Review - Tangzu Wan'er

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Also available on YouTube in Spanish: Acho Reviews YouTube

The Tangzu Wan’er have been sent to me by Linsoul in exchange for the publication of this review. They have not made any comments or requested anything, therefore, my review will aim to be as sincere and unbiased as possible. Saying that, as always, it is worth considering the fact that these IEMs did not cost me anything.

You can find the Wan’er via Linsoul here: https://www.linsoul.com/products/tangzu-waner-s-g

As always, this is a non-affiliate link, meaning that I do not benefit in any way by you clicking or purchasing via the link.

Intro…

I have said it a lot recently and this set of IEMs is more proof of the point, there is a hell of a lot going on in the 20€ price bracket at the moment!

Not too long ago (earlier in 2022) I reviewed the Shimin Li, a set of 30€ IEMs from the brand which was the second part of a trilogy (although the first part was branded as T-Force). I can’t say I was overly excited by the Shimin Li, although they were not a bad option for the price at the time. Since then, there have been a lot of sets around the same price (or cheaper) that have really raised the bar in this extreme budget range. Although this may be a spoiler, I believe that the Wan’er has just raised that bar a bit more, becoming probably the best set of IEMs I have heard in this price range, in fact, maybe even at double or triple the price.

Of course “best” is subjective and my “best” will not necessarily be your but I am going to try and explain what it is that makes these IEMs such a great option in my opinion.

Presentation…

Although I have always said that the presentation is the least of my worries with a budget set of IEMs, and I maintain it, there are a few brands/models that are getting quite impressive with the presentation and accessories even at this low price point.

The presentation of the Wan’er may not be the most impressive in the ultra budget category but it is still way above average. The box itself stays with the classic chinese artwork that we have seen on the previous models. Upon opening the box, we are greeted with a cleaning cloth that has artwork matching the box cover.

Underneath this we find the IEMs, sitting in simple cutouts but with some designs and the model name printed on the card, nothing special but that one step more over simple white card.

Underneath the top layer we get the cable and 7 sets of silicone tips, again, nothing super out of the ordinary but in general I feel that it is a presentation that is a step above adequate for the price range.

Build and aesthetics…

The shells are made of plastic, using a semi transparent inner shell with a dark faceplate, although they are also available in white. There is nothing really special about the design but a closer look does reveal a nice design on the face plate which again, shows the put a little more effort into them.

The IEMs are extremely light and I find them very comfortable also, being able to completely forget about them while wearing them for extended periods.

The cable is a simple white and cheap feeling cable which uses plastic hardware and has the recessed connectors on it (QDC). I am not overly keen on the cable as I find the pre-molded ear hooks to be at too sharp of an angle and too stiff for my tastes. Also, the choice of the connectors means that any of the aftermarket cables which are normal 2 pin will protrude from the sockets a fair bit. Saying this, this is really nitpicking as the cable does its job and is not that bad. I mean, come on, this set of IEMs costs less than 20€!

Sound…

All tracks mentioned are clickable links that allow you to open the reference track in the streaming service of your choice (YouTube, Tidal, Spotify, etc.)

While the above so far has been decent, it is the sound section that has really impressed me with the Wan’er. As usual, I receive a set of IEMs, plug them into my burn-in rig, listen for a few moments to make sure they work ok and then don’t listen to them again until I get around to testing them for review.

I pulled them out for testing this week, plugged them in and just hit play. The first track happened to be “Drum Solo” by Maun Katché (with Luca Aquino, Tore Brunborg and Jim “James” Watson). I was immediately mesmerized by the sound of the Wan’er. Now this track is not on my test track list (although it probably should be) but the lifelikeness of the drums was just so impressive during the first few minutes of listening to the Wan’er that I felt it had to be mentioned.

But anyway, for the sake of consistency, Let’s get on with the review of the Wan’er and how they perform with my usual reference test tracks.

Here is the graph of the Tangzu Wan’er in comparison to my personal preference target:

Starting off with the subbass, there is plenty for my tastes. This is not an overly bass focused set and I feel that the amount of subbass works well for the tuning in general. “Chameleon” has plenty of low note presence without it becoming the center of attention, well, at least not more than usual as this track already has the low bass as a focus point.

Subbass is also kept clean and defined, with Lorde’s “Royals” being just “dirty” enough for me to feel that it is a good representation of the track. “No Sanctuary Here” has the bass focus more on the upper subbass / lower mid bass and again, the Wan’er keeps it clean, with the notes showing definition and control throughout the track.

This is not a set of IEMs for the bass heads out there but it is still not lacking bass. Personally I wouldn’t put this at the top of my list for EDM, I feel that something like “Sun Is Shining” could maybe do with a little more to please those who listen mostly to this genre but when moving over to less electronic and more instrument focused tracks, I feel that these IEMs really come alive.

The bass guitar in “Bombtrack” has just the right amount of warmth for my preferences while still being capable of transmitting the effects of the track. Things like “Seven Nation Army” or “Crazy” have the necessary body at the lower end of the guitar but stay away from that boominess that can be found in sets that put too much emphasis on midbass and lower mids.

Vocals are well presented, with clarity being good although I do feel that things like Monica Naranjo in “Sobreviviré” could take just one step further forwards, the same goes for Eric Clapton in “Tears In Heaven”. Having said that, they are not bad in this regard, far from it, I just feel that this is not the strongest point of the Wan’er.

I feel that in the mid range, the instruments are the actual strong point of this set of IEMs. With good separation and a nice tonal balance, I really enjoy the mids. On tracks were the vocals are actually the center of attention, such as in acapella tracks like “Hallelujah” or even “Billie Jean” by The Civil Wars (which does have instruments but vocals remain the focus), the Wan’er do a good job and vocals don’t seem out of place or to be missing anything.

The climb in the higher mids is smooth and I feel it works well, although I do think that the extension of the plateau could reach just a little further. However, there is no harshness in this area and, while it could take one step further forwards, I have no real reason to complain.

In the upper ranges, the extension is not terrible although it is not amazing either. There is enough extension for it not to give the impression of being rolled off in these upper ranges but a tiny bit more air would have been a positive. Again, this is something that is not an issue, remember these are a set of 20€ IEMs and are more impressive in these ranges than many other more expensive sets.

Sibilance is also very much kept in check on the Wan’er, with my usual “Code Cool” test placing Patricia Barber just beneath the verge of sibilance. This means that these IEMs are dampening that sibilance range just a little but not enough for it to become noticeable without direct comparisons. I am sure most people will prefer this slight reduction in sibilance than a slight increase in sibilance.

Details are pretty impressive also, not amazing but still impressive for a set of IEMs in this price range. There is a bit of roll off to the reverb in things like the into of “All Your Love (Turned to Passion)” but by no means do these leave you feeling like there are details missing (unless you are directly comparing them to more detailed sets).

Soundstage I would also place on the higher side of average. It is not a huge soundstage (very few IEMs are) but there is enough space for things to spread out and the image placement is also decent, making for a nice presentation in this regard.

Isolation is also pretty good on the Wan’er, being above average in most of the frequency ranges except for the bass. Low rumbles will make it through but they will work well for most generally noisy areas, such as cafeterias, offices etc.

Conclusion…

The Wan’er are a very impressive set of IEMs and I feel that they have raised the bar even more in the 20€ bracket that seems to be exploding at the moment. Until now, I would have probably voted the 7Hz Zero as my top pick in this category but I feel that the Wan’er have just entered the race and are immediately competing for first place.

While they are not perfect, there are things that can be improved upon, as soon as we remember the price, there are no complaints that can really stand. Yes, there may be other tunings that you prefer personally, we are all different, but if you are someone looking for a balanced set of IEMs with a great performance in the extreme budget section, these are something that should be one of your first considerations.

It really is amazing how much we can get for so little at this time!