Tangzu Wan'er S.G

TANGZU Wan'er S.G
HiFi 10mm Dynamic Driver PET Diaphragm in Ear Earphone

• 10mm Dynamic Driver, Remarkable Performance
• Dual Cavity Chamber, Fine Tuning
• Durable & Reliable 0.78mm 2Pin 5N OFC Cable
• Ergonomic Shape, Comfortable Fit

$19.00
https://www.linsoul.com/products/tangzu-waner-s-g?variant=43530411180249

Linsoul website: https://www.linsoul.com/
Linsoul Aliexpress Store: https://ddaudio.aliexpress.com/store/2894006
Linsoul USA Amazon Store link: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=merchant-items&me=A267P2DT104U3C

Disclaimer:
I want to thank Kareena of Linsoul for the love and the TANGZU Wan'er S.G Universal IEM review sample.

Disclaimer:
These are one persons ideas and concepts, your results may vary.

Equipment Used:
Sony WM1Z Walkman DAP MrWalkman Firmware 4.4mm and 3.5mm
Sony WM1A Walkman DAP MrWalkman Firmware 4.4mm and 3.5mm
Sony TA-ZH1ES DAC/AMP Firmware 1.03
Electra Glide Audio Reference Glide-Reference Standard "Fatboy" Power Cord
Sony Walkman Cradle BCR-NWH10
AudioQuest Carbon USB
UA3 Dongle DAC/Amplifier 4.4mm and 3.5mm

Driver 10 mm dynamic driver
Distortion Rate <0.5%
Sensitivity 107dB (1kHz)
Channel Difference 1dB (1kHz)
Impedance 20 ohm
Frequency range 20-20kHz
Cable Material 5N OFC 4 braid 38 wire (0.05)
Cable Length 1.2m± 5%
Interface 0.78mm 2Pin Connector

What’s in the Package
Wan’er S.G IEM
5N OFC Cable
Cleaning cloth
3 pairs of Silicon ear-tips (balanced)
3 pairs of Silicon ear-tips (vocal)




TANGZU:
While I have only had the opportunity to hear one other TANGZU product, it was a doozy! That’s right, probably my favorite Planar IEM out of 10 Planar IEMs in my possession. Now at first that single fact may not resonate upon reading it. The best of ten? That means all year long additions of Planar IEMs examples and 8 reviews written about them. While the ZETIAN WU isn’t the most analytical it is definitely musical.

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/th...ar-in-ear-monitors.26114/reviews#review-29383

To make a long story short there is also a new version of the ZETIAN WU where they tuned the frequency response to provide a slightly more even (not so V shaped) character. So simply taking off a little from the treble and a little from the bass possibly offers more view into the midrange, I don’t know I haven’t heard it. But that’s a pretty good explanation of what is going on. Today I am challenging the Wan’er S.G IEM against a legend, the Salnotes 7Hz Zero. But I may be a little late to the party? Who knows? Maybe not? Probably still, these two are still totally competitive and at battle. While Salnotes really offered the world a new idea of quality in sound for the under $20 realm, the Wan’er S.G IEM is doing exactly the same. Only some places now offer the Salnotes 7Hz Zero for a new price of $24.99, the Wan’er S.G IEM remains true to that wonderful under $20.00 price point. Years and years of passed since the value sector of the industry started to show just what could be acquired for under $20.00. To be honest I left that exact value segment in 2019, as I thought I was too good for it. But just like it can, the value segment started to pull me back in. Stories of great sound and little cash expenditure perked my interest. Not to bore you but looking at my list of equipment, I have had a history going as far back as 2010 when I started to truly find love in cheap IEMs. And while the Wan’er S.G IEM is not perfect, it does summersaults which endear it, somehow wiggling into the limelight............being just what you want for $19.00, providing a sound to enjoy your afternoon by.


The Salnotes 7Hz Zero IEM v The Wan’er S.G IEM

First you’ll note how the Pinna gain arrives at 2.5 kHz instead of like the Zero at just short of 3.5 kHz. This may not look on the surface to be a big deal, yet this is exactly where our hearing is most sensitive. Little changes in the pinna gain area affect how the whole signature is ultimately perceived. And I took time comparing the two way before seeing how it plays out on this graph. In hearing it almost sounds like the midrange is brighter or slightly more forward and in contrast to the slightly more sleepy ways of the Zero. While the amount of frequency is similar on both, note how the The Wan’er S.G IEM is just slightly bigger covering more ground. That’s kinda how I hear it…..less laid back. Then the second treble peak for the The Wan’er S.G IEM at 8 kHz, where the Zero takes until 10 kHz to peak. And while the after 10 kHz is debatable as to accuracy, the Zero has way more playful itemizations of trebles going-on, and that is exactly what you hear. In fact my main take-away from my first listening secession was the fact that I called it “typical for the price-range” treble details. Remember too, that this style of perception depends deeply on what IEMs you were listening to prior. And in fact that first impression of the The Wan’er S.G IEM was after using more expensive IEMs with a more involved treble and enhanced dexterity in high-pitched playback. Yet I was right regardless of prior exposure, that if anything we still have the 6 kHz anti-sibilance dip, and graphically the Zero and the The Wan’er S.G IEM are almost the same when it comes to bass. But is it in reality?



Bass:
The Wan’er S.G IEM v The Salnotes 7Hz Zero IEM
First off the Wan’er S.G is slightly more efficient which makes comparisons more difficult, but with the included bass it comes off about the same quality. Really though, in the end the Wan’er S.G is slightly more vibrant. Moving the two peaks of the Wan’er S.G’s output to the left increases what almost could be interpreted as brightness? While it’s interesting as the main issue people have with the Zero is it’s lack of bass presence. In my Zero review I still enjoyed the bass playback, while the bass in general (while still there) but is not the main focus of the replay, where it’s more about how the Zero does midrange which is so captivating! And.......the same goes for the Wan’er S.G, only it’s midrange happens to come-off even more vivid, which in the end sounds almost like a clearer IEM……….almost?

Midrange:
The Wan’er S.G IEM v The Salnotes 7Hz Zero IEM:
The mids are where 80% of the information is, in fact little is often talked about the importance of midrange as often bass artifacts or treble artifacts remain of higher noticeability. Meaning often the midrange is just a given that it’s there and doing its job. When in fact that job is in reality the whole sound almost of what the IEM is doing. The character of the mids is behind the scene and of less noticeability, because in reality it’s bigger and takes more precedence, but there is less you can do with it and get away! Where giant treble shelfs get interjected into the highs, or tremendous bass excursions get brought into play............there is simply a more critical and less flexible area inside of the pinna gain due to its inherit sensitivity to any change. The other ways change is brought about is the relationships to bass and treble energies and to the effect which they are perceived in relationship the pinna gain. So it can be put into less dominance through extra energies in the treble/bass. Here regardless of those factors the actual midrange itself (in a way) are almost identical. It’s really the 2 kHz to 17 kHz range where these two (slightly) pull apart, yet of course that upper Wan'er S.G (treble) area is emits far less persuasive energies into the mix, in relation to the pinna gain area. Such upper treble energies could almost be looked at as jewelry in affect, they add a tone but it’s ornamental at best and often lacking any emotional connection like you would find with-in the midrange. And of course this isn’t always the case, as some super bright IEMs challenge the midrange for emotional movement as do bass heavy IEMs, which create a fuss no matter what music is playing due to heavy bass influx.

Treble:
The Wan’er S.G IEM v The Salnotes 7Hz Zero IEM:
Laughably the treble (while tuned down to equalize volume) is dramatic to the point of almost calling the Wan’er S.G the better IEM. There is not a lot of difference in the way-up-top extensions, except that 8 kHz to 10 kHz difference in cymbal tone. Where as far as clarity goes I would almost give it to the Wan’er S.G here. Why? Because the replay is slightly more forward both in imaging and in attack and decay, the sound is absolutely more vibrant and clear.

Soundstage:
Staging..........while the Wan’er S.G offers an up-close rendition, such differences are neither good or bad as far as image placement. Is it different, absolutely, does it matter? In whole the Zero is slightly more laid back on all fronts, exuding a slightly more forgiving stance, yet if vibrancy is what floats your boat choose the Wan’er S.G as it delivers that on a different level, despite the similarities graphically.

Pace:
Both IEMs do well with pace, which is understandable with how the emphasis is not on the low notes, here we are gifted a faster mid-centric sound which prevails due to good separation and imaging into the stage. Musical elements are introduced and pulled away fast due to the dexterity of the enclosed single full-range driver.

Conclusion:
In so many ways this came as a surprise. Not by first listening to the Wan’er S.G, but after setting-up side-by-sides the truth in contrasts between the Zero and Wan’er S.G started to emerge. While at first more similar than apart, after many many back and forth movements a climax in understanding was achieved, seemingly a clearer picture of this sonic reality. The Wan’er S.G? Well you maybe don’t need me to recommend it as a few others have beat me to the point here? But just incase you are curious…….yes, by all means yes. Get it, especially if you don't already have the 7Hz Salnotes Zero.

TANGZU have slightly reinvented the wheel, they have beat Salnotes at their very own game. TANGZU have gone and disrupted the market that 7Hz Salnotes disrupted a few months ago. Seemingly overnight this new player gains credibility and confidence justly deserved due to playback. Add exceptional build and fit and we now have a stone-cold deal. Does it really matter if you already have the 7Hz Zero? Yes, and no. Yes, because the vibrancy is real…….no because if you are short on funds they almost do the same style of replay. Meaning they are closer together in more ways than they are different. But if you have an extra $19.00 laying around and wanted to place it towards audiophile endeavors, I am not sure I have found a better tune to throw money at?

Extras:
Build:
Three piece construction afforded by a resin shell with a metal nozzle. Such metal lips hold tips on wonderfully. Weighing in at only 4 grams a piece (compared to the 6 gram Zero) they are the perfect size and shape. And while not necessarily the most expensive looking build, they have a 3D quality where they have incased these gold inner markings. These strange marking at the tip of the faceplate and center area of the faceplate (as shown in the pictures here). The inner-driver mechanism is encapsulated in gold finish and two separate air-vents make themselves noticeable on the back side. There is a set-back fine mesh-screen which is set-back inside of the nozzle. There is a protruding qdc style two pin mount which still accepts any style of 0.78 2 pin required. The 5N OFC cable is the usual expected in this style of package, yet you may find sonic upgrades with aftermarket cables. The main reason I chose an aftermarket cable is to access the 4.4mm balanced out put of both my WM1A and Sony WM1Z DAPs. And while the Wan’er S.G was fine from a phone, noticeable up-scaling took place when joining in with a better source.



Cable:

Packaging:

Seriously?
What more could you ever ask for at $19.00? Oh a better tune, nope the Wan'er S.G has that too. More ear-tips? Please.......just look at them. All and all it is a very carefully constructed ear-phone with a great assortment of adds.

Intro

There are so many In Ear Monitors (IEMs) being released everyday, it is no surprise that even the most favoured appear to be a “flash in the pan”. In no time the flavour of today is forgotten, lost. Then there are many more new releases, most of which just fad away before they are even noticed.
The Wan Er (as spelt on Official Tangzu Audio Store on AliExpress) deserves to be heard, as to whether they stand up to the test of time, it is up to those who want to vote with their money. For me the Wan Er deserve to be noticed, heard and hopefully given due praise simply for being very good value for money.

Disclosure and Note

The Wan Er were sent to me by Tangzu, free of charge, in return, I undertook to review them, if to me, they are worth the time invested in reviewing them. I have never been paid by anyone to review anything. Reviewing is a hobby for me. I spend so much time with the items I review that if I do not like them, I do not review them. That might explain to some why I have a positive approach to reviews as opposed to cynical approach. I rate items I review based on their price range, compared to similar items I have heard in the price range.

All opinions I express here are my own with no influence from anyone. No one has editorial control or influence over the contents of this review. I do not read or watch reviews of items I intend to review. I make an effort to ensure that I give the reader factual information. I appreciate your feedback.

Form, Fit and Finish

Form
The package: The packaging! Do you really want to know? In short, wall to wall waifu, which is simply not my thing and I make no judgement, it is a question of taste, just not mine. It is a plain and simple packaging, adorned in waifu artwork. The package contains the ear pieces, the cable, seven pairs of eartips, a cleaning cloth, with, yes, you guessed, waifu art. My daughter got hold of the wiafu box and cleaning cloth, she is a happy girl. There is no case included.

The cable is detachable, is clear plastic covered 3.5mm with four strands, two sets of twisted strands which are then twisted on each again, the cable is soft with minor kinks, but they really are bearable and functional. The two plus two twist is a clear rubbery see through block which is the splitter, at which point you get the two sets of twisted cables looking incredibly skinny split rising to a hooded two-pin connector. At the price there is really nothing to complain about. I used both the TRN modular cable and the Hart Audio Modular cable to give me the option of balanced output.



The ear pieces come in two shades, the clear with white artwork (it appears the artwork is etched on the inside of the faceplate before assembly) and the second shade have smoky translucent shells with black artwork. It is all quite tastefully done, and the seam, at the point where the faceplate meets the housing, appears to be well put together, bearly noticeable.

The earpieces are plastic with a clear view to the drivers. They are standard kidney shaped and fit my ears with ease. My guess is they would be suitable for most people’s ears. The Wan Er are a single dynamic set of earphones. The drivers are 10mm and made of PET. The connection is via 2 pin QDC angled and hooded.



My setup for this review

I paired them with Samsung galaxy note 10 Plus, Xiaomi Mi Mix and my Shanling M7 DAP, as my source, and for amplification variably, The HAA FEE HA11, TRI TK2, Fiio BTR5 and BTR7, Shanling UA3 dongle DAC/Amp, DD Hifi TC35C USBC adapter, the Littlebear B4X tube Amp paired with Taotronics Bluetooth DAC, Rod Rain Audio DAC/Amp paired with Xduoo MT604 tube balanced Amp, using mostly 2.5mm and 4.4mm. I used my native music files, Amazon Music HD and Ultra HD, YouTube Music, and UAPP music player.

Synergy

They are easy to drive and work well with a smart phone with or without an amplifier. However, as with most dynamic drivers the Wan Er are influenced by the audio system it is played on and generally, it gives a variety of flavours depending on what it is plugged into. In every audio chain I used them, the Wan Er was just fine, the difference being a hint more treble or mid-bass here and there but all pleasant.



The differences are huge to my ears, such that paired with the BTR7 the Wan Er SG sound like a neutral set, but on the Xduoo MT604 they have a bass boost. I enjoyed the discovery using various sources and DAC/Amps.

The sound

Sound Generally
To my ears the Wan Er has a mild extension into the sub-bass, with a mid-bass which is potent when called upon but not dominant, but again that depends on what set up you use. The mids are quite full as the mid-bass does not impinge on it. Depending on your audio chain you get a bit of an extension to the treble region. For my preference, synergy with a bass leaning audio chain is good fun, as it lights up the sub-bass and brings out the quality of the mid-bass.

My initial listening impression was that at low volume (my test for all earphone and headphones) the Wan Er had a slight veil and with a bit more volume it blew away the cobwebs. After about 48 hours burn-in the Wan Er had lifted the veil and played with clarity at low volume.



Instrument separation, Imaging, Stage, and Timbre,

At this price, the detail retrieval on the Wan Er is very very good in balanced mode. The driver used is clearly up to the job and with Tangzu’s good tuning the Wan Er SG shines. Detail retrieval is very good at this price. The separation of instruments is good. I would not say imaging is particularly exceptional but it is good, it simply cannot be seen as anything other than good at this price range. In essence the Wan Er brings forward instruments rather delightfully. It must be noted that the Wan Er does display some limitations of the driver and cannot be said to be more capable than a $100 IEM, even though it will give a few of the more expensive single DDs a run for their money. One of the limitations is imaging as mentioned and stage, it varies with different tracks and audio chain but what is clear is that it has not been tuned to be expansive. It seems to play within a narrow scope but occasionally spreads it’s wing, depending on both the track and the audio chain.



Timbral accuracy is very good to my ears. As you do with good Dynamic Drivers, the timbre of instruments is realistic to my ears. The tone of guitars, pianos and drums, cymbals etcetera are just satisfyingly realistic.

Sound check

You may want to put on your monitors of choice and check out the music using the links.

Bass
Sub-bass on the Wan Er is satisfyingly good, it definitely has the necessary extension but bass is not tuned to be ever-present, instead it is tuned get the most out of the drivers when re.

The mid-bass, again, has not been tuned to be dominant, but it delivers when asked by the track and delivers well defined bass notes.

Rinyu - Black Girl Magic:

Sub-bass is in abundance on this track and the Wan Er SG displays it with ease.

Boney James - It’s All Good:

This track has a gentle but potent mis-bass, while the saxophone blurts out in the lead. You then have delicate instruments sparkling in the background. The Wan Er renders the mid-bass prominently but with overshadowing any other part of this very calm track.

Mids
The midrange is more than adequate without being forward or withdrawn. To my ears, the entire tuning is nuetral with a slight bass lift and sub-bass extention. Nonetheless, I would not call it L-shaped because it is not emphasised bass or on any particular part of the frequency range.

Diana Krall - Temptation:

Postmodern Jukebox - Don’t Speak:


Female vocals are presented so realistically as demostrated by these tracks.

Bueno Vista Social Club - Candela;


A classic which demonstrates gentle guitars beautifully woven together. The male vocals are layered on top and the Wan Er renders them very well.

Treble

The charm of the Wan Er is their openness, that the treble tuning which is best described as open. There is nothing offensive to my ears yet they are faithful to the recording bring out lots of the detail in the treble.

Chopin - Noturne No.2 in E Flat Major - performed by Elisabeth Leonskaja:


Armik - Cartas De Amor (2020 version):


Comparisons - single DDs at similar prices:

TD06 2020: These earphones are for dedicated bassheads. The TD06 present with brutal bass, I generally wear them with shallow insertion indoors and when I use them outdoors, a deeper insertion. They give me very good isolation and do not suffer loss of bass.

These are fun, and give you plenty information in the mids and treble but to the bass is dominante and to my ears the Wan Er give a more balanced presentation across the range and isolation and sufficient bass to use outdoors.

KBear Little Q: Big sound, mid forward, which are bullet shaped and do no have a detachable cable. Little Q is lots of fun and they are in my car for any occasion when I have to wait around, sometimes even crazy traffic. Little Q has a slightly mid forward presentation and is great and therefore differs from the Wan Er. In my view, if the bullet shaped design suits, they are a complementary set to the more balanced Wan Er.

Between the three Wan Er stands out for technicalities.

Conclusion

I have not heard every inexpensive set of earphones, but for me the Wan Er SG is more than just competent, Tangzu got the tuning right and priced them to be accessible to all. If I were starting out in earphones today, I would be happy to get a pair of these. It is worth remembering that Dynamic Drivers can be fussy as to which source they pair well with, getting an affordable pairing which suits your taste is important to get the most out of the Wan Er SG.

Enjoy your music!