Looks & builds very premium, Balanced & leaned towards Neutral Tonality, Top-notch Clarity
Cons:
Lower Treble lacks Control, Struggles in Complex Tracks, Need more Bodied Lows
DISCLAIMER:
The Tangzu x Dethonray Audio team sent us the TANGZU Yu Xuan Ji free of charge for review purposes. We at Aural Cafe are really excited this is our first review for Tangzu Audio. We are deeply humbled and would like to thank the Tangzu x Dethonray Audio team for the opportunity and for their support of Aural Cafe.
Introduction: -
Today at Aural Cafe, we are reviewing TANGZU Yu Xuan Ji, a budget IEM offering from Tangzu Audio. It was tuned in collaboration with the mighty Dethonray team and features a single 10mm TPLX Topology Dynamic driver.
Tangzu Audio is a Guangdong, China-based hi-fi Audio brand founded by an avid audiophile Steve Tong in 2021. Tangzu’s first big moment in this hyper-competitive budget IEM market came with the launch of the ultra-budget Tangzu Wan’er SG in 2022 while their first product Yuan Li back in 2021. From there on Tangzu Audio through its unique tuning and branding has swiftly achieved a cult status among value-centric audiophiles. The team at Tangzu instead of coming up with a slew of unplanned hi-fi products focuses on coming up with unique and thoughtful hi-fi audio products which have deeply helped Tangzu Audio in establishing a solid brand in the cluttered budget hi-fi market. Steve Tong, being an avid Audiophile himself has a great understanding of audiophiles’ psyche as a result of which each hi-fi offering from Tangzu Audio is unique and has a soul and identity of itself. Fast forward to 2025, Tangzu has a hi-fi product offering across different price ranges from the premium 6BAs +1PZT based Nezha to the ultra-cheap but solid single DD-based Wan’er SG. We at Aural Cafe had the honour of auditioning and reviewing the Tangzu Xuan Wu Gate a 1DD+4BA+2EST-based Tri-brid IEM which our followers can read by clicking the following link- https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/tangzu-audio-xuanwu-gate.26653/reviews#review-33766. TANGZU Audio at its core aims to deliver an unparalleled music-listening journey through its IEMs across different price ranges by partnering with top-tier manufacturers and suppliers and constantly refining their procurement and production procedures. The story doesn’t end here as the team at TANGZU Audio ensures each of their IEMs adheres to the highest benchmarks and product quality. The team at Tangzu deeply values audiophile feedback and constantly aims to upgrade itself based on feedback to come up with superior hi-fi offerings.
What makes us more excited to review TANGZU Yu Xuan Ji is the fact that it is tuned into collaboration with the mighty team of Dethonray, a hi-fi brand for which we at Aural Cafe have deep respect. Dethonray is a Shenzhen China China-based boutique audio brand led by audio engineer Anson Tse. Dethonray’s expertise in minimalist design and high-fidelity audio is reflected in the tuning of Yu Xuan Ji where sound performance is prioritized over additional modern features. TANGZU Yu Xuan Ji features a single 10mm TPLX Topology Dynamic driver which is more commonly seen in HiFiMan Audio IEMs and headphones. The ‘Topology Diaphragm’ or ’Topology Drive’ refers to the diaphragm with a special Nanoparticle coating applied to its surface. The distribution of the coating has distinct geometric patterns. By varying the surface pattern, and compound used, the thickness or geometric pattern sound wave formation can be manipulated to achieve the desired audio effect and control. The team at Tangzu Audio incorporated this technology into Yu Xuan Ji to ensure a more accurate and transparent sound experience, particularly in delivering balanced tones across the frequency spectrum. When it comes to pricing, TANGZU Yu Xuan Ji retails for 49 US$ and comes in two different colours White and Black. The team at Tangzu Audio has tried their best to cater for the needs of every audiophile out there as Yu Xuan Ji surfaces with three different terminations from 3.5mm to 4.4mm to even USB-C. When it comes to us at Aural Cafe, we will be reviewing the white colour 4.4mm version of TANGZU Yu Xuan Ji.
Just like Tangzu's earlier offerings, Yu Xuan Ji is also influenced by Chinese mythology. As per Chinese Mythology, Yu Xuan Ji was a Chinese female poet during the late Tang dynasty. Along with Xue Tao, Yu Xuan Ji was one of the foremost poets of the Tang dynasty and it is her wisdom and elegance which has inspired the team at Tangzu Audio to come up with Yu Xuan Ji an IEM that not only aims at delivering high fidelity sound experience and comfort but also aspire to present the audiophiles with an elegant artistic experience through its unique faceplate design. The body of the TANGZU Yu Xuan Ji is constructed from high-density Zinc alloy, known for its exceptional acoustic properties and lightweight and has been seen very recently in Shanling’s Sono IEM, The Zinc Alloy cavity helps in minimizing unwanted vibrations and resonances, enhancing the overall sound quality by providing natural dampening. Due to Zinc alloy's ability to be precisely molded through die-casting which in turn allows for intricate acoustic designs that optimize sound wave control and improve the directionality of sound. It is this easy and precise moulding ability of Zinc Alloy that makes it to go-to material for manufacturing solid budget IEMs.
When it comes to the overall design language of the Yu Xuan Ji IEM, it is deeply inspired by the life and philosophy of the poet Yu Xuan Ji, who embodied the themes of freedom, beauty, and wisdom. The faceplate of Yu Xuan Ji especially, is an absolute looker as it showcases complex abstract yet beautiful floral and wing patterns, symbolizing Yu Xuan Ji's view of life’s liberty and natural beauty. The open-back design of TANGZU Yu Xuan Ji celebrates her freedom and clarity in expression while mirroring her journey of self-liberation, capturing the essence of both grace and strength. This open-back design infused with Yu Xuan Ji is usually seen in monitoring headphones as it offers a natural spacious sound along with excellent imaging. The open-back design also allows airflow which reduces ear pressure thereby supporting long listening hours with absolute ease. The tale doesn’t end here as TANGZU Yu Xuan Ji comes stock with decent quality silver-plated OFC (Oxygen-Free Copper) cable, which improves conductivity for clearer and more detailed sound. The silver plating helps reduce signal loss, ensuring a reliable connection. All in all, the TANGZU Yu Xuan Ji at first look seems to be a high-performance, value-for-money in-ear monitor with a focus on pure, high-fidelity balanced sound. Combining a single 10mm TPLX Topology Dynamic driver with a premium Zinc Alloy building, and a design inspired by the elegance and wisdom of Yu Xuan Ji seems to aim at delivering superior sound quality, comfort, and a uniquely artistic experience for value-centric audiophiles.
Specifications: -
Driver: Single 10mm TPLX-Topology Dynamic Driver
Impedance: 15.6 Ω 1kHz ± 20%
Frequency Response: 20Hz - 20kHz
Sensitivity: 104.5dB@1kHz
Connector: 0.78mm 2-Pin
Wire: Silver-plated OFC Wire Core
Unboxing Experience, Design & Build: -
In line with Tangzu’s brand philosophy TANGZU Yu Xuan Ji's packaging has an elegant and vibrant touch of Chinese mythological Character from the very go. As you can see from our unboxing video:
Yu Xuan Ji arrives in a small rectangular-shaped black colour cardboard box with an elegant coffee colour covering. I personally am not a big fan of Anime but the Anime interpretation of Yu Xuan Ji being printed on the top of the box is simply breathtaking. The touch of Anime just takes the unboxing experience of Yu Xuan Ji to a different artistic level. Along with the beautiful Anime character the model’s name of IEM which is Yu Xuan Ji is printed in English as well as Chinese dialects right at the centre of the box. The Dethonray x Tangzu brand is printed at the top right corner of the Covering as well as boldly printed on the sides of the covering which clearly shows the kind of respect the Tangzu team has for Dethonray as a hi-fi brand. Technical specifications can be found printed both in English and Chinese dialects on the back side of the covering. On removing the paper covering we come across a black colour cardboard box with Yu Xuan Ji written in Chinese and golden colour, shining brightly right at the centre of the box. The brand Dethonray x Tangzu can be seen brightly printed using golden colour dialects at the bottom of the box. On opening the box, one comes directly across the pairs of Yu Xuan Ji IEM shells placed with the help of sponge cutout along with a small black colour paper box. The black colour box is where the cable and carry case are placed. On removing the sponge cutout, we came across two different types of silicone ear tips in S-M-L size placed cleanly with the help of an ear tips holder at the bottom layer of the box.
Now moving back to the pair of Yu Xuan Ji, our pair of Yu Xuan Ji IEM arrived in Silver (White) colour. The faceplate design of Yu Xuan Ji is absolutely breathtaking as it showcases complex and abstract yet beautiful floral and wing patterns, symbolizing Yu Xuan Ji's view of life’s liberty and natural beauty. We at Aural café would like to state that it’s been a while since we have seen such a nicely themed and intricately designed IEM at just 55 USD. The floral and wing patterns on the faceplate have been beautifully infused to implement open-back tech on Yu Xuan Ji. One can also see the golden colour grill that shines through the front panel slits. We would also like to add here that being an open-back IEM Yu Xuan Ji doesn’t leak too much sound which really aids in listening to music while commuting. Yu Xuan Ji exhibits a solid gold-plated nozzle along with a vent hole which is placed near the nozzle. The brand names Dethonray and Tangzu can also be seen subtly electroplated on the sides of the left and right shells respectively. Our review unit of Yu Xuan Ji arrived with a silver colour SPC cable at 4.4mm termination. The cable is quite thin, supple and light in weight without any kind of microphonic noise during usage. The black pleather carry case is a great and thoughtful addition by the Tangzu team considering the price of Yu Xuan Ji and does its job of taking care of the beautiful pair of IEMs quite well. The Yu Xuan Ji stocks with two types of silicone ear tips, one set of generic grey colour silicone narrow bore ear tips in S-M-L size and another special set of TANGZU Tang Sancai Wide Bore silicone ear tips in S-M-L size. The narrow bore ear tips aim at aiding a balanced sound presentation while the Tang Sancai Wide Bore silicone ear tips aid at increasing the overall soundstage and presenting an open and spacious sound presentation. It is great to see that the Tangzu team has added the special Tang Sancai Wide Bore silicone ear tips with the Yu Xuan Ji package considering the special set of ear tips alone retails for 10 US$. The build quality of TANGZU Yu Xuan Ji IEM shells is really solid and robust considering the price while the weight of the IEM shells is just right and comfortable for long listening hours. When it comes to fitting, the shells of Yu Xuan Ji are quite ergonomic in design and fit comfortably inside the ears without any itchiness considering the metal body of the Yu Xuan Ji. All in all, Yu Xuan Ji's unboxing experience is quite minimalist yet beautifully artistic. The stock accessories with which Yu Xuan Ji comes stock are quite functional and useful and the Tangzu Audio’s team has done a wonderful job by adding a decent carry case and a special set of ear tips to the overall package of Yu Xuan Ji.
We would like to state here that the sound impressions are based on our usage of TANGZU Yu Xuan Ji after a burn-in of around 50 hours along with a balanced hi-fi source that is not too neutral or warm along with stock cable. The effect of portable and desktop sources, aftermarket ear tips and cables on sound impressions has been dealt with separately in the Synergy section so we would request every audiophile to go through that section for sure.
Tonality: - After listening to a different genre of the soundtrack through Yu Xuan Ji with many sources, we at Aural Cafe can confidently state that the sound tonality of Yu Xuan Ji leans towards a neutral uncoloured clean sound. The overall sound frequency is precisely balanced across the different spectrums of the sound frequency. The team at Tangzu Audio seems to tune Yu Xuan Ji as an EDC IEM going by its neutral balanced tonality. There is top-level clarity across the frequency due to which micro details show up effortlessly. The Single 10mm TPLX-Topology Dynamic Driver seems to do its work decently as the overall tonality is quite clean with a low level of distortion. The highlight of Yu Xuan Ji is the way it presents the vocals, which are very refined and sweet with lots of feel and soul. The Timbre of the instruments is just average considering the price. Finally due to the balanced relaxed tuning of Yu Xuan Ji we at Aural Cafe loved listening to Blues and vocal-centric songs such as Stairway to Heaven and ‘Since I’ve Been Loving You by Rock band Led Zeppelin.
Lows: -The lows on Yu Xuan Ji are clearly tuned by keeping the neutral tonality of the IEM. The lows on Yu Xuan Ji stay clean and tight with a decent body and go decently deep, which is fun to enjoy. The role of The Single 10mm TPLX-Topology Dynamic Driver again comes into the forefront as dynamic drivers are said to do a better job in this part of frequency in comparison to the balanced armatures. Overall, the clarity and dynamics are top-notch in this part of frequency on Yu Xuan Ji but we would definitely love a bit better body in lows. When it comes to Subbass the Subbass on Yu Xuan Ji goes surprisingly deep along with decent rumble and average layering which we really loved while listening to ‘Jean du Voyage – Nakshatram’ on Aune M1p. When it comes to mid-bass, the mid-bass on Yu Xuan Ji is clean and tight. While the mid-bass speed is quite precise, the mid-bass punch on Yu Xuan Ji is not bad but just average considering the price. We at Aural Cafe would definitely love a touch body in mid-bass but we just enjoyed listening to ‘Starboy’ by The Weekend and ‘Side Effects’ by the Chainsmokers ft. Emily Warren due to the precise speed and decent dynamics of Yu Xuan Ji’s mid-bass.
Mids: -The mids on Yu Xuan Ji are a bit forward and are one of the strongest points of the same. The semi-open back design of Yu Xuan Ji seems to do its work quite well as the vocals showcase top-notch clarity while staying effortlessly spacious. What makes the mids on Yu Xuan Ji a bit special is its neutrality as the vocals are quite raw with decent texture and soul but when it comes to Vocals note weight, it could definitely have been better. The lower mids on Yu Xuan Ji are not quite refined and stable as a result of which the Yu Xuan Ji doesn't do justice while listening to the complex metal rock numbers. When it comes to the upper mids the upper mids on Yu Xuan Ji are quite smooth and transparent without any hint of shortness which we usually see in budget IEMs. During long listening hours, one can also easily make that the team at Tangzu have tuned the upper mids with a lot more control and precision as a result of which the upper mids are very buttery smooth but then some audiophiles might find this kind of upper mids tuning a bit more controlled, relaxed and boring. It just ends up on one's personal preference, which then comes to us at Aural Cafe. We love relaxed soulful tuning as it really aids while listening to blues and Progressive Rock genre soundtracks. When it comes to vocal texture both the male and female vocals showcase top-notch raw texture solid which we thoroughly enjoyed while listening to ‘K.’ by the Cigarettes After Sex. When it comes to instruments, the timbre of the instruments is just average on Yu Xuan Ji and we do feel that this is one area where we would love to see Yu Xuan Ji a bit better. The woodwind-based instruments such as Saxophone and clarinet do showcase decent texture on Yu Xuan Ji which we enjoyed while listening to ‘In Your Eyes’ by the Weekend feat Kenny G. but Yu Xuan Ji just performs average at best when it comes to brass-based instruments.
Highs: -The highs on Yu Xuan Ji align with its neutral tonality and are decently bright yet smooth and airy without any kind of harshness. The micro details are not on the face but come in a much more organic way while listening to different genres of music. The highs have sufficient transparency and definition to highlight notational attacks on instruments and vocal articulation. The highs have enough energy and sparkle, providing just enough liveliness to avoid sounding dull, which made listening to the last bit of ‘Something Just Like This’ by Chainsmokers and Coldplay a delightful experience. While the Low treble does lack control, the upper treble stays top-notch smooth and refined in this spectrum of the frequency. While we at Aural Cafe would definitely love a bit more extension in the upper treble region all at the same time, we are reasonably satisfied by the way the upper treble is showcased which was fun to experience while listening to Sidewalks by Weekend feat Kendrick Lamar for Vevo.
Soundstage & Imaging: -The Soundstage on Yu Xuan Ji is intimate and immersive with a better width in comparison to soundstage depth. While there are a bunch of audiophiles who are into holographic soundstage, at the same time there are also a group of audiophiles including us who are more into intimate and immersive soundstage. TANGZU Yu Xuan Ji will be preferred by the bunch of audiophiles who are into an immersive soundstage. The semi-open back design also helps a lot in this area in a way that although the soundstage stays immersive the overall presentation is open and spacious. We at Aural Cafe simply enjoyed listening to 'Thriller' by Michael Jackson on Yu Xuan Ji while assessing its technical quotient. The technical performance of Yu Xuan Ji is decent when we consider its price. Yu Xuan Ji does a decent job when it comes to retrieving micro details which sur quite organically. The instrument separation quotient of Yu Xuan Ji is also reasonably decent while the imaging is again decently considerate but nothing out of the world. All in all, we at Aural Cafe are quite satisfied with the technical ability of the Yu Xuan Ji but with the caveat of considering its pricing. We also enjoyed listening to ‘Aao Balma’ composed by A.R. Rahman and sung by the great Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan for Coke Studio India while assessing the technical proficiency of the TANGZU Yu Xuan Ji.
Synergy:- We at Aural Cafe like to state that we do believe in burn-in and would suggest at least 50 hours of burn-in period to get the best out of Yu Xuan Ji. After the burn, the overall dynamics of the lows became a lot more fun and engaging. When it comes to driving ability, we are happy to communicate that Yu Xuan Ji is easy to drive and can be driven easily with the help of a dongle but would suggest using it with a hi-fi source to get the best out of Yu Xuan Ji as Yu Xuan Ji is a single DD IEM scales really well with powerful hi-fi portable or desktop sources. Although Yu Xuan Ji is a 55 USD IEM we tried it with several sources, especially with sources coming from the house of Dethonray as Yu Xuan Ji is a collaborative project between Tangzu and Dethonray. We tested Yu Xuan Ji with a number of hi-fi DAPs and desktop sources such as Astell and Kern SP1000M, Aune M1p, Dethonray DTR1+, DTR1+ LE, Listening M1, and Pegasus SG1 DAC/Amp and felt that it matches really well with warm musical sources such as Dethonray DTR1+ and Astell and kern SP100M as it complements the neutral tonality of the of Yu Xuan Ji and also adds a bit of thump to the lows, whereas layering, soundstage and overall sound transparency improved a lot making us feel that we are listening to more expensive IEMs when Yu Xuan Ji is driven by hi-end desktop sources such as Dethonray Listening M1 and Aune S9c pro. Entry-level Desktop sources such as iFi Audio Zen Dac 3 also add a touch of musicality and soul to the overall neutral tonality of the Yu Xuan Ji. When it comes to the portable dongles which are so much in trend, we tested Yu Xuan Ji with a line of dongles such as iFi Audio GO Link Max, Aune Yuki, and Tanchjim Space and felt that Yu Xuan Ji sounded best with iFi Audio GO link Max. We also tested Yu Xuan Ji with several budget and expensive cables across different brands from Rhapsodio, and W Audio to Linksmith and Modular Workshop and felt that Yu Xuan Ji performs at its optimum level with solid SPC cables which was Pw Audio Saladin in our case. The SPC makes the overall sound a bit more exciting while adding a decent amount of body to the lows. We at Aural Cafe do know that it doesn't make sense to match a 300 US$ cable with 50 US$ IEM but we at Aural Cafe are always curious to test the optimum capability of the transducer in hand and it is due to this curiosity we tested Yu Xuan Ji with most of the cables we had in our cable bank. When it comes to ear tips, we prefer the stock narrow-bore silicone ear tips over the special TANGZU Tang Sancai Wide Bore silicone ear tips. When it comes to aftermarket ear tips, we felt that Yu Xuan Ji performed at its best with E-Pro Propeller ear tips.
Conclusion: -
We at Aural Cafe feel that the team at Tangzu Audio through Yu Xuan Ji wants to present to their fans and followers an everyday carry (EDC) IEM that not only sounds awesome but looks unique and can be used for Long listening hours. If this is the case, then Yu Xuan Ji does its job quite well. The faceplate of Yu Xuan Ji is nothing less than a piece of art and worth a lot more than 50 US$ for somebody like us who is also into artistic stuff. The Single 10mm TPLX-Topology full-range Dynamic Driver is beautifully tuned by Tangzu Audio to showcase a balanced sound tonality while leaning into neutral space. The overall clarity is top-notch notch with micro details retrieved in a very effortless manner by Yu Xuan Ji. Just like Yu Xuan Ji the great Chinese female poet, Tangzu Yu Xuan Ji presents the sound in a subtle mellow way without any kind of showoff. We at Aural Cafe would love it if the low treble of the Yu Xuan Ji could be more refined but overall if you are in a market in search of a solid, lightweight. Beautiful EDC IEM then one can easily go for Yu Xuan Ji as it's an elegant mix of Art and Science which ends up presenting the sound in a very sweet and mellow manner.
