INTRO :-
I have been reviewing some BA based earphones lately. But here I am reviewing the Tenhz K5, previously known as Audbos (I previously reviewed the P4). Audbos was one of their OEM. Tenhz, the Chinese manufacturer has now taken the matter in to their hand. They Have a few earphones in their kitty ranging from $80 to $200.
The K5 is a dual BA dual Dynamic earphone with a 4 way cross over, with 2 sets of acoustic tuning filter for 2 different sound signatures. Priced at Around $95 it comes in three colors, metal Grey, silver and black, faces very tough competition from other chinese makers like KZ, TFZ and Kinera. I will compare this with the TFZ Series4, Earnine EN210 and IT-01.
I would like to thank Selina from Tenhz for the Review unit.
Specification:-
Speaker drive mode :2Balanced armature+2Dynamic
Impedance : 32 Ω ±10%
Frequency Response : 10Hz---40KHz
Sensitivity :99±2db
L&R Channel Banlance Sensitivity :≤2db
Max Input Power :10mW
Length :120cm±5cm
wire material :Tpe
Plug material :3.5mm gold-plated
Distortion : ≤2%
ACCESSORIES & PACKAGING:-
There are 6 pair of tips out of the box, 3 pair of foam and silicone tips in S/M/L sizes. There is a straight plug 3.5mm cable, there are 2 sets of acoustic tuning filter for 2 different sound signatures, the reference filter is already installed on the nozzle. An aptly spacious case and a some documentation sums up the package.
BUILD AND CABLE:-
K5 is all metal, the company claims it to be an aluminum-magnesium alloy shell, it feels premium and one don’t need to worry about the durability of this earphone, I myself tried a few drop tests from various height ranging from 2 feet to 5, just to check if the shell will come off under shock, it didn’t.
The audio cable and MIC cable have similar attributes, both have memory problems, both are bouncy thanks to the rubber coat on them. Both the cables have straight 3.5mm jack, lack chin sliders and have memory cable guides. The MIC has average voice clarity at the receivers end.
COMFORT AND SEAL :-
The fit with silicone tips is good but swapping that with foam tips gives a more secure fitting.
Thanks to the longer nozzle the K5 is reasonably comfortable, but can be uncomfortable for those who have narrower ear canals as the nozzle is wider than average.
Thanks to the wider bore, the nozzle doesn’t go deep into the ear hence seal is just average.
CAUTION:- don’t use earphones where you have to be aware of your surroundings like driving and walking on the road, stay home and enjoy your music or at gym.
SOUND QUALITY:-
My impression was bad initially, I felt, here comes another which I will not like to review. But around 120hrs of burning changed my mind. The mid bass settled down, the sub-bass came up a bit and most importantly the treble region gained admirable amount of energy and extension.
The K5 is V shaped, the mids are in the valley, specially the vocals. You should have heard it before burning in.. it was worse.
The K5 sounds warmer with a darker tonality and has a metallic timber. Not the most natural sounding earphone for sure. It sounds very analytical, emotionless.
P.S. The earphone is burned for more than 150 hrs and I am using stock foam tips for this review. The K5 is slightly less sensitive but can be driven from mobile phones, no amping needed.
BASS:-
It uses two dynamic drivers, bigger of the is two is responsible for the
Compared to the Magaosi K3 pro the K5 has very similar bass attributes, let it be sub-bass, body or decay. Quantity and slam is slightly bigger.
The K5 doesn’t have a huge bass response, In fact it's not a bass friendly earphone. It still has a nicely rounded body, an average sized slam with low amount of air to it. The quantity and body are more than the EN210 but is far less when compared to the TFZ series4 or king, the twins are oozing with bass prowess, with huge impact and slam.
There is okay amount of sub-bass, it doesn't go very deep but has some rumble to it. Mid bass has a bit more energy but with some of the best decay in this price range it delivers better note presentation than the TFZ twins. As far as sub-bass is concerned the EN210 has the best reach.
Thanks to the accuracy with decay, the K5's bass has good amount of details and texture, it might not be the most detailed or has the best texture for the price but details is better than the Schmitt S10 and even the S20.
MID RANGE:-
Lately I have been reviewing BA based earphones and none of them were this much "V" shaped. When the typical BA sound is married with a metallic timber, things are sharper with an unnatural tonality. It does give it an edge when it comes to the amount of details. The K5 picks plenty of micro details. It's one of the most detailed $100 earphone available in the market as of now. It bites with sharper notes and on your face king of details.
The K5 exhibits plenty of attack, leaner notes makes the mid range feel thin and less emotional. EN210 does admirably
in this regards.
If the Schmitt S20, S10 and TFZ twins were thicker, the K5 vocals are considerably sharper, over doing the accuracy and precision both male and female vocals can use some thickness to them.
Going with the rest of the spectrum the upper mid range too has plenty of details and sharpness to them.
Stage is just average, very intimate and more inside the head, it has good height but lacks with width and depth. The TFZ twins are bigger in every direction when compared to it.
TREBLE:-
I have been dying to review an earphone with an energetic and lively top end. The K5 delivers at last.. Sigh of relief. Are people getting allergic to top end spark and energy? I hope not. If you are, trade with caution, as the spark might scare the kitty.
The K5 has very good amount of treble energy. IT doesn't lack details or definition and stand out with its accuracy. Extension and amount of details it delivers too is class leading, far better than any of the earphones mentioned in this article. It really delivers on my needs for extension and treble spark. Sigh..
Separation of instruments is good, thanks to sharper notes which let air between instruments. As the treble stage is considerably small, both layering and instrument placement is average.
The overall imaging and resolution of the K5 is very good. Its like a High res picture, you can see the details but it's not much engaging.
COMPARISON TABLE :- (out of 10)
Just for information :- This evaluation is an opinion of mine and only mine. It is subjective to differ from person to person. If you prefer to deny, you are welcome.
CONCLUSION:-
The biggest strength of the K5 is the amount of details it can deliver, putting all the 4 drivers to good work, it produces some of the best in class treble details, extension and energy. The biggest problem with it is the unnatural timber.
If you though your last earphone was subpar with details and lack treble extension and energy, get the Tenhz K5. Given than you can adjust to its un-cohesive, unemotional sharper notes presentation.
Its not for those looking for a Hip sound, it is for someone who is serious about his micro details.
Hope you guys are having a nice time. Cheers, Enjoy.
I have been reviewing some BA based earphones lately. But here I am reviewing the Tenhz K5, previously known as Audbos (I previously reviewed the P4). Audbos was one of their OEM. Tenhz, the Chinese manufacturer has now taken the matter in to their hand. They Have a few earphones in their kitty ranging from $80 to $200.
The K5 is a dual BA dual Dynamic earphone with a 4 way cross over, with 2 sets of acoustic tuning filter for 2 different sound signatures. Priced at Around $95 it comes in three colors, metal Grey, silver and black, faces very tough competition from other chinese makers like KZ, TFZ and Kinera. I will compare this with the TFZ Series4, Earnine EN210 and IT-01.
I would like to thank Selina from Tenhz for the Review unit.
Specification:-
Speaker drive mode :2Balanced armature+2Dynamic
Impedance : 32 Ω ±10%
Frequency Response : 10Hz---40KHz
Sensitivity :99±2db
L&R Channel Banlance Sensitivity :≤2db
Max Input Power :10mW
Length :120cm±5cm
wire material :Tpe
Plug material :3.5mm gold-plated
Distortion : ≤2%
ACCESSORIES & PACKAGING:-
There are 6 pair of tips out of the box, 3 pair of foam and silicone tips in S/M/L sizes. There is a straight plug 3.5mm cable, there are 2 sets of acoustic tuning filter for 2 different sound signatures, the reference filter is already installed on the nozzle. An aptly spacious case and a some documentation sums up the package.
BUILD AND CABLE:-
K5 is all metal, the company claims it to be an aluminum-magnesium alloy shell, it feels premium and one don’t need to worry about the durability of this earphone, I myself tried a few drop tests from various height ranging from 2 feet to 5, just to check if the shell will come off under shock, it didn’t.
The audio cable and MIC cable have similar attributes, both have memory problems, both are bouncy thanks to the rubber coat on them. Both the cables have straight 3.5mm jack, lack chin sliders and have memory cable guides. The MIC has average voice clarity at the receivers end.
COMFORT AND SEAL :-
The fit with silicone tips is good but swapping that with foam tips gives a more secure fitting.
Thanks to the longer nozzle the K5 is reasonably comfortable, but can be uncomfortable for those who have narrower ear canals as the nozzle is wider than average.
Thanks to the wider bore, the nozzle doesn’t go deep into the ear hence seal is just average.
CAUTION:- don’t use earphones where you have to be aware of your surroundings like driving and walking on the road, stay home and enjoy your music or at gym.
SOUND QUALITY:-
My impression was bad initially, I felt, here comes another which I will not like to review. But around 120hrs of burning changed my mind. The mid bass settled down, the sub-bass came up a bit and most importantly the treble region gained admirable amount of energy and extension.
The K5 is V shaped, the mids are in the valley, specially the vocals. You should have heard it before burning in.. it was worse.
The K5 sounds warmer with a darker tonality and has a metallic timber. Not the most natural sounding earphone for sure. It sounds very analytical, emotionless.
P.S. The earphone is burned for more than 150 hrs and I am using stock foam tips for this review. The K5 is slightly less sensitive but can be driven from mobile phones, no amping needed.
BASS:-
It uses two dynamic drivers, bigger of the is two is responsible for the
Compared to the Magaosi K3 pro the K5 has very similar bass attributes, let it be sub-bass, body or decay. Quantity and slam is slightly bigger.
The K5 doesn’t have a huge bass response, In fact it's not a bass friendly earphone. It still has a nicely rounded body, an average sized slam with low amount of air to it. The quantity and body are more than the EN210 but is far less when compared to the TFZ series4 or king, the twins are oozing with bass prowess, with huge impact and slam.
There is okay amount of sub-bass, it doesn't go very deep but has some rumble to it. Mid bass has a bit more energy but with some of the best decay in this price range it delivers better note presentation than the TFZ twins. As far as sub-bass is concerned the EN210 has the best reach.
Thanks to the accuracy with decay, the K5's bass has good amount of details and texture, it might not be the most detailed or has the best texture for the price but details is better than the Schmitt S10 and even the S20.
MID RANGE:-
Lately I have been reviewing BA based earphones and none of them were this much "V" shaped. When the typical BA sound is married with a metallic timber, things are sharper with an unnatural tonality. It does give it an edge when it comes to the amount of details. The K5 picks plenty of micro details. It's one of the most detailed $100 earphone available in the market as of now. It bites with sharper notes and on your face king of details.
The K5 exhibits plenty of attack, leaner notes makes the mid range feel thin and less emotional. EN210 does admirably
in this regards.
If the Schmitt S20, S10 and TFZ twins were thicker, the K5 vocals are considerably sharper, over doing the accuracy and precision both male and female vocals can use some thickness to them.
Going with the rest of the spectrum the upper mid range too has plenty of details and sharpness to them.
Stage is just average, very intimate and more inside the head, it has good height but lacks with width and depth. The TFZ twins are bigger in every direction when compared to it.
TREBLE:-
I have been dying to review an earphone with an energetic and lively top end. The K5 delivers at last.. Sigh of relief. Are people getting allergic to top end spark and energy? I hope not. If you are, trade with caution, as the spark might scare the kitty.
The K5 has very good amount of treble energy. IT doesn't lack details or definition and stand out with its accuracy. Extension and amount of details it delivers too is class leading, far better than any of the earphones mentioned in this article. It really delivers on my needs for extension and treble spark. Sigh..
Separation of instruments is good, thanks to sharper notes which let air between instruments. As the treble stage is considerably small, both layering and instrument placement is average.
The overall imaging and resolution of the K5 is very good. Its like a High res picture, you can see the details but it's not much engaging.
COMPARISON TABLE :- (out of 10)
Just for information :- This evaluation is an opinion of mine and only mine. It is subjective to differ from person to person. If you prefer to deny, you are welcome.
CONCLUSION:-
The biggest strength of the K5 is the amount of details it can deliver, putting all the 4 drivers to good work, it produces some of the best in class treble details, extension and energy. The biggest problem with it is the unnatural timber.
If you though your last earphone was subpar with details and lack treble extension and energy, get the Tenhz K5. Given than you can adjust to its un-cohesive, unemotional sharper notes presentation.
Its not for those looking for a Hip sound, it is for someone who is serious about his micro details.
Hope you guys are having a nice time. Cheers, Enjoy.