User Review T-Peos Popular and T-Peos Tank IEM review- A budget hit?

Build, accessories, fit and isolation:

Both IEMs have a similar overall construction and are well built with the Popular having a metal housing and the Tank having a blue aluminium body. Vents for the drivers are located on the top. Left and right labels are legibly marked. The half flat cables in both iems appear sturdy and are thick enough to handle everyday abuse and end in a well built right angled jack with T-Peos logo on them. The strain relief near the housing looks small but is functional. There is a Y cable split in the middle and the Tank has a mic on the right side cable and when the iem is worn it hangs comfortably under the neck. Half flat cables have significantly lesser microphonics than the Sony MH1c and along the same same lines as the Soundmagic E10.
Box contents with Accessories:
WP_20140116_019.jpg


L-shaped connectors:
WP_20140119_002.jpg


WP_20140119_004.jpg


Microphone controllers
WP_20140119_006.jpg


IEM housing with strain relief
WP_20140119_008.jpg


Driver vents
WP_20140128_007.jpg


The accessories included in both are 3 pairs of single flanged silicone tips and a shirt clip. The Tank has an additional pair of medium sized foam eartip and a velvety soft carrying pouch both of which are absent from the Popular. They currently retail here for Rs. 1995 and Rs.1708.

I noticed no major issues with the fit. With the medium sized silicones they fit securely and didn’t dislodge or fall out frequently when roaming around when wearing them. The isolation is average. They block out quite a bit of external noise and are comfortable enough for a bus ride. The foam tips on the tank makes it have a slight advantage in terms of comfort and isolation.

Sound:

Well me move on to the most important question, how do they sound? Enthusiastic, exciting and fun are the three words which come to my mind. I will however post my ranking, so that you can judge my preference before reading the review.


Shure SE535ltd-J
Ultimate ears Triple-Fi 10
Sony MH1c
Soundmagic E10
Bose IE2
Sennheiser CX95
Philips SHE3590


Burn-in and source selection:
IEM’s were subjected to a ~50 hr burning in time before beginning to judge them. iPod shuffle 1G and iPad mini without eq were used as sources. Majority of the comparisons were done with wav files ripped out of CDs I own and some with regular MP3’s.

Tracks used:


This is the one track I want to highlight before mentioning the others. This track makes it easy to assess overall tonality, focus, also its easy to do an A-B comparison due to omnipresent uniform bass line and treble rhythm, also SPB’s powerful vocals and the female singers sweet voice have a tendency to reveal sibilance easily while also showing the earphones ability to present the vocals naturally.

Other tracks in no particular order:

Whitesnake Is this love

Metallica carpe diem baby

Audioslave- Show me how to live

Enrique ring my bells

While I’m not a particular fan of Enrique’s style of music this track makes it easier to assess the earphones bass response, its decay and the tendency to overshadow the midrange

Focal JM labs demo disc 2- Single cylinder motorcycle

Pink Floyd - Wish you were here

Tobacco Slide - Goloka

Guns N Roses - Estranged

Altar of plagues-Reflection pulse remains (Thanks to @esanthosh )

Dark knight OST-Aggressive expansion

Rage against the machine- Bulls on parade

Information society - Ozar midrashim (Soulreaver OST)

Overall signature:
T-Peos popular: V-Shaped

T-Peos Tank : Warm and ‘not so sweet’ .


Objective observations:

A graphical view of my observations about the IEMs sound to my amateur ears
T-Peos popular

photo 1.jpg

T-Peos Tank
photo 2.jpg


The two IEM’s share the following similar traits:

1. A broad and noticeable midbass boost centred at 100hz.

Advantage: A more fun sound

Disadvantage: Slight overshadowing of the sub-bass in both and in popular because of its V-shaped signature there is a slight overshadowing of the body of the vocals.

2. A noticeable deviation in the midrange frequencies at

~3 khz

Advantage: -Adds excitement to the instuments making them more ‘present’
-Makes the IEMs very listenable at low volumes

Disadvantage: - Doesn’t sound natural, loses lushness in the vocals
- Results in fatigue during longer sessions/ higher volumes

~8 khz

Advantage: Makes treble ‘seem’ exciting

Disadvantage: - Tendency to get sibilant
- Results in a rough transition from the midrange to the treble
- Overshadows the extreme highs causing a lack of extensions and
a less airy presentation
- Highs sound etched.



Main difference between the tank and popular:
The popular has a V shape dip centred at ~500hz extending till ~250hz and ~1.5khz on either extremes of the cut. The tank does not have this dip there by having a different signature

Subjective listening:

Lows: Are handled with a good amount of authority, packs plenty of fat punches resulting in a weighty low end with more weight in the midbass than the sub bass. Sub bass has a reasonable presence though. But the midbass lift some times makes the overbearing midbass draw too much focus. It doesn’t sound too boomy either due to a reasonably quick decay. It also contributes to good dynamics which the IEM posseses.

Mids: Have plenty of excitement don’t sound delicate and aren’t gentle enough when they need to be, over enthusiastic upper midrange sometimes causes sibilance especially with female vocals. The two IEMs favour 'excitement' more than lushness. Forward upper mids has a tendency to cause fatigue at higher volumes. This upper mid - forwardness is unlike the Shure SE-535 however, which has a forward lower midrange causing that added lushness. The tank due to the lack of V- shape has more engaging vocals than the Popular. But due to an uneven tonality the iems have the upper mids fighting for attention and they often pack a sudden unwelcome surprise depending on the song especially with female vocals. As mentioned earlier the midrange rolls up rather roughly into the treble.

Highs: Feel etched. Feels like it is missing out a layer of subtleity resulting in a bit of brashness to the treble. Don’t get me wrong, majority of the details are all there and are distinct enough, its just the intricate and subtle nuances of the treble are often found missing.

Soundstage and imaging:

Both the popular and the tank have a pretty wide soundstage, the forward upper mids seem to spoil the pleasant width now and then depending on the music played. Besides the forward upper midrange both IEM’s image well within the boundaries of the soundstage so it never feels hollow. Both IEMs never sound ‘inside your head’ and have a decent ability to separate instruments.

Note about the Tank's mic- During use with my Nokia lumia 620, the mic worked seamlessly along with its controller. The voices were very clear and articulate on the receiving end. Wearing it behind the neck like the MH1c helped avoiding the mic from rubbing against the shirt thus avoiding any unwanted noise.

Comparisons:

Soundmagic E10: I listen to the E10 with MH1c's tips. The first thing that strikes you when you put on the E10 is the broad soundstage and airy presentation. The focus of the presentation seems to be on the highs which though not as extended as the MH1c is very well detailed and rarely fatiguing. There is a very slight tendency to be sibilant, but nothing major. When compared to the popular, the popular appears more V shaped mainly due to the midbass and the upper midrange boost and when compared to the tank, the tank has a more ‘present’ lower midrange when compared to the E10. So as far as lower mid forwardness goes its Tank>E10>Popular. But the point to note with Soundmagic e10 is that despite its slight ‘u’ shape, it appears to have an uniform, refined and even tonality, something which I can’t say about the T-Peos IEMs. But those craving for more bass from the E10 and a more exciting midrange might consider the T-Peos tank or popular, depending on their signature preferences.

Sony MH1c: Its warm and smooth nature, with superb refinement all the way from the bass to the treble is evident in comparison. I can easily turn up the volume without any worry of fatigue. MH1c seems to have more of a sub bass boost and is devoid of the mild midbass hump, the midrange remains clean and never gives any unwelcome surprises, and treble extends effortlessly to express detail. That layer of subtelity which was missing seems to have come back. People who prefer excitement over smoothness might end up preferring the T-Peos IEMs


My updated personal ranking:

Shure SE535ltd-J
Ultimate ears Triple-Fi 10
Sony MH1c
Soundmagic E10
Bose IE2
T-Peos tank (much more VFM than Bose IE2 but the bose seems more refined)
T-Peos Popular
Sennheiser CX95
Philips SHE3590

Conclusion:
T-Peos has made a solid effort at the buget iem segment with these two well built IEMs. Pricing is incredibly competitive and the T-Peos tank has every potential to emerge as a standard mobile earphone upgrade. However the lack of refinement in favour of a more fun but fatiguing presentation and a slight uneven tonality keeps me from giving them a whole hearted recommendation. People who like listening to lower volumes and who are looking for an exciting and fun instead of a smooth and refined sound will not end up disappointed with either of these that too at a price in which it is currently available.
 

Attachments

  • WP_20140119_003.jpg
    WP_20140119_003.jpg
    411.4 KB · Views: 259
Last edited:
MH1 cable has been reported very bad on head-fi due to it's microphonics and cable is not flexible at all. But such thing doesn't exist in T-Peos IEMs making them better in this aspect. Correct me if I'm wrong here? Also T-Peos IEMs are built like a Tank though they have one model named "Tank" to show that their build quality is just so good :D:p
 
Great review, keep them coming :)
What kind of music/tracks did you use while listening ?

Thanks man. I will update the post regarding tracks used.
_______
Updated! :)

MH1 cable has been reported very bad on head-fi due to it's microphonics and cable is not flexible at all. But such thing doesn't exist in T-Peos IEMs making them better in this aspect. Correct me if I'm wrong here? Also T-Peos IEMs are built like a Tank though they have one model named "Tank" to show that their build quality is just so good :D:p

No arguments with you there! I noticed zero issues with the build quality. It doesn't have either the microphonic flat cable of the MH1c or the awkward slippery straight jack of the E10.
 
Last edited:
In build quality, I would like to tell you that tank doesn't have hard plastic housing, it has Aluminium body with Non-PVC half flat cable with mic. :) Whereas popular has brass and aluminium body.
 
Last edited:
Nice review !! T-Peos has come a long way from their old models which probably weren't as well received by the audiophile community as the newer models . I am currently review'ing the T-Peos H200 hybrid triple driver and they sound absolutely amazing . Hoping to see them in India soon.
 
Nice review !! T-Peos has come a long way from their old models which probably weren't as well received by the audiophile community as the newer models . I am currently review'ing the T-Peos H200 hybrid triple driver and they sound absolutely amazing . Hoping to see them in India soon.
T-Peos H-200 has already been discontinued and not manufactured anymore now, and the successor of H-200 is going to hit the market this month.
 
^ One can always find good deals in used market , and if found for 200$ or under , they are pretty kickass .
 
Nice review !! T-Peos has come a long way from their old models which probably weren't as well received by the audiophile community as the newer models . I am currently review'ing the T-Peos H200 hybrid triple driver and they sound absolutely amazing . Hoping to see them in India soon.

Thanks man! Tai's H200 review is what put T-Peos on the map for me :) These two iems are my first experience with T-Peos. The tank shows that they mean serious business and is quite capable! @abhi_jollyguy says T-Peos is launching an upgrade to the T peos tank soon which is a more balanced version! I for one am looking forward to it.
 
@itsvel06

T-Peos tank is one model and the model which I told you is another so both are different model with different sound signature, that model is not the upgrade of tank model :) None of their model is made up of total plastic. H-200 is made up of brass and plastic.
 
@itsvel06

T-Peos tank is one model and the model which I told you is another so both are different model with different sound signature, that model is not the upgrade of tank model :) None of their model is made up of total plastic. H-200 is made up of brass and plastic.

Ohh, good to know. It will be the same price as tank, correct?
 
Back
Top