Tangzu Wan'er S.G

Intro/Disclaimer​

The Tangzu Wan’er has garnered quite the following since its release in late 2022. It is often the de facto standard when someone in the Audiophile community asks for a neutral tuned sub $20 IEM recommendation. So, how does this single dynamic transducer compare to others in the same price category? Read on to find out.

I purchased this set of IEMs with my own money and all opinions are my own. My review is solely based on what I hear with my own two ears as this is a very subjective hobby. My ratings are also based on how I think this IEM fares against others in the same price category.

My primary litmus test when it comes to audio gear is whether or not vocals and instruments sound natural/organic. Regardless if the IEM has the biggest bass or the most technical treble. If it doesn’t sound natural to my ears then it’s a red flag. SPOILER: The Wan’er definitely delivers on this front.

Packaging and accessories​

Standard cardboard sleeve packaging that you see with all other IEMs around this price range but it’s what’s inside that matters. Along with the IEMs, you get six pairs of tips and a decent 5N oxygen free high-purity cable. I’m also happy to announce that instead of a typical waifu on the box, the artwork is a homage to Wan’er SG, the first and only female prime minister recorded in imperial Chinese history.

The included tip selection is also quite good as it includes my favorite ACOUSTUNE AET07/KBEAR 07 style tips

Build, Comfort and Fit​

The build of this IEM consists of a semi-translucent polycarbonate plastic shell which comes in Black, White, or Emerald Green. The shell is of medium size and fits reasonably well in the ear. However, I do start to experience some discomfort after having them in my ears for more than 30 minutes. The IEM also uses the less common QDC type 2-pin connector.

Sound​

Sources Used
Tangzu Wan’er <- Chord Mojo 2 <- MacMini M1 <- Apple Music Lossless

Songs played






Initial impressions (before brain burn in)
I usually like to jot down my first impressions within the first few minutes of listening to a new IEM. Because, believe it or not, brain burn-in is a real thing.

Upon listening to the first few songs in my library, I was immediately impressed with the lush midrange and impactful bass. The timbre and tonality on the Wan’er is spot on. Male and female vocals have adequate note weight and instruments sound very natural. There is decent treble extension in the upper frequency ranges but not harsh or sibilant.

Lows (Bass)

• Clean, controlled and impactful
• Excellent midbass thump which adds engagement to the music
• Lacks texture (one dimensional)

Mids

• Top tier timbre and tonality for under $20
• Excellent presentation of both male and female vocals
• Subtle warmth that adds some nice richness to the mids

Highs (Treble)

• Good clarity and natural sounding
• Smooth and detailed without being sibilant
• Lacks simmer and sparkle on tracks that fall in that genre

Technicalities (Soundstage/Separation/Imaging)

• Decent resolution and imaging
• Good micro-details
• Soundstage is average for this price range
• Great coherency due to single driver

Comparisons​

While there are many good sub-$20 IEMs in the market now, I will compare the Wan’er in this review to the 7Hz Salnotes Zero OG.

On first listen, I immediately noticed the increased bass presence on the Wan’er that is missing from the Zero. It makes the music I listen to immediately more fun and engaging. The mid-range on the Wan’er is also quite balanced with good timbre and tonality. Both male and female vocals sound extremely musical. Treble is also smooth with good extension.

So is the Wan’er the better IEM in this price bracket? Not necessarily, if I had to choose, nine times out of ten I would choose the OG Zero. The Zero just has a much cleaner musical presentation of vocals and instruments. Not to mention the above average soundstage and imaging capabilities. I also did not like the fit of the Wan’er compared to the Zero.

However, if you have a bass heavy playlist then I can see where you might want to pick the Wan’er as it just hits harder in exchange for some clarity up top.

Conclusion​

So does the Tangzu Wan’er SG still compete in 2024? I think so. You can often find the IEM selling for around $15 USD during sales. At that price, it’s a no brainer. This is an excellent neutral-warm budget set that is great for gifts and/or those new to the IEM world. The tuning you can get from IEMs sub-20 dollars is truly remarkable as it was only a few years ago you had to pay at least $60+ to get decent tuning. The value proposition you get out of the Wan’er is truly remarkable even by today’s standards.

Source(s)

• Conexant (CX-Pro) CX31993
  • Adds some brightness and sparkle in the treble.
  • Reduce a little bit of warmth in the midrange, making the bass cleaner.

Ear tips

• Acoustune AET07
  • Fairly neutral ear tips with a decently hard stem for a comfortable fit.

Packaging

• Comes with a decent amount of accessories
  • IEM.
  • Cleaning cloth
  • Wide selection of ear tips.
    • 3 pairs of narrow bore silicone tips (S, M, L)
    • 3 pairs of wide bore silicon tips (S, M, L)
  • Cable
    • Decent, thin and braided but tangles a little bit sometimes.
    • Should be a slight improvement over the clear/black version from what I remembered when I tried the Wan Er in my local store.

Build Quality

• Lightweight.
• Plasticky body.
• Build quality is only average and cheap.

Fit

• Nozzle width and length is average.
• Shell does not have an ergonomic design to complement the ear cavity shape like the Moondrop Aria or the Letshuoer x Gizaudio Galileo. Unfortunately, this does affect the overall comfort for me.
• I was able to listen on short period of time comfortably but it gets a bit uncomfortable and painful after extended use (3-4 hours).

Tonality

• Mild V-shaped.

Bass

• Bass is quite balanced with the mid bass taking a slight lead.
• Impactful, has good mid bass slam, decent rumble and depth, texture and definition is more on the average side but not bad by any means.
• However, the speed is a little on the slower side and it is not the most well controlled bass, which bleeds a little bit into the midrange but not necessarily a bad thing.
• Good amount of bass, very satisfying but never too overpowering.

Midrange

• Midrange is warm and natural.
• Vocals has a nice weight and body to the, which makes them sound full and lush.
  • Female vocals are a step more forward and energetic compared to male vocals, but is a little fatiguing and shouty to me after long listening sessions, depending on tracks too.
• Most of the instruments sounded natural, but due to the thicker note weight, strings like acoustic guitars is affected a little more by that thickness.

Treble

• Treble is sparkly on the lower region but rolls off in the mid and upper region.
• Overall, it is quite smooth and not harsh.
• However, it does lacks a sense of airiness since it doesn't extends well into the upper region.

Technicalities

Resolution

• Resolution is decent and competent for the price but not the best in this bracket.
• It sits somewhere in between the Truthear Hola and the 7hz Salnotes Zero, differences between the 3 are minor but noticeable in my opinion.

Soundstage

• Soundstage is average, which sounds a little compressed and in your head but not a huge problem for an IEM at this price point.

Imaging

• Imaging and accuracy is also average, I am able to tell where the instruments and vocals come from but only roughly.
• Gaming:
  • Apex Legends: Sound of footsteps and gunfire can be pinpointed in the correct direction but hard to pinpoint it exactly.

Separation

• Separation and layering is quite decent for a single DD budget set. Most instruments in busier tracks are layered well enough without feeling too overwhelmingly congested.

Conclusion

• Great starting point as a first IEM as it is very well balanced, versatile, and affordable.
  • Truthear Hola leans towards the warm and relaxing side.
  • 7hz Salnotes Zero leans towards the bright and sparkly side.

• This is my absolute favorite budget set of all. Fun, exciting, while being not too offensive at the same time. Very enjoyable, easy to listen tonality and decent technicalities, what else could I have asked for at this price range?
  • Have spent almost 3 weeks using the Wan Er daily and I genuinely enjoyed listening to it a lot.

Thanks for reading!

02 / 08 / 2023 update;

I increased my score from 4 / 5 to 4.5 / 5. This model is one of my favorite models in the budget segment, very well set. I have passed dozens of products in a similar segment, Waner was one of the best. comfort, setting, whatever you are looking for

Remember your last hype trains? truthear hola, waner sg. I'm here with waner today, let's see if waner is an exaggeration or is it really good?



Box contents;

- Ear tips I forgot the number of
- iems cleaning cloth with waner picture on it
- cable
- iems

There is also a waner picture on the box, it doesn't look like a iem box.





cleaning cloth;



iem and cable quality;

We see a waner made of resin, with different engravings on it. I remember that the black one had different lines in the embroidery. Mine is transparent and free from quality control issues. I would say average for this price band, personally I like the color. The quality is also fine.



sound quality;

It has a slightly warm and balanced sound, it certainly doesn't feel muffled. What I will say next is for the price band.


bass;

The bass is tight, voluminous and punchy. When I look at the price band, I come across a lot of bass sounds that bleed so little. A few years ago we could find v-shaped headphones with plenty of bass at these prices, quite a nice improvement.


mids;

As the vocals should be, as a vocal lover, I did not feel the vocals behind. Assuming I'm pretty careful about it, the waner vokla is a good iems. The instruments that show themselves on the mid-frequency graph are quite shallow in detail, if they were a little better, they would definitely be one of the few headphones that I can call the best in the headphone segment.


treble;

-It's definitely not too bright at normal volume, and the glow isn't bad either. I would say average for the price band, maybe they could have been a little more detailed. When you turn the volume up, things change and the trebles start to mix and if you are sensitive to treble like me, you start to feel cold even from this earphone. Wrong headphone for listening too loud.


timbre accuracy;

The timbre accuracy is fine, it plays naturally. I would give 8.1/10. Vocals and instruments play very naturally, I really like the timbre of it because it has a slightly warm voice character.


resolution;

I think the biggest deficiency of waner starts here. The resolution is generally low compared to its competitors, it does not play in detail. If you care about details, I recommend you to look for different options. Too many details fail without detail processing. Maybe this is the reason why waner can't compete with products in the 30-35 dollar band, if it had a little more detail success, it could definitely compete with a higher league.


comfort;

The iems is resin, and when it is light, it is already comfortable. When a small earmuff is added to this, I can listen to it for hours. I would easily say 8.5/10.



last word;

I have quite a few earphones in the 0-200 dollar band and I like to listen to waner on a daily basis the most. I use these headphones, especially when watching videos on platforms such as youtube, not like other headphones. Added to this very good comfort, the waner has become one of my favorite headphones. For something $20 it exceeded my expectations, highly recommend.



I ordered the headset through hifigo and they gave a discount. Thank you for that, I don't have any affiliation with hifigo other than waner. I ordered theiem from this store.
hifigo store
https://a.aliexpress.com/_EHD4nVj