Introduction
TRI Audio is a sister company of Kbear from China and they are known for their boldness and being very innovative in creating a midrange to flagship in-ear monitors ranging from hybrids, multi balanced armatures and tribrid as well that is amassing fans from all over the globe for their high quality design along with a great sound signature. Legendary releases such as the I3, Starlight, Starshine and Starsea have been accumulating great reviews for their performance and they are very successful worldwide. Currently, TRI have been busy burning midnight oil in search of sound perfection and with new releases such as the all new I3Pro, they have now introduced a new entry level hybrid equipped with a single dynamic and a single balanced armature in-ear monitors, the Meteor. Hill Audio has been a great sport by sending us a pair of TRI Meteor for an honest take and we are truly grateful for this opportunity. Will the Meteor be another hit for TRI Audio? We shall find out.
Functions & Specifications
Before we start the review, here are the specifications of the TRI Meteor;
- Driver unit: Hybrid 10mm Beryllium-plated diaphragm DD and Knowles ED-29689 BA
- Interface/Connector：2PIN 0.78MM
- Plug type: 3.5MM
- Impedance: 12±2Ω
- Sensitivity: 105±3dB SPL/mW
- Frequency response：20hz-20KHZ .
- Wearing type: In-Ear
- Cavity material：Egger resin
- Whether with mic: No mic
- Cable length: 1.2m
- Cable material: 5N OFC
Retail Price & Where to Get
The TRI Meteor can be purchased at HILL AUDIO – MY for only RM499.00.
Purchase Link :
HILL AUDIO – MY Shopee : https://invol.co/cl792py
Packaging & Accessories
TRI has packaged the Meteor pretty handsomely and compactly. The box’s design is pretty simple but their product presentation is elegant and it feels premium. Inside we will find all the basics such as a set of Kbear 07 eartips, TRI branded leather case(similar to the KBear’s Aurora), a brush, a polishing cloth, an 8 core cable and the earphones itself, it is packed quite good for the price paid and i have no complaints here as they are a complete and very well presented.
Design
The design of the Meteor is made from the now common resin mould type and they are dark transparent black in colour. They are very well built, feel very solid in hand and they are professionally designed. The faceplate is painted beautifully reminiscent of the space theme that TRI are into. The size of the Meteor is rather big in size but they are very comfortable and they are a snug fit for my ears. The nozzle has 2 bores in front to separate the balanced armature sound with the dynamic driver to prevent the sound from crossing each other, improving separation. At the side, they have 2 small vents, one with a metal ring with no tube and another with tube connecting to the dynamic driver to increase their soundstage and to relieve driver flex.
The 8 core oxygen-free copper black cable is very well braided, light in weight and also flexible. Soundwise, they are an average sounding stock cable that has a balanced signature.
Inside, the Meteor is equipped with a 10mm beryllium played dynamic driver for the low end and a Knowles ED-29689 that is responsible for the midrange and the high frequency.
Gears Used for Comparisons
- FiiO M11Plus LTD
- Audio GD 28.38, dual clocks, Amanero USB
- Questyle M12
- Hidizs S9 Pro
- Beyerdynamics Xelento
- Etymotic ER3SE
- Intime Kira
- HZ Sound Heart Mirror
- Reecho SG-01
- Smabat Proto 1.0
- KBear Believe
Songs list
Tone and Presentation
TRI Meteor has a very well balanced, bright to warm and they are very transparent in their presentation. They are a slightly fast paced sounding earphone making them very responsive and they can handle busy tracks without any congestion. They are accurate and clear all around with a smooth tone that is not aggressive but not overly sterile in their presentation. They are able to produce a very accurate and detailed representation in the music played. This type of signature is great for critical listening and they are not fatiguing in any sense making it a great monitoring earphones as well as an everyday carry earphones.
Soundstage
Soundstage that the Meteor possesses is average for an in-ear monitor. They are wide but lack height in their soundstage. Headroom they are able to give out is quite good by giving a small room type of feel in their presentation.The 3D presentation is great with instruments and vocals being in the right place with decent airiness and they are great for live performances as they are holographic.
Separation and Timbre
Separation in hybrids usually doesn’t play well but if they are tuned properly in their crossovers, they will sound great and TRI Meteor are one of them. The layering is great for a hybrid based in-ear monitor and the drivers seem to work in harmony. On some bass heavy and busy tracks like EDM, the bass sometimes will sound just a little distant from the midrange, but they are very minor and almost indistinguishable. Timbre are superb and everything sounded natural and organic without any metallic highs or added colouration. Overall for a hybrid, they are very well tuned.
Drivability
Rated at an approximate 12 ohms, the Meteor is easy to drive and they will sound good even with a simple dongle setup or straight from a laptop. They don’t need excessive driving power, but a good source and good amplification will bring out better performance in these earphones as they tend to scale up pretty well with better equipment. A balanced cable upgrade does bring better dynamics to their presentation and they sounded better on balanced in my opinion. They are quite unforgiving on tracks that are poorly mastered and will show the flaws in tracks. With pure DSD, MQA files or other high quality files, they really do perform to their full potential but it is not a mandatory thing.
The Bass (Low)
Bass on the Meteor had a neutral and tight response. Their sub-bass is slightly recessed giving a rather weak rumble in their sub region. There is a lift in their mid-bass response and they have a good slam in their presentation. Bass has a great clarity and details here are decent without any bloat or bleeding into the midrange. They are not a basshead type of visceral bass, but rather a pure sounding bass with great details giving out a decent slam when called upon. Bass is very responsive but the lack of sub-bass makes this in-ears slightly unappealing for bass heavy tracks like EDM.
The Mids
Midrange that the Meteor pushes out is a forward sound presentation packed with great details and a great clarity for the asking price of this in-ears. The Knowles ED-29689 armature is known for its great midrange performance and the Meteor possesses this quality from this driver. Midranges in the Meteor are sweet, clean and transparent. Vocals sounded intimate and they worked well with male or female vocals alike. Midrange overall has a balanced signature with a slight push in the middle giving out a more forward sound and the resolution here is simply superb. Micro and macro details in the midrange are above average with everything sounded clean and clear. They are also very musical in their presentation here and with instrumental music, they are a treat as they are lush and sweet in their midrange. Overall, their midrange is a performer in my opinion.
The Highs
Highs on the Meteor is a neutral type of response giving out a clear treble and they perform well with a wide range of music genres. Possessing the ED-29689 driver, the high range of the Meteor is smooth and clear with great extension at the end. Their airiness is average at best but they had a sparkle in their presentation. They lack crispness in their high range but they sounded very natural without any harshness, peakiness or any shout present. The treble is spot on with everything sounding smooth and organic. They are not sibilant or hissy in any way but the high range the Meteor presents is slightly on the brighter side of the spectrum and those who wanted a darker sounding in-ears may not like this type of this sound profile. For my taste I would like a crisper and more exciting treble response but the treble the Meteor portrays is very accurate and natural to listen to, possessing no fatigue even in my long listening sessions.
Comparisons
VS Kbear Aurora
The Aurora is the most recent and the current flagship of KBear. They are V-shaped and have a slightly recessed midrange but have a great bass performance and they sounded very fun. They are single dynamic driver based earphones and they cost slightly more than the Meteor.
High region in Meteor has a more forward sound profile and they sounded a little livelier than the Aurora. Aurora’s treble is more polished and sounded smoother overall. High range on the Meteor is slightly more enjoyable.
Midrange on Meteor has a more balanced approach versus the slightly recessed midrange of the Aurora. The midrange in the Aurora sounded warmer and lusher but the Meteor has a better performance here by sounding fuller and more present.
Bass on the Aurora has the advantage by being deeper and their sub-bass presence has the advantage of the slightly muted sub-bass of the meteor. Meteor bass response is tighter and hits harder in the mid bass region. Aurora bass is more aggressive and fun sounding.
The soundstage on the Meteor is wider and they possess similar height in their performance but the Meteor sounded more intimate.
VS Intime Kira
The Intime Kira is my favourite earphones for treble performance as they are the best when it comes to treble performance in my opinion. They are from Japan and have a single dynamic driver. They are bright in their signature and priced slightly higher than the Meteor
Highs on the Kira are crispier and more airy than the Meteor. Extensions on both are quite similar but sparkle on the Kira is better and livelier. Kira treble is more aggressive but the Meteor sounded more natural and accurate.
Midrange on the Kira sounded thinner than the Meteor by a small margin. Both have a slight forwardness in their midrange presentation but clarity on the Meteor is better as well as the resolution.
Bass on the Kira sounded a little loose when compared to the Meteor. Impact on the Meteor is more apparent and sounded clearer. Sub-bass on both of these earphones are similar and they are mildly recessed.
Soundstage in the Kira sounded taller but had a similar wideness. Kira has more air in their soundstage.
VS HZ Sound Heart Mirror
The Heart Mirror is a staple now for their great performance with a price tag that is more approachable for budget conscious users. They cost less than half the asking price of the Meteor and they are equipped with a single dynamic driver. They are known for their details and transparency that punches way above their asking price.
Bass on the Meteor sounded much fuller and they have the edge in bass performance versus the muted bass of the Heart Mirror. Clarity and details in the bass of the Heart Mirror is slightly better but Meteor bass has a much better presence and performance
Midrange in the Heart Mirror has a better transparency and they sounded clearer. Meteor is thicker and has more body in their midrange sounding fuller than the neutral mids of the Heart Mirror.
High range in the Heart Mirror has more volume and they sounded livelier than the Meteor. Heart Mirror treble has a better sparkle, crisper and they possess more air. Meteor treble sounded a little more accurate and smoother while the Heart Mirror treble might sound a little fatiguing in some genres such as metal.
Soundstage that the Meteor possesses is wider and taller but in a very small margin.
Synergy
FiiO M11Plus LTD
The M11Plus LTD is my go-to digital audio player that houses 2 of the now rare AKM AK4497eq dac chips with THX amplification. They are neutral and warm in their sound signature and they bring out the best of most earphones that I tested it with. High range in the Meteor has better extension and has better definition. They have better speed in their decay and have a smoother response. Midrange sounded thicker and more intimate making the Meteor a better vocal performance and they sounded very musical. Bass has a bigger thump and sub-bass has a better presence. Soundstage has improved especially in their height making the Meteor more spacious in their presentation. Overall, the Meteor really sounded very good with this pairing and matches the Meteor very well.
Hidizs S9PRO
The Hidizs S9PRO is a Sabre ESS9038Q2M based dongle that has a balanced output and they are very powerful especially in their balanced 2.5mm output. They have a balanced and neutral performance with great details in them. High range has more sparkle and sounded slightly airier but extension remains the same. Midrange sounded clearer and had a slight boost in their resolution while sounding more balanced especially in the lower end of the midrange. Bass remained the same amount but they sounded clearer and tighter. Sub-bass still sounded a little recessed but they are a little more present in their presentation. Soundstage sounded wider and taller especially on the 2.5mm balanced out. Overall, they are my go-to set up for a more portable pairing. The extra power from the 2.5mm balanced out suits the Meteor very well.
Who Is It For?
TRI Meteor is a very organic and accurate sounding hybrid in-ear monitor that is quite cohesive and they are suitable for a wide range of music genres. For those who wanted a great midrange and smooth treble presentation, the Meteor is a great choice. For bassheads, they do not have a big sub-bass performance and the Meteor might not suit them. They sounded sweet and very intimate in their vocal performance. With instrumental music, they sounded accurate and full. They are suitable for critical listening as well as for music enjoyment.
Final words
TRI has indeed matured in their tuning with this Meteor. With their price tag, they are a true performer by being accurate, natural, detailed and coherent for a hybrid besting out plenty of offerings in their price range. Though being slightly muted on the sub-bass region, their bass has the quality over quantity situation where they are organic and clear in their presentation. They really shine when driven properly and show the flaws in poorly mastered tracks as they are unforgiving. Build is amazing and their tuning is rather spot on for a true technically pure performance. They are a treat for purist audiophiles as well as music lovers as they are also fun to listen to especially on vocals. I truly enjoyed the time I have spent with this Meteor and they deserve a recommendation in this price range.
I would rate this product a solid 
(4.5 / 5)
