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Chinese / Asian Brand Info Thread (Headphones, IEMs, Amps, DACs)
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Jul 25, 2016 at 11:11 AM Post #31,786 of 35,472
crabdog said:
  Hmm that TFZ again. This might have to go back on my wishlist. Looking forward to your comparison of the two.
Click to expand...


crab what sound signature are you looking for? i have tried the 3 tfz iems already
biggrin.gif

 
Jul 25, 2016 at 11:15 AM Post #31,787 of 35,472
From time to time S.M.S.L appears with something new. I have a an M3 DAC/AMP and it's a very nice unity, much better than my old Fiio E10, + it have optical and coaxial decoding and USB OTG. Now i see this: 
 

 
 
http://pt.shenzhenaudio.com/smsl-t1-dac-dsd512-tube-headphone-amplifier-384khz-optical-coaxial-usb-decoder.html
 
AK4490 DAC + Tube AMP + Optical + Coaxial + Pre-Amp. Seems a very nice do-it-all desktop setup! Couldn't find what tubes it use though... 
 
Jul 25, 2016 at 12:02 PM Post #31,788 of 35,472
@crabdog, here you go.
 
Review of the TFZ Series 3.
 
Source & Media Used:
LG v10 with Hi-Fi DAC enabled
Mostly Spotify extreme quality tracks with a few FLAC files.
 
Packaging & Accessories:
The packaging is VERY nice for a product of this price point. 
The manual is really fun to read. (lol engrish)
3 pairs (S,M,L) single flange Rubber
1 pair of double flange Rubber
1 pair of foam 
Ear hooks
Shirt Clip
Velcro cable wrap
 
Cable:
Rubbery and tangles easily. Not as bad as the KZ ATE, but it's still no fun to be constantly untangling. 
No microphonics when rubbing on clothes, but they get noisy when cable moves or is tapped. If you're moving around, you'll want to use the shirt clip.
The large plug may not fit with some phone cases.
Nice chin slider
Cable doesn't want to stay behind the ears. I Wish it had weights like the KZ ATE.
 
Fit:
Shape of IEM demands that it be worn over ear.
Included medium tips are perfect for me, soft and seal well.
Super comfortable. Very light considering their size. Not a deep or a shallow insertion. Just right.
 
Bass:
Not a basshead headphone
Very Tight and Fast. 
Personally would like a little more oomph in the sub bass. It's there, but it's not going to kick your ass.
No bleed into the mids at all.
Bass guitar soloists like Jaco Pastorius & Victor Wooten sound fantastic.
40-60 hz is the sweet spot for bass in this headphone, with max resonance around 47 or 50hz. 
 
Midrange:
Compared to consumer oriented V-shaped headphones, these are very mid-forward.
Female voices sound great. The sound is very...realistic. Not unnaturally full sounding but not thin. 
Male voices in the lowest bass registers can sometimes take on a small bit of bloat, but nothing terrible. If you weren't listening for it, you wouldn't notice.

Treble:
Clear, but not shrill. 
No sparkle, but not veiled.
Might be a slight bit of roll off at the very highest of frequencies
"quick" sound to the treble. No sibilance at all.
 
Soundstage:
Above average width for IEMs.
Focal point can feel like it's behind you around the base of the skull instead of being in front of you.
Above average height representation.
Songs that play with stereo separation are a joy. (Steely Dan's FM)
 
Clarity/Separation:
This is one of the places the Series 3 really hits above its price point.
Instrument separation is great. Never get that "buzz" of instruments clashing or competing in the driver.
Throughout the sonic range there's no significant veil or muddiness. 
Great reproduction of vocal overtones. (I listen to a lot of Barbershop Quartets)
 
Summary:
The TFZ Series 3 has a much flatter sound signature than I had expected. The combination of clarity, soundstage, and forward mids lends itself to some great listening on indie acoustic, and jazz tracks (Feels so Good by Chuck Mangione SHINES). You could listen to these all day long with no fatigue. Not exactly a relaxed sound, but there's nothing offensive about it either. They're definitely worth ~$50, but if you like your bass to kick, you'll be disappointed. Excision, Vibesquad, and other heavy bass dance music lacks any sort of impact. Personally they're a great compliment to other headphones I have, and if the TFZ 5 is as bassy as people have said, they'll be a great combination. 
 
Jul 25, 2016 at 2:16 PM Post #31,791 of 35,472
bjaardker said:
  Just got my TFZ Series 5... Wow are these boomy, almost to the point of being "farty".
 
Which hole am I supposed to poke a needle into for the bass mod? Is it the vent just above the nozzle?
Click to expand...


the stock tips are AIDS i tell ya. Try double flanges, or any thing with a wider bore. They sound a lot less bassy with a good sealing tip that vent the bass a bit. Once you poke it you cant go back and if u damage the drivers ur SOL
 
Jul 25, 2016 at 2:32 PM Post #31,794 of 35,472
bjaardker said:
Just got my TFZ Series 5... Wow are these boomy, almost to the point of being "farty".

Which hole am I supposed to poke a needle into for the bass mod? Is it the vent just above the nozzle?
Click to expand...
Ummmmm, to my ears the series is the least bassy of all the tfz series
 
Jul 25, 2016 at 4:26 PM Post #31,797 of 35,472
hisoundfi said:
Ummmmm, to my ears the series is the least bassy of all the tfz series
Click to expand...

Definitely not my experience thus far. I've been tip rolling on the Series 5 for over an hour now and no matter what I pick wide bore, narrow, single double triple flange, nothing seems to tame it (and for the record, I HATE tip rolling). Really heavy hits actually interfere with the rest of the sound causing a "buzz" similar to when you build a sub woofer box and haven't drilled the ports yet.
 
I'm going to give it a day or two, but if things don't free up I'm going to poke this sumbich. Everything is just so...in your face with the Series 5 right now. As it stands, I feel the Series 3 has more air, width in soundstage, and much better balance. I doubt that's what was intended.
 
Jul 25, 2016 at 4:42 PM Post #31,798 of 35,472
hisoundfi said:
 
bjaardker said:
Just got my TFZ Series 5... Wow are these boomy, almost to the point of being "farty".

Which hole am I supposed to poke a needle into for the bass mod? Is it the vent just above the nozzle?
Click to expand...

Ummmmm, to my ears the series is the least bassy of all the tfz series
Click to expand...

 
+1
My TFZ Series 5 earphones arrived today and my first impression is that they have great controlled bass with excellent subbass extension. Not boomy at all.
 
Midrange is also great. Out of the box the TFZ 5 sounds very very good - airy and detailed sound. A little bit more trebles to my taste but no problem to fix it using the EQ.  
I was surprised how much better TFZ 5 sound when connected to a good DAC/AMP (comparing when connected to my HTC One).    

The only problem is the cable which seems to me quite fragile and tangles very easily.
 
Jul 25, 2016 at 4:45 PM Post #31,799 of 35,472
My LZ A2S review is up for those who might be interested:

http://www.head-fi.org/products/lz-a2s/reviews/16503
 
Jul 25, 2016 at 5:09 PM Post #31,800 of 35,472
bjaardker said:
Definitely not my experience thus far. I've been tip rolling on the Series 5 for over an hour now and no matter what I pick wide bore, narrow, single double triple flange, nothing seems to tame it (and for the record, I HATE tip rolling). Really heavy hits actually interfere with the rest of the sound causing a "buzz" similar to when you build a sub woofer box and haven't drilled the ports yet.

I'm going to give it a day or two, but if things don't free up I'm going to poke this sumbich. Everything is just so...in your face with the Series 5 right now. As it stands, I feel the Series 3 has more air, width in soundstage, and much better balance. I doubt that's what was intended.
Click to expand...


Almost seems like you received a Series 5 driver in the Series 3 body and a series 3 driver in a series 5 body LOL
 
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