[ian91]

Thought it best to start a thread for the Shimin Li & Tangzu IEMs in general.

Here are my impressions of the Shimin Li cross-posted from the Discovery thread:

Source: RU6 (NOS, high gain), balanced UPOCC cable, Whizzer ET100 tips
Tonality: warm-neutral
Strengths: wide soundstage, great imaging and separation, midrange well textured, bass extension (very well executed with a subtle but appreciable midbass lift), timbre
Weaknesses: resolution (acceptable to good), note definition is on the softer side, maybe more air needed?
Genre stengths: vocals & instrumental but suprisingly versatile thanks to solid bass extension and presence

vs Chu: more dimensional vs the flat image of Chu, warmer with more natural noteweight (big issue with Chu), better timbre, less air and teble detail, better male & female vocals (IMO Chu has too much breath and not enough body), better low Hz dynamics (Chu seemed a little tight and restrained)
vs CRA+: wider staging with better imaging and separation, similar forward vocal positioning but comes across less dry and artifical, with a warm 'natural'/neutral hue with less upper mids/lower treble emphasis

My verdict:
The Shimin Li does neutral right (i.e. I feel it's close to my neutral), it keeps the spectrum balanced with a well extended low end and a controlled gain and upper midrange. Some may want more uppermid/lower treble excitement but that would inevitably detract from its natural tonality. There is solid argument that we need just a little more high end extension but the lack of it is forgiveable for the price. We have a warm-leaning midforward single DD with very good technical ability. It manages a 'musical reference' presentation very well and sets itself apart from it's more 'exciteable' brethren released recently. Had this released many months ago before I began my search for a 'musical reference' tuning I would have saved alot of money.

If you're looking for single DD that's musical, honest and transparent with a hint of romantic warmth this is it. If you're looking for something similar to an Etymotic-style/DF tuning (with more bass) but are put off by their deep insertion (and are not strictly after ultimate resolution) this would be my default recommendation.

IEM	Primary characteristic	Secondary characteristic	Tertiary characteristic(s)
Shimin Li	Forward mids	Detailed	Warm-smooth
CRA+	Forward mids	Detailed	Bright
Chu	Bright	Sharp-detailed	Forward highs

Tonal comparisons graphed for visualisation. Please interpret across all axes.

 

[Surf Monkey]

Mine are in transit…

 

[ian91]

Look forward to hearing your thoughts...finding it very hard to grumble for $35!

Edit: YMMV but for me, Shimin Li >> Chu and Shimin Li > CRA+. It's a close battle between the Shimin Li and the SG-01 OVA too.

Edit 2: Yuan Li & Shimin Li graphed (provided by manufacturer). I don't have coupler-accurate ears but I also don't think the Shimin Li replays as flat in the bass as this graph suggests. The bass does sound close to linear with little roll off but I'm hearing more midbass. The rest of the graph seems spot on. Looking forward to seeing more graphs, even if it proves me wrong!

 

[Carpet]

Thought it best to start a thread for the Shimin Li & Tangzu IEMs in general.

Here are my impressions of the Shimin Li cross-posted from the Discovery thread:

Source: RU6 (NOS, high gain), balanced UPOCC cable, Whizzer ET100 tips
Tonality: warm-neutral
Strengths: wide soundstage, great imaging and separation, midrange well textured, bass extension (very well executed with a subtle but appreciable midbass lift), timbre
Weaknesses: resolution (acceptable to good), note definition is on the softer side, maybe more air needed?
Genre stengths: vocals & instrumental but suprisingly versatile thanks to solid bass extension and presence

vs Chu: more dimensional vs the flat image of Chu, warmer with more natural noteweight (big issue with Chu), better timbre, less air and teble detail, better male & female vocals (IMO Chu has too much breath and not enough body), better low Hz dynamics (Chu seemed a little tight and restrained)
vs CRA+: wider staging with better imaging and separation, similar forward vocal positioning but comes across less dry and artifical, with a warm 'natural'/neutral hue with less upper mids/lower treble emphasis

My verdict:
The Shimin Li does neutral right (i.e. I feel it's close to my neutral), it keeps the spectrum balanced with a well extended low end and a controlled gain and upper midrange. Some may want more uppermid/lower treble excitement but that would inevitably detract from its natural tonality. There is solid argument that we need just a little more high end extension but the lack of it is forgiveable for the price. We have a warm-leaning midforward single DD with very good technical ability. It manages a 'musical reference' presentation very well and sets itself apart from it's more 'exciteable' brethren released recently. Had this released many months ago before I began my search for a 'musical reference' tuning I would have saved alot of money.

If you're looking for single DD that's musical, honest and transparent with a hint of romantic warmth this is it. If you're looking for something similar to an Etymotic-style/DF tuning (with more bass) but are put off by their deep insertion (and are not strictly after ultimate resolution) this would be my default recommendation.

IEM	Primary characteristic	Secondary characteristic	Tertiary characteristic(s)
Shimin Li	Forward mids	Detailed	Warm-smooth
CRA+	Forward mids	Detailed	Bright
Chu	Bright	Sharp-detailed	Forward highs

Tonal comparisons graphed for visualisation. Please interpret across all axes.

To be honest, you sold me with "warm-neutral". Musical wins over analytical for me, and I've been waiting for more feedback before ordering.

 

[jmwant]

If you're looking for something similar to an Etymotic-style/DF tuning (with more bass) but are put off by their deep insertion (and are not strictly after ultimate resolution) this would be my default recommendation

Now you've got my attention!

 

[Surf Monkey]

Got mine. This is an interesting set out of the box. The tuning is upper mid focused with a slightly elevated bass section and a slightly rolled off high treble. They sound great with vocal focused tracks, male and female. They have *enough* punchy DD bass, if it is just a tad shy. The overall criticism I have so far is that they lack detail in the mids and bass. They don’t sound recessed or compressed but the fine detail in these areas just isn’t there out of the box. The treble is detailed but soft for my taste. The soundstage is about average for this price point. Decent separation and width but not much depth. At least they don’t suffer from “vocals coming from above your head syndrome.” It isn’t as “out of your head” as I’d like but for this price point (I paid $30USD shipped) they sound amazing.

The stock cable sucks. Ditched it without even trying it. The tips it comes with are good. They’re Sony clones. The set doesn’t come with a storage pouch. Not a big deal. I have some spares.

 

[ian91]

Got mine. This is an interesting set out of the box. The tuning is upper mid focused with a slightly elevated bass section and a slightly rolled off high treble. They sound great with vocal focused tracks, male and female. They have *enough* punchy DD bass, if it is just a tad shy. The overall criticism I have so far is that they lack detail in the mids and bass. They don’t sound recessed or compressed but the fine detail in these areas just isn’t there out of the box. The treble is detailed but soft for my taste. The soundstage is about average for this price point. Decent separation and width but not much depth. At least they don’t suffer from “vocals coming from above your head syndrome.” It isn’t as “out of your head” as I’d like but for this price point (I paid $30USD shipped) they sound amazing.

The stock cable sucks. Ditched it without even trying it. The tips it comes with are good. They’re Sony clones. The set doesn’t come with a storage pouch. Not a big deal. I have some spares.

I think the general concensus emerging is the lack of detail/resolution inherent in the driver, that is further compounded by the way the treble has been tuned. If you can overlook that, I think they offer something appealing in their easy-listening & more neutral sound. I was pleased with the width but as you say, the depth is slim. Glad you're pleased for the price though. I'm keeping mine on hand for outings where I can't guarantee things won't get knocked about. These little things are built like tanks.

 

[Surf Monkey]

I think the general concensus emerging is the lack of detail/resolution inherent in the driver, that is further compounded by the way the treble has been tuned. If you can overlook that, I think they offer something appealing in their easy-listening & more neutral sound. I was pleased with the width but as you say, the depth is slim. Glad you're pleased for the price though. I'm keeping mine on hand for outings where I can't guarantee things won't get knocked about. These little things are built like tanks.

Agree. It’s not highly resolving. It isn’t mushy or blurry, but it isn’t especially detailed either. To my ear the treble is rolled off some and that gives them an even softer sound beyond the general lack of detail. But the mids are solid and the bass is pretty good too. I’ll also be keeping these as a yard work set. They’re robust build wise and they wouldn’t be a big loss if they get damaged.

Oh, and a couple comparisons to similarly priced sets:

The Chu - $20US Better tuning and finer detail. Similarly robust build but without swappable cable. Chu wins.

TFZ T2 Pro - $35 (without a cable) The T2 Pro is an unsung champion in my opinion. They sound great across the whole FR. They’re not the most technical but they do produce a very wide, cinematic sound. They don’t come with a cable in the $35 configuration, but for all practical purposes neither does the Shimin Li. T2 Pro wins.

 

[ChrisOc]

The Wan Er SG is a very good sounding set. I have had them for a couple of weeks and they are worth every penny of their £14 price. I did a search on Google and found them as low as £11. The funny thing is that they sound better than many single DDs well above their price.

Wan Er SG with TRN modular cable.

Declaration: Review Unit.

 

[AmericanSpirit]

Subscribed to Tangzu. Their Wu is very sophisticated

I ordered Wan’er S.G black from Tangzu’s aliexpress store. And looking forward for Li-shinmin x See Audio collab!

 

[ChrisOc]

My review of the Wan Er SG:

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/tangzu-wan-er-sg.26236/reviews

 

[jmwant]

Timmy shared his impressions on Fudu.

 

[jmwant]

Xuan Wu Gate unboxing and first impressions.