I am shocked that there isn’t more buzz about the Tripowin x HBB Kailua. I got mine late Friday, but Greta Van Fleet’s new album came out Friday, and my only listening time on Sat. was that with the Tea2 ( a known transducer for the 1st time ). So this morning I am finally getting some time to listen to the Kailua.
The Kailua mostly does what you think it should base on the graphs. It staked out a middle ground on the treble tuning somewhere between Mele ( or Z300 ) and Olina, and the result is that the bass represents well, but the treble details aren’t lost. I am not sure why, while it has plenty of bass, the slam or impact seemed less than I expected. My guess is that it something to do with Ti coating, but I am don’t know enough about how that impacts the sound. Speaking of the sound, I really enjoyed it, the timber was very natural, it was clean with fast bass, but not tight, and the drivers worked well together. For people who thought Olina was a bit too bright at times, this will be a good choice.
I am impressed at how comfortable these are for me. They are small, much smaller than I expected a 2DD ( 10mm & 6 mm ) to be. The nozzle is small but has a pretty aggressive angle, and they stay in my ears well as a result, but the angle might not work for every ear. I think the angle did force me to go up from a small to medium on the ear tips. I did find that after tip rolling a bit, that I like the sound best with the Final E, or the Dunu S&S, but I am usually a Spinfit CP100+ fan.
The cable will probably be polarizing. It is the thinnest cable I own, but it isn’t bad, just different. Note there is no case with it. I think the cable and case were just trying to put the money into the IEM, not the accessories. If so that works for me.
I really like the Kailua, it is another well made Tripowin IEM, and the HBB tuning we expect. It is probably in my top 3 under $100, which is some ordering of Olina SE, EA500, and the Kailua. I am looking forward to seeing what mods might happen with it too.