General Information

  • Triple Driver Hybrid In-ear Earphones. TRN V30 has two customized balanced armature drivers and one dynamic drivers. The combinations of mid/high frequency dual balanced armatures and a low frequency dynamic driver give V30 an extraordinary sound with superb resolution, natural human vocals offering exceptional listening experience
  • Acoustic Air Structure. The specially designed position of drivers and structure help regulate the airflow and pressure for a more dynamic sound. It ensures V30 has enough space for airflow, giving fuller bass
  • High Quality Cable. The 2 pin 0.75mm detachable OFC cable is durable and long-lasting with a wide range of compatibility with almost all Android or iOS music devices with standard 3.5mm TRS/TRRS jack
  • New Technology of Single Crossover. TRN team is a professional team of musicians, acoustic engineers. We are dedicated to research and thus here comes the V30 with a balanced transparent rich sound.

Latest reviews

Dobrescu George

Reviewer: AudiophileHeaven
Pros: + Priceeee
Cons: - Lack of Detail
- Lack of Clarity
- Poor extension both ways
- Cheap Toy Aesthetic
- Cheap build quality
TRN V30 (25 USD)



Purchase Link (Linsoul): https://www.linsoul.com/products/trn-v30

Purchase Link (Aliexpress): https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32987668319.html


I am getting such a strong vibe that the point of V30 was for it to cost about 30 USD, but right now the only price I can find is 25 USD, which makes its existence a funny irony for me. Now, when it comes to the product itself, I have mixed feelings about it. On one hand, it shows very well why I generally don't like IEMs below the 50 USD price point, it has a plasticky build quality, it is not very well built either, and it has a very polite, but lacking in details sonic quality.

On the other hand, it costs just 25 USD, and if you don't have more, and if you want a polite tuning, V30 is simply great, because TRN made sure there was something to fill in that gap.

I made a Youtube Video about it as well, which you can find here:









The package for V30 is pretty much what you would expect from a 25 USD IEM, the IEM, a cable, and three sets of Silicone tips. I mean, this is really okay, and I don't mind the contents of the package being a bit lacking. V30 makes it up by its really low price.

In terms of build quality, this is as much of a plasticky IEM, as you could get. It looks a bit more like a toy, with the electronics on the visible side, than an IEM.

TRN probably went ahead and copied the concept from KZ and their AS and ZS series, where the driver crossover was visible, but in the process, TRN forgot to check whether the design made as much sense for an IEM that had such a simplistic crossover, and one where the configuration is a triple driver, a trio of a dynamic driver, and two Balanced Armatures. At any rate, V30 looks a bit like a toy, but does it sound like one, or does it actually sound respectable for the price point?



Well, before that, we should talk about comfort, which is fair. The shell is not too large, and I felt it was a bit smaller than the shell of the KZ AS10 series, at least placing them side by side. This being said, V30 also isolates fairly well from the outside, with about 20 dB of passive noise isolation. The cable, though, is just terrible. Feels like one of the cheapest, least trusty cable I've seen, and I can see why they are priced at just 25 USD and not more, and it is easy to see where TRN cut corners with V30.

I'm enthusiastic to see detachable cables at 25 USD, and not just detachable cables, but 2-Pin ones, but it is much cheaper to replace the entire IEM than to replace the cable if it broke, and well, if the cable of V30 broke, I would probably try a different IEM at this price point, to learn and to experiment. Still, if the cable broke within warranty, Linsoul would help you get a replacement, and makes the whole IEM easier to service, so it is a nice addition.

The sonic signature is a basic V-shaped signature, but with a very polite overall tuning, with very little bass detail, but not very little bass amount necessarily. The midbass is very recessed, and makes it feel as if male voices are super recessed. The upper midrange then is not quite as recessed, so most music ends up sounding a bit shouty. This being said, a very polite and rolled off treble makes it up for an... interesting experience. I feel that most of the signature is self explanatory, minus the treble, which I feel the need to explain a bit.



The treble sounds like it is lifted above the midrange at first, but that is actually the upper midrange and very early lower treble, because after it, there is a very steep roll-off, after which there is nothing. If you ever imagined a sound with almost no detail, no clarity, no air, and with a confined soundstage, this is pretty much it. It is not that I mind it quite that much, but for rock, metal, pop, it does not work so well. I can see the signature working well for Jazz and downtempo, maybe some Electronic, some Trap and some lower energy music, but for energetic music, it is just a bit boring.

antdroid

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Good detail for this price
Cons: Bright/Harsh
Plasticky build quality
The TRN V30 is one of the latest budget IEMs on the market and priced at around $20. It's just below the price point of the TRN V20, which I disliked, and half the price of the TRN V80, which I enjoyed. This new one was provided to me by Linsoul for review.

The TRN V30 comes with a similar package to their other units -- a basic box, with a nice black braided cable and, in this case, a basic mic. There is also a small selection of tips. The V30 itself has clear plastic shells with a circuit board look to it that is reminiscent of KZ's latest set of IEMs like the AS10 and ZS10. The plastic shell looks rather cheap and you can see the mold and shell lines pretty easily and overall looks a little tacky and something that looks like a freebie. It is also extremely lightweight.

In actual listen, I found the V30 to be very bright. It's a single dynamic driver with two balanced armatures -- triple driver at $20. That's pretty incredible really, but it sounds quite mediocre. The bass is actually pretty clean and generally lean, which is nice to hear in this price range where many earphones are very bass heavy. The mids are recessed a little bit but aren't really a problem. The problem lies in the extra boost in treble, which I found very harsh and sibilant in some cases.

The accentuated treble makes the V30 have more clarity and brings some upper end details out but it makes it a tough listen for any long period of time.

For the same $20, the KZ ZSN, Focal Spark, and even the new KZ ZSN Pro are better buys. All three of them are more balanced, and despite all having boosted treble, they are more listenable than the V30 overall due to a more well-rounded profile. The ZSN Pro will be reviewed in the near future, and is a brighter, and perhaps more detailed ZSN but some may not like it's brighter signature either.
  • Like
Reactions: DocHoliday

Wiljen

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Very well tuned and polite iem for popular genres.
Cons: Lower mids very recessed, lack of bass detail
TRN_V30-featured.jpg

Disclaimer: Kinboofi provided the TRN V30 for review based on my previous conversation surrounding the TRN v20 with their rep. Worth noting, Kinboofi lists a 12 month warranty if purchased through their Amazon store. If interested, the v30 can be purchased here.




Unboxing / Packaging:

The TRN v30 arrived packaged in a slip-cover with a book-fold style box inside. Specs on the outside of the box are a more western style package and would seem at home on a shelf at best buy or the typical electronics store. The earpieces themselves rest in a foam tray with all the other goodies hiding underneath. The kit is fairly basic with 3 sets of tips, the cable, and various cards and instructions.

TRN_V30-box-front.jpg TRN_V30-box-inside.jpg TRN_V30-inner-box.jpg



Cable:

The cable outwardly appears to be identical to the V20 version. It is 4 core oxygen free copper in a twist pattern of two cores twisted together and then the two pairs twisted together from the straight 3.5mm jack to the semi dumbell shaped splitter. Coating is pvc and feels a bit like plastic but resists tangles well if not the most pliable option available. Above the split, twisted pairs run to pre-formed earhooks (sans memory wire) and then to black plastic .75mm bi-pin connector housings. Overall, TRN has done a good job with cables and the one included with the V30 is a solid effort even if I would prefer the 90º jack and a chin slider.

TRN_V30-bi-pin.jpg TRN_V30-jack.jpg TRN_V30-splitter.jpg



Build/Fit:

Build quality on the V30 is a mixed bag. Shells are transparent smoked plastic and are well put together with no slop at the seams. Some will immediately liken the v30 to the AS06 or AS10 shape but it is smaller in most dimensions especially in thickness which I find makes it sit in the ear more comfortably. As good as the shell construction is, they are not without problems. They ship with mid sized tips and in exchanging them for the large size I usually use, one of the grills fell off the nozzle. Within a week, the second grill had fallen off even with a tip in place to hold it on. Nozzles do not have a true lip but do have a series of raised studs around the rim to hold tips in place (these can be felt with a fingernail more easily than seen due to the shell color - see red arrows). I will say that when the first thing you see is the dual BAs aimed straight at your eardrum with no form of damping or filtering. I was a bit apprehensive about what these might sound like.

TRN_V30-BAs.jpg TRN_V30-earpieces.jpg TRN_V30-earpiece-top.jpg TRN_V30-nozzles.jpg TRN_V30-thickness.jpg


Internals:

A single 10mm polymer dynamic driver sits behind two balanced armatures that TRN lists as being an inhouse built improvement on the Knowles 30017. The layout has the two BA drivers in the nozzle with the dynamic immediately behind them. (The upside of the grills falling of is clearer photos of the BAs). Nominal impedance is listed as 20Ω with a sensitivity of 99dB. I do have to call TRN out on the marketing material though, why post an FR chart and then note that it is not representative of the product? TRN also advertises holding the earpieces to within a 2dB tolerance they claim in 50% higher than the industry standard. My pair does indeed show good matching between the earpieces when tested.

TRN_V30-BAs.jpg TRN_V30-notches.jpg TRN_V30-grill.jpg





Sound:

Defining the sound signature of the v30 is difficult in that none of the typical V, W, U designations are accurate. Sub-bass and mid-bass are elevated, lower mids are recessed, upper mids are mildly elevated, lower treble is lifted yet further, and then treble and upper treble falls back to a much more polite level. Probably the closest one can come to defining the signature shape would be a w with the right most leg removed. (Here i use the lower case for a reason as while some ranges are definitely ahead of others, none is so glaring so that it deserves the capital designation).

TRN-v30.jpg



Bass:

Sub-bass rumble is good with roll-off becoming evident in the mid 40Hz range. Mid-bass is pushed forward mildly at around 100Hz and then drops as you move into the lower mids. While I found bass quantity to be very good, I found quality to be somewhat lacking in that the driver is a bit slow and lacked the ability to resolve details. This gives the v30 a bit of a one note bass at times as it didn't have the ability to create good separation between tones in the lower ranges. Orchestral pieces with a lot of low-end (Mussorgsky anyone?) suffered the most here while rock and pop that usually have a fairly uncomplicated bass sound considerably better.



Mids:

Mixed impressions here. Lower mids are recessed considerably and lack the kind of detail I would have liked to see. As you climb, they begin to move forward and by the upper mids, a considerable amount of detail is added and they have moved forward quite a bit. Still not to the level of the mid-bass but enough to be much more acceptable in my eyes. This creates a dichotomy as lower range vocals do not have much texture while upper range vocals are much more lifelike and engaging. The lack of lower mids also created similar problems for strings as they sounded thin and unnatural at times.



Treble:

Treble is tuned with a forward lower treble followed by a fairly steep roll-off. This removes any tendency toward sibilance or stridency, but also limits air at the top end and makes snare and cymbals sound a bit dull. Detail in the treble is quite good (as one might expect with twin BAs immediately inside your ear) and clarity in the upper ranges is surprisingly good. TRN's claim to have improved the Knowles 30017 seems founded when looking at the treble alone (if not so much the mids). The one drawback is they do exhibit some of the characteristic BA sound signature and are a bit dry and thinner than perfect. (This is hardly a knock at the price point, just more of an observation).



Soundstage / Imaging:

Soundstage is more wide than deep and feels confined without feeling congested. They do have some sense of height, but it is fairly limited and as such these feel like the music is mostly in your head rather than out in front of you. Imaging is good, but not great as instrument separation suffers as tracks get busier. This is particularly true when a fast complex bass-line is introduced as the dynamic driver is a bit slower on both attack and decay than the BA drivers and tends to "gum up" more quickly.



Thoughts / Conclusion:

If you got the feeling that I am somewhat confused when it comes to the v30 you'd be right. It does a lot well and the tuning will appeal to many. It would be easy to say it is the Tin Audio T2 with slightly more bass and a bit more polite treble but then the lack of lower mids sneak in and ruin the thought. Next song, wow these are better than the ZsN easily and then lack of detail in the bass becomes evident. Finally I start comparing to KB-100 and again the V30 does a lot equally well or better but then you get a lack of dynamics where the Kb-100 takes over and the v30 struggles. Overall, is the TRN v30 an improvement over the previous generation v20? Yes, very much so. Is it an improvement over the v80? Again for me yes, gone is 90% of the grain in the treble that killed the v80 for me. Is it perfect? It was $27 were you honestly expecting that? Bottom line, well tuned, very polite, good bass depth, and enjoyable with popular genres that don't get excessively busy or rely on lower mids too heavily.

Attachments

  • TRN_V30-feature2.jpg
    TRN_V30-feature2.jpg
    5 MB · Views: 0

Comments

There are no comments to display.
Back
Top