Many don’t realize the very first made IEMs were collaborations in a way. As such IEM maker Chris Lindrop in the 1980s made IEMs for Steve Wonder, yet they were not for sale to the public. In 1995 Jerry Harvey’s IEMs were a first multi driver CIEM for Alex Van Halen, who was looking for something to neutralize the SPLs of the band's sound system.

Some of these IEM side benefits for these musicians were being able to customize the mix, hearing protection……..even the artist could (jump around) and hear the mix clearly wherever they were. If the musician was inside or outside, the mix coming through the IEMs was the same. A big thing is use of the IEM on stage reduces the possibility for amplifier feedback.

So nowadays Youtube luminaries get extra pocket change from putting their name and tuning skills to work in the creation of Chinese In Ear Monitors. And if they hit it big with a (popular) model the extra money may become substantial. Of course all this is just a logical guess on my part……..really those guys talk about everything under-the-sun, yet they keep any profits made tight-lipped. In the end it’s none of our business. Though a concern arises if we are paying (too much) extra for this collaboration, and if so are the IEMs still a value?

The value of the actual IEM tune:

Many tuning ideas have been put forth. At Head-Fi intense curiosity over IEM graph curves. Hence the almost over-inflated concern over graph curves. And due to the fact that we are trying to get objective (graph) ideas about a complex and convoluted subject………such as recreation of a live musical event through ear-speakers, it does make sense to try and gain all the information possible. Though often an IEM will get avoided due to the horror of a particular graph.

https://hbb.squig.link/?share=Bad_G...p_Target,Tangzu_X_Hbb_Xuan_Nv,Samyz,Sample_BL

Now what I wanted to show I was able to show with just three HBB collaborations.

Yep, here is a graph that shows how the BLON X HBB Z300 measures, the QKZ x HBB Hades measures and our IEM in question today, how the TANGZU XUAN NV measures.

In fact there will be a total of 5 other IEMs besides the TANGZU XUAN NV in my IEM comparisons shortly. And sure enough the BLON X HBB Z300 and QKZ x HBB Hades will be a big part of those side-by-sides. Yet I’m posting this graph right-off to kind-of get an idea of what part of town we are driving to. Look at the graph. Really I already knew of this relationship between the three IEMs before the graph, though it is always a little heart warming when you pull-up a graph and it will go to substantiate what you are hearing. There is much sense to having the graph come after the first impressions, if you are so enabled, by having the IEM on hand.

“looky here”

The graph shows the TANGZU XUAN NV to have the least bass of the three, and also a prominent vocal display. Well what do you know? Also will you look at how the XUAN NV drastically runs away from the BAD GUY’s target curve. Really and truly that is the main information that I wanted to get across early in this review. That for once we are meeting-up with a change of pace, in fact an increase in pace. That and no-way are we submitting ourselves to the bass DOMINATRIX of the HBB Hades.

I mean sure the world is full of all types, and I gave the Hades a good score, but at first listen, I didn’t want to. In fact it took me a few days to reset my hearing from the devastating trauma inflicted by her fiery bass whip.

So you may think I find this new TANGZU XUAN NV to be the best thing ever from the HBB camp…….and yes it is. Almost a month ago I did first impressions and that is what came up. Now we are both encountering more vocals and due to the reduction in bass, those vocals become even more clear.

Yes, I chose the same song to start as in the IEM comparison section. All tests with Sony WM1A in 4.4mm balanced with Tangzu Tang Sancai wide-bore ear-tips and OC849 aftermarket cable.

Timestamps are only on the digital file, not the included video. Probably the first thing that comes to mind is the sheer size of the drums. That while the drum holds authority, it is also the cymbals that take the cake, this show of clarity and details. At 00:18 this show of bass note emphasis is positioned in a new part of the stage, an area where we didn’t know sound could be placed. At 00:27 we realize that all these instruments are in correct timbre as there are no BAs involved. It is in fact this stage, this big stage that has us stop for a second to realize this is an under $100.00 IEM doing its thing? Where, yes the stage is primarily wide, there is ample front and back plus top to bottom, too. After 160 hours of burn-in the bass is sounding…….really everything is coming off more fluid and effortless? At 00:38 a yangqin (a Chinese hammered dulcimer) shows offing of a higher frequency and positioning out-front. And the thing is this dulcimer instrument has also been fully drawn-out through effects to fall into multi-points of interest upon the stage. There is panning back and forth, and then what sounds like a flute, but it is keyboards. At exactly 01:14 Lisa Gerrard makes her entrance. That while entering we get a good idea of where she will sit in the stage, and frequency wise. See that’s the thing, her voice is neither too forward or too back-set. This idea of vocals has me a believer, and none of that vocal sitting malarky previous from HBB. I don’t mean to make fun of past HBB creations……cuz I haven’t heard them all, but from what I have heard, vocals are not the strong point in the past. Maybe TANGZU said, wait a second, we want some vocals here? And the deal is of course all the components heard from the vocals……….more subtle details than you would guess, the reverberations, the panning from right to left and back again, really the overall vocal textures are better than I was prepared for? Really as far as vocals go, they have gone done it with the correct positioning and frequency to allow exquisite details and realness. With many HBB ideas we have had the female voice seem like an afterthought, but no not here, really not here!

So the Xuan Nv comes with a generic simple white small ear-tip on the IEM to protect the 3D printed nozzle. Of the 6 other pairs, they are 3 pairs of Tangzu Tang Sancai wide-bores, and 3 pairs of Tangzu Tang Sancai balanced-bore ear-tips. Let me just say, these tips are amazing. They went and put friction grabbing surface design just like car tires, yep to all six pairs. The great part is yes the large balanced-bore gets me better fitment, yet the wide-bores get the best stage and imaging size.

Achieving a new style of design due to sophisticated 3D printing. Yep, they are now making IEMs dual constructed with only about 1/3 of the shell hollow and the other 2/3rds solid. What this all means in the end is a few IEMs have surfaced this year with seated drivers and 3D printed sound tubes. At only 5 grams a piece in weight, we are seeing through to observe 1/3 top half hollow. Yep, the back section of these two drivers exits into a resonant chamber under the faceplate. It is also vented near the 2Pin insertion point. The 2nd vent as seen in photos off the back and a third near the bass of the nozzle. Typically all these vents would mean stage expansion, and that is with-out a doubt happening here. Almost the greatest thing about the design is the form. Yep, here we are met with a medium-size build, yet offering a gambit of fins and curves. You can tell TANGZU went the extra mile in semi-custom form. Number two the nozzles are not too short. Where sure I will probably get a more secure fit with the regular Tangz Tang Sancai ear-tips, but I have done this review with the wide-bore tips. Where really I would call the regular Tangz Tang Sancai tips medium. But I’m a fanatic for wide-bores and always am endeared when there is enough nozzle length to use them. Yet the phenomenon is donut tips naturally have less barrel to join with your ear canal. Thus with less contact, there becomes an easier way for movement of the cable to pull the IEM into a different place. As long as you understand these issues, all is well, but often wide-bores don’t allow for the firm fitment regularly achieved with longer barrel ear-tips.

Phone use:

These draw some juice. In fact, while sounding great from a regular 3.5mm phone output, they really don’t get loud enough. Where unless you were a super low-volume or maybe medium low volume listener there would be cause for concern while using a phone. I mean it is right on that border where you could want a taste of more volume here. This was while using the included 3.5mm cable. One of the best experiences of the day was casually placing the ifi hip dac 3 in-between the phone and the 3.5mm included cable of the TANGZU XUAN NV. This is my first review in a while where the IEM here needs more power to come alive, where a regular phone just borderline doesn’t cut it. Really it is probably slightly less than medium volume for me, but the regular phone stage means I’m looking for more volume to try and gain interaction?