mosshorn
1000+ Head-Fier
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Well, it took me long enough to write this. After seeing Project86 finish his, I figured I should stop being lazy 
The Heir Audio Tzar 90 has been a journey for me, and even listening to it right now perplexes me. Don’t worry though, this isn’t a bad thing. I find the Tzar 90 to be a metamorph IEM, one that (to my ears) changes signatures heavily depending on tip choice. I’ll go more into those changes later, but let’s start out with the usuals.
[size=26pt]Presentation[/size]
This is more for formality. Everyone that has been on the portable side of this hobby and lurks this forum know Heir Audio, and know how they do things. My Tzar 90‘s (#0004 if anyone cares btw) arrived well packaged, with a cardboard sleeve bearing their logo, surrounding a smaller Otterbox. I’ve never been a fan of Otterboxes, but now I am. They are perfect IEM holders, and would reccommend anyone that doesn’t plan on Heir’s offerings to pick one up for storage.
[size=26pt]Build Quality[/size]
Another fact of Heir Audio, their build quality has always been flawless. Not a single bubble is seen in my shells (which are still the same dark purple as the Ai series). They are very comfortable, and I’m usually one that has problems with universal fit. Why I haven’t gone custom yet, I’ll never know. The nozzle is your standard large bore (fits UE, Meelec M6/M9, and Hifiman RE tips), and the cable sockets are your standard 2 pin Westone model. One thing I suppose I would have liked was a lip for the tips so the few occasions that an eartip has stayed in my ear didn’t happen. It would have messed with the overall aesthetics though so I’m not too worried.
[size=26pt]Overall Sound[/size]
I guess if I was forced at gunpoint to pick one signature for these, it would be warm. I can’t say much more than that without going into details. With some tips it seems to be a V shape with weird peaks in the vocals, with others it is a warm, slightly bass forward sound. Overall, I would say the sound sig wouldn’t offend most users, the analytical crowd might not be too happy though. But if you’re a closet treblehead (*cough* analytical listener *cough*) you should be reading the Tzar 350 reviews out in the wild. But hey, continue if you’re thinking of reforming
Bass:
I absolutely love the bass on these. No matter what tip I use, that is a definite. The way I described the bass to another user a few weeks ago was “warm and dry”. This stands true. The bass is slightly boosted to my ears, but not overbearing. The step of the bass is as dry as sand, and you’ll never realize you love dry bass until you try these. It keeps things such as bass kicks pumped up, but never flabby, which many of us know happens. I came from the Earsonics SM3, which while I loved it at the time, had this odd flabby bass compared to the Tzar. I find the bass on these to fit with any track I throw at them, with the right tips of course.
Mids:
THIS RIGHT HERE is one reason why I kept delaying on this review. Ask any other 90 user, the mids are hard to describe. Sometimes they are forward, sometimes they aren’t. Since the SM3‘s were the last big boy I listened to, the mids on these seemed TERRIBLE since I was used to obnoxiously forward mids. A couple tracks the Tzar 90 shined on with the mids were “Wood and Wire” by Thrice, and “One” by Creed. Kind of similar genres, but totally different sounds in them. As you can see, I found male vocals to be great on these, and some female vocals are excellent too (anything by Grimes is good, though heavily modded, and Joanna Newsom is amazing from memory). Other songs, however, weren’t as fortunate. I felt the vox occasionally got pushed to the back of the music, and I could never really figure out why. But overall, the mids are just as dry as the bass, but not to where they are lifeless. They pair very well with how the timbre is on these, so it isn’t a bad thing. Just don’t try to trade/sell them off early due to the mids, give them time and the right tip.
Treble:
Here, we go, the part that’s easy to write! The treble is warm, rolled off to a degree, but a very smooth roll so you don’t feel like you’re listening through a LPF. Extension is there, but not the star of the show. I really enjoy the treble on the Tzar 90 because it is about as unfatiguing as it gets. Not much more to say about it. I suppose some may want a couple dB of boost, but with my Studio V 3rd ANV, I didn’t feel the need to (like I had a choice
)
Soundstage/Imaging:
Another fun morphing area. The soundstage is kind of spacious, but not huge. I think with how these sound it could do for a touch more, but after the SM3‘s drunken soundstage that I got addicted to, I may be biased. Imaging, however, is spot on. I find that for a warmer IEM, you can pinpoint most things on a L/R basis. Soundstage depth is there, but not out of your head, at least for me.
Resolution:
Wanted to make a quick section on this. Due to the dry feeling these give me, they seem to flip flop in overall resolution. Sometimes they can make anything sound pretty good, sometimes you can hear the detail being strangled out of the track. Really weird, I know.
TIP SELECTION:
I can’t really stress how much tip selection changed things for me. I’ll throw up quick sound differences between the types I was able to try.
Heir Audio Tips (red, blue, biflange)
How can I put this in the clearest way possible......don’t bother. While the single flanges seemed to be nice on the Ai’s for most people, I found any single flange on the Tzar 90 to make them have hollowed out mids, meh treble, and bass that verged on flabby (I know I slightly contradicted my earlier statement, whoops!) The biflanges included are basically single flanges, but they worked nicely on my Monoprice 8320‘s!
Hifiman RE biflange
Now we’re getting somewhere. Ladies and Gents, it’s your lucky day if you prefer biflanges. The Hifiman biflanges seemed to open up the treble and bass a bit, giving the feel of a V to my ears. Not TF10 bad, but enough to kind of energize the sound. I would say these are my #3 pick.
Meelec Standard Biflange
Now the subjectiveness reigns here. I don’t know about everyone else, but these hurt my ears. Too fat and stiff. Sound isn’t bad, a little too bassy from what little listening I did with them, but that didn’t happen too much.
Meelec Balanced Biflange
THERE WE GO! In my opinion, buy these alongside the Tzar 90 and don’t look back if you like biflanges. They open up the soundstage, the bass is perfect, and mids lose that odd wonky feeling that the single flanges give. I will give these #1.....kind of. My personal story is sad, I’m not sure if it’s my wisdom teeth, my ear canals, or what, but I’ve always had a hard time wearing biflanges. I have to constantly stuff them back into my ears to make them fit right. Ironically enough, I used these same tips and had the same issues with the Hifiman RE262, another favorite of mine. I will probably get custom tips sooner or later for these for the reason that these biflanges only need more [personal] comfort and they will be ideal.
Meelec Triple Flange
Well, I wanted to experiment more since biflanges hate me, but I love the triple flange feel (brain slug). They bring the upper mids/low treble forward, make everything sound a little less full, and make the bass punchy and quick. Everything you expect a triple flange to do, really. They are #2.
[size=26pt]Gear Pairings[/size]
I don’t have a bajillion things to test on, but I’ll do what I can. I found these to be a delight on my Schiit Magni/ Modi stack. Good punch, good detail, and still kept that smooth dry sound quality I’ve fallen for.
DAPs you say? From my Clip+ they sound okay, but I feel everything doesn’t follow home as well as it could amplified. Some amp atheists may disagree, but hey, these are some heavy IEM’s to push at times. Speaking of which, if you have to choose between these and a lesser IEM and an amp, get these. An amp will increase your enjoyment, but they are by no means unlistenable without an amp like the Tzar 350, Hifiman RE262, or other picky sets.
To all the Hisoundaudio owners out there thinking they may have found the companion IEM to stop the dreaded hiss, don’t hold your breath. While the impedance IS 90 ohms, the sensitivity is still about the same as an average IEM. So while there is a slightly diminished hiss compared to the 32ohm SM3, hiss is still there. I think the only way to alleviate it is with dynamic drivers, but that’s just a hypothesis. I can say though that the 3rdANV pairs very very well with the Tzar 90. It makes the treble and upper mids a little more pronounced, tightens the bass even more, and gives more than enough power to pack a punch. I listen to mine from lvl6 (sleepy time) to around lvl 14 or 15(jammin usually) Average level is 12 or so.
[size=26pt]Conclusion[/size]
At first I thought I hated these. But with tip rolling and some some brain burn-in, I haven’t had a single urge to upgrade (though the UE900‘s still look pretty!). I would say if you’re looking for a jack of all trades IEM that will be your main pair, or maybe you’re looking for a nice, chill IEM to pair with that tube amp you bought on impulse, the Tzar 90 will not disappoint. Just give it a little time to show you its very unique type of magic
The Heir Audio Tzar 90 has been a journey for me, and even listening to it right now perplexes me. Don’t worry though, this isn’t a bad thing. I find the Tzar 90 to be a metamorph IEM, one that (to my ears) changes signatures heavily depending on tip choice. I’ll go more into those changes later, but let’s start out with the usuals.
[size=26pt]Presentation[/size]
This is more for formality. Everyone that has been on the portable side of this hobby and lurks this forum know Heir Audio, and know how they do things. My Tzar 90‘s (#0004 if anyone cares btw) arrived well packaged, with a cardboard sleeve bearing their logo, surrounding a smaller Otterbox. I’ve never been a fan of Otterboxes, but now I am. They are perfect IEM holders, and would reccommend anyone that doesn’t plan on Heir’s offerings to pick one up for storage.
[size=26pt]Build Quality[/size]
Another fact of Heir Audio, their build quality has always been flawless. Not a single bubble is seen in my shells (which are still the same dark purple as the Ai series). They are very comfortable, and I’m usually one that has problems with universal fit. Why I haven’t gone custom yet, I’ll never know. The nozzle is your standard large bore (fits UE, Meelec M6/M9, and Hifiman RE tips), and the cable sockets are your standard 2 pin Westone model. One thing I suppose I would have liked was a lip for the tips so the few occasions that an eartip has stayed in my ear didn’t happen. It would have messed with the overall aesthetics though so I’m not too worried.
[size=26pt]Overall Sound[/size]
I guess if I was forced at gunpoint to pick one signature for these, it would be warm. I can’t say much more than that without going into details. With some tips it seems to be a V shape with weird peaks in the vocals, with others it is a warm, slightly bass forward sound. Overall, I would say the sound sig wouldn’t offend most users, the analytical crowd might not be too happy though. But if you’re a closet treblehead (*cough* analytical listener *cough*) you should be reading the Tzar 350 reviews out in the wild. But hey, continue if you’re thinking of reforming
Bass:
I absolutely love the bass on these. No matter what tip I use, that is a definite. The way I described the bass to another user a few weeks ago was “warm and dry”. This stands true. The bass is slightly boosted to my ears, but not overbearing. The step of the bass is as dry as sand, and you’ll never realize you love dry bass until you try these. It keeps things such as bass kicks pumped up, but never flabby, which many of us know happens. I came from the Earsonics SM3, which while I loved it at the time, had this odd flabby bass compared to the Tzar. I find the bass on these to fit with any track I throw at them, with the right tips of course.
Mids:
THIS RIGHT HERE is one reason why I kept delaying on this review. Ask any other 90 user, the mids are hard to describe. Sometimes they are forward, sometimes they aren’t. Since the SM3‘s were the last big boy I listened to, the mids on these seemed TERRIBLE since I was used to obnoxiously forward mids. A couple tracks the Tzar 90 shined on with the mids were “Wood and Wire” by Thrice, and “One” by Creed. Kind of similar genres, but totally different sounds in them. As you can see, I found male vocals to be great on these, and some female vocals are excellent too (anything by Grimes is good, though heavily modded, and Joanna Newsom is amazing from memory). Other songs, however, weren’t as fortunate. I felt the vox occasionally got pushed to the back of the music, and I could never really figure out why. But overall, the mids are just as dry as the bass, but not to where they are lifeless. They pair very well with how the timbre is on these, so it isn’t a bad thing. Just don’t try to trade/sell them off early due to the mids, give them time and the right tip.
Treble:
Here, we go, the part that’s easy to write! The treble is warm, rolled off to a degree, but a very smooth roll so you don’t feel like you’re listening through a LPF. Extension is there, but not the star of the show. I really enjoy the treble on the Tzar 90 because it is about as unfatiguing as it gets. Not much more to say about it. I suppose some may want a couple dB of boost, but with my Studio V 3rd ANV, I didn’t feel the need to (like I had a choice
Soundstage/Imaging:
Another fun morphing area. The soundstage is kind of spacious, but not huge. I think with how these sound it could do for a touch more, but after the SM3‘s drunken soundstage that I got addicted to, I may be biased. Imaging, however, is spot on. I find that for a warmer IEM, you can pinpoint most things on a L/R basis. Soundstage depth is there, but not out of your head, at least for me.
Resolution:
Wanted to make a quick section on this. Due to the dry feeling these give me, they seem to flip flop in overall resolution. Sometimes they can make anything sound pretty good, sometimes you can hear the detail being strangled out of the track. Really weird, I know.
TIP SELECTION:
I can’t really stress how much tip selection changed things for me. I’ll throw up quick sound differences between the types I was able to try.
Heir Audio Tips (red, blue, biflange)
How can I put this in the clearest way possible......don’t bother. While the single flanges seemed to be nice on the Ai’s for most people, I found any single flange on the Tzar 90 to make them have hollowed out mids, meh treble, and bass that verged on flabby (I know I slightly contradicted my earlier statement, whoops!) The biflanges included are basically single flanges, but they worked nicely on my Monoprice 8320‘s!
Hifiman RE biflange
Now we’re getting somewhere. Ladies and Gents, it’s your lucky day if you prefer biflanges. The Hifiman biflanges seemed to open up the treble and bass a bit, giving the feel of a V to my ears. Not TF10 bad, but enough to kind of energize the sound. I would say these are my #3 pick.
Meelec Standard Biflange
Now the subjectiveness reigns here. I don’t know about everyone else, but these hurt my ears. Too fat and stiff. Sound isn’t bad, a little too bassy from what little listening I did with them, but that didn’t happen too much.
Meelec Balanced Biflange
THERE WE GO! In my opinion, buy these alongside the Tzar 90 and don’t look back if you like biflanges. They open up the soundstage, the bass is perfect, and mids lose that odd wonky feeling that the single flanges give. I will give these #1.....kind of. My personal story is sad, I’m not sure if it’s my wisdom teeth, my ear canals, or what, but I’ve always had a hard time wearing biflanges. I have to constantly stuff them back into my ears to make them fit right. Ironically enough, I used these same tips and had the same issues with the Hifiman RE262, another favorite of mine. I will probably get custom tips sooner or later for these for the reason that these biflanges only need more [personal] comfort and they will be ideal.
Meelec Triple Flange
Well, I wanted to experiment more since biflanges hate me, but I love the triple flange feel (brain slug). They bring the upper mids/low treble forward, make everything sound a little less full, and make the bass punchy and quick. Everything you expect a triple flange to do, really. They are #2.
[size=26pt]Gear Pairings[/size]
I don’t have a bajillion things to test on, but I’ll do what I can. I found these to be a delight on my Schiit Magni/ Modi stack. Good punch, good detail, and still kept that smooth dry sound quality I’ve fallen for.
DAPs you say? From my Clip+ they sound okay, but I feel everything doesn’t follow home as well as it could amplified. Some amp atheists may disagree, but hey, these are some heavy IEM’s to push at times. Speaking of which, if you have to choose between these and a lesser IEM and an amp, get these. An amp will increase your enjoyment, but they are by no means unlistenable without an amp like the Tzar 350, Hifiman RE262, or other picky sets.
To all the Hisoundaudio owners out there thinking they may have found the companion IEM to stop the dreaded hiss, don’t hold your breath. While the impedance IS 90 ohms, the sensitivity is still about the same as an average IEM. So while there is a slightly diminished hiss compared to the 32ohm SM3, hiss is still there. I think the only way to alleviate it is with dynamic drivers, but that’s just a hypothesis. I can say though that the 3rdANV pairs very very well with the Tzar 90. It makes the treble and upper mids a little more pronounced, tightens the bass even more, and gives more than enough power to pack a punch. I listen to mine from lvl6 (sleepy time) to around lvl 14 or 15(jammin usually) Average level is 12 or so.
[size=26pt]Conclusion[/size]
At first I thought I hated these. But with tip rolling and some some brain burn-in, I haven’t had a single urge to upgrade (though the UE900‘s still look pretty!). I would say if you’re looking for a jack of all trades IEM that will be your main pair, or maybe you’re looking for a nice, chill IEM to pair with that tube amp you bought on impulse, the Tzar 90 will not disappoint. Just give it a little time to show you its very unique type of magic
