Truthear GATE $17 IEM Review

[mc.god]

Thanks for that. The audio still "worked" but there was basically no vocals or bass. I'll see if I can get an adapter...or maybe just buy another pair of gates with the mic-less cable!

Not a solution, just a check, try to keep the answer button on the Gate cable while connected to the extension and listen if sound turns ok.
You'll need a TRRS extension cable or a non mic cable for the Gate, being so cheap you can certainly get another pair with standard cable, otherwise you can go still cheaper with this KBEAR cable

https://it.aliexpress.com/item/1005010487293645.htm

it is cheap and reasonably soft, and on top not micrpphonic, really all I ask for an iem cable.

 

[Exprymer]

Yesterday I noticed one channel of my GATE was clogged, decided to remove the grill to clean it as it usually is the culprit, but unfortuantely I discovered that this grill is not made out of metal and broke, the textile filter right below it is very thin and glued to the plastic, so cleaning it is a hard task. well, since I had removed it already, I realized that what I took off was not going to be back there anymore willingly. The result is that the sound of the IEM is now much different, with what it seems to be a big spike at ~2500 Hz that the filter seemed to be taming (on both sides). Conclusion is that I need better ways of cleaning my IEM, and probably a new GATE.

 

[CedarX]

Yesterday I noticed one channel of my GATE was clogged, decided to remove the grill to clean it as it usually is the culprit, but unfortuantely I discovered that this grill is not made out of metal and broke, the textile filter right below it is very thin and glued to the plastic, so cleaning it is a hard task. well, since I had removed it already, I realized that what I took off was not going to be back there anymore willingly. The result is that the sound of the IEM is now much different, with what it seems to be a big spike at ~2500 Hz that the filter seemed to be taming (on both sides). Conclusion is that I need better ways of cleaning my IEM, and probably a new GATE.

If you explore ALiExpress a little, you'll find DIY replacement filters in different diameters and "mesh density" at $2-3 for a set of 20. No guarantee you'll find the exact same original filters, but it's also an interesting, inexpensive "mod"...

 

[multiformous]

Yesterday I noticed one channel of my GATE was clogged, decided to remove the grill to clean it as it usually is the culprit, but unfortuantely I discovered that this grill is not made out of metal and broke, the textile filter right below it is very thin and glued to the plastic, so cleaning it is a hard task. well, since I had removed it already, I realized that what I took off was not going to be back there anymore willingly. The result is that the sound of the IEM is now much different, with what it seems to be a big spike at ~2500 Hz that the filter seemed to be taming (on both sides). Conclusion is that I need better ways of cleaning my IEM, and probably a new GATE.

I don't have the GATE to measure without the tuning mesh, but the result is going to be pretty similar to this:

 

[Exprymer]

I don't have the GATE to measure without the tuning mesh, but the result is going to be pretty similar to this:

So indeed the filter acts like an acoustic resistance at the end of the nozzle to lower que quality factor of the resonances. It's interesting considering how thin it is. Definitely there's some more details to the material they used to achieve such resistance, it's not normal.

At the end I cannot use this pair anymore since I don't trust the response anymore. Ended up buying another pair.

 

[Jiraya369]

just got these, exceptional iems.

Not because of the FR, i find it average. But because they're cheap, comfy and have a marvelous distortion profile. After EQ I finally get the hype for iems.

 

[BfdTgE2rNX]

I picked these up a few days ago.

The dip at 10k really bothers me. Everything sounds like it's running with a harsh de-esser - the kind of poor detail you usually associate with cheap audio. I need to boost 10k ~4db. It doesn't fix the treble 100% but it gets really close. Curious if anyone else has experienced this or if it is unique to my set because I've received broken Truthears before. Maybe different tips fix this?

Combining my boost w/ armirm's eq and this thing sounds stellar for the money. Using AutoEQ to the IEF target curve also gives impressive results.

I was surprised by the comfort, soundstage & imaging, quality of the cable, and that audio controls are included on the cable. I've had IEM cables that cost more than this whole package that are worse.

I love the see-through casing. Yes, it is plastic and doesn't feel premium, but quality is good enough and comfort is great enough that build quality doesn't bother me at all.

I only desire more from the treble and overall instrument separation. Sounds bleed together more than I'd like. But as far as I know, these are qualities you only attain by spending much more (relativity). Under that, this may be as good as it gets from an IEM.

 

[staticV3]

The dip at 10k really bothers me. Everything sounds like it's running with a harsh de-esser - the kind of poor detail you usually associate with cheap audio. I need to boost 10k ~4db. It doesn't fix the treble 100% but it gets really close. Curious if anyone else has experienced this or if it is unique to my set because I've received broken Truthears before. Maybe different tips fix this?

The dip is there, no two ways about it:


I'm not aware of any eartips that could help with the dip. Even Moondrop Spring tips would rather attenuate treble and make the dip even deeper if anything.

Edit:
Actually, spring tips might mostly attenaute the 13k peak, making the dip relative to its surroundings more shallow, see here
/Edit

I'd recomend you try the Zero:2

 

[BfdTgE2rNX]

Actually, spring tips might mostly attenaute the 13k peak, making the dip relative to its surroundings more shallow, see here

I'd recomend you try the Zero:2
View attachment 510617

Thanks for the recs! I picked up some Spring Tips and the Zero:2.

Stock vs stock, I definitely prefer the sound of the Zero:2.

Spring tips on the GATE sound closer to the stock Zero:2, but with slightly less bass and a more natural treble. Overall, I'd describe the sound as "natural." I'm stunned what a difference these spring tips make to the treble presentation on the GATE. For me, the spring tips are a mandatory upgrade for the GATE and allows me to regard the IEM very highly.

With the spring tips on the Zero:2, it also leads to a much more natural sounding treble, but warmer bass than spring-tipped GATE (as you'd likely expect given their stock curve differences). Unlike the stock GATE, I didn't think the stock Zero:2 treble needed "fixing" to begin with because it didn't sound like it was trying to go for neutrality. Stock Zero:2 I'd describe as V-shaped with natural mids. Spring-tipped Zero:2 is similar, but a milder V. I'm not sure whether I prefer the stock tips or the spring tips on the Zero:2. The spring-tips are probably technically better, but both sounds have their merits.

It makes sense, but I never thought that swapping tips would make this much of a difference. Seems I have lots to experiment with in the IEM world

 

[sonitus mirus]

To me, the Zero:2 with these silicone nozzle tips will compete in sound quality with my DCA Stealth, that I also thoroughly enjoy. Quite the contrast in price.

 

[unruly_disturbance]

This is the 3rd thing I've bought in the last few yars based on an AudioScience Review, and true to from this has not let me down. (Thank you again Amir and this lovely community)
I've had the Gate's about a week as a replacement for my trusty Shure SE425 which have served me well for over 10 years, but the casing on one of the buds has cracked recently which affects how they sound, and I didn't want to spend £100 for a new replacement of a single bud (which I have done TWICE over the past 10 years)

I'm a long time user of IEM's, my intention for the Gate's is both as my day to day listening and as a secondary reference when mixing music, because I like to use headphones for mixing that I'm very familiar with, hence why they're my daily's too.
First impressions, well I'm blown away. How are they immediately better in all sonic aspects than my trusty shure's that were 10 times the price when I got them? I guess IEM technology has developed a lot in those 10 years.
The Gate's are immediately revealing with an extra level up on clarity and transparency over my Shure's, so even in this short time with them they have already sped up my mixing process, just being able to spot more small mix issues much faster with few iterations is a work flow improvement.
I will say they're not quire as comfortable as my Shures, I'm still experimenting with the right tips for me, this is a process I went through when I first made the transition to IEM's years ago and I never got on with the silicone tips, which is why I have used the Shure Yellow Foam tips for many years now, unfortunately the channel is too small to accommodate the Gate's wider aural stem, so this brings me to my question:

What good quality foam tips are people using for the Gate's? Ideally ones that have been measured so we can see how much they might affect the compliance to the Harman curve.

Anyway, thanks again for being such a great community.

 

[sejarzo]

What good quality foam tips are people using for the Gate's? Ideally ones that have been measured so we can see how much they might affect the compliance to the Harman curve.

Why not just try some and tweak the EQ so they sound properly balanced to you?

 

[unruly_disturbance]

Why not just try some and tweak the EQ so they sound properly balanced to you?

A fair suggestion, however I like the peace of mind knowing how these things measure.

 

[sejarzo]

A fair suggestion, however I like the peace of mind knowing how these things measure.

So what would you do if you bought a variety of tips, but the one that measured closest to the Harman curve sounded worse to you than one with worse compliance, or was so much less comfortable so you couldn't tolerate it nearly as long?

That's my dilemma with IEMs on top of differences in the measurement technique. I'm curious how others feel.

 

[unruly_disturbance]

So what would you do if you bought a variety of tips, but the one that measured closest to the Harman curve sounded worse to you than one with worse compliance, or was so much less comfortable so you couldn't tolerate it nearly as long?

That's my dilemma with IEMs on top of differences in the measurement technique. I'm curious how others feel.

I'm more concerned with compliance becuase of my use case of mixing music with them.
Obviously though I wouldn't use them if i could not tolerate the discomfort.

 

[sejarzo]

I'm more concerned with compliance becuase of my use case of mixing music with them.
Obviously though I wouldn't use them if i could not tolerate the discomfort.

That makes sense, and I appreciate that answer and viewpoint. Properly mixing and mastering for a variety of end users listening to the material on everything from crappy earbuds to properly configured systems is to me the biggest challenge in the reproduction chain now that we have such excellent electronics and transducers versus when I got into this hobby 50+ years ago.

Most popular music I've listened to in recent years seems far too boosted in the 2-4 kHz range when I listen to any headphone or IEM using published EQs that supposedly match them to Harman. If I switch to well-recorded classical/jazz/folk-ish music, Harman sounds more correct based on years of attending non-amplified performances in at least decent if not world-renowned concert spaces.

That being said, to me the Gate with minor tweaks sound as good as any headphone or IEM I've owned.

 

[unruly_disturbance]

That makes sense, and I appreciate that answer and viewpoint. Properly mixing and mastering for a variety of end users listening to the material on everything from crappy earbuds to properly configured systems is to me the biggest challenge in the reproduction chain now that we have such excellent electronics and transducers versus when I got into this hobby 50+ years ago.

Most popular music I've listened to in recent years seems far too boosted in the 2-4 kHz range when I listen to any headphone or IEM using published EQs that supposedly match them to Harman. If I switch to well-recorded classical/jazz/folk-ish music, Harman sounds more correct based on years of attending non-amplified performances in at least decent if not world-renowned concert spaces.

That being said, to me the Gate with minor tweaks sound as good as any headphone or IEM I've owned.

Yeah that is the never ending challenge for sure.
I've been writing music for over 20 years but I'd say only in the last 2 years have I really got super analytical about my mixdowns, I have got to a place that I'm happy with using a combination of some small monitor speakers, my main AKG cans (which I also bought based on ASR measurements), my IEM's, and a really small terrible speaker to test mono compatibility and how the mix translates when theres no real bass.
I've found if I get a balance across those scenarios then it translates everywhere with all of my mix elements being intelligible.

I agree with you that some modern genres do have a bit too much push above 1khz.

 

[CedarX]

So what would you do if you bought a variety of tips, but the one that measured closest to the Harman curve sounded worse to you than one with worse compliance, or was so much less comfortable so you couldn't tolerate it nearly as long?

That's my dilemma with IEMs on top of differences in the measurement technique. I'm curious how others feel.

IMHO, there is no dilemma, as it is exactly what the Harman work was about: Harman developed their target(s) to “maximize users preference”. Chances are the target itself is no more your preference as it is mine… but it’s probably close, and it is close for most!
GATE is an IEM that is near perfectly compliant to the target: a good starting point. From there, one should EQ, change tips, etc. to “explore around” and find their preference.

Compliance with the target just means the IEM (or HP) is more likely to please you “as-is” than if it was further away and, if you choose to EQ, EQ’ing it to something that sounds great for you will easier…

 

[ehowarth]

I guess this is where IEMs and how they fit your ear come to play. No matter which of the included tips I used. They sounded lacking bass and off. The Zero 2's fit perfectly and sound better for me.

The largest tips sounded great to me with deep bass and natural timbre. Then I thought I broke them after accidentally taking them for a swim. After drying for a couple weeks, they sounded great when I tried them again. Winter came and I thought they were blown. Zero bass. Bass adjustments did nothing. So I bought another pair for $13. They sounded fine -- until they, too, developed a problem with bass. If I cupped my hands over my ears, they sounded better. It turns out that the issue was that the included eartips don't seal if lower than 60 degrees. Unfortunately, I carry them around outside. However, they seal well again when warmed up.

TLDR: I bought comply foam tips that always seal (for a few bucks more than the headphones themselves.)

 

[Jameson Reid]

sound really good for such a cheap IEM, especially the balanced tuning and clarity in mids/treble