Truthear GATE $17 IEM Review

[Deleted member 72219]

I agree that achieving such a low level of distortion for $17 is indeed impressive. We are living in a golden age of IEMs.

That said,

- While it’s true that you won’t perceive distortion on the Truthear Gate, the same is also true for many other great budget IEMs. This is a point I feel many people still overlook (and it begins to annoy me): The general rule of thumb is “less distortion is better,” but once distortion levels fall below a certain audible threshold, further reduction becomes irrelevant in practical terms. It reminds me of fans of high-end clocks who think it makes a difference if their clock errors 1 minute in 100 or 1000 years. Like, sure, its kind of great from a technical standpoint but also irrelevant in reality.

- Although "cheaper is better" is true in theory, for most people active in these forums, the difference between $17 and $25, $30, or even $40 is negligible. From what I’ve observed, much of the excitement around this IEM comes from people do not necessarily need an affordable IEM but want a new toy to play around with. That’s fine—I've done the same myself—but let's not feel too rational about it.

So, while the Truthear Gate is another great budget option, it doesn’t mean every beginner seeking for a budget IEM should default to it. The key consideration is whether you’ll enjoy its frequency response: Harman-ish neutral with a slight emphasis on the upper midrange.

Given my own experience, I’d still recommend the Moondrop LAN (~$40) for those seriously looking for a keeper in terms of neutral-bright IEMs. (Unless you are actually on a strict budget, that is.) While its distortion numbers might be technically slightly less amazing, they remain inaudible in real-world use. The sound signature is very similar on paper but turned out to be noticeably less shouty to my ears. Its upper treble balance is closer to what I and likely most listeners prefer. It offers a metal shell and a more comfortable fit, which adds to its overall value.

Moondrop LAN Review

While it’s true that distortion below a certain threshold becomes inaudible anyway, further reductions in distortion allow for cleaner EQ application.

-Ed

 

[antcollinet]

Just ordered a pair. It would almost be rude not to.

 

[Dazerdoreal]

While it’s true that distortion below a certain threshold becomes inaudible anyway, further reductions in distortion allow for cleaner EQ application.

-Ed

Yes, but I’d say this even applies to the EQ aspect.

I mean, the reason why further reductions in distortion allow for cleaner EQ application is that EQ requires a certain amount of headroom.
For example, if you want to boost 800hz by 3dB, the system needs an additional 3dB of headroom above the listenable threshold compared to not using EQ. That's it.

At healthy listening levels, the sound should rarely exceed 100 dBSPL. So even with a 5 dB EQ boost, you’re looking at a peak of around 105 dBSPL (and this is generous). As long as distortion remains below 1% at 105 dBSPL in the boosted area, the IEM will still perform flawless to your ears, even with EQ applied.

 

[NHL99]

'Cons: 1. Some cheaper IEMs offer better technical performance.'

Truthear Gate - Reviews

www.head-fi.org

 

[IanRoberts]

Haha I got to the end of the review, opened Amazon and ordered a pair.

 

[nerdstrike]

Got mine this morning (some cheapies for the work bag). Very impressive for the money and generally I guess. Can't decide if they're a little bit "parpy" in the bass, but there sure is a lot of it. Did notice some detail on a track I've not noticed before.

The construction is basic, and I swear they spent more on the box than the housings, but none of that matters if they work this well for a good while.

It's nice to be able to play along with ASR for once in acquiring a high scoring device. The well ranked cans tend to be a bit dear for an impulse purchase!

 

[Ashimaru]

I currently have the Salnotes Zero 1. It's great for the price. The downside is that the sound is a little muddy and a little too much pinnae gain for my taste. Would Truthear Gate solve this problem?

 

[staticV3]

I currently have the Salnotes Zero 1. It's great for the price. The downside is that the sound is a little muddy and a little too much pinnae gain for my taste. Would Truthear Gate solve this problem?

Gate = 7Hz Zero with less treble:


Bass and pinna gain are untouched.

 

[GeekyBastard]

$17.59????

What kind of madness is this???

 

[Billy Budapest]

Figured I would try these out for $17. Last time I bought a pair of wired IEMs was the Ortofon e-q7 in 2010, having long ago joined the Bluetooth headphone bandwagon (currently using AirPod Pro 2’s as my “daily driver” [pun intended]).

Sound signature is very smooth, totally different than AirPods Pro. More/better bass than the AirPods Pro, but vocals sound slightly recessed. Top end is more natural than AirPods Pro which can sound exaggerated. I guess I now know what the Harman Curve sounds like. These would be very good for music listening. For TV and movies, not as much due to the recessed vocal region. That’s what it sounds like to my ears/anatomy, your experience may be different.

Anyway, my two cents. Can’t believe these are $17.

 

[ZolaIII]

So this is completely crazy, but I decided to try testing out how this whole theory works where low distortion allows more effective EQ, purchased one of these Gates for same-day delivery, and it came in this evening. I used Squig.link to configure an EQ curve to try and turn these Gates into a sonic clone of my SIGNIFICANTLY more expensive Thieaudio Hype4s. I am listening now...

I tried this thing where I attempted to EQ a pair of Meze Albas to sound like my Hype4s, but it simply did not work. The results did not sound clean, with noticeable distortion especially in the highs. With these Gates, however, quite the opposite experience. I'd be HARD PRESSED to hear a significant difference between the real Hype4s and the EQ'd Gates.

This. Is. Insane!

If the Gates didn't have such deeply recessed connectors, I'd just sell the Albas outright, but unfortunately they have the deepest connectors I've ever seen, so they cannot replace the Albas for their purpose (attached to FiiO UTWS5 2025 wireless DAC/amps), as the connectors on the FiiO modules cannot fit/reach into the recesses. I have the same problem with the Hype4s, in fact. I'm debating if I sell the Hype4s or not...the problem is I don't have parametric EQ in Qobuz app itself, and my DAP (FiiO JM21) does not have system-wide PEQ. Also, I can't use PEQ when listening to DSD recordings (although I suppose I could theoretically convert DSD to PCM to get around this). All this limits me to getting Hype4 sound only in the FiiO Music app which plays my personal library from the SD card, but that's not much to pick from since most of what I listen to is from Qobuz.

-Ed

For what you are trying to do use IIR or at least many taps FIR. Auto-EQ error response to target earphones/headphones.

 

[sejarzo]

I currently have the Salnotes Zero 1. It's great for the price. The downside is that the sound is a little muddy and a little too much pinnae gain for my taste. Would Truthear Gate solve this problem?

That's exactly what I wonder, and it's why I ordered a pair just to compare the difference given that if someone told me these curves were two different samples of the same IEM, I'd believe it in an instant.

I have the TxC Zero blues and the Salnotes Zero 1, and it's odd that I find the Salnotes to be way, way brighter than the TxC. My ears must provide far less pinna gain than average because it's rare that I don't have to cut the "hump" region in the Harman curve by 2-3 dB. For the Salnotes, it's more like 5-6 dB.

 

[Sanlitun]

See below:

Crinacle's 5128 Graph Tool | Hangout.Audio

Compare graphs from the world's largest public database of ITU-T P.57 Type 4.3 IEM measurements, maintained by Crinacle.

graph.hangout.audio

Thanks for this. It's interesting as the IE300 seems to have an even larger treble peak, but I can tell you it's very smooth.

Amazon is delivering my GATEs today. It will be fun to see how they compare.

 

[mc.god]

That's exactly what I wonder, and it's why I ordered a pair just to compare the difference given that if someone told me these curves were two different samples of the same IEM, I'd believe it in an instant.

I have the TxC Zero blues and the Salnotes Zero 1, and it's odd that I find the Salnotes to be way, way brighter than the TxC. My ears must provide far less pinna gain than average because it's rare that I don't have to cut the "hump" region in the Harman curve by 2-3 dB. For the Salnotes, it's more like 5-6 dB.

View attachment 440207

Gate and 7Hz Zero 1 are very alike, so if you have issue with Zero 1, Gate won't "fix" much of these.
You perceiving Zero 1 much brighter than TE Zero blue seems pretty normal to me:

Crinacle's 5128 Graph Tool | Hangout.Audio

Compare graphs from the world's largest public database of ITU-T P.57 Type 4.3 IEM measurements, maintained by Crinacle.

graph.hangout.audio

never listened to TE Zero blue but i can imagine 7Hz Zero 1 simply cannot counterbalance the pinna gain in the same way with its lighter bass profile other than peaking high in the treble.

 

[just1n]

Maybe I didn’t need them, but I bought them anyway to have a pair of IEMs. This site has saved me so much time and money over the years because of thorough measurements.

Really the only thing I have not purchase and need to is a pair closed back headphones for silent playback more comfortably that IEMs. If only there was a set that didn’t cost $500-3k to be as Harman curve compliant as these. One day…

 

[holdingpants01]

I just received them. The packing is incredible for the price. I hate their feel inside my ears just like in any other IEMs, as expected. I feel the IEM harman curve is too midrangey, either with too big midrange bump or not enough bass. I don't hear any excessive brightness, but most of the material I listen to is rather smooth and not really bright, so maybe I'll find something later, or more probably I just don't hear 15kHz and up. They definitely lack some bass by amount, but not extension. The +2dB bass boost that Amir came up with is really good. They don't isolate that well, but that maybe depend on the tip? I just used random middle sized one. After 30 minutes I missed my over ears (especially wireless) dearly

 

[Miley_B]

I just received them. The packing is incredible for the price. I hate their feel inside my ears just like in any other IEMs, as expected. I feel the IEM harman curve is too midrangey, either with too big midrange bump or not enough bass. I don't hear any excessive brightness, but most of the material I listen to is rather smooth and not really bright, so maybe I'll find something later, or more probably I just don't hear 15kHz and up. They definitely lack some bass by amount, but not extension. The +2dB bass boost that Amir came up with is really good. They don't isolate that well, but that maybe depend on the tip? I just used random middle sized one. After 30 minutes I missed my over ears (especially wireless) dearly

The tip fit and seal is kinda crucial to their performance, if you just chose at random and didn’t ensure they fit well then it’s unlikely they will even be close to the optimal sound especially in the bass region.

 

[Deleted member 72219]

I just received them. The packing is incredible for the price. I hate their feel inside my ears just like in any other IEMs, as expected. I feel the IEM harman curve is too midrangey, either with too big midrange bump or not enough bass. I don't hear any excessive brightness, but most of the material I listen to is rather smooth and not really bright, so maybe I'll find something later, or more probably I just don't hear 15kHz and up. They definitely lack some bass by amount, but not extension. The +2dB bass boost that Amir came up with is really good. They don't isolate that well, but that maybe depend on the tip? I just used random middle sized one. After 30 minutes I missed my over ears (especially wireless) dearly

The +2dB bass boost puts the overall tonality extremely close to my reference IEMs, which cost way more (Thieaudio Hype4). I’m listening to these Gates that way myself and frankly for $17 it’s just ridiculously good.

-Ed

 

[markanini]

I have the TxC Zero blues and the Salnotes Zero 1, and it's odd that I find the Salnotes to be way, way brighter than the TxC. My ears must provide far less pinna gain than average because it's rare that I don't have to cut the "hump" region in the Harman curve by 2-3 dB. For the Salnotes, it's more like 5-6 dB.

Between us two we are hearing something similar. To me the Truthear Zero is bass elevated, 7Hz Zero 1 is closer to neutral but light in the bass and emphasized in the treble.

I know there was a lot of discussion that focused on the 3kHz area of Truthear Zero. This may have been out of proportion. One reviewer with a penchant for bassy sound profiles, Hawaii Badboy, went against the consensus and preferred the Truthear Zero over the Truthear Red when it came out. Crinacle himself has said that Truthear Zero is "undoubtedly bass-boosted".

 

[Tell]

Ooh nice! I don't really need anything other than my Zero 2 in terms of audio, but I do think they're not particularly good looking (I have the orange least ugly ones) while these actually are, even the cable looks better. As a bonus you can get these with a mic (have anyone tested the performance of it?).