Tanchjim Origin's Review - Another great single DD!

General/Packaging/Build/Comfort

Tanchjim is a brand that needs no introduction to the community. They have released several products that remain popular till today, namely the Oxygen as well as the highly regarded budget IEM Zero. I have the Origin with me today, which is supposed to be a successor to the Oxygen. It has swappable nozzles, dynamic as well as light.

Packaging is very premium looking and the bundled eartips are Tanchjim’s very own APB eartips, one is the wide bore and another one with narrow bore. Storage case is also very high quality and roomy, the cable is in 3.5mm termination, just nitpicking, maybe in the future Tanchjim can provide modular cable or at least an option for 4.4 termination.

Build quality is very solid, the faceplate has the matte finishing but everywhere else is mirror finishing, which is prone to minor scratches if not handled with care.

The shell size is rather small and very comfortable when i’m wearing it, doesn’t feel weigh down by it, no protruding edges either, also don’t have any issues listening them for several hours

Gears used for this review

• Earmen L-Amp

• iFi Go Link Max

• Hiby R4

• Tanchjim Origin stock cable and APB bass eartips

Foreword

My review is solely based on what I hear via my equipment and I never consider my reviews to be objective in any way rather a subjective approach. Do take into consideration that everyone’s ear anatomy is not the same, so the psychoacoustics perception might be different as well, but i believe it will not stray too far

Brief Sound Impression for the nozzles (L and D)

• Both the nozzles exhibits the changes on the upper mids frequency, with the D having a little bit more forward upper mids whereas the L has a tamer upper mids but also lighter bass

• Other than that, there really isn’t much differences between the L and D compared to the standard nozzle

• Still, it is good to have and for those who likes to mod, feel free to put in different kind of filter material to tweak the sound

Sound Impression 

The overall tuning is leaning towards neutral with a slight warm and a slight lift on the sub bass. Treble has good amount of energy but not fatiguing and harsh at any time

Nothing to fault in terms of timbre, very natural sounding overall which is expected from Tanchjim. 

Bass

• The sub bass does sound a little rolled off to my ears, but it does offers the rumble whenever the track calls for it, not the kind of quantity that bass head crave of course, but it is sufficient for me personally

• Very good bass texture and also speed

• The amount of bass is good enough for my library and tip rolling can help to slightly boost the bass as well, or alternatively iFi HipDac 3’s Xbass does work as well

Mids

• Timbre sounds correct to me and the midrange is actually quite lush

• Vocal doesn’t sound recessed, both male and female vocal has good texture to it,doesn’t sound thin at all

• Bass doesn’t bleed into the mids

• In general,i find that the mids are smooth from the lower mids to upper mids, there’s a slight lift on the upper mids making the female vocal sound has decent energy, not an issue for me personally but for those who are sensitive in this region, they might find it too forward to their taste

Treble

• The treble has good amount of energy with great detail retrieval capability, but not to the point where it is harsh and sibilant

• Detail retrieval is very good for its class, very detailed yet it doesn’t sound clinical and overly analytical 

• Good amount of air that contributes the expansive soundstage

• Extension in this range is very good as well

Soundstage/Imaging

• The soundstage is rather 2D-ish to my ears, just slightly out of your head kind of perception

• Imaging is good whereby the instruments can be pinpointed easily but not exceptional

Driveability

• Origin is very easy to drive, it doesn’t really need amplification to perform at its best, in terms of bass control and dynamics, personally, i prefer pairing it with a neutral or slightly warm source for a balanced and musical presentation

• Feel free to experiment with different source to have the kind of synergy that you are looking for, personally i prefer it to be paired with iFi’s source as it add a bit more warmth and body to the overall presentation

Comparison (Dunu Falcon Ultra)

• Falcon Ultra is a single DD with swappable nozzle

• The overall tonality of Falcon Ultra is slightly warmer due to a more relaxed treble presentation

• Depending on the nozzle, blue nozzle offers the most analytical presentation but on certain track and after a long listening session, it might be a little fatiguing as the uppers mids and treble can be too much for some

• Gold nozzle on the other hand smoothen things out, a safer upper mids as well as a more relaxed treble

• Bass presentation on the Falcon Ultra is speedy, quite similar to Origin’s bass performance

• Both Falcon Ultra and Origin are fingerprint magnet

Final Thoughts

Having heard many good things about Oxygen but yet to get the chance to try it out, and Origin being the successor of Oxygen, the Origin definitely does not disappoint, in terms of technical performance, timbre’s naturality, note weight and overall sonic performance, it does everything right with some exception of course, the tuning nozzle does not really change the sound signature a lot, and given the asking price, a modular cable is not too much to ask, though the stock cable is fine. Having said all that, the Origin is very easy to recommend and i have let several friends of mine to try and they all like it due to the balanced and naturality of the sound signature. It gets a 4/5 stars from me.

*The Origin is sent over by Tanchjim for the purpose of this review. I thank them for the support and opportunity as always

Tanchjim Origin SZA Store Link - Non Affiliated