The TIN HifI ELF C0 is the latest in their C Series, it is a lower budget offering with minimal accessories and comes in a few colors and a non-detachable or detachable cable variation in 3.5mm or USB-C. The units are made of metal with a semi open back design, they are in the bullet shape category but thicker like 1more or Periodic. I found them comfortable despite the size. The tips were a different story, I found them mushy and just not good for me. The cable was stiff and springy but adequate. the optional ear hooks are not necessary but appreciated. Comfort and isolation are average considering the open nature it was decent enough, comfort will depend on tip choice and ear size. I settled on hybrid tips.
Sound Impressions.
The ELF C0 is a V-shaped earbud.
Bass: The lower end has good focus here, Sub-Bass hits with a nice deep reverberation and control. Sub-Bass is more prominent than the Mid-Bas but still the Mid-Bass still has a nice speed and decent kick to it. Bass in general is well textured and warm.
Midrange: The lower Mids have a nice thickness with a warm, smooth and rich tone but suffer from a significant recession. Upper Mids are brighter. at the point where the upper mids and lower treble meet there is a little heat but it's not too harsh with a proper tip change and a warmer source. Vocals are forward and Male vocals have decent weight and energy, Female vocals are more energetic and sharper.
Treble: The Highs are open and airy with a great amount of energy and sparkle, highs are detailed and extend outward, perhaps too much at times. the upper range is bright but not totally harsh and sharp. they do sound natural.
Soundstage: The soundstage is quite good, it combines a wide field with good depth and height, it is accurate and overall technicalities are above average. Under normal circumstances this is always an attribute to look for, but it can be overwhelming given the upper brightness without correction.
Afterthoughts:
The Tin hifi ELFC0 is a interesting IEM for the cost. Good Bass, typical Mids and energetic treble combined with a wide detailed stage and very good details and nice technicalities for the cost. I think with a tip, cable change and the proper amp like the Hip-Dac or similar they could be someone's daily driver just not mine.
Specifications
- Driver Type: 1 dynamic driver with a 10mm PU+titanium plated composite diaphragm.
- Frequency Response: 20Hz-20kHz.
- Sensitivity: 105±3dB @1kHz 0.179V
- Impedance: 32 Ω±15%.
- Power rating: 3mW.
- Maximum power: 5mW
- Maximum distortion: 3% @1k Hz 0.179V
- Jack Connector: SE 3.5mm gold plated / USB Type-C connector.
- Capsule Connection Type: 2Pin 0.78mm.
- Capsule Weight: 3.8g.
- Cable length: 1.25m.
- Capsule colors: gold or blue and black.
Introduction
TinHiFi has been very active lately. But it had been a few months since I had reviewed any of their models. After the successful C-series product range, Tiantian Dongting® TinHiFi® has now released the most affordable model of the line called C0. It is a cylindrical-shaped IEMS with a detachable 2Pin 0.78m cable that uses a dynamic driver with a 10mm PU+titanium-plated diaphragm. The back of the C0 is open for a more transparent and natural sound. The body is made entirely of aircraft grade aluminium alloy and CNC machined. The basic price for this model is $14 with microphone or USB TypeC + microphone connection, $16 without microphone and SE 3.5mm connection, while there is a special blue option for $18 with SE 3.5mm connection. Let's take a look at what the brand has to offer for this reduced price.
Specifications
Packaging
The TinHiFi C0 ELF comes in a small white square box, dimensions 91x91x33mm. The logo of the brand is on the top left side, you can read ELF with some faded letters in the middle and the model on the right bottom. There is little else on the back of the box, again the logo at the top, where it has been manufactured in the centre, 3 QR at the bottom and the rest of the logos of the certifications that the product complies with. After opening the lid, a booklet with the guarantee is displayed. The capsules are inside a black foam mould, underneath there is a long white box with the rest of the accessories. They are as follows:
At $16 of my choice it is an affordable price. There is no carrying bag and the tips are not the most suitable, although this task is somewhat complicated.
Construction and Design
TinHiFi C0s have an open cylindrical design at the rear, which is covered by a perforated metal grille. The body is made entirely of aircraft-grade aluminium alloy and CNC milled. It is not a pure cylinder, but offers a flaring and arrow-like tapering as it approaches the nozzles. The body of my model is gold-coloured, with a micro-sandblasted surface. The 2Pin 0.78mm connection is on the back of the cylinder and consists of a hard plastic disc, red for the right side, transparent for the left. The connectors are gold-plated and there is a blue paint bump to indicate polarity. There is a hole in the cone that tapers towards the mouthpiece. The nozzles have three levels of diameter. The one closest to the base measures 6.15mm, the intermediate one measures 5.4mm and the outer crown measures 6.15mm. The length of the nozzle is approximately 5.5mm. The nozzles have a perforated metal grid with concentric holes.
The cable has a straight plug coated with black plastic. The connector is a gold-plated 3.5mm SE connector. The cable is a transparent PVC coated strand with gold and darker strands visible inside. It has a velcro strap and has a stiffness that is prone to take shape and offer microphonics. It is for this reason that the rubber over-ear guides are very welcome. The splitter piece is made of black rubber in the shape of a joined Y, oval and flat. The adjustment piece is of the same type, but smaller and does its job quite well. The sleeve for the 2Pin 0.78mm connectors is a cylinder that matches the material and colour of the capsules. The connectors are gold-plated, mounted on a transparent plastic plate with a blue dot on one of the connectors to indicate the polarity.
The construction of the capsules is impeccable, flawless. The parts are very light. The cable matches the capsules, but the wire is stiff and microphonic. Thanks to the rubber over-ear guides, this effect can be avoided. But the quality of the cable invites to use a better one.
Adjustment and Ergonomics
Despite the freedom of the cylindrical design, the fit has been extremely problematic. The first problem is with the cable, which is stiff and microphonic. It can be used with the connectors facing downwards or upwards, with the cable over the ears. You can use the rubber guides that come with it or not. The capsules have the freedom to do so. But, the most critical thing is the fit. At first glance, it might seem that a straightforward design like this would offer a higher degree of freedom. On the contrary, although the fit may seem simple, the sound is very dependent on the seal. I had to go through a large number of tips in my collection to find the most suitable ones, very large, wide, but low tips, flexible enough to offer a degree of occlusive, but not very long-lasting fit. Depending on the tips used the sound can be totally forgettable, with no bass feel and very little punch, something the open back design doesn't help either. If the right fit is found and a good seal is achieved, the bass can begin to flourish and acquire a certain degree of isolation. But this is likely to be costly and impossible. As I say, after a lot of testing, I have found the ideal setting, with which the sound has been saved. Even so, the sealing is very critical, with any movement it can get out of adjustment and ruin the sound. Only recommendable if you reach this point and for a stationary or office use, although the open design lets out the sound that can be annoying all around.
Sound
Profile
If a good fit is achieved, the sound is close to what the measured frequency response suggests. It is a balanced and neutral profile in its first half, with emphasis on the mid-highs and first treble. While the low end is smooth and controlled, the high end is more exalted. The rear opening may offer a more volatile and spacious sound. But, in reality, it serves to soften notes throughout the range, losing punch and punch. The result is more inconsistent and dispersed, rather than cohesive, cohesive and precise.
On the other hand, C0s are not easy to move and need power to offer a minimum of punch.
Bass
If the right fit and seal is achieved, bass response can be significantly improved. Even so, the bass is neutral, somewhat gummy and springy. They don't have a lot of power and the punch is a little tender, as if their power is diluted by the rear opening. It is true that this sensation adds volume to the low end, but it also makes it lose power and precision, offering a somewhat more diffuse and inoffensive behaviour, although still with a neutral level. On the other hand, I was surprised by the driver's behaviour in my very low frequency pure tone test. Starting at the low end, the way the LFOs are reproduced is quite realistic, offering a natural and sensory sound, with hardly any interference. Perhaps, the rear aperture is not so bad in this respect and the performance is freer and the oscillations find no resistance in the materials to colour or distort their sound. Barely audible at that lower end, of a sensory but pleasant nature, they gain in presence with the rise in hertz. The tone at 40Hz is very pleasant, rounded, clean and well executed. Perhaps the sound becomes coloured as you move up the frequencies, losing depth and naturalness, although the execution is realistic. The result transposed to music doesn't seem quite as good. The bass lacks punch, energy in the punch and seems to be diluted. On the other hand, its behaviour with complex, unfiltered and very powerful bass lines is not bad. There are much more expensive headphones that do much worse in these situations. All in all, it is a neutral low end, without much power or boost, somewhat fuzzy, of medium speed but with a good performance all in all. To give it any more faults would be somewhat unfair.
Mids
Sometimes an open sound is sought after for a more scenic and three-dimensional feel. In this case, the rear aperture and the low adjustability of this model limit a more pleasant musical sensation. The mids have that point of dispersion that counteracts their quality. Instead of benefiting, it limits its potential. The note separation is there and the female voices sound quite free and ethereal. It is true that some sibilance escapes, the result of that certain open uncontrol. And this is how the mids can be observed, open, unattached and somewhat uncontrolled. It gives the impression that the notes are stretched out too much and that the execution is not entirely precise. Despite this, the timbre feels quite natural, even neutral. The male voices have an adequate body and proximity, there is no physical predominance and their presence is average, but it is pleasant, maintaining that close timbre. The notes are not powerful, nor physical, the sense of punch is restrained. That can offer a sense of satisfying sound that can fight with that escapist feeling that the music possesses. Certainly, this is a duality that can favour or penalise depending on the music played.
Undoubtedly, the mids still persist in this idea of neutral, balanced representation, but without too much force. But when they approach the mid-high range, their personality changes to accentuate their closeness, their presence, losing homogeneity and entering a more abrupt territory that can limit the balance and relative good work of the central range.
Treble
The treble clashes with the sense of openness. The dispersion of the sound makes them somewhat brighter and more expansive, to make them unpleasant, because they seem to linger too long in the scene. In fact, they are somewhat resonant and seem to stretch out more than they should. Their presence is greater than the FR projects, as if there is some multiplier effect. The crackle is incisive and soars in energy, lingering in the environment in an ethereal way, something that makes them more volatile and extended, but also more off-putting to sensitive people, who may find them piercing and too noticeable in the music as a whole. They even have good air presence for such a low-cost single driver.
Soundstage, Separation
Perhaps among the strengths is the sense of openness and separation. It is possible that coupled with those sharper trebles, they allow details to become more evident. And it is true that they are capable of revealing micro nuances layered in the background, even better than more expensive sets. In this sense they can be revealing, without being very precise. But the good level of sound separation and dispersion, together with a simply adequate precision, form a set with a level of detail that can be surprising.
On the other hand, the very conjunction of energetic and extended treble, together with the sense of openness of the sound, can give the music a somewhat forced, ethereal and unreal three-dimensional capacity, and can be perceived as unnatural, being detrimentally affected by the strident and not very peaceful treble.
It is true that there is good laterality, some holographic sensation that can surround the head. But it's a sparse scene, with a somewhat diffuse image where the notes don't seem very focused. Despite this, the soundstage is large and open for its price, but these are also niceties that can penalise other aspects of the sound.
Conclusion
The TinHiFi C0 are a set of very economical IEMS that give me mixed feelings. They have a remarkable theoretical behaviour in the low end and an OK midrange. Their sound is open, so much so that it is dispersed and lacking in energy up to the point beyond the centre of the frequency range. But, in that second half, the energy level soars and both the upper mids and the highs are energetic to the point of becoming noticeable, even strident, lingering in the environment. On the other hand, that openness delivers a separate sound with a good level of detail and micro nuance, excellent for the price. However, the biggest sticking point of these IEMS is the fit. The appreciable sound quality will depend on whether the right tips are found to achieve the sound that the FR represents. If this is not achieved, the sound will be totally ruined, bassless, shrill and unbalanced. However, this might not be too predictable as the construction is not bad and the cylindrical design might offer, a priori, more freedom than other capsules.
Undoubtedly, there are too many points on either side of the scale to find the balance, offering a more uneven than homogeneous sensation in the sum of all the factors.
Sources Used During the Analysis
Purchase Link
Purchase Link
You can read the full review in Spanish here
TinHiFi has been very active lately. But it had been a few months since I had reviewed any of their models. After the successful C-series product range, Tiantian Dongting® TinHiFi® has now released the most affordable model of the line called C0. It is a cylindrical-shaped IEMS with a detachable 2Pin 0.78m cable that uses a dynamic driver with a 10mm PU+titanium-plated diaphragm. The back of the C0 is open for a more transparent and natural sound. The body is made entirely of aircraft grade aluminium alloy and CNC machined. The basic price for this model is $14 with microphone or USB TypeC + microphone connection, $16 without microphone and SE 3.5mm connection, while there is a special blue option for $18 with SE 3.5mm connection. Let's take a look at what the brand has to offer for this reduced price.
Specifications
- Driver Type: 1 dynamic driver with a 10mm PU+titanium plated composite diaphragm.
- Frequency Response: 20Hz-20kHz.
- Sensitivity: 105±3dB @1kHz 0.179V
- Impedance: 32 Ω±15%.
- Power rating: 3mW.
- Maximum power: 5mW
- Maximum distortion: 3% @1k Hz 0.179V
- Jack Connector: SE 3.5mm gold plated / USB Type-C connector.
- Capsule Connection Type: 2Pin 0.78mm.
- Capsule Weight: 3.8g.
- Cable length: 1.25m.
- Capsule colour: gold or blue and black.
Packaging
The TinHiFi C0 ELF comes in a small white square box, dimensions 91x91x33mm. The logo of the brand is on the top left side, you can read ELF with some faded letters in the middle and the model on the right bottom. There is little else on the back of the box, again the logo at the top, where it has been manufactured in the centre, 3 QR at the bottom and the rest of the logos of the certifications that the product complies with. After opening the lid, a booklet with the guarantee is displayed. The capsules are inside a black foam mould, underneath there is a long white box with the rest of the accessories. They are as follows:
- The two TinHiFi ELF C0 capsules.
- One cable with SE 3.5mm straight plug.
- Two black rubber over-ear guides.
- Five pairs of grey silicone tips, two large pairs, two small pairs and one medium pair.
- One warranty card.
At $16 of my choice it is an affordable price. There is no carrying bag and the tips are not the most suitable, although this task is somewhat complicated.
Construction and Design
TinHiFi C0s have an open cylindrical design at the rear, which is covered by a perforated metal grille. The body is made entirely of aircraft-grade aluminium alloy and CNC milled. It is not a pure cylinder, but offers a flaring and arrow-like tapering as it approaches the nozzles. The body of my model is gold-coloured, with a micro-sandblasted surface. The 2Pin 0.78mm connection is on the back of the cylinder and consists of a hard plastic disc, red for the right side, transparent for the left. The connectors are gold-plated and there is a blue paint bump to indicate polarity. There is a hole in the cone that tapers towards the mouthpiece. The nozzles have three levels of diameter. The one closest to the base measures 6.15mm, the intermediate one measures 5.4mm and the outer crown measures 6.15mm. The length of the nozzle is approximately 5.5mm. The nozzles have a perforated metal grid with concentric holes.
The cable has a straight plug coated with black plastic. The connector is a gold-plated 3.5mm SE connector. The cable is a transparent PVC coated strand with gold and darker strands visible inside. It has a velcro strap and has a stiffness that is prone to take shape and offer microphonics. It is for this reason that the rubber over-ear guides are very welcome. The splitter piece is made of black rubber in the shape of a joined Y, oval and flat. The adjustment piece is of the same type, but smaller and does its job quite well. The sleeve for the 2Pin 0.78mm connectors is a cylinder that matches the material and colour of the capsules. The connectors are gold-plated, mounted on a transparent plastic plate with a blue dot on one of the connectors to indicate the polarity.
The construction of the capsules is impeccable, flawless. The parts are very light. The cable matches the capsules, but the wire is stiff and microphonic. Thanks to the rubber over-ear guides, this effect can be avoided. But the quality of the cable invites to use a better one.
Adjustment and Ergonomics
Despite the freedom of the cylindrical design, the fit has been extremely problematic. The first problem is with the cable, which is stiff and microphonic. It can be used with the connectors facing downwards or upwards, with the cable over the ears. You can use the rubber guides that come with it or not. The capsules have the freedom to do so. But, the most critical thing is the fit. At first glance, it might seem that a straightforward design like this would offer a higher degree of freedom. On the contrary, although the fit may seem simple, the sound is very dependent on the seal. I had to go through a large number of tips in my collection to find the most suitable ones, very large, wide, but low tips, flexible enough to offer a degree of occlusive, but not very long-lasting fit. Depending on the tips used the sound can be totally forgettable, with no bass feel and very little punch, something the open back design doesn't help either. If the right fit is found and a good seal is achieved, the bass can begin to flourish and acquire a certain degree of isolation. But this is likely to be costly and impossible. As I say, after a lot of testing, I have found the ideal setting, with which the sound has been saved. Even so, the sealing is very critical, with any movement it can get out of adjustment and ruin the sound. Only recommendable if you reach this point and for a stationary or office use, although the open design lets out the sound that can be annoying all around.
Sound
Profile
If a good fit is achieved, the sound is close to what the measured frequency response suggests. It is a balanced and neutral profile in its first half, with emphasis on the mid-highs and first treble. While the low end is smooth and controlled, the high end is more exalted. The rear opening may offer a more volatile and spacious sound. But, in reality, it serves to soften notes throughout the range, losing punch and punch. The result is more inconsistent and dispersed, rather than cohesive, cohesive and precise.
On the other hand, C0s are not easy to move and need power to offer a minimum of punch.
Bass
If the right fit and seal is achieved, bass response can be significantly improved. Even so, the bass is neutral, somewhat gummy and springy. They don't have a lot of power and the punch is a little tender, as if their power is diluted by the rear opening. It is true that this sensation adds volume to the low end, but it also makes it lose power and precision, offering a somewhat more diffuse and inoffensive behaviour, although still with a neutral level. On the other hand, I was surprised by the driver's behaviour in my very low frequency pure tone test. Starting at the low end, the way the LFOs are reproduced is quite realistic, offering a natural and sensory sound, with hardly any interference. Perhaps, the rear aperture is not so bad in this respect and the performance is freer and the oscillations find no resistance in the materials to colour or distort their sound. Barely audible at that lower end, of a sensory but pleasant nature, they gain in presence with the rise in hertz. The tone at 40Hz is very pleasant, rounded, clean and well executed. Perhaps the sound becomes coloured as you move up the frequencies, losing depth and naturalness, although the execution is realistic. The result transposed to music doesn't seem quite as good. The bass lacks punch, energy in the punch and seems to be diluted. On the other hand, its behaviour with complex, unfiltered and very powerful bass lines is not bad. There are much more expensive headphones that do much worse in these situations. All in all, it is a neutral low end, without much power or boost, somewhat fuzzy, of medium speed but with a good performance all in all. To give it any more faults would be somewhat unfair.
Mids
Sometimes an open sound is sought after for a more scenic and three-dimensional feel. In this case, the rear aperture and the low adjustability of this model limit a more pleasant musical sensation. The mids have that point of dispersion that counteracts their quality. Instead of benefiting, it limits its potential. The note separation is there and the female voices sound quite free and ethereal. It is true that some sibilance escapes, the result of that certain open uncontrol. And this is how the mids can be observed, open, unattached and somewhat uncontrolled. It gives the impression that the notes are stretched out too much and that the execution is not entirely precise. Despite this, the timbre feels quite natural, even neutral. The male voices have an adequate body and proximity, there is no physical predominance and their presence is average, but it is pleasant, maintaining that close timbre. The notes are not powerful, nor physical, the sense of punch is restrained. That can offer a sense of satisfying sound that can fight with that escapist feeling that the music possesses. Certainly, this is a duality that can favour or penalise depending on the music played.
Undoubtedly, the mids still persist in this idea of neutral, balanced representation, but without too much force. But when they approach the mid-high range, their personality changes to accentuate their closeness, their presence, losing homogeneity and entering a more abrupt territory that can limit the balance and relative good work of the central range.
Treble
The treble clashes with the sense of openness. The dispersion of the sound makes them somewhat brighter and more expansive, to make them unpleasant, because they seem to linger too long in the scene. In fact, they are somewhat resonant and seem to stretch out more than they should. Their presence is greater than the FR projects, as if there is some multiplier effect. The crackle is incisive and soars in energy, lingering in the environment in an ethereal way, something that makes them more volatile and extended, but also more off-putting to sensitive people, who may find them piercing and too noticeable in the music as a whole. They even have good air presence for such a low-cost single driver.
Soundstage, Separation
Perhaps among the strengths is the sense of openness and separation. It is possible that coupled with those sharper trebles, they allow details to become more evident. And it is true that they are capable of revealing micro nuances layered in the background, even better than more expensive sets. In this sense they can be revealing, without being very precise. But the good level of sound separation and dispersion, together with a simply adequate precision, form a set with a level of detail that can be surprising.
On the other hand, the very conjunction of energetic and extended treble, together with the sense of openness of the sound, can give the music a somewhat forced, ethereal and unreal three-dimensional capacity, and can be perceived as unnatural, being detrimentally affected by the strident and not very peaceful treble.
It is true that there is good laterality, some holographic sensation that can surround the head. But it's a sparse scene, with a somewhat diffuse image where the notes don't seem very focused. Despite this, the soundstage is large and open for its price, but these are also niceties that can penalise other aspects of the sound.
Conclusion
The TinHiFi C0 are a set of very economical IEMS that give me mixed feelings. They have a remarkable theoretical behaviour in the low end and an OK midrange. Their sound is open, so much so that it is dispersed and lacking in energy up to the point beyond the centre of the frequency range. But, in that second half, the energy level soars and both the upper mids and the highs are energetic to the point of becoming noticeable, even strident, lingering in the environment. On the other hand, that openness delivers a separate sound with a good level of detail and micro nuance, excellent for the price. However, the biggest sticking point of these IEMS is the fit. The appreciable sound quality will depend on whether the right tips are found to achieve the sound that the FR represents. If this is not achieved, the sound will be totally ruined, bassless, shrill and unbalanced. However, this might not be too predictable as the construction is not bad and the cylindrical design might offer, a priori, more freedom than other capsules.
Undoubtedly, there are too many points on either side of the scale to find the balance, offering a more uneven than homogeneous sensation in the sum of all the factors.
Sources Used During the Analysis
- Tempotec BHD Pro.
- Hidizs S9 Pro Plus.
Linsoul Audio Store, offered me this model, in exchange for writing an honest review. I want to make it clear that all my opinions written in this review have not been conditioned by this fact, nor will I ever write anything that I do not really think or feel here. I will only write about my personal opinion in relation to the revised product.
Purchase Link
Purchase Link
You can read the full review in Spanish here
Elf/Elves are mythical creatures who have a humanoid features with strong affinity of magical energy and unsurpassed yet unusual physical features like pretty faces and elongated pointed ears in which J.R.R. Tolkien lore describes them although they were quite different from their counterparts in Norse mythology. These creatures remain to be one of the most popular races in fantasy literature.
Fellow audio enthusiasts out there, I have a product that was recently released by TINHIFI for the past few months. I'll skip an introduction of this company as I already did it before, just check out my review on TINHIFI T2 DLC if you want it to be so.
This is TINHIFI C0 ELF, it's a single dynamic driver IEM which has a bullet-style profile. It has a solid circular casing made of aluminium alloy and it is quite light too and knowing this particular material has some acoustic properties that are able to remove some unwanted resonance and vibrations generated from the driver. Also, it also seems that it has a semi open-backed design too.
The dynamics drivers that are implemented on this set are composite ones and they are in good quality as its polyurethane diaphragm was coated with titanium to have better elasticity and be firmer on its structure. These drivers will deliver a more dynamic sound that encompass the full range sonic spectrum for rigid bass and a clear and bright quality on midrange and treble.
With its rounded contours, wearing this set is quite comfortable if you pair it with the right ear tips that will seals well into our lugholes. You can even wear them in either an in-ear style or simply like an ear in which you can let it hang just like an earbud. It seems that its stock ear tips are fine as I don't encounter any fitting issues. Sound isolation is rather average when it comes to passive noise occlusion due to its semi open-back design as I was able to hear some external noises from the outside surroundings.
Upon ordering the TINHIFI C0 ELF, you can choose two types of termination plug that you prefer either a standard 3.5mm one or Type-C USB connector with a DAC chip implemented inside for mobile devices that don't have a headphone jack.
TINHIFI C0 ELF's product packaging is rather elementary and spartan; aside from IEM shell transducers, it includes a rather basic accessories for its fundamental necessities.
Here are the following contents:
■ Pair of TINHIFI C0 ELF IEMs
■ A black OFC stock cable
■ Extra pairs of wide bore ear tips in different standard sizes.
■ paperwork like Q.C. stub and instruction manual.
TINHIFI C0 ELF can be amplified well from sources with decent power output like from smartphones, tablets and other portable media devices. But pairing it with the devices with better DAC/amp will give even more dynamics and full range sounding in this set.
As for its tonality, it appears that C0 ELF has a V-shaped sound profile due to its more emphasis on lows and high frequencies while midrange was in a neutral and less forward presentation.
LOWS/BASS:
It seems that it follows the pattern of its progenitor, the original TINHIFI T2, when it comes to bass response. It has more focus on sub bass that I discerningly felt the rumbling and reverberations from certain sub bass instruments like low tone guitar, drum machines and synthesisers.
Mid bass has enough texture just to give some volume and depth on instruments like bass kick drum, bass guitar and bass-baritone vocals but I still perceive it as inadequate. Bass kick drums have a thudding and a tad softer on impact while bass guitars have a resonant and sombre sound on every strum, fret and slapping on its strings notations. And then on bass-baritones vocals, their voices have less depth and less darker tone to give that guttural and heft. Overall, with its good quality dynamic driver, it was able to give a fast and clean bass response.
MIDRANGE:
The midrange presentation of this set is quite recessed as some vocals and instruments are less prominent in the overall frequency range. But there are some advantages that this set was tuned for that most of the female vocals and on instruments like strings and some woodwinds will sound well-executed on this one. In general, the way that the midrange was presented is somehow neutral, transparent and energetic.
Some male vocals and a certain female vocal type, the contraltos have less heft, lack of richness and depth on this one that they sound less warmer and lusher on both baritones and contraltos and less brassy on some tenors. Countertenors, mezzo-sopranos and sopranos have a very expressive, vivid and harmonious sound from them on how they project their respective vocal qualities. Both countertenors and mezzo-sopranos have that vocal agileness, smooth and fiery sound characteristics from them while sopranos have a gleaming and silky sound.
On instruments, like I mentioned that strings and woodwinds would fare on this one. Guitars have a crisp and bright tone but there are sometimes that they sound a tad dry in my liking. Violins have a brilliant and metallic sound on every stroke on its bowstring. Flutes have silvery and penetrating sound while piccolos have bright and penetrating sound from it. Clarinets and saxophones have a lively and forceful sound from them. On brasses like trumpets and trombones, trumpets have such a brilliant sound while trombones have a penetrating and sinister sound from them. Percussives like snares and toms have a resonant sound although they sometimes sound dry and dead to my ears. Pianos seem to have a balanced to bright sound from them that gives me some euphonious feel.
HIGHS/TREBLE:
As I observe that it has a boosted upper mids up to the brilliance part of the treble range, this makes the treble of C0 ELF on a brighter side. It gives a good definition on some vocals and attack of instruments. It has fairly crisp and shimmer on it while maintaining a control on sibilance and jarring though sometimes I discerningly hear a tad hissing on some consonants and it is given that treble sensitives should be cautious on this kind of tuning.
I also notice that the brilliance part of the treble region has a moderate amount of air and due to elevation somewhere in the presence part that gives some sense of airiness and adds more sparkle but to my ears, it has only a modest extension in my opinion. Cymbals have a glistening and metallic sound while celestas have a shimmering sound on them, and then on glockenspiels, they have a bright and jingling sound.
SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:
It's overall sound/speaker stage size, it has an average to above average proportions on how I perceived it on its axes. It has an average to above-average lateral span, a good vertical height reach and a decent depth between front and back that gives me fairly moderate head room within my aural sphere.
On imaging, its sound field projects a rather two-dimensional stereo presentation where I can locate the placements of instruments and vocals in both sides of their respective channels. To my surprise, that it has decently good separation and layering for its price and also the dynamic performance of its dynamic driver albeit the presentation of tonal frequencies of each instrument and vocals were stacked in two layers only instead of a multi-layered presentation but I won't budge about it as it is the limitation of a single DD.
It has an excellent driver coherency on how it performs that it delivers a very responsive and nimble on both transients and decay. Resolution capabilities are quite decent as it has a solid texture in its note weight while it has sharp definition in extracting an adequate amount of nuances and details from an audio track.
PEER COMPARISONS:
KZ LINGLONG
■ One of few KZ sets that takes bullet-style form factor but unlike C0 ELF, it uses a micro dynamic driver and non-detachable cable. It is also susceptible to driver flex whether I move my head or simply insert them to my lugholes. It should be noted that LINGLONG is way less cheaper compared to C0 ELF.
■ As for its tonality and sound profile, LINGLONG has a u-shaped sound signature with a more balanced-warmish tonality. It has more punchy bass, has a warmer midrange and less brighter and yet smoother treble response. Technicality-wise, they have similar performance with the exception that the separation and layering aspects of which LINGLONG isn't that well-defined. It is also noted that it is also a bit harder to drive too.
TANGZU CHANGLE
■ Another set with a bullet-style form, but like the KZ LINGLONG, it has a micro-dynamic driver and a non-detachable cable but at least, it has a more ornate aesthetic on its cylindrical shells. And this set is a bit less cheaper than the C0 ELF and its cable is prone to microphonics.
■ CHANGLE has a warm U-shaped sound signature as it has more punchy and slam on its bass response, a warmer and texture midrange which is more all-rounder to all types of vocals and a balanced and less brighter treble response compared to the C0 ELF. On technicalities, CHANGLE has a tad smaller sound/speaker staging and while on its imaging, separation and layering aspect are rather rudimentary and pretty basic in my opinion. This set is also harder to drive like the KZ LINGLONG.
TANCHJIM TANYA DSP
■ Both sets are comparable in physical aspect but there's a noticeable difference between them. TANYA has a USB-C connector as its termination plug and a smaller dynamic driver but it has more inclusions on its packaging box.
■ TANYA has a modified Harman target curve which is also u-shaped sounding. It has more slam and authority of its bass response while retaining its clean sound, a more texture and forward midrange and sufficiently bright treble response. On technical aspects, both have similar performance that there are only marginal differences like resolution capability as TANYA is excellent on macro-dynamics while C0 ELF is a bit better on micro detail retrieval.
As I concluded my assessment of this particular product, it seems that the way TINHIFI tuning this set is really harkened back to its popular product, The TINHIFI T2 Original in which I'm quite familiar with its neutral ish-bright tuning that really stands out of its time of its release. The TINHIFI C0 ELF truly does stand out on how it was presented, a bullet-style form with detachable cable feature and its tonal characteristics that will be distinguishable among the products in the same price range. If you are a fan of TINHIFI in-house and at an affordable and budget pricing, this set is certainly for you then.
TINHIFI C0 ELF is now available at LINSOUL, there's an unaffiliated link below for any interesting parties who wants to purchase this set.
★★TINHIFI C0 ELF - LINSOUL★★
For more TINHIFI product reviews, you can also check out my previous product review article links below.
● TINHIFI T2 DLC
● TINHIFI C2
● TINHIFI C3
● TINHIFI C5
SPECIFICATION:
MODEL: TINHIFI C0 ELF
IMPEDANCE: 32Ω
SENSITIVITY: 104dB
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 20KHz
CABLE LENGTH: 1.2M
PIN TYPE: 2-PIN CONNECTOR (0.78MM)
PLUG TYPE: 3.5mm, TYPE-C
DRIVER UNIT(S): 1 DYNAMIC DRIVER
Some Tracks Tested: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)
Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *
Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**
Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **
Mountain - Mississippi Queen *
Queen - Killer Queen **
Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*
Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'
Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'
Pearl Jam - Daughter **
Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *
Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*
Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *
New Order - Blue Monday *
The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *
The Madness- Buggy Trousers *
Metallica - Motorbreath **
Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *
Destiny's Child - Say My Name *
Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *
Mozart - Lacrimosa *
New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *
Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*
Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *
Exciter - Violence and Force *
Diana Krall - Stop This World **
Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*
The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**
Suzanne Vega – Luka **
Lauren Christy – Steep *
Ottoman Mehter - Hucum Marsi *
Diana Damrau - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte*
Type O Negative - Black No.1 *
Felix Ayo - Vivaldi: Presto **
Three Tenors - Nessum Dorma *
Mercyful Fate - Witches' Dance *
P.S.
I am not affiliated to TINHIFI 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.
Once again, I would like to send my gratitude to KAREENA TANG of LINSOUL for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate her generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.
Zerstorer_GOhren
@ivanferdinand its the Linglong.
Review Of The Tin Hifi C0 (The Elf)
Introduction
Tin Hifi is not a new business; in fact, it is one of the oldest businesses with a cult of audiophiles who follow them. When they released the T-series IEMs like the T2, T3, etc., they had a significant impact on the audiophile market thanks to the high quality they provided at an affordable price. Everyone adored the T2, which is still talked about today. The P-series IEMs, which were the first in the audiophile market and the most accessible planar IEM at the time, were introduced after the T-series even entered the planar driver market. Even after they recently released the C-series IEMs like the C2, C3, and others, the excellence in sound and quality as well as the love for the audiophile never diminished. After establishing the C-series IEMs, this Chinese company recently launched the C0, also known as the Elf, the most affordable IEM in their entire line. Today, I have the privilege of reviewing their IEMs. Although I want to make a few points clear before moving on.
Disclaimer
*Since this unit tour was organised by the kindly people at Linsoul, I am grateful to them. And as I've said in all of my evaluations, the same is true for this one: all of the concepts I've expressed below are entirely my own, original ideas that haven't been influenced by anyone else. If interested, go to this link.
*I am not associated with the connection, and I receive no financial assistance from anyone.
*For the remainder of the review, I will refer to these IEMs as “C0.”
*I am using different Ear-tips for convenience and better versatility.
*Finally, I will only evaluate the C0 based on their performance, even though I will explain how it feels and seems physically and aesthetically.
Specification
Each side of the Elf houses a single dynamic driver that is 10mm in diameter and has a brand-new titanium + PU diaphragm for the audiophile market. The shells are made of aerospace-grade aluminum and are shaped like bullets. The shells weigh only about 3.8 grams and have a natural open back design. The shells do feel and look more expensive—better than the price they are being sold at—and in my opinion, they are a better IEM because they have the same tuning as other, more expensive IEMs, which is a welcome change in the market. They felt a little exhausting to use for prolonged listening sessions when installed into ears over the ears style, but they felt fine when I used them straight like a normal earphone, so I still think that different people may have different views on what they find comfortable. Even though I got the 3.5mmversion, which costs 4-5 USD less than the one offered with the DAC chip configured type-c cables. Thanks to the two pin connector, the cable that comes with the IEM is a detachable cable with a 3.5mm straight plug, and it feels acceptable for the price the product is being offered at. The package also contains six pairs of eartips in three different sizes and ear hooks. In terms of the technical details, the sensitivity is 105dB, and the impedance is 32 Ohms. The distortion rate is 3% at 1kHz, and the frequency response ranges from 20Hz to 20kHz.
Sound
The Elf's sound leans neutral with a sub bass boost presentation; to be more precise, it sounds similar to other models in the same price range that I've heard, but at a lower price. Many IEMs that share the same tuning, such as the Tangzu Wan'er, Moondrop CHU, Salnotes Zero, etc., sound similar. In fact, I would say that the sound is comparable to that of the C2, the line-up's older brother. Since they all have the same tuning, most IEMs sound the same in my opinion, and the main factor that differentiates them is the characteristics of the driver. For example, the Wan'er and Zero have similar tuning, but the Wan'er's low frequencies sound more boomy and thumping than the Zero's, which indicates that the PET driver used in the Wan'er has more power. Now, I typically take into account more than just the sound itself, so the physical aspect is taken into account as well, but that was already mentioned above. Let's return to the sound and talk more specifically about the elf.
Treble
In terms of the treble, I thought the sound was more like the CHU, with that wide, distant sound that felt leaner and tinnier but never sounded offensive. In fact, I'd argue that the Elf's tone is superior to the CHU's in terms of sound quality. In terms of details and energy, especially in the upper treble, I'd say that the Zero and the Elf sound identical. However, I should explain that the instruments' presentation is more akin to that of the CHU, which I find to be airy and light. Trust me when I say that the sounds are nearly identical, so there aren't many differences to notice, but I can explain the tiny ones with careful comparison. The vocal quality is excellent, and the instruments sound clear. They don't sound as clear as the older C2, but they sound better than IEMs in its price range. While sounding almost identical to the Zero, the lower treble is also nicely enlivened with better vocal and instrument presentation. However, I must admit that the details were noticeably sharper like the C2. Because of this, I believe the Elf has a better treble quality. As a result, the treble region is presented in a comprehensive, tidy, and airy manner overall.
Mid Range
One might assume that the story with the mid range is the same, but there are a few differences that I felt were more important to highlight. Truthfully, the mid range sounds forward and tonally better than the CHU but less detailed, and the same is true of the Zero as both are better in the mid range's details whether you find it sound lean or thin. However, if I were to make an exception, it would be the Wan'er because it sounds more tonally correct and pleasant where the vocals usually do not. When I speak of the Elf, and the same is true of the Zero and CHU, the tonality is more prone to a light and thin response, whether it be in the upper or lower midrange, but the color and density don't challenge the integrity of the notes, so it sounds realistic. The vocals stand out strongly in the upper midrange, where both the instruments and the vocals sound revealing. In a sense, the lower mid range doesn't defy the density and quality of the notes; it sounds vague but clean as well. Although I agree that the C2 has more overall details, I think Elf is a better listen because of its softness and smoothness. As a result, the mid range is presented in a light, expressive, and forward manner overall.
Bass
Now for the bass, It has a similar resonance to the CHU but better mid bass and a warmer presentation. The sub bass is also present and feels deep. Naturally, the bass in Zero and Wan'er sounds better in terms of quantity and texture with more impact, which aids in controlling the lean presentation, whereas the bass in Elf has more characteristics and value but doesn't sound the same as the bass in the previous tracks. The punches are better reformed, which hits you pleasant, better than CHU of course. The emphasis is more on the upper sub bass, but it extends nicely to lower notes, making it a little harder to hear subtle rumble. A nice impact is produced by the mid bass, which has more weight, sounds a little warmer, and produces enough thumping and slamming. The mid bass also keeps the response pleasant and tonally favorable, which I believe is a result of being in control even though it doesn't leak into the lower mid range. If I had to choose between the CHU and Elf, I'd say Elf has a better presentation, but the C2 does a better job overall, in my opinion. Overall, the bass region is presented in an impactful, controlled, and clean manner.
Technical Performance
I don't think IEMs in this price range offer the same level of resolve as the IEM above this price segment, and to be completely honest, I rarely notice any differences between IEMs in this range. I would say that the CHU is the most reminiscent in presentation, whereas other IEMs seem to hit or miss in terms of superiority in various characteristics, to better express the idea. Let me elaborate further.
Soundstage, Sound Imaging & Separation
The stage is more on a flat plane than a holographic plane, which gives the impression that it is far away but lacks depth. The stereo presentation sounds wide and large, similar to the CHU, because it feels far left to far right. Even though the imaging could have been sharper, it is still acceptable for an IEM that costs less than 15 USD. Each element has its own space to breathe, so the separation is also very far apart but not particularly distinct from one another. However, with complex mixes, the overlap creates an untidy appearance. Well, now that I've looked into it, all of these may be related to the CHU.
Speed & Resolution
In fact, the fast-paced notes' attack and decay make it sound better than the CHU or any other IEMs in this price range. The resolution is great, and the details are excellent whether they are micro or macro impressions.
Sound Impressions
Sources
Sony WM1A - With such an alluring response—and a concluding one at that—that makes it sound more distinct and proper, I believe the pairing makes me love the Elf more. I think it sounds more pleasant and rich with a more palatable response because of the lower energy in the higher frequency and the balancing out overall regions. I believe I favor this pairing.
Tempotec V6 - The mid range and energy in the mix, especially the vocals, are enhanced by V6. As expected, the presentation sounds crisp and thorough. The treble appears more clear and forward in the mix, while the bass feels better controlled and improved. Although I think the WM1A has more resolving power, I can hear how well the Elf and V6 pair. The Elf felt nice and smooth while responding energetically, which felt forward and interesting.
HiBy R6 Pro II - the R6 Pro II makes it sound more refined and detailed, though one may miss the tonal accuracy when heard, which I typically get better response from most of the other sources. Additionally, the bass has better texture and is cleaner. The middle range was consistent.
Tracks
Luna Haruna - Glory days
Luna Haruna - Overfly
Rokudenashi - The Flame of Love
LMYK - 0 (zero)
ORESKABAND - Jitensya
Marina Horiuchi - Mizukagami no Sekai
RADWIMPS - Suzume
Indila - Love Story
Indila - Tourner dans le vide
Earth, Wind & Fire - September
Tom Petty - Free Fallin'
Fleetwood Mac - Everywhere
Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
Blue Oyester Cult - (Don't Fear) The Reaper
Guns 'N' Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine
The Police - Every Breath You Take
Gojira - Amazonia
TV on the radio - Wolf Like Me
Bring Me To The Horizon - Can You Feel My Heart
Bring Me To The Horizon - sTraNgeRs
Avril Lavigne - Dare To Love Me
Travis - Love Will Come Through
Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know
DJ Shadows - Six Days (Remix) [feat. Mos Def]
Lady Gaga - Just Dance
Lil Wayne - Lollipop
Flo Rida - Low
Sebastian Lopez & Flug - Electronic Measures
Federico Mecozzi - Blue (Da Ba Dee)
Wayve - Not Enough
Kai Wachi & TeZATalks - Ghost
NGHTMRE, Zeds Dead & Tori Levett - Shady Intentions
Zeds Dead, DNMO & GG Magree - Save My Grave
Skrillex, Noisia, josh pan & Dylan Brady - Supersonic
Skrillex & Nai Barghouti - Xena
Skrillex, Missy Elliott & Mr. Oizo - RATATA
Kaifi Khalil, Eva B & Wahab Bugti - Kana Yaari
A.R. Rahman, Javed Ali & Mohit Chauhan - Kun Faya Kun
Conclusion
Last but not least, I adored the Tin Hifi C0. The Elf brought back memories of my initial love for the CHU tuning. The Zero, Wan'er, and Chu are all easily exposed by the new king as being the most affordable while sounding comparable to or superior to them, especially in a different form factor. I think everyone should own one because they are the best available and won't break the bank for the price. The Elf comes highly recommended; you'll be pleasantly surprised.
NOTES:
The Tin Hifi C0 is an interesting product on many fronts. Firstly, Tin Hifi have gone for an open back “Bullet” style of form factor. Secondly is the build quality and driver used. And lastly is the sound quality which does hit above its modest asking price of $18 usd.
Sporting a single 10mm Titanium coated PU diaphragm dynamic driver, the C0 is simplicity itself. What is interesting here is its open back housing design which promises some interesting sound. As per usual the proof is always in listening. The listener will have their ears massaged with a bright/neutral tuning here. Bass is definitely present, but does take a backseat to the midrange.
There are a few versions of the C0 available including one said to come with a DSP cable. For testing I had the more “traditional” unit with a 2pin cable interface with said cable terminated in a 3.5mm single ended plug.
Interestingly when I first listened to the C0 out of the box, it sounded bright, even shrill at times. I did notice some potential here though. The bass was tight but lacking in power sounding anemic. I did put the C0 on the burn in rig for an extended period of a few days and voila, much better. What definitely improved was the overall tonal balance and the low end came up a noticeable amount, although still far from what bassheads would appreciate.
The C0 is easy to drive but care must be taken with tip selection. Being a bullet style earphone, the tips chosen not only should offer a good seal but allow the C0 to remain firmly in the ear. The C0 matched best with warmer sources and did well powered by the original iFi Hip-Dac.
SPECS:
10mm Titanium Coated PU Dynamic Driver
Impedance: 32Ω±15%(@1kHz)
Sensitivity: 105dB/Vrms(@1kHz)
Frequency Response: 20Hz-20kHz
Cable: 2-pin 0.78mm
BUILD, FIT & QUALITY:
The Tin Hifi CO is a well built iem. The C0 boasts an aviation grade aluminum body weighing just 3.8g per side. Different colour options are available for those who like a little flash.
The included accessories and packaging are sparse, which is not surprising given the low asking price, and the budget was obviously placed on fit, finish and sound. At this price point something has to give. I applaud Tin Hifi for allotting the manufacturing budget where it really counts.
There is really not much to say or see here. Time to get to the sound.
SOUND:
BASS:
The C0 out of the box was bass anemic. This threw off the tonal balance making the C0 sound brighter and at times harsher than it really is. Proper tip rolling and a generous burn in time resulted in a better balanced sound presentation with an audibly fuller low end.
The C0 is definitely not a basshead iem by any measure. Still the low end is pleasing in its own right. Bass is tight and surprisingly clean. While it does go fairly deep, the C0 lacks that visceral impact and rumble of the deepest notes. On “Poem of a Chinese Drum” bass was heard to be clean and tight but lacking some of the natural reverberation given off by those massive drum skins. “Feel It Now -Cornelius Remix” sounded clean and vocal forward, again lacking some bass impact in particular with the deepest registers.
Where the bass of the C0 excelled was in its speed and control. Quite impressive for an iem at this price range. By the way, the C0 benefitted greatly from the bass enhancement switch on the iFi Hip-Dac. Not all iems are a good match for this but the C0 is. Using this erased almost all of the bass ills except for the reach of the lowest of the low registers. Still a massive improvement and the quality driver handled the boost without any negative issues nor added distortion.
MIDRANGE:
The midrange of the Tin Hifi C0 was interesting in that while it favored macro over micro details, the balance was notable. In some respects, it reminded me of the 7hz Zero but with arguably better note weight. The mids are slightly recessed with a surprising level of clarity. Both male and female vocals are easy to follow and the midrange is blessed with a lack of sibilance, though female vocals do have a definite presence lift.
This was heard on Lalah Hathaway's vocals on the Miles Davis track “So Emotional” from the “Ruberband” album. While her voice was clear it did lack some of the throatiness that are the hallmark of her incredible voice. This did rob the vocals to some extent of their emotional delivery.
Layering and separation were also notable for an iem in this price range. In this regard I believe that the 7hz Zero did somewhat better, but the C0 wasn’t too far behind. Transients were handled well, in fact surprisingly so. “Chocolate Chip Trip” by Tool demonstrated the handling of dynamics by the C0 which fared quite well. Some splashiness in the upper mid/lower treble was noticed but not enough to be a distraction. Timbre was ok but overall suffered in organics due to that presence lift and lack of fullness in the lowest registers.
TREBLE:
I found the treble of the C0 to be arguably its best attribute in some respects. While the presence region does offer a definite lift, the treble is more even and controlled with a level of detail unbecoming of an $18 iem.
On the Joe Sample track “The Road Less Travelled”, the Tin Hifi C0 presented a very pleasing level of air and sparkle really opening up this great track. This was again noticed on “No Worries” by The Robert Glasper Trio. In fact on the track the C0 really displayed its strengths not just in treble reproduction but on how open and layered the sound is.
IMAGING & SOUNDSTAGE:
Weather it is due to its open back design, quality driver or a combination of those and other factors the TinHifi C0 images surprisingly well. The C0 throws up a moderately large soundstage being unconstrained all the while. This $18 iem nicely captured the venue characteristics on “Stimela The Coal train” by Hugh Masekela. Width, height and depth are all present but in a pleasing balance.
The image was stable within that soundstage as well. The C0 really punches well above its asking price with respect to imaging and soundstage.
VERSUS:
-7hz Zero-
The Zero is a known overachiever. Neither iem will satisfy bassheads who will want to look elsewhere. That being said, the Zero here manages a win with a fuller bass that has more energy in the lowest reaches.
Midrange is much closer, each tuned more towards the bright/neutral signature. In comparison the Zero has just a touch more warmth while the C0 has a slight edge on the handling of dynamics and transients. It’s really a tossup here.
Treble is also very close with the Zero having slightly better extension. Each has a pleasing treble presentation and I found myself just barely liking the treble, upper treble that is, on the C0 better.
Overall, though the Zero ekes out a win with respect to organic playback.
CONCLUSION:
The Tin Hifi C0 is a well built and good sounding iem. It goes a long way in putting on display what can be had for less that $20 these days.
The sound is articulate with the C0 throwing up a soundstage that is impressive at many times its price. Not probably the best choice for Rap or House Music, but on Jazz and other genres is does well.
If you are in the market for an iem at this price range and you favour bright/neutral signatures, the TinHifi C0 should be on your shortlist.
Ok…this is gonna be a small review and i’ll briefly talk about each category and the overall conclusion and who I think these IEMs may be for, along with how Tinhifi can do bare minimum things in the future to refine this design and make a real slam dunk for the same/similar price in the future
Let me start out by saying as a preface: these past couple of years for IEMs have NOT BEEN NORMAL. We have seen some INSANELY GOOD releases for very cheap which have absolutely demolished many mainstream and even legendary over ear headphones in terms of frequency response and overall sound quality. in the past, I would have given these a 4.5 star rating based on sound alone, much less for the price….but this is a very competitive market. Kilobuck destroyers are a dime a dozen now
That being said, these are still $15 for a detachable 2 pin cable IEM, below even the ridiculous $20 hype budget segment these days. so let’s get into it
Packaging
Nothing special here. a very vanilla cable(but with a chin sinch! way to go tinhifi!)some very soft squishy and quite frankly terribad ear tips that I completely ignored, a probably not so great preformed earhook, and the IEMs themselves. needless to say Tinhifi spend all their money on the actual iems(which is good!). No nonsense packaging, small box. Good job tinhifi. Hopefully in the future give us better eartips though and maybe a cable similar to something like the chu which is a little thicker, and more pliable. overall not bad
Build
tldr; the c0 elf are built great! they look amazing. Full aluminum construction feels like, so they’re durable but light. No issues here. The one problem I do have is not with the build but with the shape but i’ll get into that later….
Fit/Comfort
Ok so this is probably the first real misstep on the part of tinhifi and probably their most significant one. I have some other bullet iems and I love them…but this is a 10mm driver. The edge around it behind the nozzle is THICC, and it makes it hard to get a good seal or to fit right. Unlike the quarks which are tiny little things, these have a big profile and that huge driver is supposed to stick right in your ear. I didn’t even try to wear cable down I could tell before even playing music it wasn’t fitting right, so I went overear. The cable does not help here either though and it becomes somewhat tedious to wrap the cable over my ear. comfort once it sets right is OK but after about 1.5 hours I got a little fatigued. Even over ear I had to be careful because sometimes I would lose bass and treble clarity and sound would become distant and flat. The fit really hampers this kind of sound signature they’re going for unfortunately, because it’s a good and ambitious one
I think the idea of a less “semi custom” iem like a bullet is fine but in the future i’d recommend against having a big driver configured that way. Perhaps if they still want huge 10-11mm DD they could shape them like those old Panasonic HJE-120 earbuds with the nozzle sticking to the side, that seems to be another successful casual way of wearing iems. Or if they go with a smaller driver they could have a shell shape reminiscent of the shure se215 which would be cool and the market is severely undersaturated with…just ideas. Take note tinhifi. or don’t, i don’t really care other than to advance the market.
Sound
Ahhhh, arguably THE most important part of not the only part that matters to some audio enthusiasts. So how do these sound(or should anyways)? i’ll break it down by lows-highs and then go over technicalities/timbre
bass
this is almost a niche in modern chifi… These hark back to ye old times when most IEMs did not have a dedicated subbass boost, even the ridiculously expensive ones. The C0 Elf are unashamed of being quite neutral in the bass department if not a smidge rolled off in the lower end.
When doing a sine wave sweep they do however go very deep. I started hearing the bass around 28hz(you may hear it lower, i’m not perfect). There was a bit of an odd dip around 42-48hz but it snapped back up past 50hz and was perfectly normal past then. needless to say, what this means in reality is that the bass is soft and never intrusive. It does have extremely good speed and control. These are not for bassheads but should be satisfying enough for most music lovers and they are not as rolled off as most open back over ear headphones
mids
Not bad! good tone and timbre. Note weight is not too thin it has good body to the sound, transients are nice. The tone is very neutral, almost analytical but not “cold” thankfully. The instruments and synths have a lot of separation and basically zero mud or bass bleed here. these are very neutral up to about 3khz so no oddities here. Vocals and synths have a little crisp edge to them but lower frequency grain is kept to a minimum. Things sound how they should(and where they should), there’s no wonkiness here. Acoustic music especially sounds wonderful and the plucks of guitar strings are very satisfying.
treble/detail/resolution
So these lil guys can get a tad bit spicy. I think the treble overall is actually quite balanced, it gets a little accentuated by the presence region around 4kh-7khz. I think the fit/eartips may also have something to do with this as well or may exacerbate the problem of too much treble if you’re not careful. Overall the treble is front stage but not horribly fatiguing or thin. Instruments and vocals sibilants have a satisfying albeit sometimes too harsh(mostly on poorly recorded songs) edge to them.
As for detail and resolution the treble is crisp but does not seem to mask the lower frequencies(thankfully) and so it actually does lead to a sense of a very detailed and analytical presentation.
this is not an overly hyped or exaggerated treble to try and give a false sense of detail. It is overall an appropriate amount that actually does make the sound quite hi res, LAUGHABLY SO for 15$. There is only so much information that can be extracted out of any song, and these do a superb job. The softer bass along with the flat mids and treble presentation really bring out that separation. The decay of the sound is quite fast…the c0 elf(when sealing correctly) will wallop the pants off pretty much any over ear in terms of detail retrieval.
imaging/soundstage
the other coin of technicalities…these are good, very good for an iem. sounds are separated nicely, and they’re decently far away not closed in. I wouldn’t exactly call this a “large” soundstage by any means but probably the largest i’ve heard on any IEM. The sound placement is accurate and almost “fast” weird as that sounds. They appear and disappear like a ninja with great accuracy. No mushiness with the imaging here I’d wager the upper treble really helps bring the full picture together in a coherent way. impressive.
Comparisons
So going almost entirely based off memory
vs moondrop chu
they sound quite similar
even the Chu funny enough has slightly more subbass presence here. the chu has two problems which the tin elf does address though. The elf doesn’t have a “cold” tilt in the lower mids while chu does. Chu also has more 6khz presence which can be heard in the timbre while the tinhifi elf while still having quite a large amount of 6khz ish energy, is not not as much as chu. The c0 elf may be even more detailed than the chu when seated right but they trade blows. the elf and chu are similar in that they have crispy upper treble, the elf might even have a bit more. So if you’re not a fan of upper treble air and sibilants, stay away from both..
vs tangzu wan’er
Wan’er is more of a people pleaser. the tangzu wan’er has more bass, more warmth(little bit) and everything is more upfront and center. They both trade blows when it comes to tone and timbre. C0 is lighter with more sibilants. Wan’er is more “natural” and emphasizes the grain on vocals as opposed to upper treble sibilants like the c0 elf. As an overall well rounded and less fatiguing IEM the wan’er is more versatile but when switching back and forth, the lack of upper treble can make it sound a little dull in comparison.
Conclusion
So I ended up buying these on a whim almost entirely based on their frequency response graph which had intrigued me. They graph very well, betraying their modest price tag and going into the realm of much more expensive sets. The overall lower mids/bass curve is almost identical to past more expensive sets like Blessing 2(OG) or Aria Snow Edition. The upper mids/treble graph very similar to the KATO eerily enough. So…do they sound like they should?
I mean…ideally? when the stars align? …well, maybe? I have no clue. sorry if I burst any bubbles lol
i’ve never heard the KATO or B2 or Aria Snow edition but a graph is a graph and numbers don’t really lie. There’s little surprises as long as the IEMs are actually delivering the sound they’re supposed to and it doesn’t get lost in translation due to bad fit/seal.
…and so that leads me to my biggest caveat! these bullets fit nothing like any of those previously mentioned 3 IEMs. This is a problem because the poor little elf need as much seal as possible to help with their very modest bass presence. When it’s right? i think it’s *juuust* enough to deliver a very satisfying and engaging but clean sound. but they can be finnicky(for me anyways).
know what you’re getting into. For the bog standard average person I would not recommend these and instead suggest saving those few extra dollars to go for any of the insanely good chifi options out there. Hola, 7hz zero, wan’er(I can personally attest to), simgot, etc etc…
These are probably marketed as entry level normie type iems but they’re not that. These are similar to my old etymotic kids ek5 in a sense…the sound signature and fit lead them to be type casted to a very neutral role. If they fit your ears, they should have a place at least if you’ve never heard what an IEM with no bleed and good tuning sounds like.
The c0 elfs were a great experiment. I hope tinhifi is listening because you guys got *so* close to hitting and absolute freaking bullseye. I think 3 things could make something like the elf an absolute banger
1.the very deepest registers of subbass extension like 60hz down to 20hz could be a *smidge* more, to be on par with something like the chu but still not take away from the crisp neutral nature of it. I’m talking like 2db-3db here max. I know the driver can do it, the c0 elf driver is fantastic.
2. the chilled out bass of the elf also means that the upper mids/presence region can probably be relaxed a bit. This would be a similar tuning philosophy to maybe something like the Dark Magician *HINT HINT*. Something that is quite a hole in the market
3. THE MOST IMPORTANT…redesign the shell shape. Bassy iems can get away with a mediocre shell. This style of tuning absolutely cannot. as previously mentioned something like the elf must Squeeze every inch of bass they can through good seal and that will also improve the other aspects of sound
Overall I give these a 3.5 star and it’s a sad 3.5 star because it could be an easy 5 market disruptor and i would like to see if they can improve this design in the future because the intentionality was definitely there.
Design/fit/comfort =2.5 star
Sound=4.25 star
overall: 3.5 star
it was a good effort.
EDIT: after trying some more eartips, I can definitely feel that the seal is actually very good now and some of my original complaints about the sound are toned down. Comfort is much better too. The overall signature is still the same. Bass has been brought up a tad and the etching brilliance of the mid/upper treble has been toned down. When working as intended, this is a very nice sound! However my original description and review is still quite accurate. These will never magically become a bassy, dark, or laid back set no matter what tips, fit, or seal you’re getting(unless you use EQ). I am still keeping my review at 3.5 stars I do believe that’s fair due to the struggle of needing to find proper tips for this particular shape even then, it’s not exactly a safe bet.
but yes if you have the right ear shape and the right set of tips? very good monitor-like but still fun and engaging sound. quite nice!
Let me start out by saying as a preface: these past couple of years for IEMs have NOT BEEN NORMAL. We have seen some INSANELY GOOD releases for very cheap which have absolutely demolished many mainstream and even legendary over ear headphones in terms of frequency response and overall sound quality. in the past, I would have given these a 4.5 star rating based on sound alone, much less for the price….but this is a very competitive market. Kilobuck destroyers are a dime a dozen now
That being said, these are still $15 for a detachable 2 pin cable IEM, below even the ridiculous $20 hype budget segment these days. so let’s get into it
Packaging
Nothing special here. a very vanilla cable(but with a chin sinch! way to go tinhifi!)some very soft squishy and quite frankly terribad ear tips that I completely ignored, a probably not so great preformed earhook, and the IEMs themselves. needless to say Tinhifi spend all their money on the actual iems(which is good!). No nonsense packaging, small box. Good job tinhifi. Hopefully in the future give us better eartips though and maybe a cable similar to something like the chu which is a little thicker, and more pliable. overall not bad
Build
tldr; the c0 elf are built great! they look amazing. Full aluminum construction feels like, so they’re durable but light. No issues here. The one problem I do have is not with the build but with the shape but i’ll get into that later….
Fit/Comfort
Ok so this is probably the first real misstep on the part of tinhifi and probably their most significant one. I have some other bullet iems and I love them…but this is a 10mm driver. The edge around it behind the nozzle is THICC, and it makes it hard to get a good seal or to fit right. Unlike the quarks which are tiny little things, these have a big profile and that huge driver is supposed to stick right in your ear. I didn’t even try to wear cable down I could tell before even playing music it wasn’t fitting right, so I went overear. The cable does not help here either though and it becomes somewhat tedious to wrap the cable over my ear. comfort once it sets right is OK but after about 1.5 hours I got a little fatigued. Even over ear I had to be careful because sometimes I would lose bass and treble clarity and sound would become distant and flat. The fit really hampers this kind of sound signature they’re going for unfortunately, because it’s a good and ambitious one
I think the idea of a less “semi custom” iem like a bullet is fine but in the future i’d recommend against having a big driver configured that way. Perhaps if they still want huge 10-11mm DD they could shape them like those old Panasonic HJE-120 earbuds with the nozzle sticking to the side, that seems to be another successful casual way of wearing iems. Or if they go with a smaller driver they could have a shell shape reminiscent of the shure se215 which would be cool and the market is severely undersaturated with…just ideas. Take note tinhifi. or don’t, i don’t really care other than to advance the market.
Sound
Ahhhh, arguably THE most important part of not the only part that matters to some audio enthusiasts. So how do these sound(or should anyways)? i’ll break it down by lows-highs and then go over technicalities/timbre
bass
this is almost a niche in modern chifi… These hark back to ye old times when most IEMs did not have a dedicated subbass boost, even the ridiculously expensive ones. The C0 Elf are unashamed of being quite neutral in the bass department if not a smidge rolled off in the lower end.
When doing a sine wave sweep they do however go very deep. I started hearing the bass around 28hz(you may hear it lower, i’m not perfect). There was a bit of an odd dip around 42-48hz but it snapped back up past 50hz and was perfectly normal past then. needless to say, what this means in reality is that the bass is soft and never intrusive. It does have extremely good speed and control. These are not for bassheads but should be satisfying enough for most music lovers and they are not as rolled off as most open back over ear headphones
mids
Not bad! good tone and timbre. Note weight is not too thin it has good body to the sound, transients are nice. The tone is very neutral, almost analytical but not “cold” thankfully. The instruments and synths have a lot of separation and basically zero mud or bass bleed here. these are very neutral up to about 3khz so no oddities here. Vocals and synths have a little crisp edge to them but lower frequency grain is kept to a minimum. Things sound how they should(and where they should), there’s no wonkiness here. Acoustic music especially sounds wonderful and the plucks of guitar strings are very satisfying.
treble/detail/resolution
So these lil guys can get a tad bit spicy. I think the treble overall is actually quite balanced, it gets a little accentuated by the presence region around 4kh-7khz. I think the fit/eartips may also have something to do with this as well or may exacerbate the problem of too much treble if you’re not careful. Overall the treble is front stage but not horribly fatiguing or thin. Instruments and vocals sibilants have a satisfying albeit sometimes too harsh(mostly on poorly recorded songs) edge to them.
As for detail and resolution the treble is crisp but does not seem to mask the lower frequencies(thankfully) and so it actually does lead to a sense of a very detailed and analytical presentation.
this is not an overly hyped or exaggerated treble to try and give a false sense of detail. It is overall an appropriate amount that actually does make the sound quite hi res, LAUGHABLY SO for 15$. There is only so much information that can be extracted out of any song, and these do a superb job. The softer bass along with the flat mids and treble presentation really bring out that separation. The decay of the sound is quite fast…the c0 elf(when sealing correctly) will wallop the pants off pretty much any over ear in terms of detail retrieval.
imaging/soundstage
the other coin of technicalities…these are good, very good for an iem. sounds are separated nicely, and they’re decently far away not closed in. I wouldn’t exactly call this a “large” soundstage by any means but probably the largest i’ve heard on any IEM. The sound placement is accurate and almost “fast” weird as that sounds. They appear and disappear like a ninja with great accuracy. No mushiness with the imaging here I’d wager the upper treble really helps bring the full picture together in a coherent way. impressive.
Comparisons
So going almost entirely based off memory
vs moondrop chu
they sound quite similar
even the Chu funny enough has slightly more subbass presence here. the chu has two problems which the tin elf does address though. The elf doesn’t have a “cold” tilt in the lower mids while chu does. Chu also has more 6khz presence which can be heard in the timbre while the tinhifi elf while still having quite a large amount of 6khz ish energy, is not not as much as chu. The c0 elf may be even more detailed than the chu when seated right but they trade blows. the elf and chu are similar in that they have crispy upper treble, the elf might even have a bit more. So if you’re not a fan of upper treble air and sibilants, stay away from both..
vs tangzu wan’er
Wan’er is more of a people pleaser. the tangzu wan’er has more bass, more warmth(little bit) and everything is more upfront and center. They both trade blows when it comes to tone and timbre. C0 is lighter with more sibilants. Wan’er is more “natural” and emphasizes the grain on vocals as opposed to upper treble sibilants like the c0 elf. As an overall well rounded and less fatiguing IEM the wan’er is more versatile but when switching back and forth, the lack of upper treble can make it sound a little dull in comparison.
Conclusion
So I ended up buying these on a whim almost entirely based on their frequency response graph which had intrigued me. They graph very well, betraying their modest price tag and going into the realm of much more expensive sets. The overall lower mids/bass curve is almost identical to past more expensive sets like Blessing 2(OG) or Aria Snow Edition. The upper mids/treble graph very similar to the KATO eerily enough. So…do they sound like they should?
I mean…ideally? when the stars align? …well, maybe? I have no clue. sorry if I burst any bubbles lol
i’ve never heard the KATO or B2 or Aria Snow edition but a graph is a graph and numbers don’t really lie. There’s little surprises as long as the IEMs are actually delivering the sound they’re supposed to and it doesn’t get lost in translation due to bad fit/seal.
…and so that leads me to my biggest caveat! these bullets fit nothing like any of those previously mentioned 3 IEMs. This is a problem because the poor little elf need as much seal as possible to help with their very modest bass presence. When it’s right? i think it’s *juuust* enough to deliver a very satisfying and engaging but clean sound. but they can be finnicky(for me anyways).
know what you’re getting into. For the bog standard average person I would not recommend these and instead suggest saving those few extra dollars to go for any of the insanely good chifi options out there. Hola, 7hz zero, wan’er(I can personally attest to), simgot, etc etc…
These are probably marketed as entry level normie type iems but they’re not that. These are similar to my old etymotic kids ek5 in a sense…the sound signature and fit lead them to be type casted to a very neutral role. If they fit your ears, they should have a place at least if you’ve never heard what an IEM with no bleed and good tuning sounds like.
The c0 elfs were a great experiment. I hope tinhifi is listening because you guys got *so* close to hitting and absolute freaking bullseye. I think 3 things could make something like the elf an absolute banger
1.the very deepest registers of subbass extension like 60hz down to 20hz could be a *smidge* more, to be on par with something like the chu but still not take away from the crisp neutral nature of it. I’m talking like 2db-3db here max. I know the driver can do it, the c0 elf driver is fantastic.
2. the chilled out bass of the elf also means that the upper mids/presence region can probably be relaxed a bit. This would be a similar tuning philosophy to maybe something like the Dark Magician *HINT HINT*. Something that is quite a hole in the market
3. THE MOST IMPORTANT…redesign the shell shape. Bassy iems can get away with a mediocre shell. This style of tuning absolutely cannot. as previously mentioned something like the elf must Squeeze every inch of bass they can through good seal and that will also improve the other aspects of sound
Overall I give these a 3.5 star and it’s a sad 3.5 star because it could be an easy 5 market disruptor and i would like to see if they can improve this design in the future because the intentionality was definitely there.
Design/fit/comfort =2.5 star
Sound=4.25 star
overall: 3.5 star
it was a good effort.
EDIT: after trying some more eartips, I can definitely feel that the seal is actually very good now and some of my original complaints about the sound are toned down. Comfort is much better too. The overall signature is still the same. Bass has been brought up a tad and the etching brilliance of the mid/upper treble has been toned down. When working as intended, this is a very nice sound! However my original description and review is still quite accurate. These will never magically become a bassy, dark, or laid back set no matter what tips, fit, or seal you’re getting(unless you use EQ). I am still keeping my review at 3.5 stars I do believe that’s fair due to the struggle of needing to find proper tips for this particular shape even then, it’s not exactly a safe bet.
but yes if you have the right ear shape and the right set of tips? very good monitor-like but still fun and engaging sound. quite nice!
The TINHIFI ELF
Another new release, another IEM to quantify? But wait where have I seen this before? Oh, it’s a copy of the TANGZU Princess Chang Le IEM I reviewed back in late July of 2023. So much of a copy that it has an open back same as the Princess, the attached cable nonsense. Oh, and the price…..yep they are priced in direct competition. As imitators go, TINHIFI has approximated the way the Princess IEM works……..I literally can almost visualize the office talk.
$15.00
https://www.linsoul.com/products/tangzu-princess-chang-le?variant=43945950707929
“We are losing market share!”
“That TANGZU company is beating us at our own game."
“What do we do?”
“Put that coffee down………seriously what plan of attack do you suggest?”
"Copy it?"
“Yes, that’s a good idea, copy that thing.” “Only we don’t have a single full range driver that small?”
“That’s OK, just make something, anything!”
Hence the ELF was born. Yet they offered even more choices.
“A DAC chip cable, a removable cable or a microphone. Heck, lets even offer a different color of the exact same IEM in blue, then offer that with different cables……..the nonsense will be almost endless…………..”
So to tell you the truth, I’m not 100% certain I can list all the permutations of the ELF design…….and does it really matter in the end? No. It really doesn’t matter, though it would matter if the ELF was something that was lovable, or likable. But as far as sound goes the ELF is something straight out of 2014. Yep, a retro sounding IEM. Now if you want to go back in time, to a way more less crowded environment, to a time with less technology and less competition, then that’s fine……..just don’t bring me along, as you are on your own.
“So let’s see, we can’t name it a Princess, but what else would work? An ELF, yep, that’s perfect as the folks who never saw how small the TANGZU Princess is will still think the ELF is small.”
Fit:
The ElF model I have (with cables attached) fits fine, but other reviewers are complaining about not finding fit. So what is confusing is keeping track of which models may fit, and what cables would maybe work. That’s what happens when a multitude of models are blasted-out…..that it’s hard to keep track of them all……..if we didn’t have enough regular single edition models put out already by respected manufactures….to keep track of. Then that leads to the questions about if they actually sound different, the USB Type-C edition, the cable permanent edition, the removable cable edition, the different blue editions.
Did you guess this could get any worse?
TANGZU Princess Chang Le IEM
What about the ear-tips? TANGZU also gives out a free set of super-cool Tang Sancai Tips free with your Princess order.
$12.00
https://www.linsoul.com/products/tangzu-tang-sancai?variant=43929461522649
$15.00
https://www.linsoul.com/products/tangzu-princess-chang-le?variant=43945950707929
OK, I’ll stop, sure it’s easy to trash an IEM……and I don’t mean to hurt the little ELF, except I just wanted you to know about possible choices just in case you were halfway landed on getting the ELF, and chose to reference Head-Fi to see what’s up.
Sound:
The Princess v the ELF:
Disclamer:
I used the Sony WM1Z with the regular wide-bore tips I always use. Somehow I was able to get great (wide-bore) fit with both models? I lied, that after a while going through different songs and different switch-outs of the two IEMs in question, I found a new pair of slightly longer ear-tips, that seemed to enhance fitment with both IEMs.
Click-itty clack……click-itty clack…..oh that’s the drums? OK, enough fun and games here. Yes, the TANGZU Princess wins out, but in truth the ELF isn’t really that bad once you really sit down and do side-by-sides. The difference you ask?
Conclusion:
The Princess is still super hard to drive, except when you get her the power she asks for she responds simply smoother, that and there is an un-canny cohesiveness to her. Where the ELF has this spike in the upper midrange that adds a cheapness to an already cheap sound, making it that much cheaper sounding. Sure these are both ultra-budget IEMs, but still they exist and are offered for sale to be experienced for what they are worth in the end. Sure the ELF is way better than those airplane free-Bs, except those IEMs are……..free. Next!
$13.99 to $17.99
https://www.linsoul.com/products/tinhifi-c0-1
Disclaimer:
I want to thank Kareena at Linsoul for the love and the ELF universal IEM review sample.
Disclaimer:
These are one person's ideas and concepts, your results may vary.
Equipment Used:
Sony WM1Z Walkman DAP MrWalkman Firmware 3.5mm
Sony WM1A Walkman DAP MrWalkman Firmware 3.5mm
Sony TA-ZH1ES DAC/AMP Firmware 1.03
Electra Glide Audio Reference Glide-Reference Standard "Fatboy" Power Cord
Sony Walkman Cradle BCR-NWH10
AudioQuest Carbon USB
Samsung phone 3.5mm
HiBy R3II DAP 3.5mm
Packaging:
Another new release, another IEM to quantify? But wait where have I seen this before? Oh, it’s a copy of the TANGZU Princess Chang Le IEM I reviewed back in late July of 2023. So much of a copy that it has an open back same as the Princess, the attached cable nonsense. Oh, and the price…..yep they are priced in direct competition. As imitators go, TINHIFI has approximated the way the Princess IEM works……..I literally can almost visualize the office talk.
$15.00
https://www.linsoul.com/products/tangzu-princess-chang-le?variant=43945950707929
“We are losing market share!”
“That TANGZU company is beating us at our own game."
“What do we do?”
“Put that coffee down………seriously what plan of attack do you suggest?”
"Copy it?"
“Yes, that’s a good idea, copy that thing.” “Only we don’t have a single full range driver that small?”
“That’s OK, just make something, anything!”
Hence the ELF was born. Yet they offered even more choices.
“A DAC chip cable, a removable cable or a microphone. Heck, lets even offer a different color of the exact same IEM in blue, then offer that with different cables……..the nonsense will be almost endless…………..”
So to tell you the truth, I’m not 100% certain I can list all the permutations of the ELF design…….and does it really matter in the end? No. It really doesn’t matter, though it would matter if the ELF was something that was lovable, or likable. But as far as sound goes the ELF is something straight out of 2014. Yep, a retro sounding IEM. Now if you want to go back in time, to a way more less crowded environment, to a time with less technology and less competition, then that’s fine……..just don’t bring me along, as you are on your own.
“So let’s see, we can’t name it a Princess, but what else would work? An ELF, yep, that’s perfect as the folks who never saw how small the TANGZU Princess is will still think the ELF is small.”
Fit:
The ElF model I have (with cables attached) fits fine, but other reviewers are complaining about not finding fit. So what is confusing is keeping track of which models may fit, and what cables would maybe work. That’s what happens when a multitude of models are blasted-out…..that it’s hard to keep track of them all……..if we didn’t have enough regular single edition models put out already by respected manufactures….to keep track of. Then that leads to the questions about if they actually sound different, the USB Type-C edition, the cable permanent edition, the removable cable edition, the different blue editions.
Did you guess this could get any worse?
TANGZU Princess Chang Le IEM
What about the ear-tips? TANGZU also gives out a free set of super-cool Tang Sancai Tips free with your Princess order.
$12.00
https://www.linsoul.com/products/tangzu-tang-sancai?variant=43929461522649
$15.00
https://www.linsoul.com/products/tangzu-princess-chang-le?variant=43945950707929
OK, I’ll stop, sure it’s easy to trash an IEM……and I don’t mean to hurt the little ELF, except I just wanted you to know about possible choices just in case you were halfway landed on getting the ELF, and chose to reference Head-Fi to see what’s up.
Sound:
The Princess v the ELF:
Disclamer:
I used the Sony WM1Z with the regular wide-bore tips I always use. Somehow I was able to get great (wide-bore) fit with both models? I lied, that after a while going through different songs and different switch-outs of the two IEMs in question, I found a new pair of slightly longer ear-tips, that seemed to enhance fitment with both IEMs.
Click-itty clack……click-itty clack…..oh that’s the drums? OK, enough fun and games here. Yes, the TANGZU Princess wins out, but in truth the ELF isn’t really that bad once you really sit down and do side-by-sides. The difference you ask?
Conclusion:
The Princess is still super hard to drive, except when you get her the power she asks for she responds simply smoother, that and there is an un-canny cohesiveness to her. Where the ELF has this spike in the upper midrange that adds a cheapness to an already cheap sound, making it that much cheaper sounding. Sure these are both ultra-budget IEMs, but still they exist and are offered for sale to be experienced for what they are worth in the end. Sure the ELF is way better than those airplane free-Bs, except those IEMs are……..free. Next!
$13.99 to $17.99
https://www.linsoul.com/products/tinhifi-c0-1
Disclaimer:
I want to thank Kareena at Linsoul for the love and the ELF universal IEM review sample.
Disclaimer:
These are one person's ideas and concepts, your results may vary.
Equipment Used:
Sony WM1Z Walkman DAP MrWalkman Firmware 3.5mm
Sony WM1A Walkman DAP MrWalkman Firmware 3.5mm
Sony TA-ZH1ES DAC/AMP Firmware 1.03
Electra Glide Audio Reference Glide-Reference Standard "Fatboy" Power Cord
Sony Walkman Cradle BCR-NWH10
AudioQuest Carbon USB
Samsung phone 3.5mm
HiBy R3II DAP 3.5mm
Packaging:
wafflezz
Did part of your review get cut off? it almost seemed like you were going to go into the sound differences between the two and then it immediately goes to the conclusion
Redcarmoose
@wafflezz
Nope, it is exactly like planned. True all my reviews are normally longer, I just didn’t have much to say here? 2.5 stars short and sweet, well not really sweet?
Nope, it is exactly like planned. True all my reviews are normally longer, I just didn’t have much to say here? 2.5 stars short and sweet, well not really sweet?
TLDR version on YouTube: TDLR - Tin Hifi C0 ELF
The Tin Hifi C0 Elf have been sent to me by Linsoul in exchange for the publication of this review. Linsoul have not made any requests or comments and, as always, I will do my best to be as unbiased as humanly possible.
You can find the C0 via Linsoul by visiting the version of this review published on my blog (link at the end of this post).
As always, this is a non-affiliate link, meaning I receive nothing in exchange for clicks or purchases.
Intro…
Tin Hifi have been around for quite some time in the IEM world, making some very good, and some not so good, sets. A lot of their models have been based on variations of the original T2 shape and the C0 that I have here today are another similar design but with some changes that I will mention.
They have also released quite a few ultra budget oriented IEMs, with the C0 also being well inside that sub 50€ bracket that I consider ultra budget. At the time of publishing this review, the standard model is available on Linsoul for just over 10€, although there is also a model with a microphone and even one with a USB-C connector and built in DAC for not much more.
The IEMs feature a 10mm driver in an open back shell, which is nothing really new for this style of IEMs from Tin, although these feature an open back shell which is a little different to the usual configuration we find from the company.
Presentation…
When a set of IEMs retails for around 10€, something has to be reduced to keep costs down and I always prefer that it is the packaging and presentation.
A simple white box with the make and model on the top, along with some specs on the side is the extent of the external packaging, but it is more than sufficient.
Inside we get the IEMs in a piece of sponge, along with the cable, two rubber earhooks and 6 sets of silicone tips. Again, more than sufficient for the price we are looking at for these IEMs.
Build and aesthetics…
At a simple glance, the C0 are very reminiscent of the T2 (and other similar models), however, once we look a little closer, things are quite different. The shells are still completely made of aluminium, yet the size is a little larger and rather than the extra shape on the side for the cable connection, here the cables connect directly to the cylindrical shape of the shell.
This time, Tin have opted for a two pin connection for the cables, which is a good thing as I have had quite a few issues with their MMCX connectors in the past. The IEMs are also open back, with a larger version of the same metal filter in the nozzle on the back of the shells.
As far as comfort, I am not quite sure why but there is a bulkiness to these IEMs that makes them sit strangely in my ear, always feeling like they are not quite seated or sealed properly (to which the tuning doesn’t help either, but I will get to that in a moment). I tried all of the included tips and quite a few others and at no point did I get comfortable with these IEMs. Of course, everyone's ear anatomy is different but in my personal case, they just don’t seem to fit right.
The included cable is simple vinyl covered cable, with metal two pin connectors and plastic for the rest of the hardware, which doesn’t look too bad but it is a bit microphonic. It’s not terrible but it is noticeable.
Sound…
When I first started listening to the C0, I found that there was quite a lack of bass which, added to the sensation of the IEMs not seating correctly, made me think that I was not getting a seal. I started to work my way through all of the tips without anything seeming to make it better. I then moved on to other tips and while some of the extra narrow bore tips did improve bass slightly, the sensation of them not being sealed correctly. (edit: see note at end of review)
I spent a few hours messing around with them and in the end I gave up and looked at the frequency response:
Looking at the graph, I then realized that I wasn’t going crazy, there really is a lack of bass and an emphasis on the higher ranges. However, not to the point that I am hearing in reality. Remember that the graph above is in comparison to my personal preference target and I am someone who favours bass on the leaner side. If we were to compare this to the the preference target of somebody who is more bass happy than me, such as HBB, this would be the result:
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Usually I would spend at least 5 days listening to a set of IEMs before I sit down and start doing more detailed listening, with my usual test list. In this case, I am sorry to say that I didn’t make it that far. I did spend a few more hours with them and just couldn’t enjoy them. Even while working (which is how I do my usual 5 days of working), the music kept drawing my attention to it as it was… annoying?
Now, I don’t know if this is an issue with the set I have or if this is the intended tuning of these IEMs, as I haven’t checked any other reviews or measurements, but the set I have is not an enjoyable set of IEMs for me personally.
I did do some tests with a few of my usual test tracks but I honestly didn’t see the need to continue nor do I see the need to get too deep into how these interact with specific tracks. In general, they are lacking subbass, short on midbass, then over emphasized in the upper mids, moving into a peaky treble.
Yes, there is more of a sensation of openness to them, both due the fact that they are open back and that they emphasize the upper ranges, but making the sound wider doesn’t make this particular tuning sound any better to me.
Conclusion…
I am going to cut this review short as I don’t want to spend too long explaining faults when I have other things I would prefer to listen to and review.
Yes, the C0 Elf are a very cheap set of IEMs with a good build quality. Unfortunately that is the end of the positive side for me. The cable is microphonic, the IEMs are uncomfortable and the tuning is something that I do not enjoy. I would say that they are a cheap set of IEMs that sound cheap but that would be unfair, as there are cheap IEMs that sound pretty good, including some from Tin’s own brand.
Edit: After putting together the above review, I discussed the C0 Elf with another reviewer. We compared measurements and the units do measure the same (close enough to account for differences in rigs and measuring techniques), so we are looking at the same tuning.
He mentioned that he also had a lot of fit issues but with certain tips he managed to get them to actually have more bass presence and less focus on the upper ranges.
I tried another few tips but I’m afraid that I just cannot get them improve in my ears. So, I am saying this to point out that my review of these IEMs could be totally due to me not managing to get a decent seal (which is what it feels like). This would actually make sense as the measurement of these IEMs is very close to the Titan S, which are a set of IEMs that I use regularly and really enjoy.
This is not going to change my opinion, review or score of the C0, as I have shared what is my experience with them but I do want to point it out as your experience, depending on your ear anatomy, may be totally different with these IEMs.
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This review (and all my reviews) can also be found in Spanish both on my blog (www.achoreviews.com) and on YouTube (www.youtube.com/achoreviews)
All FR measurements of IEMs can be viewed and compared on achoreviews.squig.link
All isolation measurements of IEMs can be found on achoreviews.squig.link/isolation
Which one do you mean by is susceptible driver flex, is it the c0? I have linglong and the driver already broke because the driver flex. Does c0 have driver flex too? Thanks