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Truthear GATE $17 IEM Review

Rate this IEM:

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 7 2.3%

  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 7 2.3%

  • 3. Fine (happy panther)

    Votes: 19 6.2%

  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 275 89.3%
  • Total voters
    308
Fanmusic is the all encompassing parent distribution company that deals with Truthear and a few other brands so don’t worry
 
Somafunk said:
Fanmusic is the all encompassing parent distribution company that deals with Truthear and a few other brands so don’t worry
Click to expand...
Thank you so much!
 
I'm now listening to the Truthear Gates. All of the included tips except the biggest wide tips were to small for my ears, and I'm not the biggest guy so I'd estimate that it might be the case for a certain amount of people, something to keep in mind. I also put on a pair of EarTLogis 460 and that also seems to work fine, they seem perfect to use for listening to lectures, movies and so on. Very subjectively speaking, to me they seem bass light/neutralish and super clear. To my uneducated and inexperienced ears they really shine with all sorts of music except EDM/Rap if one likes to listen to those with a warmer/bassier sound which I believe most people do, but maybe I'm wrong and I've gotten the wrong impression. I like them a lot but will also buy another pair for when I feel like listening to a warmer/bassier sound (EDM and so on). I wonder what a good "warmer" iem that has a cable and mic around the same quality as the Truthear Gate would be? I had the Tangzu Waner 1 but couldn't stand the cable. Well, I'll just have to start reading more on this forum to find out I guess. Thank you to everybody for all the help. I'm immensely grateful. Cheers.
 
Last edited:
wavetechie said:
All of the included tips except the biggest wide tips were to small for my ears, and I'm not the biggest guy so I'd estimate that it might be the case for a certain amount of people
Click to expand...
I ordered Azla Sednaearfit Standard Large size tips, biggest of six size options, too small for my left ear. ...Isn't the size of one's head/things on the head pretty independent of one's body size lol? I'm not the biggest person, and one of my ears seems to have the perfect shape as far as the outside of the ear canal for properly fitting any and every size large tip, so it really seems madness that making a tip wider than 14mm is so rare. Plan to report back if these Divinus Velvet Wide Bore, with a 14.2mm wide large size, work for me. Was hoping the Sednaearfit would work in my left ear because their next size dowm from large is not much narrower, so the IEM would sit at about the same depth in both ears. If Divinus large is also not big enough, it seems I have to go with Penon Liquor tips, which come in 15.5 width, but have a big gap in width between XL and L.
 
Ear canal size/width does not really correlate with body size, my best mate weighs 50kg and I had to fit large Dunu S&S eartips to my Symphonium meteor iem’s so she could listen with a good seal, I weigh 68 kg or thereabouts and left ear canal is generally a small, right ear canal is generally small to medium.

What eartips work will depend on iem shape, nozzle angle, nozzle fit/depth of fit, width of nozzle as a 6.3mm nozzle may take a small eartip to get a good seal whereas a 5.8mm nozzle may take a medium eartip to get a good seal.

I have 60 or so eartips of various sizes/brands/styles, what fits well with one iem may not work with another.

Dunu S&S eartips in large or X-large are huge,if you can’t get a seal with these then I dunno?……perhaps use a massive blob of blu-tack and make your own custom tips :D

 
wavetechie said:
Do you guys think that these also would be suitable for movie-watching and listening to university lectures?
Click to expand...
Yes. With a good ear seal the low bass is astonishing and can be terrifying with the right content if you aren’t familiar with it.

I’m still in mild shock as to how good these are. I feel like I’m experiencing resolution that is as good as is possible at any price point.
 
Bought thanks to Amir's review. Thanks @amirm

Stock tuning out of box was great but not quite perfect (according to my preference at least). I find the standard Harman lower mid bass region to be a little muddy/boxy so I applied a little 2dB cut at 200Hz. But I still like meaty sub bass, so I added 2dB Low Shelf at 50Hz. Plus the 6800Hz peak (similar to Amir's) and HF shelf at 8kHz for a little air (PEQ settings attached).

After these changes, the units are super clear, detailed, tight and obviously, the other boiler plate terms like resolution, instrument separation, ect. apply. Also, bass in general is most definitely there when the material demands it and thanks to the gobs of dynamic headroom, I'm at liberty to dial in even more sub bass or mid bass if needed (If I want more startle factor for example).

Some observations vs my Etymotic ER3SEs (with same FR tuning via PEQ) is that bass has more tactility, and vocals/instruments have slightly more velvety clarity/smoothness, and reverbs seem to effortlessly float in the air. I guess I'm chalking the latter two observations up to the far lower distortion which allows for all the frequency content to shine unencumbered from spectral noise (HD and MD in this case).

Build quality aside (which is good enough imo), these are a no-brainer purchase for anything less than $50, let alone $25( I picked them up on Amazon for $22).
 

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cammyt said:
Bought thanks to Amir's review. Thanks @amirm

Stock tuning out of box was great but not quite perfect (according to my preference at least). I find the standard Harman lower mid bass region to be a little muddy/boxy so I applied a little 2dB cut at 200Hz. But I still like meaty sub bass, so I added 2dB Low Shelf at 50Hz. Plus the 6800Hz peak (similar to Amir's) and HF shelf at 8kHz for a little air (PEQ settings attached).

After these changes, the units are super clear, detailed, tight and obviously, the other boiler plate terms like resolution, instrument separation, ect. apply. Also, bass in general is most definitely there when the material demands it and thanks to the gobs of dynamic headroom, I'm at liberty to dial in even more sub bass or mid bass if needed (If I want more startle factor for example).

Some observations vs my Etymotic ER3SEs (with same FR tuning via PEQ) is that bass has more tactility, and vocals/instruments have slightly more velvety clarity/smoothness, and reverbs seem to effortlessly float in the air. I guess I'm chalking the latter two observations up to the far lower distortion which allows for all the frequency content to shine unencumbered from spectral noise (HD and MD in this case).

Build quality aside (which is good enough imo), these are a no-brainer purchase for anything less than $50, let alone $25( I picked them up on Amazon for $22).
Click to expand...
forgot to mention that I bought tripowin spiral foam tips, which I'm using these with. Better seal and presumably helps with canal resonances (I don't know if it's helping in my case).
 
Somafunk said:
Ear canal size/width does not really correlate with body size, my best mate weighs 50kg and I had to fit large Dunu S&S eartips to my Symphonium meteor iem’s so she could listen with a good seal, I weigh 68 kg or thereabouts and left ear canal is generally a small, right ear canal is generally small to medium.

What eartips work will depend on iem shape, nozzle angle, nozzle fit/depth of fit, width of nozzle as a 6.3mm nozzle may take a small eartip to get a good seal whereas a 5.8mm nozzle may take a medium eartip to get a good seal.

I have 60 or so eartips of various sizes/brands/styles, what fits well with one iem may not work with another.

Dunu S&S eartips in large or X-large are huge,if you can’t get a seal with these then I dunno?……perhaps use a massive blob of blu-tack and make your own custom tips :D

Click to expand...
I believe that on a group level there is a correlation. Great point about differences between left and right ears, there sometimes is a difference of significance, same with shoes for example where some runners use (or should use) a half size bigger on one foot compared to the other.
 
So far the eartips I've tried with these that makes them sound the most to my liking are the Kbear 07 Silicone Eartips (Large). Really made the bass come alive and now I think that they sound so well balanced, non-fatiguing and smooth yet analytical. These are so fun.

I just found this on AliExpress:
US $10.36 | KBEAR 07 Silicone Upgrade Headphone Eartips 1pair(2pcs) 5pairs(10pcs) Noise Isolating With S M M- L Size For KBEAR TRI Earphone
 
Matias said:
This was my donation. Happy to see the review come out. Thanks, Amir! :)

Gate has recently become my favorite ~20 USD IEM. Paired with a JM20 dongle it is unreal value.

Housing is cool looking, and while indeed cheap, at least it is very light and comfortable. Cable is excellent.

Edit: I leave this combo in my car all times for when I am away from home.

View attachment 439727
Click to expand...
this is exactly what ill be up to. I ordered a pair and eagerly await them. Will be testing them for gaming and casual listening. The JM20 has been doing well in my car so i may have to pickup another one of those for mobile listening.
 
I don’t think I’m suited to IEM’s. Getting bass leakage with all 3 bud sizes. Pressing on the IEM I can hear these are great if they sealed.
 
1066 said:
I don’t think I’m suited to IEM’s. Getting bass leakage with all 3 bud sizes. Pressing on the IEM I can hear these are great if they sealed.
Click to expand...
Don't give up, try many different shapes and types of tips until you find one that seals properly.
 
1066 said:
I don’t think I’m suited to IEM’s. Getting bass leakage with all 3 bud sizes. Pressing on the IEM I can hear these are great if they sealed.
Click to expand...
Try different buds, the included buds on such a cheap iem are usually poor,

You could buy these below, I have no experience of this set but there appears to be plenty of choice

LunarCharm 54 pieces replacement silicone ear tips, 3 sizes headphone ear pads, replacement ear pads, compatible with most in-ear headphones, S/M/L : Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

LunarCharm 54 pieces replacement silicone ear tips, 3 sizes headphone ear pads, replacement ear pads, compatible with most in-ear headphones, S/M/L : Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo
www.amazon.co.uk

Or there’s the popular Dunu S&S set of eartips that I use on a few pairs of my iem’s, multipack shown below, they are decent and get a very good seal

Linsoul DUNU S&S Silicone Eartips S/M/L (3pairs) for Nozzle Diameter from 4mm-5.5mm for Stage Studio, for KZ ZS10 Pro, 7HZ Zero, Orchestra Lite, TANGZU Wan'er S.G IEM (S/M/L- Each Size 1 Pair): Amazon.co.uk: Musical Instruments & DJ

Linsoul DUNU S&S Silicone Eartips S/M/L (3pairs) for Nozzle Diameter from 4mm-5.5mm for Stage Studio, for KZ ZS10 Pro, 7HZ Zero, Orchestra Lite, TANGZU Wan'er S.G IEM (S/M/L- Each Size 1 Pair): Amazon.co.uk: Musical Instruments & DJ
www.amazon.co.uk
 
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