TANCHJIM One IEM Review

[NYfan2]

Received mine yesterday, unfortunately I only received the headphone with the 3.5mm jack while the information for the product on Amazon stated: Built-in DSP high-performance audio decoding chip: The chip is installed in the TYPE-C plug. I contacted the seller about this and am waiting for an answer.

Luckily I have an Audioquest Dragonfly Cobalt so connected that, sound was OK to me, after I applied the eq settings in Wavelet the sound went from OK to amazing.

 

[Joffy1780]

Received mine yesterday, unfortunately I only received the headphone with the 3.5mm jack while the information for the product on Amazon stated: Built-in DSP high-performance audio decoding chip: The chip is installed in the TYPE-C plug. I contacted the seller about this and am waiting for an answer.

Luckily I have an Audioquest Dragonfly Cobalt so connected that, sound was OK to me, after I applied the eq settings in Wavelet the sound went from OK to amazing.

There are 3 different versions available and although the product description (on Amazon) describes the DSP facilities of the USB-C version you have to manually choose that option on the product page (it defaults to the 3.5mm with mic version).

 

[yumyumrice]

So I've had these for like 3 months and this happened to them.

I still like them but I was thinking of replacing them with the 3.5 version with an apple 3.5 to c rather than getting the dsp. Is the 3.5 any different sounding than the dsp version? If so which should I get

 

[wwenze]

Without any visible warning, yikes.

I should probably superglue mine while I still have the chance

 

[Mr Swing King]

I got mine yesterday and I absolutely love the sound of them. I got the 3.5 mm to go along with my old IPod Nano. Nu use for any other type of connection.
The sound is realistic, good punch in the bass as well as very nice sounding treble.

My only complaints are the slightly microphonic cable as well as the comfort being below par for my liking. My ears feel uncomfortable after half an hour or so. I’ve ordered some foam tips as they usually help out tremendously in that department. Hope they don’t mess up the sound.
Also found myself ordering a new cable that costs more than the actual iem. I must be nuts…

 

[CedarX]

I must be nuts…

Not really: fit & comfort are extremely important aspects of using IEMs. Investing in ear tips and cables that work for you is not unreasonable IMHO.
When it is done in the name of tremendous sound quality improvements is where questions start on ASR…

 

[xaviescacs]

Hey!

I bought a pair and just set the recommended EQ on the RME DAC. It does make a difference! Looks are great, I mean, neutral, fine. Thanks amir!

 

[Kfnakand]

I bought these last week and being using them in the office and on commute to work running off apple dongle and no EQ.
They sound great, lovely neutral sound and I find them much more comfortable than the Truthear Crinacle red.
I changed the tips for spin fit which are a little more comfortable.
Only negative is the passive noise isolation isn’t great.
Kev

 

[soundwave76]

Just got these and indeed the sound is great. However, after a while my ear canals start to hurt. Any tips (pun intended) on this?

 

[Mr Swing King]

^I use foam tips on mine because of the same problem. They add a bit of cushioning and have effectively erased any comfort issues I had previously.

 

[Jimbob54]

Just got these and indeed the sound is great. However, after a while my ear canals start to hurt. Any tips (pun intended) on this?

Experiment with different tips. A multitude of size, shapes and materials exist that will change the fit and feel. Start with the ones included obviously because many of the better (aftermarket ones by Spinfit, Azla etc can run to almost the price of the Ones for a pack of 3 ) tips . You can get generic multi size, multi style packs from Amazon/ Aliexpress/Ebay though that are way cheaper.

 

[soundwave76]

^I use foam tips on mine because of the same problem. They add a bit of cushioning and have effectively erased any comfort issues I had previously.

Thanks. What foam tips do you use?

 

[Mr Swing King]

I’m in Denmark so I’m not sure how helpful this is, but I figure you can find many similar looking and feeling foam tips in your general area or over Amazon

Or maybe Claus ships to Finland(?).

 

[davmol]

Don't think I've ever said "wow" before when using earphones but wow! I picked up a few pairs from amir's recommended list, as I'm looking for something small to wear under a motorcycle helmet (plugged into my Qudelix 5k). The sound from these straight out of the box without EQ is just perfect for me and they are really small and light and nicely built. I'm over the moon can get something of this quality for so little money.

The other two, for info, were:
-Moondrop Chu II - sound ok after EQ, they feel better built, but also larger / heavier than the Tanchjim One.
-KZ Castor (standard silver) - I thought these were quite poor, very tinny and some distortion up high and the EQ or dip switches couldn't really fix it for me. They are also very big compared to the others BUT they were very cheap (under £10)

Can't believe I got all 3 for £40 delivered, astounding value for money. Thanks for the recommendation!

 

[Bernard23]

I know they're cheap, but worth getting if you already have a pair of zero reds? Latter fit my ears really well (I struggle to find tips that fit with a good tight seal but these do). Don't bother with EQ as they're close to target though I do find them a bit bass heavy and less trebly than my Dunu es112s. Probably my ageing hearing though.
I mean you can't own too many earbuds right?

 

[CedarX]

I know they're cheap, but worth getting if you already have a pair of zero reds? Latter fit my ears really well (I struggle to find tips that fit with a good tight seal but these do). Don't bother with EQ as they're close to target though I do find them a bit bass heavy and less trebly than my Dunu es112s. Probably my ageing hearing though.
I mean you can't own too many earbuds right?

If the reds fit your ears very well, and you like the sound, then having an extra pair of earbuds may be the only (good?) reason…

But I personally see this a little differently:

Don't bother with EQ as they're close to target…

I like the One-DSP: sounds as good as the regular One, and still close to target… but with the DSP I can explore around the target… Oh and it’s USB-C—works with about anything!

 

[gvl]

I have zero blues and like them more than these, the reds are supposedly even better.

 

[markanini]

I'd say One-DSP is tied with Truthear Red. If it's One non-DSP then Red has an edge.

 

[Bernard23]

I'd say One-DSP is tied with Truthear Red. If it's One non-DSP then Red has an edge.

What if you use dsp anyway for both in the media player? I'm about to look for one for the One. Just got them today and my immediate thoughts are (without any eq) are a brighter sound than the reds perhaps? Otherwise there's nothing hugely different. Maybe the bass in the reds is tighter, easier to follow the notes, but that's what eq would fix anyway. Big plus is that I get a really good fit with the tips that were already fitted, but the reds are equally good for me in that respect, whereas I'm forever fiddling with the Dunus I've also got.

 

[Bernard23]

Listened to them a lot since getting them and they've taken over as my go to sociable (ie nightime and public spaces) phones. I prefer them to the Zero reds with EQ (I've taken Amirs settings and tweaked the levels slightly, but I swear I can hear more detail in some tracks, which can't be EQ because I've been applying it to both pairs (and my HD620S too). That they're only £20 or so is ridiculous.