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TLDR version on YouTube: TDLR - Tin Hifi T2 Mech Warrior
The Tin Hifi C2 Mech Warrior have been sent to me by Linsoul in exchange for the publication of this review. They have not requested anything specific so, as usual, I will aim to be as unbiased and sincere as possible in my review.
The C2 can be found via Linsoul here: https://www.linsoul.com/products/tinhifi-c2
The above is a non affiliate link, as are all links that I publish.
Intro…
I actually received 3 sets of Tin Hifi IEMs from Linsoul at the same time, the C2 Mech Warrior, the C3 and the T4 plus. For no real reason, I decided to start with these and move my way up through the numbers.
The C2, which are also called the Mech Warrior (for reasons I am unsure of but I guess it is due to the aesthetics) are another set that enters the extreme budget battle, coming in at around 30€ (at the time of writing this review).
They feature a single dynamic driver which is supposedly a new development from the brand and as far as looks, they certainly break away from the usual Tin Hifi offerings.
Presentation…
The C2 arrive in a small white box with a sketch of a robot on the cover and C2 Mech Warrior written beside it. I really have no idea what a Mech Warrior is but I actually like the fact that it is not the usual anime girl that we find on so many packages.
Inside the box there isn’t a lot but there is enough for us to grab the IEMs and get listening. Apart from the IEMs, we get the cable and 6 sets of silicone tips.
That is it as far as presentation, simple but nothing really to complain about.
Build and aesthetics…
The shells are completely made of 6063 aviation-grade aluminum and opt for a shape that is very reminiscent of some CFA models, or even some of the older KZ models. WHile not completely original, it is a change from the usual Tin offerings and while the shape is a little strange, I actually find them quite comfortable. They are not the most lightweight of IEMs but are nowhere near as heavy as they look.
The included cable is coloured to match the IEMs and while it uses plastic hardware, I can’t bring myself to complain about it at this price range.
In general I would say that the presentation and contents are ok, nothing amazing but certainly acceptable.
Sound…
All tracks mentioned are clickable links that allow you to open the reference track in the streaming service of your choice (YouTube, Tidal, Spotify, etc.)
First let's take a look at the graph of the C2 in comparison to my usual preference curve.
Starting off with the subbass as always, there is enough rumble for the lowest frequencies to be present, however, I can’t really talk about the subbass without mentioning the midbass at the same time.
The issue I find here is that the midbass is more prominent than the subbass and it is not the most controlled and clean of bass representations. When trying my usual subbass test with “Chameleon”, I found that the midbass took the focus and made itself too much the center of attention. This meant that to actually test the subbass, I found myself needing to resort to isolating the subbass frequencies.
As you all probably know by now (if you don’t, you are about to find out ;) ), I am not someone who enjoys an overly present midbass. If there is enough subbass to compensate and the midbass is clean and controlled, then I do find myself enjoying it a lot of the time. However, in the case of the C2, it has the midbass presence that causes me fatigue and can actually give me a headache after some time.
This doesn’t mean that it is bad per se, just that it doesn’t work for me personally and I do not enjoy the lower ranges of the C2. For example, the low end of the guitar in “Crazy” becomes far too boomy for my tastes, and while it is compensated by the higher ranges, it doesn’t eliminate that sensation, just tries to mask it.
Once we get out of the lows and into the mid range, things do get better. I find that vocals are decent and nicely defined, yet they can find their lower ranges competing with that lower boominess that can bleed into the lower mids.
The upper midrange has a smooth climb to it, reaching quite a nice level of presence in the upper mids of vocals, yet, the extension of the presence is just a little too much. This doesn’t actually become painful for me in the way a 5kHz peak would, yet it does give vocals, such as Johnny Cash in “Hurt”, the sensation of being too flat and dry in these ranges. It is as though the upper mids are a 2D representation of a 3D image.
As we move into the higher ranges, there are a few peaks that help give the C2 a sensation of being a little more open and detailed, yet, again, they seem to not quite be smoothed out correctly. It doesn’t become harsh, although there is some sibilance introduced in the usual “Code Cool” test, but things are just a little… unnatural.
Details are acceptable, although the “fake details” introduced by those peaks I find actually work against the real details of the driver, so it is difficult to judge. Usually I would focus on the lower mids in these cases, to see what detail retrieval can be found in those ranges, but I find that the excessive mid bass makes that difficult to do.
Soundstage and image placement is nothing extraordinary, it’s not terrible but it is by no means above average in this regard.
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Isolation is about on average with just the 3 to 4kHz range being slightly above the majority.
Conclusion…
While I can understand others maybe liking the C2, I’m afraid that to me it leaves a lot to be desired.
The midbass is excessive for my tastes, causing me fatigue, and the upper mid range and lower treble seems to be quite unnatural. Again, it is like they are presenting a 2D rendering of a 3D image and it just doesn’t work that well. It’s sort of like a blunt knife, the cutting edge is there but it doesn’t do things like it should.
This may sound a little harsh but with all of the excellent models that occupy this price bracket, I think the C2 falls quite a bit behind.
As always, this is my personal opinion based on my personal tastes, you may love them!
All FR measurements of IEMs can be viewed and compared on achoreviews.squig.link
All isolation measurements of IEMs can be found on achoreviews.squig.link/isolation
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