Truthear Gate

Name: Truthear Gate
Brand: Truthear

The $20 clear-shell Harman set reviewers can't agree is rolled-off or bright.

~$20 single 10 mm carbon-LCP dynamic-driver IEM with a clear faceplate — Truthear's successor to the discontinued Hola. Not the dual-DD Zero / Zero:RED, the 1DD+3BA Hexa, or the Nova.

OverreviewIn-Ear Monitor9 sourcesas of 2026-07-13

The Truthear Gate arrived in mid-2024 as a roughly $20 single-dynamic-driver IEM — a 10 mm carbon-LCP driver behind a transparent faceplate — sent out to replace the beloved, now-discontinued Truthear Hola. It kept the Hola's genuinely excellent cable and easy-going fit, added a see-through shell, and aimed squarely at a Harman-ish tuning, and it quickly became one of the default 'first serious IEM' recommendations in the sub-$25 bracket.

It also became a small lightning rod. Everyone agrees it measures close to target and is a ridiculous bargain; the arguments start with the treble (rolled-off and boxy to some, bright and airy to others), the midrange (clean and natural, or lean and shouty), and the stage (wide, or cramped). Plenty of opinion to average — and plenty of disagreement to map.

The overview

A ~$20 single-DD IEM tuned close to a Harman-ish neutral / mild-V target, and one of the default ultra-budget picks. Reviewers broadly agree it measures near target with clean, essentially distortion-free output, a sub-bass-focused low end that's tight but modest in quantity, a standout cable and accessories, and excellent lightweight comfort let down by a cheap-feeling, scratch-prone plastic shell — all for near-nothing money. The fault lines are the treble (under-emphasized and boxy vs well-tuned, bright and airy), the midrange (clean and vocal-forward vs lean, honky and shouty from the upper-mid lift), and the soundstage (wide vs cramped) — and most of that split tracks tip choice (narrow- vs wide-bore) and ear anatomy. A tuning-and-value benchmark, not a technical giant-killer.

Where they agree

Tracks a Harman-ish neutral / mild-V target and measures smooth and close to it (measurement-backed).
Essentially distortion-free, clean output — 'basically distortionless even up to 104 dBSPL' (ASR).
Sub-bass-focused low end that's tight and controlled; quality praised, quantity modest (light for bassheads).
An outstanding cable and accessories package — a genuine standout at the price.
Feather-light (~2.7 g) and comfortable for long sessions; easy to drive from a phone or dongle.
The clear plastic shell feels cheap for what it is and scratches easily — the build's weak point.
Exceptional value — widely called one of the best ultra-budget single-DD IEMs going.

Where they split

Treble: 'under-emphasized, boxy, rolled-off up top' vs 'well-tuned, bright-leaning and airy' — heavily tip- and ear-dependent around a ~10 kHz air dip.
Midrange: 'clean, natural, vocal-forward' vs 'lean, honky and shouty' — the same upper-mid lift heard two ways, worse at higher volumes.
Soundstage: 'impressively wide and open for the price' vs 'intimate, cramped, even claustrophobic.'

The verdict, mappedEvery aspect on one axis — criticized to praised. Hover a point for its spread; click to jump.

CriticizedNeutralPraised

By aspect — in detail

Tonality

Moderate · 8 src

Near-universal agreement that it hews close to a Harman-ish neutral / mild-V target and measures smooth — the debate is only whether that lands as mature and easy or a touch lean and bright.

“The result is a mature tuning that’s cohesive and easy on the ears.”
Prime Audio (David Becker)

“Harman with a bit more brightness around/above 10 kHz, I would say.”
Head-Fi showcase review

Measured

ASR found the Gate tracks its target closely — 'I was pleasantly surprised by both the compliance to our target and how smooth the response is' — with only a 'tiny bit of shortfall in bass and upper treble'; SoundGuys' own curve reads it as bass- and treble-light vs their preference.

Bass

Moderate · 8 src

Sub-bass-focused, clean and tight, with quality praised across the board; quantity is the mild caveat — enough for neutral fans, a little light for anyone wanting slam.

“This is a highly technical, clean and precise dynamic driver bass delivery – just the way I love it.”
Head-Fi showcase review

“the attack of the kick drum isn’t very precise”
SoundGuys (Jhaycee Calvez)

Measured

A sub-bass-led shelf; ASR calls the shortfall vs target tiny and within 'preference variability,' while Listener (Headphones.com) notes the bass 'sounds more present and impactful than it measures.'

Mids

Contested · 8 src

Sources split on the upper-midrange lift: one camp hears clean, natural, vocal-forward mids; another hears them as lean, honky and shouty — especially at higher volumes.

Measured

An elevated 1–2 kHz region and ear-gain peaking near 2.9 kHz (Listener, clone 711); the same lift reads as 'clarity/energy' to some and 'shout' to others, and is strongly volume- and track-dependent.

Where it splits

Clean, natural and vocal-forward.54%

“It sounds clean and spacious, with a touch of added brightness from the upper-midrange lift, yet it remains smooth.”
Prime Audio (David Becker)

Lean and shouty — the upper-mid lift makes vocals honky.46%

“bring forth a lot of the nasally, honky overtones in vocals that made them sound unnaturally clenched and shouty sounding”
Headphones.com (Griffin Silver)

Treble

Contested · 8 src

The most-argued axis. One camp hears it as under-emphasized, boxy and rolled-off up top; the other as well-tuned, bright-leaning and airy — the split tracks tip choice and ear anatomy.

Measured

The FR pairs an elevated lower treble (3–8 kHz) with a dip around 10 kHz and a peak near 13 kHz. SoundGuys' lab reads 'the treble is much lower than the preference, with a huge dip at 10KHz,' while ASR heard it as 'a bit bright' on some tracks.

⚠ vs. listeners — Both camps are describing the same tuning: focus on the ~10 kHz air dip and it reads dark/boxy; focus on the lower-treble lift and 13 kHz peak and it reads bright/airy. Narrow-bore tips tame the top; wide-bore tips push it up — so 'rolled-off' vs 'bright' is largely a tips-and-anatomy story.

Where it splits

Under-emphasized / rolled-off — lacks air and sparkle, sounds a touch boxy.53%

“The treble didn’t seem very bright to me and doesn’t give a sense of spaciousness, sounds seem too close”
SoundGuys (Jhaycee Calvez)

Well-tuned and bright-leaning — smooth, extended, even airy.47%

“it’s actually probably my favorite single DD IEM for treble tuning”
Headphones.com (Griffin Silver)

Soundstage

Contested · 6 src

Impressions genuinely diverge: some hear an impressively wide, open stage for the price; others find it intimate, cramped, even claustrophobic from the forward mids and treble.

Where it splits

Wide and open for the price.46%

“Despite having a somewhat laid-back treble, Gate creates an impressively wide soundstage.”
Prime Audio (David Becker)

Intimate / cramped — forward and closed-in.54%

“The forward midrange and treble here definitely makes this among the more claustrophobic IEMs I’ve listened to lately.”
Headphones.com (Griffin Silver)

Imaging

Moderate · 5 src

Average for the price — clean separation and defined placement, but limited positional precision and depth, which shows up most in competitive gaming.

“Precise with defined placement of imaginary instruments/tonal elements”
Head-Fi showcase review

“it’s difficult to pick out the specific location of a sound. The ability to locate sounds from left and right on the Truth ear gate is the bare minimum.”
SoundGuys (Jhaycee Calvez)

Detail

Moderate · 7 src

Clean and precise for the price — a good technical showing — but not high-resolution: the texture, separation and micro-detail of pricier sets isn't here.

“Clean and precise. Absolutely nothing bad to report here, regardless of price point.”
Head-Fi showcase review

“The Gate can be clean while still lacking the texture, separation, and micro-detail of more expensive IEMs.”
Morrow Shore

Measured

ASR measured it as 'basically distortionless even up to 104 dBSPL'; SoundGuys' MDAQS gives Distortion 4.2/5 — clean output, which is not the same as high resolution.

Dynamics

Moderate · 4 src

Split by use: engaging and 'the most subjectively fun' single-DD at the price to one reviewer; soft, unpunchy impact to another (kick drums and gunshots fall a little flat).

“I actually think GATe is easily the most subjectively fun option in the ultra-cheap single DD IEM market.”
Headphones.com (Griffin Silver)

“Firing a weapon doesn’t come with the loud and powerful crack of a gunshot, and the exaggerated sound of punches from the game audio falls flat.”
SoundGuys (Jhaycee Calvez)

Comfort

Moderate · 8 src

A broad strength — feather-light (~2.7 g), secure and easy to wear for hours. The lone caveat is a wide-ish nozzle/back corner that can rub some ears, plus minor driver flex.

“The comfort is excellent, mainly because of the weight of the IEM, just 2.7g!”
IEMs and Music

“the back corner of the shell when inserted at a comfortable depth for me rubs against my antihelix a bit and causes discomfort after an hour or two”
Headphones.com (Griffin Silver)

Build

Moderate · 8 src

A two-sided story everyone tells the same way: the cable and accessories are outstanding for the price, while the light, clear plastic shell feels cheap and scratches easily.

“the best accessories package in the ultra-budget sphere for one reason: the cable”
Headphones.com (Griffin Silver)

“they used a low-cost plastic, which can scratch easily, and apparently can also break more easily”
IEMs and Music

Isolation

Moderate · 4 src

About average for a vented single-DD IEM — takes the edge off, but voices and mid noise still get through; a couple of listeners rate it a touch above average.

“the passive isolation can block out up to 9dB of low-frequency noise and up to 35dB of high-frequency noise, which is about normal for IEMs”
SoundGuys (Jhaycee Calvez)

“noise isolation is pretty good and among the better than average”
Head-Fi showcase review

Measured

SoundGuys lab: ~9 dB attenuation in the low frequencies rising to ~35 dB up high.

Value

Strong consensus · 9 src

The strongest agreement of all — near-universally cited as one of the best things you can buy at ~$20. Dissent is thin: a few prefer the old Hola, and rivals (Chu II, Wan'er, Zero:2) crowd the tier.

“The kicker is that it costs next to nothing at $17. This is the definition of audio perfection if there ever was one.”
ASR (amirm)

“The GATE are quite a big middle finger to the dynamic driver IEM market and showcase what’s possible”
Head-Fi showcase review

Best for

A first 'serious' IEM or a gateway into the hobby on a tight budget
Neutral / Harman fans who want an accurate, non-fatiguing tuning cheaply
Vocal-forward, acoustic and pop libraries; low-volume listening
Anyone who prizes a great cable, light comfort and easy drive
Tip-rollers happy to swap narrow- vs wide-bore to dial the treble

Skip if

You want bass slam, warmth and impact (bassheads)
You chase treble air, sparkle and micro-detail
You want a wide, holographic soundstage
You're sensitive to upper-mid 'shout,' especially at higher volumes
You want a premium-feeling, durable shell

At a glance

↳Consensus

69 / 100weighted mean across 9 sources — an aggregate, not a single verdict

↳Type

IEM

↳Sources

9 · 5 classes

↳As of

2026-07-13

↳Owner rating

4.4/5 · 264self-selected — skews high

Where to buy

Truthear GateAmazon

Sources9 reviews across 5 classes. Weight reflects expertise × independence; echoes collapsed.

s1Truthear GATE $17 IEM ReviewAudio Science Review (amirm)Measurement2025-03-28w1.00
s2Truthear GATe - New Ultra-Budget King?Headphones.com (Griffin Silver / "Listener")Measurementaffiliate2024-06-26w0.90
s3Truthear Gate review (6.9/10)SoundGuys (Jhaycee Calvez)Measurementaffiliate2025-05-15w0.85
s4Truthear Gate Review – GreatPrime Audio (David Becker)Editorialaffiliate2024-06-09w0.70
s5Truthear Gate ReviewIEMs and MusicEditorialaffiliate2024w0.65
s6Truthear Gate Review: Good IEM at $20Morrow ShoreCritical2026-05-29w0.70
s7Truthear Gate — owner review (personal unit, measurements)Head-Fi showcaseCommunity2024w0.75
s8Truthear Gate review after 3 months (+ 50 comments)r/iems (hokagoteatimereviews)Community2024-10w0.70
s9Truthear Gate — customer reviews (4.4★, 264 ratings)AmazonOwnerw0.60

Limitations & method

This is a read of where opinion stands as of July 2026 — the sub-$25 field moves fast, and rivals like the Moondrop Chu II, Tangzu Wan'er and 7Hz Salnotes Zero:2 keep the pressure on.
How the treble lands depends a lot on which tips you use — the Gate ships with both narrow- and wide-bore sets, and they shift the top end noticeably — and on your ear shape, so try both before deciding it's dark or bright.
Bass quantity and fit also vary with tips and ear anatomy, so your experience can differ from the consensus.
Those Amazon star ratings skew positive — they're mostly from people who chose to buy it — so weigh the written impressions alongside the 4.4 average.
Many reviewers frame the Gate against its discontinued predecessor, the Hola, and against sibling budget sets, so some takes here are relative rather than standalone.

Consensus-of-sources synthesis · as of 2026-07-13 · not a measurement verdict or ground truth.