Tanchjim Tanya Review (1) – The BLON BL-03 For This Year?

Pros

Excellent fit and good build.
Natural and organic timbre with great tonality.
Smooth and non fatiguing.
Above average technicalities (other than microdetails). Layering is a highlight.
Excellent price to performance ratio.

Cons

Non detachable cable.
Hard to drive, needs amping to scale better.
Not the most detailed set, not for analytical listening.
Below average isolation.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Tanchjim Tanya is a warm and lush harmanish set with great timbre and tonality. It is smoothness personified, admittedly it does needs some power to shine, but I can see this set as being one of the standout budget sets for 2021, with excellent price to performance ratio. I’d even stick out my neck and say that this may be the new BLON BL-03 for this year!

SPECIFICATIONS

• Driver configuration: Dynamic Driver
• Frequency response: 20Hz – 42000Hz
• Impedance: 16Ω
• Sensitivity: 112dB/Vrms
• Cable: non detachable , but made of 4N oxygen free copper + Kevlar shaft core and litz structure
• Tested at $21.99 USD

ACCESSORIES

Other than the IEM, the Tanchjim Tanya packaging comes with:

• Spare filters
• Silicone ear tips of 2 types – the narrower bore ones boost the bass whereas the wider bore ones boost the higher frequencies.
• Velvet carry bag

Accessories wise, nothing to be sniffed at for $20ish USD. I’ve seen worse in pricier IEMs, cough cough TRN BA8. Everything is rather usable OOTB here, so no need to mess with getting aftermarket tips, which can add to costs (looking at you BLON BL-03).

Do note that the stock narrower bore eartips boost the bass, whereas the wider bore ones boost the higher frequencies. The Tanchjim Tanya is already quite warm and thick in sound, with a kind of veiled sound signature. So for those that want a bit more clarity and openness, I would recommend the wider bore stock tips, or you can try some wider bore aftermarket tips.

For the purposes of this review, the stock tips were used, so as not to change the sound signature with aftermarket gear.

BUILD/COMFORT

The Tanchjim Tanya is a bullet shaped IEM and is meant to be worn cable down. It is very light and well fitting, comfort is excellent. In fact, I’ve used it for many hours continuously with no discomfort whatsoever.

I didn’t find any driver flex for myself on the Tanchjim Tanya (but YMMV, as this is somewhat dependent on ear anatomy and types of ear tips used).

Sadly, the cables are non detachable, this area may be a dealbreaker for some, as this may be a point of failure down the line, or perhaps some might wanna use aftermarket balanced cables or even bluetooth adapters with it. But the cables in the Tanchjim Tanya are quite supple and not tangly, and there’s a strain relief.

This is not the noodle thin, non strain relief reinforced type of cable that makes your heart drop (looking at you Final E3000!), I think it looks and feels quite durable.

Personally, I would have preferred if it was MMCX as least, but I won’t beat this area with a stick, since it is a $20ish USD set, and some of the pricier Tanchjim products do not have detachable cables too -> also looking at you, Tanchjim Cora!!

As per most cable down, non detachable design IEMs, there’s some microphonics unfortunately, but it is not that bad, compared to the Sony MH755 or Final Audio E3000 in this area. The cable is also quite long, unlike the Sony MH755 where the too short fixed cable mandates that you can’t move too far from the source.

Strangely, the Tanya didn’t come with any L/R markings to let us know which side is which, but there’s a small dot on the strain relief insertion area (into the IEM) to denote that this is the left earpiece. This dot thing seems to be some relic design that I’ve encountered in some old school Japanese IEMs!

ISOLATION

As for isolation, the Tanchjim Tanya is below average in this area, as per the open backed design, but this design does aid in soundstage, which we will discuss below, so it is a double edged sword.

DRIVABILITY

I tested the Tanchjim Tanya with a Khadas Tone Board -> Topping L30 amp, Sony NW A-55 DAP (DMP-A50 FEv2 Classic Mr Walkman Mod), smartphone, Shanling Q1 DAP, Tempotec Sonata HD Pro, ESS ES9280C PRO DAC/AMP, and a Khadas Tone Board -> Fiio A3 Amp.

The Tanya is rather difficult to drive. In fact, it sounds meh from a lower powered smartphone, and scales nicely when amped. I mean, you can get sound from lower powered source, but it can’t sing. Ie soundstage, dynamics, microdetails are lost when it isn’t amped.

When underpowered, the midbass bleeds quite a fair bit and music sounds congested. I tried the Tanchjim Tanya originally with the Shanling Q1 DAP and the Tempotec Sonata HD Pro at 2V power (with a 3.5 mm adapter), it sounded a bit mushy and overly thick.

On amping this set with the Topping L30 amp, then the veil kind of lifted and I’m glad to report that this set can scale with power, and the bass can be cleaner when amped. Of course that brings us to the question of whether one should pair a $20 USD IEM with a more expensive amp, is that putting the cart before the horse?

As discussed, since the Tanchjim Tanya features a warmish veiled tuning, it does synergize better with brighter or at least neutral sources, rather than a warmer source which makes the mix too mushy and overly syrupy thick.

SOUND & TECHNICALITIES

The Tanchjim Tanya features a warm harmanish tuning. Tuning is towards laid back and analoguish. The keyword to describe this set is “lush” and “smooth”. In a nutshell, the Tanchjim Tanya is a non analytical set, and is a set suited to chill back and enjoy music.

Tonality is very good, there’s a slight upper mids peak around the 3 kHz region, but it is far from shouty or hot and is very smooth and non fatiguing. In contrast, I couldn’t use the Moondrop SSR (which also has a 3 kHz peak) for more than 5 minutes due to the icepeak 3 kHz spike on it.

On to tonality. The Tanya is midbass focused. There’s a subbass rolloff, but there’s a tickle of rumble called for when the deepest bass registers are played. As discussed, when underpowered, the midbass smears and bleeds, but on amping the bass tightens quite a fair bit. The Tanya doesn’t have the most textured bass unfortunately, but that’s something I can close one eye for, considering the price.

Mids are thick and lush and this gives quite a lot of body to music. This may overly too thick for some, so it can be a pro or con, but those that like the analoguish sound will like it. The lower mids are slightly depressed until it rises and peaks at the 3ish kHz region. There’s no sibilance on this set, so it is a rather treble safe set, treble rolls off around 8 kHz or so.

Vocals are a tinge forward in this set due to the peak at the upper mids, but even on some shouty tracks, I did not find that the Tanya is fatiguing or shouty for me, it is a very safe and non fatiguing tuning. Due to the borderline darkish treble, some cymbal and percussion hits may be a bit too subdued and this isn’t the most detailed treble, but it for sure can be used for hours upon hours due to the non fatiguing tuning.

For those that find the tuning overly thick and veiled, as discussed, using a brighter source or wider bore ear tips may help.

On to technicalities, soundstage is above average in all 3 directions, as per the open backed design. Probably some multi BA/hybrid sets at this price bracket will trump it in technicalities, but the Tanchjim Tanya’s layering is very good for this price bracket, haven’t heard this in most $20ish IEM.

Imaging and instrument separation are above average, I felt it can cope with busy passages of music when amped. However, details are not the best, notes lack bite and edge definition as per the analoguish signature, so as discussed, it isn’t a set for analytical listening, but just to chill and appreciate music.

Timbral accuracy on the Tanchjim Tanya is truly excellent, I would term it as organic and natural. Indeed, this is a very good IEM for vocals and acoustic instrument lovers. In fact, I think it has one of the best timbral accuracy I’ve heard in a $20ish USD set, it even edges the fabled BLON BL-03 in the timbre department.

COMPARISONS

Here are some comparisons with some well regarded budget single DD types. As hybrids/multi BA have their own strengths and weaknesses compared to single DD types, they were left out of the comparisons.

BLON BL-03 ($25 USD)

The legendary BLON BL-03 is a harmanish set with a midbass bump, boasting superb tonality and timbre at the sub $30 USD region. Both sets sound a tinge analoguish and scale with amping, though the Tanchjim Tanya is harder to drive. Both sets also have subpar isolation and share a similar tonality and timbre. Perhaps the BLON BL-03’s midbass is a tinge more bloated.

I think the Tanchjim Tanya edges it in the timbral accuracy and technicalities department. The BLON BL-03, even though it has detachable cables, has a notoriously bad fit due to the too short nozzles. Hence, most people need to do spacer mods or use aftermarket eartips/cables to secure a better fit.

Thus, the BLON BL-03 may be closer to $40 – 50 USD if aftermarket tips/cables are factored in, whereas the Tanchjim Tanya is ready to go OOTB, no need to mess around or spend more on aftermarket gear for it. As such, I see the Tanchjim Tanya as a marginal upgrade and a better set in terms of investment. I daresay the Tanchjim Tanya may even be the BLON BL-03 of 2021!

BLON MINI ($29.99 USD)

The BLON MINI is much easier to drive, though the Tanchjim Tanya has better timbral accuracy, better technicalities and layering and imaging.

The Tanya has better accessories, though it has weaker isolation. The Tanchjim Tanya is more noticeably laid back in tuning, whereas the BLON MINI is more dynamic and in your face.

HZSound Heart Mirror ($49 USD)

The HZSound Heart Mirror is a neutralish bright set, with a more linear and neutral bass than the Tanchjim Tanya.

The HZSound Heart Mirror comes in a nicer shell (mirror like as per its namesake), with non detachable cables and a very nice packaging. Both sets scale superbly with amping, timbre are excellent on both sets.

In terms of technicalities, the HZSound Heart Mirror whips the Tanchjim Tanya, the former has much better transients, clarity, microdetails, imaging and instrument separation. Note weight is thinner on the HZSound Heart Mirror and it has less subbass and midbass quantities too, though the bass is faster and cleaner. The HZSound Heart Mirror is a much more technical and analytical set, compared to the chiller and more laid back Tanchjim Tanya.

Sony MH755 ($7 USD)

The fabled Sony MH755 is also another harmanish set with a bullet shaped design. The Sony MH755 really has quite good timbre and tonality, but I think the Tanchjim Tanya beats it in these departments. The Sony MH755 can be shouty at higher volumes (Fletcher Munson curve) at the upper mids. Isolation and technicalities are also better on the Tanchjim Tanya.

Both sets have non detachable cables, but the Sony MH755’s cable is very short and J shaped, with markedly bad microphonics. One can’t go too far away from the source due to the short length (without using a cable extender), unlike the longer cable on the Tanchjim Tanya.

The Sony MH755 is also very hard to find in the wild nowadays, with a lot of shops selling counterfeit sets, so getting your paws on a legit Sony MH755 is an arduous task now.

So, I see the Tanchjim Tanya as an upgrade over the Sony MH755, although it is more expensive.

Moondrop SSR ($39.99 USD)

The Moondrop SSR comes with a waifu anime otaku packaging. That in itself makes it the clear winner, enough said. Please move on to the next section.

Ok ok jokes aside, the Moondrop SSR is tuned somewhat diffuse-field neutral with an upper mids boost. Both sets are quite tough to drive and have subpar isolation, but the Moondrop SSR is technically superior and has better transients than the Tanchjim Tanya.

The Moondrop SSR falls apart tonally though, it is akin to shouting at the moon at the 3 kHz area, especially at louder volumes (Fletcher Munson curve), and this is a dealbreaker for me. Both sets have a boosted 3 kHz area, but the Moondrop SSR more so, it can even be quite icepick like on some recordings at this area. The caveat is that we have different hearing health, different sources, different eartips, different ear anatomy (affecting pinna gain) and we play our music at different volumes, so YMMV and Moondrop fanboys, don’t crucify me!

Anyways, timbre is also less natural and the note weight is rather thin on the Moondrop SSR, so it is a much more analytical and technical set than the laid back and chill Tanchjim Tanya.

Final Audio E3000 ($50 USD)

The Final Audio E3000 is rather L shaped, featuring a big nebulous midbass and a rolled off treble. The Final Audio E3000 is harder to drive than the Tanchjim Tanya.

The Final Audio E3000 has better technicalities when amped, in the area of soundstage, imaging and instrument separation/layering, though it has a poorer timbral accuracy than the Tanchjim Tanya.

Both sets are bullet shaped and have non detachable cables, but the Final Audio E3000’s cable is worryingly noodle thin, with more microphonics and no strain relief! Isolation is also poorer on the Final Audio E3000.

CONCLUSIONS

The Tanchjim Tanya is a warm, smooth and lush harmanish set with great timbre and tonality. It needs some power to shine, but with adequate juice, the sound is really good for the $20 USD asked, with this set presenting excellent price to performance ratio. I’ve no regrets skipping a Macdonald’s meal or two for the Tanchjim Tanya TBH.

One area to nitpick, is that the cables are non detachable, as this may be a point of failure down the line, or perhaps some might wanna use aftermarket balanced cables or even BT adapters with it. This non detachable aspect may be a dealbreaker for some even, but otherwise, I’ve really no complaints about the build.

The non fatiguing and smooth and lush tuning can really make the Tanchjim Tanya a set to just sit back and enjoy the music for what it is, and not to listen to the gear. I can see this set as being one of the standout budget sets for 2021, maybe one can even label it as the BLON BL-03 for this year?

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DISCLAIMER

I bought this set at my own expense, with a slight discount from the Yaotiger Aliexpress shop: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002568046521.html

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