Previously, Truthear had their famous ‘Truthear Hola’ in this segment but they have recently discontinued it to make space for the Truthear GATe to join in.
Reason for the discontinuation of Hola is said to be the expensive 3D printed shell design and the thick and arguably the best quality cable in the segment
Truthear GATe still has the same cable, although the shells have changed quite a bit
Coming back to Truthear GATe now
Design
Truthear GATe gets a lightweight glossy plastic finish with a transparent faceplate. Unlike the Hola which had a matte plastic finish which looked and felt a lot more premium
Truthear GATe in comparison feels cheaper and not as durable (according to many reviews) as it gets scratched up easily . Although it still has the same cable as the Hola, which means it’s one of the best cables you can get in this price range
Just for information, you get the cable only in a 3.5mm variant, there’s no Type C DSP on offer
And also, there are two variants
• with Mic (₹1,999)
• without Mic (1,899₹)
Fit & Comfort
It’s very subjective, although these are very lightweight and you’ll almost forget they are inside your ears
But as pointed out by X (formerly Twitter) user @/mrtechsense
The 2 pin connector joint is attached at an angle which can be uncomfortable to some people, depending on their ear shape
Still, as in my testing I could wear them for hours without feeling uncomfortable at any point, also because they are not fatiguing (about that in a minute)
Another thing that adds to the comfort and also convenience of using these IEMs, is the cable.
It’s thick, it doesn’t get tangled up too easily which makes it easy and convenient to manage
Sound
That’s where it differentiates itself from the Truthear Hola
Just for information, Truthear GATe has a 10mm Single Dynamic Driver (quite expected at this price)
As for tuning, If you don’t know already, Hola was known for it’s warmth and bass and rather smooth upper mids and treble region
Which made it very comfortable to listen as it didn’t have the fatiguing nature which bright and V shaped IEMs are generally known for
As for the Truthear GATe, it has more of a balanced tuning
It’s not warm, instead Truthear has toned down the Bass, especially the sub bass “rumble”
It still has a decent mid bass attack, which results in a enjoyable experience, but that’s not it’s strongest point by any means
Truthear has decided to go with a rather Balanced tuning, although some people call it a Mild V shape but in our testing, it’s more *balanced* as supposed to a Mild V shape
It still has more bass as compared to the likes of 7hz Salnotes Zero, but not as much as the Hola or the 7hz x Crinacle Zero 2
GATe, also gets a very clean and clear midrange, which means that vocals sound very detailed on these IEMs
It’s comparable to the Tangzu’s Wan’er SG, which is quite a fan favourite in the same price category
Male vocals sound very detailed on these IEMs, there’s no recession to the lower mids at all
Great for those looking for a pair to listen artists like Arijit Singh, Anuv Jain etc where the mids/vocals are prioritised over other frequencies of the music
As for Treble, the Hola crowd won’t like this one, It’s not that smooth or rolled off
Instead it’s quite brighter in comparison to the Hola or the 7hz Zero 2
But at the same time it’s not as bright as the Moondrop Chu/Chu 2 or the 7hz Zero or most of the KZ(s)
It has enough upper mids and treble so that the Female vocals maintain a consistent clarity and details but at the same time they don’t feel shouty or painful
It can still cause issues for those who are very sensitive to the higher frequencies, but for most people including those who are only a bit sensitive to treble, this should do just fine
As those who are interested in the technicalities, the Imaging/Instrument Separation on these IEMs is probably the best in the segment, it’s actually on par with the Truthear x Crinacle Zero RED
Soundstage here is wide enough, obviously budget IEMs aren’t known for any “wow” factor in terms of soundstaging
But these are still very good for what they are priced at
There’s really not much to point out as cons
But there are a few things to keep in mind
- the resolution here feels a bit lacking, there are IEMs in this price that do it better than Truthear GATe
- No Type C DSP variant, although yes most audiophiles prefer 3.5mm over Type C (for the sound experience)
There are still people out there who want IEMs under ₹2000 and don’t really have the budget for a DAC
I think Truthear could’ve been a little humble and released a Type C variant of the Truthear GATe for those people, since there aren’t many balanced sounding options that offer Type C in this price class (missed opportunity I would call it)
Treble heads, and Treble haters both won’t like it
It’s not as treble heavy for the hardcore treble heads and it can be fatiguing and painful for those who are too sensitive to the treble, or just don’t like any at all (for some reason)
Not for Bass heads either
It should be obvious by now that these aren’t meant for the Bass lovers out there
It doesn’t have the “rumble” to keep up for those Sub Bass dependent songs and neither it has the strongest Mid Bass attack or intensity as some of the V shaped tuned IEMs
It’s only meant for casual listeners, which enjoy bass but aren’t exactly out & out “bass heads”
Free Tip
Get the one with the Mic for just 100₹ more, the Mic can be extremely useful if you wear them all day and have to attend calls or play games with your friends (it’s the most worth ₹100 you’ll ever spend, if that’s something you do as well)
Conclusion – It’s probably one of the best *balanced sounding* IEM you can get at this price
It will come down to whether you like the sound signature or not….if you like it, you’re absolutely going to love it
But if you liked the Truthear Hola and wanted something similar? This is just not it.
That’s it,
Thankyou for reading till the end.
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