TANCHJIM TANYA DSP: A Convivial Device

Tanya, Tanja or Tania is a diminutive form of Tatyana (Tatiana) which is a female form of Tatianus. Tatianus means "Honourable" in ancient Italic/Latin words. Tanya is one of the most popular and recognisable female names in most regions of Eastern Europe, especially on Slavic and Baltic people.

This is my first review on a TANCHJIM product and this is quite different compared to most in-ear and earbuds product reviews that I have published here as it has an unusual and interesting set-up. This is my first review on an earphone with built-in DSP but I already tested a product before with the same set-up but I'm not keen on publishing a full review on it, just some impressions on social media with assorted views on it.

 

The brand TANCHJIM have a good reputation in audio community and also garners a lot of followers due to its legendary product, The TANCHJIM Oxygen which continues to be receive some pundits to this day due to its impeccable tonality with good technical capabilities. The TANCHJIM was founded in August 17, 2015 and since then, they are striving for product excellence with good craftsmanship, aesthetically-pleasing design, choices of using premium materials and components and a well-thought tuning.

What I have here right now is the TANCHJIM Tanya DSP, it is derived from the original Tanya with the exception that it has Type-C termination with built-in DSP though it retains its small, bullet-style form factor. It has a 7mm micro-dynamic dynamic driver and its rear, it has a resonant suppression round made of brass which was used to control unwanted resonance and to achieve better sound definition and crisper resolution. It was housed in a fabricated, TPE (Thermoplastic Elastomer) moulded cavity base structure with outer casing made of aluminium alloy. Each shell has undergone CNC-milling with model number and series etched on it via laser engraving.

Due to its overall design, it has a non-detachable cable made of 4N OFC with added litz and kevlar wiring structure to have more supple and yet durable, and also to deliver an improved and stable current transmission. Another good thing about this cable is that it is less prone to entanglement due to the properties of its insulating materials which is very smooth and has a resistance on bends, twist and folding. It also has a built-in HD microphone which gives a better clarity on voice calls. As I mentioned about its DSP chip inside of its type-C termination plug, What is DSP and why is it so important and an integral part of the Tanya DSP? DSP or Digital Signal Processing is a type of chip that processes a number of digital signals like audio. And also to deliver algorithmic calculations to provide optimum performance on its memory architecture to handle such tasks like simulated surround sound, energy consumption to regulate power output and basic commands on wireless audio. The Tanya's DSP has an embedded sound profile that gives its distinct tonality on its overall sound quality without any noise floor issues unlike other similar products with the same implementation.

The bullet-style design of Tanya DSP gives me a good comfortable listening experience on how it rests well into my lug holes without any issues. It has a decent passive noise isolation that it manages to block some external noises from the outside surroundings. Although, whenever I'm doing some active daily chores like brisk walking. I experience some "stethoscopic effect" and I think that its cable is susceptible to microphonics.

The product packaging of TANCHJIM Tanya DSP is quite simple as it was packed in a small rectangular box but it has a substantial quantity of inclusions.

Here are the following contents that you can find inside of its box:

■ TANCHJIM Tanya DSP in-ear earphones.

■ 4 pairs of dark grey-coloured, narrow bored ear tips of different standard sizes.

■ 3 pairs of dark grey-coloured, wide bored ear tips of different standard sizes.

■ a light grey-coloured felt cloth IEM pouch.

■ some extra pairs of nozzle filters

■ some paperwork like instruction manual, warranty card, Q.C card and contact card.

With its DSP implementation that regulates its power output with its low impedance and high sensitivity rating, Tanya DSP is an easy to drive set that can be paired to all devices with Type-C connector like smartphones and tablets.

Tanya DSP's tonality has a U-shaped sound signature that follows a modified Harman tuning curve. It has more elevated bass and treble with a neutral midrange in the overall frequency range spectrum.

LOWS/BASS:

This is definitely not your typical Harman bass response that we are accustomed with. For sure that it has a prominent sub bass but it has a good bass shelf that boosts some bass-focus instruments and to cut and even balanced some string instruments and percussives.

As I mentioned regarding its sub bass quality, I definitely felt those reverberations coming out from low-tuned bass guitar, octabass, drum machines and synthesisers that I usually listen to on some synth-pop, old school hip-hop, electronica and classic rock tracks. The boosted mid bass gives a substantial body to give a better note weight definition on bass guitars, bass drum kicks and bass-baritone vocals. The bass guitars have a broad and resonant sound on them while the bass drum kicks have a sustaining and a good thudding on every hit either on slow pacing to insanely speedy bass kicks from extreme metal tracks. Bass-baritone vocals have a decent depth and power to give that dusky and dense sound on Barry White, Andrew Eldritch and Peter Steele of Type O Negative.

MIDRANGE:

Like all Harmanish-type of tuning, I always notice a slight recession of the midrange frequency but it has an adequate warmth to give an ample texture on vocals and rhythmic instruments which is quite uncommon on Harman tuning that usually have leaner sounding that is almost devoid of dynamics on lower midrange frequency.

Both male and female vocals will sound good on how the DSP setting will give that natural and captivating sound that vocal lovers in general will love. Baritones have that lush and warm sound, countertenors have that fiery and agile sound quality. Then on tenors, they have a sufficiently dazzling sound to give a spiciness to lyrical types like Placido Domingo and Freddie Mercury. On female vocals, contralto have that husky nature due to their low chesty tone. For example, vocalists that have this type of vocal are Anggun and Tracy Chapman. Mezzo-sopranos have velvety and smooth vocals that make more lilting and even luscious sounding to our ears. Sopranos have a gleaming and silvery sound quality but I just noticed that it has less energetic and sparsely airy as coloratura soprano sounds are lacking.

Instruments somehow sound natural and engaging to listen to them whether they are rhythmic or percussive ones. Strings like guitars (either acoustic and electric) and violins, the former has a rather warmer to dry sound while a rounded and a tad austere sounding on the latter instrument that I have mention, trumpets sound sonorous and full while trombones sound taut and dark rather than intense and eruptive. Flutes sound mellow with richness on it while saxophones sound more rounded and warm. Percussive like toms and snares sound dry, resonant and deep while pianos have a warmer and velvety tone from them.

HIGHS/TREBLE:

The treble quality of Tanya DSP has an ample brightness to give an adequate crisp and detail. Upper mids to the presence part of the treble region have a noticeable elevation that boost the sound quality of vocals and some percussives and rhythmic instruments to be more engaging and even vivid. Good thing that I didn't encounter any sibilance or harshness on this one.

Cymbals sound lustrous and full with sufficient glistening sound on them. The treble extension is rather modest than airy but at least it has good sparkle.

SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

The overall sound/speaker stage of this set is actually proportionate enough given its form factor though the width of its sound field is rather average to above-average. It also has a decent height ceiling and good depth as I was able to perceive the distance between front to back.

Its imaging presentation has a typical two-dimensional stereo panning where I was able to locate the placement of vocals and instrument but not the most pinpoint manner. It has a good instrument but layering is somewhat its chink on its armour on technical capabilities as it wasn't able to organise each specific tonal frequency and dynamics of instruments which will be more an issue to more complex tracks.

It has a good coherency of its micro-dynamic driver along with its built in DSP to deliver a good transient speed and decay. On resolution capability, It has good macro-dynamics as it was able to give a more solid and physicality sound on notes but the micro-detail retrieval is rather decent, not bad but also not impressive at all. It has a natural timbre with some added warmth to give Tanya DSP's distinct tonality.

PEER COMPARISONS:

MOONDROP QUARKS:

■ Both devices have non-detachable cable and have a built-in DSP on their type-C termination plug. Quarks are cheaper compared to Tanya DSP as they are made of plastic.

■ Both take a u-shaped sound signatures but there are some stark difference on they sound to my ears, it more focuses on sub bass, but less-texture which won't give even a decent slam on bass guitar, bass drum kicks and bass baritone vocals. Midrange is some clean but most of my complaints on current Moondrop tuning was its leanness and less-dynamic on midrange note. The upper mids is a bit too smoother as they wont give an energetic and crisp sound on female vocals. Treble register is poorly handled on this one like where is my sparkle? Where are my harmonics? Where's the air?

■ The overall technical capabilities of Quarks is comparably inferior to TANYA DSP, an average sound field that gives me a rather congested feel within my aural sphere. Poor separation and layering of instruments. There are some noticeable noise floors but I really don't mind as it won't really affect the replay of the sound.

As I conclude this product review, TANCHJIM again delivers such a good product that will be a good option to budget audiophiles. The built-in DSP chip certainly has some limitations on decoding certain file formats like DSD along with its Type-C termination plug that will be even problematic to iPhone users as they will need another adapter on this one. While I address its possible issues, there are some silver lining on this one like likeable good and safe tuning, a more fun and engaging sound that will be versatile to all types of genres and a good amount of inclusions inside the box.

TANYA DSP really changed my opinion on earphones with DSP chip on how TANCHJIM is able to properly implement the driver along with its DSP chip and the materials of its shell that affects its acoustic resonance to give a solid product at a very reasonable price. Will I ever recommend Tanya DSP? well, the current state of smartphones, even on the flagship models are now abandoning the analogue headphone jack and only Type-C is now available for connectivity sound output aside from wireless, then its a yes, Tanya DSP is easily recommended on this aspect. I'm hoping for more improvements on DSP chips when it comes to performance in the foreseeable future as I saw some potential on them.

SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: TANCHJIM TANYA DSP

IMPEDANCE: 16Ω

SENSITIVITY: 124dB

FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 45KHz

CABLE LENGTH: 1.25M

PIN TYPE: NON-DETACHABLE CABLE

PLUG TYPE: TYPE-C PLUG

DRIVER UNIT(S): (1) DYNAMIC DRIVER

PROS:

△ Solid build quality.

△ Its bullet-style form factor will be more versatile to most ear sizes out there.

△ Impressive performance from its micro-dynamic driver.

△ Among the Harman target type of tuning, this is one of the most likeable in my opinion.

△ Affordable price.

△ For an entry-level set, it has a sufficient amount of inclusions.

△ Good bass presence

△ Warm and sufficiently texture midrange

△ Smooth treble for treble-sensitive folks out there.

CONS:

▽ Non-detachable cable

▽ DSP chip has its decoding limitation.

▽ Evident microphonics on its cable.

▽ Not the best on micro-detail retrieval

▽  Separation and layering capability are rather mediocre in my opinion.

Some Tracks Tested: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)

Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *

Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**

Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **

Mountain - Mississippi Queen *

Queen - Killer Queen **

Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*

Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'

Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'

Pearl Jam - Daughter **

Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *

Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*

Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *

New Order - Blue Monday *

The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *

Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *

The Madness- Buggy Trousers *

Metallica - Motorbreath **

Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *

Destiny's Child - Say My Name *

Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *

Mozart - Lacrimosa *

New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *

Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*

Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *

Exciter - Violence and Force *

Diana Krall - Stop This World **

Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*

The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**

Suzanne Vega – Luka **

Lauren Christy – Steep *

Ottoman Mehter - Hucum Marsi *

Diana Damrau - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte*

P.S.

I am not affiliated to TANCHJIM nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.

Once again, I would like to send my gratitude to TANCHJIM for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate their generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.