My background- I am a professional musician, producer and an audio engineer by education, with experience in the performing, recording and pro-audio industry. I test products on a technical and musical level, and try to write reviews as simple as possible from a music fan's perspective.
Disclaimer – The sample was provided for a test and review. I am not affiliated with the company and write this review with my best unbiased opinion regardless of how the review turns out.
Genre preferences- I majorly listen to rock, acoustic, pop and metal genres and occasionally checkout EDM music which is doing the rounds on the radio and charts.
About the product - Tanchjim Oxygen is a single 10mm dynamic driver in-ear monitor which sells for around $270. It is available in 2 color options, silver and black.
You can buy the Tanchjim Oxygen from Shenzhen Audio
Specifications-
Build Quality – Tanchjim gave me choice of color and I chose black. The shells are made of metal and are finished very well. One shell spots their logo and the other spots the name ‘Oxygen’. The seam between the faceplate and the shell is done perfectly too. The color plating is so good that there isn’t a scratch on the shell or the nozzle in my 2 month’s usage. Or maybe I haven’t used them in extreme conditions enough. Haha
They’re one of the few companies who include 2 cables in this price range, one with mic and one without. But sadly, both the cables don’t live up to the premium feel of the package and IEMs. I would’ve been happier if they included a higher quality cable as stock in the package even if they had to chuck the mic cable to cut costs.
Tanchjim Upgrade Cable – Tanchjim however sent me their upgrade cable too and I love it! The wire is 5N single crystal copper. It is covered in a black cloth sheath which looks very good and gives me an impression of being solidly built. The connectors and jack are of good quality too. This cable conducts better than the stock and is definitely an upgrade.
Fit and Comfort – Oxygen’s shells are extremely light to be comfortably worn for long periods but if you’re looking for a snug fit where the nozzle goes in and the rest of the shell fills up the concha, sadly this is where the Oxygen falls short. As some people reported, the nozzles really are short and stout. It would’ve been great if they had designed it to be a little bit longer. Nevertheless, the shells sit in my ear really well and don’t fall out if my shake my head heavily. Most of the time when I’m wearing it, I don’t even know they are there.
Sound Analysis – Tanchjim has tuned Oxygen very well along the lines of Harman Target curve and ensured that the bass goes deep, mids are transparent and treble is sparkly and clear. It has a very clean character with very good amount of details for a single dynamic driver.
Bass – Oxygen being a dynamic driver re-creates the bass really well. The sub-bass has good reach and mid-bass is tasteful, but in no way does it dominate the track. It’s very well balanced compared to the rest of the frequency spectrum yet very clear, crisp and impactful. Notes have good authority and are distinguishable even in heavy layered music. You can hear and feel the bass rumble in songs like Porcupine Tree’s ‘The Start of Something Beautiful’ and ‘Halo’. It got me pretty excited about the song and I heard them in loop a couple of times.
Mids – If you’re familiar with Harman mids, you know how they look on a graph. Oxygen’s mid dip is very natural and makes lower mids sound very clear. This complements the clarity in the upper mids perfectly. The resolution is extremely good too. As a result, in heavily layered songs, snare body or lower registers of vocals never get shadowed by pads, mid bass or synths.
Soundstage, Imaging and Separation – Oxygen’s soundstage has good width and depth. Hard panned guitars sound open and wide, and reverb have good depth to give you a realistic experience. Imaging is on point, with instruments placed accurately throughout the space. Separation for a single dynamic driver is commendable.
Comparisons –
Conclusion – Tanchjim deserves a pat on the back for tuning Oxygen. It is an excellent specimen of Harman tuning and is one of best sounding IEMs under $300. The build quality and packaging is great too. If only it had a better fit with shells being slightly bigger and the nozzles a bit longer, it would’ve been a perfect IEM that I would never want to part with ever in my life. Also, even though they include 2 cables in the package (one with mic), I wish they had chosen to include a single better-quality cable instead. Nevertheless, Tanchjim Oxygen is a very good IEM with great sound and I can recommend it for its sound and build quality, wholeheartedly!
Gear used for testing -
Disclaimer – The sample was provided for a test and review. I am not affiliated with the company and write this review with my best unbiased opinion regardless of how the review turns out.
Genre preferences- I majorly listen to rock, acoustic, pop and metal genres and occasionally checkout EDM music which is doing the rounds on the radio and charts.
About the product - Tanchjim Oxygen is a single 10mm dynamic driver in-ear monitor which sells for around $270. It is available in 2 color options, silver and black.
You can buy the Tanchjim Oxygen from Shenzhen Audio
Specifications-
- Driver Tech - 10mm Dynamic Driver
- Diaphragm Type: Carbon Nanotube Diaphragm
- Frequency response: 10–40,000 Hz
- Sensitivity: 110 dB
- Impedance: 32 ohms
- Plug: 1/8 in (3.5 mm) Gold-Plated Line Plug
- Cables: 1.2m OFC Silver Plated Cable Without Mic & 1.2m OFC Cable With Mic
- Interface:0.78mm 2Pin
- Oxygen
- 2 Cables – One with mic and one without.
- Silicone eartips – 7 pairs
- Carry Case
- Metal sticker with brand name and logo
- Warranty card, counterfeit protection card and short user guide
Build Quality – Tanchjim gave me choice of color and I chose black. The shells are made of metal and are finished very well. One shell spots their logo and the other spots the name ‘Oxygen’. The seam between the faceplate and the shell is done perfectly too. The color plating is so good that there isn’t a scratch on the shell or the nozzle in my 2 month’s usage. Or maybe I haven’t used them in extreme conditions enough. Haha
They’re one of the few companies who include 2 cables in this price range, one with mic and one without. But sadly, both the cables don’t live up to the premium feel of the package and IEMs. I would’ve been happier if they included a higher quality cable as stock in the package even if they had to chuck the mic cable to cut costs.
Tanchjim Upgrade Cable – Tanchjim however sent me their upgrade cable too and I love it! The wire is 5N single crystal copper. It is covered in a black cloth sheath which looks very good and gives me an impression of being solidly built. The connectors and jack are of good quality too. This cable conducts better than the stock and is definitely an upgrade.
Fit and Comfort – Oxygen’s shells are extremely light to be comfortably worn for long periods but if you’re looking for a snug fit where the nozzle goes in and the rest of the shell fills up the concha, sadly this is where the Oxygen falls short. As some people reported, the nozzles really are short and stout. It would’ve been great if they had designed it to be a little bit longer. Nevertheless, the shells sit in my ear really well and don’t fall out if my shake my head heavily. Most of the time when I’m wearing it, I don’t even know they are there.
Sound Analysis – Tanchjim has tuned Oxygen very well along the lines of Harman Target curve and ensured that the bass goes deep, mids are transparent and treble is sparkly and clear. It has a very clean character with very good amount of details for a single dynamic driver.
Bass – Oxygen being a dynamic driver re-creates the bass really well. The sub-bass has good reach and mid-bass is tasteful, but in no way does it dominate the track. It’s very well balanced compared to the rest of the frequency spectrum yet very clear, crisp and impactful. Notes have good authority and are distinguishable even in heavy layered music. You can hear and feel the bass rumble in songs like Porcupine Tree’s ‘The Start of Something Beautiful’ and ‘Halo’. It got me pretty excited about the song and I heard them in loop a couple of times.
Mids – If you’re familiar with Harman mids, you know how they look on a graph. Oxygen’s mid dip is very natural and makes lower mids sound very clear. This complements the clarity in the upper mids perfectly. The resolution is extremely good too. As a result, in heavily layered songs, snare body or lower registers of vocals never get shadowed by pads, mid bass or synths.
- Deep vocals in songs like Coldplay’s ‘Another’s Arms’ and ‘Yes’ have good depth, clarity and sound upfront without getting lost in the mix.
- Falsettos and higher range vocals in songs like Gavin James’ ‘Always’ and Maroon 5’s ‘Payphone’ always sound clear and crisp but never piercy.
- Acoustic guitars have good string clarity and presence but never sound sharp.
- Distortion guitars in songs like Breaking Benjamin’s ‘Diary of Jane’, Kanivool’s ‘Simple Boy’ and I Am Giant’s ‘Razor Wire Reality’ sound huge and have very good tonality, definition and clarity.
- Kicks have good attack and snares have good body and depth.
Soundstage, Imaging and Separation – Oxygen’s soundstage has good width and depth. Hard panned guitars sound open and wide, and reverb have good depth to give you a realistic experience. Imaging is on point, with instruments placed accurately throughout the space. Separation for a single dynamic driver is commendable.
Comparisons –
- Tanchjim Oxygen vs Moondrop KXXS ($189) – Oxygen and KXXS are similar in terms of build and the choice of driver but differ more in sound. Both are made up of metal shells. Both are available is shiny silver finish but Oxygen is also available in Black (the one I have). In terms of sound, Oxygen sounds organic, nicely balanced and earthy (lifelike like listening to the song in a studio), whereas KXXS has similar qualities but sounds a bit more open, airy with a slightly thinner character.
Bass and sub-bass in isolation are very similar. In order to gauge the quantity and quality, I listened to Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard’s ‘Why so serious’ at the 3:26 mark over and over again. After back and forth about 20 times, I’m still unsure which has more sub-bass, ummm....maybe KXXS. Oxygen on the other hand presents slightly more mid-bass in songs like Porcupine Tree’s ‘.3’. Vocals sound earthy in the Oxygen but sparkly in the KXXS. High mids are a bit more present in KXXS so acoustics, hi-hats and orchestral instruments have a bit more presence in tracks. Snares also have slightly more stick attack and smack in KXXS whereas Oxygen again sounds more organic.
Oxygen and KXXS are like brothers. Oxygen is the more mature brother whereas KXXS is the more adventurous and enthusiastic one. As for fit, KXXS fits much better than Oxygen but Oxygen has a lip for ear tips to stay in place.
- Tanchjim Oxygen vs Tansio Mirai TSMR-3Pro ($220) – Oxygen and 3Pro have different tech inside where Oxygen has a dynamic driver and 3Pro has 3BAs. Oxygen has more bass presence whereas 3Pro has slightly fuller mids in comparison. As a result, 3Pro has more snare slam and sounds a bit warmer, more towards neutral. On the other hand, Oxygen portrays a cleaner mids character because of the Harman dip in the mids. 3Pro has a bit more 3kHz presence and as a result distortion guitars in bands like Periphery and Lamb of God sound a bit more present in the mix. Treble in both sounds natural and compliments higher mids very well. There is no sibilance in either IEMs.
- Tanchjim Oxygen vs LZ A6 – A6 with its filters gives you more flexibility in tuning the sound signature. But considering LZ A6 with my favorite Red filter, I prefer Oxygen for its overall tonality, balance and character. A6 is energetically tuned with treble taking the lead whereas Oxygen in comparison sounds much better balanced and refined, targeting the Harman tuning.
Conclusion – Tanchjim deserves a pat on the back for tuning Oxygen. It is an excellent specimen of Harman tuning and is one of best sounding IEMs under $300. The build quality and packaging is great too. If only it had a better fit with shells being slightly bigger and the nozzles a bit longer, it would’ve been a perfect IEM that I would never want to part with ever in my life. Also, even though they include 2 cables in the package (one with mic), I wish they had chosen to include a single better-quality cable instead. Nevertheless, Tanchjim Oxygen is a very good IEM with great sound and I can recommend it for its sound and build quality, wholeheartedly!
Gear used for testing -
- Logic Pro X session with hi-res test tracks played through Universal Audio Apollo
- Macbook Pro
- Hiby R6 Pro
- Oneplus 7 Pro