Identical shell weight, form and size?
Weight, form, and size is very similar, maybe a tiny bit bigger?
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well, if they “just” added 2 more BAs, that is like 1 gram or something more to the weight. 
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There, I fixed it for you, happy
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So Tin is back with the successor to the OG T2, which was a cult classic, but can the MK2 version hold up in 2024?
Well, It’s basically the OG T2 but with even less bass, so, if you really hate bass, maybe the MK2’s for you? Like the OG, it’s a bright leaning set with a lot of focus on the uppermids and treble, giving an artificial sense of resolution from just boosting how sharp the notes are. The treble is peaky, it’s not very smooth, the timbre sounds metallic, and even brighter now because there’s even less emphasise in the bass. There’s also a lot of treble masking going with the peaks and dips, and the MK2 isn’t very airy either because there’s a cliff past 15K plus all the masking makes it very sharp and bright but also not fully extended.
For example the attack on cymbals are very tactile, but it lacks the reverb or air to the decay afterwards because, well, there’s little air. Imaging is very artificially sharp as well, I guess you can say it’s “sparkly” because the boosted uppermids help highlight imaging better, but very unnatural and unrefined, just very harsh in general. Vocals feel hollow and shrill, but end consonants also sound sharp at the same time because of the uppermids/treble boost, and TIN tries to fix this by adding more body in the lower-mids, but that just ends up hurting the separation and clarity.
So basically, not only is the MK2 harsh, sharp, and hollow, but it’s also not that great in the technical department. Even if you like clean, bright sets, the MK2 just isn’t refined enough, it’s probably one of the worst T2s, probably second only to the PRO, which was just shout city, and probably tied with the EVO since that one was pretty bad as well, way too bright with no low-end - idk what the TIN is doing.
If you haven’t caught on by now, I don’t recommend either the MK2, Plus, or the EVO, unless you want hearing loss, or you already have hearing loss. Now normally I can find at least one genre that can sound good with these “unique” sounding sets, but this is just not it man. Maybe you can get away with slow indie/ballad tracks on low volume, maybe, but like why, why? I’m just gonna call it right now, the T2 MK2 is going to be one of the worst tuned IEMs of 2024, and the year just started, so, not a good sign… Like even the T2 Plus was better it had a little more bass, but even that wasn’t that good to begin with like I wouldn’t recommend the T2 Plus either way.
I guess if you really want that OG T2 sound then the T3 would be the direct upgrade to it, less shouty, and a fuller low-end, but imo a bright harman signature like the T2 DLC or T4 Plus would be better at this price point. They’re a lot more well-rounded, better low-end, doesn’t sound overly harsh or hollow, but still bright leaning. You can also go for the ARTTI T10 which is just the S12 but cheaper, you know another bright signature, or the Kefine Klanar which is just a cheaper S12 Pro and a bassier ARTTI T10, And if you want the most bass on top of the energy then there’s the Melody as well. So, a lot of choices and heavy competition especially when the T2 MK2 comes in at $60 which is kind of insane given how bad it is, like at that point if you want treble, save up and get the IE200.
However, Tin does redeem themselves with the T5S, which is actually a bass set. The driver its using is a noticeable upgrade over the cheaper harman/df sets. The low-end is more resolving, you can pick out the bass notes better, and overall there’s more impact to the drums, and the sub-bass is deeper and more rumbly as well. Tracks like Time and Earthquake feel authoritative, and the bass isn’t smoothed out like the RED, but the low-end is a little boomy, and not as tight which leads to some coloring to the sound and overtaking the lowermids. Vocals sound warmer, huskier, and you’re not going to get that nice sparkle like the EA500, but it’s not congested or anything, just not as clean and extended.
Treble is fine for the most part, it’s not the smoothest but the extra energy does help make the T5S not sound overly warm and bloated. You can’t really hear the details because of the extra mid-bass combined with the boosted uppermids which creates masking, but it is a bassy set, so the bass fills most of the head stage, although I wouldn’t call it dark, but just not airy and not as extended. Resolution wise it sits around the same level as the Red and Sonus, but layering and separation is a step behind because of the extra mid-bass that pushes the low-end more forward, as well as the the drop in air doesn’t help with creating a bigger sense of space.
The FiiO JD7 is actually a very similar set (just with less sub-bass), and imo the better alternative as it sounds pretty much the same, but cheaper. And versus the OG T5, the T5S is going to have more sub-bass, rumblier, and less bright and energetic in the uppermids, so smoother in general with the focus being on the bass, whereas the OG T5 was a bright V-SHAPE tuning. Versus the C3, C5, T3 Plus, the T5S is again, more bass heavy, more bass in your face, but also more v-shape and energetic, whereas the C3 and C5 is more in line with your traditional harmans like the Waners and the Holas.
Overall, the T5S is a fun, bassy, basshead set, I think I would still take the Legato over it because the low-end is tighter and the stage feels bigger, however, it’s not going to be as immersive in the bass experience since the T5S has a more forward low-end presentation, and more in your face bass. But my favourite TIN is still the P1 MAX, it’s just very smooth, balanced, mid-centric, and none of this bright treble crap from the MK2. Anyways, sorry for the rant, here are the final rankings:
T2 MK2:
Tonality: FAIL
Tech: C+
Overall: NOT RECOMMENDED
T5S:
Tonality: B+/A-
Tech: B-
Overall: B
Thanks for reading 
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Hype 4 graph very similar to Xenns Top, how do they compare?
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TOP is brighter and a little sharper in the resolution
Hype 4 has less boomy bass/better low-end texture
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Whilst I can’t A/B the two anymore, the Top has much boomier and less controlled bass. I believe the boominess made the Top sound slightly warmer. Fun when listening to midbass, but less ‘audiophile’ bass-quality.
The separation on H4 is very clear and distinct. I would describe the H4 as fun and clean It has very nice rumble and impactful sub bass, but cuts like a razor into the midbass, adding to that separation.
I found the Top’s high end to be good, no doubt, but H4 sounds similar, but with a hint more air in the upper treble. Maybe I’m misremembering, as Jay and I had the exact same Top unit 
I was looking for something with a similar sound to the Top, and I loved the H4 from first listen. To me and my preferences I think it’s a better buy than Top, especially for the price both go for.
I think it’s an absolute beast for the price and currently fights for ear time with my newly acquired AüR Ascension
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Didn’t Simgot already spend time & expertise making it perfect themselves?
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Nope not for western tuning they didn’t
Is there some kind of science behind Western vs Eastern tuning? It’s always seemed like a strange concept to me. Tons of Asian people live in America, so are they supposed to like Western or Eastern? Is Eastern tuning just brighter? Am I possibly Asian since I like bright earphones? Also what if someone is over 50 and has lost high frequency hearing thru the normal aging process…wouldn’t Eastern tuning be better for them?
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If you ever see " Female Poison" in the description it means it’s a brighter IEM.
It seems like the Asian market prefer a brighter tuning and Western tuning seems to prefer a more gentle Pina gain and less Treble.
The Simgot is doing a compromise and it’s easy to tune with the nozzles and mesh filters.
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Female poison refers to having a lot of gain in the 2-4k region (Female vocals). You get enough of it to poison you.
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All I ever did on EA1000 was use a DIY nozzle with a 500grade mesh. And that sounds amazeballs. My ears do not compute the “EA1000 was too bright/harsh” complaints or that it isn’t a full upgrade on EA500.
But I very much wanna hear how the 500LM stacks up
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I’d say the EA1000 is overall still sparklier and more resolving, but the LM is just soooo smooth man and for like 90% of the performance sheesh
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So 2024 haven’t had the best start so far (T2 MK2), but luckily the Hype 4 is here to save the day - it’s pretty great.
In-terms of overall refinement and how smooth and extended the treble is, the Hype 4 is probably one of the best I’ve heard before the Supernova. The uppermids and early treble is really refined, and lots of air up top, more than the Hype 2, and a bigger sense of space as well followed by a good amount of reverb to the cymbals. The decay feels very nuanced but also not harsh or sharp - again refined and well-controlled. Resolution wise it’s great as well, not artificially sharp like the T2, a little bit better than the Hype 2, and slightly behind the Supernova.
Likewise vocals are similar to the Hype 2, not too forward but just enough to hear the details without becoming overbearing or shrill sounding. Fairly clean mids, leaning on the heavier side this time because of the increased mid-bass, but overall there’s no masking, no low-end bleed, well extended, open and just very good vocals - A tier. However, the Hype 4 actually has another selling point besides the treble quality, and that is its low-ends.
It’s got a very sub-woofer like characteristic, very well-controlled like the hype 2, but just more pronounced this time, it slams harder, feels heavier, the reverb from the bass notes are more noticeable, it’s more audible because, you know, there’s just more bass. At the same time the low-end doesn’t over take the rest of the sound, it still sounds open and not super forward in the low-end like some basshead IEMs (Maestro series). Overall, the hype 4 is just more engaging than the Hype 2 - thieaudio basically just boosted the bass, boosted the air, and created a more exciting version of its younger brother.
Now, if you already own the Hype 2 then you don’t need to upgrade. The difference is very small, a little more bass and air, a tiny bump in resolution, and value wise the Hype 2 is definitely still better, and you should just save up for the MK3s if you already have the Hype 2. However, if you’re buying from scratch, this is where it gets a little tricky. If you like bass, so you’re library is mainly hiphop, rock, r&b, even EDM and pop, then the extra low-end in the Hype 4 will increases the immersion when it comes to bass guitars, drums, male vocals - they just go harder. But if you don’t want that much bass and are fine with a slight harman bass-boost, then ya the Hype 2 would be the better pick there.
Vocal wise, Studio 4 is still the best around $500, it’s more forward, cleaner, more neutral, and more easier to pick out in busier tracks. It’s a bit sharper because the treble extension isn’t as smooth as the Hype 4, but it does sound sweeter with female vocals, and indie, ballads, tracks like that, so if that’s what you’re looking for then ya Studio 4 is still the way to go. Now compared to the EJ07M the Hype 4 is just as well textured and rumbly in the sub-bass, but it just has more meat and warmer in the mid-bass, better for rock and hiphop, as well as having smoother treble extension. However, I do still prefer the vocals and mids on the 07M more, they’re just cleaner, more detailed and forward, more immersive like the Studio 4, but with just more sub-bass this time, although depending on your preference and library either the 07M or the Hype 4 will work.
Versus the TOP, they’re both very similar in the low-end, but the Hype 4 has better bass control, it’s not as boomy, more tactile, and also overall smoother in the uppermids and treble as well. The TOP is more energetic and resolving I’d say, the peaks brings out more dynamic contrast and sharpness in the end notes, it’s brighter depending on your unit because again unit variation (for example Mag’s unit had less bass than mine), but for me as an all-rounder the Hype 4 has a better controlled low-end, is smoother, and comes in at $150 less, so I’d take the Hype 4… Many people have also been saying the Hype 4 is a mini MK3, and I would agree, it’s basically the same thing, but just less resolving, like 90% of the MK3, so pretty great value if you put it that way.
Overall, the Hype 4 is a very solid all-rounder - probably the best you can get at its price right now and even beating out some benchmarks like the XENNS TOP. Here are the final rankings:
Tonality: S-
Tech: A+
Overall: A+
Thanks for reading, and Check out the video for the gaming rant where I @ Fresh Reviews
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throwing shade to Fresh. Spicy.
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