🔶 Tripowin X HBB Olina

[Bauzer]

After a long wait, finally got my Olina!

[hawaiibadboy]

Olina taken apart
credit to work and pics go to Jeffrey Fries of HiFri Audio

Hi-Fri Audio

[Jazzdoit]

It’s amazing that those four irons and washers are able to sound so good.

[Batamphile]

Finally arrived, my 2 cents

The Pros:

• Perfect mid males and females, just the right vocal distance/positioning
• The timbre and tone just so natural/accurate
• Price and Value

The Ok

• Great bass (enough and natural speed, can use more sub bass rumble and texture)
• Build quality and accessories, usable cable with matching color (maybe add a pair or two comply tips for some people)

The Bad

• Non fatiguing treble (is good, but still lack of detail and not enough air, a big step up from Mele, definitely there’s room for improvement)

Thank you and congratulations HBB, Olina will be my new daily driver, for future collaboration please consider TWS sub $100 and/or affordable EJ07m (sub $300)

[jarlaxle]

Alright, after using them for sometime, I wanted to share a bit more.

Last week I also got ahold of a pair of 7Hz Timeless. Well Timeless is another beast as you all know. However my short bus modded (double filter on the nozzle) Olina somehow feels more engaging and energetic. After listening to Timeless for a little I want to grab Olinas. Bass impact and subbass rumble is impressive with the mod and a good seal. By the way, about the seal, @ttorbic suggested KBEAR07 tips and I was considering buying them but a box of tips included in Timeless I believe are identical to KBEAR07 and they are both sealing well and comfortable. So Thanks.

Anyway, although they are better with the mod, still when I crank up the volume, upper mids tell me to lower the volume down like a nagging spouse I guess I’m really sensitive to that area. That’s all for now. Happy listening.

[VIVIDICI_111]

Olina Comparison is finally done!

I’ve been carefully A/Bing the Olina (stock vs modded), Starfields, and ER2SE for the last week+ and I believe I’m ready to share the results I found… The mod I used for my Olina is the double filter mod+stock tips. Basically, instead of replacing the Olina filter with the Tanya, I just put another Olina filter on top of the pre-existing one. I’ve tinkered with multiple mods, and this seems to be the best for me. More on that here Nymz’s Reviews and Database - The Tea Cult - #2232 by VIVIDICI_111 and in the replies below.
But first, a brief review on the stock Olina:

For mid-volume listening (tested at 65db):

This is an IEM that easily competes with more expensive sets like the Dusk, Tea, and it’s older brother Oxygen. The bass on the Olina is extremely well-controlled resulting in great low-end separation with fast attack and decay that never bleeds into the mids. Bass notes are weighted, clear and well-textured, with kick-drums being just right and impactful but never too much. Although not a basshead set, the Olina to me is the benchmark for well-done bass at $100~.

MIDS are very lush, like a bright violin. Female vocals and electric guitars especially stand out on songs like “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston, “Strangest Thing” by The War On Drugs, and “Shine on you crazy diamond Pt.1” by Pink Floyd. The pinna gain on Olina’s mid-range brings out an energic presentation, giving lots of texture and sparkle to vocals and instruments. Vocals are not recessed or too forward, but in the ideal position with enough intimacy to feel personal but also not crowded. The extra energy from the 1.5K-4K region reveals lots of vocal texture and detail while not killing your ears–well, at least not at mid-volume listening anyways. More on this later.

TREBLE on the Olina is very clean and light, giving one a sense of space you won’t get on other sets at this price or even at higher prices like the Dusk or Tea. This airy and spacious soundstage opens up room for lots of microdetails to be revealed that would have otherwise been missed on darker IEMs like the Tea, and also helps to position energetic vocals and instruments distant enough to not be forward-sibilant mid-volume. Electronic genres/artists such as Porter Robinson and Daft Punk sounds amazing on the Olina, and due to the airy and open soundstage, the Olina does amazing in separation as well; I am able to clearly hear distinct instruments and nuances from one another without them blending and muddying together. I would say the Tea is slightly better in-terms of separation, but the Olina is so close that it’s very hard to tell.

The Olina is also stands out in-terms of resolution, and is a very clean and clear IEM. The clarity on these reminds me of the Dusk and Oxygen, and definitely beats out the Tea and the Hana 2021. It’s as if I’m staring into a clear river picking out every rock and branch in the stream with my eyes, well, except with my ears in this case. Imaging is phenomenal: fast, accurate, and clear with no decay issues–although I still prefer the Tea’s imaging due to it having more note-weight/impact, and 3D due to its behind-the-head soundstage, however, the Olina still easily competes with $300 IEMs in this department, and is again, the benchmark in-terms of resolution and imaging at $100.

Timbre on the Olina is fantastic. Althought the music is slightly colored towards a brighter presentation, it’s done in a very tasteful and subtle manner with none of that in your face “more treble=detail” kind of tuning. You can tell that the DD used in the Olina is of high quality as I haven’t ran into timbre or plastic/grainy texture oddities. I would say the Olina definitely has better timbre and instrument accuracy (compared to real life) than the Starfields, Etymotics, Tea, and Dusk.

CONS:

Now, on to the stuff no one wants to hear but needs to be said… At mid-volume, Olina is my go to IEM even over more expensive sets, however, once I try to crank this bad boy up that’s when things start to get messy. Remember the 1.5K-4K pinna gain that sounded fine before? Well, as the volume increases, female vocals, electric guitars, and higher frequency mid-range instruments starts to really take a toll on the ears. At around 80db, I am physically unable to listen for more than 30 minutes before my ears starts ringing from the sharp “ss” sounds. This doesn’t happen with the Teas, and very little with the ER2SE, Starfields, and even the Hana 2021.

The track I like to use to test sibilance is “All Too Well” by Taylor Swift. I don’t know if it’s Taylor’s voice, the production, the mastering, or all of it above, but so far all the IEMs I’ve tested has had some difficulty with it at high-volume (even the Tea but that’s more of a timbre issue), and Olina is not an exception. During the second chorus where all of the instruments join in together and up till the end, Taylor’s overly airy vocals (“ssss”), the high-pitched electric guitars in the back, along with the spicy cymbals come together to produce a sensory overload that always results in me turning down the volume by a few dbs no matter how many times I listen to it. Here is where the bright tuning on the Olina ends up biting itself in the arse.

Likewise, cymbal crashes become very fatiguing as well as electronic instruments like synthesizers, and the sear amount of high-frequency detail from the elevated upper-mid and treble combined with the harsh “ssss” takes out every last bit of immersion from the listening experience that one’s looking for at a higher volume and replaces it with sharp sounds. Notes could also use more weight and warmth as sometimes I find the Olina to be too light and bright with moodier tracks like “Venice Beach” by Lana Del Rey making the song sound floaty and unnaturally bright; dynamics also takes a hit due to the elevated upper-mids and treble that doesn’t scale too well.

At higher volumes, the Olina’s neutral-bright signature transforms into just a “bright” one, crossing over onto the realms of fatiguing.

Olina Stock Rating: B+

Now, onto the comparisons; since I don’t want this review to turn into a 10 page essay, I’ll try my best to condense my findings. However, if you are interested in digging deeper, I recommend the great Olina review and comparison @nymz wrote: Nymz’s Reviews and Database - The Tea Cult - #1941 by nymz

Olina (stock/ double filter mod+stock tips) vs Starfields vs ER2SE/XR
Tracks used:

BASS:

As mentioned, Olina’s bass is by far the cleanest and most well controlled out of the three. The ER2SE simply could not handle the bass-notes on “Time” by Hikaru Utada (0:40+) as it falls apart distorting the vocals with the bass. The starfields on the other hand did handle it, but the bass is less clear with less texture definition–and due to the Starfield’s slower driver, bass notes sometimes bleeds into the mids and muddies midrange resolution. The ER2XR improved the note control on the SE, and didn’t bleed unlike the starfields, but felt less impactful and almost too quick/lean compared to the Olina such as the drums on “All of The Lights” by Kanye West, and the bass in “Out of Time” by The Weekend. In-terms of bass, it would rank like so:

1. Olina stock/mod
2. ER2XR
3. Starfields
4. ER2SE

MIDS:

Here’s where things get tricky. The Olina modded (An additional Olina filter on top of the pre-existing Olina filter +stock tips) fixes all of the midrange sibilance at higher volume and is the most full sounding, lush, and detailed, BUT on the other hand, stock Olina at high-volume is barely listenable even though it has great texture, timbre, and technicalities. To my ears, the Etymotics also have equally rich and clean mid-ranges as the Olina stock mid-volume, but instruments on all three are a bit too light at times and lack the note-weight compared to the modded Olina such as guitar picks and piano. The Starfields on the other hand has a very “heavy” mid-range with a lot of thump partially due to its bass, but is also not as clean and detailed as the others due to its bleed. Although if I had to choose an IEM that can handle higher volumes, I’d rather have the Starfields’ heavier mid-range than getting my eardrums pierced by the stock Olina.

1. Olina modded
2. ER2SE/XR/ Olina stock-mid volume
3. Starfields
4. Olina stock-high volume

TREBLE:

Just like the mids, a similar pattern can be found with the stock/mod Olina here as well. At high volume, Olina’s treble is fatiguing and unnaturally bright, effecting timbre, vocals, and immersion. Compared to the stock Olina-HV, the ER2SE/XR better tames the 1.5K-4K region, as well as less energy past 10K. There is a slight downgrade in soundstaging and microdetails, but it allows for better immersion and naturality to the music. The same area here on “All Too Well” by Taylor Swift sounds just bright enough on the ER2SE/XR to give it that sparkle without crossing over into sibilance. However once modded, the Olina’s treble is stabilized with less “ssss or zzzz” sounds and competes with the Etymotics, but with better timbre (feels more grounded as not as floating off). The Starfields Treble is decent, but not as detailed and natural as the others, hiding a touch of metallic graininess to cymbals, as well as softer electric guitars.

1. Olina modded
2. ER2SE/XR/ Olina stock-mid volume
3. Starfields
4. Olina stock-high volume

VOCALS:

Female vocals come across vibrant and electrified on the Olina stock or modded. It’s a type of lushness that sends goosebumps down my arms as I sit here in awe listening to Whitney Houston’s emotional vocals from 3:00 minute onwards on “I Will Always Love You”. The detail and texture in her breath is incredible as well as the positioning that is not recessed nor too close. However, once again, at higher volume Whitney’s vocals begin to pierce and hurt my ears, especially consonants such as “s, and ch” sounds. A close second would be the Etymotics, although also clean and detailed, I find it lacking note-weight and emotionality. As for the Starfields, they do sound good, but not nearly as detailed, and lacking in texture and sounding grainy at times; they also sound too recessed for me… but I’d still pick them over piercing vocals anytime though.

1. Olina modded/ Olina stock-mid volume
2. ER2SE/XR
3. Starfields
4. Olina stock high volume

TECHNACALITIES:

Clarity & Detail:

1. Olina modded/Olina stock
2. ER2SE/XR (very close to the Olina)
3. Starfields

3D & Imaging:

1. Olina modded/Olina stock
2. ER2SE/XR/ Starfields

Soundstage:

1. Olina stock
2. Olina modded
3. ER2SE/XR/ Starfields

Dynamics:

1. Olina modded/ ER2SE/XR
2. Olina stock -mid volume/ Starfields
3. Olina stock- high volume

Timbre & Texture:

1. Olina modded/Olina stock
2. ER2SE/XR
3. Starfields

CONCLUSION:

So then, who is the king at $100? Well, to me, the clear last place are the Starfields (and Arias which are a worse version of the Starfields). I personally loved them when they first came out, but as products improve and competition heats up, better IEMs will come out to eventually replace an old favourite. I also believe we can rule out the ER2SE, since the XR is just an SE with more impactful and better controlled bass. My recommendation is then to buy the Olina and do the double filter+stock tips mod. Even though it may take a few minutes the end results in my opinion will greatly justify the output (literally just stick the extra Olina filter on top of the pre-existing one). The modded Olina will have improved bass, richer mids and vocals, and treble just as good as the Etymotics–without having to deal with Etymotics’ fit annoyances. The timbre is an upgrade due to instruments sounding thin at times on the ER2XR, and there is simply more emotionality and immersion from the Olina. An example of this is “U” by Kendrick Lamar where Kendrick is half rapping/half drunk with a bottle of alcohol in his hand. The realism and texture of Kendrick trying to hold himself back from crying while drinking from the clanking sound of the bottle in his hand is an experience that not many IEMs can portray correctly… and that’s what I think music and IEMs should be about: Trying to recreate that emotionality, a memory, events, an experience that we the listener can get lost in, or find meaning from. So even though the Olina may have its own share of flaws, it does not compromise when it comes to things that matter the most, that musical experience we all strive for.

For the past few years, the ER2SE/XR has been the benchmark at $100, however… @hawaiibadboy and Tripowin has now teamed together to finally create a monster to dethrone it… although, it’s a monster that will need some modding

Olina Modded Ranking: A-

JAY's IEM Ranking List

Also, modded Olina replaces the Hana 2021. Score breakdown in the list above

[nymz]

Great job and thanks for the shoutout. Made miss my Olina, gotta grab another.

Keep it up! Olina is a beauty for 100!

[VIVIDICI_111]

Thank you thank you, and agreed. A gem indeed!

It’s 3AM and my ears and brain are fried so I’m signing out for tonight. I’ll see you boys in the morning.

[nymz]

Yeah, I always get very tired after those sessions. First world problems I guess. Get some rest

[fyjo]

I finally did tanya mod after almost two weeks procrastinating because I’m not good at this stuff. But it turns out it is quite easy and the mesh is stronger than I thought, not fragile at all. And also Michael Bruce video helps a lot with his step-by-step tutorial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYt76KejQec

I agree with a lot of @Mandaf_26 comments on stock vs double olina filter vs single tanya filter. Great write up!

@Mandaf_26

*Double Olina Filters
More Bass, but slightly congested, blocking the Airy sound and reverb vocals and instruments. The sound is like being in a music studio with dampening foam on the walls. But still good instrument separation and layering. Definitely more natural vocals and more tame treble than single filters. But always condensation occurs when using wide bore eartips.

I also notice on double olina filters that some vocals had nasal timbre, it’s like the vocalist had a bit stuffy nose , but tip rolling can help clear their stuffy nose. For me Final Type E tips works best in this mod, it alleviate nasal timbre and also make the bass more delicious that the inner basshead in me love. But because of congested sound and sparkle lost in double filters make me switch back to stock olina.

@Mandaf_26

*Tanya Filters vs Olina Filters (not double)

More slam and slightly thicker Bass, thicker note weight and more natural, less shouty vocals and instruments, slightly more tame treble, but both provide an airy and reverb effect to the sound.

Exactly what he said. With tanya filters, sound is a bit smoother, more natural, upper mids is more controlled and able to handle higher volume of listening without becoming too hot. It loses a bit of the sparkle of stock olina, but that’s it. I think it’s a good compromise. I thought I will miss the sparkle like when I did double filter mod, but with Tanya mod things are different, the sparkle lost isn’t that much and the gain in other areas is a lot more.

@Mandaf_26

*Tanya Filters vs Double Olina Filters

Less bass quantity but same slam, same punchy instruments, definitely more airy, reverb vocals and instruments are presents to give more richer like in the hall. Instrument separation is clearer. Vocals and instruments are both natural and less shouty, but with Tanya Filters, vocals and instruments are more open and cleaner than the double filter. No condensation occurs when I use wide bore eartips.

Exactly what he said. I didn’t have anything to add except that my choice of the three is Tanya mod. It’s perfect for me.

[ttorbic]

Sick review man! Thanks for all the hard work! Quick question: is your Olina mod just Tanya filter or is it Tanya + front vent?

Edit: ah it’s double filter mod. Maybe you could bring that info right up to the top? Will you be doing an equally long comparison with the Tanchjim filter mod? Just kidding. But I’d love to hear your take, even if brief!

[VIVIDICI_111]

I think I was too tired and forgot to fully mention it when I was typing it up last night But I have now added it in, good catch Although I didn’t have a Tanya filter I did try the Hana filter which is thicker than the Olina one, as well as other mods as well, but in the end the Olina double filter is the best one for me. Here’s what I wrote a few days ago:

Alright guys, so I’ve been tinkering with Olina mods for the last 5 days and I think I finally found the one. For reference I went from:

1. B2 filter on top of Olina filter+foam tips
2. B2 filter on top+Olina filter on vent+foam tips
3. Replaced the Olina filter with thicker Hana filter+foam tips
   to finally
4. Putting another Olina filter on top of the pre-existing stock filter (so double filter)+stock tips

This double filter stock tip mod tames the bright mids and treble (especially at high volume) while maintaining everything else.

[amanieux]

hi jay, made some visuals with your data (heart mirror and olina are standing out) : jay's visual price perf ratios - Google Sheets

[DunninLA]

Wow, what a comprehensive and well thought out review. Had to read it twice it contains so much.

FWIW, I think the Hana and Tanya filters are the same. Neither of which I had, but it isn’t important to me b/c like you, I found the double filter and stock wide bore tips to be a perfect balance for an all-around IEM. For head banging I still prefer the MELE, but that is infrequently. If I want almist MELE bass I can always EQ the double filtered olina by 2db at 60 and 125Hz, and reduce 2k and 4k by 1 db.

[VIVIDICI_111]

Thanks for the very helpful graphs

[VIVIDICI_111]

Thanks for the love Based on images I think the Tanya and Hana filters are very similar.

I’m glad the double filter worked out for you!

[ttorbic]

Hana filters are different to Tanya/Oxygen, right @Rikudou_Goku

[Rikudou_Goku]

From what I have measured, it seems they are different.

[DunninLA]

Okay, thanks, I learned something… I had thought all those Tanchjim filters were the same.

[VIVIDICI_111]

Now we know! Haha