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This is a Review of TTPOD T2 3-way hybrid IEM. http://penonaudio.com/TTPOD-T2

TTPOD’s release of T1E in-ear headphones took a lot of people by surprise because it was a great example of how far you can push the limit with a build quality, design details (though some might argue it resembles IE800), eartip collection, serious bass quantity, and the most important – a budget price. Now TTPOD is back with yet another impressive release, this time pushing boundaries of 3-way hybrid design with a price tag of under $90. Were they able to knock another hit out of the park with their debut hybrid design? Let’s take a closer look to find out.

Not too long ago while looking at T1S after my T1E review, I already noticed a new direction of TTPOD packaging presentation as well as a mysterious card with “T2” included inside of T1S box. Still, I was quite impressed with their packaging box when a review sample of T2 arrived at my doorsteps. It was a rather large box, at least in comparison to T1E, without any cover art and just a rainbow T2 across the top and some basic manufacturer info on the back. Also on the back there was an array of available color combinations (T2 earpieces come in different color pairs) and mentioning of T2 and T2 Pro - suggesting a common packaging for both models. I found T2 unboxing experience to be quite rewarding with a feeling of a premium product when opening the folds of the top cover to reveal a partitioned box with a selection of accessories and T2 headphones inside.

T2 unboxing.

With everything out of the box, I found a generous selection of accessories which included the following. You get a set of red narrow bore tips (S/M/L sizes), a set of blue medium bore tips (S/M/L sizes), a pair of foam tips (small size), a pair of earhook guides to assist with over ear cable management, a soft material pouch with a metal spring-lock, and a unique set of stickers. Yes, stickers! They are actually pretty cool little silver fun stickers to customize the look of your T2. With a flat part of T2 shell surface, they should fit right in, though I personally was OK with a purity of the original T2 translucent finish.

T2 accessories.

The design of T2 is quite impressive. Starting with a gold plated straight 3.5mm headphone plug, it’s slim and should fit well with any DAP, amp, or smartphone case. Cable from the plug to y-splitter is braided and looks very professional, also taking into consideration TTPOD used higher quality silver-plated wires. There is not much strain relief at the headphone plug, but the nature of the braided inter-weaving helps to relief a strain when you bend the cable. Y-splitter is small, plastic, with a unique look and the same deal without a strain relief, though you can still rely on a braided wire support. After the split, wire is twisted rather than braided since now you're dealing with two wires going to each earpiece. Also, there is no chin slider (cable cinch) which would have been a nice addition. Perhaps they assumed that included earhook guides were sufficient, but I personally prefer a cable cinch to assist in pulling wires together in over-ear cable fitment, the only way to wear T2. On the other hand, cable is soft, flexible, easy to manage, and has minimum microphonics.

When it comes to earpieces, you actually have a short metal strain relief which looks really good and fits the design nicely. The shell itself has a similar fitment philosophy as VSD3/3S and Westone/Shure IEMs, but obviously a different shape. Some people might find a resemblance of T2 shell with VDS3/3S design and their multi-facets surface, but T2 stands out with a thicker, slightly longer shape where facets have a different geometry with sharper angles/edges. Plus, it has a little flat surface where you can place included stickers to customize it. Nozzle is of an average length and has a stopper ring which is great for different eartips where you can slide them on half way or all the way (another way to control the fitment or to fine tune the sound). Furthermore, there are two air vents located around dynamic driver with one pointing toward your ear when earpiece is inserted and the other one at the edge of earpiece.

By the nature of hybrid design, T2 has a mix of three drivers with one 10mm dynamic driver and dual Knowles ED-29689 balanced armature drivers. The included spec for T2 also mentions that T2 Pro will have different Knowles TWFK-30017 BA drivers, considered to be of a higher quality and obviously at a more premium price. Since the shell of T2 is translucent, you get a benefit to see these drivers inside of the earpiece, and it’s quite an impressive view including a little crossover circuit board. As far as I can tell, all T2 models should come in sets of two different colors which helps to distinguish Left from Right pieces, though they still include L/R marking on corresponding sides. Personally, I found the fitment to be very comfortable, but it could vary depending on your ear-shape anatomy. Also, isolation was just average with music on and slightly below average when idle, nothing to complain about. Since I don't take public transportation (bus or subway), it's not a problem for me, plus I use the largest size eartips to achieve the best seal.

T2 design.

Now, with design details out of the way, let's take a closer look at T2 sound performance. I found T2 to have a balanced sound with a slightly mid-forward signature. The sound has a very clean and smooth characteristics, but it's not very detailed. In no way I would consider it to be veiled, just in my opinion the retrieval of details and layering/separation of instruments and vocals was just below average and a bit congested. I also found soundstage to be just average in width and slightly below average in depth which creates a more intimate listening experience. At the same time, it has a great separation of bass and mids/treble, definitely a benefit of the hybrid design with an assistance from crossover partitioning dynamic driver lows and balanced armature driver highs.

In more details after 50+ hrs of burn in (which is ABSOLUTELY A MUST), I found bass to be tight, extending down to sub-bass with a moderate rumble and a nice fast mid-bass punch. The quantity is not overly boosted, well controlled, and without any spillage into lower mids. Mids are bright but not harsh, more toward bright-smooth characteristics and slightly forward but not dominating too much over the rest of the frequency range. Treble is crisp and bright, but not too bright or sibilant, and has a moderate extension.

In a quick comparison, I found next to T2:

- T1E has a lot more sub-bass, mids are more recessed, treble has a bit less extension, upper mids/treble are slightly more detailed, and soundstage is a bit wider.

- VSD3 has more sub-bass and a more aggressive mid-bass punch, upper mids/treble are brighter/crispier and more detailed, treble has more sparkle, and soundstage is wider.

- KC06A has more sub-bass and more mid-bass quantity, upper mids/treble are brighter and more detailed though less organic in tonality, treble has better extension, while soundstage is similar.

- A83 has a tighter bass with more sub-bass, similar mid-bass punch, mids/treble are a lot brighter and crispier, sound is more detailed, and soundstage is a lot wider.

Overall, I don't want people to interpret my review as being not too optimistic. When it comes to hybrid IEMs, it's not an easy task to find a smooth sounding headphones since a lot of them are skewed toward a bright analytical highs. It's easier to tune a bass of a dynamic driver, but apparently balancing it out with smooth higher frequencies of BA drivers is a bit of a challenge. TTPOD T2 accomplished that task quite well, but at the expense of some compromises. I have a feeling that with upcoming T2 Pro and a different set of BA drivers the sound will be brighter and more detailed, though you can never guarantee if it still remains as smooth. If you look at the big picture of this T2 design, you have one great looking set of in-ear headphones with a quality build and an excellent cable. You get a sound with a balanced mix of bass and high frequencies, and overall smooth signature great for an extended non-fatigue listening. If you want a more detailed and brighter sound, I would recommend to wait for T2 Pro, but if you are ok with what T2 has to offer - you will not find another 3-way hybrid IEM at a better price!