:
1) Value for money.
2) Skew towards reference sound yet remaining musical.
3) High playability.
4) Can achieve very high-quality sub-bass and mid-bass. No sibilance.
5) Comfy fit.
6) Swap blows with flagship iems
:
1) Source/eartips dependent. Perhaps the biggest flaw. If you want a warm sound, you have to use a warm dap. If you own a more referencing dap, then the sound might appear cold.
2) Noble eartips create a bright sound at the upper end.
3) At this price point, hard to find flaws
Intro:
I am not a professional reviewer, and this review is my personal opinion of this iem based on listening. I play mainly bass and guitar, and used to play for events and weddings. I have tendency to lean towards IEMs with quality bass (which may mean different things for different people). To me, quality bass means that it has clear note definition, good note weight for both sub and mid bass, not bleeding into the mids, and good bass note separation. I love vocals, and I am bright-shy but not treble-shy.
Tangzu is a traditional Chinese company (situated in China) that specialises in IEMs and accessories. They have made several budget iems (e.g., Wan’er) that wowed the chi-fi scene. In recent years, they are attempting more mid-range to flagship level iems.
The iem was blind bought during the pre-purchase event.
Took me about 4 days to complete this review.
My photo-taking skills are bad, so I apologise for not doing the iem justice.
Shop here:
https://keephifi.com/products/tangzu-tianpeng-1dd-6ba-1-bone-conduction-in-ear-monitor-headphones?_pos=2&_psq=tian&_ss=e&_v=1.0
The box comes with the following stuff:
- Vortex cable 6NN OCC (1.2m)
- Noble Sancai eartips
- Azla eartips
- Earphone case.
The new Noble eartips that seem to have something metallic in them.
Design (Materials)
Resin Panel, 1 DD (14.2 mm), 6 BA (2 ultra high, 2 high, 2 mid), 1 Bone conductor.
Uses 0.78 mm double needle to connect to the cable.
Sensitivity: 104dB 1kHz
Impedance: 9.8Ω 1kHz±20%
Frequency range: 20Hz-20kHz
The fit
The fit is comfortable in my ears. It is not heavy and I have been wearing it for hours, and its stays comfortable.
General sound impression.
The iem skewed towards V-shaped and has an average soundstage (slightly outside the head, circular). The separation is good with great detail retrieval.
Bass
14.2 mm DD might sound like it's going to produce some serious thumps, but in actual fact it really depends on the source. Amping it will definitely produce the full thump and physicality of the bass. To have great clarity of the bass notes, it's really source-dependent. I have tried with various daps, and rest assured that it can definitely produce high-quality bass notes and depth.
Mids
Vocals take a step backwards. It sounds clean, and its not warm (unless paired with a warm source). You can hear greater details in the vocals.
Treble
Its bright with the Noble eartips and toned down with Azla/Divinus eartips. The details are there with air and sparkles. No sibilance noticed.
Eartips
Basically, if you are not bright sensitive or treble sensitive, go for the NOBLE SANCAI. I feel it’s too bright for me. It’s their latest ear tips.
If you prefer less bright, please go for Azla eartips.
My preferred eartips are Divinus Velvet.
Source Parings
- SP3kmcu has bass note definition, but has controlled sub-bass/midbass. It suits people who want less bass depth but more details. Very clean and precise.
- SP3kt, DX340 and N6iii have bass weight but average bass definition (bass note sounded warm here). Everything sounds good except the bass note definition. You will be able to hear the bass notes, but it has a layer of warmth there.
- ONIX xm10 ltd bring vocals forward and adds a layer of cream and warmth. Bass note weight and depth are well presente,d and bass note definition is slightly on the warm side. The synergy of “vocals” between the iem and dap is unparalleled, so much so that I recommend anyone who owns the ONIX XM10 ltd to give the Tien Peng a chance. While the bass sounds great here its not suitable for EDM and Hip hop. It's killer for pop and vocals.
- Hiby R6 Pro Max 10th anniversary dap gives the best sound with Tien Peng, pushing vocals forward, good bass definition, note weight and great soundstage. It becomes a mild V-shape here. I find everything I want in a totl sound here with these pairings.
-Nippo N2, Cayin N7 and SE300 sounded very clean. All three have very distinct separation here and a wide sound stage. Bass again is on the warmth side with above average depth and note definition. Its slightly better than SP3kT/DX340/N6iii.
-DX180. Very V-shaped. The bass note is warm, with bass note definition not clear. Vocals take a big step back. Personally, don’t like the pairing.
Dongles
I also tried with dongles such as DC elite/Nanchaku/L&P W4. All three dongles are able to drive Tien Peng but in a certain degree not as well as a DAP.
-W4 and Nanchaku sound warmer. (recommended if you do not want to use DAPs)
-DC elite sounds colder.
Bass sounds weaker on the three dongles (some may bet to argue, but to me it's really heaven and hell when compared to DAPs).
AMP
I only have two amps. Tsuranagi OE and Cayin desktop amp HA300mk2. Bass is definitely elevated with amps, and this is also the same with Tangzu Bajie which puts the 14.2 mm DD to work. Tsuranagi OE smooths out the upper region and provides a darker background. The Cayin tube amp adds more warmth to the mids.
Personally, I feel the greatest change is in the bass when you amp it but if you own Hiby 10th anni dap, there is no need to amp it. The bass is good enough. Amping is suitable for most daps to listen to EDM and hip-hop to make the most use of that 14.2mm DD.
Comparisons (Iems)
Not to lie, this is not ultra-flagship level. It's not going to match the uniqueness of PMG audio SE, Storm, Moses, Fugaku etc………..
Is this flagship level? Yes, it is definitely comparable to anything 3k and below. It can swop blows with Cadenza C12, Maven 2, thieaudio Valhalla. Just naming a few points:
- Detail retrieval is on par with Valhalla.
- Tien Peng has better bass than Maven 2 and Cadenza 12 hands down.
- The upper register vocals of female can swap blows with Maven 2/ Candenza 12
How bout Bajie vs Tien Peng?
Bajie is fat and warm in short while Tien Peng is more precise and concise. Tien Peng is the general before he is banished to earth to become Bajie. So they are actually going in different directions that complement each other.
Conclusion
To be honest, the IEM is not the type that captures your attention immediately. Playability with Tienpeng is high; you have to experiment with different cables/daps/eartips to find the right sound for you. What’s rewarding is that Tien Peng reacts well to the different arsenals given to it. At the current price, it’s competitive with other iems in a similar price point. Tangzu Audio has always been trying to produce iems that is value for money. I believe they took it as their mission to produce high-quality sound within a reasonable budget for the audiophiles. Thank you for reading thus far. I am sorry that there is no FRC as I am too lazy to learn how to set up the coupler and software, even though I bought them. Again, thank you for reading the review.
