Design & Build Quality
Shell
Like all TinHifi IEMs, the T4 enjoys a full metallic enclosure, which is not surprising for a brand named after the… Tin.
The shell is made of two-parts:
- one center tunnel, holding the drivers and dampers, closed by a punctured cap (inner side) so the driver can “breath”.
- one main ring, where the center tunnel fits, which carries the MMCX port so you can plug the cable.
The TinHifi T4 looks much more precious than the T2 and T3. The mirror-like finish, combined with the complex design engraved on the face plate makes for a really cool overall design.
The aluminum feels sturdy and you’d have a hard time telling the difference between this one and the older ones in stainless steel. The shell seems more prone to scratch compared to the T2/T3, but that may be the finish which accentuates the little bruises.
The T4 is the perfect blend of the TinHifi P1 and the T2/T3. It’s not too bold, but not too shy either. The ears are exempt of any kind of inscription, logo or even left/right indication. The only way to know which is which, for those who are new to IEMs, is to look for the blue/red ring embedded between the MMCX socket, and the main ring.
Pretty nice overall.
Build quality
Like the P1, the TinHifi T4 is made to last: build quality is excellent from top to bottom.
The junction between the center tunnel and the main ring doesn’t show any gap. The small vents located on the inner side are as tiny as they could be and the concentric edges, drilled on the face plate look awesome.
Sometimes, metallic earphones can show rough edges or tiny shards, due to the CNC milling. That is not the case here, everything looks and feels nice, which is not always the case with pre-series IEM.
A detachable cable is now the norm and MMCX plugs can be found on, almost, every IEM. This is still true with the TinHifi T4, bundled with a silver-coated copper cable. The cable is a bit strange to touch and doesn’t look/feel as good as the usual braided cables, yet it should be enough for almost everyone.
On a daily basis, the IEM will withstand every kind of abuse, even if you just throw them in the bottom of your bag, or let them fall on hard concrete. A good option for those who like to travel light, they can ditch the usual carry-box and just keep the IEM.
It’s not a big improvement, compared to the T2/T3, but there was not much to improve.
Bundle and Comfort
Inside the box
The TinHifi T4 comes in a medium-sized black box, exactly like the P1. Apart from the premium feeling it gives, that also separates the T4 from the T2/T3 and place it with the P1.
Inside, the bundle remains the same although, correct but clearly not amazing. You have :
- the TinHifi T4
- 6 pairs of silicons (3x white / 3x black)
- 1 pair of foam tips
- one leather pouch to protect the IEMs
The strict minimum in my opinion, even if the nice pouch saves the day. I mean, if the cable feels a tad cheap, the pouch is on the opposite side of the scale. That enough makes the T4 worth of consideration, compared to the T2/T3.
Additional accessories
Out of curiosity, I checked the Linsoul website to see what kind of accessories you could get with the T4. The MMC socket allows you to plug any cable you want, as long as it’s the same micro BNC plug, but some thanks/due to their price, most cables will cost you more than the IEM itself.
The best option would be to simply add a 2.5mm cable, or a 4.4mm so you can use the balanced output of your DAP.
Comfort
The TinHifi T4 shell is the same size as the T2/T3, bigger than your usual IEM.
The overall shape slides easily into the ears, but you’ll have to carefully choose your right tips. The design is both simple and weird: it doesn’t follow the inner side of the ear but can go slightly deep with small tips.
The drawback comes from the cable, which isn’t provided with the usual guide, to shape it around your ear. That makes the TinHifi pretty difficult to fit and it’s even harder if, like me, you wear a pair of prescription glasses.
I changed the provided cable for a more traditional one, and thanks to that, the TinHifi T4 became much more bearable. Plus a pair of SpinFits for maximum comfort!
The article continues on Page Three, after the click here.
Nisha Batel
Thank you for the tinhifi t4 review.
Zero
Wow, the Tin T1 is forgotten even here.
antoine amanieux
a $129 iem that requires a $100 external amp to sound good is not a $129 iem, it is a $229 iem. it should then be compared to $229 iems that does not require external amp 🙂
Sam
You wouldn’t use a 200+$ iem without a decent audio source period. Doesn’t matter what iem it is, if the signal going in is wack, the iem isn’t going to fix that.
Laurent
Hi, i have the t2, will by the t4, works perfectly good with only my S8. Using Flac, Dsd filles and Fiio application.
Sp12er
^Lol of course not!
I do think the comparison choices is kinda sparse tho.
Richard
Last chance to get Tin HiFi T4 at $89 from HiFiGo if you miss the chance to get from indiegogo
https://hifigo.com/products/tin-hifi-t4-cnt-dynamic-driver-inear-earphones-iem-monitor-mmcx-connector
Connie
Thanks for review of Tinhifi T4.
As it is using Carbon Coated Driver which is 1 DD like IT01S.
Which one is better of their tonality?
Anil Kumar
Thanks for sharing the Info.
JITHU CHANDRADAS
T4 is the best iem around $100 i’ve ever used.As you said it is very picky to the source.Out of my three sources i liked it only with one my trusted fiio x5 ii.I even completely prefer t4 over my kanas pro.With the right source t4 sounds absolutely fantastic.That rich premium timbre you will not get from other iems around or double this price.
Matúš Jurčík
Hello, you wrote that the T4 is very sensitive to the source. Chord mojo – lost musicality, Q5s – is alright. What about LG quad DAC should it be alright on that? Lg g7, V30,V40 …
Thank you
NanoTechnos
Hi !
I tried the TinHifi T4 on my iPhone, who’s amp section isn’t known for its “power”. So yeah, you shouldn’t have any issue to drive it with a LG smartphone 🙂
Especially if they have the Quad DAC.
Matúš nurčík
Thank you for your reply but I meant it like if lg quad dac is soundwise good enought by its sound character or sound quality. I know that there is plenty of volume from it. Because in that article was written that is very picky to the source. I have lg g7 and it has sabre 9218 dac(quad dac) that has realy soft sound and I also have nextdrive spectra and i need to know if the t4 is good match with it… Ok but anyway thanks :).
Chris
I had the T3 then upgraded based on this and other reviews but I was really dissapointed. They did extend and smooth out the treble vs. T3 a little. However the midrange has such a huge bulge now that half the recordings that sound decent on the T3 sounds terrible with these. Also male voices lose timber completely. It sounds rather like one of those old portable record players. Also there’s a dip at around 6 kHz which loses some positional information making everything sound mono. I think these where designed with a very specific set of recordings in mind. I personally would not recommend them as they are not very versatile.