Tanchjim Origin IEM Review

[MacClintock]

In a world where we have the Salnotes 7Hz Zero 2 (and the Truthear Zero:Red), which both have better target compliance, as low as or even lower distortion and are considerably cheaper, I don't see no need for those. A few years ago that would have been a different story, though.

 

[Mikig]

This is a review, detailed measurements and listening tests of Tanchjim Origin IEM. It was sent to me by the company and costs US $260.
View attachment 353863
Everything from packaging and look and feel of the Origin is a huge step up from the budget IEMs we have tested in the past. The ear pieces themselves feel like solid metal and have high polish. Despite the extra weight, I had no trouble keeping them in my ear (stationary position). The cord is soft and seemed to be tangle free. Even the act of inserting the cables into the IEM felt good without excessive force and a final feeling of it being properly seated.

Two versions of the tips are provided. One said better bass and another, better treble. I chose the former for testing.

Three sets of nozzles are provided. There is no documentation on what the difference is. I measured all three (see below).

Company touts low distortion and compliance with their target:
View attachment 353864

It is good to see them using such a target but alas, it is not what we like to see. Let's measure it with my GRAS-45CA fixture using Audio Precision APx555 analyzer.

Tanchjim IEM Measurements
Let's start with the included nozzle and better bass tip:
View attachment 353866
We see a response that is very close to the manufacturer. As is however, it has too little deep bass, and slightly boosted upper bass. And maybe some shortfall around 6.4 kHz. Testing with different nozzles is tricky as it requires removal, changing the tip and re-inserting into the fixture. There is no way I can do this consistently but I tried:
View attachment 353867
There appears to be slight change below 1 kHz but not enough to get it compliant with our target. Let's stay with the default (red). Relative response error is thus:
View attachment 353868
Should be easy to dial in filters if distortion is low which it is:
View attachment 353869
View attachment 353870

Group delay is uneventful in IEMs due to lack of reflections that other headphone types have and such is the case here:
View attachment 353871

Impedance is flat and very low:
View attachment 353872
Combined with average IEM sensitivity, it should be an easy drive for many sources:
View attachment 353873

Tanchjim IEM Listening Tests and Eq
First listen wasn't bad and produced an inoffensive sound signature. I could not tell you the exact issues with doing the EQ:
View attachment 353882
I dialed in the bass boost first and wow, was this IEM able to produce very clean and substantial amount of bass (for an IEM). Overall though, it was a big boomy so I put in the filter next to it to pull down that 200 Hz hump. That cleaned up the bass. I wasn't sure if I needed treble boost but I put it in (based on the channel needing the least) and it nicely balanced the newly found bass response.

I then ran through my reference clips and the experience was jaw dropping at times. Full range sound with detail to die for and dynamics to go with it. I could have listened for hours. Turning off the EQ, pulled things down substantially, taking out the smile factor. Not terrible mind you but equalization took the Origin to proverbial next level.

Conclusions
I know, I know, I have reviewed IEMs going for $50 that need little EQ and sound great. But they feel quite cheap. While the Origin does need some EQ, once in place, you get both the luxury feel and sound fidelity. Ideally we would not need EQ and I hope the company takes note and changes its tuning to what we like to see. If they had done that, it would have gotten a perfect score from me.

As is, I can only recommend the Tanchjim Origin with equalization.
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As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.

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Hi Amirm, thanks for the review,
unfortunately I can't participate in the discussion because I don't understand anything about headphones!!

I'll ask you a question though: I saw that you use Muse dì Roon so it could be a relevant question for both headphones and speakers.
I'm starting to use it too, I confess that I had never used equalization before, for the speakers, I noticed a much higher level when the EQ is working, so much so that it introduces a slight distortion.
It's normal? I adjusted it, dragging the dot on the right down a few db.
How to find the right gain level? Thank you

 

[MacClintock]

Waiting for Amir's TruthEar Nova measurement, if Harman target compliance is what he wants

Right out of the box

True, I got it, altough I had the Variations already. A bit better treble extension. But now I am mostly listening to the Salnotes 7Hz Zero 2, which has just slighly worse target compliance but for me much better fit.

 

[ace_xp2]

A quick perusal of google doesn't show the company snake oiling these to any great degree. It looks like these are being offered as a "high quality materials" edition, alongside the inexpensive, great IEMs they also offer. I can't see fault with that. Maybe there's advertising claiming these are shockingly better, but so far I find it hard to fault a company for asking extra for a smaller volume object that asks for more in exhchange for observable (if aesthetic) reasons and not "totally way better sound, you're missing out!"

 

[mc.god]

or from 7hz
it's crazy how much performance can be had with that little money. it's probably crazier to think that with very little to no performance gain (in this case, less) demands that much (10x) more money

When there are nice performing full metal iems at about 40€ out there, like Moondrop Lan or Simgot EW200, here you are paying just for some "premium" accessories (tuning nozzles, cable and carrying case) and for the need for companies of models covering all market segments, since there will always be around someone willing to pay more, thinking that it will give him better sound\performance or, more simply, feeling that ending his gaming with a 30€ iem will make him a lower grade audiophile.

 

[phoenixdogfan]

The solution for all of this is simple: develop your own EQ starting with the measurements. Try what I and others produce. Then make small adjustments to taste. There is no solution other than this. It is absurd to chase this and that target, worry about this and that fixture as they are doing in that video.

It is also completely wrong to state that IEMs are objectively worse. There is no such thing. IEMs create a different experience but that is it. Their ability to produce high fidelity music at times is superior to any other transducer at any price.

They do offer something unique. There is an immediacy which you don't get with speakers or even conventional headphones. Personally, I believe it's the result of the fact that's it's an in-your-head experience. A lot of times, I'm trying to avoid that which is why I have a Smyth Realizer, but sometimes having it all in your head makes the experience intensely personal and private and that can be kind of nice when you're in bed reading or in a barista parlor, or on an airport concourse. Moreover, it makes the most sense to tailor the experience with EQ to your personal tastes. The great utility of making all these sets Harmon compliant is that it allows for a reasonable starting point for the personal fine tuning process. If you practice doing eq, over time, you will quickly learn how to dial in a tuning which is exactly to your liking.

There also seems to be no limit on how loudly these things can be played because of their low distortion, which is nice, but of course that can create it's own issues with hearing hazards, so great care is needs to be exercised.

Finally, there is the price. IEM's IMHO offer a genuine high end audio experience--albeit a different one from owning a multi-kilo buck speaker system--for less than $100 in many cases. It's a great way for someone with very little money to get a taste of what the high end has to offer, or maybe just carry a high end system with them wherever they go. A great thing, indeed.

 

[MacClintock]

The solution for all of this is simple: develop your own EQ starting with the measurements. Try what I and others produce. Then make small adjustments to taste. There is no solution other than this. It is absurd to chase this and that target, worry about this and that fixture as they are doing in that video.

It is also completely wrong to state that IEMs are objectively worse. There is no such thing. IEMs create a different experience but that is it. Their ability to produce high fidelity music at times is superior to any other transducer at any price.

In terms of target compliance out of the box (including a good bass level), extremely low distortion and price, IEMs are miles ahead of headphones, currently. Sure, it is not the same listening experience as headphones, let alone speakers, but I simply would treat them as what they are, a third pillar of listening, something in it's own right.

 

[olieb]

In my point of view that is too much channel variation for 260$, when for a tenth of the price I will get (at least) the same.

 

[DSJR]

I voted 'Not terrible' but really and looking at the post above, the hf imbalance and overall performance for ten times the cost of Zero 2's, it's actually quite poor bearing in mind the cost.

 

[Robbo99999]

Conclusions
I know, I know, I have reviewed IEMs going for $50 that need little EQ and sound great. But they feel quite cheap. While the Origin does need some EQ, once in place, you get both the luxury feel and sound fidelity. Ideally we would not need EQ and I hope the company takes note and changes its tuning to what we like to see. If they had done that, it would have gotten a perfect score from me.

I have the Truthear Zero, the first one you measured (the Blue one), and they don't feel cheap to me, but I don't own any other IEM's so I can't comment too much, but still the Truthear Zero Blue didn't feel cheap to me. I think it's hard to justify expensive IEM's nowadays given the competition.

 

[catch22]

Amir, as a newbie to the forum I have a question about the vote above the review.
"Rate this IEM" can be misleadingly interpreted as votes of people who own the product and then rate it.
From experience I do realize however that this vote rather mean the reaction of people to the product based on the information in the review. Am I (not owning this product) is also allowed to cast a vote, right?
Apologies again, this must have been explained many times, however this is not immediately obvious to me and future newcomers! Thanks

 

[Robbo99999]

Amir, as a newbie to the forum I have a question about the vote above the review.
"Rate this IEM" can be misleadingly interpreted as votes of people who own the product and then rate it.
From experience I do realize however that this vote rather mean the reaction of people to the product based on the information in the review. Am I (not owning this product) is also allowed to cast a vote, right?
Apologies again, this must have been explained many times, however this is not immediately obvious to me and future newcomers! Thanks

I don't think many people are gonna be misinterpreting the poll, and additionally it's pretty obvious given the number of votes that it wouldn't be owners of the IEM. As everyone knows its people's opinion of the product based on Amir's review (measurements along with his subjective experience). Perfectly acceptable & right that people can vote on what they think of the product based on the measurements & Amir's comments, and oftentimes factoring in the price/value of the item vs the competition. I reckon the poll is a pretty good way for newbies to guage how good the product is vs the competition, because it seems to offer the additional factor of cost/value vs the competition, people seem to skew the vote based on that too, not just the performance of the item.

 

[markanini]

View attachment 354017
In my point of view that is too much channel variation for 260$, when for a tenth of the price I will get (at least) the same.

I'm considering it a bit more ambiguous whether the channel imbalance is as bad as it looks here. Although it's not impossible. Against it is firstly that Amir didn't comment on it, and I think he would if he heard it. Secondly squig.link graphs of the same IEM show a fairly normal channel matching for other samples. Lastly, the pinna attachment used by Amir makes trickier to get even a perfectly matched set to measure that way.

 

[catch22]

I don't think many people are gonna be misinterpreting the poll, and additionally it's pretty obvious given the number of votes that it wouldn't be owners of the IEM. As everyone knows its people's opinion of the product based on Amir's review (measurements along with his subjective experience). Perfectly acceptable & right that people can vote on what they think of the product based on the measurements & Amir's comments, and oftentimes factoring in the price/value of the item vs the competition. I reckon the poll is a pretty good way for newbies to guage how good the product is vs the competition, because it seems to offer the additional factor of cost/value vs the competition, people seem to skew the vote based on that too, not just the performance of the item.

Thanks, I was not questined the usefullness of the vote! I use it also and it, gives great feel of the forum's impression.
I only was concerned that a little footnote may be needed to explain the meaning of the vote since not everyone is regular, and to ensure it keeps being correctly understood.

 

[Human Bass]

In a world where we have the Salnotes 7Hz Zero 2 (and the Truthear Zero:Red), which both have better target compliance, as low as or even lower distortion and are considerably cheaper, I don't see no need for those. A few years ago that would have been a different story, though.

The Zeros have problematic ergos for some, Im 98% sure they fit would be awful to my ears. Also many people prefer a more neutral bass.

 

[Kaiju]

Thanks for review amirm.

 

[MacClintock]

The Zeros have problematic ergos for some, Im 98% sure they fit would be awful to my ears. Also many people prefer a more neutral bass.

Well, firstly, fit is a personal thing, but I assume, as they are rather small, larger tips might resolve fitting issues for many, as well as sticky tips like the Azla Sednafit. My ears they fit like a glove. And secondly, concerning the bass, it is quite neutral. It is almost perfectly on target down to about 50Hz and just a bit above at even smaller frequencies, not more than 2-3 dB. Since there is very little content between 20 and 50kHz, for about 95-99% of the music this should be inaudible.

 

[amirm]

I'll ask you a question though: I saw that you use Muse dì Roon so it could be a relevant question for both headphones and speakers.
I'm starting to use it too, I confess that I had never used equalization before, for the speakers, I noticed a much higher level when the EQ is working, so much so that it introduces a slight distortion.
It's normal? I adjusted it, dragging the dot on the right down a few db.
How to find the right gain level? Thank you

That is normal and what you must do. If you boost any frequencies, especially in bass, it can cause digital clipping which sounds very unpleasant.

As to what to set it too, precise answer is hard. But as a practical matter, you an set it to whatever amount you boosted the bass. If you put a filter in there with a peak amplitude of 5 dB, pull down the levels 5 dB. Then play bass heavy tracks and see if it still clips. If not, you can optimize more by reducing headroom. Or vice versa.

If you turn on headroom management, and the preset to show overflows in Roon, the indicator will change when clipping occurs. That is a more reliable indicator than using your ear. Make sure you always have that on.

Finally, the drawback to putting too much headroom is that you may not get enough volume out of your amplifier. So you want to be judicious with how much you dial in there.

 

[amirm]

View attachment 354017
In my point of view that is too much channel variation for 260$, when for a tenth of the price I will get (at least) the same.

As noted, i don't try to match levels there. That requires precise insertion in ways that is simply not possible. As a general rule, measurements above 10 khz are not reliable anyway.

 

[Mikig]

That is normal and what you must do. If you boost any frequencies, especially in bass, it can cause digital clipping which sounds very unpleasant.

As to what to set it too, precise answer is hard. But as a practical matter, you an set it to whatever amount you boosted the bass. If you put a filter in there with a peak amplitude of 5 dB, pull down the levels 5 dB. Then play bass heavy tracks and see if it still clips. If not, you can optimize more by reducing headroom. Or vice versa.

If you turn on headroom management, and the preset to show overflows in Roon, the indicator will change when clipping occurs. That is a more reliable indicator than using your ear. Make sure you always have that on.

Finally, the drawback to putting too much headroom is that you may not get enough volume out of your amplifier. So you want to be judicious with how much you dial in there.

Thank you so much Amirm!! Thanks for the info!! I am going to do my homework