IEM Tripowin x HBB Kailua
Driver configuration 2x Dynamic Driver (DD)
Price 79,00 USD

Design & Stuff

  • Fit is quite decent, the IEM is small and has a good shape
  • Good build quality
  • Provided eartips feel cheap
  • Nice design, available in three different colorways

The Good

  • Vocals have a good amount of presence
  • Bass is controlled (enough)
  • Fun and enjoyable IEM
  • Quite versatile tuning

Frequency Response Graph of the Tripowin x HBB Kailua

The Bad

  • Details and resolution are really lacking and just no longer good enough for around 80 USD
  • Vocals can be imprecise and overpowered by bassy music
  • Treble is uneven and imprecise, sometimes overwhelming. Most of the time its not resolving and “crisp” enough

Value

Not that great. There are quite a lot good and often better IEMs for the same price or less. At its original price point I honestly can‘t really recommend the Kailua.

Comparisons

The comparisons are the biggest problem for the Tripowin x HBB Kailua. The market for IEMs between 50 and 100 USD is just incredibly competitive and keeps getting better and better. The likes of Truthear and Simgot have recently-ish released a plethora of IEMs that are just that bit better than the Kailua.

A few IEMs at around the same price that I prefer to the Kailua1:

  • Truthear Hexa: A tuning I slightly prefer with significantly better technicalities
  • Simgot EA500(LM): Better tuning, slightly better techs
  • Kiwi Ears Cadenza: Slightly better tuning, slightly worse techs at half the price

  1. Not mentioned here are IEMs I haven’t personally heard yet, that might be competitive or even better like the Moondrop May and older, slightly more expensive IEMs like the Moondrop Aria or 7Hz Salnotes Dioko ↩︎