Hybrid Disclaimer.
The unit I currently have is a touring unit from Tangzu Audio and I am very thankful to them. for letting me review the Shimin-li and rest assured I will give my best to give my feedback and impressions
No monetary compensation is/was involved before. during, and after the period of creation of this review.
My sound preference might be the same as yours or not. expect that we have different hearing capacities. Speaking of sound preference My sound preference is neutral-balanced or balanced-neutral
Don't blame me if you bought the pair because of my review and it's your decision, not mine.
Build and Design
Shimin-Li is a new product from Tangzu Audio and also this is my first experience with Tangzu Audio. Tangzu Audio was once T-Force audio but due to licensing issues, they decided to use Tangzu.
The Shimin-Li has two color options. Silver and Gold, the color in this review is silver and for me, it feels like a matte silver finish. The design of the shell reminds me of a fishnet.
Shimin-Li is made out of metal and it has a connector of 2-pin. Since the IEM is built of metal. and it is prone to smudges and fingerprints. The vent is noticeable in the iem making it look like a damaged iem.
Packaging and Accessories.
The packaging of the Shimin-li is very welcoming. It feels like I am unboxing a smartphone it has two boxes. The box for the cable and for the Accessories. The Accessories, it has a wide variety of ear tips. unfortunately, I didn't try the ear tips since it's a touring unit. I only used the stock ear tips from the Shimin-li.
Cable
The stock cable of Shimin-Li. feels premium and durable. this is my first experience with this kind of cable and one of the best cables that I had tested. For its price, the cable is really a great match to the shimin-li.
Sound and Sound signature
Lows
it has excellent lows and suits my personal sound preference. also what I noticed., This has fast sub-bass response and has a clean presentation. I am a Jpop and anime music listener and the shimin-li didn't fail. almost all my tracks have fuller bass and great texture. as a former bass-head listener this pair does not have the qualities for it. In general, the lows of this pair are excellent for a rounder. but not for bass heads since this does not have the aggressiveness and attack.
Mids
it has that emotional and forwarded mids. Female vocals sound so emotional it's like I am in front of them while in male vocals with the help of the low mid warmth. Male vocals sound clean and thick. in the track Defender'Z Brand! classical string instruments are very clear with being clean. In general, The mids are very great with having clarity.
Highs
As a former violinist, I find the highs to be natural and realistic its does not give sibilance or peak to my ears. it has that sparkle and air which makes the details shine. Speaking of details this pair has macro details and micro details. In general, for its price, the performance is above average. since the detail retrieval performance punches its price.
Soundstage, Imaging, and separation
For the price, this has above-average performance in its soundstage. and it feels that you are in the song itself. The imaging is very clear and clean and it's easy to know what instruments are on the track. As a former violinist imaging is spot-on and in violin tracks it does not get forgotten. Separation is great even if the track is more in band setup or busy kind of tracks. it still performs very well instruments are still prominent in the track.
Comparison
◘ Moondrop Aria Vs Shimin Li
Both are neutral tuning. they have both bass performances but shimin-li. has better bass punch compared to moondrop aria. When it comes to mids. Shimin-li is much more forwarded and fuller compared to moondrop aria. Moondrop aria has dry mids for my liking and is a bit recessed. When it comes to highs. Shimin-li is much better than an aria. Shimin-li has air and sparkle while moondrop aria has no air and only a bit of sparkle. In general, Shimin-li is better but I am not saying that the Moondrop Aria is a bad set. But for me, Shimin-li beats Moondrop Aria
Pros
Great bodied-sounding IEM without losing details for both macro and micro.
Great clean bass presentation and can fill the bass gap in some tracks.
for the price, it's very open and not shy.
Well-built stock cable and very durable with a feel of a custom-made.
Great fit and isolation.
natural mids response.
For the price, it has great technicalities
Great design of the shell
Great ear tips package.
well-built faceplate and body.
Can be an all-rounder IEM
Cons.
Since the sound signature of this pair is neutral-bright. expect some peaks in some sibilant-prone tracks in higher volumes or high gain.
Pouch or case since this iem is made out of metal.
might be heavy for some ears(subjective)
Prone in fingerprints smudges and scratches.
Not for bass-heads(subjective)
Not for treble heads(subjective)
Final Remarks
The shimin-li reminds me of Eiko and kongming. since it has expressive vocals which are like Eiko she is expressive when she sings. while Kongming is more strategic and futuristic. which makes the Shimin-li an expressive and futuristic type of IEM because of how I feel about the pair. and how I like it. since I am an anime lover I can say that this pair is well suited to the music type of anime
Non-affiliated link:https://shopee.ph/TangZu-Audio-Shimin-Li-i.46885516.21707029710?sp_atk=1eb2b324-0941-4753-9ca9-97ad8dc88992&xptdk=1eb2b324-0941-4753-9ca9-97ad8dc88992
Sources Used.
OPPO A95
ROON
ES-PRO 9318
ABIGAIL
UAPP
Test Tracks
Clockwork Planet-Fripside
Daylight-Morfonica.
Infermata-Spotlight kids.
Dance with Bullets- Go Sakabe.
Cherry Bomb-Silent siren
Moonlight walk-Poppin party
Omokage-Aimer, Lilas Ikuta, and milet
Time is love-Josh turner
Excite-Daichi Miura
Bagsakan-Parokya ni Edgar
The reason why-LIVE!! Ayasa Theater episode 7
God knows-Shoko Nakagawa
A DECLARATION OF xxx- Raise A Suilen
ciki ciki bam bam-QUEENDOM.
Tags
TangZu Audio