Truthear GATE $17 IEM Review

[Ibby_0101]

I would strongly suggest try to clean it as much as you can without taking the mesh, because it's very hard to put it back. I took mine out and I was not able to put it back. The sound without it is very bad. I ended up buying another pair.

It might be a little too late for that, I've lost the mesh for both sides. I think I'll have to take easy repairability into consideration when buying new IEMs now. I appreciate the heads up though, at least now I'll know what to do and not to do next time, thanks guys.

 

[gamerpaddy]

send a friend a link to these IEM, after he bought the 300$ Binary EP321
but i dont quite get what he's claiming, that "good bass but high and mids completely drowned"
but from comparing the FR the binary have a massive peak at 8khz
and 3-5dB imbalance below 70 (maybe didnt sit properly in the measuring stand)

i dont have them to compare for myself but i think hes a bit biased after spending 15x the money because it has "MEMS tweeters"

 

[Robbo99999]

It might be a little too late for that, I've lost the mesh for both sides. I think I'll have to take easy repairability into consideration when buying new IEMs now. I appreciate the heads up though, at least now I'll know what to do and not to do next time, thanks guys.

From the review it looks like the whole IEM can be bought for $17, so if they last a year before needing to buy another one that's probably not too bad right?

 

[Exprymer]

send a friend a link to these IEM, after he bought the 300$ Binary EP321
but i dont quite get what he's claiming, that "good bass but high and mids completely drowned"
but from comparing the FR the binary have a massive peak at 8khz
and 3-5dB imbalance below 70 (maybe didnt sit properly in the measuring stand)
View attachment 547031

i dont have them to compare for myself but i think hes a bit biased after spending 15x the money because it has "MEMS tweeters"

He wouldn't be too wrong on this statement, the Gates indeed have a lack of brightness compared to other devices. Check how Amir EQd them on the review, for instance. I also noted, but it doesn't bother me.

 

[BolusOfDoom]

I use Comply tips with the TechDefender filters built in and I’ve never had to clean the GATE’s mesh. Comply claims it’s acoustically transparent, and I didn’t notice a difference. When a tip gets nasty, I swap it out.

 

[Sebby]

send a friend a link to these IEM, after he bought the 300$ Binary EP321
but i dont quite get what he's claiming, that "good bass but high and mids completely drowned"
but from comparing the FR the binary have a massive peak at 8khz
and 3-5dB imbalance below 70 (maybe didnt sit properly in the measuring stand)
View attachment 547031

i dont have them to compare for myself but i think hes a bit biased after spending 15x the money because it has "MEMS tweeters"

Keep in mind that the peak and the following dip are most likely artifacts of the measurement system. Unfortunately, the main weakness of almost all budget Chinese IEMs is that they tend to lack true extension in the highest frequencies, which play a fundamental role in how we perceive sound. The Gate, Zero2, and similar models all have exactly this limitation. That's why some IEMs use multiple drivers dedicated to the upper and ultra high frequencies, which naturally increases the cost, aside from differences in build quality and materials.

Nobody is saying you need to spend €1.000 on an IEM, but while it's true that today's very inexpensive IEMs offer excellent sound quality, it's also true that once you move into the €100-300 range, the improvement over €20-30 IEMs is definitely noticeable. Of course, that doesn't change the fact that the audio world is still full of overpriced garbage at every price point

 

[fjhuerta]

I have a set of Hidizs $160 and the usual Zero and etc $15 in ears. There's a serious difference in high end extension and energy. But it's not noticeable in the FR graphs. I don't know why.

Good thing is - all of them are pretty neutral. That's so cool. For $15? You couldn't get that for $300 10 years ago.

 

[bevok]

Came back to these, I haven’t used them for quite a while but just felt moved to say what superb sound for $20. Just ridiculous, and probably the best cable of any IEM I own. These and an Apple dongle are certainly a fantastic solution for great sound at a minuscule price!

 

[fjhuerta]

Hahaha bought them based on this thread. They are ridiculously good. Can't believe you can have something like this for $20.

 

[bevok]

I use Comply tips with the TechDefender filters built in and I’ve never had to clean the GATE’s mesh. Comply claims it’s acoustically transparent, and I didn’t notice a difference. When a tip gets nasty, I swap it out.

Which exact ones did you get?

 

[BolusOfDoom]

Which exact ones did you get?

Comply 600 Core Series with TechDefender

https://www.complyfoam.com/products/comply-600-series

 

[GPJ]

Sounds worse than the Zero:2 to me.

Just got the GATE and have to totally agree. Out of the box the Zero 2 is perfectly balanced with my DAP, good everywhere across the range. The GATE out of the box was indeed missing some clarity, although it did sound very good, just couldn't warm up to it (yet). I suspect the 10K dip as having the impact on the audio I prefer. That may change if I ever obtain equipment to EQ properly, but with my old DAP, the king of $20 IEM's is still the Zero 2 in my use.

 

[lazpete]

No burn in effect on these.

Do your Gates have a TRS plug or TRRS?

If TRRS, you need to be careful which HPA you use. Only "smart" HPAs with support for the inline mic/remote will produce the right sound.

Traditional HPAs will require an adapter to restore sound.

Got my self the trrs version, if possible, could you specify the adaptor needed for use in a trs environment, please?

 

[staticV3]

Got my self the trrs version, if possible, could you specify the adaptor needed for use in a trs environment, please?

Buy a CTIA Headset Splitter and plug the headphone end into your Amp.

 

[lazpete]

Buy a CTIA Headset Splitter and plug the headphone end into your Amp.

View attachment 551950

Thx a lot!

 

[sondzi]

@amirm How is the cable quality? For $17 I am ordering them regardless but want to know if I should add an aftermarket cable.

its a very good cable

 

[Tell]

its a very good cable

My cable with microphone and buttons started to glitch after maybe half a year sending random ghost presses, so I wouldn't call it a good one no.

 

[extraparmesan]

How is it even possible to make a profit at that price point? Will order one out of curiosity. Thank you, Amir!

The drivers and shell together cant be over like 5 bucks.

 

[pome]

My cable with microphone and buttons started to glitch after maybe half a year sending random ghost presses, so I wouldn't call it a good one no.

A replacement cable with a better microphone, and maybe usb-c would be awesome. Do you know how to search the plug type? The two pin jack is a little recessed.

 

[dtaylo1066]

Sound good for the price. Included ear tips are near impossible to get on the posts as you must stretch them so much. Poor rating on that. Likely to get some 3rd party.

Trying on my iPhone with Tidal. Quite good with JCALLY M20 Max. With internal iPhone DAC and USB analog adapter just fine, far less volume than JCALLY.

A bargain for $20.

Using as backup or at the gym. $15 buds from Walmart suckethed by comparison.

Decently comfortable fit. I find the posts on my Crinacle Zero Red to be too long.