Review: Jomo Audio Tango – You know

2. Personalization

I’ve said it many times before but Joseph has the skill to produce the nicest designs over and over. I love every single creation of him in my collection. This time he sent me their well-known grey-bleu-ish cosmos standard design. It’s grey and blue, glitters and it’s just a smoothy liquid looking galaxy.

There’s not much to say about it really, it’s a full shell design and while it’s maybe somewhat basic, it looks great. The pictures say enough really, it’s just a beautiful set.

If you want a special, personalized design for your Tango you will need to get in touch with Jomo directly. I’m sure they can do pretty much anything if you’re willing to pay for it.

3. Cable

The Effect audio Ares II cable is the standard cable for the Tango and many other models from Jomo and Empire Ears. The Ares II is part of EA’s Premium series and it is a reworked version of their famous Ares cable. It now features better ergonomics, more balance, treble extension and vocals. The Ares II also has a new geometry design. The Ares II is made out of 26 AWG UPOCC Litz Copper in a proprietary Multi-Size Stranded design within a single encapsulation. Even though sound quality is the critical factor in determining an upgrade cable’s worth, the tensile strength and flexibility matters too. The reworked insulation features high tensile strength and flexibility, while adding as little weight as possible.

There’s also an 8-wire bespoke version of this cable and we have reviewed it previously here: https://www.headfonia.com/review-effect-audio-bespoke-ares-ii/. The three cables I have been using with the Tango however are all from Effect Audio. The new Janus B, the original Leonidas and the Horus from Effect Audio. In the end I would have to say the Horus is my favorite cable with the Tango as it delvers the best combination of bass, detail, speed, clarity and precision. With the Janus B, the Tango’s bass got a little too boosted for me and it sounded fun but very thick. I have shipped the Janus over to Linus for a detailed review, but unfortunately the Austrian post has lost the package. No more Janus B. Awful. The Tango and Leonidas pairing is also very nice and it’s actually one of the preferred cables on the Tango for Joseph himself. I look at the Leonidas like a baby Horus, very good but just not as good as the TOTL unit.

Anyway, the ARES II also is a good match for the Tango. It’s a logic conclusion as Jomo and EA wouldn’t have created the bundle if it wasn’t a great sounding combination. I personally prefer the higher clarity level of the Horus however, thought that Horus cable is quite a bit more expensive.

4. Price & Accessories

As this is another Jomo CIEM for my collection, Joseph just sends me the monitors, which is normal. I have more than enough cables, don’t need another Ares II and I have enough cleaning tools to last me a lifetime.

My Tango came in the typical small round hard “box” with the screw cover. It’s a nice and easy box to use and it has this soft foam on the inside to protect your monitors. I actually use them on my night stand to keep my evening monitors in.

So while I didn’t get the full “customer experience”, I am sure Jomo will send you everything you need in a nice box. The only special touch in my case is the Headfonia logo that has been printed/lasered onto the lid of the box. The Jomo Audio Tango goes for about S$1,999.00 Singapore Dollar which translates in to more or less $1450 USD and €1250 Euro.

5. Customer Service

Jomo doesn’t have an online CIEM builder tool so you can’t check out your personal design upfront. Jomo Audio still uses an order form like a lot of other companies do. They do have a clear overview of the colour samples on their website together with the artwork pricing though.

I didn’t use the order form myself as I usually bypass that and also because Jomo was free to do whatever they wanted with the design. The Flamenco made it back to me really fast but I really couldn’t say how much the actual delay between order and delivery is at this moment. You best check that with Joseph or someone form Jomo Audio directly. What I can say is that Joseph is always kind and friendly and getting a reply never takes long. Because my monitors again fit great and sound perfect, I didn’t have a single reason for getting back in touch with him after I received the set.

6. Sound

Before Joseph finished the Tango, he sent me a prototype of the Tango and to be honest I didn’t really dig the bass and mids. I told Joseph that I really loved the upper midrange and treble and that the overall layering, extension and decay were also good. In the prototype the bass needed more precision, definition and tightness, and the lower mids and mid mids were overly airy making them sound more muffled on times. Joseph replied that he agreed on the bass area and that it would be the next thing he’d work on. He also said he tried to push the mid range backwards a bit, in order to bring out the bass quantity and get a cleaner sound.

“Warmth and transparency come in one single package, ideally for audiophile and musicians stage monitoring.”

I shipped back the prototype to Joseph and actually not very much later he already sent me the Tango in a production version. I wasn’t really sure what to expect after that prototype but immediately after putting them in my ears, hooked up to the SP1000, I heard Joseph fixed everything that was bugging me before.

The Tango wasn’t built to be balanced, neutral or analytic and like Jomo Audio says, is about warmth, transparency and musicality. The Sound stage width and depth is good for a six-driver and I really love the layering, especially in the bass and mids. Tango isn’t he widest or most spacious sounding monitor in my collection but the presentation is more than separated and airy enough to get a musical and engaging type of sound. The clarity is great and it is combined with a full bodied sound from bottom to top. The Tango always has impact, just like there is warmth and richness. At he same time Joseph has managed to maintain a really good level of transparency throughout the spectrum.

The Tango is not bass light and bass has an emphasis at all times. Depending on the source used you’ll get even more or a bit less bass, but it’s always there in quantity and impact. The thing I really love about the Tango is how well this bass is executed. It goes deep, has excellent sub bass and really great detail and layering. If you don’t like bigger bass then the Tango isn’t the one for you but at the same time I wouldn’t say this is a basshead’s IEM either, as the bass is always as tight, as fast and as in control as it can be with the quantity it displays.

The bass section really makes the Tango engaging and while it’s not the most precise and realistic bass, it with its warmth and musicality is just really fun to listen to. The mids share the same amount of body or just a little less and as a result he connection there is without issues. Like the bass, the mids have good detail and excellent layering. They’re spacious enough not to get that intimate presentation and that mixed with the excellent upper mids – which make the vocals realistic and natural – make it a very musical, smooth sounding monitor.

The part on sound continues on Page Three of this review