Tanchjim Cora Review – Boys And Girls
Pros — Very small and light earpieces, organic sound, good tonal accuracy.
Cons — Small soundstage, hard to drive, short nozzles, non-detachable cable.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
A well-tuned and mature sounding single-dynamic-driver earphone with small shells and very short nozzles that does not rival more expensive earphones because of its rather small soundstage typical for its class.
INTRODUCTION
Tanchjim entered my radar recently with their mid-tier to premium single dynamic-driver model “Oxygen”. Allegedly tuned by Zhula Hulong (like the Blon BL-03 budget star), some experienced “Super Best Audio Friends” added it to their “Best of” list rivalling crowd pleasers such as the JVC HA-FDX1 or the Moondrop KXXS/KPE. Whereas the Oxygen retail at a proud $280, the Cora target the budget segment at $49.99. Much has been said about them in discussions, not many reviews exist, but what was reported was mainly positive. My money is usually on the midrange, which is frequently subdued in budget models, but apparently not in the Tanchjim Cora. That’s what I wanted to find out.
SPECIFICATIONS
Brand: TANCHJIM
Model: Cora
Driver: carbon diaphragm
Impedance: 16 Ω
Sensitivity: 103 dB/mW
Frequency response: 10 Hz – 40 kHz
THD:＜0.2%
Cable: silver-plated, OFC, non-detachable
Plug：3.5 mm gold-plated straight plug
6 pairs of silicone eartips
Pouch
Tested at: $49.90
PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY
The unboxing experience is rather spartan: earpieces with fixed cable, lots of tips, and a velvety storage bag. The value must be obviously in the sound. The drivers are tightly packed into tiny plastic shells with an aluminum faceplate. The shells are build well, feel smooth and attractive between my fingers. They fit well into the concha, BUT the nozzles are very short. Too short for many ears in western males, a design characteristic also observed in the Tanchjim Oxygen and Blon BL-03. Because of this near incompatibility between the Cora’s shells and my teutonic ears, none of the included tips worked. I finally achieved seal with the third-party long-stemmed Azla SednaEarfit and the Sony EP-EX11 tips from ebay but always had the feeling I had to push the earpieces deeper into my ear canals. The non-detachable cable is “high purity silver-plated OFC”, quality that works well.
Other than that, comfort is good, the tiny shells do not stick out of the ears so that the Tanchjim Cora can be used in bed for falling asleep. Handy. Isolation is soso for me, you may get better results with your smaller ears. The Cora are hard to drive…they take quite a bit of juice. They principally work with my iPhone 5S but benefit from amping by the Audioquest Dragonfly. It is a bit odd that a budget earphone has to rely to some extent on (expensive) and battery-draining amping.
TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES
My tonal preference and testing practice
The Tanchjim Cora is good, quite good. But it is not punching above its weight as some perceive it. The Cora has a near-Harman-Kardon-target curve tuning with a bit of excess bass to add this “fun” element. It offers a balanced tonality without anything aggressive, harsh, or piercing but it sometimes deserves a bit more bite. The imaging is inoffensive and playing towards what some may call “consumer taste”…a safe middle-of-the-road approach with the natural DD timbre. And while the tonality is homogeneous, slightly warm, and clean, the Cora’s soundstage is small in all directions – and it can be crowded; I’d like some more depth. Similarly, the technicalities such as note definition, separation, and layering are just good for the price. The image could be more dynamic and may show more pizaz with amplification…but that’s not the point for a budget iem: to be run with expensive extra equipment. A phone should do.
In all these aspects, the Tanchjim Cora cannot compete with the discontinued $30 Moondrop Crescent, let alone the $79 KBEAR Diamond. But it easily outclasses the identically priced Dunu DM-380 because of its larger note weight, particularly in the midrange. The Dunu DM-380 is a bass-heavy single DD with a sawtooth upper midrange that produces an overly thin and mildly aggressive midrange. The Cora is more homogenous sounding. But the Dunu DM-380 fit me much better.
Where the Tanchjim Cora scores is with its natural sound reproduction: oboe and waldhorn sound very realistic. But now forward to the beginning. The bass may be a bit above neutral, its extension is soso, but it is by no means strong and it is not the fastest. The low end adds that warm and rich signature that characterizes the Tanchjim Cora. The midrange is ok for the class but could handle a bit more note weight in comparison to the slightly more expensive competition. On the good site, the treacherous Chi-Fi emphasis in the 2-4 kHz area is missing. Vocals are good in richness but not the ultimate. The lower treble is rather modest with cymbals slightly backward as seen in the Moondrop Starfield, for example. Nothing splashy or plasticky in the hi hat and cymbals.
I summary, the Tanchjim Cora is a safe choice that may please the beginner but somewhat bore the expert.
For $30 more you get the much more substantial sounding, better accessorized, but also bulkier KBEAR Diamond. At the same price, you get the well-fitting, strongly V-shaped and in the midrange thinner and harsher sounding Dunu DM-380 with its strong bass. At $10 less there is the popular Blon BL-03 that also needs fitting adjustments to unlock their sound (which appears to be different for everybody depending on their personal modifications).
CONCLUDING REMARKS
The Tanchjim Cora are solid earphones all around. Their main benefit over the competition is their small size and weight, but western users may be plagued with fit issues, and may have to find workarounds. In Asia, they are marketed to teenagers and women (“Cora”: nomen est omen). Their sound is organic and fun. At $49.90, their value is ok but not outstanding as ever cheaper competition is entering the market. If there has ever been a hype, it has been superseded by time.
Keep on listening!
You find an INDEX of all our earphone reviews HERE.
DISCLAIMER
The review unit was supplied by Wooeasy Earphones store, although they don’t even carry it. Very nice! Thank you very much. You find the Wooeasy Earphones Store here.
Our generic standard disclaimer.
You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.
FURTHER READING
Moondrop KPE review by Biodegraded
Moondrop Starfield review by Jürgen
