TANGZU FUDU VERSE 1: Premium Ear Tips? IEM? Why not Both?

Pros

• Excellent ear tips and carrying pouch
• Solid, lightweight build with minimalist aesthetics 
• Fun, full bodied bass 
• Warm, natural midrange
• Thick, laid back vocals
• Smooth, inoffensive treble 
• Good timbre for a hybrid
• Dense, thick note weight and density 

Cons

• Subpar cable quality with loose ear hooks
• Not the fastest and cleanest bass
• Slightly lacking in midrange clarity 
• Treble can be overly safe, lacking a bit of sparkle
• Lack of treble extension
• Subpar technicalities

Disclaimer

• Huge thanks to Tangzu for providing the opportunity for me to review the Tangzu Fudu via a tour. I really do appreciate it. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own, and are not influenced in any way. 

Price(MSRP)

• $89.99

Source(s)

• Jcally JM6 Pro
• Truthear Shio

Ear tips

• Dunu S&S

Packaging

• Comes with a good amount of accessories
• IEM.
• Attached to 1 pair of generic silicone ear tips (M sized)
• Soft pouch. 
• Leather-ish texture.
• 2 different sets of premium ear tips!
• 3 pairs of Tangzu Tang Sancai (Balanced) silicone ear tips (S, M, L)
• Personally, I find this quite comfortable, they are much softer than expected and fits into my ears comfortably. 
• However, I have some friends who owns them but they find the Sancai tips slip out easily and unable to grip to their ears.
• 3 pairs of Divinus Velvet silicone ear tips (S, M, L)
• Very comfortable, adds a touch more air and openness. 
• Has the potential to be one of my favorite tips.
• High-purity Oxygen-free Copper Wire Cable
• Subpar, quite rubbery, not smooth at all. Tangles up quite often. 
• Ear hooks also doesn't rest well

Build Quality

• Plasticky, lightweight shell with matte finish but doesn't feel cheap at all.

Fit

• Nozzle has average width but longer than average.
  
• Fit is decent for me, but not great. Able to insert quite deep and snuggly but the ear hooks doesn't rest on my ears at all. 

Tonality

• Warm, bassy, mild L-shaped. 

Bass

• Quite balanced between the sub bass and mid bass, both are pretty monstrous in quantity but sub bass is slightly more prominent.
• Impactful, meaty, plenty of slam and rumble but definition and texture are not the best.
• The bass also sounds a little boomy, and it bleeds a little bit into the midrange. 
• Speed and decay is on the slower side but acceptable as long as the tracks are not super busy. Still decent for genres like rock.
• Quantity of bass is huge, may even be sufficient for some bass heads! 

Midrange

• Midrange is quite warm, adding some heft to it but sacrifices a bit of clarity and transparency.
• Male vocals are lush and thick, and slightly more forward compared to female vocals. 
• Female vocals are also thick but I noticed a slight huskiness in them, and they are laid back but have just enough energy to not sound too pushed back. 
• Instruments and timbre are surprisingly good and natural, considering that this is a hybrid IEM of this price, I expect at least some sort of thinness or metallic timbre but there were almost none of it.
• Overall note weight and density are thick and hefty. 

Treble

• Treble is quite relaxed, a little on the darker side which does lack a bit of sparkle.
• Smooth, almost no sibilance or sharpness can be perceived in my case.
• However, upper treble roll off is quite apparent to me, lacking the sense of airiness.
• Details are also not as revealing as the overall treble isn't as forward as other ranges. Sounds rather blunted.

Technicalities

Resolution

• Resolution and detail retrieval are a little subpar, considering that there are many products in this price range that can easily outshine the Fudu in this department, such as the Truthear Hexa, Letshuoer DZ4, and others. 

Soundstage

• Soundstage is average, nothing much to talk about, perhaps slightly narrow in terms of width but depth and height is alright.

Imaging

• Imaging and accuracy is decent, I am able to tell the placements in terms of left/right but struggle a little in terms of other directions.
  

Separation

• Separation and layering is also slightly subpar. 
• Instruments and vocals are does not have a clean separation among each other, and most of the time, they sound slightly mushed and blended together.

Conclusion

• As a conclusion, the Tangzu Fudu is a decent set if you're looking for a warm, relaxing signature with big, fun bass.
• If Tangzu did not include the premium ear tips ... I think this is a really mediocre set especially at the very competitive price range of $89. 
• But with the premium ear tips included (around $30), it becomes a much easier recommendation, since the Fudu will then be judged within the range of $60. 
• However, if you're looking for a more neutral and analytical signature, without the need for extra ear tips, I suggest you search for something else.

　

Thanks for reading!