TRI Starsea Review (2) – When You Wish Upon a Star

Pros

• 4 tuning switches that ain’t gimmicks, so one can change the sound signature to suit different moods and music genres (ranging from mild U shaped to V shaped).
• Very good technicalities.
• Good isolation.
• The TRI Starsea is quite “monitor” like, and in view of the above good technicalities, it can be a good set for audio work or stage monitoring.
• Very light and well fitting. No driver flex. Beautiful resin shells.
• Quality bass which is on the faster and tighter side.
• Generous accessories.
• 2 pin connector – better longevity than MMCX connectors in general.

Cons:

• Very source picky: sounds good on sources with as lowest output impedance as possible, but fares badly without amping or on gear that has high output impedance (FR is skewed).
• Overall, when not amped, note weight and bass is on the thin side with some lack in dynamics. Not as “fun sounding” or “musical” as some peers, and can be sterile and subdued, especially when not amped.
• BA timbre in higher frequencies for acoustic instruments.
• Can get hot in upper mids with vocal and pure tone configs.
• Switches are very small, need a pin (provided) to flip the switches. Those with vision or coordination issues may have some difficulties.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The TRI Starsea Stasi is not part of the East German Secret Police Apparatus.

The TRI Starsea is actually a hybrid with 4 tuning switches to give a potential mild V shaped to U shaped sound. It is rather versatile as such, and has very good technicalities. It focuses on a quality bass and the TRI Starsea may even make a good stage or studio monitor. Its shells are beautiful and well made. The TRI Starsea is rather source picky though, and is a bit thin in note weight when not amped. It does lack a bit in dynamics and “fun factor” and has BA timbre, but otherwise one can see it as getting 4 IEMs with 1 purchase due to the tuning switches.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Driver type: High-frequency balanced armature: Customized TRI-HI-A, Three-frequencies balanced armature: Knowles ED-29689, Low frequency dynamic driver: 8 mm composite silicon crystal biological diaphragm
• Frequency range: 20 Hz – 20kHz
• Impedance: 9.5 Ω
• Sensitivity: 106 ± 2dB
• Cable Connector: 2Pin 0.78mm, 8 strands silver-plated Cable
• Tested at $129 USD

ACCESSORIES

In addition to the IEM, it comes with a very generous assortment of accessories:

1) 2 types of foam tips.

2) 3 types of silicone tips (each comes in S/M/L sizes). One type comes in black with a wider bore and is filmsier. The other 2 types (red and green) are firmer with a narrower bore and between them, they have slightly varying ear tip diameters. Do tip roll to see what suits you best in comfort and sound signature, but I generally found the wider bore black ones to boost treble, whereas the narrower bore ones boosted the bass. I preferred the firm green narrower bore ones overall, as I found they gave the thickest note weight. YMMV as we have different ear anatomies.

3) Nice PVC carrying case.

5) Pin to flips tuning switches -> don’t lose this! Good thing is the carrying case has a pouch to potentially store this pin.

6) Thick and well braided 8 core SPC -> it is of good quality but a wee bit microphonic. For cable skeptics, please move on to the next section. For cable believers, I find a pure copper cable generally synergizes better with the TRI Starsea as this IEM is a bit lacking in note weight (especially when not amped or with inappropriate source pairing), so copper cables seem to increase the warmth in the lower mids a tinge rather than the stock silver plated one.

7) Microfibre cloth

For the purposes of this review, I used the default green stem silicone stock tips and stock cable.

BUILD/COMFORT

The TRI Starsea is comfortable and well fitting for me, despite its larger size. It is honestly much lighter than it looks. The shell is made of resin and has a concha protrusion, a bit like the BLON Cardinal and BGVP DM6 shell in terms of good ergonomics and looking like semi customs. I know some friends who love the concha protrusion, whereas others hate it as it may cause discomfort with longer sessions, so YMMV, as we have different ear anatomies.

The shell is very beautiful and comes in a purple hue with speckles of other colours. Well, some IEMs (cough cough Kinera) do look beautiful but sometimes the sound doesn’t measure up to the looks, so I’ll take a good sounding set over a good looking shell any day. It is a bonus if the sound and looks are both good, but I’ll still go for good sound over a crap looking shell.

I didn’t detect any driver flex on the TRI Starsea.

I liked that it came in a 2 pin config for cable housing, I had many bad experiences with MMCX connectors in general, for longevity.

Do note that the tuning switches are very small, one will need the provided pin or at least a toothpick to flip the switches (it can’t be flipped with a finger). People with poorer vision or poor motor control may have issues with flipping them. In addition, it might be difficult to flip the switches when outside on the go (eg say in a bus when it is moving).

Personally though, I prefer tuning nozzles than tuning switches, a friend of mine after doing repeated toggling of the dip switches of another IEM, he had the switch snap. Another said that after not using the dip switches for a few months, it sort of rusted in place and can’t be toggled anymore. I guess YMMV though. But I have a feeling most folks when using IEMs that have tuning nozzles/switches, they will probably just leave it in their most favoured config most days of the week. And there’s also the suspicion that tuners may have their attention divided when tuning gear with multiple tuning configs; some tuning configs may have been given more care and attention compared to other configs which may have been shoehorned in or just put as an afterthought?

ISOLATION

Isolation on the TRI Starsea is good but not classleading, this is expected since it is vented, so it won’t beat unvented pure BA setups in this respect. The vent does let in wind noise too in windy environments.

It does a rather good job for isolation during commuting, but when not amped or with inappropriate source pairing, the TRI Starsea is not a basshead IEM (even on the bassiest tuning config), and as bass frequencies are the first to be lost in a noisy environment, I would still prefer to use the TRI Starsea at home. One might be tempted to push up the volumes while commuting to make up for the bass losses and this may cause the upper mids area to be hot in certain configs (eg Pure Tone and Vocals config).

DRIVABILITY/SOURCE

I tried the TRI Starsea on a Khadas Tone Board -> Topping L30, Sabre HIFI DAC (ESS ES9280C PRO), Shanling Q1 DAP, Tempotec Sonata HD Pro, Ziku HK-X9 DAP -> Fiio A3 and a humble android smartphone.

The TRI Starsea is very picky when it comes to sources. It fairs the best with sources with very low output impedance, ideally close to zero if possible. The Starsea’s advertised impedance is 9.5 ohms (not sure which tuning switch this is measured on), and that is low for an IEM. Higher output impedance gear may affect the frequency curve of the Starsea, I find it skews towards the upper frequencies and makes the sound brittle and thin and basslite. I had a similar issue with the Audiosense T800, that had an impedance of 9.2 ohms, it was also a fussy IEM that sounded good on low impedance output gear, but may sound bad on other stuff like smartphones.

So the TRI Starsea has a thin note weight and has a bit of a lack in dynamics, and sounds subdued and “meh”, when just powered from a lower powered source or in a source that doesn’t synergize well. It sounds fuller when amped, especially for the bass heft and extension. The TRI Starsea is not as power hungry as the planar containing TRI I3, but dynamics, details and soundstage do scale slightly better with powerful sources, in addition to the aforementioned bass.

Even among sources with a low output impedance, the TRI Starsea benefits from synergizing with a warmer rather than colder source, in view of the above thinner note weight. Using a warmer source adds some lower mid heft and thickness, and adds more meat to the bones, so to speak.

SOUND & TECHNICALITIES

The TRI Starsea has 4 tuning switches, they do change the sound and ain’t gimmicks (cough cough looking at you NiceHCK M6). I’ll try to explain the various sound signatures below:

With both switches down – “exquisite pure tone” – this is the default tuning the TRI Starsea comes in. The tonality sounds like a mild V shape with an upper mids and treble boost, with a slight bass boost. The bass is slightly north of neutral, subbass > midbass in quantity. It is quite comfortable in the higher frequencies and balances a fine line between shoutiness and a forward upper mids/lower treble. With louder volumes (Fletcher Munson curve), or in poorly recorded materials, then some shoutiness may show. Lower mids are depressed but not overly so like some other deep V shaped CHIFI sets. The treble is moderately extended here.

With switch 1 down, switch 2 up – “beautiful vocals” – overall, upper mids are boosted, but the bass is decreased. Hence the ears perceive it to be somewhat bright U shaped. There’s sibilance, and the upper mids and treble can get hot (due to the corresponding bass drop). Vocals are clearer, especially female vocals, though this tuning can get fatiguing with longer sessions due to the wealth of details and clarity. It has slightly less bass than the first “exquisite pure tone” config and approaches neutral in the midbass. Subbass quantity is still more than midbass, but subbass extension isn’t very deep and sounds like a BA bass in terms of speed and extension/decay.

Both switches up – “balanced tuning” – sounds like a mild U shaped. Indeed it is the most balanced of the configs as claimed. I think it is the most inoffensive of the tunings. It is probably the tuning that is quite similar to the big brother TRI I3, though the TRI I3 has a 3 kHz peak, but the peak in this configuration in the TRI Starsea has been shifted a bit earlier to the 2ish kHz region. This tuning has the thickest lower mids of the 4 tuning configs. Bass is north of neutral but not at true basshead quantities, especially when not amped/inappropriate source pairing. Treble is not the most extended here, trebleheads may find it overly safe.

With switch 1 up and switch 2 down – “amazing bass” – sounds mild V shaped approaching L shaped, lower mids are recessed with a subbass boost. Upper mids and lower treble are boosted, but less than the bass, so the ear takes the frequency response as a whole and it is the most bassy of the 4 configurations. Subbass extension is the deepest of the 4 tunings here. But subbass is not the deepest in extension compared to other DD containing basshead IEMs. Bass is north of neutral, subbass is more than midbass in quantity but this is not at basshead levels even though it is claimed to be “amazing bass”. When not amped, or with wrong source pairing, I find it lacking a bit in midbass punch and thickness (in note weight), but then again, I’m a basshead so YMMV. The midbass thickness and quantity does improve with amping, using low output impedance sources (as detailed above), using narrower bore tips or perhaps copper cables (if you ain’t a cable skeptic). Instead of pursuing a basshead quantity, TRI has gone for a good quality bass. There’s no midbass bleed and quite good texturing present. The bass is on the speedier and tighter side. On this tuning, the higher frequencies are rather tamed, smooth and non fatiguing.

Among the tuning configs, I found the pure tone and vocal configs weren’t my cup of tea, as they were hot in the upper mids/treble (especially at louder volumes), with some sibilance present, but perhaps trebleheads will like those configs. FWIW, I did most of my listening with the balanced and amazing bass tunings. I think other than bassheads, most others will find a suitable sound signature with the 4 tuning configs on the Starsea.

Technicalities are a highlight in the TRI Starsea, the imaging is very good for the price, with a dark background allowing one to pinpoint instruments easily. When amped, soundstage is above average in height and width, but average in depth and there are sets with better soundstages at the same price bracket (eg TRI I3). Soundstage is not as expansive when unamped, but I didn’t find music to be congested during complex pieces. Clarity is dependent on which tuning switch is activated, as boosted treble/upper mids usually give more clarity on the pure tone and vocal configs. Details are above average, and instrument separation is generally very good. In fact, due to the good technicalities and good isolation, the TRI Starsea will make a good stage monitor or tool for audio work. There ain’t that many $100ish and below CHIFI sets that are suited for monitoring work, so this area can be a niche market for IEMs like the TRI Starsea, what more so with the different tuning switches on offer.

Unfortunately BA timbre resides in the treble and mid frequencies, and has a bit of a “metallic” sheen sometimes for acoustic instruments. The frequencies settled by the DD bass has very good timbre for drums and percussion instruments. I’ve definitely heard worse timbre in other multi BA/hybrids (cough cough KZs and TRNs), but generally single DD type IEMs will achieve better accuracy of timbre compared to the TRI Starsea, though the TRI Starsea will probably beat them in technicalities, so different strokes for different folks.

Note weight on the TRI Starsea is on the leaner and thinner side, and the sound can be quite undynamic at times, especially when used on weaker sources or with inappropriate source pairing. So it isn’t a “fun” sounding or “in your face” set, but the TRI Starsea just portrays the music with accuracy, control and restrain, sometimes veering to the sterile side on the less bassy configs.

COMPARISONS

TRI I3 (1 BA + 1 planar + 1 DD) ($147 USD)

The TRI I3 is a very coherent and balanced sounding U shaped tribid, despite the weird mismash of driver configs. It is smooth and generally not harsh, except for an occasional 3 kHz spike that can rear its head during poorly recorded material (with say trumpets) or at boosted volumes. One negative area on the TRI I3 is that is has a bit of lack of sparkle in the treble for trebleheads, and was deemed overly safe in the treble.

The TRI Starsea is very different in tonality from the TRI I3, with the latter being more warm and analoguish and thicker in note weight, even on the balanced tuning where the FR is similar. The TRI Starsea as detailed above, is more “monitor” like and drier and leaner, especially when not amped or with inappropriate source pairing.

Isolation is poorer on the TRI I3, and the planars on the TRI I3 need amping to scale. The TRI Starsea as discussed also benefits from amping, but is less power hungry. Timbre is better on the TRI I3 for the treble frequencies, though the TRI Starsea seems to have better timbre in the lower end frequencies handled by the DD, such as in drums and percussions.

The TRI I3 has one of the best soundstages at the $100ish price bracket (in width/height/depth) when amped, and it beats the TRI Starsea in this area. The TRI I3 is more “grand” sounding when amped and more musical and more dynamic, with more spaciousness. Technicalities are close for instrument separation, details, imaging for the 2 TRI brothers, but with adequate power, I think the TRI Starsea is slightly better in this area, other than in soundstage.

I view the TRI I3 as the rotund extroverted big brother who is warm and outgoing, whereas the TRI Starsea is the skinny, introverted and shy younger brother, who quietly aces all the exams and is very intelligent and knowledgeable. The TRI Starsea is the more technical IEM, with more versatility due to the 4 tuning switches, whereas the TRI I3 is the one with the bigger and grander sound, especially in the area of soundstage (when amped). Different strokes for different folks, there’ll be fans who will be drawn to both tunings, so the TRI Starsea is a welcome addition to the TRI family, and it brings different things to the table.

Westone W30 (3 BA) ($400 USD)

The Westone W30 is a warm neutralish set, and also sounds very “monitor” like. Timbre is worse on the Westone W30 and notes lack an edge definition/bite on the Westone W30. The TRI Starsea beats the Westone W30 in technicalities at 1/4 the price, in the areas of imaging, instrument separation and details. Isolation is slightly better in the TRI Starsea, but the Westone W30 is slightly more comfortable due to the smaller bean shaped profile.

The TRI Starsea is a complete upgrade in almost all areas for a fraction of the price, and it is more versatile too due to the 4 tuning configs.

Audiosense DT200 (2BA) ($149 USD)

The Audiosense DT200 is another warm neutralish set, sporting 2 BA. It is non fatiguing and has a treble bordering on darkish. The DT200 is very smooth with no sibilance, and hence it is suited for long listening sessions. But on the converse side, vocals in the Audiosense DT200, especially female ones, have a bit of a lack of bite/edge definition, and ain’t as clear as the TRI Starsea.

The Audiosense DT200 is weaker than the TRI Starsea in soundstage and technical performance, probably a limitation of the 2 drivers. Subbass extension is also less than the TRI Starsea with a lack of rumble and decay. TRI Starsea is also more versatile due to the 4 tuning switches.

Toneking Ninetails (1 DD) ($125 USD)

I know it is strange to compare the Toneking Ninetails (a single DD set) to a hybrid in the TRI Starsea, as the single DDs and hybrids have their different strengths and weaknesses. But I decided to go ahead and compare them since the Toneking Ninetails is selling around the same price, and is another set that has tuning nozzles to change the sound signature.

Just a bit of a background, the Ninetails is a Far Eastern “fox spirit” in Japanese, Korean and Chinese cultures, which can shapeshift to take the form of a human. So it is quite a good naming convention, as the Toneking Ninetails IEM had a rear and front tuning filter to give 9 different sound signatures, from neutralish to V shaped to basshead. The tuning filters are not gimmicks and they actually worked, and it tied in nicely with the Ninetails namesake and folklore.

The Toneking Ninetails IEM was a cult classic with good reviews among owners, but a lot of people were hesitant to purchase it due to the unconventional looking design. Spoiler: the Ninetails is actually quite well fitting and comfortable once you know how to wear it, but the TRI Starsea is more comfortable with its resin shells feeling like semi customs.

The TRI Starsea has better isolation and accessories. The Toneking Ninetails has actually more tuning configs (nine) than the 4 in the TRI Starsea, and the Toneking Ninetails can become basshead on certain configs with a jawrattling nausea inducing headache, something the TRI Starsea cannot do, even on the most bassy config.

The single DD Toneking Ninetails, has weaker technicalities than the multi driver TRI Starsea, though the Toneking Ninetails has a better timbre for acoustic instruments, as per its single DD roots. The TRI Starsea trumps the Toneking Ninetails in details, instrument separation, clarity and imaging, though in view of the semi open backed design, the Toneking Ninetails has better soundstage (though at the expense of isolation).

One can see these 2 sets as sidegrades, and they bring different things to the table. The TRI Starsea has better technical performance, fit and isolation, whereas the Toneking Ninetails has better timbre and has a few more tuning options, though at the expense of isolation and technicalities.

LZ A7 (1 DD + 4 BA + 2 Piezoelectric Ceramic Drivers (7-layer piezoelectric parallel)) ($338 USD)

The LZ A7 has been having rave reviews, and the hype is deservedly so. It has great tonality, tuning, technical performance and a multitude of tuning options (via a switch and various tuning nozzles).

Other than the LZ A7 having more possible tuning sound signatures than the TRI Starsea, the LZ A7 has better timbre, a thicker note weight and a more refined tonality. The LZ A7 also has a bigger soundstage and better instrument separation, details and imaging.

It may be an unfair comparison due to the almost 3 times price difference between the 2 sets, but I view the TRI Starsea as sort of a poor man’s LZ A7, with the TRI Starsea having lesser refinement overall. Though, I brought up this comparison as the LZ A7 is probably the next tier upgrade from the TRI Starsea for a CHIFI that has tuning configurations (I haven’t heard the ThieAudio Legacy 3 yet, but I did read some concerning QC reports about the non CIEM version). Anyways, as per this hobby, diminishing returns are very real, and even though the LZ A7 is the better set in the 3 Ts of tonality, timbre and technicalities, it is not three times better than the TRI Starsea (as the price would suggest).

CONCLUSIONS

The TRI Starsea is a unique hybrid with 4 tuning switches to give a potential mild V shape to a bright U shape. It is rather versatile as such, for different sonic preferences or music genres, and one can view the TRI Starsea as sort of getting 4 IEMs with 1 purchase. It is beautiful looking and has good accessories and has very good technicalities at that price point. I think it can even be used as a stage monitor or for audio work due to the good technicalities and good isolation. The TRI Starsea, however, is one fussy IEM when it comes to source pairing, it fairs better with amping and with sources with the lowest output impedance possible (ideally close to zero). Even though the bass is not the most extended and is a bit leaner (especially when unamped or with inappropriate source pairing), it focuses on a quality bass over quantity.

However, the TRI Starsea does lack a bit in dynamics and may verge towards a sterile tuning especially on the pure tone and vocals tuning switches. It also unfortunately suffers from a BA timbre for the higher frequencies. Most consumers will potentially find some preferred options with the tuning, though the most bassy config is still possibly not for bassheads, especially when the TRI Starsea is run from a weaker source/inappropriate source pairing. Those wanting more dynamics and something “fun sounding” or “musical” will also need to look elsewhere, but I see the TRI Starsea as a mini LZ A7, for 1/3 the price of the famed LZ A7.

Nevertheless, the TRI Starsea is a good addition to the TRI family, providing a contrasting sound signature to the crowd favourite TRI I3, by bringing a different 4 course course meal to the table.

MY VERDICT

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DISCLAIMER

I would like to thank Wendy Li from KBEAR for providing the TRI Starsea review unit.

It can be gotten here at $129 US here: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001524289463.html

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