Short answer: the CrinEar Daybreak. It ranks #403 of 1291 in-ear headphones by sound quality, rated 4.0/5, at $169.99; the TRI i3 MK3 ranks #528, rated 3.9/5, at $169. The price gap is small enough that the sound-quality ranking should decide it.
The case for the CrinEar Daybreak: The median of 33 hobbyist measurements gives it a solid Harman preference score of 74 with a 1.71 dB spread. The catch: Presence sits about 4 dB low with a 6.8 dB dip near 6.5 kHz, so vocals and instruments lose some bite.
Why pick the TRI i3 MK3: The median of 14 hobbyist measurements gives it a solid Harman preference score of 72 with a 2.04 dB spread, and its mids sit within about 0.5 dB of target, so vocals and instruments sound natural. The catch: Presence sits about 5.3 dB low with an 8.3 dB dip near 6.9 kHz, so vocals and instruments lose some bite.
Buy the CrinEar Daybreak. It is rated higher for sound quality, and saving $0.99 with the TRI i3 MK3 does not make up for the sound-quality gap.
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The median of 33 hobbyist measurements gives it a solid Harman preference score of 74 with a 1.71 dB spread.
Amazon $169.99 eBay
The median of 14 hobbyist measurements gives it a solid Harman preference score of 72 with a 2.04 dB spread, and its mids sit within about 0.5 dB of target, so vocals and instruments sound natural.
Amazon $169.00 eBayPrices on this page were last checked October 16, 2026 at 5:46 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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Specifications Side By Side
| CrinEar Daybreak | TRI i3 MK3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $169.99 | $169.00 |
| Ranked | #403 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones | #528 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones |
| Form Factor | In-ear | In-ear |
| Back | Closed | Closed |
| Harman Preference Score | 74 (median of 33 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) | 72 (median of 14 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) |
| Deviation From Target | 1.71 dB standard deviation | 2.04 dB standard deviation |
| Tonal Tilt | -0.56 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) | -0.24 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) |
| Sub-bass Extension | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (-0.5 dB at 30 Hz) | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (-2.6 dB at 30 Hz) |
| Connection | Wired | Wired |
| Driver Type | Hybrid (1 dynamic + 2 balanced armature + 2 planar) | Tribrid |
| Drivers | 1 x dynamic + 2 x balanced armature + 2 x micro planar | 1 x 10mm dynamic + 1 x balanced armature + 1 x 10mm planar |
| Impedance | 20 ohms | 21 ohms |
| Sensitivity | 105 dB/mW | - |
| Frequency Response | 2Hz - 40kHz (Manufacturer specified) | 20Hz - 20kHz |
Frequency Response Compared
Both headphones’ measurements overlaid on the Harman target. Above the target sounds louder in that range, below it quieter. Each curve is the median of several independent measurements, shifted so its 500 Hz to 2 kHz average sits at 0 dB, so only the tuning is compared.
Measurement data: the CrinEar Daybreak from aden, aftersound, animagus, atechreviews, audioamigo, banzai1122, bassaudio, boizoff, csi-zone, ducbloke, eliseaudio, elrics, fernandagunsan, flare, gadgetrytech, harutohiroki, hbb, hobbytalk, iemocean, jaytiss, joycesreview, lestat, listener, lown-fi, practiphile, pw, silicagel, sl0the, soundignity, superreview, suporsalad, timmyv and treblewellxtended; the TRI i3 MK3 from aden, arn, atechreviews, audioamigo, boizoff, eplv, flare, iemocean, jaytiss, koi, sl0the, soundcheck39, timmyv and tonedeafmonk, all via squig.link.
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