To negotiate the best possible price for our customers, we agree to hide prices prior to logging in.
96 requests
·
35 Sold
Product Description
Available in a range of bright colors, along with classic black, the Tanchjim Cora IEM is small, lightweight, and comfortable to wear for extended listening sessions. It uses a single dynamic driver with a carbon diaphragm and a custom anti-seismic silicone rubber layer, which reduces any unnecessary vibrations of the sound cavity generated by the driver Read More
Share:
You Might Also Like
Cayin PH-35X 3.5mm TRS to 4.4mm TRRRS Audio Adapter
$20
Sennheiser HD 660 S2 Headphones
$449.95
Hyper Design Cables for Sennheiser HD 6XX & HIFIMAN
I basically lived out of these earbuds for a couple years. I carried them with me everywhere I went for the first couple years of university, and loved using them every minute I could. They're definitely not the greatest sounding IEMs, maybe they were okay for the time but they are blown out of the water with what is available now, but they had one killer feature that I've yet to find an IEM that can match; they actually fit in my ears.
I've gone through a number of IEMs, since I really like to try out all kinds of different sounds and seeing what is doing well at different price points (and because my friends will never spend more than $40-50 on a pair of earbuds, I spend a lot of time looking at stuff at the budget end of the market), and I've not found anything that was quite the Cinderella-type fit that these were. I've tried a bunch of different types of tips on a bunch of the different IEMs that I've owned, and none ever just fit out of the box like the Coras did.
Unfortunately, the fixed cable design would be the reason I no longer pal around with these in my pocket or bag; the cable detached internally near the 3.5mm connector and lost audio out of the left earpiece.
Sibilance free, vocals are quite even which is good. Wish the bass were a little less overbearing and the treble more even/filled out with better attack- snares for example sound slightly tubby and muted as is. Sounds a little congested as a result, especially at lower volume levels. Very good nonetheless, especially for its price. Tested with my Motu M2 Motu M2 Review (Audio Interface) | Audio Science Review (ASR) Forum
(EDIT: Ah, forgot to comment on the form factor! Its housing size is small, ergonomics and fit is good and the iems are light which results in comfort. However, the cable sleeve is kind of springy which can be annoying, especially being undetachable/unswitchable and when the iems themselves are light and the nozzles insertion is on the shallower side- sometimes the cables don't hang off the ears properly or result in the iems coming loose over time/with movement)
(PS: I really like the look of these iems though, they can fit a wide audience imo)
(PPS: Original spiral dot tips from JVC do help with the treble and soundstage. Perfectly happy with it for the asking price as such, increased rating to 5 stars)
Final words: After 2 years of use, there is major channel imbalance due to clogging of the right nozzle filter (non visible). The nozzle diameter matches specs of Moondrop single DD iems, might be possible to adopt the filters of those models. However, the cable also suffers from slight discolouration, hence I chose to upgrade to the Moondrop Aria instead of going through such troubles (and risk). Overall I'm very satisfied with what I got out of these and their lifespan
This is as in depth as I think I've ever went so far on a review, so I do believe that *For me* I deliver the point I'm trying to. Remember though that ears are subjective, so here's my cup of tea on the Cora:
I bought these alongside several other pieces at that around 50 bucks price point, although these were the cheapest at 35 bucks (although the Tin HiFi T2s are on Drop sometimes for 35 if I'm not mistaken).
The other sets that I compared against were the aforementioned Tin T2, the KZ AS10, VSonic VSD3 and VSD3Si (3year old VSD3 and brand new VSD3Si) and the most expensive being the NuForce EDC.
All comparisons were done in the following way: Used the IEM for 2 weeks going to, from and during work, either via my phone (Oneplus 6, which I believe will suffice for this 'cheaper' IEMs) or via my Topping stack at home (D30+A30) at med-high gain.
I mostly listen to EDM and electro-pop and rap/hip-hop; that means bass is really important to me but also clarity and detail.
I decided that a pseudo comparison to my Meze 99 Noirs and Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro would be beneficial as these are my main pairs at home for music, movies and gaming - so I can compare the enjoyment I get off of using the IEMs to my main headphones.
TL;DR: I did not enjoy the Cora, I tried to resell them for the past 3 months unsuccessfully therefore I decided to keep them as my throw in my car so that I could have them if I forget my better pair pair.
However I do believe you deserve some more info, so let me elaborate:
Accessories
To start things off - I did really enjoy the unboxing experience; You get a box that would stand out really well at a store, and the box itself is pretty nice, not Tin HiFi nice, but nice.
You get several sizes of silicon tips, no memory foam, 6 pairs to be exact. You also get a quality pouch that I really like, but I feel is too big for this pair, unlike Vsonic which give you an 'okay' pouch but it's big enough to fit the earphones yet not too large to be annoying in your pocket.
This is pretty much it. I didn't really expect much more at this price point (although the VSD3 variants do cost the same, could come with a mic and inline controller and come with foam tips in the box)
Sound
For me, the Cora sound off. The bass is extremely overwhelming; listening to rap tracks like Pistol from RA and Giggs or (yes) Mo Bamba, even slightly lighter tracks like Dame D.O.L.L.A.'s Track Meet from the new album.
Other than the overwhelming bass, it also sounded like the highs are also extremely defined, and that was the case on both my stack and phone, and also my work laptop and work PC, so I tried eqing it on my phone to no avail, still didn't feel right.
They also lack a lot of detail - I compared them to my Tin T2 and even the darker EDC they lack a lot of the mid-range and I can point to a huge loss of detail. On the other hand, they do feel really wide, but without too much echo (kind of opposite to the VSonic which lack depth and is quite echoy)
The Cora has a really different signature that I honestly don't like.
Fit and comfort
For me, they didn't fit at all. First of all, not having indicators other than the logos is quite annoying for the first few days until you get it right. Then the fact that the stock tips didn't seal completely for me, and even the foam tips I use that do seal properly have the earpiece sitting at the tip of my ear canal and the IEMs sort of 'falling out' of my ear, even though they did not fall off easily.
They're not the most comfortable to wear, the cable is decent but isn't the best and it just tangles so easily.
In conclusion: The Tin T2 are sometimes on here for 35 bucks. The KZ ZS10 Pro are like, what, 45-50?
I don't know about anyone else and if they have listened to them, but in my opinion the T2 are FAR superior to the Cora; from the incredible cable, to the clarity, comfort, detail and width, even with the lacking bass in my opinion (Which makes me prefer the EDC to every other IEM I own right now, including the Tin), for this price just get the T2.
Quite nice headphones. The quality is a lot better than you would expect and comes with a lot of tips and nice bag. It has a nice fit but not the best position. It goes either very deep into the ear canal or it holds quite on the start of the ear.
Don't misunderstand the seal is still pretty good, it would just be nice for it to have the optimal place somewhere else.
It has an interesting signature, very different from anything else i own. It has a defined bass but not overpowering and decent tremble. But the spacial part are the mids. They are very pronounce and make for a nice and different experience with your favorite songs.
But the detail is a bit lacking i would say.
But for the price its nice
Reviewed out of a Galaxy S9 headphone jack and also a Sansa Clip that I found lying around that appropriately had only music from 2011/2012 on it.
The Cora is a good value IEM based on the Harman IEM Target (see: https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/harman-tweaks-its-headphone-target-response)
Look/Feel: Looks good, comfortable, comes in a number of cool colours.
Cable: I saw some mentions on other sites of people complaining about the cable. Yes it's not detachable. It's also one of the better cables I've used on an IEM and I personally like it. It's easy to wind up and stuff in the pouch and it doesn't tangle. All my other IEMs are a tangled mess every time.
Highs: Crystal clear with subtle sibilance. Not harsh enough to deter long listening and my ears are generally pretty sensitive.
Mids: Slightly recessed but tonally accurate, probably the reason I feel some tracks are missing some kind of body.
Bass: Of all the IEMs I've sampled in the < $200 range, this might have the most tonally accurate and deepest extending bass out of them all. Don't mistake this for powerful / thumping bass. Just a nice extension.
Width: The amount of air in the sound allows for a natural but very wide stage.
Depth: Very strong seperation of instruments. You can hear everything if you wish to. Might result in a perceived loss in musicality for some.
Tone: Good accuracy in tone and texture. Enough speed to satisfy.
Conclusion: To my ears I have a IEM here with good soundstage and separation and a slight dip in the mids. All the good things about these exceed their price point. The only drawback to my listening tastes is the recessed mids.