crisp and nasty as it should be and strings have good energy as well.  The true mids are at the dip in the V and leave piano with a bit less life than strings before the upper-mid lower treble push adds back some energy.  Upper-voices have good weight and energy without getting nasal or harsh.

Treble:

I was a bit concerned with dual armatures handling the upper frequencies that the TA2 might be a bit hot in the treble but the tuning does a good job of avoiding that.   The lower treble is elevated to match the mid-bass rise but falls back fairly quickly above that and if anything is recessed from about the 5kHz mark through about 10kHz where there is some energy added back.  This does give the treble some grain as some regions are more accentuated than others but also avoids fatigue that can come with heat in the 9kHz range.    There is enough detail here to keep things likely and percussion has good snap save for cymbals that sound a bit unenthusiastic.

Soundstage / Imaging:

Stage is better than expected for an in-ear in this price bracket with all three dimensions well represented.   If anything stage shows a bit more width than depth when seating the orchestra, but instruments remain well position with good clean separations between.  Imaging follows suit with positions being well defined and movements around the stage being easy to identify and follow.  Layering is fairly good but as tracks get busier, especially in the lows, there is some tendency to thicken a bit.

 

Thoughts / Conclusion:

Overall the TA2 is milder than I expected, usually a hybrid with a dynamic and a pair of treble armatures results in a deeper V signature rather than the shallower more w shaped signature on display here.   If anything, some may find  the TA2 a bit overly polite which is quite a departure in the class of budget hybrids.   There is good energy in the sub-bass without mid-bass becoming thickened or sloppy, mids that are open and have good detail, and lower treble adds some life and energy to the mix.   The drop in the true treble helps keep the TA2 from becoming fatiguing but some will lament not having enough energy here to make cymbals really believable.  Overall for the asking price, the TA2 is a very solid effort and well worth an audition.