Introduction
I’ve always believed that the lower budget earphones market plays a crucial role in the earphones market, often serving as the “gateway drug” to a hobby that can quickly turn into a deep, never ending rabbit hole. These entry level earphones also set the benchmark for what we should expect in terms of sound quality and design, and they allow us to gauge how much more we might gain when moving into the mid or higher tier segments. Today, in this budget tier we’ll be exploring the Truthear Gate, a new kid from Truthear to fill in their entry level tier replacing the Hola.
A special thanks to Red Ape Audio Store for providing us the opportunity to review this model. Be sure to check out their online store in the links below or visit their physical location to try the Truthear Gate yourself, especially if our review piques your interest in these earphones or you can check out their wide variety of headphones and earphones.
Lazada: https://s.lazada.com.my/s.m79kK
Shopee: https://my.shp.ee/4YHzWdx
Functions & Specification
First, let’s quickly go over the specifications. The Truthear Gate model we received includes a 2 pins earphones 3.5mm cable with in-line microphone and a 3-button remote. Two of the buttons on the side control the volume, while the middle button handles call functions and music playback, making it versatile for daily use. Below are the technical details of the Gate:
Driver: 10mm Dynamic Driver
Diaphragm Material: Carbon LCP Dome Composite Ultra-thin PU Diaphragm
Impedance: 28Ω±15%@1kHz
Sensitivity: 122dB/Vrms@1KHz
Total Harmonic Distortion: THD≤1%@1kHz (94dB)
Frequency Response Range: 10-45kHz (IEC61094, Free Field)
Effective Frequency Response Range: 20-20KHz (IEC60318-4, -3dB)
Source: https://truthear.com/products/gate
The packaging for the Truthear Gate is pretty much what you’d expect from a budget friendly pair of earphones. It’s all paper based, keeping things simple and cost effective. Like many of the earphones packaging out there, of course there’s an anime character on the front and on the back, you get the technical specs along with a frequency response graph to give you an idea of how they sound.
When you slide the inner box out, the minimalist approach continues. The earphones are held in place by a paper holder with a bit of foam in the middle for some protection. There’s also a small box inside that holds the ear tips. What’s cool is that instead of just one set of tips, you get two different sets. One has a thicker diameter which is shorter comes with 4 sizes, another has a thinner diameter that comes with 3 sizes, which likely helps with a deeper fit in the ear canal. Each set comes in three sizes, so you can find the best fit to your ear canal.
Just when you think that’s all the accessories Truthear includes with their $18 earphones, surprise! There’s a hidden layer under all the boxes. After a bit of effort lifting it up, you’ll find a leather-like pouch with a metal spring seal to safely store the earphones.
Design
When it comes to lower budget tier earphones, some brands try to make their affordable models look as premium as possible. Techniques like chrome-plated plastic or thick paint layers on the shell create the illusion of a unibody design and add a more upmarket feel.
However, the design of the Truthear Gate takes a different approach. It’s simple, honest, and of course cost effective, with no coatings or fancy finishes to make it seem like an expensive pair of earphones. The shell is made up of three parts, a clear plastic faceplate that gives you a full clear view of the internal components, a 0.78mm 2 pin connector, a 10mm dynamic driver with Truthear branding printed on the driver’s PCB, and two silver wires connecting the driver to the connector. You can even see how the driver is glued on to the housing. On the left faceplate, the Truthear logo is printed, while “Gate” appears on the right, just to remind what brand and model of earphones you’re using. The Gate that we received has a main body constructed from black plastic, housing all the internal components, there is another variation that comes in solid white plastic which to me looks slightly better in presentation, with a matching black nozzle grille to keep the design cohesive.
Although the earphones’ shell design doesn’t stand out when compared to the similarly priced earphones, it is still very well shaped and there are no sharp edges that can be found on every corner of the earphones. The earphones sit really well in my ear and I don’t feel the weight thanks to the light weighted PC+ABS plastic build.
Things take a surprising turn when it comes to the cable, Truthear has included a really well built 2 pin cable that is terminated with a 3.5mm connector. Instead of a typical thin cable that we see from other budget tier earphones, the Gate cable is thick and nicely twisted. The cable did not produce much distracting microphonics and they are not easily tangled. Interestingly, the Y splitter and the remote on the cable has a metal housing which gives a better feel than the earphones itself.
Gears Used for Comparisons
- Apple iPhone 15 Pro with Apple USB-C to 3.5mm Headphone Adapter
- M3 Macbook Air 15″
- Fiio μBTR
- Tangzu Changle
Song List
- Blinding Lights – The Weeknd
- おもかげ(Produced by Vaundy) – Milet, Aimer and Lilas Ikuta
- Bleeding Love – Leona Lewis
- カタオモイ – Aimer
- Niccolo Paganini – Violin Concerto No.2 “La Campanella”
- The Dave Brubeck Quartet – Take Five
Tone and Presentation
For the sound valuation, I will be using the thinner diameter tip as it gives me a better fitment. The Truthear Gate have a somewhat U shaped tuning, it is a safer approach that most beginners should be able to accept. To add some character, Truthear had added some flavours to it, there are some extra emphasis on the sub bass, higher mids and lower treble. The lower mids though, felt slightly toned down probably due to the boost on higher mids and lower treble, giving the overall presentation to be less warm sounding.
Soundstage
The soundstage of the Gate is on the more intimate side. Most of the track portrayed the vocals and instruments closely to the listener, there is not much frontal depth and height. There is some width though, but overall it feels like the whole band is performing in a small room. This is expected from an entry level earphones, expecting a concert hall like soundstage from an earphones at this price point is basically like going to your local fast food restaurant and expecting a filet mignon in a cheap single patty cheeseburger.
Separation and Timbre
The Truthear Gate delivers decent musical separation for its price range for the most part, bassier instruments like bass guitars are easily distinguished from acoustic guitars, higher toned instruments like cymbals are also easily distinguishable. However, with more complex tracks with multiple similarly toned vocals or instruments , its limitations become noticeable. For example, in our test track “おもかげ,” when all three female vocalists sing together, I need to focus carefully to distinguish each voice, as it can sometimes blend together and sound like only two vocalists are singing. This is also portrayed on “La Campanella” when the violin and viola are performing together, they may sound like the same instruments playing the same notes.
For the most part, the Truthear Gate offers a fairly natural sound profile for its price point, though it does have some unique characteristics that stand out. The upper mids exhibit a slight boost, which means certain vocals, particularly female voices, come across with a bit more forwardness and energy. This can add an engaging, lively quality to vocals but also might occasionally make them sound a bit intense or overemphasised, especially at higher volumes. The slight boost on the upper mids also enhances the sparkle in high-frequency instruments like cymbals and triangles, giving them an extra shine. On the other end, there’s a mild dip in the lower mids, which results in some instruments like bass guitars sounding slightly less full. With this combination, some listeners who are sensitive to treble can potentially lead to listening fatigue over extended periods or at high volume.
Drivability and Source Synergy
The Truthear Gate is very easy to drive and should reach adequate volume levels with virtually any source you plug it into without a need of amplifier. Paired with my iPhone 15 Pro using Apple’s USB-C to 3.5mm adapter, I found that 45% volume provided an ideal listening level. The Gate also demonstrates enough sensitivity to pick up minor compression artifacts on Spotify’s 320kbps streams. While these flaws are subtle, using a high-quality, lossless audio file with a clean source would be an ideal match to fully appreciate its capabilities.
Bass
Bass would be the star of the Truthear Gate, I don’t mean that the Gate is a basshead earphones, nope, it is not overemphasised and it will not create a rumble that will shake your head. But instead, it is very controlled, almost perfect. The sub-bass extension is tight and nicely presented, even with bassy tracks, the lower bass notes are well presented without colouring the mids, there is no muddyness present even with the bump on the lower bass section.
Mids
Midrange from the Gate is tuned in a way to bring out more energy by bumping up the higher mids. Female vocals, violins and electric guitars tend to push way more forward in the staging, this makes instrumental tracks like violin orchestra much more engaging when the violin solo comes in. Certain tracks with female vocalists like “Bleeding Love” though, Leona Lewis’ voice tend to sound a little too shouty for my preference with such tuning but it did project much more higher energy from her voice.
Highs
The elevation from the upper mids continues into the lower treble, which is also a contributing factor to a bit of sharpness in certain female vocals, which can make them sound forward and, at times, slightly harsh. While this tuning adds a nice sparkle and airiness to instruments like triangles and cymbals, giving them a lively presence, it also means that the highs may come across as a bit intense on certain tracks. Although the Gate provides clarity and detail, listeners who are very sensitive to high frequencies might find the treble somewhat fatiguing over longer listening sessions.
Comparisons
Tangzu Princess Changle
The Changle comes in at a lower price than the Gate and is an older model, yet in terms of look and feel, it gives a notably more premium vibe with its CNC-engraved, full metal body. Unlike the Gate though, the Changle lacks a detachable cable, and the built in cable total thickness is thinner than the Gate’s single wire.
When it comes to bass, the Changle falls a bit short. It doesn’t reach as deep and tight in the sub-bass range as the Gate, though Changle offers a warmer sound profile, which creates a more relaxed and laid-back listening experience compared to the Gate’s more energetic presentation. The Changle mid highs and lower treble is noticeably tuned lower than the Gate’s this gives the Changle smoother sound signature. Even though the Changle has an engraved open back body, the soundstage is very similar to the Gate’s, slightly wider and deeper at best.
Final Words
The Truthear Gate priced at the very budget friendly level, it will be very well suited for those that are just starting to dip their toes into the earphones world without breaking their bank account or get lectured by their partner by spending too much on this hobby. Sure, the appearance of earphones body build probably wouldn’t give much wow factor, but the Gate makes it up on the sound tuning, it focuses on the overall musical clarity and bringing out the mid highs energy on the overall listening experience. All in all it is certainly a welcome as another option in the entry level budget earphone category.
