Today we will take a quick look at the latest in-ear monitor earphone from Chinese brand, TRN, dubbed the X7. The TRN X7 is the second most expensive model that I am aware from this brand and is priced at $129 USD and available at Linsoul.com, which is who provided me this review sample discussed here.
The X7 is a 7-driver in-ear that consists solely of balanced armature drivers. As some may know, purple is one of my favorite colors if done right, and TRN makes my heart beat just a little bit more with its all-purple design that is nicely colored and lightweight. The inner-shell is translucent and the outer faceplate has a subtle marble-like look to it, all in a violet/purple hue.
The form-factor is just below average in terms of size/width/height/etc. based on many other recent releases. This one fits my smaller ears very comfortably without any pain or long-term aches.
The X7 in-box accessories include a silver-colored braided cable that is lightweight and generally easy to use, but can get tangled from time to time. TRN also supplies several tips and a typical round-tin can with a screw-on top for storage.
Sound Impressions
I used the X7 with a combination of players: the Sony NW-A55 digital audio player with off-line FLAC files, the Chord Mojo/Poly combination with streaming Roon, and a little bit of time off my Asus Chromebook. I did not find any of these sources to have any problems with playing the X7 to loud volumes, or give any noticeable hiss or noise, or any additional "scaling" or "synergy."
The TRN X7 has a sound signature that is slightly above what I consider neutral, with an elevated bass, lower midrange, and a darker treble range. It has little to no treble extension which is a little sad to hear given it uses a 7-driver setup. Could you spare one of them for upper treble?
Instead, the X7 is very focused on the mid-range and lower mids in particular. I found the level of quantity in the lower-mids to be a bit heavy for my personal liking, but it does do really well with male vocals and lower end music. At times, the combination of the heavier low-end and the lack of upper treble give this IEM a closed-in and compressed sound that lacks a lot of air. Still, though, I thought the soundstage width was quite fine and did not see any congestion of instruments and imaging didn't suffer.
In certain pop tracks like several songs I heard from Jorja Smith, Chvrches or BTS, I found no issues with sibilance (surprisingly given this is TRN), and no real issues with fatigue. Higher octave vocals from Lauren Mayberry or the BTS boys occasionally sounded a tad stretched, but nothing unpleasant or totally unnatural.
My main concern with the overall listening performance was just that it sounded a little too heavy down low and really lacking good quality bass resolution and texturing. Funny enough, I found the overall resolution and clarity of the mid-range and treble to be good, but the lower mids and bass area just sounded a bit lacking and dulled out.
The X7 did work with every genre I threw at it and I did not find any one particular type of music to be a deal breaker. It offered a pleasant sound to everything, with just a little over-emphasis in the low end. Many may appreciate that thicker sound though, with the loss of detail and agility as its biggest nemesis.
The X7 is a my favorite TRN IEM to date, but that's not saying a lot at the same time. It's different than the rest of their lineup in that it does not present an over-emphasised and exagerrated upper-midrange and treble, but at the same time, it does come across a little dark.
This one may not be the best IEM for its asking price, but it has a decent sound and nice styling.
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Please review the 7Hz Timeless Planar IEM.
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