TRN MT3 Earphones Review – Bright V-Shaped Sound on a Budget

First Impressions

For this set, TRN decided to veer away from its typical packaging and opted for a classier presentation.

The TRN MT3 comes in a similar cardboard material box but the IEMs were presented nicely with transparent plastic on top of it.

I was blown away when I found out that the TRN MT3 comes with a double zinc alloy shell instead of the zinc alloy and resin combo that I expected. The photos online didn’t do any justice to the MT3, as they look way better in person.

The new T-Ear Tips surprised me as I didn’t know that these IEMs had them. The new silicone ear tips reminded me of the Moondrop Spring Tips in terms of appearance although they differ in fit and comfort.

The MT3 also has many extra ear tips and a 2-pin 4-core silver-plated detachable cable, which looks great and feels great.

Build Quality

I was pretty impressed with the build quality of the TRN MT3. The zinc alloy construction feels solid and far more durable than most IEMs that you can get at this price point.

The included 4-core cable is also well-built and far more durable than what TRN used to include in its products.

Fit and Comfort

When I first tried the TRN MT3, it fit my ears like a glove and it was one of the most comfortable IEMs I ever had. 

The new T-Ear Tips also worked wonders as they were far more comfortable and they provided an excellent fit to my ears compared to the cheap standard ear tips that you’d get with budget IEMs.

These T-Ear Tips were surprisingly good. Although they’re not as good as the Moondrop Spring Tips, they’re a fantastic addition to the TRN MT3.

Since these IEMs have a zinc alloy shell, they’re a bit weighty when you hold them. However, the heft is nearly unnoticeable once you place them on your ears. I like its weight as it gives the impression that it’s far more durable than other IEMs at this price point.

So far I haven’t experienced any kind of discomfort with the silver-plated cable included in the TRN MT3. 

In fact, they were of excellent quality, and since I’ve had my fair share of bad experiences with TRN cables, this makes a good impression on me. It does seems that TRN is always working to improve the quality of its products.

Sound Quality

Upon testing the TRN MT3, I noticed that they have a neutral sound signature, although they do have a slight boost on the upper frequencies.

I also noticed how clean and clear the presentation was on higher frequencies. 

The vocals have good clarity, and the micro-details are easily noticeable. Although they sounded thin, instruments like guitars have a good presence in the mix. The clarity that the TRN MT3 has shines the most out of its other great features.

Bass

The bass on the TRN MT3 has a good amount of texture and a noticeably quick bass response. The bass tuning is centered around the sub-bass region, giving off much extension. 

Although it has a relatively decent amount of bass, these IEMs aren’t meant for bass heads because they lack bass presence.

Mids

The mids have an overall clear presentation which I’ve noted when listening to some of the tracks I’ve used. 

One disadvantage I’ve encountered in the TRN MT3 is that depending on the music you’re listening to, the mids can get relatively thin in presentation.

Hotter tracks sounded sharp, and more laidback genres were smoothly presented, so this is something to take note of before trying them out. 

The TRN MT3 is also very open-sounding and has excellent sound imaging.

Treble

The treble on the TRN MT3 was a bit of a hit-or-miss for me. 

There were times when the treble performed phenomenally, and there were also times when it sounded too harsh for my liking. However, this harsh sound is situational and highly depends on the tracks you’re listening to. 

One thing to commend about the TRN MT3’s treble is that it has excellent detail retrieval and presents sounds with great clarity.

Test Tracks

I’ve tested the TRN MT3 on different genres of music to get a proper understanding of how they sound. Below and here are my findings:

• Metal / Rock – The guitars on tracks like Brain Stew sounded sharp. It had a piercing presentation while the vocals sounded clear and had a good amount of details. Tracks used: Brain Stew (Green Day), Reverie (Polyphia), That’s What You Get (Paramore)
• Pop – The vocals stood out the most for this genre. The TRN MT3’s relatively bright tuning performed well in conjunction with this but there were harsh frequencies present on more busy tracks like OMG. On the other hand, the vocal presentation for Everybody Wants to Rule the World was smooth and very lively. Tracks used: Bad Boy (Red Velvet), OMG (NewJeans), Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Tears for Fears)
• Hip-hop – The tracks I’ve used came off as a bit bland due to the lack of bass presence on the MT3. The hi-hats and snare hits were well-accentuated through specific instruments on the mids and were quite raspy and thin sounding. Tracks used: Amen (Shanti Dope and Pricetagg), Cash In Cash Out (Pharell Williams ft. 21 Savage & Tyler the Creator)
• Indie – The drums and the instruments blended well with each other and with the vocals. The overall presentation had a good amount of depth to them due to the sound stage of the MT3. Tracks used: Show Me How (Men I Trust), Space Song (Beach House), Queen of Disaster (Lana Del Rey)
• R&B / Soul – The TRN MT3 performed well on more laid-back genres like R&B and Soul. The instruments sounded smooth and had a good presence, the drums sat nicely behind the mix, and the vocals had a nice sparkle to them though there was still some sharpness to the overall sound quality. Tracks used: Devil in the Details (Mac Ayres), Get You (Daniel Ceasar), Melting (Kali Uchis)

Conclusion

The TRN MT3 has its fair share of good and bad features, but overall, it’s a great pair of IEMs.

This is one of the IEM releases from TRN that has a lot of potential. 

These IEMs had some flaws that were getting in the way of them becoming an excellent budget option. TRN still has to work on them if they want this set to stand out in the competitive $20-and-below budget space.

Overall, the TRN MT3 is showing that the brand is headed in the right direction and I’m looking forward to their upcoming IEM releases.

This post was last updated on 2025-01-17 / Some images from Amazon Product API & some links may be affiliate links which may earn us a commission from purchases.