TIPSY AUDIO M3: Formidable Technical Performer

As I’ve started to review IEMs for the last few weeks and all of them are single driver set-up on either dynamic driver or planar magnetic drivers that somehow give me a bit of a burn-out as I was overwhelmed with review units that keep stacking that a majority of them have similar configuration.  And it seems that I felt refreshed right now as I finally reviewed a unit with a hybrid driver configuration and this is actually my favourite driver set-up on a IEM earphone.

Before I review the IEM model, I should introduce the audio company that produces this exquisite earphone set, TIPSY AUDIO. This audio company was established around 2016 that makes this company a decade-old, and it was founded by an experienced recording audio engineer, Mr. Masan Lee's main goal is to recreate the studio-grade sound quality from a concert hall in Shenzhen. This audio company also has some portfolio of patented acoustic technologies under its belt and their core mission is to “See The Sound” in which the products that they will provide are visually appealing with exquisite design and refinement of its sonic aspect that can be used on either professional, casual or in audio hobby.

What I have here is the TIPSY M3, an initial midrange-level set which is part of the M series which is their universal IEM earphone line-up with a hybrid driver set-up. Inside of its resin shell structure, it incorporates two different types of driver technology, a dynamic driver and balanced armature driver. The dynamic driver that was implemented here is dual chambered with a titanium-coated PET diaphragm as it provides a corrosion resistance, tensile strength on the flexibility of a polymer as it yield more stiffness and rigidity on diaphragm for a faster transient response and greatly reduces distortion for deep and controlled bass, along with dual balanced armature drivers (probably they are custom variant of some full range BAs from either Bellsing or from other audio solutions with some added composite materials according to Tipsy’s specification in which I don't really mind on balanced armature driver brands anymore as long as they are properly implemented)  that will enhance the clarity on its vocals and instruments on the midrange and then a detailed and crisper sound on its high frequency. Another feature that the M3 has was its three-way passive acoustic conduit that allows a precise, well-defined separation on its frequency response.

These drivers along with some of its components are then encapsulated in a compact UIEM-type hypoallergenic resin shell chassis with a IPX4 water resistant rating for sweat, light rain and humid environment with a metal alloy nozzle. Upon ordering, you can choose a different design on its faceplate as mine is a black and white variant which I actually like as it somehow represents my personality. It has some well-placed ventholes on its shell chassis, a large hole on the top and a tiny one on its cavity base near the nozzle area as it allows it to escape some excessive air pressure that was generated from its high performance dynamic driver. And its interlocking mechanism for its detachable cable, it utilises a QDC-type bi-pin connector in which I have some qualms on its structural integrity.

When it comes to its cable, it has a lean build yet somehow sturdy enough as it is twisted and braided to provide a flexible and minimises cable noise a.k.a microphonic effects as it is also reduces interferences thus improving signal quality for lossless transmission of audio signal for a pure sound quality although it is still susceptible to entanglement. The cable itself has a 4-core structure and it is made of high purity copper with a gold-plated 3.5mm single-ended plug.

The small and compact size of its shell gives a comfortable fitting into my lugholes that I don’t encounter any discomforts or wear fatigue. It also offers an excellent sealing as it gives me an excellent passive noise isolation as it manages to block most of the external noises from the outside surroundings.

Since this is a sample review unit sent to me by Tipsy, I don't have any idea about its product packaging but regarding this matter,  I will share the contents anyway.

Here are the following inclusions that Tipsy send to me:

• Pair of Tipsy M3 IEM earpieces
• Stock cable
• Round metal storage case
• Three (3) pairs of wide bore velvet eartips in different standard sizes
• Pair of memory foam eartips
• 6.3mm to 3.5mm plug adapter

Regarding its driveability, It has a high sensitivity and low impedance rating that makes this set easy to drive and a source with standard gain output would be sufficient enough. As it scales well to any source in terms of amplification, it will deliver a full range and a very cohesive yet dynamic sound.

When it comes to its tonal profile, this set presents a mild U-shaped sound signature with an almost balanced-neutral tonality as it has slight emphasis on the lows and upper mids and presence section on the highs with an almost linear midrange.

Note: I also noticed that this one is also quite a source dependent set that if you paired it into a bit more warm sources, it adds more colouration that it skews up its tonal profile like it highlights more lows and highs as it will sound more of a V-shaped presentation. That's why I'm using a more neutral source in my track testing phase.

LOWS/BASS:

The overall bass quality on this is quite pretty balanced on its overall presentation as it has a tangible sub bass presence and sufficient mid bass texture. As on how it will interpret through our ears, it delivers a precise bass response which is rumbly, punchy and tactual will be satisfying for audio enthusiasts prefers balanced or neutral sound profile, but definitely not for bass-loving listeners who want more dominant, boomy and vigorous bass as they might this bass tuning somewhat feeble.

For its small dynamic driver, it is able to produce a substantial depth on sub bass presence that those reverberating and rumble that were generated from electronic and low-tuned strings like synthesisers, drum machines and bass-guitars are clearly felt, while the mid bass section has a rich and fullness on its texture enough to give more impact and punchy definition on bass-clef instruments and low-octave male vocals. As to how it fundamentally sounds on these selected instruments, bass guitars have raspy and resonant sound, while double-basses have a full and sonorous sound and then the bass kick drum in which I quite noticed has that realistic thudding and rumbling end on every beat. The male vocals, particularly those low octave ones, like bass and bass-baritones, have those deep resonances that are able to highlight their dark timbre and fullness as they sound dusky and gravelly.

MIDRANGE:

While the midrange of this one is somewhat a bit recessed on its overall presentation, it also reveals its tilts towards more on warmth rather than energy on its overall midrange tuning, and at the same time, it has that rich, smooth and clean that will contribute on the natural timbre on both vocals and instruments. To analyse its tuning, it will give more depth and volume on male vocals, a punchier sound on percussives and a fullness of its brasses, while female vocals, especially on the high pitch ones, loses some of its gleam, strings sound a bit more warm and rich rather the bright, and lastly, the woodwinds sound less brilliant and airy.

Male vocals on this one has a good vocal texture that it delivers a smooth, plush and warm sound on baritones, a juicy, graceful and rich sound on tenors which are mostly suitable on the spinto, dramatic and heldentenors type of tenor voices rather than the  leggero and lyric type ones, and then, a tender, smooth and agile sound on the countertenors from their falsettos. On the female vocals, contraltos that are quite thriving on this type of tuning have a rich, husky and smoky chesty voice, while the mezzo-sopranos have a rich, emotional and velvety sound from their voices, and then the sopranos have a more rich, creamy and satiny voices although lacking a bit of shimmer which is crucial to lyric and coloratura sopranos

Regarding instruments as how they would sound like on this set, on strings, guitars sound a bit warm and buttery, violins sound sensuous and a bit rounded, and then cellos have a sonorous, austere and stately sound. The brasses like the trumpets, trombones and horns, they sound full, rounded and mellow respectively, while on the woodwinds, concert flutes sound mellow and soft, piccolos sound a bit dull but retains that graceful characteristic, clarinets sound rich and gentle, and then the saxophones have a sonorous and velvety sound. On the percussion, tom-toms have warm, full and resonant sound, snares drums have a hard and rustling sound, field drums have a sonorous sound, and the kettledrums have warm and velvety sound. And also, pianos seem to have a balanced sound as it has rich, warm and sweet tones on it.

HIGHS/TREBLE:

This one is on the smoother and balanced side of its treble tuning with enough energy and good airy extension. It has an inoffensive tuning that avoids a jarring sound as it has slight accentuation from the upper mids up to the presence section on its high frequency region that would be sufficient on highlighting clarity and definition on attack on instruments and vocal articulation that will be suitable to treble-sensitive folk. And I don't hear any shrill-y and piercing sound although in some instances, I heard a bit of a tinny sound but still I don't consider it as bothersome.

On its brilliance section, it has a moderate airy extension with enough sparkle and shimmer not sound fatiguing in a long listening session. In some selected treble-noted instruments, cymbals sound lustrous and full while the hi-hats have dull and undulating tone from its chick-y sound, celestas sound mellow with a soft impact and then, the glockenspiels have these a bit rounded and warm sound that it is somewhat less shimmer and bright as it should be.

SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING & OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

This is probably the strongest asset of the TIPSY M3 as it has an exceptional performance in this particular aspect. Based on my aural perception, It has a spacious soundstage that has a wide sonic field, a wide lateral span from left to right, good height ceiling and an engaging depth which has a fine distance from front to back.  It also projects a holographic and well-layered soundscape on its stereo imaging in which I was able to pinpoint its exact placements of musical elements with an evident separation that playing some complex multi-instrumental tracks would be an easy peasy on this one.

The cohesiveness of its hybrid driver set-up is pretty well-done that the dynamic driver delivers a fast transient response on its bass attack, with a speed, clarity and detailed midrange and highs without any distortion at all. As for its resolution capability, it has solid macrodynamics that are able to differentiate the varying degree of volume dynamics from the quietest part up to its loudest level from both chorale and instrumental section, while on its microdynamics, it has fairly sharp definition on retrieving some fine details and other nuances like recording grains, notational attacks, vocal ends and instrumental reverb tails.

PEER COMPARISON:

MYER AUDIO CKLVX

• An initial midrange-level set and like the M3 it has hybrid driver configuration albeit it has more driver numbers.
• This set features dual dynamic drivers with asymmetrical sizes and six (6) custom balanced armature drivers that are encapsulated in a resin shell chassis.
• This one is jam-packed with a number of accessories, and it includes a premium stock cable with modular termination, a PU-leather storage case and different types of eartips to choose from.
• It has a mild U-shaped sound signature that has more sub bass presence with a tighter mid bass, less warmer but more energetic midrange as female vocals have more gleaming sound and strings have more brighter and crisper sound, and a tad brighter and more airy treble response.
• On its technicalities, it has a narrower soundstage presentation as it sounds a bit intimate to my ears with less defined layering and separation on its soundscape.

JUZEAR 61T BUTTERFLY

• An old model midrange from JUZEAR, and it also has a hybrid driver configuration.
• Its driver configuration consisted of one dynamic driver and six (6) balanced armature drivers and one of these drivers was sourced from Knowles, and these drivers were housed in a resin shell structure.
• This set is loaded with accessories inside on its packaging box and one of them is a stock cable of a premium build quality with modular termination features.
• It has a warmish-neutral sound signature that it has a punchy and rumbly bass, a balanced midrange response with a hint of warmth that gives more smoother and rich definition on the vocal texture, especially on male voices and also on the contraltos, and then a smooth and airy treble presentation.
• As for its technicalities, it has a similarly wide soundstage with a well-layered soundscape with solid macrodynamics.

ZIIGAAT ODYSSEY 2

• One of the latest IEM models from ZIIGAAT and this one is a collaboration with Hangout.Audio, a Singaporean-based audio company by Crinacle.
• This also has a hybrid driver set-up consisting of a single dynamic driver and a three (3) balanced armature drivers provided by Knowles, and these drivers are encapsulated in a resin shell chassis.
• The product packaging of this one is full-packed with accessories that includes premium liquid silicon eartips, a leather case and a good quality stock cable with a modular termination feature.
• Its tuning follows a modern take of a DF-style neutral sound signature as it has a slight emphasis on its lows while maintaining a more balanced bass presentation with a more linear phase transition to the midrange region, mostly on the lower mid section, to give that a bit warm for added dense and richness on the vocals and instruments then a smoother treble presentation.
• Regarding its overall technical performance, it has a bit narrower and somewhat stunted soundstage presentation compared to the M3 but it has a bit sharper definition on its microdynamics.

ZIIGAAT CRESCENT

• Another initial midrange model from ZIIGAAT as this one is an older model prior to ODYSSEY 2, and like the M3, it also has a hybrid driver set-up.
• Its driver configuration consists of  dual dynamic driver and two balanced armature drivers provided by Knowles and it was encapsulated in a solid resin shell chassis.
• Its product packaging is sufficiently packed with accessories which is quite similar with the ODYSSEY 2 as it includes premium eartips, leather case and good quality stock cable with interchangeable plug.
• It has a mild U-shaped sound signature which is quite similar to M3 as it also has a punchy bass response albeit it has less rumbly presence, well-balanced midrange presentation with ample warmth and energy for tonal versatility on both vocals and instruments, and then it has a bit brighter treble that it has more sparkle.
• Technicality-wise, it has similar performance with the M3, from a wider soundstage up its resolution capabilities which also has a firm macrodynamics and sharper micro-detail definition.

To conclude this product review, the M3 is an IEM that is seriously crafted by an experienced audio professional that will cater the needs of audio professionals, music artists and serious audio enthusiasts who want a sonic refinement and superb technical performance on their listening session. I'm not a basshead, but you will definitely hear the tonal quality of the bass instruments particularly on bass kick drums and bass guitars as it has that realistic deep resonant and sonorous sound from them, with some good separation on them when I listen to my favourite rock tracks. For its overall sound quality and technical performance alone, it has a compelling value proposition that it provides an utmost functionality value especially for its asking price and I can say that I will recommend this set without any hesitation at all.

The TIPSY M3 is available on TIPSY's official site, Check out the link below that I have provided for those audio enthusiasts who are interested in purchasing this set, I can assure that it is a non-affiliated link.

LINK: 

https://tipsyaudio.com/products/tipsy-m3

SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: TIPSY M3

IMPEDANCE: 17Ω

SENSITIVITY: 105dB

FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 20KHz

CABLE LENGTH: 1.2m

PIN TYPE: QDC-TYPE 2-PIN CONNECTOR

PLUG TYPE:  3.5mm,

DRIVER UNIT(S):  (1) DYNAMIC DRIVER, (2) BALANCED ARMATURE DRIVER(S)

PROS:

● Compact and lightweight shell structure.

● Probably one of the most comfortable IEMs to wear for a long listening session.

● Excellent passive noise isolation.

● Good quality stock cable.

● Inclusion of a velvet-like eartips. 

● Easy to drive due to its high sensitivity and low impedance rating.

● A balanced sound profile.

● Deep, punchy and tactile bass, almost realistic tone on bass instruments, especially the bass kick drum,

● A smooth and warm midrange midrange

● Rich and plush sound on baritones, tender sound from countertenors, and then dark and weighty sound from contraltos,.

● Smooth and inoffensive treble response.

● Excellent technical capabilities; from a wide soundstage up to a resolving resolution capabilities.

CONS:

● Not for bassheads as it still lacks that boominess and authority that they usually want on their bass quality.

● A bit recessed midrange.

● Lack of shimmer on female vocals, particularly on sopranos, less crisp and bright sound on strings, and less airy on woodwinds. 

● For a hybrid driver configuration, it only has a modest airy extension.

● While the stock cable is of high quality, it does not have a modular termination feature. 

● It has some occasional slight tinniness on its overall sound.

TRACKS TESTED: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)

Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *

Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**

Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **

Mountain - Mississippi Queen *

Queen - Killer Queen **

Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*

Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'

Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'

Pearl Jam - Daughter **

Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *

Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*

Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *

New Order - Blue Monday *

The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *

Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *

The Madness- Buggy Trousers *

Metallica - Motorbreath **

Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *

Destiny's Child - Say My Name *

Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *

Mozart - Lacrimosa *

New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *

Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*

Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *

Exciter - Violence and Force *

Diana Krall - Stop This World **

Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*

The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**

Suzanne Vega – Luka **

Lauren Christy – Steep *

Ottoman Mehter - Hucum Marsi *

Diana Damrau - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte*

Type O Negative - Black No.1 *

Felix Ayo - Vivaldi: Presto **

Three Tenors - Nessum Dorma *

Mercyful Fate - Witches' Dance *

P.S.

I am not affiliated to TIPSY AUDIO nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.

Once again, I would like to send my gratitude to the TIPSY AUDIO REP for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate their generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.