TONALITY: (can’t apply too much choice but my fav choice is 8.5 (bass treble2)
TECHNICALITIES: 8.5/10
TIMBRE: 8/10
IMAGING: 8.5/10
SOUNDSTAGE: 8/10
VERSATILITY: 9/10
MUSICALITY (subjective): 8/10
CONSTRUCTION: 8.2/10
ACCESSORIES: 8.2/10
SOUND VALUE: 8.8/10 (taking tremendous amount of sound balance in account)
INTRO
Tansio Mirai (TSMR) is an IEM company from China that began to release IEMs in 2018 and specialize in hybrid technology earphones.
I’ve try in the past 2 IEMs from them, the Feat (2DD2BA) and the X (2DD4BAs) and fall in love with their lush bassy sound that offer unique musicality that stand apart from Harman target or bass and lower mids shy tonal balance that flood the market.
Today I will review one of their latest releases, the TSMR Shock.
Priced 600$, the Shock is a tribrid IEM using dual 8mm dynamic drivers for bass, 4 balanced armature (2sonion-2knowles) for mids and treble and dual bone conduction sonion driver for mids and lower treble. As well, a big highlight of these IEM is the fact their 2 tunings know how to balance bass and treble precisely, like analog EQ found on vintage amplifiers, with 5 steps of boost.
Some years ago, tribrid of this type would cost 1000$ or more, but time has changed and TSMR aims to offer the highest sound value possible at the most competitive price they can.
Let's see in this review if all of this is just a gimmick or if the Shock truly offers competitive sound performance and musical tonal balance-whatever tuning choice you do.
CONSTRUCTION&ACCESSORIES
The construction of Shock feels very solid since it uses very thick resin plastic, the purple color is eye-catching while the yellow and brown knob add an exotic, intricate look to it.
I’m not afraid to drop those on the floor, it’s that sturdy. The 2 pin connectors aren’t recessed, they are very tight so be careful because it can be tricky to align the cable pin. Anyway, I tend to prefer too tight over too loose connectors.
The nozzle is very short but wide too, this means you can do a very deep fit with those and choosing right eartips is a must.
Even with a side vent, isolation is excellent.
The included cable is very nice. It’s a 2 thick braid silver plated OCC cable that is soft and flexibible and doesn't induce microphonic issues. Connectors are made of metal and feel very solid. Pins are solid too, and don't bend easily. The purple connector matches the look of Shock as well.
In terms of packaging, it’s minimalist, but I love the illustration on the small box. Accessories are good enough, I mostly care about cable quality and it’s well covered here. Finally, the carrying case is big, for some mysterious reason it was way too small with X and Feat. Now their plenty of space and quality is nice, it’s made of leather and looks elegant. We have 6 pairs of wide bore silicone eartips too, in 2 models. They are good but I prefer shorter wide bore with the Shock. We have a mini screwdriver to turn the tuning knob (not in the pic since I already lost it, not use another mini screwdriver…so be more cautious than me, it's a very small accessory!). Then we have a cleaning tool (not included in pic).
SOUND IMPRESSIONS
The TSMR Shock is a one-of-a-kind IEM that is polymorphic in terms of tonality, since it’s you that decides the amount of bass and treble boost which you can carefully tune with a 5 step knob.
More you’ll add bass, more you’ll add warmth as well as sub bass resonance which tend to widen the stage with it’s shortening to lengthen slam release.
More you add treble, the more you’ll get details, presence sharpness for proper instrument definition and extra sense of air on top as well as micro dynamic liveliness.
This means, if I do critical listening writing of all tonal balance possibilities, it’s a novel I would write, which will most likely discourage you from reading all my reviews.
So let’s begin by underlining overall DNA of Shock is a bright to warm V shape one with very extended but not very sparkly treble (BA oblige), textured punch to darker wider resonant slam that isn’t too thick and preserve good resolution and transparency and those bone conduction mids to upper mids extra layering that suddenly make me consider these W shape, if it wasn’t for slightly damped lower mids region, to keep proper clean clarity and sense of openness of an highly immersive musicality that can go from technical near analytical rendering to engaging bassy beast.
Even when bass resonance is warm and thickens mid range, it never goes dark or muddy, again the bone conduction cheat macro layering by adding brightness of presence which is sticken above this vibrantly airy bass release.
With Shock, as a listener you enter a whole galaxy of sound that seems to pop out of your head and blossom around it, it’s like putting your head into a VR headset, it must be live to fully appreciate due to the mix of sound transmission thru air and bone vibration. This mean sense of musical absorption sucks you in and you can’t be a passive listener, you're an active part of music in a cerebral and ethereal way.
If you pull off the BC, Shock is plain V shape, but this is where the game change, mids are suddenly super forwards without air pressure fatigue upper mids boost can induce, fact you can thicken mids with bass warmth or make it cleaner, edgier, brighter with treble boost (when bass boost is lower than step 2) is another big highlight, this mean Shock will modulate to music genre, for classical i will lower bass boost, when i want acoustic guitar to be better define, i will raise treble boost.
But again, don’t expect to achieve basshead level boost like you can with something like Penon Turbo with max bass boost.
The bass of Shock (step 3 and above) offer wide resonant slam with slightly soften attack lead that can go more textured with treble boost or less bass boost, this is because BC add some texture and presence brightness to kick drum and bass line, but more you’ll boost the bass more impact release will mask this texture. When you let the Bass knob at 1, the sub bass feels a bit more roll off, kick farer in the back too, not as dynamic, overall leaner too.
So, sustain boost of the bass is at mid and sub bass intersection, it’s not an hard punchy tight speedy bass even if far from slow, it can achieve dense vibrant slam, wide in presence yet always staying at the back of mids due to BC static and centered mid range layers. This means the punch don,t induce much fatigue too even maxed in boost, again, those aren’t radical basshead IEM, whatever tuning choice I find it balanced enough.
This dual DD is a real marvel, I love it in the X and here it’s cleaner, notch thinner but this improves its transparency and how rumble decay in the back, which can widen soundstage too but at the cost of making it less deep.
The bass line are always easy to pinpoint, sure, at max boost we will have so warmth that affect proper definition of presence but go 2 and under boost and bass line are sharply restitute, rich in texture, a bit less tactile but quite tight in control, electric bass will have brighten grunt while with more boost it will go more vibrant and juicy.
When i talk about rumble resonance, it’s not a messy one, it adds atmosphere to musicality, softening presence edge, feeding lower mids too. I like the extra flesh it gives to instruments like cello, piano and male vocals.
This type of dual DD bass can be both generous in quantity or performant in quality, it’s rich low end, with slight transient euphony that make it more palpable, more thick. If you were seeking a perfect upgrade to TSMR X bass, yet were afraid to get overly similar dynamic and timbre, the Shock is a logical solution.
The mid range is main highlight of those, i tend to say that for near all hybrid with sonion bone conduction since these driver focus on mids to upper mids from 1kHz to 4 khz then drop in upper treble region, so it doesn’t really boost lower mids range or bass, mostly the mids presence texture, definition edge, fine micro details too.
With some IEM like BGVP DMA, I did find this BC driver a bit overly bright and grainy, which affects timbre naturalness, but this isn't the case with Shock apart with only zero bass boost and max treble boost. It’s important to know the sonion 37AAX007/A are based on Balanced armature technology, which means this mixes well with multi BA IEM, yet those ultra sensitive to BA timbre might perceive some of it. But this is why Shock is marvelous too, their slight mix of warmth as well as BCD implementation isn’t the same.
So mid range is bright and super focused, dense and multi layered, centered and well defined in positioning and never ever you will have to struggle for finding your vocalist or main instrument layer. From piano, to all vocal range, to violin, to saxo, the clarity and definition of presence is pristine and close to you, very close.
Piano can gain in note weight with bass boost, each note are textured and full in presence, with well defined attack lead, short sustain and long well resolved natural resonance that you can follow, so you know precisely when pianist press or not the sustain pedal which is great for piano lover like me that always find it lacking in realist or dynamic forwardness.
Then female vocals are clear and sharply layered and centered, with a presence that doesn't feel too compressed nor veil other background instruments which you can perceive clearly (especially with less bass boost). It’s not thin and timbre texture is richly detailed without going sibilance, thanks to BC again, movement of lips can bit perceivable, listening to big beat with singer is true joy due to this BC ‘’cheat’’ in term of macro dynamic layering, it make lyric intelligibility pristine too, even for french singer i suddenly rediscover what they sign properly. Gone is the mids masking or veil even with max bass boost you can enjoy clear well articulate mid range.
Again, those aren’t lush or buttery smooth mids and vocals, it’s too detailed and textured and the warmth isn’t a syrupy sweet one, it’s not like ISN EBC80 which i’ll compare those to later.
The treble can go from dark to bright and abrasive, but it’s not what I would call crisp or sparkly highs. While snappy in attack it’s more about percussion presence boost that the knob plays with, this will extract more micro details and texture from instrument and even background, so for bad hissy recording i suggest going 1 or 2 step treble knob wise.
The transient is very speedy yet not very edgy in attack lead, so acoustic guitar string pulling doesn't have this energetic well defined snap to it, it’s delivered in fullness, with rounded presence and shortened release since as said the brilliance isn’t that shimmery, their no EST here.
Highs are well layered and can have stereo lateral sound info to macro dynamic, the micro dynamic is good but not that focus nor that airy, it has a sense of holography to a more lively macro layering.
This means it’s no thin mids, nor harsh or metallic sounding apart if you push treble boost to max then cymbals will go overly grainy.
With intensely fast and busy music like big band jazz rock, micro dynamics can go a bit less readable, less clean in separation of each percussions.
We have more energy from lower to mid treble than ultra highs, which are slightly rolled off, thus we have more sustain abrasivity to attack than shiny release, we can say highs are a notch dry so if I was an harpist it’s not the IEM i’ll choose but this is very niche since acoustic guitar do sound nice enough, i like the fullness of it which isn’t too euphony or boosted in lower mids resonance.
For classical I will struggle a bit to pinpoint background clavichord, but again, this is extremely niche.
As for electric guitar it sounds great, we have the fuzzy bite and fullness to it which make note layers both realistic and lively, not overly softened like a lot of other IEM.
If your familiar with TSMR X treble, this is very similar, it’s not a treble head IEM and it’s not (suppose) to be rough sounding, fact we can go from dark to bright is a big plus, it’s very evident in how percussions will go more recessed with lowest treble step.
The soundstage is above average, especially for an IEM with BC thanks god it don’t sound too stocked in my head and have proper lateral opening for an intimate sound bubble to hide in, it’s not as grand as non BC IEM like Hidizs MP145 and depth is limited too, but rendering is holographic and open enough, their minimal air around instrument unless track is truly too busy.
Imaging is above average too but not the most realistic, this is quite common with IEM with BC since in real life you're not supposed to listen ‘’with your head’’....yet the layering is effortless and well define in macro dynamic, bass line are easy to pin point, vocal has their own sharply layering presence, percussions flow freely with their own space.
The Musicality of Shock is very special, it's like climbing on the stage and mixing with other musician. Vocals are always clear and captivating, even needy in their presence, they are in hurry to embrace you. It's an highly atmospheric and immersive experience, like being at Imax cinema, very near the screen. This captivating experience mean you can't be passive listener, it's not a laid back musicality that permit you to focus on task like reading a book can be difficult because your already the character of a story: your music. Only other IEM offering similar experience is the ISN EBC80, but it's not as immediate and V shaped in dynamic appeal, more laid back but still highly immersive.
COMPARISONS
VS UNIQUE MELODY MEXT (1dd4AB1coilBC-1100$)
The Mext is more neutral to U shape in balanced, overall leaner and more open sounding, the coil bone conduction seem to cover wider frequencies range and offer slightly better, more polished timbre.
Bass is notably thinner and less punchy, less dense in rumble but cleaner in bass line release, it’s more textured but less round, less impactful, less weighty.
Mids are more forward (BC), clean and open sounding, sharper in presence definition, vocals are more upfront and focused, wider in presence but flatter too, not as active in macro dynamics. Mids are more in your head too, thinner and have less relief of presence, less lower mids fullness.
Treble is more congested, BC seems to steal more air and dynamic, it’s thinner, more metallic in timbre, loser in transient too since percussions aren’t as well layered and rounded, it’s leaner in dynamic with more boxy overall rendering. Guitar has less attack snap and more damped release too, again macro dynamics feel very flat and dull compared to more muscular and energetic rendering of more W shape dynamic balance of Shock.
Soundstage is slightly wider, notably deeper but less tall with Mext.
Imaging is on par but multi layered in more articulate, less flatten with Shock.
All in all, Shock is superior in both technicalities and way more musical, more engaging, bassier, more articulated in macro dynamic, more tactile in mids. Mext sounds clinical and dynamic less compared to those more holographic and multi layered Shock. No doubt I'll get rid of Mext asap now. In fact, I always just enjoy Mext with movies, never with music.
VS BGVP PHANTOM (2DD2BA2BCD2EST-900$)
Phantom is more neutral, brighter and crisper, more analytical and W shape in balance though less articulated and lively in macro dynamic.
Bass is speedier and more textured but thinner, more boxy and less deep in rumble so more rolled off, timbre is drier and presence is more compressed, slam is less weighty and rumble, mid bass is less round and warm.
Mids are thinner, harsher and this sonion BCD timbre issue i talk about is way dryer, harsher and less natural for vocal, everything mid wise sound very in your head and static with Phantom compared to more open and lusher denser mids of Shock, presence is edgier and we have more micro details and more abrasive attack but to the cost of sounding more clinical too.
Treble is crisper and sparklier, sharper and spikier, the 2EST sure deliver more micro details but to the cost of making micro dynamic too much upfront, layering of highs feel more congested, their less space and sense of openness even if we should have more air around instrument we don’t it’s just more brilliance and percussions are clearer, but not as thick as Shock.
Soundstage is way wider and taller with Shock, it sounds less in your head too, Phantom is notch cleaner and deeper but in a ‘’tunnel vision’’ way.
Imaging is slightly superior with Phantom since instrument definition and positioning is sharper, but macro layering is inferior and more compressed.
All in all, Shock is superior in musicality, in balance, in versatility, in soundstage, in bass extension and note weight. It's not as analytical and technical but i can’t stand Phantom while i can get lost in Shock for hours and hours.
VS ISN EBC 80 (2DD2BA2BCD2EST-700$)
The EBC80 is warmer, more W shaped in balance since mids are thicker and wider in presence as well as more upfront, it’s slightly bassier too.
The bass is thicker, rounder and warmer, with denser wider deeper rumble that can go panoramic in presence, bass and kick isn’t as well layered and overall bass isn’t as transparent, their more sustain too with less clean release, it’s heavier in punch but a notch less textured and more euphonic in sustain which is very common with dual push DD that offer very different, juicier flavor than 2DD of Shock,which as more resonance decay and slightly thinner and lighter bass weight and impact, transient seem a bit speedier too with Shock.
Mids are lusher, wider in presence, their less BC grain in texture so it’s less bright and well define in instrument presence, macro dynamic is more open and holographic, less centered and static, it’s more pleasantly colored and thicker but notch darker in resolution, less clean too in separation, attack of Shock is more edgy too, tone less creamy, lower mids bit more damped too.
Treble is smoother and sparklier, airier, percussions are crisper and snappier, less crunchy and thick, even if sharper in upper treble attack from low to mid treble it’s darker, more organic and less active in micro dynamic which is more about upper region where suddenly it go notably cleaner, crisper, speedier and more extended than more typical BA rendering of Shock that offer less thin percussions yet more loose attack , not as define in attack lead.
Soundstage is from another league with EBC80, it’s way taller and wider, notch less deep, more panoramic and holographic, you're more part of music with EBC80 too.
Imaging is slightly superior with Shock since it's less warm and mid centric, it’s cleaner in separation but more centered and less holographic too.
All in all, I love both but I find EBC80 lusher, more laid back smooth mid centric and wide open sound more musical, more special and immersive. Since I'm a mid lover as well as soundstage sucker and sparkle addict ... .let say EBC80 cover all those tasks better than slightly more V shape and technical in nature Shock.
CONCLUSION
The Tansio Mirai Shock is one of a kind IEM that can’t be replaced by any other one, you’ll be hard pressed to find such versatile IEM offering more than 25 tonal balance possibility, this mean just for this reason: it worth being part of your collection or consider for end game contender.
But this would mean nothing if overall sound DNA was bad, which isn't the case, from dual DD to sonion and knowles BAs and sonion bone conductor driver, the Shock offer high end prowess that mesmerize the listener with its absorbing holographic musicality.
With the Shock, you literally enter into the music, with your head and ears, you plunge in vast soundscape that isn’t shy in macro dynamic heft, offer effortless multi layering that surround you from everywhere, then you can decide if you want some bass slam fun or not, some extra treble vividity or dark more intimate and mid centric rendering.
My review just give an hint of all goodness Shock can offer, it would be impossible to truly describe all musical possibilities of this wonderful musical and technical beast, the bass can slam heavy with such a dense rumble, mids never ever get lost in the mix, they are near forced on you without caveat like intense upper mids shout or blledy warmth that will darken their definition, then the highs are speedy, catchy, round and thick with a micro dynamic thast can go smooth to vivid...how much IEM do we buy when we buy a Shock?
This sure raise the sound value of this fascinating earphones and worth well deserve praise that it seem i'm not only one to give.
-------------------------------------
PS: i want to thanks Penon for sending me this review sample that will gloriously take part of my prime IEM collection. I have non pressure to do positive review, nor I show this review to them before publication. As always i'm protecting my freedom of mind.
You can order the Shock for 600$ here: https://penonaudio.com/TANSIO-MIRAI-Shock.html
.
