TForce Audio Yuan Li

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Price: 119 USD
Driver Setup: 1 Dynamic Driver

Intro

As we all know, the Chinese audio industry is now pretty stacked with numerous competitors with several hits and misses when it comes to delivering that "all-in-one-wonder" product. Of course, competition is great and it motivates companies to improve and deliver superb value to its customers and from what I can observe this time, TForce did a pretty neat job with their debut "Yuan Li". It is a single dynamic driver that seems polished and mature given the good amount of time in the OEM industry TForce came from. In this review, we shall assess its value proposition and most importantly sound, how it compares and what it does well.

Packaging

The packaging box has this modern oriental theme where everything is black and gold. the overall unboxing experience is rather fancy, as it really does feel very premium from top to bottom. It comes with an alligator-print leather carrying case, 3 sets of tips, balanced bass enhancing, and foam tips which should suffice for most consumers. The included cable is a braided copper cable, it reminds me of the Tin T4s in terms of the material used in their cables which is a kinda rubbery kind of sleeving that I feel may go "sticky" as time passes.

Build and Fit

The Yuan Li has an all-metal build, feels robust and premium to the touch and looks durable to knocks and dents as well. However, it is chromed and finished which means it is going to be a fingerprint magnet similar to the kanas pro and KXXs but that should be the least of your worries. Fit wise, it feels really comfortable sitting in my ears and I don't experience much weight discomfort over a period of an hour. Good job to TForce Audio for nailing these essential aspects of what makes an IEM great as compared to others.

Sound

In general, the Yuan Li sounds rather warm with a laid back theme. higher notes, upper mid-range glares are less present, highs are rather tamed with less aggression. It performs in presenting that big lush warm sound that fills the entire stage without much fatigue.

Songs I listened to

- Aladdin OST
- Halo OST
- Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto 1
- One Republic Native Album
- Keane Everybody's Changing
- Green Day American Idiot
- Post-Modern Jukebox Pokerface (Kelley Jakle)
- Scary Pockets (I Will Survive)
- Zee Avi Dream a little dream of me


Bass

In the bass department, it is quite emphasised. Sub-bass rumbles with authority while steering clear of making the entire presentation muddy. Midbass punches well and does not bleed as much as I had expected. A good point to note here is that for the price, bass notes are really textured here, which will surely put a smile on mid-bass lovers or people who appreciate warmth throughout their tracks. I feel the Yuan Li stuck a pretty good balance between quantity and quality which is uncommon and on top of that, it has decent dexterity and an okay-ish level of detail/separation given its tuning philosophy.

Mids

Mid-range vocals are relatively placed behind in terms of presentation. Many times I find the track instrumentals to be equally on-par with the lead which some may not like but it does give a different feel to their entire song. It is not bad per se, but it just creates a different perspective on how we appreciate our tunes. Ballads and solos still sound accurate and gorgeous but do expect less intimacy. There aren't many upper midrange peak issues which are great as I am quite sensitive towards that region. Overall, the mid-range presents a more spaced out kind of stage, with less intimacy but a wider scene for its listeners.

Treble

No peaks or sharp sibilances that drive me crazy but rather tamed and conservative take in the treble parts. Not to say that they are taken over, the treble parts are still very noticeable. Sparkles and shimmers still find their way to stand out but similar to the mids, they are staged relatively behind so it is not really in your face which again falls back to your preference. Personally, I find the detail retrieval here isn't stellar or spectacular with average technical separation capabilities. What it does well here is that it completes the picture for the Yuan Li, a warm fatigue-free experience.

Conclusion

The Yuan Li is filled with warmth with decent spacing/staging. It belongs to the group of IEMs that gives you that meaty lower end with not-so-aggressive highs that won't induce much fatigue but just enough to keep that upper-end clarity and energy there. Soundstage is somewhat decent, however, I would like to see more attention to separation and technicalities for my own preference. For my readers, I do find that in value, 119 USD seems really good as the entire package (build/fit/packaging/accessories/materials) is just very well thought out. Sound-wise, go for it if you are looking for a quality warm laid-back option in your arsenal or if you are looking for something safe and versatile.

Since there are already quite a number of reviews here, I shall go straight to the sound impression part:

Usually I will plug in new IEMs to the desktop amp to burn-in for around 30-50 hours before listening to it seriously, it's quite interesting to listen to it for a few times during this process to find the sound changing and maturing, of course not all IEMs will change dramatically. According to my recent experiences, there are 2 IEMs that improve quite significantly after the burn-in: the first one is Kinera Skuld, which totally evolve into a very mature & mellow sound from initially muffed & dull sound in the first hour, yes I know this is an all BA IEM, but never reject other people's opinion before testing it out yourself. The other one is this one- the Yuan Li, there was already a smile across my face during first plug in, and now the sound has really grown into very satisfactory experience.

I've been searching for a really good pure DD IEM since one year ago until recently, the ones I've auditioned include Final A8000, Dunu Luna, Dunu Zen, Simphonio VR1, Fiio FD5(purchased), Faudio Major, Faudio Dark Sky, Simphonio RX10(purchased)， Senn IE300, Senn IE800, Senn IE800s, Sony Z1R and on and on, and I have to say, this Yuan Li if taken into consideration the ratio of it's performance vs price, beats nearly all of the above models. It's the first time today I hear the very low sub bass rumble in the background of a certain song on Yuan Li(maybe I haven't paid attention in the past, but today I really felt surprised I can hear this part in a song)

Of course it's not giving you extreme details and the top to both ends like the A8000/Luna , nor the big enhancement in emotions like the RX10 do, but it's delivering everything in the song exactly the way it intends to: when you need punchy bass it gives you punchy bass to vibe together, if I want sweet Chlara voices, it can keep me from skipping tracks in the album, it can handle complicated symphonies without turning it into a mess, I wouldn't say soundstage visualizing is very good, but it certainly does a good job already. One thing it lacks is it cannot compare to the emotion that can drive me to nearly tears like the RX10 does, but what more could I ask for an IEM at 1/5 of the price?

In last weeks dinner gathering with some IEM hobbyists friends , I've asked them to try on my Yuan Li, and it turns out that none of them could guess the price, everyone of them have positive comments on this one. The whole sharing might seem a little too enthusiastic about it, but bear it mind, this is a 100 dollar range product, I am not using the standard like the ones in the last pic in my review here

Yuan Li is the first IEM made by T-Force audio. That costs only 119 USD!
And trust me when I say this, it is probably the best bang for buck IEM currently out there!
This sounds much better than what the price tag suggests! It sounds velvety smooth with crisp details and the tuning is absolutely amazing too!


Specs:

Sensitivity：103.5dB
Cable Length：1.2m
Impedance：32Ω
Cable type：6N OCC Cable with 3.5mm termination and a 2 pin connector.
Frequency response: 20Hz - 20 kHz
THD：0.2%
Driver configuration: 1 Dynamic driver


Unboxing:

The unboxing experience is really good on Yuan Li ! It comes packed in a beautifully designed box with some dragons and Chinese text which looks absolutely gorgeous! When you remove the sleeve, you get a box with a soft to the touch velvety smooth finish.
Opening the box you are greeted with some paperworks and a thank you note.





The box contains:

1x Leather case
1x 6N OCC Cable in beautiful copper color
1 pair of Yuan Li IEMs
6 pairs of silicone eartips
1 pair of foam eartips
And some paperworks

Driveability:
This requires some proper juice to open up and sound great! I used my xDuoo MT-602 Tube amp for testing and it does sound phenomenal, however with sources like mobile phones, this sure struggles a bit!


Sound Quality:

If I have to put how it sounds in a single line, I’d explain it as “like butter on a crispy toast!”
It sounds so smooth and velvety without compromising the crispness of the audio! The tuning here is phenomenal and the timbre is excellent!


Bass:

The bass here is fast and agile and nimble but not lean at all. It sounds full, rich and well textured with a fast response! And the amount is just right, got some decent punch to it and it sounds organic as well! And it doesn’t bleed at all.

I’ll give a solid 8/10 on this department!

Mids:

The Mids on Yuan Li are lush, forward, warm and smooth.it sounds open and natural got some good body to it, nothing sounds harsh or out of place, excellent separation and details and got some warmth that instantly makes you fall in love with this!

I’ll give 8.75/10 here.


Treble:

The treble here is so nicely managed, it doesn't sound shouty or harsh yet it is full of details and sparkles. Got some beautiful airiness to it and the clarity is phenomenal! No noticeable peaks whatsoever!

I’ll give 8.75/10 here as well !


Conclusion:

If you have a good source, get this! It is an absolute no brainer! This sounds absolutely stunning with proper sources. The tuning and the smoothness is amazing,
And for the price, the sheer value you get from this is unimaginable! Recommended!

Disclaimer : The unit has been provided by Hifinage as a part of a review tour. All thoughts and opinions are my own. You can buy the Yuan Li from their store.
Build & Fit
Before heading to the build quality of Yuan Li, a little bit of introduction is needed as T Force is a new face in the market. This is their debut IEM and given its performance, I am really interested in the future projects!
The shell is very reminiscent of Blon 03 in terms of finish and looks, but unlike the Blon 03, the shiny and glossy aluminium picks up fingerprints quite easily. This style of finish is also prone to scratches in the long run, which ruins the looks. In the case of Yuan Li, time will tell. During
my usage of this IEM, I haven't loaded any scratches on it (touch wood). The cable is an absolutely gorgeous strand of 6N OCC that is a rare sight in this budget. It must be mentioned that the accompanying carry case is very good in terms of build and looks : it has a crocodile scaled texture on it which is quite unique.
The catch being that the case will NOT fit in your pocket. Stellar fit in my medium ears. The accessories, build and feel of the package is outstanding for any price range.



Amp Needs
At 32 ohm, 103.5dB/mW it should be easy to drive on paper but it seems to take some more voltage than what is dictated by the specs. I would suggest pairing it with a high quality source with good enough power output. Phones won't cut it.

Sound Quality
Put simply, it is Reference Grade. My personal reference for tonality and neutrality that also acts a common benchmark is HD600. The Yuan Li is very similar in terms of tonality to the HD600 and dare I say it is an improvement as its upper midrange isn't as hot as HD600.
The resemblance to HD600 goes beyond just tuning but also in some technical aspects as well which I will get into soon. I cannot find a chink in Yuan Li's armor when it comes to tuning.
The bass is...neutral. It has fair extension (more so if you shove more voltage in it) but it is not a boosted subbass, do not expect soul shaking bass off these. It is neutral and nuanced but does not feel lacking in quantity. Its strengths are more used towards ensuring a fast decay and textural. Midbass hit and quantity is just right, not skewing the tonal balance on either side of "correct". At no point does the Yuan Li sound thin or too thick. The midrange is lush and rich. Reminds me a lot of the HD600 here. It has stupid good resolution in the midrange with excellent layering, again, just like the HD600. But unlike the HD600 the midrange is not that forward and the HD600 still edges out when it comes to the richness. But there is no higher compliment than almost reaching HD600 levels of lushness in the midrange. This is a shock at only 120 USD. The hot upper midrange is the Achilles Heel of HD600, but the Yuan Li has fixed that. The upper mids here are NOT boosted, it sounds very natural and relaxing for long listening sessions. All styles of vocals sound accurate, clear with great timbre. Treble region is buttery smooth and it has the excellent decay that is present in the HD600, which is a major contributor to the realistic sound. It is smooth, so natural without any awkward resonances. All genres benefit from this kind of a reference tuning. Yuan Li plays well with all forms of genres equally well. It would be a sunny day if the Yuan Li can match the tuning with some great technicalities and I'm relieved to say that it does well more than sufficiently. The soundstage extends well beyond the ears and the instrument separation and layering are especially very good, teething on excellent given the price. Imaging is pin-point but not laser sharp. That awesome layering and instrument separation again reminds me of the HD600 and
just how much similarity the Yuan Li bears to it.


Conclusion
The Yuan Li has a reference grade tuning , with layering and instrument separation being the crown jewel on the Technicalities crown. It bears strong resemblance to the HD600. Possibly a no-brainer at any price range. Definitely a no-brainer at this price range.

TFORCE YUAN LI REVIEW



TONALITY: 8.8/10
TECHNICALITIES: 8.2/10
CONSTRUCTION: 9/10
PACKAGING: 9.5/10
SOUND VALUE: 8.2/10

TFORCE is a new earphones company from China, and their goal is to deliver high price value IEM that give great care to tonal balance as well as prime construction. With TFORCE, it's all about the whole package you get for the price. As well, they give great care to consumer's feedback and suggestions, to the point of having created an IEM solely based on their vote for the tonal balance they wish to listen for their latest ''Project BRAVERY'', a 4BA earphones. But today, I will not review the BRAVERY but the very acclaimed TFORCE YUAN LI iem, a single Dynamic driver with a Diamond-like Carbon Diaphragm (DLC). As stated in the product description, the Yuan Li is the first model of a trilogy of ''high-resolution'' IEM serie, it seems they will all be named after a specific Chinese emperor, Yuan Li being the first one of Tang Dynasty. As seen with the tremendous amount of positive ratings here, the Yuan Li are very promising earphones, so let's check in this review if they are worthy of their hype.

PACKAGING&CONSTRUCTION

Tforce gives great care to their packaging presentation and design and it pay off because it's a real delight to the eyes. As well, it's very refreshing to finally see an hommage to Chinese culture like the mythological dragon found on the box cover or the imagery inspired by Shan Shui painting like the decorative cardboard of landscape painting. The result is sumptuous, professional and eye-appealing.



In term of accessories, it follows the same level of care for quality by including a real-leather magnetic carrying case of great quality, well-presented ear tips package that include 6pairs of silicone eartips (2 models) and 1 pair of memory foam ear tips. The cable too is another good surprise, it's a more than decent 6N OCC 2 cores braided copper cable that doesn't urge the need to upgrade it.

CONSTRUCTION is made of thick aluminum, with a beautiful glossy finish and curvy organic shape. It's both light and sturdy and the ergonomic shape is very comfortable, slipping effortlessly in our ear canal with secur fit. The nozzle seems made of copper, it's long enough due to the front housing ear-canal-like shape. The 2pin connector is perfectly embedded in the body and is flush to it's shape which means you will be able to use a wide range of 2pin cables with it. Another proof of great care for details can be found by looking at the small color dot at the back of housing which is there to identify left (blue) and right (red) IEM. Isolation is above average too, another plus.


CRITICAL SOUND IMPRESSIONS
(Gear used mostly: Xduoo X20, Xduoo XD-05+, Audirect Beam2)

TONALITY is a smoothen W shape with warm bass, lean lush mid and crisp but relaxed treble. The balance is natural, cohesive and organic due to bass resonance that gently embraces lower mids. Nothing is aggressive with the Yuan Li, yet it isn’t boring or too lean and polite, the dynamic is weighty, the timbre is dense and the attack edge is softened. Overall tuning follows Harman's target and reminds me of a crisper Moondrop Starfield or more L-shaped Aune Jasper.

BASS has a warm slam to it, it’s not the tightest, neither the most controlled bass, just a bit boomy but in a juicy euphonic way. The rumble is more about resonance than proper bassline articulation, this bloom a bit the kick presence and its punchy singularity, but did permit to glue the whole tonality together cohesively, so unless you need the fastest and most flexible bass response for crazy fast drumming, you will not encounter any issue. The lower extension isn’t very linear, and definition and accuracy are just average. The texture is very polished too. The overall definition being on the dark side, the bass attention is more physical than visual. The tone never feel unnatural, its have good density and weight as well as a flexible presentation that give extra punch and thickness to tonal balance.

MIDS are very well done, natural with a great presence that doesn't feel forced. It's smooth, well resolve with nice transparency. It isn't the cleanest-crispest mids, especially in lower mids section where you have slight bass warmth. Female vocals are lush, free of sibilance and better extracted than warmer male vocal, it have an bit of breathyness to them which add density to the body. Woodwind instruments sound particularly good with the Yuan Li, should it be the saxophone of Arve Henriksen or the Trumpet of Miles Davis, the tone is right, their no stridency, shoutyness or graininess, and it sounds open with an airy layering. In fact, tone of any instrument is realist, it's just the edge of definition that can be lacking for instruments like violin or electric guitar and to the piano in lower pitch register. The Yuan Li aren't clinical or analytical in it's approach even if extra treble extension can give a sense of good micro details retrieval. The mid-range is safely tuned and inoffensive both in attack and brightened clarity. It goes with the natural flow of your music and is sweetly balanced so nothing feels over-focused.

TREBLE is the part that impresses me the most with the Yuan LI, it's delicate yet full and sparkly, their no sharp peak and while you have some extra upper highs boost it feels perfectly balanced with the rest of the spectrum while adding much-needed air to the top. Acoustic guitar sound marvelous, having both string snap and enough decay that is fast enough to deal with complex chord, it have good brilliance and highest clarity than low or mid range instruments like piano. Violin too can be good when in higher register, because it have better attack lead than in mid range which lack a bit of proper definition. While the treble is well balanced, it did have a darken area in mid highs section, so some instrument will sound more textured than other and I wish it was like this for all instruments. This dip do enlight micro-details boost presence, adding a bit of excitment to the otherwise innoffensive tonality.

TIMBRE is a bit dark, natural to organic, with great density yet good transparency too. It isn't emphasized in texture and benefits more vocal and woodwind instruments than electric guitar or drum.

SOUNDSTAGE is wide and holographic but limited in deepness and not very tall. Eartips can inflict on spatial depth.

IMAGING isn't the highlight of the Yuan Li, while layering is decently articulated the clarity isn't enough crisp and the attack enough edgy to offer proper instrument separation and placement. The presentation feel centered with an addition of wide sound layers.

TECHNICALITIES are quite good with the Yuan Li and just above average for its price range. The macro resolution is excellent and treble attack speed too. Apart the slight bass bleed that is more about tonal balance, the transient response has great flexibility that benefits sound layers projection and their timing. Treble decay is well controlled and never go splashy, as well, it can deal with a fast busy track like ''Skink'' from Elephant 9 (pumped up) jazz-rock band without sounding messy or muddy, thanks to fast layering capabilities. So yes, the transient response is very fast, but affected by tuning damping and filter used to achieve a smooth tonal balance. The highs are well extended, have fast snap and natural decay, which is an evidence of good dynamic driver.

PERSONAL APPRECIATION

The Yuan Li are very easy to love and for me it was the female vocal presentation as well as natural instruments tone that hook me first. After, it was the layering capabilities and the lack of sibilance or any type of harshness. Safely tuned yet not boring due to it's weighty dynamic, I was impressed by everything including it's bass until I go into grumpy critical listening mode. Then, I see the bass issue and begin to be nit-picking about it, searching for proper drum kick punch instead of mixed up juicy slam. I mean, the bass can be incredible when you don't have multiple instruments playing in this range at the same time, the density of bass line can be addictive but can mix up with high low and low mids easily. That and the hollow imaging are the guilty part of my sincere pleasure to listen to the Yuan Li. These IEM have a special way of showing your music, it's holographic and circular, not very deep but dense in sound layers, the cohesion is homogeneous, so it's good for laid back long listening session and just let yourself drown in it's immersive organic tonality. The fact Yuan Li aren't too analytical make the permissive for bad recording too, which in fact can sound better this way, like old jazz recording, it will extract sound layer and make the presentation smooth and holographic. An IEM that has a versatile tonality is always precious to me.

Side Notes
At 32ohm of impedance and a rather low sensitivity of 103db, the Yuan Li do benefit from proper amping, I would suggest a minimum of 150mW@32ohm for driving them properly. As well, due to their warm nature, a sharp-sounding audio with high resolution and vivid dynamic will pair well. Still, the Yuan Li doesn't sound bad or underwhelming with a phone or not powerful source, just less full-bodied and open.
Ear tips inflict alot on tonal balance and soundstage, shorter is ther ear tips, more forwards will be the sound.
Included cable pair very well the Yuan li even if it keeps it's warm nature intact, the timbre is more natural than SPC cable I try and with stock cable the treble is still sparkly without sounding thin.


COMPARISONS

VS NFAUDIO NM2+ (170$):

TONALITY is more V shape with more upper mids emphasis, brighter and more grainy and saturated in texture. Treble is splashier and less airy-sparkly-extended. Bass is more thumpy and less extended in sub bass. Tforce is warmer W shape to neutral with less energic mid-bass and treble.

RESOLUTION is notably poorer, transparency too, you have more tone nuances with the Yuan Li as well as sound info even if the presentation is less in-your-face and treble axed.

SOUNDSTAGE is way bigger, wider, taller and deeper: you can dig in the Tforce sound while the NM2+ offer a ''wall of sound''. Layering is more organic and articulated, instrument placement is easier to spot too with Tforce.

TECHNICALITIES is from another league with the Tforce, attack is faster and more controlled even if bass move some air, the impact is weighty and less shouty, Transparency, resolution, precision are all better, As well, bass and treble extend more naturally (+sub bass and +highs decay).

All in all, NM2+ have a more aggressive tonality and less refined technicalities and feels very overpriced compared to Tforce.


VS MOONDROP ARIA (80$)

TONALITY is in fact similar, both having their own interpretation of ''harman tuning'', both being smoothened W shape signature. Aria is a bit crisper, cleaner and more organic, with a lighter airier dynamic. It have slightly more sub-bass emphasis and extension. So, the biggest differenceence is in timbre between those too, and sens of clean transparency which higher with the Aria. Tforce has a bit more bass warmth and less mids presence and timbre is less thin. Both male-female Vocals are slightly more present with the Aria. The bass dig deeper and have better sub-kick-mids separation.

RESOLUTION is near on par with both, but due to better transparency and more extended sparkly treble of Aria I conclude they are crisper, especially when bass slam occur which doesn't hollow mids of the Aria.

SOUNDSTAGE is about the same wide, a bit taller and deeper with the Aria. Imaging is more accurate and precise and you can dig in the sound further with the Aria due to great transparency and layering.

TECHNICALITIES are just a hint better with the Aria, the transient is faster which improve attack timing and layers articulation, the resolution is higher as well the treble extends further so you have more micro details and sparkle-decay.

All in all, Tforce is the lusher, warmer version of Aria which has less cold timbre, less weighty dynamic but a more refined, crisp and mature tonality.


VS HZSOUND MIRROR (50$)

Hail to the HZM King! Did the King can fight with an IEM at more than twice it's price? YES, without any shame it can, but....

TONALITY is quite different, HZM being crisp neutral to vivid yet not aggressive W shape with tamed bass presence. BASS is cleaner but has less slam weight, it extends in a leaner less boomy way too and keep the mids clean. Sub-kick separation is better and fast bass line more accurate. Mids are colder, thinner, crisper, more energic and more transparent and detailed. Upper mids are slightly peakier. Treble is more energic, detailed and extended.

RESOLUTION is notably higher with the HZM, you will not lose any percussion hit with them which can be darkened with the Yuan Li. Transparency is similar to Aria, but layers being more compressed and higher in number than the Tforce, we can't dig as far in the sound.

SOUNDSTAGE is less wide-tall and deep with the HZM even if cleaner. IMAGING is more saturated-compressed in layers and intimate but crisper and more precise. You see more stuff going on with the HZM but it doesn't surround you like the Tforce which is more holographic.

TECHNICALITIES....this will be polemical....but they are notably better with the 50$ HZM! Transient is faster and better controlled in both lead and decay. The resolution is crisper. Both bass and treble extend further and have a cleaner presence. You have more sound info and layers. You have more micro details and texture nuance. More transparency too. But less impact weight and timbre density.

All in all, again, your tonal preference will decide which you prefer, the Tforce is more musical, smoother and laid back as well as more bassy and safely tuned, but the HZM prove again he's the sub-200$ single DD KING of technicalities, just mind-blowing and a perfect complement to the Tforce!


CONCLUSION

To say i'm impressed by the first offering of this new audio company is an understatement because in fact, the Yuan Li feels like it's been tuned by a very experienced company that understands how to find right balance between tonal and technical importance. A company that can be put in the same league as Moondrop, Tanchjim and other prime chifi IEM makers.

The Tforce Yuan Li is beautifully crafted and tuned, both comfortable to wear and listen to. Its tonality is versatile and permissive, yet weighty in dynamic, lush in timbre, and crisp in treble.

This hit all the right spot and will please bass or mids or highs lover.

Do you want weighty slam? You got it. Do you want great vocals presence and dense mids? You got it. Do you even want some highs sparkle? Your dream comes true here because you got all of this without the drawback of aggressive treble, vocal sibilance or lack of bass impact.

TForce has a bright future ahead of him in IEM world, and perhaps should be called Tour de Force because their tuning and craftsmen capabilities are more than promising.



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PS: I wanna thanks HIFIGO for the review sample, which was already arranged months ago on my request. As always, these are my 100% honest and independent opinions of an audio product. I'm not affiliated nor pay by any audio distributor or company.

You can buy the Tforce Yuan Li here:https://hifigo.com/products/tforce-yuanli-10mm-dlc-single-dynamic-driver-in-ear-monitors

TForce Audio Yuan Li

Disclaimer: The Tforce Audio Yuan Li was sent over as part of a Singapore IEM review tour. The unit has been sent of to the next reviewer as of writing. This review is not affiliated or sponsored by Tforce Audio in any way



Introduction

Tforce Audio, a OEM manufacturer hailing from Shenzhen china is no stranger to the IEM market with its role as a OEM maker for other IEM companies. Recently it has released its debut model the Yuan Li , priced at 119 USD ( $161) SGD. It packs a single 10mm CLC Dynamic Driver. In a market where single driver IEM's are increasing in popularity over multi BA driver IEM’s, how well does the Yuan Li fare? Well. keep on reading to find out!

Unboxing

In a time where many IEM manufacturers are cutting down packaging due to environmental concerns, Tforce Audio went in the opposite direction and went all out with its packaging and accessories
The Yuan Li comes in an eye-catching box with Chinese artwork and the Tforce Logo adorning the front. With the Specifications printed at the back of the box. Inside You’ll find the IEM Shells, Leather carrying case, and 7 pairs of ear tips. Unboxing the Yuan LI is certainly an experience, with subtle touches and the placement of the accessories and the IEM shells in cut-outs gives a luxurious feel to the unboxing experience. I’ve unboxed IEM’s that cost 10x the price of the Yuan Li but yet don’t give the same experience as what I got with the Yuan Li. Kudos to Tforce Audio




Accessories

You get a total of 7 pairs of eartips, 3 pairs each for the “Balanced: and ‘ Bass enhanced” Tips and one pair of foam tips. The case is a semi-hard flip-top leather case, with the Tforce logo printed on the case and the brand name laser engraved on a metal badge below the logo.



Build

The Yuan Li shells are made out of a chrome-like aluminum embossed with the Tforce logo on the faceplate . Small in size as it is only a single driver IEM. For someone with small ears, these iem’s do protrude a bit from the ear. Comfort-wise, due to its small profile and the lack of fins, I was able to have long listening sessions that lasted up to 10 hours with the Yuan Li


Cable

The cable provided is a 1.2m 2 wire OCC copper cable terminated in 3.5mm Male pin to 2pin. The cable retains little memory and it doesn’t tangle, comes with preformed ear-hooks too microphonics are also non existent with the cable.





Driveability

The Yuan Li has a relatively high impedance of 32ohms as such, amping is needed to bring out the full potential of the drivers. When plugged into my iPhone 11 using the apple dongle, the volume needs to be increased to at least 80% to reach the same volume as I get at 50% volume on my other IEMS.

Sound

Disclaimer : All sound impressions were done with the balanced eartips as the bass enhanced eartips just added a extra subass boost and reduced mid and high presence, it also reduced the soundstage. Testing was done in my room to prevent any sound interference from any surrounding noise Foam Eartips weren't used due to hygiene concerns.

All sources had no EQ set

Lows

Low end is fast and energetic with good detail and balance. Although not as punchy as compared to other DD Iem's out there, the bass in the yuan li makes up for it with its clarity. I'd call this bass neutral bass as the bass is neither punchy nor flat with a slight kick in bass-heavy songs. Kick drum sounds clear and smooth with good decay and a slight punch. Bass guitar lines can be separated from the song with ease. Bass licks are good in tone and have a decent punch to them. The Yuan Li's mid-bass brings justice to one of the most unheard instruments in the music industry with bass licks that are well accented and reproduced to its most organic and original form

Mids

The Yuan Li overall has a warm sound signature with male vocals being intimate and in your face. Female vocals are energetic and colorful, rich in tonality. Instruments-wise, while listening to Justin Bieber's song Purpose, each note of the piano rings out with emotion and with some of the best decay and tonality I've ever heard in an IEM. Listening to Purpose on the Yuan Li made me feel like I was in the middle of an acoustic hall sitting in an unplugged concert with Justin Bieber singing right in front of me. The amount of detail and timber that comes with the Yuan Li is just unimaginable.

Treble

Treble is well controlled with no peaks or sibilance. Treble heads may enjoy this as treble response does not fluctuate even with high consonants such as “s” sounds come off softer than expected. Female alto vocals sound relaxed and is pleasing overall when listening to music with a lot of treble such as EDM

Soundstage and imaging

Soundstage is huge on the Yuan Li which may result in the instruments and vocals sounding airy. Meaning that even though it’s in your face it sounds like the singer is singing in an acoustic chamber with natural reverb. Even though this is welcomed for live albums such as hell freezes over some might find it too airy. Imaging is good even though my unit had a problem, vocals and instruments sounded of center with the left side coming off as louder than the right. I supposed it could be a driver mismatch or a filter problem, this issue was solved with slight panning of the audio to the right.

In conclusion

The Yuan Li is definitely a looker and a keeper. It’s high-class presentation and aesthetics with the warm headphone-like sound signature that you get is a win-win for many! This is a good direction that Tforce Audio Is heading, looking forward to reviewing more of their products in the near future!

Build Quality

• Full metal construction with mirrors finished

Fit

• Sit nicely in my ear with no sharp corner comfortable for long listening session

Isolation

• Average isolation

Unboxing experience
Premium unboxing experience IEM and case were nicely displace with the eartips underneath the earphone



Sound (bass tip)

• Bass

Lets talk about the bass mind you I had the bass tips on for this bit bass had a great extension very well rounded sounding bass attack were in just nice knowing the right time to extent out although this is not a IEM I would recommend to bass head

• Midrange

Female vocal was quite forward but not in your face bad kind of vocal although forward sounding some song makes it seem like a layback sounding vocals upper mirage on female was smooth and warm although vocal were good sometimes it can sound a little recessed and a little bloated due to bass bleeding into the mids

• Treble

Treble attack fast and not too sharp definitely present and clean sounding

• Imagining and soundstage

Excellent Imaging soundstage wise it above average but can also depend on the type of music you are listening to


Sound (balanced tip)

• Bass

Timbre of the bass is much more natural without much colouring sub bass still popped out pretty well though bass extension was still there but not as warm as with the bass tip

• Midrange

I feel like midrange here really shine mids were open and clean to listen to was listening to beat it by Michael Jackson and the guitar riff really popped out vocals wise I will say it’s much better than with bass tips no bass bleeding into mids and overall vocals were smooths with just a hint of warm

• Treble

I don’t really hear much different with the treble it’s still pretty much the same with the bass tip clean and fast responses

• Imaging and soundstage

Imaging I feel like it’s doesn’t do as good with the bass tip as it doesn’t make thinks popped out but soundstage is wide but I wouldn’t say is deep

Overall
I really love the cable I think that’s a plus point for me cable were soft enough to reduce microphonic for the price points I will easily give this a 4/5 for the build Quality and the content provided in the box I would highly recommend this pair of item if you have a sub $200 budget while looking for a well balanced sounding IEM and a pair of although I hope to see a cloth to wipe my fingerprints off however I don’t know. If this pair of IEM is faulty the left side of my IEM sounded laggy and can make the vocal very recessed overall it does what it says balance tip sounds balanced while bass tips bring out more bass

Gear used
FiiO i1 lighting DAC
FiiO K5 pro via RCA input (volume knob turned to 12 o’clock on the lowest gain switch)
Audioquest golden gate RCA cable
MacBook Pro

Test track (Via Apple Music lossless)
Fly like a bird (Mariah Carey)
In your eyes (The Weeknd
Earned it (The weeknd)
Beat it (Michael Jackson)
Waiting for love (avicii)
Or nah (ty dolla $ign)
Faded (Mariah Carey)
You’re mine (Mariah Carey)
Hold on (chord overstreet)
Anyone (Justin Bieber)
Hold on (Justin Bieber)
My heart will go on (James Horner)
The water is wide
I want to know what love is (Mariah Carey) best
Contact (daft punk)
This is me (Kesha)
Praying(Kesha)

Introduction :

T-Force Yuan Li.Company's newly launched IEM price at $119.Which is very very competitive price segment.There is Moondrop Aria,Fiio FH3,TRI Starsea.And they got some really good reviews from the reviewers and users.Now let's see how is it.




Unboxing And Accosories :

Yuan Li comes in a beautiful looking box.In front of box there is something written in chinese and some artworks.Which is looks great.On the back there is specifications of the IEM.Unde the cover box there is black box branded by T-Force.Inside the box there is some paperworks,IEM, carrying case,3 pairs of Eartips called Balanced Eartips,Bass enhanced Eartips and foam tips,and a 3.5mm cable.The packaging and unboxing experience is really nice.I've to admit T-Force has done a really good job.






Now Let's talk about the accosories that comes in the box.At 1st let's talk about the cable.I can't wait tell about this.It's 3.5mm 2 core occ cable with 2 pin connector.The cable is really really good for the price.Doesn’t tangle.And overall I just love it.

It comes with a black big carrying case.Which is made by fake lather but feels good on hand.And it's practical too.IEM fits in the case easily.But it is little bit bigger that can't keep in pant pocket.Otherthan that nothing to complain.

And the Eartips are nice also as a stock tips.I've used the Bass tips.That has good fit and isolation.
And the IEM itself looks gorgeous.Shiny smooth metal construction.Feels premium on hand.But it smashes fingerprint.




4.5 Out Of 5







Specs :

*10mm Dynamic Driver with DLC Diaphragm.
*Aluminium Monitor Shell
*Standard 2-pin 0.78mm connectors.
*Impedance: 32Ω.
*Sensitivity: 103.5dB.
*Frequency Response Range: *20Hz-20kHz.
*THD+N: 0.2%.

BETTER AMP YOU HAVE BETTER IT WILL SOUND.(amping requires)


My Sound Source :

*iBasso DX160 (2020)
*Phone
*Tidal And My Offline Music Library (Flac)
*UAPP




Fit And Comfort :

Yuan Li is metal bodied IEM.But the fit was good in my ears.And Isolation is aslo good enough.Good for long term listening.

4.4 Out Of 5



Bass :

Yuan Li produce a very smooth enjoyable bass response.It's more Sub-Bass focused than the Mid-Bass.Sub-Bass response is gorgeous.The Sub-Bass is energetic,fast,tight and attacky but smooth.It has really good clarity and dynamics too.It has good body and attack.The Mid-Bass is also very enjoyable.It has good thump and details.Micro details are noticeable with good texture.Mid-bass is deep enough to give you a goosebump.The separation between Mid-Bass and Sub-Bass is nice.Male-female vocals in lower mid range produces nicely.Drum,Bass-Guitar,Piano, Violin everything sounds just incredibly well.Pop,Edm,Rap,Metal,Heavy Metal songs are really really fun to listen.Bass-Guitar,Drums slam hits really harder that will force you give a attention to the song.I don't know how to say but the bass response is smooth but it has really good slam.And because of the smoothness the bass feels attacky but relaxing you know.But if the bass was little bit more tighter and faster that would be really magical.Overall it has a smooth but energetic Bass response.Which is really really relaxing and enjoyable and I appreciate that.


4.2 Out Of 5







Mids :

Yuan Li has warm and clean presentation in the mids.Because of it has balanced tonality vocals will be in front of you.Mids is smooth and pronounced.Male and female vocals sounds very smooth and full of clarity.Male vocals has a good body and feels really relaxing to listen.Female vocals are well pronounced,energetic and non-fatiguing.And there is lots of emotion to the whole mid section.Which will help you to attach with the songs and discover the story behind it.Artworks of artists present fantastically.But it could be little bit more forward that i would highly appreciate.But maybe I'm nitpicking.Overall it has a emotional mids with good details.


4.4 Out Of 5








Soundstage And Imaging :

Yuan Li has wide soundstage.Wider than avarage.It's superb.Soundstage has good height and depth.Everthing feels in front.It's like a stage show.And the imaging was also good enough to feel from where the instrument comes.You can imagine you can feel that here is guitar here is the drum.But the separation could be little bit better.Overall it's deep and wide.Nothing to complain about.

4.4 Out Of 5

Treble :

Now Let's talk about the treble.From the beinging of the review I'm saying that everything is smooth and nothing different here.There is slide slide peak in the Treble section (don't worry that won't hurt you) which makes the Treble more more energetic.Treble well extended with smooth presentation.It has energy.It has details,texture.But non fatiguing.That's all I've to say.


4.5 Out 5






Comparison :

I'm not going do deep comparison but some basic facts.



Compared To Fiio FH3 :
Fiio FH3 has more bass quantity than the Yuan Li.But Yuan Li has smoother bass.Yuan Li has non fatiguing smooth treble where FH3 has peaks in the Treble section.Not ideal for them who are treble sensitive and long session.Yuan Li has smooth and emotional mids.Where FH3 is more crispy.The Soundstage of FH3 is narrow and shallow.Where Yuan Li has wide and deep soundstage.I prefer Yuan Li over FH3.But if you're a bass head than FH3 would be better for you.



Compared To TinHifi T5 :
TinHifi T5 is a highly V shaped tuned IEM.Lacks of texture and details in the mids section.And the bass quality isn't that good.But wide soundstage.Where Yuan Li has balanced tonality.Enjoyable bass, Detailed mids and deep soundstage.Yuan Li just destroyed T5 at least for me.



Compared To Aria :
Now this going to interesting.Everyone's favorite Aria.Which is $100 king.Price at $75 almost $40 less than the Yuan Li.Aria has V Shaped tuning.But it has good detail in the Bass section.Bass is enjoyable and fun to listen.Mids has clarity and soundstage is wide.And Yuan Li may have little bit better overall tonality but $40 more expensive.So, I'll Say it's tie.If you have less money pick Aria if you have some extra money invest to Yuan Li.None of them will disappoint you.


Conclusion :

T-Force Yuan Li launched in a very competitive price bracket but it's so good that it just made his own place.Simply it's won my heart.And I've no shame to say that,"It become my favorite IEM under $150".

Thanks For Reading

T FORCE YUAN LI

YUAN LI from new company T Force, is an IEM with a single 10mm dynamic driver, 32 ohm impedance and a 2 pin .78mm cable. On the box they have called this Trilogy Part 1, obviously suggesting some more goodies to come at some point.

UNBOXING. The Yuan Li comes in a black box within a cardboard sleeve, which has a lovely design on the front and good product information on the back. The box has a magnetic catch which opens to reveal a cover sheet, Facebook and Instagram links, warranty card and of course, the IEMs and a very nice carry case containing the cable. Under the IEMs there is a 2nd foam block containing a selection of balanced, bass and foam tips. The cable is of nice quality, behaves well, and doesn’t tangle. So far, not bad at all….

TESTING. Firstly, I should point out that I am a melodic / hard rock fan and I buy IEMs for that primary purpose. You can find a playlist of tracks I test listen to at the end of this review. I am also 60+ years of age, so my hearing has been somewhat battered by 40+ years of gigs and rock clubs (where I used to DJ). Equipment used is an iFi Zen DAC & AMP or a FiiO Q3, using FLAC files with no EQ. Anyway, and on...

The phones fit well and are very comfortable to use. I used the sleeves that were fitted in the box which seemed quite adequate. 1st impressions were very favourable, with the bass nicely presented with a pleasant rumble in the background from the sub range. Mid range is also good, with vocals and guitars clear, important with my genre. Trebles are present and shimmery, but not bright enough to be fatiguing or unpleasant. After an afternoon's use, there was no earache and, in my opinion (of course) I think they have done a fine job tuning. I must admit, I’m quite looking forward to Part 2 of this trilogy.

Finally, I should say I purchased this set from HiFiGo, and have nothing to do with T Force. I only dropped this review because they asked nicely!!! Worth $120 (£85)? Most certainly.

PlayList

Dire Straits - Sultans of Swing
AC/DC - Who Made Who
Creye - Broken Highway
Ultravox - Vienna
Temple Of Rock - Vigilante Man
Golden Earring - Twilight Zone
Adrenaline - Road of the Gypsy
Metallica - All Nightmare Long
Royal Blood - Trouble’s Coming
Journey - Faith in the Heartland

(all available on YouTube)

PROLOGUE​

As a longtime single Dynamic Driver IEM enthusiast, it was easy for me to get attracted to TForce Audio Yuan Li the moment it was released. With the IEM market getting more and more congested with new releases almost every week, TForce did well to release the Yuan Li with a very attractive theme. Yuan Li, the first Emperor of Tang Dynasty (year 618–907). As the name suggests, Yuan Li the IEM is all about elegance and authority.

When I noticed that my favorite Online Audio Store (HifiGo) listed Yuan Li in Amazon, it was a quick check-out for me considering that HiFiGo Amazon offered shipping cost included with the base price. So that’s a value that I just simply can’t ignore. The shipping was fast and hassle free.

The Build:​

The base build of Yuan Li is aluminum with chromed mirror finish. It is surprisingly lightweight and sturdy at the same time. There’s no sign of sloppy build whatsoever. Simply beautiful and elegant

Yuan Li uses 32Ω 10mm DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) Dynamic Driver (105db Sensitivity) which suggests that it is solid in build density yet flexible enough to perform with great speed.

Yuan Li came with a 1.2m 6n OCC Pure Copper cable terminated in 3.5mm Single Ended configuration. The cable itself has been explicitly designed to match the overall theme with transparent sleeving, exposing the gold-ish copper which looked very solid – yet surprisingly subtle to the touch, not stiff at all as the thickness suggests. The chin slider works perfectly as intended, helps to secure the cable further and eliminating any chance of microphonics.

For the rest, Yuan Li did not disappoint for the $119 price asked. It came with a beautiful box which contains custom crafted Black Pouch and an arsenal of tips for tuning purposes. Three types of tips offered: Balanced (Silicone), Bass Enhanced (Silicone) and a pair of short Foamies.

The Wear:​

Yuan Li apparently has been carefully crafted to a size and dimensions that I would imagine fit many types of ears. It was easy to wear, and I absolutely enjoyed the comfortable fit once anchored in my ear concha. Even the cable hooks seem to be designed intentionally to offer comfort, with graceful curve over the ear to not introduce any pressure point for prolonged use. And I did wear my Yuan Li for over 6 hours straight a few times.

PLAYING IT RIGHT​

I have an arsenal of DAC/Amp Dongles at my disposal and for these impressions I have opted to focus on the following sources:

1. Ovidius B1 (3.5mm SE, USB 3.0, Samsung Galaxy S20)
2. hiliDAC Audirect BEAM 3+ (3.5mm SE & 4.4mm BAL, USB & LDAC BT)
3. Avani (USB 2.0, Sony Xperia Z5 Compact)
4. Tidal Masters (MQA & HiFi)
5. HiBy Player Android (FLAC, USB Exclusive Mode)

Cables:​

1. Stock Yuan Li 6n OCC Cable
2. TACables Obsidian Black Litz Silver Plated 5N OCC
3. VE Black Litz (Solid OCC)

As with many IEMs, using the right tips is especially crucial to attain proper sonic indulgence to suit the listener. For my own usage, I opted to use the short foamies instead of the Silicones as I am already very familiar with the usage of Foam tips. To my ears, foam tips will always provide the best seal with well balanced sound that will not emphasize on any frequencies.

* The impressions were done after over 50 hours of burn-in. I only spent an hour after unboxing and then tucked my Yuan Li aside for continuous burn-in on my laptop.

Click to expand...

THE SOUND​

Timbre & Tonality – Yuan Li offers neutral balanced sound which is not exactly warm or bright. Being balanced means it edge closer to organic and analogue presentation especially when paired with an already neutral balanced sources like the Ovidius B1 and BEAM 3+. My own preference is more on sparkly bright Diffused Field Neutral side of things; however, this signature often can be less musical and fatiguing due to the flat bright nature of it. Having an option for Balanced Neutral is something that I embrace wholeheartedly especially after acquiring the TIN HiFi P1 Magnetic Planar, which I adored immensely. As for Yuan Li, the timbre itself is admirably clean sounding without any sign of being digital-ish, however timbre and dynamic density is not as rich as how I would get from the likes of Shure KSE1500 or TIN HiFi P1, but then I am nitpicking here comparing a single DD against the mammoths of KSE1500 Electrostatics and P1 Magnetic Planar. Yuan Li is not as airy as KSE1500, VE Duke or HZSOUND Heart Mirror, putting it on the same segment with Etymotic ER4SR, ER2XR, Moondrop Aria and TIN HiFi P1.

Dynamics – Yuan Li offers very extensive dynamic range for the price asked. I am not joking on this as I know how TOTL sounds like and to my ears what Yuan Li presented is way above the $119 price point. Paired with an exceedingly technical source like the Ovidius B1, I can hear deep extensions on both end of the spectrum that is as vibrant as it can be, with commendable density and weight. Most importantly, being a single DD and with DLC, it was effortless for Yuan Li to maintain timbre coherence and hygiene.

Mids – Mids are richly textured, detailed, and intimate. There’s a touch of warmth especially for female vocals (Diana Krall, TEXAS & Alison Krauss), with natural decays that does not sound artificial. Male vocals seem to be less warm and a bit more neutral in presentation (Nick Cave & Morrissey), slightly spaced back and not as intimate.
On the instruments side, Yuan Li is faithfully neutral organic with the presentation of guitars, banjo, piano, cello & percussions. The sound is as realistic as it can be expected with proper tone and decays. There was no hint of artificial or metallic nuances to the tone. Simply outstanding.

Treble – Admittedly, for a Treble junkie like me, Yuan Li does not impress me much here. I am so used to the super extended, detailed, and sparkly Treble presentation of VE Duke MK1, Etymotic ER4SR or even Heart Mirror. However, this does not mean Yuan Li is a slacker either, in fact Yuan Li edge closer to KSE1500 and P1 type of Treble characteristics which offers less simmer and sheen but still extends far with rich detailed textures. It is so very silky smooth and tantalizing, even better than the sort of smoothness that I get from Heart Mirror (at the expense of some sparkle). All in all, this Treble presentation meant that I was able to listen to Yuan Li for up to 6-7 hours continuously – something which I can’t do with Heart Mirror or ER4SR (2 hours max). Yuan Li is totally free from any sort of Treble sibilance.

Bass – First thing first. I hate thick and overpowering Bass. Yuan Li is NOT for a Basshead. That’s one thing for sure . As I said earlier, Yuan Li is well balanced and organic, this mean to my ears, Yuan Li offer the right amount of Bass body mass and density. It is very well controlled and fast. Mid-Bass amply solid with visceral presence, properly textured with sensible amount of punch and vibrancy – actually less euphonic compared to Heart Mirror or Aria – to me this is perfect. Considering that I am actually enjoying the weak-assed Bass responses from the likes of ER4SR and VE Duke (both of which will kill any Bass lovers in agony due to lack of Bass ahahaha), Yuan Li a bit more generous than the two of them in contrast. Sub-Bass performance largely depends on the source capabilities, on Ovidius B1 it is well presented with deep seismic sensation especially for Bassy tracks like “Angel” (Massive Attack), “Harper Lewis” (Russian Circles) or “Mombasa” (Hans Zimmer). The decays longer and smoother. However, with Avani it is shorter, crisper, and less audible. So, this indicated that Yuan Li quite capable of scaling to the nature of the sources.

Details & Transparency – I am a detail junkie. Yuan Li did not disappoint. Taking VE Duke and Etymotic ER4SR as my point of reference, Yuan Li capable in handling details retrieval as competent as the two of them, perhaps not exactly on par with VE Duke but close enough. Transparency is top notch, with the pairing to Ovidius B1 and even Avani, I was able to audibly hear details presentation that are available in the tracks – played on FLAC with HiBy Player. However, it wasn’t as great when paired with Audirect BEAM 3+ in LDAC BT mode, perhaps the limitation of the source here masked surgical level of details handling. Yuan Li being slightly less clinical than VE Duke and ER4SR, also mean that it is a bit more forgiving on poor sources. All in all, I am very happy with Yuan Li Macro and Micro detail capabilities, it is assuredly more refined than both Heart Mirror and Aria on this section. On the other hand, Yuan Li exhibited strong sensitivity that I can hear floor noises on Ovidius B1 which is not a surprise to me. B1 being a natively super powerful DAC/Amp unit needed some dampening with the use of Impedance Adapter to emulate Low Gain and eliminate floor noises.

Speed & Transients – The measure of a great IEM to me is how they handle speed, transients, and resolution. On this end, Yuan Li is a stellar performer. The only other DDs that impressed me much with these capabilities are Etymotic ER2XR and VE Duke. In fact, Yuan Li speed is on equal level to VE Duke and the BA of ER4SR. Yes, it is actually faster than ER2XR and Heart Mirror. The essence of speed is how the drivers handle fast note exchanges/transitions/layers in complex music, or an outright fast paced (BPM) tracks normally found in Rock/Metal. Being able to respond quickly to myriad of different notes at given intervals will determine if the output is effortless or congested. I hate congested sound. This performance alone already made me love Yuan Li even more.

Soundstage & Imaging – Admittedly there’s nothing stellar to describe here. Just like many other In Ear Monitors, soundstage size, width and depth of Yuan Li is commendable at best. It is no different than Heart Mirror or even KSE1500 in comparison. But of course, Yuan Li is still a lot better than the super narrow staging of ER2XR and ER4SR. Spatial Imaging is as precise and cleanly placed as it could be, depending on the capabilities of the source quality. On Ovidius B1 and Avani I am quite satisfied with the holographic projection which is circular enough not to sound L/R oriented. Smaller headstage observed with Avani vs B1.

ADAPTABILITY & SCALABILITY​

Cable Swaps. As with many well designed and built IEMs, Yuan Li responds very well to cable swaps. The stock OCC 6n Copper, to my ears offered slightly warm presentation that is super smooth yet transparent. Swapping to VE Black Litz (Solid OCC), it edges closer to DF Neutral Timbre at the expense of some density of sound, but transparency is further improved to the point that Micro Details are crisper. Yuan Li seems to synergize best with TACables Obsidian Black Litz/SPC Hybrid – where timbre density is retained, and a bit of sparkle introduced. Great transparency as well.

Source Scalability. Yuan Li sounded great even played directly off my Sony Xperia Z5 Compact via the 3.5mm Jack. While relatively easy to drive even with Low Gain drive, Yuan Li shines the best with beefier amplification. The sound opened up audibly with Ovidius B1 and even Avani (with smaller staging and less air)

EPILOGUE​

TForce Audio Yuan Li. Even as I wrote this, I have Yuan Li pumping pleasurable music to my ears. As noted earlier, with overflowing options available today, it is a vicious competition in the market for newcomers to grab the attention of consumers. What is certain, none of the IEMs within the $50-$150 bracket is built and designed to sound bad. More often than not, they are built and tuned to cater for varying plateau of taste and preferences. In the case of Yuan Li, it is apparent to me the tuning was intentionally designated to be natural smooth and elegant. In that regard, I would declare that TForce did a stellar job. What I am hearing is a very matured sounding IEM that is exquisitely well balanced and comforting. I can listen to my music with Yuan Li hours and hours on end.

If I will draw comparisons and analogy, the HZSOUND Heart Mirror is a sparkly, lively, euphonic, and vibrant performer that will make you dance, Moondrop Aria on the other hand offers darker/warmer presentation that is closer to Harman U-Curve signature. Yuan Li, provide an elegant balance between Heart Mirror and Aria. This is not an easy thing to achieve. I recalled my time with ddHiFi Janus E2020A, another premium grade single 10mm DD which was intended to be a smooth performer as well. While Janus was indeed very smooth and clean, it was a bit too laid back and slow in comparison to Yuan Li. I will openly say that TForce Audio succeed where ddHiFi fell short.

Simply put, I am totally in love with my Yuan Li. A much-needed addition to my arsenal of IEMs, the balancing option that is easy to drive compared to the rest, outstanding ability to adapt and scale with source pairing. All things considered, the value proposition, Yuan Li is a true 5 Stars performer in my book.

Disclaimer: I received this review unit for free from HifiGO, thank you very much.

Price: 120 usd

Specifications:

DRIVER: 10mm DLC single DD

SENSITIVITY：103.5dB

IMPEDANCE：32Ω

FREQUENCY RANGE RESPONSE: 20Hz - 20 kHz

TOTAL HARMONIC DISTORTION：0.2%


Cable: 0.27 ohm, 2 core OCC cable. Pretty decent cable with metal connectors/dividers, although the chin-slider doesn’t work that well.





Build: Fully metal shell, including the nozzle that has a lip as well and a cloth mesh. Mirrored surface so it is a fingerprint magnet. 2-pin connector.

Fit: Average sized shell, so it fits me pretty well. Although people with very small ears might have issues.

Comfort: Pretty good for me.

Isolation: Average, nothing special.

Setup: Schiit Asgard 3 (low-gain, volume around 8 o´clock), Elecom EHP-CAP20 tips L, stock cable 3.5mm

Lows: Very low bass quantity with a little bit elevated sub-bass, doesn’t rumble a lot and extension isn’t that good either. Not an iem for bassheads but it is well tuned for the type of music this iem is good with.

Mid-bass: Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), very clean due to the very fast/tight bass, while quantity is low but texture is good and individual strikes are pretty distinct despite the low quantity. The (02:55-03:01) section with the chopper is hearable and clean.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), very clean due to the very fast/tight bass but lacking quantity, texture is good though.

Sub-bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), Doesn’t rumble a lot and extension isn’t that good either. Punch quantity is pretty low but texture is good while it is clean due to the speed/tightness.

Will Sparks – Sick like that (03:08-03:22), low quantity but good texture and clean due to the tightness/speed.

Mids: Excellent female vocals, while male vocals are also good but can lack some warmth depending on the track. Pretty well balanced, but leaning slightly more towards female vocals. Vocal (female) lovers will enjoy this one.

Female-vocals: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), excellent vocal tonality (also forward) and timbre, very clean and detailed as well. Instrument tonality is very good as well as timbre.

Yuki Hayashi – MightU (01:58-02:55), excellent vocal tonality and timbre. Instrument tonality is good but could be slightly brighter, timbre is very good.

Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), slightly fatiguing due to the tonality and slightly shouty.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Crescent (02:07-02:26), peaky and fatiguing.

Male-vocals: Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (00:57-01:17), good tonality, would be better if it was warmer though, timbre is natural. Very good tonality and timbre.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), instrument and vocal tonality needs to be warmer, timbre is good and it is clean though.

Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), electric guitars aren’t sharp but fatiguing due to the bright tonality.

Deuce – America (03:03-03:16), impressive imaging and separation but fatiguing due to the bright tonality.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), Cello timbre, texture, detail and clarity are very good but lacking some warmth. Violin tonality, timbre, texture, detail, clarity and treble-extension are great.

Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), good tonality, natural timbre and clean.

Soundstage: Below-average for something at this price.

Tonality: Neutral, leaning slightly more towards brightness but quite balanced. Natural timbre as expected from a single DD.

Details: both macro and micro-details are very impressive.

Instrument Separation: great imaging and separation.

Songs that highlight the IEM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=za8aapTmp44 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIsjRvyC0HU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvvvcpwFw5o

Good genres: Pop, Kpop, OST, acoustic/vocal music

Bad genres: Hip-hop, EDM, Trance, R&B



Comparisons:

IEM: Blon BL-03 (mesh-mod), Radius Deep mount tips L, cable B3 4.4mm


Bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), extends lower and rumbles a lot more on the 03. Punch quantity is also higher on the 03. Faster, tighter and more textured on the Yuan Li though. More tonally correct on the 03 but similar timbre.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), cleaner on the Yuan Li due to the faster, tighter and lower bass quantity and is more textured. More tonally correct on the 03 though.

Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), a lot cleaner due to the faster, tighter and lower bass quantity and also due to the separation/imaging on the Yuan Li. (treble is more fatiguing on it though due to the brighter tonality and a bit peakier.)

Mids: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), instrument tonality is better on the 03 but cleaner and more detailed on the Yuan Li. Vocal tonality (brighter) is better on the Yuan Li and a bit more forward, cleaner and more detailed. Timbre is similar.

Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), more fatiguing on the Yuan Li due to the brighter tonality and slightly shoutier.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), vocal and instrument tonality are better on the 03 due to the warmth, but similar timbre and cleaner and more detailed on the Yuan Li.

Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), electric guitars are a bit sharper and more fatiguing (brighter) on the Yuan Li.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), Cello tonality, timbre and texture are better on the 03 but cleaner on the Yuan Li. Violin tonality, treble-extension, texture and clarity are better on the Yuan Li, similar timbre.

Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), tonality is better on the 03 but similar timbre while it is cleaner and more detailed on the Yuan Li.

Technicalities: Shiro Sagisu – Hundred years war (02:24-02:57), similar width but a bit deeper on the 03. Imaging, instrument separation and detail are a lot better on the Yuan Li, similar timbre.

Overall: The 03 is the more fun (bassier) and relaxing (warmer) iem while the Yuan Li is more technical (although a bit worse in soundstage) and the more vocal focused iem.



IEM: Moondrop KXXS, Sony EP-EX11 tips L, Moondrop Blessing 2 cable 3.5mm

Bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), similar extension but a bit more rumble on the KXXS. Punch quantity is slightly higher on the KXXS but more textured and a bit tighter on the Yuan Li. Tonality is slightly better on the KXXS but better timbre on the Yuan Li.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), slightly higher bass quantity on the KXXS but more textured on the Yuan Li with similar speed/tightness. Tonality is similar but slightly better timbre on the Yuan Li.

Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), very similar bass but slightly better texture on the Yuan Li while the treble is a bit peakier on the KXXS.

Mids: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), vocal tonality (similar quantity) is slightly better on the KXXS (brighter) but better timbre on the Yuan Li. Instrument tonality and timbre are better on the Yuan Li. Similarly clean and detailed.

Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), more fatiguing (brighter) and peakier on the KXXS.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), vocal tonality is slightly better (warmer) on the Yuan Li and timbre is a bit better. Instrument tonality and timbre are better on the Yuan Li. Clarity is slightly better on the KXXS due to the brighter tonality, but similar details.

Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), a bit sharper and more fatiguing on the KXXS.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), Cello tonality, texture and clarity are very similar but timbre is a bit better on the Yuan Li. Violin tonality is slightly better on the KXXS, similar treble-extension, detail and clarity while timbre is better on the Yuan Li.

Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), slightly better tonality and timbre on the Yuan Li. Similar detail but cleaner on the KXXS due to the brighter tonality.

Technicalities: Shiro Sagisu – Hundred years war (02:24-02:57), a bit wider on the KXXS but otherwise similar soundstage. Imaging and timbre are better on the Yuan Li. But similar detail and instrument separation.

Overall: They are both pretty similar but the Yuan Li is a bit better tuned (not as bright and fits my library a bit better) and has a more natural timbre and better imaging.



IEM: Tanchjim Oxygen, Final Audio Type E tips LL, cable A6 4.4mm

Bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), extension and rumble are similar. Punch quantity is also similar but more textured, tighter and faster on the Oxygen. Tonality is more accurate on the Yuan Li but similar timbre.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), similar quantity but more texture, faster and tighter on the Oxygen. Cleaner and more detailed on the Oxygen but more tonally accurate on the Yuan Li (due to the treble) while timbre is similar.

Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), cleaner due to the faster and tighter bass on the Oxygen. But treble can be a bit fatiguing on it.

Mids: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), Vocal tonality, timbre and clarity are better on the Oxygen and more forward vocals. Instrument tonality is better (warmer) on the Yuan Li while timbre, detail and clarity are better on the Oxygen.

Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), a lot more fatiguing (brighter), peakier and shoutier on the Oxygen.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), Vocal and instrument tonality is better on the Yuan Li, timbre is similar but cleaner and more detailed on the Oxygen.

Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), sharper and more fatiguing on the Oxygen.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), Cello tonality is better on the Yuan Li but better timbre, texture, detail and clarity on the Oxygen. Violin tonality, timbre, texture, detail, clarity and treble-extension are better on the Oxygen.

Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), tonality is a bit better on the Yuan Li, but better timbre, detail and clarity on the Oxygen.

Technicalities: Shiro Sagisu – Hundred years war (02:24-02:57), a lot wider, airier and a bit deeper soundstage on the Oxygen. Detail, imaging and instrument separation are a lot better on the Oxygen. Timbre is better on the Oxygen.

Overall: The Oxygen is the more technical, better female vocals, bass and upper-treble. While the male vocals are tuned better for my library on the Yuan Li. The Yuan Li isn’t exactly a budget Oxygen, but it does have some factors (female vocals, bass quality and imaging) that resembles it.



Conclusion: The Yuan Li is a well-tuned neutral iem with very impressive imaging capabilities. If you are a fan of more neutral tunings then this is a very good iem. But it is not for bass/treble-heads.

Graph:


Cable source:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...zTm4ei7HEfP8AI1zxswrMw2ho/edit#gid=1801072063

Reference/test songs:

TForce Yuan Li Review

Tl;dr : 1DD setup @ 120 USD. Warm-ish, neutral-bright signature. Fast and visceral bass, smooth and intimate midrange, well extended treble. A bit unforgiving on some badly recorded tracks.

A bit of background and disclaimer:

TForce Audio sent this Yuan Li as a tour unit to review and evaluate, rest assured they won’t influence my review. I hope my criticisms can be used to improve Tforce’s future releases and current ones, and guide some curious consumers. You can buy the Yuan Li @ HiFIGO!

I'm also new on reviewing so please tell me your inputs about it! I'm happy to listen and learn from you guys!

Packaging:

· The Yuan Li came in a medium rectangular printed box that consists of two parts, the cover and the box that contain the contents. Inside the box contains three papers (warranty, social media card, and a small translucent artwork), the earpieces detached, the faux leather case with the cable inside and a foam cutout that has 3 types of eartips (“Vocal” soft, short wide bore tips x 3 SML, “Bass” red hard stem ear tips x3 SML and a pair of foam eartips). Overall, it’s a great package for 120usd, especially that faux leather case which got me surprised.

Build:

· The shape of these shells is very organic and well designed. The whole earpiece is made of aluminum with a mirror finish throughout with the TForce logo engraved and with colored red and blue marker on the faceplates and letters near the nozzle for L and R indication.
The cable consists of two cores and the wares used for the jack, splitter and 2 pin is of the same material and same mirror finish as the shells itself. It’s a bit of a tangly mess haptics-wise but I like the 2 core form factor because it feels more low-key in the eyes and comfortable to me.
The potential problem with the shells will be the mirror finish, because it’ll turn into a scratch field and a fingerprint magnet with heavy usage, but in terms of overall quality and strength I personally think TForce did well with the Yuan Li. There’s also the issue of grounding on my unit with the metal build and all, but it is definitely something to take note when buying them.

Fit and isolation:

· They fit my ears very well due to its organic shape and the fairly shallow nozzle. I needed to tiproll outside of the provided tips because nothing in the provided tips fit me snug, so I tiprolled and found great fit with wide-bore Whirlwind tips and narrow bore MH755 tips. Isolation is above average, you can still feel the traffic sounds but it is fairly drowned by the music you’re playing.

Sound:

A bit of background for the source, I used my Meizu DAC and Zishan U1 (on my phone and laptop) for the testing. This particular pair will sing to its full potential when it’s paired with amped sources (@ 103db@1khz sensitivity)
My library consists of MP3 and FLAC albums on 16/44khz and few 24/96khz ones and also streaming on Spotify since I prefer its convenience. Here is my lastfm account to see what I listen to: https://www.last.fm/user/varia_ble

- Bass: Sub- focused bass, mostly thumps but with a little bit of boom or punches. There is still a bit of mid bass meat in there that makes the whole signature less lean. The bass response is fast, visceral and textured well and does not bloat nor bleed. Bass guitars are well rendered and 808 kicks sounds like the 808 kick we are all familiar with, when called upon. I also found that using a narrow bore eartip like the MH755 stock tips gives the bass more presence throughout the signature so you might find it useful when you feel like having some bass.

- Mids: Lean until the upper- mid, and this part of Yuan Li is my favorite. Tonality wise, it is leaning a bit towards warmth just enough to make the midrange with sufficient body, and for my standards it hits the boxes of what’s “natural” to me, so expect a smooth midrange experience although a bit of that upper midrange energy gives it a bit of edge that the smooth lower midrange needs. Male voices are well presented and detailed but female voices are more intimate than their male counterparts. The upper midrange can be unforgiving to some poor/lo-fi recordings though so take note of that, but it is usually not a big deal for me throughout the testing.

- Treble: Lower treble focused and with just enough air to make the transitions to the upper ranges smooth and well extended. Cymbals and Sssses are handled well on the borderline of my tolerance but expect an unforgiving treble with poor or lo-fi recordings. It is extended well with very good definition while not giving the listener an overwhelming, sibilant presence, given that your tracks are well mastered.

- Soundstage, Imaging and Separation: The soundstaging is above average, it feels more wide compared to its depth.

Imaging is good, with spatial ques and elements presented well and their movement throughout the music.

Separation is excellent, very layered for a single DD setup, which is pretty damn surprising. It might be due to the treble performance.

Comparison:

- With Tin T2 Plus: They’re both neutral*, with the Yuan Li being more lean than the warmer T2 Plus. T2 Plus is at the 50 USD price point while the Yuan Li is @ 120 USD.

Bass goes to Yuan Li, because its better defined and textured compared to the T2 Plus where the bass is bloated and feels less detailed although in quantity the T2 Plus wins it.

Mids goes to Yuan Li with more detail from the upper midrange yet still has a certain balance of smoothness to it. T2 Plus however, is warmer and much more in line to my tonal preferences but it’s definitely less detailed.

Treble goes for Yuan Li, with more air, definition and resolution than the T2 Plus, although T2 Plus is much safer in the treble while the Yuan Li is just near at the borderline when it comes to sibilance.

Thoughts:

The Yuan Li definitely gave me a bit of a surprise while testing through it. I almost thought I’d get bored to death with its neutral signature and the usual pitfalls of neutral IEMs on my mostly varied and ever changing albums usually of dubious recording quality but it held up pretty damn well with it. I usually look for bass quantity first when analyzing for the sound since my library is unforgiving when it comes to lean pairs but this manages to catch the balance damn well although some tracks, Yuan Li did not forgive. To be honest, this is not my preferred signature, but is still an engaging listen though!

I also think this is a definite upgrade from the neutral pairs and dynamic driver IEMS you hear at under 100 USD range, especially with the T2 Plus of mine being wrecked by the Yuan Li in terms of overall resolution and quality, although for people with weaker sources like a phone might need to upgrade first since this is a pair that sings well with a bit of push (even a dongle should suffice!).
What I loved about the Yuan Li’s throughout the testing is their wonderful rendering of Duster’s Capsule Losing Contact tracks with its smooth midrange and separation that made me engaged and relive the tracks from a band that I adore so much. I hope you guys enjoy the music like I do when you get these pairs!

Thanks for reading!


Edit 1: fixed some things in the review.

(Note: * =Alpha version for reviewer's assessment. ** = Final tuning release, this one will be available and sold in the market.)

Balanced-neutral sounding audio afficionados, This is something to look forward to. Introducing the Yuan Li, The first product release by TForce Audio, a new audio company that was recently established in China. It's pricing starts at US$119/ £85 but if you do preorder from online stores with official partnerships with Tforce Audio, you can get it for US$99/ £71. Tforce Audio is made up of personnel who have years of experience in audio tuning and producing high quality dynamic drivers to other audio brands as this will be the testament of their product excellence. I've been waiting on them to release their very first product since I received some infos about this new company.




Yuan Li as the first product of Emperor series IEM of TForce Audio, Its namesake is based on Yuan Li, the first emperor of Tang Dynasty. We history buffs knows how cultural sophisticated the Tang Dynasty was and its contribution among the world's advanced civilization.



Yuan Li has a single Dynamic Driver set up, It uses a proven and high regarded dynamic driver technology, a Diamond Like Carbon coating on the diaphragm to add rigidity and delivers a better lower distortion rate.



The unboxing experience on Tforce Yuan Li is somehow gives you some sense of premium and luxurious ambiance as how it present and defines its product as a high quality one. The box sleeve has this black, gold and some red colour accent with an eastern dragon with clouds design in gold tinge on the left side while on the right side has this more darker inky black calligraphy, a red Yuan Li with square border print and some infos and designs in gold and red as these choices of colours were historically known to be Tang dynasty's shade aesthetics. The box itself is in black colour and has this kind of door-like opening magnetic latch. The contents are the IEMs, a gorgeous looking faux-crocodile skin leather case, a pair of black memory foam ear tips.a three (3) pairs of wide bore tips white tips of different sizes , another three (3) pairs of narrow bore eartips of different sizes too and a premium golden brown 2-core 6N litz cable (I'll be using a medium size, black narrow bore ear tips in this review.) And some paperworks like warranty cards, a high quality paper for display and ad infos cards.



The Yuan Li's shell is made of aviation- grade aluminium in a shiny polished finish that screams luxury and finesse. It has 2- pin recessed connector that it is more flexible and less hassle if you are planning to replace the stock cables with other cables. It has a vent hole near towards the nozzle to release an air pressure built inside to give a better "breathing" on its DD's diaphragm. The fitting of this set is somewhat a bit shallow in my medium-size ears but suprisingly it really gives good sealing and isolation within my lug holes.



When it comes to scalability, I gave it a fair score as Yuan Li are a little bit choosy on sources particularly on smartphones. LG smartphones with Hi-Fi quad DACs and older smartphones with good hifi DAC/amp doesn't have any trouble and can drive Yuan Li to its fullest potential. Even entry-level DAPs will probably drive this set well. You need a DAC/Amp contraption like USB Dongles and miniature amps if your smartphones have a mediocre sound output.



Now I explained about this set's sound signature, it is "balanced-neutral"tonality with some boosted parts on bass region, linear and translucent mids and good shimmer treble.




I'll do the description on each characteristics of sound in different audio spectrum based on my hearing perception.

LOWS/BASS:

I have a great expectations on DDs when it comes to bass response and Yuan Li didn't failed me and I even more like on how its bass quality sounds like. Its is an impactful, sustaining and punchy as you will feel it density note. It has a good reach on sub bass as it will truly has that reverberate depth. Mid bass has a good texture as it bass kicks will truly show its authoritative slam and growl and roaring sound of a bass guitar. Despite of some boost in the lows, it doesn't smudge nor bleed on the other audio spectrum. It has good speed of transient on decay.*

The bass quality of Yuan Li (Final) is more tighter than the alpha version. The sub bass is still present as it has that grumbling sound but the transiences and decay of bass speed is quite fast and rolls off promptly. The midbass quantity is noticeably deducted yet it was still on the well-textured side on the weight note. Bass kicks still retains some its dynamic, thumpy impactfulness and pounding and Bass guitars sounds consistently on sustaining roar and growl nature.**

MIDS

As an audio enthusiast that loves a midcentric tuning. I should say that it is clean, well-textured and smooth. Male vocals sounds has a right amount on density note to sound well-rounded, rich and deep especially those have baritone voice, female vocals are even more pronounce as their vocals ranges are well-define and scintillating. Vocals and instruments has a good distinction on one another as you can hear the disparate of each timbre. Acoustic guitar, piano and violin sounds more vibrant, rich and crisp as they really sound more life-like and very emotionally appealing to hear.*

The mids of Yuan Li final are smoother, well-defined textured and natural. It still retains its translucency. They are actually one of the best rendered vocal reproduction on a single DDs in under $200 range. The male and female vocals sounds even more consistent and in coherent nature as both reach the ideal vocal ranges on their perspective aspects. The male vocals has this sonorous emotion as you will feel its fullness while female vocals in any style of singing is crisp and well-defined on its clarity. Some instruments are sounds even organic and even more pleasing as feel the plucking of each chord of a guitar string, the sweetness and somehow in a little bit round of mellowness of a piano tone, the vibrant and lustrous sound of violin and the brazeness sound of a wind instrument like trumpet and saxophone. Such timbre quality of each vocals and instruments are definitely differentiated and precise on each attribute.**

HIGHS/TREBLE

The quality of the treble is on clarity with a good sparkle on the brilliance part. I sense that it has upper mids peak to add its sound quality with more crisp and incredible detail retrieval energy for a dynamic driver. Sibilance is particularly absent. There is a slight concern that in some tracks, the mix is a little bit excessive on being too gleaming that overly treble sensitive individuals might hear it as harsh but for me they are alright on my treble sensitivity threshold. This set has decent extension on airiness on presence. Cymbals , chimes and xylophones are somehow well-rendered but somehow feels a lack of shimmer especially on hi-hats.*


The difference between the Alpha version and Final version is that the uppermids is somehow less peaky and more smoother as it delivers a more pleasant and relaxing listening pleasure. The smoothen uppermids does not mean that it is either subdued or veiled but you instantly au courant its less shimmer and sparkle quantity for the better well-balanced and articulate tonality to overall frequency spectrum. The sibilance of this set is non-existent one. The airiness of its presence treble region still on an average range which means a on a bit on roll-off side as I notice the cymbals strike and crashes are less sizzled and glistening in my treblehead rating.**

SOUNDSTAGE and IMAGING

Soundstage is more on above average on width, more defined reach on depth and height dimensions. It has a decent enough of space on each instrument and vocals to be perceive has a good mark on separation. Imaging and layering is just decent as DD provided a more linear directional spatial cues and enough to perceive the placement of instruments and singers.

As I concluded this review, Yuan Li has a potential to be one of the best single DD in 2021 as it offers a hard to beat price ratio performance due to its fantastic choice of aesthetics designs, well-crafted and selection of choice materials to be use in crafting this set and good balanced- neutral tuning as they stay faithful to the design philosophy of Tang dynasty vibe. It is also an all-around IEM contender ready to be in a mano-a-mano bout with other competitors even in $200 price range.



SPECIFICATIONS:
MODEL: TFORCE YUAN LI
SENSITIVITY：103.5dB
CABLE LENGTH：1.2m
IMPEDANCE：32Ω
PLUG TYPE：3.5mm
FREQUENCY RANGE RESPONSE: 20Hz - 20 kHz
TOTAL HARMONIC DISTORTION：0.2%
DRIVER CONFIGURATON: 1 (DIAMOND-LIKE CARBON) DYNAMIC DRIVER
PIN TYPE: 2-PIN CONNECTOR

Some Tracks Tested: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)

Marianna Leporace- If ( Bread cover) *
Debbie Gibson- Foolish Beat *'*
Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks *'*
Santana - Europa *
Europe - Final Countdown *
Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*
Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'
Barry White - Never, Never Ever Give You Up
Pearl Jam - Daughter **
Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *
Agent Steel - Bleed for the Godz*
Metallica- Fade to Black **
Camouflage - The Great Commandment *
Queen - Killer Queen **
Michael Jackson - Billie Jean *
Bad Manners - Just a Feeling *
Riot- Warrior *
Mariah Carey- Love Takes Time *
Layla Kaylif - Shakespeare in Love *
Stone Temple Pilots - Plush *
David Bowie - Heroes **
Prince - When the Doves Cry *
Exodus - Metal Command *
Nelly - Luven Me *



P.S.

I am not affliated to TForce Audio nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.

For more infos and details, check out their Facebook page:
https://m.facebook.com/tforceaudio/

TForce Yuan Li is TForce's debut IEM at around the $100usd price range. It sports a Single 10mm DLC Dynamic Driver and it retails for $119usd.

Around 2 weeks ago, before Yuan Li's official launch, I have already reviewed the pre-release version. However, right before the official launch of Yuan Li, TForce (out of nowhere) announced a pretty significant tuning change to the Yuan Li. This tuning change addresses and fixes the only major complaint I have for the pre-release Yuan Li, which is its aggressive and fatiguing +13dB upper mids emphasis. Thus, a re-review of the Yuan Li is needed.

Is the final tuning better? Which version do I prefer? Let's find out after the unboxing.

Upon opening the beautiful Tang Dynasty inspired design of a box, I am immediately presented with its dragon scale-like pleather case, 3 different types of tips (3 sets narrow bore, 2 sets wide bore, 1 set memory foam tips), a 2pin 3.5mm OCC cable, some paperwork, and last but not least, the IEM itself.

Regarding the provided tips, I find wide bore tips to sound the best. Wide bore tips sound balanced, open, and airy. Narrow bore tips make bass thicker and tighter, while foam tips sound rolled-off and low-resolution (un-resolving).

Overall, very happy with the unboxing experience here. With the unboxing out of the way, let's start the review.

*Disclaimer: This review is done using stock wide bore tips (white) and stock cable.

PROS :​

• I would describe the tuning here as warm neutral with sub-bass boost. In other words, Warm Harman tuning. I find the tuning here to be very versatile, much more versatile than pre-release Yuan Li which won't work with every genre and can be fatiguing after a while. The final Yuan Li is none of that. The final Yuan Li is now warm, balanced, natural, and organic sounding. These do need amping to shine though, so do keep that in mind.
• The bass here is warm, punchy, fast, and deep. Not to mention, it is also pretty well-textured and detailed for a 1DD IEM at this price. It has great sub-bass extension too which gives the Yuan Li a tasteful sub-bass rumble. I find the bass here to be well balanced. No matter what genre I throw at it, be it Metal, Rock, Hip Hop, EDM, it can deliver without ever coming off as too bassy or lacking in bass. To put it bluntly, the bass here is just really well executed and tasteful.
• I would describe the midrange here to be warm, lush, and organic sounding. Mids and vocals sound full and lush, with a very natural and organic presentation. Not to mention, it also has good instrument separation and layering. This combine with its full and lush presentation makes Yuan Li very easy to listen to for long sessions whilst still being technical and detailed. Yuan Li's midrange will never come off as being boring or "too smooth". Thus when I say Yuan Li is balanced and well-tuned, I really mean it.
• In terms of treble, it is non-fatiguing, balanced, airy, and well-extended. The treble here is executed quite well IMO, way better than pre-release Yuan Li. With pre-release Yuan Li, although sparklier, brighter, and more resolving, it can come off as fatiguing and tiring after long listening sessions. None of that is present here with the final tuning of TForce Yuan Li. The treble here is just much more balanced and smooth whilst still keeping the detailed and airy treble presentation that we all love from the pre-release Yuan Li. The treble here is just great for long listening sessions thanks to its non-fatiguing nature. It is not at all sibilant too.
• The soundstage here I would say is pretty well rounded, with the soundstage being deeper and taller than wide. I would describe the soundstage here to be somewhat like a studio room.
• Imaging is great too. Above-average imaging capability which is great for the price. I love using the Yuan Li for gaming thanks to its well-rounded soundstage and above-average imaging.
• Detail retrieval and resolution are good for the price. Though the "perceived detail" and resolution of the pre-release Yuan Li is better. With that said, pre-release Yuan Li gets fatiguing after a while, while Final Yuan Li can be used for hours on end.
• Timbre here is great. It is natural and organic sounding. Very well done here.
• Great tonal balance. Works with any genre I throw at it with no problems whatsoever. Great all-rounder IEM.
• Superb accessories set and great unboxing experience. Great tips selection, great case, great cable. Last I checked, this exact cable is selling for $60usd on AliX. Do what you want with this information but I think the fact that we are getting it as stock is a plus.
• Yuan Li also scales very well with amping.
• Great price-to-performance ratio.

CONS :​

• Treble might be lacking in terms of bite and excitement. Definitely not for treble heads.
• Soundstage could be wider.
• Requires amping to shine. Without amping, soundstage is flatter, layering and depth isn't as good, bass is slightly slower, dynamics isn't as good. Amping opens up the sound, with better bass, better depth, better layering, better dynamics.
• Swappable filters / interchangeable nozzles to switch between pre-release and final Yuan Li tuning would be much appreciated. Would love to see this with the next Yuan Li (Yuan Li 2 maybe?).

PRE-RELEASE YUAN LI (WITH NARROW BORE TIPS) VS FINAL YUAN LI (WITH WIDE BORE TIPS) ☯:​

The biggest difference between pre-release Yuan Li and Final Yuan Li is the upper mids region. In reference to the FR graph shown below, if I normalize both FR plots at the bass region, you can see that the +13dB pinna gain at around 2kHz and another peak at 4kHz are now gone. They are now replaced by a more healthy +11dB pinna gain at the 3kHz region.

Click to expand...

This means that the Final Yuan Li got a major retune and both the 2kHz and 4kHz peaks are reduced by around -5dB. This is nothing but good news as the +13dB pinna gain is the only major complaint I have with the pre-release Yuan Li.

Click to expand...

• Pre-release Yuan Li is brighter, leaner, more resolving, and more aggressive. Bass is leaner tighter, midrange is leaner, treble is brighter and more aggressive, note weight is leaner, vocals are more forward, details are also presented in a more forward manner. Not at all forgiving with bad masters. Overall sounds more "open" too. Although more resolving and "perceived detail" is more, pre-release Yuan Li can get fatiguing after a while thanks to its +13dB pinna gain and double peaks. Timbre isn't as good too.
• Final Yuan Li is warmer, smoother, more natural, and organic sounding. Bass is warmer punchier, midrange is warmer lusher more organic, treble is smoother more balanced. Note weight is thicker, vocals sound fuller and more natural/relaxed. Timbre is also better more organic sounding. Overall tuning is much more balanced than pre-release Yuan Li. Although not as resolving and "perceived detail" is lesser, Final Yuan Li is much more versatile in terms of genre selection, smoother, more balanced in terms of tuning, and most importantly, it can be used for hours on end with no signs of fatigue. It is, however, slightly harder to drive than pre-release Yuan Li by around 2 o'clock.
• In short, Tforce Yuan Li (Final) is a better tuned, warmer, smoother, and more natural-sounding IEM than its pre-release version, with little to no sacrifices to its technicalities. You do lose a bit of resolution and "perceived detail" though, but that is to be expected from a -5dB reduction in the 2kHz pinna gain and the 4kHz peak.

FINAL YUAN LI ($119USD) VS HZSOUND HEART MIRROR ($50USD):​

Both Final Yuan Li and Heart Mirror (HM) are very different in terms of tuning. The only reason why I am doing this comparison is because this has been heavily requested by many. So here you go:

Click to expand...

• Final Yuan Li has much better bass extension, warmer punchier bass with better texture and detail, midrange is warmer with thicker note weight, vocals sound more natural and relaxed, treble is smoother less-fatiguing. Overall, Yuan Li is warmer and smoother than HM with better tonal balance and better technicalities.
• HM's bass is leaner with not much sub-bass, midrange is also leaner, vocal presentation is more forward, with treble that is sparklier, brighter, bite-ier, and more aggressive. Overall, HM is leaner with a more exciting treble presentation, but that's about it. Other than that, Yuan Li is better.
• Both require amping to shine.

IN CONCLUSION:​

TForce Yuan Li is seriously no slouch. For $119usd, this is currently my favourite 1DD IEM under $150usd. It is well-tuned with good punchy bass, natural organic mids, balanced well-extended treble with good soundstage, good layering, good imaging, and good technicalities.

I am glad that TForce has decided to retune the Yuan Li right before the official launch. The +13dB upper mids peak was the only major complaint I had for the pre-release Yuan Li; It is now totally fixed and I am effing happy.

I love the Final Yuan Li, I really do. I love it more than the pre-release version. I think retuning the Yuan Li before launch is the right decision. However, a part of me misses the pre-release Yuan Li. I miss how lean and resolving it was, I miss the leaner mids, the leaner bass, the aggressive +13dB upper mids peak and the brighter and sparkier treble.

After discussing with fellow headfier, reviewer and good friend @baskingshark, he brought up the point that it'll be better if Yuan Li comes with interchangeable nozzles: 1 with pre-release tuning, another 1 with final tuning...

And I can't help but agree with him. With interchangeable nozzles, TForce Yuan Li would probably be the best 1DD IEM under $150usd, but this isn't the case here so all we can do now is hope. (TForce Yuan Li 2 maybe? )

With all that said, TForce Yuan Li is still amazing. If you have a chance to give TForce Yuan Li a try, please do so and let me know your thoughts down in the comments!

This review unit is provided by TForce Audio as part of their TForce Yuan Li review tour. I am not at all compensated by them and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Interested in picking up the Yuan Li? Get it from Hifigo here (non-affiliated):

• https://hifigo.com/collections/new-...0mm-dlc-single-dynamic-driver-in-ear-monitors

=====================================================================================

OLD review of the pre-release Yuan Li (last edited on 3 August 2021). Everything after this point is IRRELEVANT. Do take note. ​

TForce Yuan Li is TForce's debut IEM at the sub-$100usd price range. It sports a Single 10mm DLC Dynamic Driver and it retails for $119usd. In terms of unboxing experience, I can't speak too much of as the review unit I got was a pre-production unit with no box. However, what I can do is speak on what I got. My review unit comes with 3 different types of tips (3 sets narrow bore, 2 sets wide bore, 1 set memory foam tips), a pleather case, a 2pin 3.5mm OCC cable, and last but not least, the IEM itself.

Regarding the provided tips, I find narrow bore tips to sound the best. Wide bore tips sound too bright and shouty for me while foam tips sound rolled-off and low-resolution (un-resolving).

Overall, pretty happy with the accessory set. With the "unboxing" out of the way, let's start the review.

*Disclaimer: This review is done using stock narrow bore tips (red) and stock cable. This is also a pre-production unit. Final tweaks have been made after this review was published (check comments!)

PROS :​

• I would describe the tuning here to be bright Harman-ish. In other words, neutral bright with sub-bass boost. Yuan Li is fast, bright, resolving, and transparent. These do need amping to shine though, so do keep that in mind.
• In terms of bass, it is fast, punchy, lean, and well extended. The bass here has good texture, good speed, and good punch. Sub-bass extends all the way down too which gives the Yuan Li a very tasteful sub-bass rumble that doesn't bleed or fog the other frequencies, thanks to its speed and control.
• In terms of the midrange, it is transparent, lean, and slightly bright. The midrange here is quite resolving for the price IMO. Instruments and vocals are presented in a very technical manner with good layering and separation. There is also an upper midrange emphasis which makes female vocals sound sweet and intimate. However, the upper midrange push also means that it might be slightly too bright and aggressive for some. Note weight is also on the leaner side.
• The treble here is bright, sparkly, and airy. I love how detailed and resolving the treble here sounds. It has great control, great speed, and has just the right amount of brightness without coming off as harsh. It is also well-extended with good air. However, I do find the brightness of the treble to be a bit fatiguing for long listening sessions. But then again, I am far from being a treble head/detail freak and I usually prefer a smoother treble presentation.
• The soundstage here I would say is pretty well rounded, with the soundstage being deeper and taller than wide. I would describe the soundstage here to be somewhat like a studio room.
• Imaging is good too. I wouldn't call it "pinpoint imaging", but for the price, it is above average.
• In terms of resolution and detail retrieval, I find Yuan Li to really excel, especially at the price point that it is in (sub-$100usd). For a 1DD IEM, Yuan Li is quite resolving and detailed. However, it is also quite unforgiving with badly mastered tracks.
• Yuan Li also scales very well with amping.
• Solid build with great fit and ergonomic. Very handsome looking too.
• Great accessories set. Love the case and included cable.
• Very good price-to-performance ratio.

CONS :​

• A bit bright and aggressive for long listening sessions.
• Upper mids emphasis might be something to take note of.
• Soundstage could be wider.
• Note weight is on the thinner side. Could use a bit more mid-bass to add thickness and fullness to the bass/mids
• Quite revealing of badly mastered tracks. Badly mastered tracks sound quite bad.

BEST PAIRING FOR YUAN LI :​

• Just like Heart Mirror, I find Yuan Li to pair best with Full Copper cable and Final E / Sony Hybrid tips.
• This pairing will add warmth, fullness, and thickness to the mids, and at the same time tame down the treble/aggressiveness to give it an overall smoother presentation.

TFORCE YUAN LI ($119USD) VS HEART MIRROR ($50USD):​

• Both require amping to shine, with Yuan Li being harder to drive.
• Yuan Li has better bass texture, better speed, better technicalities, more resolving, speedier transients, more upper mids emphasis, slightly brighter and sparklier, with a more forward vocal presentation. Overall, a bit more aggressive than Heart Mirror but is more technical and resolving than Heart Mirror.
• Heart Mirror is smoother, has less upper mids emphasis, less aggressive, is more forgiving on badly mastered tracks, and treble also somewhat has a bit more bite. However, it isn't as resolving, technicalities aren't as good, and bass isn't as textured.
• If Heart Mirror is already too bright and aggressive for you, skip the Yuan Li as it will not be your cup of tea. However, if you love the Heart Mirror and would love to upgrade from it, I think Yuan Li is an amazing choice.

IN CONCLUSION:​

I like the TForce Yuan Li. I think that the Yuan Li is a brilliantly tuned 1DD IEM and at $119usd, it is a no-brainer for bright detailed lovers or for anyone looking to upgrade from the Heart Mirror. It is detailed, resolving, transparent, and technical.

If you are interested in trying the Yuan Li, now is a good time to pick it up. TForce Yuan Li normally retails for $119usd but you can get it now at Hifigo for $99usd only.

That is all from me. Thank you TForce Audio for including me in your TForce Yuan Li review tour.


Interested in picking up the Yuan Li? Here is the purchase link (non-affiliated):

• https://hifigo.com/collections/new-...0mm-dlc-single-dynamic-driver-in-ear-monitors

Click to expand...

TForce Yuan Li currently plan to open some pre-order, just check their FB fanpage for further information. This one is borrowed unit from local seller (Kuping Kaleng Indonesia) in Indonesia and will be returned later. Review 100% based on my experience using TForce Yuan Li for ± 100 hours..



Sneak-Peek TForce Yuan Li
MSRP: 119USD (Pre-Order 99USD)
Tuning Style : Neutral with bass boost, Nicely Balanced presentation
Frequency Distribution (Total 10): Low (3.4) – Mid (3.4) – High (3.2)
Suitable Genre : All-Rounder
Wear Comfort : Excellent / Good / Normal / Poor
Build Quality : Excellent / Good / Normal / Poor
Isolation. : Excellent / Good / Normal / Poor
Microphonic : None / Minor / Normal / Poor
Analytic Level : Excellent / Good / Normal / Poor
Mic : None
Balanced Cable : None
Detachable : 2-Pin 0.78mm

Frequency Graph (Provided by Oardio):


Brief Introduction to TForce Yuan Li
It’s first time I hear TForce when local seller ask me if I want to try new IEM. The information that I know come from their fanpage, so it’s better to read the introduction from TForce below:


TForce Yuan Li is their first product which using Single 10mm DLC Dynamic Driver, since this is only the Demo unit, there is no box nor accessories, only the Driver, OCC Cable and some eartips.

Sound Quality Evaluation
This Review using Quloos QA390, YinLuMei A1S and F.Audio FA2 as source.

High Frequency
Clear and airy treble with good amount of quantity, good control, enough brightness without being harsh or fatiguing, extension quite good just there is a bit roll-off in the upper register which is kinda expected since it’s single DD.

Mid Frequency
Transparent mid, there is slight upper mid boost which make female vocal sound sweet, really good control, there is no sibilance nor annoying peak, male and female vocal has good enough body. There is no congestion in result of good separation and layering on midrange.

Low Frequency
Flexible Bass, quite impactfull with good texture, dive quite deep with enough rumble, bass pretty linear. Speed is moderate fast. Bass will never be the star but it’s definitely good bass to support whole frequency

Separation, Soundstage & Resolution:
Soundstage width is average in the price range, but the height and depth is excellent. Separation and layering definitely above average for the price range, while resolution just a bit above average.


Comparison (vs See Audio Yume)
Build Quality
TForce Yuan Li has smaller body and glossy shiny finishing while Yume using resin with sparkly dark faceplate.

Design: TForce Yuan Li = See Audio Yume
Fitting: TForce Yuan Li > See Audio Yume

Low Frequency
The biggest differences between TForce Yuan Li and See Audio Yume in bass!
Yume is Sub-bass focused while Yuan Li more linear, Yuan Li also has more impactfull compared to Yume which is bass shy. Bass presence also much better in Yuan Li which easier to hear the texture. For bass speed, Yume is a bit slower

Low Frequency Quality : TForce Yuan Li > See Audio Yume
Low Frequency Quantity : TForce Yuan Li > See Audio Yume

Mid Frequency
At first I thought Yume has better midrange, but after A/Bing it is not, both pretty similar, Yume is smoother while Yuan Li has more upper-mid boost which make midrange a little bit more exciting to hear. I hear more micro detail from Yuan Li and it does have better layering compared to Yume

Mid Frequency Quality : TForce Yuan Li > See Audio Yume
Mid Frequency Quantity : Tforce Yuan Li = See Audio Yume

High Frequency
Once again pretty similar for both, it just Yuan Li gain upper hand in term of extension and presence, both has similar roll-off, just yume slight smoother

High Frequency Quality : TForce Yuan Li = See Audio Yume
High Frequency Quantity : TForce Yuan Li = See Audio Yume

Separation, Soundstage & Resolution
This one I would hand over to TForce Yuan Li in term of Height and depth, Yume slightly wider tho. For separation, layering and resolution Yuan Li definitely better.

Comparison Graph (TForce Yuan Li & See Audio Yume):


Personal Comment
I always love Single DD even though it will never surpass well-tuned multi driver in term of technical. TForce Yuan Li definitely enjoyable while it’s not something that give me wow factor, but it does excellent job doing every basic requirement to be called as good IEM, especially in term of value.

Should I buy TForce Yuan Li?
If you looking for good neutral balanced IEM which pretty musical and technical, TForce Yuan Li definitely one of the better choices in the market right now. It has pretty good value and can be a new Gatekeeper for IEM with price range around $100

Recommendation Level: ★★★★★
Definitely 5 stars no doubt! As long they can keep up with QC obviously



That’s all my review of TForce Yuan Li, hope it helps, Cheers~

TForce Audio "Yuan Li" Single DLC Dynamic Driver - The Silver Emperor
(Part 1 of 3 parts)

TForce Audio is a new player in the ChiFi in ear monitor scene but dont fret as their tuners and engineers have been in business for as long as 3 decades giving them the full advantage of experience, accuracy and consistency. They also chose to embrace their Asian culture by commemorating their Emperors of Tang Dynasty for their debut IEMs. It is confirmed that they will be rolling out a trilogy which consists of a tribrid and hybrid set up, so better watch out!

Their "Yuan Li" is their debut IEM packed with a Single 10mm DLC Dynamic Driver which is by far double the price of a typical LCP DD and that explains its SRP at $119 but don't fret cause this is an insane single DD that competes with my Hybrid and multi BA IEMs at $180-200 price segments.

The box wasnt sent to me yet due to the fact that it's still in verge of mass production but they were able to show me whats inside it and how it will be presented. The box is intricately designed well enough it would please any emperors. Combination of matt black finish with embossed glossy details.

Inside is where you will find the ff:
Pair of IEMs
6N Litz OCC cable
3pairs of black tips(highly recommended)
3pairs of white tips(sounds thin and metallic due to lack of sealing)
Carrying leather pouch
Instructions and warranty card

The IEM shells uses .78pins and are made with ultra reflective super shiny futuristic George Michael accessory like shells made of aliluminum. Need I say more? It's super shiny and very challenging to take photos cause I always end up seeing myself in the reflection or even if I managed to take some photos without me in the reflection, I'd always end up capturing unwanted smudges all over it. But it's inevitable i guess.. In order to wear Jordans you have to be prepared for creases. It also have a subtle L and R markings thru its Blue and Red dots(which apparently will be their trademark, some future models might have diamond studs as dots too, cool). Also has a bit of weight to it knowing that it only has 1 DD, prolly the shells made it heavy. Nozzles filter is a fine mesh and is black so thats new.

2core 6N Litz OCC cable is lit asf too! Just looks so gorgeous you wont replace it.

Specs:
103.5 DB ± 1DB sensitivity
32 Ohms Impedance
.78 6N Litz OCC cable
20Hz - 20KHz frequency range
Sports a Harmanish target tuning

When I got it from the courier's office I didnt even hesitate to try it on. I was riding a local motorcycle utility vehicle that makes an unforgivable noise specially when going uphill.. The IEM has the white tips installed already so I went on and used it as is. Turned the volume up to max and inserted it in my ears as deep as I could to ensure proper isolation. It sounded great but there's a huge amount of tinny quality across the highs and mids. Not shouty even at max volume but the metalluc timbre is very prominent. My testing went on till I got home and that's when I decided to check on the other ear tip, i noticed that it virtually looks similar to BGVP A08 same texture, size, shape even how it weighs just in a different color. Good vibes goin on already since thats literally my favorite tips. Immediately I noticed the proper sealing I was looking for and the tonality changed significantly on the mids section, loosing its metallic timbre leaving it full bodied, warm and lean.

The magic has started and it revealed quite a lot for 1 to take in. So I pretty much started making my impressions by comparing it with different IEMs segment by segment in countless Flacs, I literally listened to it for consecutive days in the extent of fault finding. That being said, I found only.. 1 and that is that it killed all genres I fed to it, had a hard time looking for a genre that it would show it's shortcomings and found 1 from Leprous, The sky is red. It managed to pull it off quite well with excellent kicks and mids and even trebles, pretty much every part of the spectrum but I noticed CVJ CSN and BQEYZ Spring 2 were able to deal with the busy parts quite more impressive but these are multi driver IEMs that Im comparing with a single DD. So..

Moving on to the bass, it performs fluidly by giving off just the right amount of bass for every genre. If the genre requires more, it doesn't fail to be confident by giving off the right thumpyness and boost. Shows the right amount of speed and goes really low if needed. Any basshead would even like this too. Best I have for EDM, Hiphop, world and Lowfi.

Mids on this one is also impressive, I compared it with Yume simply because its graph showed some similarity but I knew right then and there, Yuan Li's Bass and Trebles already won over Yume, I just needed to confirm its vocal performance. To my surprise, YL performed better by sounding more natural than of Yume. It sounded more airy and more ear pleasing. So just like that it won over my Yume. Tested on Mike Francis, Let me in.

Trebles are excellently tuned with great extensions and very pleasing tonality It also has some good emphasis on micro details too. All in all it's never harsh nor sibilant, it just goes by really smooth. Also it sounds so very natural that water sounds wet ans metals sounds real metal. Prolly my most natural sounding IEM so far. It's highly euphoric and is really mind blowing at times. sounds more like my $200 Toneking T4(4 Knowles BA)

Imaging is decent with separation and layering Performing quite well on most tracks. Although like I mentioned above, there are multi driver IEMs that outperforms YL in terms of busy tracks, it's not even bad at all there's just better ones for that specific department.

Soundstage is exceptional giving off both depth and wideness with a lot of clarity goin on.

Needless to say this IEM may seem expensive for a single DD set up but as long as its quality competes with $180±20 multi driver IEMs.. Im definitely recommending this to anyone who's up for a surprise!

PROS:
design
Cable
Black tips
Packaging
Leather case
Tonality
Natural timbre
Good bass
Good mids

CONS:
smudge magnet
Good on busy tracks but has competition
Potentially scratch/dent magnet too

Bass
Mids
Trebles ★
Imaging ★
Layering ★
Microdetails
Soundstage
Spatial Panning ★
Timbre
Tonality
Affordability ★

Overall rating

Additional Comparisons: based on price range and tuning, unfortunately the only single DD IEMs I have belongs to the budget segment and are lightyears behind this Emperor so I'm comparing it to the ones I have instead. Here are all my IEMs and buds, feel free to DM me for more comparisons.


Queen of Audio Adonis - Yuan Li sounds cleaner. Tighter and deeper bass. Smoother mids and trebles. Sounds more natural. Scales better when amped. Doesnt have driver flexes. $119 vs $180.

BQEYZ Spring 1 - similar sensitivity and both scales better when amped. Similarly balanced throughout but YL has better bigger and deeper bass. That metallic timbre is quite a unique feature that sets it apart from my IEMs. Similar price and power scaling.

Tested on LG V30 Quad Dac and Tidal Masters on iFi ZEN DAC

Final say:
First of course I wanna thank TForce for sending me my own unit and Philippine Review Circle for tagging me along their Audio journey to be the most comprehensive and reliable reviewers in the country. So yes I often try my best to shuffle IEMs from time to time to reset my ears basically but after owning YL, I often find myself prefering YL over any of my IEMs for 3 main reasons, 1 musicality and technicalities are both present, 2 most natural sounding iem i own and 3 its versatility in portraying almost any genre.

So yes! For $119, this is totally the next big step up for anyone who doesnt own any $100 iem.

Thank you again PH Review Circle!

I am not recieving any monetary support from any IEM companies that may alter my impressions on any of my reviews. These are all my honest opinions and I only hope that my audience may find my reviews credible and somehow informative.

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https://youtu.be/G9gaKJd0bmI

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