Truthear Gate IEM Review - Does it sound "Budget"?

The Truthear Gate IEM is an affordable $20 single-DD unit that replaces the gap in the market left by the Hola's discontinuation. In my review I compare the new Gate IEM against the Hola, the Simgot EW100, 7Hz Salnotes Zero 2, and Tangzu Wan'er. Does the Gate live up to the expectations left by the Hola? Curious what you think!
Purchase Link (non affiliate):
I haven't tried the "refer a friend" thing before, but here's that for Shenzen Audio. It could save you $5? Worth a shot! refrr.app/AkP4WNMH7L/41378
shenzhenaudio.com/products/tr...
I haven't tried the "refer a friend" thing before, but here's that for Shenzen Audio. It could save you $5? Worth a shot! refrr.app/AkP4WNMH7L/41378
Other IEMS mentioned (if available):
7Hz Salnotes Zero 2 - amzn.to/4aMqxrP
Simgot EW100 - amzn.to/4aMbazM
Tangzu Wan'er - amzn.to/3yDZh1r
My Headphone/Headset Measurement Database: gadgetrytech.squig.link/heads...
My IEM Measurement Database: gadgetrytech.squig.link/
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Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
02:03 - Accessories, Design
03:20 - Comfort and Bore Size
05:06 - Objective Sound Quality vs others
08:14 - Subjective Sound against others
15:17 - Final Thoughts
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[@Ghost19_]

Finally. To be honest, there are already a LOT of budget IEM releases from the last 5 years that people should know about. Crinnacle covers a lot of these extensive products with a very critical review, but the point is - there are already a number of budget-friendly units that are just as good as some of the most expensive ones.

[@sidesaladaudio]

Good video. I agree with a lot of it from my experience so far. Yeah this isn’t really a Hola 2, more like a Hola Lite. Cheaper shell (injection mold rather than 3D printed), and small things like the ear tips coming in a plastic bag rather than presented on the tray like Hola did

[@GadgetryTech]

Thanks Jamie! I look forward to watching your take as well!

[@yeahiamthatguy]

I think the reason that the Hola was discontinued was because the shell was so good for the price that it kind of ruined their profit margins. The Gate is probably just a version that was cheaper to manufacture and with a tuning leaning from the Hola towards the Zero: Reds.

[@GadgetryTech]

yeah it makes sense. You can see a couple areas where it seems more cheaply made. The cable alone is worth the price though. They should have just sold the Hola at $25 and kept it IMO

[@yeezet4592]

​@@GadgetryTech scaling up 3d printing is annoying.

[@mistaBorg]

I had tried hola before and honestly felt it was too safe and lacked treble so this is a happy surprise. also, surprised to not see chu 2 in this comparison. how does it stack up?

[@abderezzakansari1756]

hello, first of all thanks for the good analytical content, I was wondering if you had tried the ziigaat Nuo before, and how they compare to the Gate.

[@ryanspartan7853]

So not going to lie...I'm basically buying it for the cable lol. I will replace it and throw these in my car or something. Thanks as always Joe. Oh and I want that tree-stand thingy

[@petrichor259]

Will you say it is better than tangzu waner SG? Wish i had bought hola when it was available 😐

[@remoherewidsumcarrots]

Would you recommend the Truthear Gate or Moondrop Chu II if I don't like bulky and big earphones as my ears get uncomfortable and fatigued quickly? I had Tangzu Wan'er before.

[@snazzy_sanny]

have you checked out the tanchjim origin? if so what are your thoughts? Thanks!

[@Rustydude2030]

I'm looking at getting an a pair of IEMs to switch up my gaming audio from my steelseries nova 7. But also looking at refreshing my entire pc audio setup. Looking at the Fiio K11 and maybe simgot Em6L or Kiwi Quartet. I know I don't need the K11 for the IEMs. Can/should I plug a pair of powered studio monitors into the K11? Or should I be looking at something else? Never had a DAC/Amp before so kinda naive to the more complex/advanced PC audio setup. Would be cool if you made a primer on that. Like how to take your audio setup from basic (think cheap 2.1 pc speakers running off mobo audio to entry/budget level audiophile).

[@Imcrimsoncuh]

Yeah I got tired of my nova 7’s decided to get iems. I heard the kz as10’s are a good budget iem but I ended up going with the kz as16 pros the sound stage is wide and imaging is great I can hear footsteps insanely good in warzone but gunshots sound a bit too tinny which kinda hurt my ears. So I’m currently exploring different options. I know everyone frowns on kz but I gotta say I broke my ranked pr with the as16 pros 18 kills back to back in diamond/crimson lobbies. Most I’ve ever managed to drop prior was about 13 kills. I usually average about 7-9 kills per match iems are definitely superior to headphones in my opinion.

[@faisalfirdausiinn4708]

i share the same opinion of Tangzu Wan'Er. i found it difficult to find songs that goes well with it (referring to my taste). Sometimes i understand the hype but most of the time, i didn't. i will surely look forward to purchase TruthEar Gate. p/s: i am missing Hola as well

[@olternaut]

I'm looking for an IEM that is vented with sound performance approaching or in the neighborhood of the Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lites. Any suggestions?

[@GadgetryTech]

I have quite a few mid tier IEMs from $150 to 600 or so that I'm testing right now. Once I've formed that conclusion, I'll let post for sure!

[@nidhinpavurala517]

If the problem with orchestra lite is pressure buildup try Tangzu Sancai tips. I heard it helps with pressure relief.

[@ryanreviews8566]

fr tho, they DISCONTINUED THE HOLA?? is that normal in the iem world?? this is a first for me and I was really interested in getting an hola soon or in the near future for on the go rugged listening.

[@lucasrepolho]

Happens all the time with companies like Truthear; Less common for more traditional companies like Sennheiser to discontinue products this quickly, but not unheard of.

[@martin0469]

Is the stock cable interchangeable with the Hola's one? I would like to buy a mic version of Gate as I need a cable with mic for Hola

[@GadgetryTech]

Yeah they are the same

[@martin0469]

@@GadgetryTech Good, thanks for the information !

[@THEHASBEEN]

I've noticed that you have an LCD-XC that you've used to compare with other headphones, but I don't see their own dedicated review on your channel, just the open LCD-X. Is there a future review planned? Or just a tool for comparison?

[@GadgetryTech]

I still want to fully review it. I'm finally in a good stride and catching up, and the XC (and GX are on the list)!

[@THEHASBEEN]

@@GadgetryTech Appreciate the response. I'll keep an eye out for the full review. I always miss the live streams were a question like this is more suited.

[@GadgetryTech]

@@THEHASBEEN no problem at all!

[@tekina4493]

Do you recomment it for immersive music and competitive gaming? .. Im into sparkly instruments, vocals, lil bass and details.. good sound stage..How does it compare to the salnotes zeroes and chu2 .. and crinacle zero blue.

[@anya-forger923]

How do towards the ZiiGaat Nuo? I am looking into my first iem. thx

[@jameslean5783]

When mine shows up i'll you know but not one budget set has stood up to the Nuo when using a bluetooth adapter. And I could only imagine the Gate has wider soundstage.

[@Amp_Edition]

Nice vid as usual 👌 btw I seen a special on the Roccat syn max air for 89$ at bestbuy. So I bought two! Man these sound great! Going to send the atlas back.

[@GadgetryTech]

Damn that's a crazy price for those. As long as your wireless connection is solid, they sound great for that price.

[@Amp_Edition]

@GadgetryTech so far so good on the connection, and the volume is exactly what I was looking for, with the details.

[@j1nftw1n]

What didn't you like about the atlas air

[@Amp_Edition]

@@j1nftw1n lots of bugs, watch the review. Mostly that it's quiet after the firmware update.

[@j1nftw1n]

@@Amp_Edition what about sound quality wise, that's my main priority.

[@bhuwansharma7171]

Im a bass head can you please suggest me some good bass iem under 20 to 40 $ range , i have tried hola and for me its still have less bass so please help

[@fiddlix]

I wish truthear would have released the gate with the OG Hola tuning.

[@Rorensuwl8]

Just eq it

[@tekina4493]

@@Rorensuwl8 do u have the gate? how is it?

[@chillstep4life]

10:40 Keeping it real 😂😂I couldnt stop laughing. Nice one

[@ultravisitors]

Does it fit deeper than the hola? That's one thing I didn't like about hola, it doesn't go deep enough.

[@calvinlooi4500]

that's what she said

[@Trebiuasprediyasd]

I like Gate very much. Which one is better, Simgot EW200 or EPZ Q1pro?

[@tekina4493]

which one you got

[@dusckre24]

Is it better than the truthear hola?

[@TASM7862]

Any idea about how it compares to the Moondrop Chu 2?

[@cursedpixel]

Does truthear gate scratch easily?

[@ryanreviews8566]

tanchjim zero vs truthear gate! i really hope the gate releases a type c version cuz I really would like one for my smartphone.

[@zando01]

A dongle would fix that easily…not expensive.

[@spamcan9208]

Just get an apple dongle, it's less than $10.

[@WheelsInMotion685]

Hi gadgetrytech!

[@andresalim10]

no mic test?

[@GadgetryTech]

They one they sent me did not come with the mic cable sadly :(

[@Thyrl012]

I'm currently torn between Truthear Gate or Moondrop Chu II DSP but just maybe I'm leaning towards Gate

[@unknown.shifu.]

Chu 2 DSP is shit pure shit ... And idk about Gate

[@tekina4493]

hey whichh one you got?

[@Thyrl012]

@@tekina4493 I'll be very honest, none of these. I chose to purchase KZ Castor Bass which is tuned like Harman 2019 with a higher Bass shelf and the Treble is compensated. Got mine for $9 and it blew each and every $20 IEM I currently have.

[@Imcrimsoncuh]

I know everyone hates on kz but I found the kz krila tune very interesting especially with switches. Also heard the cca polaris with switches was very good. Curious as to how those will perform for gaming tho.

[@kyro5993]

is it good for gaming?

[@GadgetryTech]

I don't think there are many better options under $20 to be honest

[@kyro5993]

@@GadgetryTech thanks a lot!! already ordered mine

[@vinn.603]

What about chu2? Better this or chu2

[@DreaMyeditzzz]

Gate

[@Kawartha65]

Well, it sounds like TruthEar lost their momentum a little bit with this release of the Gate. I was so impressed with the Hola ..I couldn’t see them beating it….. and it sounds like they didn’t.

[@GadgetryTech]

It's tough because even though I agree I don't think it's as good as the Hola, I still think it's better than anything else I've tried at this price point, especially when you consider the whole package. It's extremely comfortable, comes with an awesome cable, etc. But yeah... I wish we still had the Hola too

[@Audio_Revelations]

not gonna lie mid range and budget IEMs these days rival my older flagships like my Hype 4 just replaced my MEST MK2

[@natajimura]

i wonder why you replaced your mest because mest is one of the iem that has recessed mids but without making the vocals sounds off

[@Ch1LLaz]

Another great review. I think I'm going to pick up a set of the Gates just to replace my busted Hola cable. BTW The wan in Wan'er is more like wan in wand. Most vowels in asian languages are soft. I guess the same can be said about Spanish and French.

[@bani_niba]

The Tangzu model is pronounced "wand-ear". wand like as a magic wand.

[@TopFinancialAdvisor]

Hello Brother 😁🙏👍 How good is Truthear Gate ? Please give score between 0 - 10 and give me valid reasons why. Thanks Bro 😃✌️

[@GadgetryTech]

solid 8 or 9 for me! The value is incredible. Great cable, the best comfort I've had on an affordable IEM, and the sound profile works for everything. Still one of the best you can get for the money.

[@Mixail747]

These look like some kid's DIY project.

[@hartyewh1]

A bit shouty and poor bass quality. Hola was better.