Linsoul Audio’s T series has gained some recognition in the market over the years as well-performing and comfortable in-ear headphones. These include the Tin Audio T2, Tin Audio T2 Pro, and Tin Audio T3.
Comparison Table: Tin Audio T2 vs T2 Pro vs T3
At first glance, it seems that the headphones are quite similar. Manufacture by Linsoul Audio, all three headphones belong to the in-ear and closed-back category. However, there are subtle technical differences that give each it’s individuality and make them special for different uses. Let’s look at the differences in detail.
Tin Audio T2: Minimal and Accurate
The Tin Audio T2 is great in-ear headphones that provide a premium and enjoyable listening experience. With the perfect balance of treble and midrange, these headphones provide a descriptive soundstage and precise imaging.
Design and durability overview
Gray in color, the headphones are quite stylish to look at. The packaging of the headphones is quite minimalistic– a quality that makes me like Linsoul even more.
The exterior of the earbuds is composed of dense metal housings that are lightweight and can withstand pressure if dropped by accident. The Tin Audio T2 comes with bright blue foam tips which are of decent quality. The MMCX cable, which is molded in resin and attached to the headphone has the advantage of being detachable and replaced if damaged.
Sound Quality overview
The Tin Audio T2 comes with double dynamic transducers composed of a 6 mm tweeter and 10 mm woofer. Thanks to this combination, the tin audio t2 offers a neutral and well-balanced sound. The 16-ohm impedance and 102dB sensitivity make the T2 quite convenient to drive and they sound great even when connected to smartphones.
The bass is articulated but not as prominent. The mid-bass has a flat and linear response and although it is just enough, it might not be sufficient if you’re much of a bass-head.
The midrange however is vibrant and performs quite well in the tin audio t2. Because of its slight emphasis on the bass region, the midrange makes the vocals and instruments more prominent to listen to. The level of detail has great transparency, and the tonality and timbre of the sound are extremely delicate.
The treble seems to give the sound a vibrant life with its meticulous dazzle. The highs are just right- they are not as excessive but play an important role in the airiness of sound. With the scrupulous micro-details and satisfactory treble extension, the audio performance shines a light on these headphones.
The soundstage has average height and breadth and is relatively intimate, and the imaging can pick up even the slightest of details in the sound. Overall the tin audio t2 makes for a very easygoing and proficient listen.
Comfort factor overview
When it comes to comfort, these in-ear headphones are quite the win. The audio t2 has a cylindrical shape that fits comfortably in the ear. The wide section at the rear of the earphones can easily accommodate the MMCX connector. The built is with such versatility that it can be worn with the cable down or over the ears for a pleasurable listening experience.
Pros and cons
The things that really stand out about these remarkable headphones are:
- The great build quality of earbuds
- Detailed soundstage and imaging
- Comfort and versatility of usage
However, there are some areas of improvement:
- Lack of sub-bass
Tin Audio T2 Pro: Intricate and clever
Even better than its predecessor, the Tin Audio T2 Pro are highly successful in-ear headphones manufactured by Linsoul Audio.
Design and durability overview
The design of these closed-back headphones has been meticulously crafted to ensure that the needs of the audiophiles are being met.
The construction is quite similar to the tin audio t2- lightweight aluminum metal housings and foam blue foam tips. The silver-plated detachable MMCX cable made a comeback to the new model but with some new and better features. This time, the cables have a plastic sleeve which helps to pull the left and right cables and prevent them from getting tangled up into a mess. Moreover, the cable also has a 3.5 mm jack housing made of carbon fiber and aluminum.
Sound Quality overview
The Tin Audio T2 Pro is quite similar to its earlier version in terms of the drivers it has. However, the sound quality does have differences.
Despite having double dynamic drivers, the bass produced by the tin audio t2 pro is not as impactful as other headphones that include double dynamic drivers. A reason for this might be the design of the compact aluminum drivers. However, it is not completely disappointing. For regular listeners, I would say that the bass is just sufficient.
The midrange includes intricate details and retrieval, with warm and eccentric tones. There is hardly any distortion in the midrange. The vocals are clearly separated from the instruments and an impressive amount of details can be unfolded in the sound. The midrange is completely natural sounding and pleasant!
Perhaps the highlight of Tin Audio T2 pro is the treble. The refined treble response adds a great sense of air to the sound. With accurate spatial cues and imaging, the treble adds just the right amount of sparkle to the sound. However, it sometimes can get out of control and overwhelm the audio.
The soundstage is quite satisfactory- it has a good amount of width but can work better in terms of height. Overall, these headphones work extremely well in separation, since you can easily distinguish between different instruments quite effortlessly.
Comfort factor overview
The comfort is satisfactory but not over the top. The housings of the in-ear headphones are barrel-shaped and fit in the ear well but they might need occasional adjustment. Moreover, the cable is fairly long and the earbuds are a bit heavier so they might cause discomfort when the usage is for a long time.
Pros and Cons
The good thing about these headphones are:
- Detachable braided silver-plated MMCX cables
- Reasonable price
- Inclusion of foam earphone tips with silicon tips
- Detailed crisp and clear sound
The downsides of the tin audio t2 pro include:
- Treble can sometimes seem harsh
- Not sufficient bass
- Short nozzle
Tin Audio T3: Louder and better
The Tin Audio T3 is fantastic in-ear listening headphones produced by Linsoul Audio that have an impressive build quality and provide even better audio performance compared to its older models. The new technology that has been incorporated cleverly in making these headphones had made them perform even better than the T2s- with more bass and better noise isolation.
Design and packaging overview
The tin audio t3 in-ear headphones are silver in color with a metallic but matte texture. The headphones look quite nice and the built also feels high-end.
The design of the t3 headphones is cylindrical and barrel-shaped, which gives off a minimalist but traditional vibe. The gold and white braided detachable MMCX cable feel extremely robust and you might need a lot of force to take it off. Overall, there’s a premium finish to the headphones and they look and feel quite stylish as well.
Sound Quality overview
Moving on to the sound quality, as mentioned earlier, the tin audio t3 performs much better in terms of bass than its predecessors.
Extremely well balanced, the tin audio t3 closed-back headphones have a very neutral tuning bass response. The bass is extremely clean and controlled with just the right amount of kick. In fact, there is no sign of distortion in sound, and the overall audio performance in the bass region is rhythmically satisfying.
The transition from the bass to the midrange is quite satisfying. The upper mids are sweet and display an accurate timbre across the harmonics. It has a crisp feel and also manages to sound very coherent. With clear and refined details, the midrange is a shining factor for the tin audio t3 headphones.
However, the most impressive part of t3s audio is the treble response. The upper treble gets a satisfactory emphasis in the t3s with a bright tonality. The instruments are distinguished and portrayed with extreme delicacy and accuracy.
Lastly, although the soundstage does not appear to be as vast, it expands naturally whenever required. The imaging is very well, and the instruments are placed accurately with precision in separation.
Comfort factor overview
The Tin T3 series are not as comfortable as other in-ear headphones. However, it does have a better fit than the T2 series. The open-back headphones can be worn with both the cables hanging or over the ears. The new thing about these headphones is that they come with better foam tips which provide more comfort. Linsoul does, however, need to work on the size of the nozzle, which is larger than usual and can feel heavy inside the ears.
Pros and cons
The Tin Audio T3 headphones excel in the following areas:
- Better bass response
- Balanced and bright tonality in audio
- Sturdy cable for connectivity
- Solid and robust build
There are some improvements that need to be made, however:
- The design could be made more comfortable
- Treble can be peaky
Comparison of T2 vs T2 Pro vs T3
Design and construction
At first, let’s talk about the exterior of these three headphones.
Exterior Design: Although all three competitors have a nice feel to the design, the blue foam tips in the t2 and t2 pro seemed a bit too flashy for my taste. In terms of design- I would say the t3 definitely looks better and minimal.
The clean edges, color combination, and aesthetics give the headphones just the right-click. Moreover, the packaging of the tin audio t3 came with neat cut-outs to display the drivers better, hence making a lasting impression.
Foam Tips: When compared, the foam tips of the t2 and t3 series show a significant difference. For the T2 series, the foam tips come attached to the driver unit whereas the Tin Audio T3 has a separate packet for the ear tips.
This is something that is very important because if the tips come separately, it leaves the impression that they are brand new. Moreover, compared to the T2 series, the T3 had more variations in the ear tips- it comes with 7 sets of silicone tips and 2 sets of foam tips!
Cable: All three headphones come with detachable MMCX cables. The T3s cable looks a bit thicker than the T2s and is more rigid.
Hence, I think that the Tin Audio T3 is better in terms of design and construction.
Sound Quality
Both the Tin Audio T2 and T2 Pro are composed of double dynamic drivers that include a 10 mm woofer and a 6 mm tweeter. But in the case of Tin audio T3, Linsoul took a different approach. The T3s have a wider frequency range than its predecessors but however, it had to compromise in the sensitivity rating in order to kick up the bass.
Bass: One thing about the T series of Linsoul Audio that has always come up is the lack of bass these headphones have. However, the bass of T2 pro is deeper, slower, and more impactful than the bass of T2.
But Linsoul took this into consideration and thanks to the new Knowles BA driver that has been incorporated in the T3s, the bass sounds more improved. However, if you are looking for more impactful bass, these headphones are not for you.
Midrange: When the midrange is compared, the tin t3 pro has a better texture and impulse response than T2. Both the T2 pro and T3 perform equally in the mids region.
Treble: The treble in T2 is sparkly, airy, bright, and open, with less sibilance than T2. Overall, the T3 has less upper mids or lower treble than the T2 but has more treble past 6kHz. This makes it a bit brighter than the T2, though definitely not to the level of the T2 Pros.
Overall, I personally feel that the Tin Audio T3 performs better in terms of audio than its competitors.
Comfort
Both the T2 and T3 are comfortable but have a larger nozzle that may be difficult to fit into the ears for some people.
Things you should consider before buying headphones
Before buying the perfect pair of headphones for yourself, there are some factors that you need to keep in mind. In this segment, we will explain the three important things you need to consider before buying headphones.
Type of headphone
The most basic and fundamental thing to look out for is what kind of headphones you will be needing. There are three types: in-ear headphones, on-ear headphones, and over-ear headphones.
Firstly, you might be quite familiar with in-ear headphones– the most common and smallest headphones that usually come with your smartphones or mp3 players. These headphones are quite convenient for exercising as they are very portable and allow for noise cancellation. However, as opposed to wireless headphones, in-ear headphones can easily get tangled.
On-ear headphones have large ear cups and a headband attached to them that sit on your head and hug your ears comfortably. These headphones offer a much better quality of sound but might not be as convenient to carry as in-ear headphones.
Lastly, over-ear headphones are the largest and most comfortable of three categories of headphones. Although a bit expensive and heavier than others, these headphones provide the highest sound qualities and make your audio experience comfortable.
Open back or closed back?
Whenever getting headphones, you will notice the terms open-back and closed-back. But what do these really mean?
Open-back headphones are those headphones that have drivers exposed and allows outside noise to pass freely into the headphones. On the other hand, closed-back headphones have the drivers enclosed in the earcups, thus facilitating noise cancellation.
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Sound quality
The next most important thing to consider is how successfully the headphone delivers sound. Here, you have to look out for a number of factors.
Firstly, let’s talk about drivers. Composed of magnets, coils, and diaphragms, the drivers are the heart of the headphones- these are what produces the sound. Drivers include tweeters and woofers. Usually, the bigger the driver, the better the sound quality.
The frequency response is also important since it informs you of the range of sound that can be covered, the lower limit being bass and the upper limit being treble. The standard frequency response is 20 Hertz to 20000 Hertz, however, you can always go for a wider response if you are more of a bass-head.
The sensitivity tells you how loud the headphones sound and usually the thumb rule is to avoid any rating below 85 dB.
To know how much power is required for the headphones, you should look for what is called an impedance rating.
The soundstage and imaging are also important because this help to create an accurate sound and image within the mind of the listeners. Generally, larger over-ears headphones successfully capture a bigger soundstage effect.
Comfort and durability
Lastly, it is very important to ensure that the earcups/earbuds are made of premium material that allows a comfortable listening experience.
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Final Verdict
All three headphones can be used for music and also exercises such as jogging since they are in-ear and have fewer possibilities of slipping off.
However, when compared the T3s seem to be working better than the T2 series. Hence an upgrade from T2s to T3s should definitely be made if you are looking for headphones with more bass and better performance.
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Freelance tech journalist & author soundboxlab.com Read More