I received my Tzar 350 yesterday and I just wanted to share some of my initial thoughts. Rather than writing it all again I would rather quote and comment what has already been written earlier. I agree very much with what tomscy2000 wrote in his very detailed review of the Tzar 350. I will requote some of his points and add my own comments.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tomscy2000 
.....
Frequency Response
First off, this is one of the few earphones I've heard that really does do 20-16000 Hz, without major bumps or dips. However, I do not feel that it is completely flat (relative to my own hearing). I believe that it has a definite large peak around 6-7.5 kHz (peaking at ~6.8k), which brings out its extreme clarity, but may also bring out harshness/sibilance (that Sorensiim and Sasaki also alluded to). The Wizard also mentioned that the Tzar 350 has an elevated treble level, and it is definitely audibly elevated in my impressions. In general, I find that knocking down that peak 2.5-3.0 dB with an EQ tames it down to be acceptable for a wider range of music and a wider range of volumes, though if you sweep through with a frequency sweep, 6-8k will still sound elevated.
....
I bought the Tzar 350 based on reviews here and on a VERY short 5 minute listening session visiting librarian in December. When I heard it the first time I had no doubt that the Tzar 350 is right where I like headphones to be; analytical, bright, airy and with high resolution. So I was looking forward to receiving them. My first impression was that something "unnatural" was happening in the treble. At the moment I am hoping that some of it will go away with a little break-in. I thought it was at higher frequencies than around 6-7.5 kHz but I am not trained at listening to where exactly this is happening. I was guessing that the peak was placed higher - maybe around 10kHz? But I am probably wrong. I can only say that SSSZZZ-sounds from vocals are very pronounced and some tracks with cymbals can sound - somewhat unpleasant. This has been my first and only negative reaction. But also I have only had them since yesterday and I am very slow to get used to headphones. So either I will get used to it and my ears adjusted or some of it will mellow with some more break-in?
The
midrange of the Tzar 350 is also a bit too flat for my tastes. I personally enjoy a little bit of a bump to bring vocals a little closer to the ear; in this sense, I like hearing concentrated vocals. The 350 may at times sound thinner and more diffuse. I don't know how much of this type of diffuse presentation may be attributed to phase linearity, but I suspect it may play a factor.
I don't think earphones get any faster than the Tzar 350. It makes the DBA-02 feel slow in comparison. Everything is tight and textured to the upteenth degree. Soundstage is nice and wide, as per good high frequency extension, though it doesn't sound ridiculously wide, as the forward treble also makes certain musical elements like hi-hats and maracas sound a bit to forward in the sound field, sometimes to the point of distracting. In that sense, the Tzar 350 is analytical at its best and worst.
Please keep in mind that this response is a translation of my own subjective listening experience. Your own hearing threshold levels, canal structure, etc. are different from mine (unless I have a long-lost twin out there somewhere, and even then, environmental factors, transient physiological/pathophysiological states, etc. may cause palpable differences) and your experience may very well differ. The Danes that heard the Tzar 350 mostly did not hear the same type of harshness that I attributed to a high-frequency bump.
I could not agree more. The drivers are VERY fast and I think that it will be difficult or maybe impossible to find anything with such a high resolution as these have. I do like a bit more intimate sounding midrange where vocals are more forward sounding. But the whole purpose of the Tzar 350 is that they are supposed to be FLAT. So I was prepared for this. Also this is something I know will change after my ears adjust. I have tried that with I upgraded from Beyerdynamic T70 to T5p where the midrange was not as much in focus in T5p. But after some time getting used to the sound I do not notice it anymore.
Hearing Safety and Impedance Rating
As someone in the healthcare profession, I am a big proponent of not playing music too loudly. I'm hyperacute about the increasing prevalence of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) amongst users of personal listening devices, so I'm glad that Heir Audio came out with an earphone that's harder to drive. To me, the Tzar 350 represents a happy medium of something that doesn't output SPLs that are too high when driven from a portable device such as an iPod. At 50% volume, the Tzar 350 sounds good out of my iPod Touch, without any hint of trouble. The SPL should be more than adequate for anything and my guess is that it probably exceeds 85 dB.
I have to say that I do not think that the Tzar 350 sounds great out of my iPhone 5. Maybe the iPhone 5 is less refined than the iPod Touch? But I find that is sound very flat, lifeless and boring compared to it being driven by my Meier Quickstep or iQube. Both of them are VERY neutral and makes the Tzar 350 shine a lot more than when it is driven directly from the iPhone 5. Also I find that the volume is loud when I am at 50% on the iPhone - so the volume is not an issue there. It can get loud enough to my ears.
Etymotic Research ER4B
Let me get this out of the way: when it comes to accuracy by way of flat frequency response and transparency under the assumption of a diffuse-field, I do believe that the ER4B still wins. It is still Etymotic's most accurate earphone when it comes to a diffuse-field referenced target, and by far the only ER4 earphone that I find to be completely convincing under a binaural setting. In fact, the ER4 will beat most headphones, even the Sennheiser HD800, LCD-2, etc. when it comes to hitting the diffuse-field accuracy target, given M. Killion's own studies on human HRTF. Perhaps only STAX are more accurate.
However, few people actually care deeply about this issue, and there are certain things that the Tzar 350 does do better: (1) bass extension --- the Tzar 350 goes down to 20 Hz, whereas I find it difficult to coax out anything below 40 Hz from the ER4B, (2) detail level --- the Tzar 350's do sound more detailed, even when equalized to take away excess treble, (3) efficiency --- with an iPod, the ER4B sounds difficult to drive and grainy, while the Tzar 350 sounds good, albeit at a lower SPL than most earphones, (4) bass tightness and "solidity" --- the Tzar sounds substantially more coalesced while the ER4B feels ephemerally flighty, (5) fit --- in my opinion, the Tzar 350 wipes the floor with the ER4 in terms of comfort, as I believe fitting the ER4 is tantamount to undue violation of my ear canal (don't accuse me of not being used to the "second-bend fit" because I am used to it), with HiFiMAN bi-flange tips, I get a great, deep seal with the "Ai" form factor and everything feels comfortable.
The bass impact in my ER-4S is one of the reasons I was sometimes looking for other IEM's and one of the main reasons for buying the Tzar 350. It delivers EXACTLY what I am looking for here. No artificial bass-impact but just fast and tight with a very fast decay. The Tzar 350 is going to be my reference in the future when it comes to bass reproduction in headphones.
Fatigue factor is an issue with both earphones; when un-equalized, the Tzar 350 will induce fatigue to my ears after about 20 minutes, while the ER4B fatigues me after about 30 minutes. Soundstage size is similar between both earphones; the Tzar 350 feels slightly wider. Vocals sound slightly less diffuse on the ER4B.
Conclusion
The Tzar 350, in so many ways, really is --- to borrow the Wizard's words --- like an older Italian supercar: it can be absolutely amazing, but under the right conditions. Behind the wheel of a Lamborghini Countach, if you're not careful, you'll easily oversteer and spin out. It doesn't have traction control. You must be in full control over it. The Tzar 350 is the same way, but with music.
I have a feeling that fatigue will also be an issue for me. It has never been an issue with my ER-4S and I could use them for hours - AT LOW VOLUMES. But only time will show if Tzar 350 can pass the test of time. It will be a deal breaker if the peak in the treble constantly steals the focus in the sound and I will have to give it a lot more time before I can say whether I can live with them. But everything else is so perfect so I will have to see if I can keep focusing on the good things and get used to the treble peak.
To be honest, the first day I received the Tzar 350, my gut instinct was that it was too bright, and for a day or two, I was wondering whether I made the right choice in buying the Tzar 350. It surprised me about myself; I've been aware of my changing tastes in sound signature over the past year, and I know I've been favoring items with more toned-down treble, but I would've never guessed that I'd be wishing for something that had less treble presence than the Tzar 350 --- I'm not sure. For the time being, I've developed an EQ curve that makes all the attributes of the Tzar 350 that I deem as shortcomings manageable. At the same time, I've been warming up to it, and my opinions may change over time.
Well said! I feel the exact same way here on the second day. Otherwise these are very interesting IEM's and they do so many things very well. I think they will be a collectors item for me and I will probably keep them forever as a reference and for listening to high resolution source files. If they will become my one and only headphone for all genres I do not know at the moment.
The Creative Aurvana Live! solved a major problem for me—how to listen to good audio while walking the dog at night. I live near a commercial and bar district in Center City, Philadelphia and I'm...
Okay..well this is my first review..if you may call it so..hence any,,amatuerish mistakes be forgiven..here we go.. So i saved some money(i'm always short of it) for the Vsonic gr02 be..after...
I used to be sure that I am not a basshead. My favorite IEMs for the longest time were RE-0, my favorite headphones were (and still are) various variations of ATH "sweet treble" sound signature,...
It's exactly what it says it is. I've tried some pretty incredibly expensive DAPs - Honestly, in my opinion, a lot of them just add colouration, or EQ, or look pretty. Some of them do perform...
Jazz sounds real good on these. Classic music sounds pretty clear, like when the violin is playing and stuff. Vocals sound pretty good. 80's sound vibrant. dubstep/hardstyle, sounds...
. Still, I hope I'll come to like the tzars in the bass department.
