TRN V90 Quickie — Losing Its Virginity To The Tiger?

This is not a review but people are running my door in for my opinion. Haven’t even measured them yet. Here some notes out of my a…damsapple before I write a proper review. Out of the box, the TRN V90 are merely ok as the cable is meh (it works but does not live up to the metal earpieces that feel as smooth as soapstone…great haptic)…and the stock eartips are too small for my Bavarian ear canals. JVC Spiral Dots do wonders in this case: compared to similarly shaped wide-bore tips, they add a good breeze of air.

TRN V90

Full Review FINALLY HERE.

Some photos of the TRN V90 [HERE]…but you probably have already seen them.

TRN V90

My verdict is that these TRN V90 are stellar (after the tinkering described above) — they are capable earphones independent of price. Anybody who has them on order can look forward to a treat. The sound can be characterized as balanced and tepid (warmish)…not quite neutral, maybe Harman Target, but certainly not sterile or dark. The upper midrange, although there is a prominent peak, does not come across as uberenergetic or even screamy.

TRN V90

Their bass builds on the TRN V80 [review HERE]…nicely textured, silky, with a decent, very pleasant kick, but never overbearing…no mid-bass hump. Vocals are very well sculptured, something the TRN V80 and most if not all KZs lack. Truly fun listening to vocals as they don’t get sharpened by overambitious upper harmonics. Treble is smooth…I find the cymbals unusually crisp and clear…while nothing it strident or grainy. Technicalities are also good: stage is wide with a healthy depth…in fact, it goes somewhat towards “cavernous”…very good spatial cues. Good attack at the low end and transients don’t smudge on the high end. Tonal accuracy is also nothing to complain about: works well with classical music (although the Blon BL-03 are a bit more authentic…but those don’t have the V90’s kick). 

TRN V90

In summary, the company threw a bunch of cheap drivers in a pot, stirred well, and out came a very tasty soup that makes one ask for a second serving. The tuning work is excellent. Last but not least, don’t forget: you need Spiral Dots for the sound (at least if your ears are similar to mine) and that 8-core “Tiger” cable as shown in the photo above…for mere vanity. It is called TRN-T1 and is below $10 (0.75 mm and 0.78 mm versions available; the 0.78 mm version works best…according to an Asian reviewer, both fit but one will cause the V90 to lose its virginity, the other just fits but will wiggle after a while). Product page does not exist and I won’t offer product links, as I received the V90 earphone and cable unsolicited from TRN. You have to find that stuff yourself. Happy now?

TRN V90
TRN V90 prototype
A stripped-down TRN V90 prototype used by the tuner. Photo courtesy of KopiOkaya.



Author

  • TRN V90 Quickie -- Losing Its Virginity To The Tiger? 1

    Head-Fier since 2016. He has been known as “Otto Motor” to Head-Fiers, as “Dr. Schweinsgruber” to audiobudget.com users and Youtubers, and as “Brause” to Super Best Audio Friends and the Headphone Community. - For the purpose of confusion, he decided to pose under his real name Jürgen Kraus (“JK”) from now on. - This is a hobby. In “real” life, Jürgen is a professional geologist operating his own petroleum-exploration consulting company Franconia Geoscience Ltd. (see ad in the footer) based in Calgary, Canada. He holds German and Canadian passports. Jürgen had a classical music education from childhood through high school in Germany and he has been following popular music developments since the late 1970s. His understanding of arts and crafts was influenced by Bauhaus pragmatism: “less is more” and “form follows function”.

Jürgen Kraus (Calgary, Canada)

Head-Fier since 2016. He has been known as “Otto Motor” to Head-Fiers, as “Dr. Schweinsgruber” to audiobudget.com users and Youtubers, and as “Brause” to Super Best Audio Friends and the Headphone Community. - For the purpose of confusion, he decided to pose under his real name Jürgen Kraus (“JK”) from now on. - This is a hobby. In “real” life, Jürgen is a professional geologist operating his own petroleum-exploration consulting company Franconia Geoscience Ltd. (see ad in the footer) based in Calgary, Canada. He holds German and Canadian passports. Jürgen had a classical music education from childhood through high school in Germany and he has been following popular music developments since the late 1970s. His understanding of arts and crafts was influenced by Bauhaus pragmatism: “less is more” and “form follows function”.

10 thoughts on “TRN V90 Quickie — Losing Its Virginity To The Tiger?

  • August 28, 2019 at 12:46 am
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    Good one, Doc… Many will lose their virginity after reading this.

    Reply
    • August 31, 2019 at 11:54 am
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      Are they much better than V80? I ordered v80 10 days ago and now, reading this post…

      Reply
      • August 31, 2019 at 1:27 pm
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        Errrr...yes, they are...but the TRN V80 have a punchier bass. Get them both.

        Reply
        • September 1, 2019 at 7:16 am
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          Punchier bass and piercing’er treble…

          Reply
          • September 1, 2019 at 12:16 pm
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            Hey, I am a Lover of V80’s Subbass Quality and quantity.
            One note for trebles of V80; tips dependant; many of the tips leaving wrong tonality and piercing highs. I found only kz star tips making V80’s treble great. Extention, sparkling… perfect.

            I was expecting v90 in as graphs, more sparkling treble and deeper Bass. But looks like tamed down a little. 🙁

      • September 1, 2019 at 7:14 am
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        @Goran: The V90 is definitely head and shoulders above V80. I tuned both earphones so I know them better than anybody else except TRN.

        It is an upgrade, not a side-grade like MANY KZs.

        Reply
  • August 28, 2019 at 4:05 am
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    Wow,, I can not wait to listen to it, in design, I really like it

    Reply
    • August 28, 2019 at 5:55 pm
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      Soon… Very soon. On its way via EMS.

      Reply
      • August 29, 2019 at 5:44 pm
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        That sounds, really, really promising, Doc. As a long time user of the V80 (hey there KopiOkaya), I’ve got mine ordered and OTW just now for use with the BT3S (which is a gem on its own beyond the well hyped BT20S) and the custom Japanese silver 0.78 multicore cable I got for cheap off E-Earphones Nihonbashi’s used selection.

        Reply
        • August 31, 2019 at 11:47 pm
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          Hey, hey… (humming Eric Clapton’s song).

          Reply

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