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Superb Packaging from TangZu
Strong and Powerful Bass
Warm tonality provides a good warmth and engagement
Musical Midrange
Treble is tuned to be bright but not fatiguing
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Not the most technical set
Slight vocal inaccuracy
Specs
Driver : Single Dynamic Driver Enhanced PET Diaphragm + Monocrystalline Silver Enamel Cable
Sensitivity : 113.5 dB
Impedance : 20dB
Cable : 25D OFC
Price : 23USD
Unboxing, Build, and Fit
As with any TangZu product, I applaud and respect the time and effort they provided to give the best unboxing experience possible for every single product. As for the name, the name is derived from the female official and poet - Shangguan Wan'er, which the name is quite promiment in their history.
The build of the IEM is made with a red PET material, which gives an aesthetically alluring shell that resembles the texture of Jades. The cable provided also looks and feels more premium, made with a 2 core OFC and wrapped with a maroon sleeve, complemented with a smoky matte finish that feels nice to the touch.
the IEM is very good and there is no sense of discomfort whatsoever after a 2-3 hour session.
***Reviewer’s Note***
My judgement on how an IEM sounds will always be done with a relative comparison based on it’s MSRP. Technical aspects such as dynamics, staging, imaging, and detail retrieval is as equally important as the general tuning of the IEM.
As always, this is a hobby which everyone has different preferences. Although I try to be as objective as possible, I do not dare to say I can be 100% unbiased.
How Does It Sound?
Tested with :
- MacBook Pro M3
- HiBy R6 iii 2025
- ifi GO Bar Kensei
- Fosi Audio ZH3
For the purpose of this review, it will be reviewed using the TangZu Sancai Noble Eartips
( This review is done with the pair used straight out of the box without any burn in )
The Eartips will be discussed further into this review.
First Impressions :
- The TangZu Waner 2 Red Lion Edition is a bassier rendition than the previous Waner
- The tuning of the Red Lion is of a U shaped tuning
- Compared to the previous versions, the Red Lion comes off with a more warm tonality
Bass :
- The Tangzu WanEr SG Red Lion provides a satisfying bass response that is strong and fierce
- Subbass provides a good level of rumble that sounds simple and sufficient
- Comparing lower and midbass, midbass provides a better level of resolution and definition
- Lowerbass provides a good level of bounce and depth
- Kicks sound punchy and saturated with a good rustic texture that sounds organic
Vocals :
- Vocals on the Wan’Er has some incoherency and tonal inaccuracy present. Maybe will be mitigated with sufficient burn in
- With the warm tonality present, it gives a good balance for vocals to sound engaging and laid back
- Slight thinness present throughout
Midrange :
- The midrange of the Waner Red Lion provides a warm experience where instruments come off with a rich experience
- Lower-midrange is resonating with the bass region, hence anything nearing that frequency will sound more full and rich
- With the warm presentation, instruments from strings, to woodwinds and pianos will have a dreamy and caressing warmth to it as you listen to jazz and soul pieces
- Hip-hop tracks ( J.Cole - Run A Train ) provides samples with a good level of energy in the midrange that allows good engagement
Upper-Mids and Treble :
- Upper-Mids provide a fast and airy response
- Percussions are assertive and bright that give an aggressive and engaging response - as intended by the Lion
- Despite that, it lies a hair away from what I would consider a set thats prone to treble-fatigue
- Instruments in this region gives a slightly more holographic experience from the midrange, which yearns for attention
Technical Highlights
Dynamics - Other than the mentioned inaccurate vocals, if you are purely listening to instrumentals, everything is quite solid and good for the price
Soundstage - Expected for the price, decent width and reach, but with an above average level of height
Imaging and Seperation - Midrange would probably have some slight ambiguity with the warm, or “rich” presentation mentioned, as that will saturate the entire ambience. It overall lends to a more specific laid-back presentation that I can’t really fault it for. In the upper-midrange, separation and imaging is more solid
Detail Retrieval - Expected for the price. Macros dominate in the mids for the experience. Micros occasionally pop out in the upper-midrange for some needed flair
Ear Tips
The TangZu Waner 2 Red Lion provides 2 eartips in the box, which one of them is something I believe is a new addition to their product line. Here are the sonic changes I can find from the eartips.
TangZu Sancai Wide Bore - Provides a brighter experience in the upper-midrange and slightly opens up the midrange
TangZu Sonic Eartips - Provides a bright experience as well but somewhat gives a more airy upper-midrange than the wide bore
TangZu has also released the Sancai Noble Wide Bore Brass Edition, which is a Sancai with a brass insert that provides better dampening resonances, to which I can agree to an extent.
The most significant difference I noticed was the Nobles sounded bright, but has the most amount of control on the upper end, giving you both air, but does not sound like it has a "leaky" extension.
Overall, I definitely liked the Sancai Brass Editions the most as the sonic performance of the tips provided a more controlled response in the treble extension.
Final Thoughts
The WanEr Red Lion Edition does these 2 in sequence - it first catches your eyes, then it catches your ears. The previous WanErs are quite good in its own right, giving a more balanced feeling, but I definitely prefer this more, as it gives you a better level of enjoyment. With the stronger bass that rumbles, a rich and more full experience in the midrange, and a fast treble, you can't really go wrong with this set.
I'd like to thank TangZu for sending these over for an honest evaluation.
Alternatively, here's the review in video form :
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