TANCHJIM Mino
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>>I am brazilian and I speak portuguese, so forgive my english, I’ll use translation tools to help<<
INTRO:
The Tanchjim Audio is already a very famous company because of its wired earphones, but they also make TrueWireless (TWS) earphones. The Tanchjim Mino is the company’s newest completely wireless earphones.
Price: $41.99 USD
Colors: White, Black, Pink
Tanchjim reviews: Tanya (only portuguese)
TANCHJIM LINKS:
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DB8vdSp
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DErvjWt
SPECIFICATIONS:
– (1) 10mm Dynamic Driver (DD) Beryllium coated per side
– Frequency range: 20Hz – 20kHz
– Impedance: 32Ω
– THD: 0.058% @ 1kHz 94dB
– Touch Controls
– Bluetooth 5.3
– Codecs: AAC, SBC
– ANC – Active noise cancellation
– Ambient Sound
– Signal range: 15-20 meters
– Tanchjim App – customization and EQ
– Battery life: 5h+26h (ANC On), 6h+31h (ANC Off)
– Compatible OS: Android, iOS, Windows
– Auto Pause/Resume
– Waterproof level (Earbuds): IPX4
– ENC for calls
– Earphones battery: 35mAh
– Case battery: 380mAh
– Charging via cable (USB-C)
– USB-C power supply: input 5V 1A
– Case size: 5cm [H] × 6cm [W] × 2.5cm [D]
– Weight: 4.3g (one side)(without tips)
– Case weight: 39.6g (without earphones)
– Total weight (box, earphones, etc): 172.3g
– Packaging size: 10cm [H] x 10cm [W] x 5cm [D]
UNBOXING:
PHYSICAL ASPECTS:
Eartips: I really liked the Mino’s eartips, they are very soft, very comfortable. I didn’t feel the need to use eartips from other companies. I evaluated the earphone with the size G ones. The only detail here is that they are oval – and the earphone nozzle too – I particularly don’t like earphones with a nozzle in this shape, but I think it’s the first time that an earphone with an oval nozzle managed to be 100% effective, I didn’t find any problem. I also tested with the Spinfit CP360 in size M and they fit in the earphones and inside the case, although I didn’t like their interaction with my ears, I preferred the stock ones.
PS: I did the product evaluation with the white eartips, I don’t know if the material is different in other colors.
Construction: The Mino is an earphone made entirely of plastic, and it certainly is not the most sophisticated plastic I have ever tested, but at least I thought the quality is a little better than the Moondrop Space Travel. The Mino has a round part that is the Touch area, and I must say that the size was very interesting, as it makes it easier to control the earphones, very good for small, medium, or large fingers.
It’s impossible not to evaluate the Mino and don’t talk about the size of the earphone… So, before the earphone arrived, I thought it would be a bizarrely large earphone, but fortunately when the earphone arrived I saw that it was just my impression. It does have a larger part than usual among other TWSs that I evaluated, which is where the Touch and the stems are, however, in my view, it’s still at an acceptable level (including for me who am more minimalist).
The case lid I found to be the weakest point of the product, the material itself doesn’t give me enough confidence if by chance I drop the product on the floor. Obviously, I didn’t do this test – and I won’t do it – but it is worth noting in case you are a person who has a habit of accidentally dropping things. The lid is an important part of the product, there’s a whole pairing process and notification when you open it. In this regard, the Moondrop Space Travel has an advantage, as it doesn’t have a lid.
It is a lid that is very easy to open, it doesn’t have any kind of lock, so it’s possible to open it with just one hand. The opening and closing system is through a spring that is inside the case. It makes a “clack!” sound when we close it, I don’t like this noise, and the worst thing is that there’s not even a rubber to soften the impact.
Another detail I noticed was the USB-C port at the bottom of the case. We know that this detail has already been corrected by many wireless earphone manufacturers, so Tanchjim is a bit behind on this issue. But then, the design of the case doesn’t make it stand vertically (upright), so in this case it doesn’t matter whether the USB-C port is at the bottom or at the back.
Bluetooth signal connectivity: About the signal range. I did the test here leaving the smartphone in the room and walked around the house, about 10 meters away from the device and the signal started to fail. So, the Mino had a performance inferior to that described by the manufacturer (15-20 meters), and also below the other current TWSs that I tested. Note that this test includes some walls between the smartphone and the earphone. Also note that 10 meters is already the most common distance described by the TWSs on the market, so the earphone is still competing with the others. I found the connection stability to be good, at no time did it disconnect, even having signal failures due to the distance, the earphone remained paired and playing music. I found the gesture touch control to be very responsive, I had no problem.
Latency test: The Mino has two settings. Normal mode and game mode. In my tests, the game mode managed to perform better than the normal mode (albeit minimally). What happened was that when watching some videos on YouTube, I found that the sync was faster in game mode. Not that the normal mode is bad, isn’t that, it’s just that I had this perception that there was a micro delay between the speech and the image in normal mode, a minimal thing but I thought it was.
Tanchjim App: Following are the screenshots of the application that I found interesting. I think the images are self-explanatory and so I don’t need to elaborate.
One point I didn’t find cool in the App was always needing to turn on the smartphone’s geolocation. If you don’t give permission to access your location, you won’t be able to enter the App.
Auto pause and resume: Function that when you take the earphones out of your ear, the sound automatically stops, and if you put the earphones back, the sound returns. It works with either side, and it’s possible to disable the function through the App. The Mino also has the function of using only one side while the other is charging in the case, that is, mono mode.
ANC and Ambient Sound: I found the ANC good, but it didn’t surprise me, I confess that as I heard the Samsung Buds FE before the Mino, I think that the ANC of the latter can have a slightly higher effectiveness. As usual, to say that the ANC is always a smoothing of sounds, it won’t prevent you from hearing external sounds completely, who knows in the future this technology can achieve such a feat. The Ambient sound is always effective in all TWSs, it opens the microphones to capture the sounds around, so, it’s always better than if the microphones were turned off.
Microphone: The microphone test wasn’t good at all. As usual, I tested at night in a quiet and noiseless environment, then I turned on a fan towards my face. The results were: in a noiseless environment, the capture of my voice was not 100% clean, some noises left the audio with a very weak quality. Then with the fan on, the quality only worsened, the voice didn’t even appear amid the large amount of noise introduced by the wind. Pure hissing. In this microphone aspect, the Space Travel had a slight advantage because when in quiet environments, it managed to extract a good quality of voice. But both when facing the fan, were disasters.
Fit and comfort: Surprisingly, the fit was excellent! It seems that by having the stems further away from the body, it ends up generating a balance in the ears, it’s even difficult to describe what happened here. I thought it would be a kind of bigger & heavy earphone, but no, on the contrary, as the earphone is very light, it doesn’t suffer alteration in the ears, the stability is 100%. I liked the fit of the Mino more than the Space Travel. This is a very subjective part, so, for my ears, the Mino managed to have a very good comfort, I managed to do my sessions of listening to music for 2-3h non-stop, and I didn’t feel any discomfort. I reported in the paragraph of the eartips the issue about the earphone having an oval nozzle, and that in this case here everything went right, although I still continue preferring the earphones with round nozzle. I found the isolation good/ok, and the insertion is something between shallow and medium.
Page for downloading the App: https://tanchjim.com/en/services/
SOUND ASPECTS:
PS: I did the product evaluation with the white eartips, I don’t know if the material is different in other colors.
Construction: The Mino is an earphone made entirely of plastic, and it certainly is not the most sophisticated plastic I have ever tested, but at least I thought the quality is a little better than the Moondrop Space Travel. The Mino has a round part that is the Touch area, and I must say that the size was very interesting, as it makes it easier to control the earphones, very good for small, medium, or large fingers.
It’s impossible not to evaluate the Mino and don’t talk about the size of the earphone… So, before the earphone arrived, I thought it would be a bizarrely large earphone, but fortunately when the earphone arrived I saw that it was just my impression. It does have a larger part than usual among other TWSs that I evaluated, which is where the Touch and the stems are, however, in my view, it’s still at an acceptable level (including for me who am more minimalist).
The case lid I found to be the weakest point of the product, the material itself doesn’t give me enough confidence if by chance I drop the product on the floor. Obviously, I didn’t do this test – and I won’t do it – but it is worth noting in case you are a person who has a habit of accidentally dropping things. The lid is an important part of the product, there’s a whole pairing process and notification when you open it. In this regard, the Moondrop Space Travel has an advantage, as it doesn’t have a lid.
It is a lid that is very easy to open, it doesn’t have any kind of lock, so it’s possible to open it with just one hand. The opening and closing system is through a spring that is inside the case. It makes a “clack!” sound when we close it, I don’t like this noise, and the worst thing is that there’s not even a rubber to soften the impact.
Another detail I noticed was the USB-C port at the bottom of the case. We know that this detail has already been corrected by many wireless earphone manufacturers, so Tanchjim is a bit behind on this issue. But then, the design of the case doesn’t make it stand vertically (upright), so in this case it doesn’t matter whether the USB-C port is at the bottom or at the back.
Bluetooth signal connectivity: About the signal range. I did the test here leaving the smartphone in the room and walked around the house, about 10 meters away from the device and the signal started to fail. So, the Mino had a performance inferior to that described by the manufacturer (15-20 meters), and also below the other current TWSs that I tested. Note that this test includes some walls between the smartphone and the earphone. Also note that 10 meters is already the most common distance described by the TWSs on the market, so the earphone is still competing with the others. I found the connection stability to be good, at no time did it disconnect, even having signal failures due to the distance, the earphone remained paired and playing music. I found the gesture touch control to be very responsive, I had no problem.
Latency test: The Mino has two settings. Normal mode and game mode. In my tests, the game mode managed to perform better than the normal mode (albeit minimally). What happened was that when watching some videos on YouTube, I found that the sync was faster in game mode. Not that the normal mode is bad, isn’t that, it’s just that I had this perception that there was a micro delay between the speech and the image in normal mode, a minimal thing but I thought it was.
Tanchjim App: Following are the screenshots of the application that I found interesting. I think the images are self-explanatory and so I don’t need to elaborate.
One point I didn’t find cool in the App was always needing to turn on the smartphone’s geolocation. If you don’t give permission to access your location, you won’t be able to enter the App.
Auto pause and resume: Function that when you take the earphones out of your ear, the sound automatically stops, and if you put the earphones back, the sound returns. It works with either side, and it’s possible to disable the function through the App. The Mino also has the function of using only one side while the other is charging in the case, that is, mono mode.
ANC and Ambient Sound: I found the ANC good, but it didn’t surprise me, I confess that as I heard the Samsung Buds FE before the Mino, I think that the ANC of the latter can have a slightly higher effectiveness. As usual, to say that the ANC is always a smoothing of sounds, it won’t prevent you from hearing external sounds completely, who knows in the future this technology can achieve such a feat. The Ambient sound is always effective in all TWSs, it opens the microphones to capture the sounds around, so, it’s always better than if the microphones were turned off.
Microphone: The microphone test wasn’t good at all. As usual, I tested at night in a quiet and noiseless environment, then I turned on a fan towards my face. The results were: in a noiseless environment, the capture of my voice was not 100% clean, some noises left the audio with a very weak quality. Then with the fan on, the quality only worsened, the voice didn’t even appear amid the large amount of noise introduced by the wind. Pure hissing. In this microphone aspect, the Space Travel had a slight advantage because when in quiet environments, it managed to extract a good quality of voice. But both when facing the fan, were disasters.
Fit and comfort: Surprisingly, the fit was excellent! It seems that by having the stems further away from the body, it ends up generating a balance in the ears, it’s even difficult to describe what happened here. I thought it would be a kind of bigger & heavy earphone, but no, on the contrary, as the earphone is very light, it doesn’t suffer alteration in the ears, the stability is 100%. I liked the fit of the Mino more than the Space Travel. This is a very subjective part, so, for my ears, the Mino managed to have a very good comfort, I managed to do my sessions of listening to music for 2-3h non-stop, and I didn’t feel any discomfort. I reported in the paragraph of the eartips the issue about the earphone having an oval nozzle, and that in this case here everything went right, although I still continue preferring the earphones with round nozzle. I found the isolation good/ok, and the insertion is something between shallow and medium.
Page for downloading the App: https://tanchjim.com/en/services/
SOUND ASPECTS:
I understood the sound of the Tanchjim Mino as Neutral with a slight Bass Boost. The tuning of the Mino is very similar to that of the Moondrop Space Travel, and then I know that many people will want to know: “is it worth double the value?”. So, this is not such a simple question to answer, because it encompasses other characteristics besides the sound. In my opinion, I liked the Mino more in a general context, that is, sound, physical aspects, and also the App. The thing that weighs most in favor of Space Travel is not having the lid on the charging case, and perhaps having a greater range of the bluetooth signal, because in the other aspects, the Mino wins (in my opinion).
I evaluated the Mino with the preset “default sound”. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to describe each available preset, the evaluation would be immense. And also, I didn’t feel great modifications between the presets, I think what has more difference is really you going for your preset “custom sound” and equalizing the frequencies to your liking. It’s a pity this customized equalization cannot be applied in real time, that is, you need to change the frequency and save it in the preset, for then the modification to take effect. I would like the modifications in the sound to happen in real time, like, changing in the EQ and at the same time changing in the sound. The way it is currently, it generates a little more work, but the result is the same.
Bass:
Quantitative: I think the bass of the Mino is at the moderate level. It is the same level of bass as the Space Travel, but for some reason, I was able to perceive a little more bass with the Mino than with the Space Travel, perhaps it was a better sealing of my ear canal. Here I leave the observation, if you prefer earphones with a lot of bass, I would first indicate the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2, the Galaxy Buds FE, or Anker P20i. The Mino has more emphasis in the sub-bass region, the mid-bass appear less in the presentation. I didn’t feel roll-off, and the extension is good.
Qualitative: The bass of the Mino has weight, has substance, has strength, but as you saw in the previous paragraph, they aren’t in excess, which makes them well controlled. This also leaves the bass with a more “clean” characteristic. They never invade the mids, they are always in that condition of accompanying the recording, which generates a very interesting balance. The bass has impact but are well delimited, they don’t sound neither too expansive nor too dry, a middle ground. Now enters the opposite of what I said in the previous paragraph, if you are looking to reduce the bass because your current TWS has too much, the Mino may be the option. I like bass, but for example, I think that with the Galaxy Buds FE the presentation becomes very heavy, warm, and the Mino isn’t like that, so I think I can adjust in the custom EQ the little more bass that I would like the Mino to have to stay ideal.
Mids:
Quantitative and qualitative: Just like in the Space Travel, the part that I liked the most in the Mino were the mids. It’s unusual to see mids more forward in TWSs, especially in this price range. The earphone has a well elaborated pinna gain, brings a lot of information without sounding aggressive. Undoubtedly it is a very interesting proposal to see a TWS prioritize the mids, the sound becomes more “correct”, without that recess that some wireless earphones have. Here in the Mino the voices are well enhanced, guitars appear more in the recordings, snare drum become clearer, wind instruments sound more palpable. Of course for a TrueWireless earphone it’s already something very good, but also don’t expect the last drop in detailing, in this issue here the wired earphones can extract more performance (in my opinion).
Voices: Here without a doubt the earphone can deliver more benefit for female/high-pitched voices. It’s true that it is great with the types of voices that are more in the center of the vocal scale, that is, baritones and tenors, mezzo sopranos and contraltos. The Mino is also good for low male voices, however, I think it’s not the best situation, because for example, the Buds FE can deliver more texturization for this type of voice.
Treble:
Quantitative: Here also equal to Space Travel, it was the part that I thought had the least emphasis in the sound of the earphone. The Mino has treble at the moderate level. I think that in some way it has a slightly larger quantity than the Space Travel, which makes me think that the treble of the Mino are better. It may have been some interaction with the eartips or anything else, but I think that the treble of the Mino presented a better performance than the Space Travel. Whoever is looking for an earphone with quieter treble, the Mino is a great indication.
Qualitative: The treble of the Mino are discreet, “normal”, soft, polished, they aren’t colored, they aren’t fatiguing. The sparkle is very discreet, it doesn’t bother, it doesn’t sound too crystalline nor too dull. I think it could even have a touch more sparkle, for my taste, of course. I also think that the earphone could have more detailing and more airy, but compared to Space Travel the detailing I found the Mino to be a little better. The earphone didn’t present sibilance. The treble don’t present stridency, harshness, nor are they sharp. Hi-Hats are soft and without harshness, but they also don’t bring the micro detailing. Fingerpicking on steel string guitars sound more contained, more “natural” sound. Remember that the material used by the Mino driver is different from the Space Travel, this may be the issue of one delivering a slightly superior performance to the other, but this is in the field of supposition itself, I cannot affirm.
Soundstage: The soundstage of the Mino I found to be medium. As it has mids a little more “forward”, the presentation is closer, as if the singer was closer to you. For example, the Samsung Galaxy Buds FE has a larger spatiality in the sound than the Mino, however, the stage of the Mino can be more objective, the presentation is more direct, guitars can show more energy, you feel a closer proximity in the Mino.
Imaging: The instrumental separation of the Mino I found good/medium. So, if you compare it with the Space Travel, the Mino is a little better, now, in fact if you compare it with a hybrid wired earphone, for example, then of course the Mino will not win. But it didn’t do badly, it’s possible to hear all the instruments without sounding congested, something that in the Space Travel in some occasions I felt.
Driver Flex Test: The Mino didn’t present driver flex noise.
Amplification (or volume in the case of TWSs): This part is to say “how loud” I thought the earphone can get. I found that the Mino has a good/medium level of volume, testing on the smartphone I left it at 80%, which is equivalent to volume 12 of the 15 available on Android. I don’t have the habit of listening to music very loud. It was possible to reach the maximum volume without feeling discomfort. From what I have tested, the Mino is in coherence with the other TWSs that I tested recently (Moondrop Space Travel, Anker P20i, and Samsung Galaxy Buds FE).
Graphs by TANCHJIM:
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I evaluated the Mino with the preset “default sound”. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to describe each available preset, the evaluation would be immense. And also, I didn’t feel great modifications between the presets, I think what has more difference is really you going for your preset “custom sound” and equalizing the frequencies to your liking. It’s a pity this customized equalization cannot be applied in real time, that is, you need to change the frequency and save it in the preset, for then the modification to take effect. I would like the modifications in the sound to happen in real time, like, changing in the EQ and at the same time changing in the sound. The way it is currently, it generates a little more work, but the result is the same.
Bass:
Quantitative: I think the bass of the Mino is at the moderate level. It is the same level of bass as the Space Travel, but for some reason, I was able to perceive a little more bass with the Mino than with the Space Travel, perhaps it was a better sealing of my ear canal. Here I leave the observation, if you prefer earphones with a lot of bass, I would first indicate the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2, the Galaxy Buds FE, or Anker P20i. The Mino has more emphasis in the sub-bass region, the mid-bass appear less in the presentation. I didn’t feel roll-off, and the extension is good.
Qualitative: The bass of the Mino has weight, has substance, has strength, but as you saw in the previous paragraph, they aren’t in excess, which makes them well controlled. This also leaves the bass with a more “clean” characteristic. They never invade the mids, they are always in that condition of accompanying the recording, which generates a very interesting balance. The bass has impact but are well delimited, they don’t sound neither too expansive nor too dry, a middle ground. Now enters the opposite of what I said in the previous paragraph, if you are looking to reduce the bass because your current TWS has too much, the Mino may be the option. I like bass, but for example, I think that with the Galaxy Buds FE the presentation becomes very heavy, warm, and the Mino isn’t like that, so I think I can adjust in the custom EQ the little more bass that I would like the Mino to have to stay ideal.
Mids:
Quantitative and qualitative: Just like in the Space Travel, the part that I liked the most in the Mino were the mids. It’s unusual to see mids more forward in TWSs, especially in this price range. The earphone has a well elaborated pinna gain, brings a lot of information without sounding aggressive. Undoubtedly it is a very interesting proposal to see a TWS prioritize the mids, the sound becomes more “correct”, without that recess that some wireless earphones have. Here in the Mino the voices are well enhanced, guitars appear more in the recordings, snare drum become clearer, wind instruments sound more palpable. Of course for a TrueWireless earphone it’s already something very good, but also don’t expect the last drop in detailing, in this issue here the wired earphones can extract more performance (in my opinion).
Voices: Here without a doubt the earphone can deliver more benefit for female/high-pitched voices. It’s true that it is great with the types of voices that are more in the center of the vocal scale, that is, baritones and tenors, mezzo sopranos and contraltos. The Mino is also good for low male voices, however, I think it’s not the best situation, because for example, the Buds FE can deliver more texturization for this type of voice.
Treble:
Quantitative: Here also equal to Space Travel, it was the part that I thought had the least emphasis in the sound of the earphone. The Mino has treble at the moderate level. I think that in some way it has a slightly larger quantity than the Space Travel, which makes me think that the treble of the Mino are better. It may have been some interaction with the eartips or anything else, but I think that the treble of the Mino presented a better performance than the Space Travel. Whoever is looking for an earphone with quieter treble, the Mino is a great indication.
Qualitative: The treble of the Mino are discreet, “normal”, soft, polished, they aren’t colored, they aren’t fatiguing. The sparkle is very discreet, it doesn’t bother, it doesn’t sound too crystalline nor too dull. I think it could even have a touch more sparkle, for my taste, of course. I also think that the earphone could have more detailing and more airy, but compared to Space Travel the detailing I found the Mino to be a little better. The earphone didn’t present sibilance. The treble don’t present stridency, harshness, nor are they sharp. Hi-Hats are soft and without harshness, but they also don’t bring the micro detailing. Fingerpicking on steel string guitars sound more contained, more “natural” sound. Remember that the material used by the Mino driver is different from the Space Travel, this may be the issue of one delivering a slightly superior performance to the other, but this is in the field of supposition itself, I cannot affirm.
Soundstage: The soundstage of the Mino I found to be medium. As it has mids a little more “forward”, the presentation is closer, as if the singer was closer to you. For example, the Samsung Galaxy Buds FE has a larger spatiality in the sound than the Mino, however, the stage of the Mino can be more objective, the presentation is more direct, guitars can show more energy, you feel a closer proximity in the Mino.
Imaging: The instrumental separation of the Mino I found good/medium. So, if you compare it with the Space Travel, the Mino is a little better, now, in fact if you compare it with a hybrid wired earphone, for example, then of course the Mino will not win. But it didn’t do badly, it’s possible to hear all the instruments without sounding congested, something that in the Space Travel in some occasions I felt.
Driver Flex Test: The Mino didn’t present driver flex noise.
Amplification (or volume in the case of TWSs): This part is to say “how loud” I thought the earphone can get. I found that the Mino has a good/medium level of volume, testing on the smartphone I left it at 80%, which is equivalent to volume 12 of the 15 available on Android. I don’t have the habit of listening to music very loud. It was possible to reach the maximum volume without feeling discomfort. From what I have tested, the Mino is in coherence with the other TWSs that I tested recently (Moondrop Space Travel, Anker P20i, and Samsung Galaxy Buds FE).
Graphs by TANCHJIM:
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marcelzxc
PS: I don't use ratings, stars, whatever... but here in the Head-Fi it's necessary to fill the form, so I always give 5 stars to all the products that I review here.
Disclaimer:
Tanchjim provided me with a sample unit of their TWS Tanchjim Mino. A product that wants to be a response to the Moondrop Space Travel.To be honest, I’m a bit late on the review of this model but in the first version that was sent to me, there was an unexpected issue that stopped me in the review phase. Basically, something on the Bluetooth modules created quality variations during playback. The new model has obviously solved these problems that I may talk about in more detail later.
I’m going to be as objective as possible, and being a common audio enthusiast, I will use simple words in this review.
I will highlight what I liked and what I didn’t without any fear.
The price is slightly higher than the Space Travel ones but the quality is also slightly higher so it might be worth spending a few extra bucks.
So I’m not going to use super-technical words to review it, but I will do my best to describe it.
My review won’t be the most technical you will find online, but I hope you like it.
Tech Specs:
- Bluetooth version: 5.3
- Driver: 10mm Beryllium Coated Dome + PU Suspension Ring
- Frequency Response: 20-20000Hz
- Impedance: 32 ohm
- Supported protocols:SBC/AAC
- Charging port: Type-C
- Working distance: 15 m (barrier-free open environment)
- Earphone charging time: About 1 Hour
- Charging time of charging case: about 1.5 Hours
- Earphone battery capacity: 3.7V/35mAh
- Battery capacity of charging case: 3.7V/380mAh
- Battery life of earphone: About 5 Hours
- Battery life of charging case: About 26 Hours
- Tanchjim APP
Packaging:
The packaging is particularly well-finished, even if simple. In the first box we find the manuals with the accessories:
- Type C cable
- Tips
- Replacement filters (excellent)
TipsLeaving aside the basic accessories, the presence of mesh filters for the nozzle is a nice addition. Over time, especially the TWS, accumulate deposits of dust and earwax, and with the spare parts at a certain point, they can be restored.
Design/Build Quality:
Tanchjim Mino
Open case
Back case
The design of the TWS is often monotonous; there is no particularity to report. The charging case has a simpler design and perhaps even more practical than the one seen on the space travel, which is exposed to water and dust more easily. The two TWS are light and quite robust; I would say slightly better than the Moondrop. We can notice how above and below there are two microphones and in the internal part a ventilation hole.
I feel the lack of a status LED on the TWS. It is difficult to understand what state they are in. I see that there is a tendency to remove the LEDs that were once present on the TWS, perhaps to reduce costs or perhaps to reduce battery consumption. However, on the charging case there is an LED that indicates the charging status. To see the charging status of the TWS precisely, the app helps us.
If we consider the price of 42 USD, perhaps we could have expected a little more.
Fit and Comfort:
In terms of comfort, I have to say that I found the Tanchjim Mino better than many other models. Although the tips are always very cheap, in this case the combination guarantees an excellent seal. The sound is full and without loss but the charging cases always limit the choice of eartips a bit. In terms of comfort, they do not cause any discomfort; they are light and stable in the ear.
Built-in Technology & App:
Just like Space Travel, they don’t have any particular technology; in fact, the vocal prompts of the Moondrops are of a higher level. But the driver of the Tanchjim Mino is better or at least it should have a slightly higher price. The app is honestly not bad at all and allows some customizations that are not bad at all. On the app, we also have a very respectable EQ with many valid presets and the possibility of creating customized ones. We have the possibility of reducing the latency and the bit rate through a gaming mode. We can personalize the functionality of the touch controls almost freely.
Functionality and Features:
I have to admit that the Tanchjim Mino has a good implementation of the transparency and ANC features. The transition between the different modes is smooth and does not create any change in sound quality, which is not unusual in this price range.As always, microphones have their limits, especially in the case of wind; the transparency mode does not work perfectly and neither does the ANC. But it is totally normal; even much more expensive products suffer from the same exact problems, even in a more critical way.
Earbuds Shape
Macro Mino
Charging pin
Oval shapeGestures for Calls and Music:
The following are the stock gestures, but they can be customized quite a bit. Honestly, they’re pretty intuitive.- Answer call: Single tap (both)
- End call: While in a call, long press for 2 seconds
- Reject call: Press and hold either earbud for 3 seconds
- Voice assistant: Press 3 times on the earbuds to turn on the voice assistant and another 3 times to turn it off
- Game/music mode: Press three times on the right earbud with app open on the smartphone.
- To Play/Pause: Touch the right or left earbud to pause the track, and touch it again to continue playing.
- To rewind to the previous track With earbuds in operation, double-tap the left earbud.
- To Skip to the Next Track With earbuds in operation, double-tap the right earbud.
- ANC: press and hold the left earbud for 2 second to turn on/off the ANC mode
- Trasparency: press and hold the right earbud for 2 second to turn on/off the Trasparency mode
Equipment used for testing above:
Device:- Redmi Note 7
- Poco M4 Pro
- Hotwav Pad 8
- Amazon music UHD 24bit 96kHz
Initial sound impressions:
From the start, it appeared to me that the Tanchjim Mino was an upgrade of what I had heard in the Moondrop Space Travel; however, I have not received other models from this brand, so I cannot make comparisons with newer models that will undoubtedly raise the bar again. In any case, the Tanchjim Mino impresses with its soundstage and note tangibility; the bass is nicely emphasized.
Sound impressions:
I live in a country where TWS are practically 90% of the market; everything else is not even taken into consideration, especially by young people. In a certain sense, the difference between wired and wireless in terms of quality has significantly reduced; now some models somehow manage to not make you feel the lack of the cable. The only difference still audible is the background, which almost always presents a background noise due to Bluetooth.The equalization possibilities are endless but in neutral mode, I would say that it is a U-shaped signature typical of Tanchjim. What impressed me is how the sound is enveloping and not flat at all; the bass moves a considerable amount of air that gives a certain emphasis and organicity to the sound. The result surprised me positively because it creates a certain atmosphere not common on all TWS.
For the proposed price, they offer a sound that is definitely above expectations—a mostly soft sound without annoying peaks on the high frequencies. We could define it as a signature suitable for the current market but thanks to the EQ customization, you can easily adjust them to your liking.
Led
Back Details
Open caseFast Comparison:
The best comparison can be made with the Moondrop Space Travel, as the Tanchjim Mino are essentially an upgrade of these that came out slightly later.Vs. Moondrop Space Travel
The similarities are many; being two products that compete, they are extremely similar. Aesthetically there are also important functional differences. The charging case for example, is undoubtedly less particular and fragile than the Tanchjim Mino. Moondrop Space Travel’s vocal prompts are more refined, with an anime voice explaining the various modes (a decidedly pleasant and premium feature). In terms of performance, the Tanchjim mount is a slightly more refined driver, and the difference is quite noticeable. In both cases, we have a phone companion app. The app’s quality is nearly identical, with neither standing out in particular. Considering that the Moondrop cost around 24 USD, they remain an excellent purchase. If you want something better, then the 40 USD or so of the Tanchjim are certainly well spent.
Conclusion:
The quality of even entry-level TWS has improved a lot; there is certainly better on the market by raising the budget but if the goal is to use them without worries, this kind of product has a huge market. I personally would not worry about ruining TWS that cost so little; the speech changes with AirPods or products with a much more expensive price. That said, the first version of the Tanchjim Mino (black color) had problems with the BT modules that caused some production interruptions or strange effects during playback. Tanchjim has now fixed it and I have not noticed any problems with the new ones. A really well-balanced sound and wide soundstage.
Where to buy or get more information (no affiliations):
Mino has many meanings in Japanese language, it means either large bodies of water like sea or ocean, fruity or beautiful. It also pertains to a traditional straw raincoat in pre-modern Japan that we usually see in taiga drama series on TV shows and samurai movies.
It's quite a rarity that I will do a review on a TWS (True Wireless Stereo) product. The last time I did a review on TWS was 2 years ago and to be honest, I find it pleasant to use as I can carry it anywhere.
TWS sets gives us more of a convenience to use as we will enjoy our listening experience via wireless transmission either in physical activity or just in a relaxing mode to enjoy your music tracks casually. But in terms of sound quality, it depends on how an audio company will implement its tuning as most of the TWS that I've tested so far are either just decent or simply mediocre sounding.
As the new technologies emerging that have been implemented to improve the connectivity capability and better transmission of digital data from sources, a lossless audio format is now possible to experience in a bluetooth. As the bluetooth technology keeps evolving as it improves its range and better frequency response that it minimises latency issues, so as the TWS set as it also benefited the evolving technology of Bluetooth and better battery technology for longer playtime.
The product that I have here and will be featured in this review is from a reputable audio company, TANCHJIM. This is TANCHJIM MINO and this is their second TWS product as they previously released their first model before, the TANCHJIM ECHO.
The TANCHJIM MINO consists of two parts, the TWS IEMs and the charging dock case. Its TWS design form appears to be inspired from Apple's Airpods Pro as it has a compact size ovular-shaped cavity base shell with a short stem protruding downward and its overall construction is made of high quality PVC material which is sturdy enough to withstand wear and tear usage. Inside of the cavity base is where the driver is situated and it is a 10mm dynamic driver with a composite material on its diaphragm like PU (Polyurethane) and beryllium-plated one for better tensile strength that will deliver a responsive and distortion-free sound.
In other components inside, it has a modern 5.3 Bluetooth chip with some smart frequency hopping signal anti-interference to improve seamless connectivity and less latency for casual music listening, streaming podcasts and gaming. It also has a dual microphone on each side that can be used as an active noise cancelling and clear vocal recording for receiving calls.
On the upper part of the protruding stem, there's a touch sensitive control where we can do some basic commands like play, pause, stop, previous, next, voice assistance, transparent mode and ANC mode.
Here are the basic guide for tapping commands:
Previous track - Double tap on the left part of the TWS IEM.
Play/Pause - Single tap on any part of the TWS IEM.
Next track - Double tap on the right part of the TWS IEM.
Voice assistant - Triple tap on any part of the TWS IEM.
Transparent mode - Double tap then hold on the left part of the TWS IEM. (We will hear some marimba-like sound for its notification)
ANC mode - Double tap then hold on the right part of the TWS IEM. (We will hear some marimba-like sound for its notification)
Unpairing - Tap 4 times then press long on both parts of the TWS IEM.
There is also an alternative option for more convenient usage via software command is by installing the TANCHJIM app from TANCHJIM's official site and there, we can simply choose some options and settings to customise it according to our preferences.
On its docking port, there is a LED indicator to determine the status of battery power of the MINO, a transparent opening lid for covering and a type-c charging port for replenishing its battery power.
The LED indicator corresponds with particular colour on what remaining battery level that MINO has. 76% - 100% on white LED, 75% - 51% on light yellow LED, 50% - 26% on dark yellow LED and 25%-0% on yellow-orange LED. The TWS IEMs have a playback rating up to 6 hours on standard mode while on ANC mode, it will be less than 5 hours. The charging docking port will support by replenishing the battery power on the pair of TWS IEMs and will add over 30 hours of playback time.
In terms of product packaging, like all TANCHJIM products, TANCHJIM MINO still follows a simple and compact packaging box but its inclusions are reasonable enough.
Here are the following contents inside of TANCHJIM MINO:
- Pair of TWS IEMs
- Charging dock
- Nozzle filters
- Three (3) pairs of balanced bore ear tips in different standard sizes.
- Short type-c to type-c cable
- Paperwork like instruction manual, quick guide and contact card.
Like most TWS sets, with a decent power output via short radio signal, TANCHJIM MINO is an easy to amplify set to deliver a sufficient amount of loudness in our listening session. This set is quite capable of giving a full-range and dynamic sound into our lugholes.
As for tonality, it seems that this set has a U-shaped that we are accustomed to in some TANCHJIM sets that follows a modified Harman-esque tuning curve. But you can access other preset EQs that the TANCHJIM app offers that will tailor based on your tuning preferences. The review of its tonality will be based on its stock tuning.
LOWS/BASS:
Punchy, rumbly and somehow clean to give a fairly textured bass response. It has a perceivable rumble and reverberation coming from sub bass - focused instruments like drum machines, synthesisers and low tone bass guitars.
Mid-bass texture of this one appears to be sufficient but it will not give that authoritative and striking sound. This kind of bass shelf gives enough note weight on instruments like bass guitars, bass kick drums and bass-baritone vocals. Bass guitars sounds sombre and resonant while bass kick drums have a thudding and rumbling sound though in some tracks, there's a hint of hollowness on it, and then on bass-baritone vocals, they sound a bit mellow and less darker tone on their voices although their vibrato are still present and has a good depth on them.
MIDRANGE:
The midrange presentation of this set is quite recessed and a tad lean note weight as I noticed it on the timbre quality and vocal depth particularly on male vocals and some types on instruments like brasses and percussions. But at least, it has translucent, crisp and neutral midrange response to enjoy most female vocals and string instruments.
On male vocals, baritones have smooth and clear voices though it lacks the plush, warm and lushness that this particular vocal should have. Tenors have bright and ringing vocal qualities which is acceptable given its brilliant timbre although on spinto, dramatic and heldentenors, they somewhat sound lacking of strength, fullness and depth on them. Countertenors appear to have tender with an added shine on their vocals. As for female vocals, contraltos doesn't have that depth, richness and texture to give that husky smoky and rounded vocals. Mezzo-sopranos appear to have sensitive, smooth and tender sound while sopranos have shining and silvery vocals on them.
In regards on instruments, strings and woodwinds appears to be more appealing on this set strings like guitars (acoustic and electric) and violins have a crisp, lustrous and lively sound on them, while on woodwinds, piccolos have brilliant sound, concert flutes have mellow and soft sound, clarinets have also a mellow and expressive sound and saxophones have mild and melancholic sound on them. On brasses, sounds of trumpets have some vividness and metallic sound on them, a brassiness and tense sound on trombones and a mellow and sombre sound on horns. Meanwhile on percussives, snares have sharp and precise sound, tom-toms have resonant yet less warm sound, field drums have sonorous and kettledrums have hollow and resonant sound on them. Pianos appear to be on a balanced and even tone as they don't sound too warm nor too bright.
HIGHS/TREBLE:
The treble response of the MINO seems to be balanced and a tad smoother side of tuning. Upper-mids appear to be a bit elevated just to give some definition and presence in female vocals and attack on instruments. There's not a hint of sibilance and harshness that will be detrimental to our long listening sessions especially on treble-sensitive folk out there.
On the brilliance part of the treble region, there is enough sparkle on this one but the airy extension is rather diffident in my opinion. Cymbals sound undulating while glockenspiels have these lustrous and soft sounding on either mallet-type or keyboard type, and then celestas have these sweet and glassy sounds on them.
SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:
It seems that overall, the technical capabilities of this one is average. a narrow to average width on its lateral span, acceptable height and depth on its perceived sound/speaker stage within my headroom. A typical two-dimensional stereo imaging with just tolerable separation and indistinguishable layering in which playing a more complex track will be an issue on this one.
Coherent performance of the drivers appears to be remarkable as it is capable of delivering a fast transient response. Resolution capabilities on this set is on median as while it has good macro-dynamics but micro-detail retrieval isn't on par and barely passable as it only manages to extract a small amount of nuances and subtleties from an audio track.
PEER COMPARISONS:
Since I rarely review TWS sets, I can only do a comparison with a two-year old TWS from Divinus.
DIVINUS OSTIA
● On physical features, OSTIA is a bit more larger in size and like the MINO, it also has sensitive controls on its faceplate area. In overall build quality, OSTIA appears to be more solidly built but the MINO has better microphone quality as it sounds more clearer. It is also noted the OSTIA has more types of ear tips to offer on its user.
● Both sets don't support advanced bluetooth codec like LDAC,Apt-x and Apt-x HD. But with Tanchjim App, MINO has better software where you can update its firmware and better customisable on its sound quality, it is also noted that MINO has transparency and ANC mode too.
● On tonality, while both sets are leaning towards a U-shaped sound profile, OSTIA has a more textured mid-bass, a tad warmer midrange and a brighter treble response with a tad better airy extension. Technicality-wise, OSTIA appears to have a bit of a spacious sound/speaker stage and somehow a better separation but the rest of technical performances appear to be similar with the MINO.
It appears that diversification of products is still a priority on TANCHJIM given on how the audio market is getting more competitive day by day and creating a capable TWS at an affordable price appears to be a logical decision on their behalf. To me, the MINO is a good product if I give importance to convenience where I can listen to some tracks from my multimedia devices in a wireless mode casually without any complexity at all.
TANCHJIM MINO is currently available in your favourite online store vendors, and if it happens that you are in the Philippines, you can order them via JYS+ Audio on Facebook as they are the official distributor of TANCHJIM products here.
★★TANCHJIM MINO - HIFIGO★★
★★TANCHJIM MINO - LINSOUL★★
★★TANCHJIM MINO - JYS+ AUDIO (PHILIPPINES)★★
For more information on other TANCHJIM products, you can read some of my review articles on their previous product models:
■ TANCHJIM TANYA
■ TANCHJIM ONE
SPECIFICATION:
MODEL: TANCHJIM MINO
IMPEDANCE: 32Ω
SENSITIVITY: 94dB
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 20KHz
BLUETOOTH VERSION: 5.3
CODEC SUPPORT: AAC, SBC
RANGE DISTANCE: Up to 20m
WIRELESS CHARGING INTERFACE: Type-C
BATTERY CAPACITY: 380 mAh
BATTERY ENDURANCE: 5 hours + 26 hours
DRIVER UNIT(S): (1) DYNAMIC DRIVER
Some Tracks Tested: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)
Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *
Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**
Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **
Mountain - Mississippi Queen *
Queen - Killer Queen **
Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*
Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'
Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'
Pearl Jam - Daughter **
Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *
Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*
Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *
New Order - Blue Monday *
The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *
The Madness- Buggy Trousers *
Metallica - Motorbreath **
Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *
Destiny's Child - Say My Name *
Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *
Mozart - Lacrimosa *
New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *
Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*
Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *
Exciter - Violence and Force *
Diana Krall - Stop This World **
Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*
The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**
Suzanne Vega – Luka **
Lauren Christy – Steep *
Ottoman Mehter - Hucum Marsi *
Diana Damrau - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte*
P.S.
I am not affiliated to TANCHJIM nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.
Once again, I would like to send my gratitude to TANCHJIM & JYS+ AUDIO for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate their generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.
