General / Packaging / Build / Comfort
Tanchjim is a brand that has built its reputation almost entirely on single dynamic driver IEMs. The HANA, Oxygen, and most recently the Origin — all single DDs, all very well received in the community, all sharing a recognisable Tanchjim house sound of transparency and vocal clarity. So when they announced the Soda, their first multi-driver hybrid in quite some time, a 1DD+4BA+2 passive unit tribrid.
Packaging is clean and thoughtfully presented. Inside you get the shells, the cable, a PVC leather carry case, and the T-APB eartips — two full sets in three sizes each, one with a narrow bore for bass enhancement and one with a wide bore for treble enhancement. The case is well constructed and padded.
The cable is a standout. High-purity SPC Litz coaxial construction in a thick single-strand format that stays completely tangle-free. The angled modular connectors swap between the included 3.5mm and 4.4mm terminations cleanly. The fit is snug without a locking mechanism, which has not been an issue in practice. It does carry some memory out of the box and takes time to settle.
Build quality on the shells is excellent. Smooth transparent resin, well-finished seams. Soda is feather-light, and the form factor is modest enough that I wore it for 3-4 hour sessions without any pressure points or hotspots whatsoever. Comfort is a genuine strength.
Gears Used for This Review
FiiO M21 DAP (primary listening)
Earmen Angel DAC/amp
iFi Gryphon (4.4mm balanced)
T-APB narrow bore tips, medium (primary)
Stock cable, 4.4mm balanced
Apple Music, Tidal, foobar2k (FLAC, hi-res)
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.
Sound Impression
The Soda presents a neutral-balanced signature with a vocal-forward character and a sub-bass bias that is unmistakably Tanchjim in DNA. The house sound is very much intact, clear, transparent, and vocalist-first. Where the Soda departs from the Origin and Oxygen is in the bass, there is more sub-bass body here than either of those sets offered, and the lower mids carry just enough warmth to keep the presentation from feeling clinical. It is a mature, grown-up tuning. I ran the Soda through approximately 30 hours of burn-in before writing this and found the character broadly consistent throughout, though the upper mids settled very slightly over that time.
Bass
Sub-bass is the star of the low end here. When a track has real sub-bass content, the Soda delivers it with convincing physicality
Mid-bass is present and adequately punchy without dominating, keeping the overall character lean and fast rather than thick and warm
Listening to Slipknot's People =Shit!, every double-kick during the opening lands with good definition and speed — each hit distinct and not mushed into the next
The bass doesn't bleed into the mids at all. The transition from bass into the lower midrange is very clean
Those who prefer mid-bass-forward impact and warmth will find the Soda restrained in this region, it is a sub-bass first, punch second kind of tuning, but in terms of quality, texture, and control, it delivers
Mids.
Vocals sits forward, present and articulate in a way that makes vocal-centric genres genuinely engaging
Female vocals are the particular strength here, Faye Wang sounds articulate and expressive, the nuance of her phrasing reproduced naturally without any digital edge
Male vocals are clear and present, but the lean lower midrange means Zhao Peng's deep baritone doesn't carry the same chesty weight it does on warmer sets. It is not thin, there is body there
The upper mids is not shouty and well controlled
Treble
Treble is airy and extended but controlled and smooth in a way that feels natural rather than artificially tamed
Hi-hat strikes and cymbal crashes come through with crisp, realistic metallic definition and natural decay
Upper treble has genuine air and extension that gives recordings a spacious 3D quality
Sibilance management is excellent throughout
Extended listening is comfortable for most listeners
Soundstage / Imaging
Imaging is precise and with a clarity of instrument placement
Each element sits in a distinct pocket of space within the mix, and even during complex, densely layered passages individual instruments remain clearly identifiable without crowding each other
Left-to-right movement is smooth and continuous
Soundstage width is good and it is spacious. The stage feels naturally proportioned, wide enough to breathe, and with meaningful front-to-back layering rather than a flat two-dimensional landscape.
Driveability
Pairing it with Tanchjim’s dongle such as the Luna AT is actually more than enough to power the Soda to its best
Moving to Earmen’s Angel, the bass has slightly better control in terms of tightness
Amplification is generally not necessary as i personally don’t find the Soda to benefit much from it
Comparison (Thieaudio Hype 4)
The Thieaudio Hype 4 is a 2DD+4BA hybrid featuring Thieaudio's IMPACT2 isobaric dual dynamic driver bass module with four Sonion balanced armatures, priced at $399. It is a well-known set in the community and a natural comparison to the Soda given their similar driver counts and competitive price bracket
In terms of build quality, both are well-constructed
Sound-wise these two take completely different approaches. The Hype 4 is warm and U-shaped — sub-bass forward, neutral-warm midrange, and a treble tuning that is smooth and very non-fatiguing
The Soda’s bass is slightly leaner in terms of quantity, treble is slightly more exciting on the Soda
The Soda's vocal presentation is more forward and more articulate
Vocals sit closer and have sharper definition and presence. The Hype 4's mids are more naturally positioned, warmer, and with considerably more body on both male and female vocals. Zhao Peng sounds fuller and more weighted through the Hype 4
Treble on the Hype 4 is smoother and safer
Soundstage and imaging is where the Soda pulls ahead clearly. The Soda's spatial precision, instrument separation, and layering are noticeably better
Final Thoughts
The Tanchjim Soda is a genuinely impressive first hybrid release from a brand that has earned trust through years of excellent single DD work. It stays true to the Tanchjim house sound while meaningfully advancing their technical capabilities — the in-house PURE series BAs bring a coherence and refinement to the midrange and treble that most multi-driver hybrids at this price can't match, and the Silk System passive units are also well implemented.
The imaging and separation are class-leading. To my ears, the Soda is a very compelling and genuinely special set that is not hard to recommend
The Tanchjim Soda was sent over by Tanchjim for the purpose of this review. Big thanks to the team for the support and opportunity as always.
Head over to their store if you are interested in getting a pair:
Tanchjim Soda — Non Affiliated
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