:
Pleasing mid centric tuning
Excellent airy non fatiguing treble
Resolving and detailed sound reproduction
Natural vocals with no BA Timbre.
Lightweight and comfortable secure fit.
Quality Modular cable
Easy to drive and premium good looks.
:
Lacking sub bass extension
Disclaimer
The company has kindly sent their review sample to the Australian Audio Reviews Downunder tour group for our honest evaluation, and for that we would like to thank Tangzu.
Introduction
This is the first complete resin shell set from Tangzu and uses their self-developed BA drivers along with Sonion brand BA drivers. Also used is an EST (electrostatic driver) to improve the air and high frequencies of the earphone. The Nezha packs a seven-driver hybrid setup per side featuring six high-performance BA drivers and 1 EST driver unit. The pair adopts two SONION Woofer BA drivers combined with four Tangzu’s self-customized BA drivers (2 for Midrange, 2 for Treble).
To get the best out of their seven-driver hybrid setup, TANGZU has adjusted the driver using their self-developed Q-IAO electronic crossover technology.
Tangzu bundles the Nezha with an all-new OCC Silver-Plated high-purity stock cable. The cable has a swappable termination plug system with replaceable 3.5mm and 4.4mm plugs included in the package. The cable has Litz structure braiding with a customized PVC outer sleeve that protects the sound signal from outside interference.
Nezha retails at $399 usd.
Technical information
Impedance: 16Ω.
Sensitivity: 106dB.
Frequency Response Range: 10Hz-20kHz.
Connector Type: 0.78mm Two-Pin.
Termination Plug: 3.5mm+4.4mm.
The Sound
I approached this IEM with great interest as it was the first time, I had the opportunity to listen to an earphone without the inclusion of a dynamic driver.
Listening was done using my Hiby R3 Saber DAP playing lossless music files. My ears don’t range past 9 kilohertz in the upper frequencies but still I could hear cymbal shimmers and bell like percussion with exquisite clarity. The music has a great sense of air and space, and the tuning is very mid to upper mid centric. Soundstage is nice and wide, and instruments are placed with great precision and with nice separation.
We are talking an all-encompassing sound that is full of detail yet smooth and coherent. The sound tends to the warmer side of the spectrum. Female vocals are sweet and soaring with a nature timbre (despite the use of BA drivers).
The Sonion drivers do an interesting job of handling the bass frequencies. Rest assured theNezha has got bass and when called upon can rock out with some Nirvana or Daft Punk, but these are genres best suited to IEMs with dynamic drivers and plenty of sub bass. Nezha’s bass is lightning fast and punches well but tends to a more boomy quality. Bass guitars have a good solid sound and anchor the music well but bassheads will miss their fuller bass sound.
There are albums I can put on and listen right through, lost in the Tangzu’s delicious smooth and detailed sound. The best way to describe this is with some music examples.
The National’s “The Alcott” is a sumptuous music feast with Matt’s voice suitably expressive and Taylors vocals smooth and captivating. The piano sounds rich and authentic and the percussion detailed and solid.
Caroline Polacheck’s grammy nominated album (best engineering) “Desire, I want to turn into you”, is a great way to showcase the Nezha’s resolving ability and to present a mesmerizing soundscape with fantastic microdetails. Song to showcase is Butterfly Net.
For male vocal and bass performance I suggest Foy Vance and ‘’Joy of Nothing” from the album of the same name. Is that sub bass…? Why, I believe it is!!
If you sample some of the best recorded albums of the past 30 years or so the Tangzu will please you with some amazing hi fidelity. Supertramp, Crime of the Century, Tom Petty, Wildflowers (Remastered) Fleetwood Mac, Rumours. All recognised as superbly recorded and mastered. Songs aren’t bad either.
Conclusion
The Tangzu Nezha, in my mind, Is somewhat of a bargain. An all BA IEM with an EST with amazing capabilities at the $400 price point is pretty tempting. Purchasers should be aware that this set is not for metal, EDM, or heavy rock genres. There are plenty of V shaped bass monsters around to fill that niche. This IEM is for serious enjoyment of artistry and virtuosity in music. It is a delicious and smooth mid bass biased performer that will captivate an entrance the listener. Simply its one of the most enjoyable IEMs I have had the pleasure to audition. Its also by far one of the most attractive IEM’s I have had the pleasure to view.
