Closer Examination

TinHiFi went the thin Kevlar route with the T5 cable, so it was surprising to see this overbuilt cable included with the more budget-minded T2 Evo. Spec-wise, this is a cable that could accompany a $500 IEM and I would not bat an eye. It begins with a gold-plated 3.5 mm TRS connector heading into an aluminium housing given a mix of a satin and knurled finish. Two indented steps on to the cable keep the connector from biting into the insulation itself, and a silver-plated copper conductor is used here. The copper is 5N-rated, meaning it is 99.999% pure to begin with. There are also eight braided strands to reduce microphonics, and it is still relatively compact, so the wire gauge is perhaps on the smaller side of average. The entire cable follows a silver color scheme, with a transparent plastic bead acting as a cable cinch that mates to another aluminium housing for the splitter itself. There is the expected plastic sheathing on each of the split cables, again transparent, to help with the memory wire formation for the behind-the-ear-hooks which then lead to the MMCX connectors. These are also industrial in ID, with a red ring for the right channel, while the left one makes do with nothing. To be fair, L/R markings are on the barrels, and the MMCX connectors are gold-plated for additional oxidation resistance.


Industrial is certainly the way I would describe the general build quality and design of the TinHiFi T2 Evo IEMs, with the shells adopting a multi-component CNC-machined aluminium body. These get a mix of satin and raw machined finish, which helps avoid a monotonous look. The shells are low in profile and reminded me of the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1+ TWS set shaped like bullets, except of course with the extension for the wired connection here.


It wouldn't surprise me if everything was just screwed in place here, but I did not try to take it apart since counter-threaded parts are at play. These shells are easy to scale up for production accordingly, making it a feasible approach for a mass-market item. The so-called "Tank" body aesthetic has been employed to good success by TinHiFi in the past, and leaving most of the machining marks in place also reduces processing time for something you can't afford to hand-finish. There are blue and red plastic accents in multiple places to show the left and right channels, including as a surround for the matching gold-plated MMCX connectors the cable fits into. Two ventilation holes are on each shell, one on the top facing out and the other going into the ear concha itself. The nozzle is ~4.8 mm in diameter and has a notch to prevent ear tips from working themselves loose. There is also a mesh filter on the end to prevent contaminants from entering the acoustic chamber.


Fitting the ear tips is trivial with that notch on the spout further holding them in place while providing touch feedback about them having been inserted well enough. Seen above are the silicone and foam tips, both in size M, installed on the T2 Evo IEMs. Just make sure you go around the tips to ensure they are not in at an angle.


Regardless of which of the two types of tips you go with, the next step is to connect the cable by carefully pushing the MMCX connectors in place. I would have liked to see a 2-pin connector, or at least an MMCX extraction tool included since it can be a bother to remove the cable for any storage/cable rolling. Be sure to match the channels correctly—TinHiFi makes this easy with all the visual cues on both sides. The 3.5 mm TRS connector then goes to your source. I know there are many who prefer using IEMs throughout, but I like to use over-ear headphones when sitting down and IEMs/TWS earbuds on the go. I've paired the T2 Evo with all the tested portable DAC/amps thus and personally liked the cleaner profile and handy EQ options of the Qudelix-5K as the source, in turn paired to my phone or laptop.