It's All About The Details, And Then Some
NOTES
The Tripowin X HBB Olina follows the growing trend of manufacturers collaborating with well know personalities in the audio space. The Olina is the second such collab for Tripowin with HBB (Hawaiian Bad Boy), the Mele being the first.
There has been some noise in the community as the Olina is reputed use the same dynamic driver as the well celebrated, and more expensive, Tanchjim Oxygen and even before its release expectations were riding high. While similarities in the actual driver may have some making a ruckus, it is in the tuning where the sound really startles to take shape.
The Olina sports a single 10mm CNT (Carbon Nanotube) dynamic driver in a moderately sized metal shell with a nicely appointed accent plate. On tap is a moderately V-shaped signature with good extension at both ends of the frequency spectrum. Easy to drive, the Olina does though benefit from more power and a capable source. Considering its price, the retail presentation and included accessories are more than adequate though I quickly moved on to 3rd party tips while for much of my listening stayed with the stock cable which I found to be above average for the price.
The Olina deserves a deep dive with respect to listening, and while it may not be for everyone, and I haven't found an iem that is, it is overall a standout performer that easily shifts upwards the performance expectations in the $100 price category. To extract the best performance, time tip rolling would be time well spent. The Olina also favors warmer sources.
SPECS
- 10mm CNT (Carbon Nanotube) Diaphragm
- Sensitivity: 110db/mw
- Impedance: 32Ω
- Standard 0.78mm Connectors.
- Frequency Response: 10Hz-20kHz
- 3.5mm Termination Plug.
- Cable: Silver Plated Oxygen Free Copper
EQUIPMENT
Topping a50s Headphone Amplifier
SMSL Sanskrit 10th MK2 DAC
Venture Electronics Rap5/WarpCore Lite Amplifier
Venture Electronics Megatron
TempoTec E44 , Apogee Groove & Shanling UA2 Dongles
Eartips: Final Audio E , Tanchjim T3-- T-A3B
Cable: Stock Cable 3.5mm SE, Lunashops SCP
Sources: Flac Files From my Personal Collection / Apple Music
BUILD, QUALITY & FIT
Build quality is excellent with the iems being obviously very well made. The quality of the included accessories is also good with the cable being a standout. If anything I found that the included tips were not suitable for me as they were too soft, but this was not an issue as I have a number of other tips ready for rolling. Retail presentation is fitting for an item of this price as well.
:SOUND:
BASS:
The Olina really shines when it comes to bass. While definitely NOT a basshead's earphone, the low end is fast, detailed and goes fairly deep with good authority. All this while remaining balanced with respect to the remaining frequency spectrum. The Olina is capable of revealing satisfying textures and expressiveness in the low end even on complex tracks. Circumstance by Wayman Tisdale really highlighted how clearly the Olina presented bass texture and drive. Angel by Massive Attack is a bassline driven track and the Olina really rose to the occasion without the bass at anytime masking or overshadowing the rest of the arrangement. Bass also has good slam as witnessed on a number of House Music tracks such as Emotions Electric by Gerald Simpson and Agora by Caiiro among others. Very well done and admittedly better than a number of more expensive earphones I own and or have heard.
MIDRANGE
The Olina offers a sonic footprint filled with nuances and details, both macro & micro, while being satisfyingly coherent alas well. It is moderately warm without the bass bleed many may mistake as warmth. The lower mids are just that bit recessed with female voices being more prominent than males. There is a fairly substantial pinna gain here but thankfully not at the expense of harshness or sibilance. Instruments clarity and separation are also very good but suffer in complex tracks when playing at louder than I should levels. Transient attack and decay is noteworthy with the all too overlooked space between the notes being on clear display here. Note weight is also good but at times can be lacking in the lower midrange. "Tender Hearted Lover" by John Stoddard was missing some of his noteworthy usual vocal weight for example. At times, and depending on the track, the Olina can be pushed into having a tendency to display nasal vocals. Again this level of pinna gain combined with a recessed lower midrange is a two edged sword, but more often than not, the Olina came out on top. The Olina is also falls behind slightly when looking at timbre and organics. It is not cold by any means, but there are a few, and usually more expensive, competitors that are better in this regard.
Treble
Treble is fairly well extended with good amounts of air and sparkle. Those who are treble sensitive may have some reservations but the details and technicalities are undeniably present. Where the Olina may fall a step behind is in the organic nature and timbre of the high end. This is best heard when doing direct comparisons using tracks with lots of brushed cymbal work and strings such as "Vanston Place 12am" by Ronny Jordan and "Love You To The Letter" by Anita Baker among others.
Sound Addendum:
The Olina ships with 4 sets of extra nozzle filters. As an experiment I added a filter on each side and the sound did actually change. The pinna gain was tempered and any potential for aggressiveness was reduced. Still present was the level of detail but at the expense of some moderate expansiveness in the soundstage. Bass then became just a little more prominent but still not overshadowing the rest of the frequency range. This little "mod" smoothed out the Olina's response and should be considered for those who find the stock sound maybe just a little too forward.
IMAGING & SOUNDSTAGE
The Tripowin X HBB Olina images very nicely. It is not an overdone and unrealistic image but one that is believable in size being very solid in it's instrument/element placement.
VERSUS
- Tin HiFi T3+
The Olina is more technically capable than the T3+. In terms of bass quality, detail retrieval, texture and speed the Olina is superior. Where the T3+ shines brighter is in imaging and soundstage just sounding more open, which is a trait of the T3+ that is quite impressive. The T3+ also has a more organic presentation but still the overall score does favor the Olina.
-Ibasso IT01x
Not well known by many, the it01x has been my go to iem for long listening sessions over the past 6 months.
Bass quantity is greater than the Olina but in terms of overall quality of the low end, the Olina takes the prize here. The bass of the Olina is quite nice tbh. When looking at the midrange the Ibasso has just a touch less detail retrieval than the Olina with respect to micro details, but wins out on note weight and just a superior organic presentation that is very alluring and better suited for longer listening sessions. Timbre is also superior with the Ibasso.
Treble is where the Ibasso really pulls away. While both have ample sparkle and air, the IT01x has a noticeably sweeter, and yes more organic treble than the Olina. Things just sound more natural on the Ibasso and has more than once had me sitting up at attention.
My opinion is that the Ibasso provides a more natural presentation conceding to the Olina only with respect to absolute bass quality.
CONCLUSION
The Tripowin X HBB Olina is a very good iem. It offers a cohesive sound ripe with details and is very expressive as well. Bass is a real standout here as well as the very detailed midrange. It is in technicalities where the Olina may just be the top dog in the $100 market segment even easily besting competitors costing more. Is the Olina for everyone? Absolutely not and there is nothing I know of in the market that will please everyone.
While it's sound signature may not be the cats meow for the treble sensitive, and timbre fanatics may not be totally satisfied, there is little doubt that the Olina is an iem that should be on many peoples' short list. It is definitely a top contender at or near its price and challenges quite a few more expensive competitors. In addition the inclusion of the additional filters provide an easy way to further alter the sound in a way that I can believe more than a few may like. As I've also found with number of better performing earphones, time spent tip and cable rolling pays off in a big way. This combined with a warmer source really allows the Olina to spread its wings.
In the end it is all about musical enjoyment. The Tripowin X HBB Olina gets a recommendation from Silicon SoundZ.
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