Disclaimer: I thank Kareena from Linsoul Audio for generously providing me with the Vivace in exchange for an honest review. On behalf of the team at the Headphone List, we thank her for her generosity and trust in THL.
TLDR:
For pop-music lovers, the Vivace deviates just a few hairs away from the ‘Harman target’, delivering a satisfyingly engaging midrange and mid-bass punch (a inherent limitation of the 2019 Harman target) with just enough presence in the upper-treble for a splash of vocal energy and excitement.
While the Vivace will not win accolades for its middling technical performance and spartan accessory inclusions, the Vivace illustrates the potency of intelligible and careful tuning.
Pros:
+ Mirror-polished resin faceplate provides an unassuming albeit classy appearance.
+ Ultra-light resin-shells promise fatigueless and sore-free listening experience
+ ‘New Meta’ tuning with a tasteful mid-bass uplift and modest tuck in the upper-presence region
+ Dynamic, engaging and satisfying bass punch and immersive sub-bass rumble
+ Clean and defined imaging that punches above its price class
+ Syrupy-sweet midrange provides a lush yet ethereal presentation of pop vocals
Cons:
– Disappointing unboxing experience with barely any accessory inclusions
– Upper-treble (while well-tuned) lacks textural distinction between instruments and vocals.
– Average technical performance in terms of lateral-width, with a narrow soundstage
Introduction
Tripowin isn’t quite a house-hold name or synecdoche (hey, pass me the Tripowins) in the rising dominance of Chi-Fi in the audiophile scene. However, Tripowin is a name that many Hawaii Bad Boy (HBB) fans would recognize for their countless collaborative releases such as the Hades and Olina. Affordability and quality are two characteristics that define the Tripowin identity.
Today, we are reviewing the Tripowin Vivace, borne out of a fruitful collaboration between a reputable reviewer in South Korea (0dibi) and the titular brand. Priced at $39.99, the Vivace is another single-dynamic driver IEM with a sub-$50 price tag. To the cynical eye, the global marketplace is saturated with variations of the same theme; a symptom of the churn-and-burn model.
Today, we’re going to critically examine the Vivace’s performance against the competition and determine if the Vivace delivers. The Vivace can be purchased directly from Linsoul’s website.
Technology
All-New Titanium Diaphragm Driver:
The Vivace embeds an all-new single 10mm titanium coated PET driver. Tripowin’s proprietary Nano-scale coating is carefully deposited onto the PET driver, resulting in an enhanced tensile strength and resilience for improved PRAT and transient performance.
Unboxing
The Vivace comes shipped in a tiny cardboard box with an outer-sleeve. Similar to the Kiwi-ears Singolo’s packaging, there isn’t much in the way of accessories inside the box. Users will find the following inclusions:
- 1 x Tripowin X 0dibi Vivace
- 1 x 2-pin monocrystalline cable (two-braids)
- 3 x pairs of silicon tips (S, M, L)
- Instructions
While $39.99 is understandably, a low price-point, I think a zippered-carry case of soft-shell pouch isn’t too much to ask for. The Vivace’s packaging is disapprovingly sparse, with major room for improvement.
Design
Thankfully, the Vivace’s aesthetic and design bucks the trend the previous section. The Vivace has a gleaming, mirror-polish-esque face-plate in a space-grey colorway. How light refracts upon striking the Vivace’s faceplates creates a bedazzling effect. On first glance, the Vivace feels much more expensive and premium than its price-tag would suggest.
The resin-shells are smooth to the touch with no pitting or imperfections to be seen or felt. The application of lacquer between the faceplate and shells is excellent, with the seam between them expertly hidden and sealed.
The Vivace has an elegant appearance that is understated and discrete for day-to-day use.
Comfort and Ergonomics
Because the Vivace only consists of a single driver per channel, the Vivace’s physical footprint is quite modest, with an average spout/nozzle length. Fit (with the provided M-sized tips) never proved to be an issue on my average-sized ears, with a comfortable insertion depth. The outer-shell sits comfortably against my counter-helix with no tenderness or soreness after an hour of straight listening.
The pin-hole sized vent sitting next to the nozzle/spout. While the presence of a vent does compromise on an IEM’s ability to contain extraneous noise, the surrounding ambient noise from my daily-commute did not prove to be a burdensome issue. Only on occasion, I had to increase my phone’s (Nothing 2A) volume by 1 step.
The Vivace is a comfortable, set-and-forget IEM that is well-suited to an active lifestyle.
Cable Quality
The Vivace’s included 2-pin cable contains a mono-crystalline copper core, strewn into 2 intertwining braids that split into 1 on each channel/side. My first impressions of the cable is how firm and stiff it feels due to the choice of cable-sheathing/jacketing. The immediate downside to this is the cable’s proneness to memory, and its fundamental lack of malleability, which hampers its stowability.
On the plus-side, the cable feels incredibly durable and resilient in hand, with a tough-as-nails exterior that feels ready to weather any storm that comes it way.
There are pre-molded ear guides made of heat-shrink on the 2-pin ends. The inclusion of ear-guides is always a point of contention for impassioned audiophiles (your mileage may vary). To my ears, this didn’t prove to be an issue in terms of comfort, but I do appreciate how well it contours to my outer earlobes.
There are also no ‘swappable’ terminations, with Tripowin opting for the default 3.5mm unbalanced jack. At this price-point, that is to be expected – this is just an observation, not a critique.
It’s not the best cable, but for $39.99, it’s a reliable and durable cable for day-to-day use.
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