Tin Hifi T4Plus

disclaimer:  I was approached by a HifiGo / TinHifi representative regarding several recent TinHifi Models.  I had been lucky enough to have tried a beta version of the T4Plus at The Show that was part of the Awedyo Audio collection and really enjoyed it so was hopeful that the final product would be equally good or improved.   I quickly agreed to review the new T4Plus along with the C2 Mech Warrior and C3 models.   I have no financial interests in Awedyo, TinHifi, or any of its distributors and have received no compensation or advice regarding these reviews.    If you have an interest in the T4 Plus,  please check out their website.   To purchase a T4 Plus or other Tin Hifi models, see HifiGO.

 

Unboxing / Packaging:

TinHifi has a history of understated packaging and eschewing the Waifu characters that have become common with several other brands, So I was a bit surprised to see the T4 Plus labeled as the space station with a cartoonish space station on the front of the box.   A closer look reveals that the space station is actually made of one earpiece and the other is positioned in the background in the lower left corner of the box.   The only down-side I can see to the packaging is it doesn’t actually tell what is inside.   I couldn’t find any specs or the word earphone or in-ear monitor anywhere on the outer packaging.     removing the slip-cover reveals a more traditional box with a black cloth-like matte surface and the TinHifi name and logo in silver.  Opening the box shows the earpieces in foam surround, lifting that tray  reveals the leather hard case with the cable and tips tucked inside.    There are nine sets of tips (all silicone) with two typical wide and narrow bore styles and a third that look to be symbio mandarins.   This set of hybrid tips are called composite silicone memory foam sponges and have foam behind the silicone dome to give a more secure fit.

 

Build/Fit:

The T series have all shared the same barrel shape with the nozzle on one end and the face-plate on the opposite.  the bi-pin connector is mounted via a band around the rear portion of the barrel.   Each model in the series has a unique face-plate design with this latest iteration having a wood inlay with a gold band outlining it.   The metal body is matte gray giving the T4 Plus a more subtle look than some of the earlier raw aluminum models.   With the barrel style, the insertion depth can be controlled by tip selection with smaller tips seating more deeply and larger tips a bit shallower.   For me the most comfortable size is the medium tips of if using the symbio style foam backed tips the large.    With the cable being designed for tip-up wear and fairly deep insertion depth the earpieces stay put well and isolate reasonably well.   I have always found the barrel style in-ears to be comfortable as the body is usually smaller than their teardrop shaped counterparts.

 

Internals:

Like most of the T-series models, the T4 Plus utilizes a 10mm dynamic driver, this time with a carbon nano-tube diaphragm.    The new drivers uses an N54 external magnet structure combined with an imported CCAW voice-coil for added speed.    This is the 3rd generation of the 10mm driver in the T4 series and each has built on its earlier versions.    This latest version sports a nominal impedance of 32Ω and a sensitivity of 106 dB.   It is rated for a maximum of 5mW.      Moving the magnet to the exterior allows for use of a larger magnet without blocking the diaphragm or limiting the Xmax.     I found the T4Plus easy to drive from most dongles but it does like a bit of extra power and I found dongles like the Xduoo Link 2 balanced, Cayin Ru6 and Queststyle M15 all gave great results paired with the T4Plus.

Cable:

This cable is very similar to the one provided with the C3 with the same barrel fixtures with machined in spirals on the jack, splitter, and bi-pin housings.  The jack is a 3.5mm straight style with a short strain relief.    The cable is a 4 wire braid with two strands having a dark burnished copper brown casing and the other two a matte silver/gray which gives the cable a bit more upscale look than the version with the C3.     The splitter is a matching barrel style followed by a coin style chin-slider with the Tin Logo.   At the top end the cable has ear-hooks without memory wire and 0.78mm bi-pin connectors again in the matching metal housings.   Indexing labels on the sides of the housings and the right side having  a red designator at the pin junction make it quite easy to index .    The cable itself is 4 core silver plated 270C Oxygen free copper in a clear housing and is quite flexible with little or no memory and it did a good job of not transmitting any noise to the earpieces.

 

Tips:

While a lot of in-ears now come with several styles of tips, this is the first set I’ve received that came with three sizes of the composite style tips and I find them quite good.   While I like foam tips, they often irritate my ears so having the foam encapsulated behind a layer of silicone gives me the fit and isolation of foams with the comfort of silicone tips.  Its a trend I hope to see more makers jump onboard with.

 

Sound:

 

Bass:

Sub-bass has good depth and rumble with a mild emphasis centered around 70Hz and trailing off to both sides.  Roll-off is well down into the 20Hz range and sub-bass textures are better than expected for an offering at this price.   Mid-bass has good slam and impact as well with good textures and transparency.  The CNT driver is quick on both attack and decay which helps the T4Plus to produce good slam without getting thickened or losing clarity in the process.    This isn’t a basshead in-ear so much as it is a well done mild V or U shape with good low-end thump.

 

Mids:

Lower-mids show no obstruction from bass bleed and no loss of clarity as the emphasis fades away.  Lower voices have good timbre and note weight without sounding heavy.  Guitars have good snarl and growl and again the driver speed helps with keeping the rasp sharp.   Lower string and piano have a nice natural tone and the T4Plus makes a good choice for concerto or quartet listening as well.   Higher strings and vocals do have a mild lift starting at about 2kHz and becoming more pronounced as the signature moves into the lower treble.    This helps vocals and violins cut through the mix but stops short of becoming nasal or harsh so its a good balance of energy and restraint.    Overall the mids are well textured with good detail and a near neutral presentation and is quite  similar to the TinHifi C3 I just finished reviewing but with a bit more finesse and refinement.  The lift in the lower treble is a bit more pronounced here than the C3 so those who are treble sensitive may prefer the slightly more polite C3 while those looking for a bit more texture and detail will find the T4Plus to their liking.

 

Treble:

Here again we see a lift in the lower treble similar to other Tin Hifi models reviewed recently and a fairly quick step back above that.    This combination of lower treble push and true treble recess gives the listener detail in the early treble that helps percussion snap and vocal presence, but the decrease while helpful in limiting stridency and piercing that can happen with lots of energy in the 9kHz range does limit the presentation of cymbals and hi-hat both of which are slightly less than 100%.    This is intentional and the tuning yields a signature that is good for long listening sessions without becoming fatiguing in the process but does mean that sparkle is somewhat limited.   Air is fairly good thanks to a lift around 10kHz before final roll-off above that mark which keeps stage from feeling closed in.

 

Soundstage / Imaging:

 Stage has good dimensions with a bit more width than depth but over-all good proportion and a bit less flat than the c2 and c3 models.  There is enough height for vocals to come from a place above the bulk of the instrumentation and echoes to come from seemingly correct angles.   Seating the orchestra is straight forward as the stage dimensions, instrument separation, and layering all help to keep placements tight and non-overlapping.   Imaging is good with movements easily tracked in space and positions well defined on the stage.    There is some very mild compression in the lows as tracks get really complex but it is less than seen on most models at this price point.

 

Thoughts / Conclusion:

I love the look of the new T4-Plus and find the wood faces a nice hi-end touch that brings the looks to a level beyond what the T-series has offered so far.  Otherwise the shape and materials are very much Classic T-series with the same basic shell from the original T2 still hiding underneath new clothes.   That will make some happy and others not so much.  I never had a problem with the earlier T-series models where fit or comfort was concerned and find the new T4Plus equally comfortable for long wear with no fatigue and very little weight felt on the ear.    Sound wise, these are probably the best T-series model to date as they come closer to neutrality than previous models that have all leaned a bit to the bright side.     There are definite similarities with the other recent TinHifi releases as well as with the T-series and the T4Plus sounds like a more refined C3 with better textures, good bass oomph, improved imaging, and a bit better overall balance.    Potential down-sides are  the treble is a bit polite which limits sparkle and top-end and those looking for the last little bit of detail in that range won’t find it here.    Still, for a model that retails around the $100 USD mark, the T4Plus is a strong contender with good balanced and a sound signature that lends itself to a broad range of genres.