TRI - I3 MK3 (3rd Generation)

Tri i3 MK3. Superb clarity and separation/imaging. However requires foam ear tips ideally. Kotori audio Zephyr for neutral tuning with a little warmth. Also try Final Audio E5000 for an old school iem with warmth and clarity.

Spend a bit more and get the Tanchjim Origin, it's good enough to kill the itch for this kind of tuning, for 1DDs anyways. Another great one is Aful MagicOne. Cadenza 4 is good but the bass scooping make it very mid-focused and dry, so you either have to be ok with giving up that warmth or EQing it back, and if you're gonna EQ it back I think TRI i3 Mk III has more wow factor and better extension than the Cadenza 4, for hybrids anyways.

Lol sorry for the slow response but I would say the difference it Cadenza 4 is very mid-focused, whereas the i3 is mid and highs focused. You just don't have those amazing highs on the Cadenza 4, but you do have slightly richer mid-mids instead. Both need some bass adjustment and un-scooping of the mids with EQ. I say the i3 has more wow factor because when you listen to it and have it EQ'd right, the highs will probably stand out even if you have a large collection, and you will get addicted to those highs, that's what happened to me anyways.

Right now it's probably the TRI i3 mk3. Edit: I totally forgot that the Ziigaat Estrella was under $300 so it's definitely up there as well.

I made this post because while there are plenty of reviews on IEMs out there I rarely see any review on cables especially budget ones, so I think beginners might want some suggestions on cable upgrade because many budget IEMs don't come with a decent cable. The cables are listed in order left to right, top to bottom mainly based on price. I also won't be talking about sound difference because there is none, IEM cables are generally too short to make any noticeable difference (as long as the cable doesn't suck) unless your IEM is very sensitive. All of these cables can be found on AliExpress and are under $20 except the last one. * KZ 784 core cable: $6 on a good sale. For the price it's great value. It's surprisingly thick for such a cheap cable yet still relatively soft, also looks quite nice if you are into gold-ish colors and there is a blue-white version too. The only cons are no chin slider and QDC only. * KBear ST12: $8 on sale. It's a all-round solid cable, quite soft and minimal tangle. Overall there's nothing wrong about it so it would be a good choice if you just want a functional cheap cable. Oh and the dark blue color looks kinda nice under bright light. * NiceHCK BlackSoul: I got it for $6 but it's generally $10 on sale. The chunkiest cable in my collection but soft enough and the metal parts feel very well built. Not my favorite cable but it's not bad, a nice choice if you want a manly looking cable. * Yongse 1947: $10-13 on sale. Thinnest and lightest cable in my collection so it's a nice choice to pair with heavier IEMs. It looks quite nice too but I am not a fan of fabric sleeved cables. There is a bit of microphonic so not recommended for outdoor use but it's totally fine for desk setups. * Artti A12: $14 normal price and $12 on sale. Just slightly thicker and heavier than the 1947 but imo more well built. I actually didn't expect it to be this thin but it's still a nice cable, but since it's rather thin it can tangle a little bit (not by much though). If you want a lightweight cable this is a great choice. * Openheart 8-core cable: $15 normally, $13 on sale. Pretty well built cable and looks nice, but feels slightly rough since it's tightly braided. Good cable but I would only recommend for the color options. * Kinera Celest Lara: $15 on QoA Official Store. It's basically the best of both worlds between Openheart cable and KBear ST12. Well braided but soft and comfy, and the metal parts feel nice too. Highly recommended if you can get it for $15 or less. * Juzear Limpid: $16-18. Really really nice cable for the price. Very well built, thick but soft and comfy. HIGHLY recommended if you want a good simple looking cable, there's also a brown version with different name that I forgot but same build. * Yongse Warrior: $16-20. Built like a tank though not as soft as the Limpid, nice powerful manly aesthetics, btw its color is slight green-ish dark brown and not black. Personally I still recommend more the Limpid for general use despite being more happy with the Warrior. * Tripowin Zonie: probably the most well known cable in this community. Softest cable in my collection which might appeal to many although I personally prefer it a bit harder. Not my favorite but it's well regarded so if in doubt just buy the Zonie. * XINHS City Hunter: $70 MSRP but it's recently released so XINHS had a promotion on it, I got it for $27 with coin discount, not sure if still available so check their Twitter to know. It looks absolutely gorgeous IRL but my photo doesn't give it justice, decently thick but still very soft and comfy, one of my best cables. I wouldn't pay MSRP for it but XINHS every once in a while has some fantastic deals so I recommend following their stores. Now to my recently purchased IEMs: * KZ Saga Balanced: best IEM under $20 I have heard, direct upgrade to EDC Pro. Mild V shape tuning that feels similar to Harman with satisfying bass that is noticeably more clear compared to other budget sets, mid and treble are quite detailed for the price too. It also has an unusually well built metal shell for the price minus QDC connector. * Kinera Celest Rue: $12-14. Funny looking IEM but sound is just alright, warm tuning but it doesn't sound detailed. Easy skip considering the Wyvern Abyss is often on sale for around the same price. * TRI i3 mk3: absolute vocal wonder!!! Well built and beautiful metal shell, good complete accessories. $200 MSRP but it's $120 on KBear Official Store. Tuning is 100% vocal focused, if you want bass then turn away but vocal lovers looking for an IEM below $200 should absolutely consider this. * Moondrop Stellaris: not in the picture cause I returned it. Very niche bright tuning, VERY detailed sound for the price that is probably among the best under $200 but it's a bit shouty on certain songs even with tip rolling, bass quality is great but quantity is lacking.

If you have sensitive ears then I'd recommend tri i3 mk3. Great all rounder, don't get fooled by the graphs of it because it's enough bass. Premium hardware for that price

The Tri I3 Mk3 is an insanely technical set for the price while not sacrificing tonality, found the best tip pairing for it is Spinfit W1s. I can provide comparisons if you like since I tried most of the new stuff.

So I have owned the s12, currently own MP145 & MP143, S12 is super duper bright and might be confused for being overly technical but I found it can be overly fatiguing and the bass response does not even compare. Meanwhile mP145, you can get it much bassier on the red nozzle but the quality of the bass is not quite as weighty and objectively can't compete as the Tri uses a Dynamic driver for the bass despite measuring bass light and the treble on 145 can come across metallic and tinny whereas it's super smooth on the Tri i3 MK3, MP143 on the other hand is the closest in terms of cohesiveness with solid bass response, not as fatiguing upper treble as 145 and quite solid, and the nozzle options are solid too. I would say the Tri i3 takes the cake with treble and overall tonality, amazing accessories and tips but the mp143 does offer 3 different sound profiles with the nozzle system despite having worse accessories.

Love the i3 mk3, are you using the included stock tips?

Cadenza 4 & tri i3 mk3 graph very closely, having a hard time picking one to purchase, have the origin and It's very warm to me, the sub bass colours the mix. Would you recommened these two? if you could quickly compare if you have listened, fast reponse would be appreciated, thanks

I got the i3s thank you! but question, when you tap them with your finger can you hear movement, like something is hitting the shell (on both) x\_x

Godly tuning, copy+pasted it to my tri i3 mk3, elevated the iem to another level. Still deciding on getting either this or the apevoix grit.