Truthear Gate

The tuning is surprisingly good, sounds amazing with minor PEQ adjustments (upper mids are a bit too much). The shell is slightly smaller and with a more ergonomic shape than Zero Red/Blue, I also feel like the eartips have been improved (OG Zero tips were loose and would start falling off/staying in ear canal after a while).

I've seen comments claiming that the plastic build is a huge downgrade from Chu 2 etc, but in my opinion those people have never tried to wear both IEMs. Without cables, Chu 2 weighs 8g and Gate 3,2g per ear. The difference is clear and Chu 2 feel heavy and uncomfortable in comparison.

I'm not really qualified to say much about the audio quality, but I CAN say that I prefer these over the Chu 2, and maybe even the Moondrop Arias... I do EQ them slightly for most music though. They're incredibly light. I also like the stock cable quite a bit, which was a pleasant surprise. I really like them so far.

I also want to say that the whole purchase process was really smooth and quick despite the long shipping distance (Sweden). Everything went without a hitch. Tack ska ni ha~

Did not expect a headphone that cost this little to be this good. When I received the package after 2 weeks waiting, the package and the carry pouch smelled like sweat and sour sauce. I opened them at my desk at work and me and my cowerkers went to get Chinese food becouse of it. But I listened to Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen as my first test song, and I almost cried. Im used to my Sony XM4, Apple Airpods pro and Samsung yearbuds 2. And I never tought headphones can make the vocals sound like the artist is singing personally for you. Listening to classics like Ozzy, Pink Floyd etc are magical. I like gorillaz and the base is lacking, but I have other headphones for that.

Build quality is expected for this price. Also use it at zoom calls and they are perfect for that too

100% reccomend

But the iems arent here yet even after 2 weeks... Gonna give 5 stars tho cause yall seem cool from what ive seen on YouTube but Man i hope it comes this week at least.

I'm not exactly an audiophile nor an average listener, but to me the Gate satisfied the itch for a bright-leaning $20 IEM and surpassed all expectations. I liked it so much I bought a TruthEar Hexa 2 weeks later, and the Gate still holds up. Coming from using a Sennheiser 599 openback headphone exclusively for years, the Gate was such a breath of fresh air. Despite being a brighter tuning, I was surprised how much I enjoyed the sub-bass impact on percussion and bass instruments. It's so impactful while never feeling muddy in the slightest! My main gripe with the Gate was that compared with my $200 Sennheisers, they lacked a sense of fidelity and clarity in the mid range. Now with that being said, the tuning doesn't feel lacking in the mids, it feels more like the mids are at the right volume but the mids that are there are less detailed and textured feeling. I don't really know how to describe it. Just as a side note, I'd say my preference leans more towards a neutral IEM tuning like the HEXA over the Gate, but for some music, I still prefer the brightness of the Gate. Some of the early 2000s Oasis records always feel boxed in no matter what I use, and the Gate adds a hifi quality without feeling like i'm sacrificing depth and bass impact in the process. I'd say if you don't particularly like prominent bass, and don't mind treble emphasis, absolutely pick these up! I prefer my HEXAs now over the gate, but I think If I blind compared the two with someone who cares less about high quality audio, they'd probably not find the difference big enough to justify the price jump.