Introduction

The last few months have been insane when it comes to the world of in-ear monitors, especially with release upon release upon release allowing little breathing room for products unless they are the flavor of the month and get some attention. Several products I've covered never got their deserved time to shine in the retail market in my opinion, yet there were others I could not fathom the associated popularity of. It's also obvious that the IEM market lives and dies by the words of reviewers more than just about any other industry, and the press and influencers are a marketing entity as much as anything else. The line has been blurred a few times with reviewer and company collaborations, including for some we have already covered before and others coming up soon.


The Tripowin x HBB Olina is the newest of these, and it's the fifth such collaboration I have received in ~2 months. HBB (Hawaiibadboy) has a sizable following for his rock music preferences and target, having worked with Tripowin and Linsoul before on the $50 Mele that has received generally good user feedback and reviews. I have no experience with the Mele, but Linsoul suggested I may be interested in covering the newer Olina that aims to bump things up a few notches and took in a somewhat beloved driver made for a specific company a few years ago that has been made available to the public since. I also appreciate both the Mele and Olina using Hawaiin/polynesian influences for their naming, which fits the content creator's own brand. The Olina is a bespoke project involving three entities that are proud of the outcome, and thanks to Linsoul for providing TechPowerUp a review sample as we test whether it truly "shakes the market."

Specifications