Introduction
There are a few things that comes to my mind when it comes to IEMs that are priced at or under 20USD. Most of the IEMs that are within this budget are made of plastic as main body material because plastic can be handled easily in the manufacturing process and most importantly, keeping the manufacturing cost low. However, our friend TangZu had revealed their latest release at a low price of 15 USD, an IEM that made from full aluminium alloy body, named after a princess from Tang Dynasty the Princess Chang Le. Before you rush out to get it, Tangzu had sent us a review unit, so sit back and do spend some time to read our impression of this beautiful entry level IEM and get an idea of what it is and what does it offer.
Specification
Drivers: 6mm Micro Dynamic Drivers
Frequency Response: 20Hz-20kHz
Sensitivity: 95.5dB+1dB (1kHz)
Impedance: 16 Ohms
Connector: 3.5mm
*Source: https://tangzu.net/products/tangzu-princess-changle-hifi-in-ear-earphone
Packaging and Accessories
While quite a number of IEM brands slams some Japanese style cartoon character (Waifu) on their packaging, TangZu had gone with a more elegant Chinese art design featuring a Chinese princess on their packaging.
What’s inside the package is essentials that you will be needing for your music enjoyment which are a pair of Chang Le IEM and 6 pairs of ear tips. Yep 6 pairs but basically, they are 2 types of ear tips, 3 pairs for each type. The non colored pairs are the balanced ear tips, while the colored pairs are the low-frequencies ear tips.
Retail Price & Where to Get
A shoutout for Angeldac Audio Store as they are an official reseller of Tangzu Audio. Do visit them at their AliExpress page for their amazing deals on audio stuff.
Angeldac Audio Store
AliExpress : https://a.aliexpress.com/_mLVavMu
Tangzu Official Store : https://tangzu.net/
Design and Build
First thing that caught my attention from the TangZu Chang Le is the design and build. The Chang Le is a bullet type hang down non detachable cable IEM. Unlike many IEMs in this price point is either made of plastics, the Chang Le IEM body is made from aluminium alloy and it is not just a flat surface piece of aluminium, it is beautifully engraved with some traditional Chinese auspicious cloud’s art by a CNC machine. The engraved body is really well design, so good that it does somewhat resembles a design that could be on a structural pole design from the Chinese palace.
If the auspicious clouds are not enough to boost your fortune, the back of the IEM has a gold aluminium alloy cutout which resembles the symbol of prosperity to serve as the open back grille.
There is a vent under the gold aluminium alloy nozzle to allow pressure to escape when inserting into the ear canal, allowing the usage experience much more comfortable. To complete the full aluminium alloy build, TangZu also use the same material for their ear tips nozzle grille.
Nope, no removable cable for the ChangLe. Similar to many of the IEMs at this price range like the Moondrop Quarks, unlike the Quarks, the ChangLe cable is made of silver-plated oxygen-free copper plus the ChangLe’s cable is much more light weight compared to the Quarks and it doesn’t come with a huge Y splitter which looks like a necklace pendant.
The TangZu Chang Le is really a looker, it is a shame that I could only admire the aesthetics only when I am not listening to it. However, due to its price point I wouldn’t say the aesthetics design are perfectly executed. The CNC engravings for the clouds are not perfectly clean, you can spot the CNC machine markings along the lines, this is the same on the back of the IEM grille cutout as well. But nitpicking on such details for a 15 USD IEM is like expecting an infant to build a functional space shuttle and that is just mean.
Gears Used for Comparisons
- ddHiFi TC35i Lightning to 3.5mm Headphone Adapter
- Ifi Zen Dac
- Fiio μBTR
- KZ EDA Balanced
- Final E2000
Song List
Tone and Presentation
If you are a balance tuned lover but occasional crave some sub bass, you would enjoy what Chang Le could offer. Musical details are average at best and could use some extra clarity. With fast paced rock music, when all instruments went all out, it can be a struggle to identify their presence thus feeling a bit congested. However, the overall presentation is quite smooth and no identifiable harshness, this is an IEM that I wouldn’t mind sticking into my ears for the whole day.
I find that the ear tips that TangZu provided are unable unveil the best audio performance of the IEM. The balance ear tips take away quite a huge chunk of the sub bass and the seal wasn’t great. The bass tips however did have a decent seal but it wasn’t really comfortable for long hours usage.
Soundstage
Given that the TangZu have an open back shell design, this is probably one of the better stage imaging budget IEM that I had heard, the width is quite wide but it doesn’t have much depth. Male vocals are more intimate and up front compared to female vocals which are placed slightly distant, most of the mid-lower tone musical instruments like basses and electric guitar are much more engaging compared higher pitched like violins and triangle percussion. That being said, Classical orchestra music imaging is slightly disoriented, bass instruments may be presented slightly more upfront as if they are trying to steal the spotlight.
Separation and Timbre
The ChangLe renders each instruments tonality with decent accuracy, I can easily identify each and every instruments correctly on slower tracks for the most part. But when comes to fast tracks with many instruments going all out, it can be presented as slightly congested at the bass and mids section.
Drivability and Source Synergy
The TangZu ChangLe does need some slight boost of volume to be listenable compared to many of the IEMs that I have (Moondrop Aria, KZ EDA Balanced and TinHifi T2 Plus) but it is still very usable even without any amplifier. With the ddHiFi TC35i on iPhone X, 35-40% volume is sufficient for normal listening in a noisy coffee shop.
The TangZu is quite forgiving on bad sources. Plugging into my Dell Vostro 5481 directly which usually will emit hissing background noise, I will need to pay really close attention in a quiet room to notice it.
When I hook up the ChangLe to the ifi Zen DAC, which by the way, costs like ten times more than the ChangLe itself, something magical happens. The highs get more presence, adding a whole new level of energy to the ChangLe’s sound. So yeah, pairing the ChangLe with the ifi Zen DAC would bring some new listening experience, but again, the ifi Zen DAC cost around ten times more than the ChangLe.
Pairing it up with a much more reasonable priced source like the Fiio μBTR though is quite underwhelming. The bass regions get even more boosts and the lower mids felt more muffled, there are no noticeable improvement on the high’s region nor the soundstage. With this, I felt that the ChangLe is great enough on its own, even straight out from the device output will give a satisfying listening experience.
Bass
Well, the bass may not impress most bass heads, but it definitely is very enjoyable with most pop genre. Overall, the bass presentation is quite upfront. It will hit quite deep and it is somewhat well controlled even though it can be slightly boomy. Even so, the bass punches are still is fun to listen, it won’t give me a headache with long listening, the rumbles from the ChangLe can be somewhat relaxing to listen to, as if it is giving me an in-ear massage (if that makes sense?). If you want to pick up each little details in the bass section, you may want to stop what you are doing and really pay attention to the bass to catch them. However, I still do appreciate this type bass tuning as it is less fatiguing to listen.
Mids
In short, the over mids presentation is average at best. The lower mids is well tuned, there is no muddiness and no obvious coloration on most tracks, they do have a more forward presentation thanks to the elevated bass. On the upper mids though, it can be slightly unpleasant on some tracks. On faster paced rock tracks with female vocal, there are some congestions noticed on the chorus part when all instruments went all out, on such occasion’s details on the upper midrange struggle to present and often difficult to distinguish the instrument notes.
Highs
The highs of the ChangLe are presented quite laid back even though it is quite refined. There is no obvious sibilant and overall, it is quite smooth and relaxing. Cymbals notes are light yet sparkly, details are well defined on the higher frequencies and I do sometime wish that the highs could be slightly more forward presentation, but it may not suit the relaxed tuning approach for ChangLe.
Comparisons
KZ EDA Balanced
The EDA balanced bass section punch is much tighter compared to the ChangLe but it lacks sub bass rumbles and warmth. The mids on the EDA is much more naturally tuned, there are less congestions and details are easily revealed. The clarity and presence on the EDA balanced are much more prominent but it can be fatiguing to listen for long period. The EDA balanced highs are not as refined as well, there are slight grainy and dry feel on the higher end. Sound staging is not as wide, but depth is well presented making a rounder room than a wide, oval shaped from the ChangLe.
Final E2000
Like the ChangLe, the E2000 have an open back design with aluminium shell. The E2000 shell design is much more typical hang down IEM style with the most generic non detachable cable you can find out there, no fancy designs here despite having higher price. The subbass from the E2000 doesn’t extend as well as the ChangLe does, there is a bump on the lower mid-range and bass, while it does feel much more warmer sounding than the ChangLe, it also tends to feel more muffled and congested. The soundstage from the E2000 though presents a much wider with better depth, the highs from the E2000 is much more sparkly. When it comes to bang for your buck, the ChangLe is hands down the winner. Although the E2000 is alright, but considering the price they’re asking for it, the ChangLe just blows it out of the water.
Who is it for?
The ChangLe will be one of the standout choices among budget IEM recommendations who are new to the world of audiophile. This IEM is great for those who are looking for a combination of laid back and relaxed sound signature that is tuned on balanced tonality in mind with some sprinkle of bass boosting to spice it up.
Final Words
So, in short, I would describe the ChangLe is really the definition of an IEM that looks more expensive than it is. With the price tag of 15USD, the Chinese artistic elements are elegantly laid out on its exterior. Pairing it up with a great laid-back relaxing tuning, this IEM would be a perfect choice for a simple no fuss lazy afternoon listening session. For what it is offering, it is easy for me to overlook its minor flaws. And guess what? I might actually consider hanging up the ChangLe on a stand just to appreciate it as a freaking work of art when I’m not using it for listening.
