>>I am brazilian and I speak portuguese, so forgive my english, I’ll use translator tools to help.<<
INTRO:
Today I’ll be reviewing the TIN HIFI C2 MECH WARRIOR.
The TIN HIFI C2 MECH WARRIOR was sent by HIFIGO, one of the main distributors of TIN HIFI products, as well as several other brands and audio products. So, I’m going to put the product links and those who are interested in know about TIN C2, just check the links below (they are not affiliates).
TIN HIFI Reviews (in portuguese language only): Tin T2 EVO, Tin T2+, Tin T3+, Tin P1, Tin T1S, Tin P1 Max
Price: $39 USD
Colors: Gray
Cabe: No Mic
HIFIGO STORE:
https://hifigo.com/products/tinhifi-c2
https://hifigo.pt.aliexpress.com/store/5562139
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005004622697.html
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BNHY1FHV/tinhifi+c2/
https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0BNHZBY4B/tinhifi+c2/
SPECIFICATIONS:
(1) 10mm Dynamic Driver (DD) (PU + LCP)
Frequency range: 10Hz – 20kHz
Sensitivity: 104±3dB
Impedance: 32Ω±15%
Rated Power: 3mW
Max Distortion: 3%@1kHz.
Termination Plug: 3.5mm (in L design)
Cable size: 120cm
Connectors: 2Pin 0.78mm (detachable)
Shell: Aluminum alloy 6063
Weight: 5.9g (one side)
PHYSICAL ASPECTS:
Eartips. Only 1 type of silicone eartips came, in sizes S/M/L, two pairs of each size. I don’t need to say much because the package was very simple and even limited if we think in other budget IEMs that come with at least two types of eartips included, for example: the TangZu Wan’er S.G, and the 7Hz Salnotes Zero. I think here the company should have at least put those ‘white eartips’ that they put in the T1S, I think they are softer than the ones that came included in the C2 package. In any case, it’s possible to use the eartips provided, but I already anticipate that it would be interesting to upgrade these eartips here.
-The evaluation was made with the black eartips in size M.
Cable. At first, the cable came all rolled up to fit inside the box, and this generate some creases and waves along its length. However, with a gradual use, this issue was disappearing. It’s a pragmatic cable, and I see it with more positives than negatives sides. It is light, resistant, doesn’t have microphonics, doesn’t tangle easily. Aesthetically, it reminds me the FH3 cable, but the FH3 cable is very hard, bulky, and difficult to control. The cable of the C2 is more malleable, it’s covered by a transparent PVC that has a very smooth touch. Honestly, for the price I thought it was well placed, it breaks that déjà-vu of braided cable all the time. I know that some people will want to change the cable, and I even myself thought that when I unboxed the IEM, but in the daily use I changed my mind, I think now it’s a very cool and practical cable. The C2 cable doesn’t have the chin slider, but I don’t use that piece.
Earhooks. Positive point on this C2 cable. The earhooks are just how I like them, smooth and not wavy. For me this is the best type of earhooks that an IEM can receive, although I think it can be made from other materials, as long as in a “tubular” style. For me they were very comfortable and have an angle that I think is great (for my ears). When the earhooks come like this, the chances are big to get a great fit.
Connectors. The C2 has 0.78mm 2-pin style connectors. It’s often found on Moondrop IEMs, such as the Aria, and recently also appeared on Truthear Hexa. Being 2-pin connectors I already like more than MMCX. Honestly, the MMCX not rotating is good for me, but the chance of rotate is bigger, so I prefer 2-pin connectors. The connectors have the indication of fitting by letters L & R, as well as the body of the IEM also has the indication with the letters. It’s great to see that TIN has evolved in this point and stopped to use MMCX connectors.
Fit. The fit of the C2 was very nice, and here the highlight is that the IEM has a horizontal shape, I have a little more preference for horizontal IEMs than vertical ones. The fit is something very subjective, so for my ears the stability of the IEM was great, it doesn’t wobble, I don’t need to make adjustments all the time, I just put in my ears and forget about it. The C2 has a very compact design, the faceplate is flat so it sits very discreetly in the ear, with no protruding parts. The insertion I found medium, and the isolation I found medium too. I understand that for this IEM, changing the eartips can generate a little more insertion and a little more isolation. SpinFit CP100 is a good option to find that minimum adjustment that I mentioned before (subjective).
Comfort. The comfort on the C2 was another point that – for me – was also very positive. The earphone has a metal shell, but it’s very lightweight, of course not like a plastic IEMs, but it doesn’t have to worry about being made of metal. The quality of the shell beats IEMs over $50 USD easily, I dare say even more, there are much more expensive earphones that don’t have the quality that the C2 delivers. The product for me was super comfortable, I didn’t have any pressure points, nor strange edges during use. During my listening sessions I didn’t feel any discomfort. The C2 has this flat design on the back, and this may cause some fear for those thinking about purchasing the product… what I can say is that for me this wasn’t a problem, the IEM doesn’t even touch the bottom from my ear shells. Even with this detail in the design, the edges are very polished and smooth.
The product didn’t come with any case and also no additional accessories. Nothing, just nothing. Not even those little carrying pouches… The company make a cost reduction. I think this IEM deserved at least a semi-rigid case (imo).
SOUND ASPECTS:
The sound signature of the TIN HIFI C2 MECH WARRIOR I consider as balanced, and also has a slight inclination towards to U-Shape sound. The U-Shape sound is understood here as similar to the V-Shape signature, but with less recessed mids. Another thing, this IEM it’s not so easy to define the sound in just one word, these sound signature names we use are just to try to guide in which direction the sound is going.
The TangZu Wan’er S.G was an IEM that impressed me a lot for its tonal coherence, however, I had the feeling that was lacking a little more resolution there as a whole. So, I think the TIN C2 manages to be that earphone with a great tonality and also a good level of resolution. In fact, the C2 is a little more expensive than these sub-$20 USD IEMs, but it has appeared with some discounts that are close to this price range.
The bass of the C2 in quantitative. For me, the C2’s bass was at a moderate level. For my taste I would accept even more than what is here, for example the FiiO FH3, the Letshuoer D13, or even the Moondrop Aria bass. Now, I also liked the amount available on the C2, because it’s a bass that fits well with different musical styles, you don’t have too much or too little bass. The measure here I believe to be something very satisfactory for those looking for a balanced sound. Of course, maybe for bassheads it might not be the ideal choice, although I also think they wouldn’t be disappointed, I like bass and I was satisfied.
In terms of sub-bass and mid-bass, I think the mid-bass had a very slight advantage over the sub-bass, something very small indeed. Isn’t that the earphone have more mid-bass, but the sub-bass is lower, and this makes the presentation gain a slight enhancement with sounds like drums and bass notes of an acoustic guitar. So, isn’t a roll-off that affects the extension, isn’t that, on the contrary, the extension is good, the point is that the sounds in the sub-bass are more “lower”. This doesn’t affect the auditory perception of the sub-bass (in my opinion).
In qualitative terms, the bass of the C2 is very “versatile”, clean, controlled, and at the same time still has a little portion of weighty and texture (but that is far from being the main thing here on the C2’s bass). They are not so physical bass, the kind that shakes the ear, no, but it’s possible to feel dense notes of a piano, or the vibration in notes of a bass guitar. The impact is something very interesting in this IEM (on the positive side I think), it has a more outlined, tight, and dry characteristic, and all this without losing the ability to generate a certain kick, as in a double bass drum pedal. It’s not a boomy, bloated, or muddy bass, and it doesn’t bleed into the mids either. The definition is good for this price range, I already think it’s better than the bass definition of the 7Hz Salnotes Zero.
The mids of the Mech Warrior. The central mids are slightly recessed, but the upper mids have a slight emphasis. In short, we have well-balanced midrange, a well-implemented measure, there’s no feeling of too much distance, nor a feeling of too much forwardness, it’s a half term what we have here in the C2. The quality of this frequency range for me was very good, it’s possible to hear voices and instruments with good clarity and definition. Remember that we are talking about an IEM near to $20 USD range. Here I think that the Moondrop CHU has an advantage in qualitative terms over the mids of the C2, although I still prefer the C2’s mids because the mids on the CHU in some situations become more “aggressive/dry” (in my opinion).
Voices. The voices on C2 I thought the female/high voices won the battle over the male/low voices. What happened was that the C2 doesn’t give body to the lower voices, like, you don’t have the guttural or the deeper snoring, they end up being more “thin”. The higher voices, on the other hand, present themselves in a way that I consider better, they don’t become aggressive but they don’t lose projection either. It’s evident that this is not the best IEM I have ever heard for higher voices, but for example, a Heavy Metal vocal will combine very well, for emxample: Painkiller – Judas Priest.
The highs of C2 in quantitative terms. This is the only region that can change the “balance” status of the IEM, although this is very subjective, as one person may think it’s at a satisfactory level and another may think it’s sounding beyond balance. In my opinion, this frequency range itself I consider to be moderate, but you feel that the earphone have a touch of energy here, there’s a point in these trebles where some situations go beyond coherence, or lose their “naturalness” (I don’t like to use that word but it was good to exemplify). What happens is that depending on some recordings, certain instruments can be more highlighted in the presentation (I will clarify some things in the following paragraphs). I didn’t feel any roll-off. I’d say they’re treble 6.2 on a scale of 0 to 10 (subjective).
In qualitative terms, the highs are well defined, it has good resolution, good extension, good airy, good details – but of course, not at the level of micro detailing. It’s not fatiguing highs, it’s not shrill, it’s not sharp. The sparkle is coherent most of the time, but in a few situations I felt more coloration on certain instruments, such as a louder halfmoon tambourine in the recording. The only issue with the C2 that I didn’t like was that I felt some slight sibilant sounds in recordings that already had the propensity to happen there. But I realized that this could be directly linked to the eartips, because I repeat all the listening with the SpinFit CP100 and the problem disappeared. So I believe this was an interaction between the stock tips and my ear canal. That’s why I said the C2 could receive an upgrade in the eartips. This sibilance issue was the main reason for me to decline the combination with EDM and Metal (with stock eartips).
Soundstage. The soundstage feeling I thought was good. The best feature is perhaps the depth, because in height and width I found something medium. Using the example of a live performance, for me, the sounds (instruments and etc) were as if they were in a straight line, sort of lined up side by side, but not glued or stucked to each other. Note that the term depth I understand as the feeling of distance from the sound to my ears, and not the depth of a physical stage.
Imaging. The instrumental separation I found good/average. Stereo imaging is good, and separation is also good for the earphone’s price range. Of course, there’s nothing amazing here, for me it’s just the IEM’s ability not to congest the presentation. I believe that hybrid IEMs are more advantageous in this regard, although it is not a rule (remembering that this can also vary according to recording and other processes during music production).
Driver flex test. The Tin Hifi C2 is a single DD IEM, and when it’s like that, we need to check if it has a driver flex sound. So I can say that the C2 have no signs of driver flex noise.
Amplification. I used the Questyle M15 DAC/AMP dongle connected to my computer to do this evaluation. The output used was the 3.5mm SE and the device with the selector in “Low” mode, that is, without gain. From what I could hear here with the C2, it doesn’t need extra amplification to play well. In my opinion it will play well in whatever source you put it. In terms of sound quality, it’s up to you to look for equipment that is designed to improve the audio output of these most common sources (smartphones, iPads, etc.). The review was made with the volumes at 35% or 40% of the 100% available by the Windows10 volume scale.
Music is subjective, so below is the list of some musical genres that I personally think that was better with this IEM. Remember that were only few genres and few artists tested. If I describe that one genre was better and the other don’t, it doesn’t mean that you can’t listen to your favorite music genre with this IEM and love it. So, here goes:
Better:
POP
Rock
Blues
Reggae
Samba*
Bossa Nova*
Hip Hop
MPB*
Jazz
*Brazilian musical genres.
Not so much:
EDM
Classical
Metal
PLAYLIST LINK:
Graphs by Super*Review:
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