[Experience] How do HiFi brands respond to the "encirclement and suppression" of big manufacturers? MiAoLo TH330 gives the answer

Three years after the pandemic, all walks of life have been impacted to varying degrees, and looking at the audio industry, the biggest impact may be on traditional Hi-Fi headphones that are of concern to audiophiles. On the one hand, income uncertainty has further reduced people's willingness to consume, and non-essential Hi-Fi headphones have disappeared from many people's shopping lists; on the other hand, restrictions on large offline events have also forced many influential exhibitions in the industry to choose to suspend, leaving manufacturers who want to release new products without a stage for more people to see them.

However, in the long run, there is another cross-border reason for the decline of Hi-Fi headphones-the rise of TWS headphones. According to my observation, many friends around me have chosen to listen to audio at home and listen to wireless headphones when going out. This combination can not only provide an excellent listening experience in a quiet environment, but also be more convenient in daily life. Data from market research institutions also confirm this trend. According to statistics from I Love Audio, the sales of TWS headphones have increased from 46 million units in 2018 to 310 million units, and will continue to maintain a strong growth trend in 2022.

The rapidly growing market space has naturally attracted many players to join the game, including major mobile phone manufacturers and large audio manufacturers such as Sennheiser, Audio-Technica, JBL, and high-end brands focusing on the Hi-Fi field such as HIFIMAN and Bowers & Wilkins. The products launched are also varied, ranging from entry-level products of dozens of yuan to ultra-high-end markets of thousands of yuan. Among them, there are naturally some less noticeable pearls, such as the MiAoLo TH330 we are going to talk about today.

Speaking of the MiAoLo brand, few people may know it. However, it is not a speculator that has emerged in recent years to make a quick buck, but has been deeply involved in the audio field for 15 years. At the same time, its product performance is also very good. Although there are relatively few products at traditional HiFi exhibitions, they are often crowded with listeners.
 

Miole is no stranger to the field of TWS headphones. They have launched several TWS products before, such as TD110, TH120, and TH220, with prices ranging from 399 yuan to 999 yuan. This time, TH330 is Miole's latest flagship TWS headset. The official claims that it is positioned at the HI-END level. As for its actual performance, let's take a look at it together.

For a flagship product, the packaging of TH330 can be said to be a bit too simple. The main body is a pure white carton with the Miole logo printed on it, and the information about the product is placed on the waist seal outside. Open the lid of the box, the lower part is the charging box and the headphones inside, and the small paper box on the top contains the charging cable, wiping cloth, S/L silicone earbud covers (M is already installed on the headphones) and instructions. These are the accessories in total.

Caption: I never thought that they would give away a wipe cloth. The brand is very thoughtful.

For the charging case, TH330 does not use plastic material like most TWS earphones, but uses a more unique fabric design. Compared with plastic, fabric undoubtedly makes the product less cold and has a better feel. However, the fabric material is relatively weak in anti-stain ability, and I hope the manufacturer can randomly provide a protective case for the charging case.
 

Caption: This fabric feels great, and I personally feel it is softer than Sennheiser's

Finally, let's take a look at the earplugs themselves. The size of the TH330 earplugs is slightly larger, but it does not exceed the normal range. At the same time, thanks to the ergonomic optimization, the overall wearing experience is still very comfortable. In terms of color matching, TH330 adopts a black design throughout, and the panel is embellished with gold foil as decoration. The visual perception is special enough, and because the position of the gold foil is not fixed, each earphone is unique. I think this special feeling is worthy of praise. Miole has always attached great importance to the appearance design, and the appearance of previous products is also very distinctive. Interested friends can go to the e-commerce page to have a look.

In addition, TH330 also supports single-click, double-click, and triple-click on the panel to realize functions such as making and receiving calls and adjusting the volume. However, the lack of an APP leads to less gameplay, which is a small regret.

After talking about the appearance, let's take a look at the hardware configuration of TH330. TH330 adopts a three-way two-way design of dynamic iron. The mid-high frequency is handled by two Knowles dynamic iron units, and the low frequency is handled by a customized 8MM single dynamic unit. The materials used are relatively sufficient. However, friends who know about headphones probably know that the unit configuration is only the basis of the sound. What really determines its performance is the frequency division, DSP, structure and so on.


For dynamic iron unit headphones, the frequency division and frequency division point are important, but the distortion and noise caused by the loss of crossover components should not be ignored. In order to avoid this situation, Miole TH330 uses an immersion gold crossover circuit board, which not only brings lower power consumption, but also does not affect signal transmission. In addition, the added sound cavity air holes not only ensure the low-frequency quality, but also solve the discomfort caused by negative pressure.

For headphones, the most important thing is of course the sound quality. In this regard, the Miole TH330 can be simply described in three words: large sound field, soft vocals, and sufficient bass.

The sound field scale of TWS headphones launched by mobile phone manufacturers such as Huawei and vivo is usually not large. Friends who want a large sound field but have a limited budget should pay attention. TH330 should be the product with the sound field scale closest to wired headphones. Its sound field is wide enough, and the sound image between instruments and vocals is well grasped. The advantage is that it can create a very relaxed listening environment, and the positioning of instruments can also be clearly distinguished. On the basis of a large sound field, the density of TH330 is still well controlled, and there is no empty feeling.

 

In terms of three-frequency performance, the tuning of TH330 is biased towards the mid-low frequency. The low frequency volume is slightly larger and the power is sufficient, which is enough for the atmosphere and the transmission of the sense of rhythm, and the dive is also sufficient. The whole process of rebound can be felt, and the drum skin of other songs is also very realistic. The low-frequency details are well portrayed, the elasticity is vivid, and it does not appear too dry and boring. The appropriate volume is matched with a good texture, making the low-frequency part of TH330 relatively complete, especially compared with the previous work. For the low frequency, which has always been difficult to grasp, the performance of TH330 is excellent. In

the mid-frequency vocal part, TH330 did not make the vocal line too clear in order to deliberately emphasize the resolution, but chose a warm tuning, and the image has a hazy feeling. The solid vocal density is very solid and matched with a thick voice line, which can well show the singer's timbre, and the rhythm of the vocal is also tighter.

 

The high frequency part is not the focus of TH330. Although the performance of details and extension is good, it does not make any efforts in brightness. It does not sound catchy enough and is more of an embellishment. The good news is that the sound reproduction is accurate enough. There is no need to worry about not being able to accurately restore the details of the instrument. It is just a green leaf embellishment. It is obviously a trade-off for a unified and harmonious listening experience. Fortunately, the sound reproduction is relatively accurate, and instruments such as violins can be well presented.

Overall, if you are an OST lover or love to watch big action movies, then the style of TH330 is just what you like; as for Hong Kong and Taiwan songs and ACG-type tracks, TH330 can also present a good listening experience. But if you are more pursuing a transparent listening experience or a sense of line in the sound, TH330 may not be right.

Finally, let's talk about why Miole can make TWS headphones with good performance like TH330. It stands to reason that after the launch of AirPods, TWS headphones are no longer difficult for Huaqiangbei. Now you can find a factory in Shenzhen and quickly make your own TWS headphones. But this is only the beginning. When it comes to the sound, the experience accumulated by Hi-Fi manufacturers is difficult for new entrants to quickly surpass. For example, how to match units of different specifications, the style orientation of the sound, and the comfort of wearing, all of these require time to accumulate, and are precisely the strengths of manufacturers like Miole.

As for TH330, the absence of ANC active noise reduction means that its users are those who care more about sound quality. With this as a prerequisite, the performance of TH330 is very versatile. The balanced three-band performance plus a large enough sound field can not only allow you to listen to most styles of music, but also bring enough immersion when watching movies and playing games. If you want to choose a cost-effective flagship product, Miole TH330 is undoubtedly a good choice.