TANGZU AUDIO X FLASH ACOUSTICS: Zetian Wu Legend

- Introduction -
Hello friends, today in the review we will consider planar headphones from the company Tangzu cost 259$.
They come in a huge box with a very beautiful design where on the front part there is a large illustration of the Empress Zetian Wu, there is a logo of the company Tangzu, and Flash Acoustics which especially for these headphones made a very beautiful cable, and also indicated the name of this model Zetian Wu Legend.

- Technical specifications -
Drivers: Planar driver 14.2mm + Planar driver 6mm
Sensivity: 106.5dB
Impedance: 12.5Ω
Frequency Range: 20Hz-20kHz
Plug type: 3.5mm jack or 4.4mm jack
- Let's take a look at what's included -
1.High quality audio cable with 2 pin connectors and a balanced 4.4 mm jack.

2.Very large branded case to store both headphones and ear cushions, and pay attention to the fact that inside here everything is separately separated by dividers, which is very cool.

3.A card with a picture of the Empress.

4.Tangzu Eartips.

5.IEM
The headphones are quite small, made entirely of metal, and look very cool to me due to the use of mother-of-pearl plate, which is extracted from the shells of mollusks known as abalone, and the design of the panel in the form of a lotus I really like it!

And here is a standard 2 pin connector for cable connection, and there are two holes for compensation, and one more is on the inner part of the earphone where the channel marking is indicated next to it.

And the sound guide of these headphones is quite small, not too long and has a diameter of 5mm, and additionally protected by a black filter and got a side for better fixation of the ear tips.

And sit in the ears of these headphones is just excellent, as they are really small, they have a sound guide as for me just optimal, so and with soundproofing everything is quite good and most importantly that the fit is deep enough, well, and the complete cable in these headphones is really good, comfortable, very light and absolutely not tangled, and to change it makes no sense, well, and most importantly that the set here is also three sets of branded silicone ear tips Tangzu, personally I advise you to put balanced or wide if you want to emphasize the high frequencies, and so it's up to you to choose to your taste in any case, you can also try others without problems.

- Tuning and Conception -
Well now let's talk about how the Tangzu Zetian Wu Legend planar headphones sound, and this is how their frequency response graph looks like, and these headphones have a bass boost of 8dB, with a smooth transition to the lower midrange, and the main accent in the upper midrange here will be at about the level of my target, and I'm glad that these headphones were not tuned for Harman target, and on the contrary, these headphones are extremely familiar to me, with the most neutral and balanced character, because these are not basshead headphones, and not too energetic in the upper midrange, and at the same time, well, just truly with a magnificent high frequencies without any obvious failures, which is just perfect for my target, but of course I have to tell you right away that these are not dark headphones, because in the treble they are very well liberated, and here they reminded me very much of the recently released Myer Audio CK2V, and the new top-tier tribrid headphones DUNU DK3001BD review which I released a couple of days ago, and for the most part these headphones share very fast transients, attacks, very long aftersounds, and of course overall transparency and clarity in the sound, due to the use of micro planar drivers, so when listening to them I immediately thought of these headphones, very similar character is definitely there, but otherwise Tangzu sound different, so now let's analyze the sound of these headphones in more detail!

- Low Frequencies -
Low frequencies in these headphones are neat, not bass-headed at all, and first of all very textured and transparent. Yes, this is exactly the case when the bass does not tend to suppress other frequencies as in more bass-headed models, and as neatly blends into the overall sound picture, creating a natural depth and airiness of sound.
The sub-bass in these headphones certainly does not have some super outrageous power as in Kiwi Punch, but its depth is clearly felt, without any blurriness and hum. And I would say that it manifests itself as if in the form of competently given, and well perceptible vibration, which already adds to the music the necessary fundamentality without any noticeable overload and excessive emphasis on itself.
The mid-bass, on the other hand, demonstrates the classic presentation of purely planar drivers - it's fast, precise and resilient. Drum hits have a very fast attack, and bass guitar sounds rich and textured, allowing you to hear both the smallest nuances of sound production, and very well audible saturation and distortion.
And in general, when listening to electronics or hip hop, which is the first thing I test bass frequencies on, in these genres every blow of the mid bass is felt extremely clearly, and the overall texture gives you the opportunity to distinguish even subtle transitions between the blows and any background vibrations. But in rock and very heavy metal it emphasizes the energy and relief of guitar riffs, and in jazz and acoustic genres you can clearly hear every movement of the double bass or the soft vibrations of the cello.
But what is particularly impressive in these headphones is the density and elasticity of the bass. Since given that we have here planar headphones, with quite good bass amplification of 8dB, it has excellent punch and speed, so that even complex rhythmic parts sound intelligible and extremely dynamic.
Yes, and control in these headphones is definitely at the height as the bass never overpowers excessive attention to itself, and most importantly does not blur the midrange and does not make the sound unnecessarily dark or analog fat as in already very warm models. That is, in these headphones it remains very clean, detailed and perfectly integrated into the overall sound picture, as competent and balanced as possible.
And even when listening to these headphones at a higher volume, the low frequencies retain their clarity and structure. They do not overload your ears with any excessive mega massive pressure, but create the most natural and pleasant basis for the rest of the frequencies. So, friends, this is the type of sound that is ideal for those who appreciate the balance between technicality and musicality, preferring not just a massive bass, but a truly detailed, lively and dynamic embodiment of it.
- Mid Frequencies -
Well, the midrange in Tangzu Zetian Wu Legend has the most neutral and balanced character with a great bias towards warm presentation. They are presented very evenly, not tense, without any dips and unnecessary peaks, which makes the sound in these headphones despite the use of a planar driver, timbral very natural and comfortable.
At the same time, I note that the midrange does not seem at all boring or lifeless, but on the contrary, it is rich, energetic and driving, with excellent transparency and dynamics, which is characteristic of just planar drivers, so in this respect everything here for me was maximally expected, as they say, what I expected I got, so Tangzu did not deceive us when they wrote in this card that Zetian Wu Legend is already tuned for neutral and warm tuning, and yes friends, I was convinced of it, it really is so.

And of course, when it comes to vocals, these headphones deliver them very cleanly and naturally, without any excessive harshness or excessive analog softness. Voices sound bodily and due to a slight amplification of the lower midrange area acquire a characteristic volume and weight, with the right tonal balance and a slight added warmth, giving them liveliness especially noticeable on male voices. Whereas female vocals in their presentation are very detailed, open, transparent, not going into some kind of shouting and brightness, and it is really pleasant to the ear with clear articulation and very natural intonation, and I am very pleased that there is no darkness or tightness in the vocal presentation, on the contrary, the voices as to me in these headphones are revealed as it is supposed to be, and in space are perceived not stupidly in mono in the center, and very even wide as if extended in front of us in a wide soundstage.
And the instruments in this range sound very natural and expressive in timbre. Guitars are delivered with literally magnificent attack and rich texture, in the overall mix they are clearly delineated, but not overdried, retaining a good sense of depth and body of the instrument. Well, the piano in classical music reveals itself literally in its entirety, demonstrating both the natural shades of the sound of the keys, and their softness or a little added accentuated rigidity depending on the style of performance.
Well and string instruments certainly have a good layering and natural resonance, but the wind instruments sound very lively and rich, without any excessive brightness or loss of detail, especially for testing different instruments I advise you to listen to a whole album of soundtracks to the game Witcher 3, these headphones perfectly arrange absolutely all the songs in it, and the first version of Tangzu did it very well, but these headphones guys this is a different level, even better resolution, more increased overall transparency and texture in this range, so as for me it is definitely a serious upgrade.
And most importantly, the midrange energy characteristic of planar headphones is preserved to the maximum. Since the transients are very fast, detailed and have excellent dynamics, each note is transmitted with a natural attack and smooth decay, which makes the sound as realistic and rich as possible. Music in these headphones does not fall apart into separate sounds, but is presented very coherently and musically, with an excellent sense of rhythm and timbral balance.
And thanks to this combination of neutrality, warmth, drive and richness, the midrange in Tangzu Zetian Wu Legend is suitable for absolutely any genre. They don't overload the mix, but they don't get lost in the background either, they remain very clean, dynamic and natural, making the delivery balanced and comfortable.
- High Frequencies -
Well, the treble in the Tangzu Zetian Wu Legend is one of the greatest strengths of these headphones. Because they certainly have some slight added emphasis, but they are so clean and technical that the sound remains comfortable even with super detailed and careful analysis of tracks. There is no unnecessary unpleasant brightness or rough emphasizing, but there is some amazing informativeness, thanks to which you can hear the smallest nuances of the recording, and here they are already very much aspire to the headphones from the previous review dunu braindance.
Since the technicality and detail here is performed at a very high level absolutely any sounds in this range are transmitted quickly and accurately, without any smearing or artificial softening.
The microdynamics are also excellent, you can clearly hear how the decay of the cymbals changes, how the sound of stringed instruments opens up, or how deep the aftertouch is in well-recorded vocal parts.
But the main trump card of these high frequencies is definitely the gorgeous transparency and overall airiness of this range. The headphones make it feel as if the upper range is literally breathing, giving the space maximum openness and natural lightness. This effect is exactly the characteristic of a truly high-quality planar headphone, which is capable of reproducing high frequencies with minimal distortion and maximum intelligibility.
And of course it is worth mentioning attack and speed separately and here they are literally one of the best in their class. In fast recordings, cymbals and percussion sound sharp and very crisp, but without any residual ringing or sand.
Transients in these headphones occur instantly, without loss of accuracy, which makes rhythmic and very heavy metal and rock music especially lively and energetic, that is, fans to listen to heavy instrumental so even mixed with rough and powerful male vocals here will definitely be satisfied.
At the same time I will note that these headphones have one more important feature, it is the comfort of delivery.
Despite the high I would even say literally excessive level of detail, the sound here does not overload your hearing, and remains natural and to some extent smooth. That is, it's not those highs that prickle or squeeze you and make you as quickly as possible to say well, that's enough with me, let me go better rest from the headphones, but rather it's exactly those high frequencies that emphasize the space, create the width of the scene and add a greater sense of presence within the composition.
And in the end, the Tangzu Zetian Wu Legend are, to me, headphones with a delightfully well-crafted, detailed and technical treble. They have excellent speed, stunning transparency, filigree intelligibility and enough softness to remain more comfortable even in long listening sessions.
- Sound Stage -
And the soundstage in Tangzu Zetian Wu Legend feels natural, open and well-organized. It doesn't strive to artificially inflate the space, but at the same time it gives enough air and volume for the sound to be free and comfortable.
The space here turned out to be moderately wide, rather than something excessively extreme. Instruments are not scattered on the edges of the stage, but they are not squeezed into one heap in the center, as they take their clearly natural positions, creating the effect of a more realistic arrangement.
And vocals and lead instruments remain clearly focused, but not pressed so to say close to the listener, and some background reverberations for example listening to ambient music form a very pleasant light background, adding more depth.
Which in these headphones I think is expressed perfectly, but I will note that it is not excessive.
As the instruments and different layers of sounds are placed very logically, drums and bass guitar are felt a little further away, and vocals are a little forward in the construction of the soundstage, and here are various atmospheric elements and some spectacular reverberations as if floating in space, creating a great sense of volume.
As a result, the sound remains very fascinating, in a way not ordinary, without becoming either too close or too distant from you.
And what's really impressive is the positioning and separation of the instruments. Planar speed and clarity allow you to clearly distinguish each sound source, be it cymbals, guitars, keyboards or even subtle background details. And in very layered tracks the instruments do not merge with each other into one incomprehensible heap, but remain easily distinguishable, as if they can be grabbed and literally considered separately.
And thanks to such a stage, the Tangzu Zetian Wu Legend give a nice immersive effect, allowing you not just to listen to the music, but to really feel and be in that space. They don't create some artificially huge soundstage, but perfectly convey the most natural depth, airiness and separation that makes listening from simpler contemporary music to very heavy instrumental music as fun, organized and comfortable as possible.
My conclusion on this headphones!
Well, the conclusion on planar headphones Tangzu Zetian Wu Legend I got the following, without any doubt guys this is another great headphones, which I boldly recommend to buy, as for me now it is an ideal option for those who listen to purely planar headphones, without any there armature radiators and dynamic driver, as it is the most planar technical and characteristic headphones, with the most beautiful transients fast attack, very dynamic and textural bass, and a stunning neutral middle with very detailed and transparent high frequencies, and the soundstage of these headphones as for me deserves special praise, it is wide and deep, and just with a stunning drawing of plans and separate layers, in general, guys unequivocally recommend to take these headphones!
Buy this headphones on Linsoul Official Website: https://www.linsoul.com/products/tangzu-zetian-wu-legend

My first formal review! These are pretty quirky IEMs. An extra serving of treble energy, more of an analytical approach, and a neural-cold tilted tonality with well textured bass. Now, these do have the Planar timbre that make it harsh in the upper mids when passing a certain volume, so you have been warned.

Bass- First thing that came to mind was clean. You get the mid-bass impact, and the sub-bass is well extended. Texture is well done, and it scales very well with EQ. Definitely basshead material once you bump it up.

Mids- The lower mids are coming off a fairly neutral-sounding bass so I wouldn’t call these warm. I'm hearing very good resolution, and they seem to pick up and bring forth the little nuances in vocals that can be more subdued in other sets. Pretty neutral sounding riding into the upper mids where you run into that planar timbre. I personally get irritated with that sound. FR curves don’t really pick up the intensity of this particular sound, and it needs a sharp drop in a certain region to take care of it. Again, this isn’t just a Legend issue, but a planar issue in general. More on that later.

Highs- Boosted for sure. Very revealing and static-y sounding. At first I liked it, but after extended listening and some A-B’ing with some other stuff, it gets old. There is a peak in the treble that gives you artificial detail, and it doesn’t sound natural to me. Naturalness is a big deal to me. Overall, the 6mm is doing a great job at resolution and microdetail, but it can be a bit too much at times.

Soundstage & Imaging- I’d say it’s on the wider side. The treble peak gives you some depth, but again it doesn’t sound natural to me. The added noise to the soundstage from the treble boost starts off as a neat experience and quickly turns into an annoyance that needs to be turned down some. Now, if there are large peaks and dips in the FR curve, then that can have a drastic effect on how the stage is presented to you and how accurate imaging is. Imaging on these is pinpoint due to the elevated treble highlighting those nuances, and the dedicated 6mm unit does wonders for transients in the highs, but the background is kind of fuzzy due to the treble energy. Vocals aren’t quite in your head but just outside your ears singing to you from a short gap. Overall, I like the stage these give, but again, they need some EQ to tame some of the highlights.

EQ- Here’s the big one. These are fairly sensitive to EQ, and after adjusting the problem areas with these, they become a spectacular listen.

Bass- I’m a bit of a basshead, so I need a bump in the sub-bass frequencies. 30Hz, +6dB, peak filter, qfactor 0.6: excellent response here. You still retain the midbass texture without the sub-bass bleeding into the mids. Now these have authority, and I’m hearing some of the cleanest 808s I’ve ever heard out of an IEM. These can go deep and are still clean. Kickdrum initial transients translate well with a nice crunch while enjoying a weighty, clean and fast decay. At basshead levels, this is some of the best bass I’ve ever heard in an IEM.

Mids- That planar timbre on these can be tamed pretty decisively with a 2KHz peak filter, -4dB, qfactor 1. Now the upper mids aren’t harsh at higher volumes and aren’t fatiguing anymore. That planar timbre takes on a very harsh character once you pass a certain loudness threshold. Snares are brutal, and dropping 2KHz down takes care of it. The FR curve might look odd, but it works very well. Now, the mids sound neutral, clear and non-fatiguing. Bringing up 4KHz +3dB peak qfactor 2 helps balance out the 2KHz dip and blend into the lower treble.

Highs- the 6mm unit is putting out a peak at 10KHz, and that peak is what’s putting out that static-y artificial detail in the highs. Then, it crashes way down into around 12KHz. I did a peak filter at 10KHz -8dB, qfactor 5 to tame that resonance there. Then, I brought up 12.5KHz a bit to balance out the rest of the treble: peak +5dB qfactor 5. What does this do? It removes the extra energy while retaining the qualities of the 6mm unit. Still detailed, but now the treble sounds detailed and delicate without sounding artificial. Very satisfying treble now. Resolving without the microdetails being overemphasized.

Soundstage & Imaging- With the treble adjustment, the static is gone, the background is black, and details seem to pop up out of nowhere now. That 10KHz peak veiled the imaging. The stage on these is very enjoyable now.

Comfort- The shell is smooth and a bit on the wider side. Inserting them is very comfortable and they sit right on the curve of your ears. They did a great job with ergonomics on these.

Cable- It’s a thick 2 core 4.4mm-only cable. I only use 4.4mm, and I’m overall pretty happy with it. The cable is light, slim, flexible, and it doesn’t tangle very easily. Good color too. I personally love angled connectors which these are unfortuntely not, but those are hard to come by in 4.4mm flavors. However, there is an inherent reliability factor with it being terminated strictly in 4.4mm. Press-fit tips can fatigue over time and short. Threaded tips are good. This one is direct 4.4mm. No complaints here.

Driveability- No issues with Topping G5. Medium gain is all you’ll ever need unless you want to put it on high gain for short bursts- it’ll handle extreme volume with no distortion. Driveability is about the same as your typical 14.xmm single planar type IEM out there, which is on the hungrier side, but not Dynaquattro hungry.

Overall: These are technical maestros with FR issues. But hey, these are a poor man’s Astrolith, so if you want to get the most out of these, you need to EQ. If planar timbre doesn’t bother you, if you love detail and an analytical sound, then these are right down your alley. I personally wouldn’t touch these without a parametric EQ to dial them in, but once you do, ho boy. These things are amazing.


Bonus, FR Talk:

I used Audio Amigo’s measurement as reference, and to my ears the peaks I was hearing was spot on. Jaytiss’s was a little off for my sample, and I didn’t hear the roll-off in the sub-bass that was measured on his sample. Not to say his was inaccurate, but my sample just happened to line up better with Audio Amigo’s better. Always toy with different measurements to find the one that best represents your sample…unless you have an IEC-711 setup of your own to dial your IEMs in near perfectly. I export a wavelet profile- a godsend software for EQ tweakers on Android.

Anyway, the large bass boost wakes up the rumble in the 14mm unit without sacrificing texture and bleeding into the lower mids. Smooth transition into the midrange. However, it still doesn’t sound warm to me. This is an uncolored low end which is an oddity that I kind of like. Usually, bassy sets sound warm, but these are bassy yet neutral even when boosted like this.

The 2KHz filter is a big one here. It’s a visibly large drop in the upper mids, but it’s necessary to tame the planar timbre.

4KHz isn’t that noticeable, but I had a dip in that area after dropping 2k, so I brought it up some. I’d say it’s complimentary to the 2KHz drop, but not a necessary adjustment. It gives that region a bit more presence.1

I usually skip the 8KHz peaks in graphs because the majority of the time the peak is caused by coupler resonance and isn’t representative of what you actually hear. 8KHz sounds good to me.

The 10KHz peak on the other hand, is definitely audible and needed to get dropped. You see how the peak digs into the 12KHz region? But now you’re running into uncharted territory since IEC-711 couplers aren’t very accurate past 10KHz. I decided to bring it up some anyway, and I don’t dislike what I’m hearing so I let it stay. Plus, the FR curve looks a little smoother.

Hope you enjoyed the read!

UPDATE: I've been logging some hours on these as my daily drivers, and I have to note a potentially major issue with these IEMs. These have a very dense tuning mesh at the outlet, and if you have moist ears like I do, they can get easily clogged and create some major channel balance issues. If you naturally have moist ears, and/or are active then I recommend you steer clear of these...unless you don't mind swapping in a more breathable mesh and using some EQ magic.