64 Audio Trio Review

CL14715

 

Get them here! Bloom Audio

From 64 Audio:

 

“The perfect in-ear monitor for listeners looking for the sweet spot between reference-level clarity and a smooth sound signature for extended listening. The tia Trió is a great earphone for audiophiles seeking a clear, laid back, 3D sound in any genre.

 

Tia Trió features our complete, three-part tia™ system housed in an ergonomic shell, machined from a solid piece of aluminum and finished with elegant, brushed aluminum faceplates.”

 

The Tech:

 

  • Tia:

 

“The tia system is comprised of three major elements: open balanced armature tia drivers, the tia single-bore design, and tia acoustic chambers. The Trio features two major elements of the tia system: the tia driver and the tia single-bore design.”

 

  1. Tia Driver:

“An open balanced armature speaker design for realistic resolution and transparency. By opening a balanced armature, the diaphragm becomes fully unobstructed, reducing resonance in the IEM and allowing sound to travel more naturally to the ear.”

 

  1. Tia Single Bore:

“A huge advancement in eliminating unwanted tube resonance. The large bore itself serves as a sound-shaping chamber and aids the tia high driver in delivering a linear and coherent frequency response. The short sound path provides remarkable high-frequency extension and smoothness. The large single bore also allows for easier maintenance”

 

  • Apex:

 

“Apex, or Air Pressure Exchange, is a pneumatically interactive vent that releases air pressure from a sealed ear canal. It comes in two variations, m15 (-15dB) and m20 (-20dB).”

 

  1. Alleviate Listener Fatigue

“When you seal a miniature speaker in an ear canal, the air inside becomes trapped. Apex relieves this air pressure, allowing the eardrum to move naturally, so you can comfortably listen longer.”

 

  1. Extend The Soundstage

“Freely moving air extends the soundstage and provides a more natural listening experience. It also preserves bass frequencies and helps the listener distinguish individual instruments.”

 

  1. Hear Your Audience

“Custom in-ear monitors provide amazing isolation and help you hear your mix more clearly and at lower volumes than a wedge monitor or earbuds. Apex lowers decibel levels while preserving the clarity of the sounds around you, so artists on stage can connect with their audience while protecting their hearing.”

 

  • LID:

 

“LID, or Linear Impedance Design, enables a consistent, reliable sound regardless of what source. This proprietary circuit corrects the non-linear impedances of the drivers, restoring proper interaction with the source and preserving the desired sound signature.”

 

“Whether you’re a musician plugging into a variety of gear at different gigs or studios, or an audiophile listening from low-impedance sources, LID ensures your IEMs are delivering the desired sound signature consistently.”

 

“And like all our IEMs, this model can be used with a wide range of personal audio devices as well as all hard-wired and wireless monitor systems.”

 

  • Trio Specifications:

 

Driver Type/Count: 2 precision BA drivers, 1 dynamic driver

Driver Configuration: 1 tia high, 1 high-mid, 1 dynamic mid/low

Frequency Response: 5Hz – 22KHz

Sensitivity: 104db @1kHZ @1mw

Impedance: 5.5 +.5/-1.5 Ω from 10Hz – 20kHz

Crossover: Integrated 3-way passive crossover

Isolation: -15dB internal apex technology

 

  • IN THE BOX:

 

 

  1. 64 Audio tia Trió Universal In-Ear Monitors
  2. 64 Audio Personalized Protective Case
  3. Dehumidifier
  4. Cleaning Tool
  5. Shirt Clip
  6. “TrueFidelity” Eartips (S,M,L)
  7. Silicone Eartips (S,M,L)
  8. 48″ Detachable Premium Cable
  9. Round 64 Audio Sticker
  10. Product Manual

 

  • The Sound:

 

  1. Bass:  Having heard several top of line offerings, I have heard all types of bass ranging from great balanced armature bass to impossible lows from dynamic drivers. I have heard big pounding thick bass and I have heard lightning fast bass. The Trio combines nearly the best IEM bass characteristics and provides them in one neat package. The sub bass is guttural, textured well and deep enough to satisfy anyone who craves that visceral rumble off in the abyss. It is ever present but remains well separated. Mid bass nearly matches the decay and speed of some of the top balanced armature offerings. It’s not quite there but for a dynamic driver it’s very impressive. It’s fast, it’s punchy and really portrays the intensity of the called upon impact.

 

  1. Mids: One thing I have noticed about many 64 Audio offerings is that they know how to tune the mid-range. The Trio’s lower mids are fairly neutral in comparison to its elevated sub bass and punchy mid bass. This lends itself to create a bit more of a gap or separation from the coloration in the low end and maintain great clarity. The same goes with the upper-mids as they also maintain distance from the low end. Upper-mids are very detailed and clear especially noticed in vocals. They are slightly elevated and sound a bit bright but not in an offensive way. Rather, it seems clear that the Trio was created with intentions of making sure the upper mids stand apart from the bass. They didn’t want veiled vocals and that is immediately apparent.

 

  1. Treble: Well if you have ever heard a tia driver smack dab at the nozzle opening of any 64 Audio IEM, you know what you’re in for. Trio treble is fantastic. It is clean, detailed and airy. emitting a crispness to it that sounds nice but is a bit overly metallic and dry rather than natural. It is emphasized a bit and just on the brighter side of neutral, but it manages to do so without killing your ears.  The one word I often use to describe the treble is, “crisp”. It has a brightness about it while maintaining some restraint. It’s not that typical dense violent brightness many associate with the term, its sparkle is always there but in a delicate, inoffensive way. Albeit, inaccurate but I assume it’s there for the party trick to enhance clarity.

 

  • Overall Sound Presentation:

 

The 64 Audio Trio has more of a “U” shaped signature than a “W”, but it almost presents like a “W” due to the vocal forwardness and clarity. The bass is deep and impactful without spilling into the mids. The mids are neutral and slightly forward in the upper registers but tastefully so. The upper mids transition with similar tonality into the dynamic and crisp treble which just adds such depth and coherence to the sound. The sound stage is nice and open; airy with a pitch-black background thanks to LID. Sounds just float around you with great precision which adds to the experience. Nothing sounds veiled or recessed, you get a bit of everything but not too much of anything.

 

  • Comparisons:

(All comparisons done using M11 PRO, Lotoo Paw S1 and Fiio BTR 5)

 

  1. 64 Audio u12t: The bass is a bit more elevated on the Trio but ever so slightly quicker on the u12t. The mids are more colored on the u12t whereas the Trio sounds a bit more neutral to my ears. Treble is fairly similar but a bit more forward and airier on the Trio. The u12t strives to be more of a chameleon by retaining a safe no thrills tuning but executes everything well. The Trio was tuned to do much of what the u12t does well but amplified to give it more personality.

 

  1. 64 Audio Nio: The bass seems a bit more forward and boomy on the Nio with a definite mid bass tilt the Trio reigns back a bit. Don’t mistake it though, they both pack some boom, the Nio just more so. The mids are far more neutral on the Trio and very thick and warm sounding on the Nio. Treble is more relaxed on the Nio but still well detailed. The Trio treble has an order of magnitude more treble extension and air. The two sound nothing alike from the lower mids on. They complement each other quite well on the fun side of things.

 

  1. Empire Ears Legend X: I’ll make this bass comparison simple… the Legend X has the best quality bass on any IEM known to date. The quantity exceeds the Trio as well but in the best way possible. The Legend X has seductive mids once you get over the small nervous breakdown from the bass department. They are warmer compared to the Trio and more coherent. That being said, they sound nothing alike when it comes to mids and neither can be faulted for their tuning and presentation. They were both done flawlessly as far as mids are concerned. The treble is very detailed but soft on the Legend X and not as far forward or bright as the Trio. The Legend X flows from the low to mids to highs and the Trio segments each frequency range to create more separation but doesn’t lose much coherency. Out of complete transparency, the Legend X are my 2nd favorite IEM and the Trio are my 3rd. It comes down to which tuning you prefer in this head to head.

 

  1. Campfire Audio Solaris: Based on the ‘retail’ price difference this may not seem fair. Regardless, the Trio is the livelier more articulate of the two. The bass is very well executed on the Solaris variations and recently elevated on the latest 2020 iteration, but the Trio bass still stands ahead. It has more transparency to it while being deeper and more present. The mids overall are warmer on the Solaris with surprisingly smooth vocals. The lower mids of the Trio are more neutral but the upper mids come across a tad bit more colored but also more detailed than the Solaris. Treble extension is done well on the Solaris and they have that notorious Campfire Audio sparkle. The Trio takes the treble quality of the Solaris and adds a mind-bending excitement to it, overall just taking something good and making it great.

 

  1. Noble Sultan: Probably another comparison you think is wildly unfair bearing the Sultan’s $2900 price tag. Again, at this top of line price point you’re usually splitting hairs. Notice I said, usually… In this case, I don’t feel the Sultan belongs here in the top of line conversation. It has a TOTL price but not TOTL performance. The Trio bests the Sultan across the entire frequency spectrum and does so without estats along with a fraction of the drivers planted in the Sultan. The Sultan takes what could be a tuning similar to the Trio and adds this unnecessary density to it, killing the extension. Effectively booting the attack, decay and transients of what could be. I still cannot for the life of me understand why they used estats if they tuned them the way they did. All that potential just forfeited for no reason.

 

  1. Empire Ears Odin: (it’s humble pie time) Admittedly, this isn’t a fair comparison but there is a reason I am providing it. Reason being is to understand where the Trio falls short compared to the most outrageous sounding IEM I own and have heard. Candidly, it’s not extremely far behind. The Odin bests the Trio by its sheer depth, clarity, layering and sense of space. The Trio does all these things extremely well, as if you couldn’t tell by the glowing review, but the Odin turns them up to 11. The bass of the Trio is fantastic and lively, but the Odin’s bass is damn fast, perfectly textured and despite being tuned down, reaches as deep as the Mariana trench. The mids, lower and upper are more neutral with the Odin but so resolving that it’s ridiculous. The Trio mid-range spectrum is a bit more colored but still gives you all the information you need. Treble is a bit more contrasted between the two. Odin has estats that were tuned properly (we’re looking at you Sultan) but in such a way that they aren’t overpowering. Natural and smooth is my best way to describe the Odin. Although that may sound boring, the Treble of the Odin possess this extension and infinite space that I cannot get over. Many will demo Odin quickly but not spend the time to really explore the galaxy of overhead they can scale. Trio treble is in a league of its own thanks to the tia driver, but it sounds forced or emphasized when compared to the Odin. If you don’t compare the Trio to the Odin or $3k and $4k IEM’s it’ll eat most others alive.

 

  • Conclusion:

 

The 64 Audio tia Trio is admittedly one of my favorite IEM’s to date. Only bested by the Legend X and Odin. They emit some of the most clearly defined and fun notes simultaneously. If I could make any pop culture reference to describe them, it would be the mullet… business up front, party in the back.

They have the technical chops to compete with any TOTL offering and yet they have so much life in their sound. One of the best balances between critical listening and fun tuning I have heard. The Odin bests the Trio for me as highlighted above but you have to respect an IEM that that can even be in that conversation. 64 Audio has demonstrated that they are fighting to put out unbelievably well-tuned offerings and don’t show any sign of slowing down. If you’re in the market for APEX and those crazy expensive 64 Audio Fourte’s or the limited Fourte Noir are invoking your lack of self-control, plunk the cash down on the Trio first. You’ll most likely be very glad that you did.