Product Launch: TRI Starlight Electrostatic Hybrid IEM

TRI is a new kid on the block but have garnered a strong cult following with their highly unique hybrid IEM designs that adopt the latest technologies. A good example of this is the I3, a Tribrid earphone sporting a PMD, DD and BA combination at just $180 USD.

The company is back at it with a new flagship, the Starlight, similarly adopting a tribrid setup. However, instead of a planar driver handling lows, we observe a carbon-nano-tube DD with 2x Sonion BA drivers covering the midrange. Perhaps the star of the show is its adoption of Sonion’s 2nd generation quad electro-static tweeters that boast increased sensitivity, further compounded by that quad driver setup. As such, this is shaping up to be a very competitive implementation of the controversial technology. TRI has tuned the Starlight for an exciting sound while retaining a natural tonality but only impressions will tell.

Despite its cutting-edge acoustics, the Starlight comes in an elevated but hardly unreasonable $799 USD asking price, a big step up from the I3, but understandable given the price of Sonion’s estat drivers. You can read more about the TRI on the product page here.