Today we look at the $179 USD Tanchjim Kara hybrid IEM.
Disclaimer: HifiGo sent us the Tanchjim Kara IEM for this review, free of charge. All thoughts and experiences with the product are naturally my own. You can purchase the Kara here.
Tanchjim Audio
Tanchjim has been making waves in the audio industry since its inception in 2015. The company has gained a reputation for producing high-quality in-ear monitors (IEMs) that offer excellent value for money.
With its headquarters in Nanning City, China, Tanchjim is committed to innovation and invests heavily in research and development to ensure that its products are cutting-edge. It’s impressive to see how the company has quickly become a go-to brand for both mid-tier and budget-tier IEMs.
As said, we got the sample from HiFiGo and you can buy this IEM here.
Tanchjim Kara
Kara is a new five-driver hybrid IEM with ear shells crafted from medical-grade resin material. The earphones employ an “analogue acoustic tube frequency division architecture”.
Kara features a 5-driver hybrid configuration, with a DMT3 composite PU+PEEK diaphragm dynamic driver paired with four high-performance BA drivers.
Packaging
The Kara comes in a white/grey box that looks fancy but costs little. When you open the box, you’ll find two sections. The top section contains the earpieces, while the bottom section has a white carrying case with separate compartments for the accessories. The accessories themselves are of good quality.
The Kara has Tanchjim’s special T-APB ear tips that provide a comfortable fit by reducing pressure in the ear canal. Tanchjim claims that these ear tips enhance the sound quality as well.
Tanchjim has paid great attention to the packaging and design. The copper wire/silver foil finish cable looks stunning and goes well with the IEM. All in all, the unboxing experience is of high quality. Yet, if I have to pick one point to criticize, that would be the lack of a 4.4mm cable or an adapter. This unit needs a good amount of power, more so than many IEMs on the market, so a 4.4mm cable should’ve been provided to get more power from DAPs and DAC/Amps.
Design & Fit
The Kara has an all-resin construction with 3D printing. It features a small and compact build which ensures a comfortable fit for the users. The design itself is subjective and different opinions may arise, but I found the design pretty nice and quite consistent with the overall white-theme of the product.
It especially looks good if you’re a tech enthusiast, as you can see the internal elements in %100 transparency. This design also is a good choice by Tanchjim because you can clearly see the tidiness and neatness of the internals. Everything is placed and organized beautifully inside.
The fit, thanks to this compact design, is quite nice. The supplied T-APB tips provide good comfort and isolation with a flush fit experience. Thanks to the deep insertion and solid chassis, the Kara provides excellent passive isolation as well.
Page 2: Sound Quality
Page 3: Ear Tips, Comparisons, Conclusion
