Tangzu Zetian Wu - authoritative like an Empress

 Authoritative like an Empress

PROS:

• excellent bass response

• good balance and control across all frequencies

• well thought of face plate

• The sound stage has extra headroom

• balanced sound signature

• clean and precise instrument reproduction

• excellent vocals presentation

• technically capable

• should be not that hard to drive but a DAC or DAC is strongly suggested

CONS:

• Planar timbre. That “sheen” in the trebles and mids. Very minimal though. 

INTRODUCTION:

I would like to give thanks first to Steve Tong for providing us, the Philippines circle, a chance to experience the Zetian Wu firsthand. 

not a fan of purple, but looking good

The Zetian Wu is the 3rd release from Tangzu since the Yuan li. Here, Tangzu is officially entering the battlefield of the planar wars. Companies have been cutting each other’s throats in this war. So how does the Zetian Wu compete with the current status of planar releases? Sorry to disappoint but I will be vaguely comparing this to all the planar IEMs out there. But I will be comparing it to Letshouer S12 as it is the one planar I have besides Zetian Wu. Let’s get a move on and see how did Zetian Wu sound to me. 

DISCLAIMER:

My opinions here are completely my own. I am NOT in any way influenced by any form of incentive. This is purely my honest, subjective impressions and experience with the gear on hand. I cannot stress more that you should take this with a grain of salt for we have different perceptions to sound and what we hear. I always try my best to stick with the stock accessories that come with the gear by default. You are free to try other methods such as tip rolling or cable rolling. Below are worth noting before concluding on what I say here:

1. DAP (digital audio player, be it phone, laptop, mobile, or stationary setup)

2. DAC or dongle or any external amp

3. Ear Tips

4. Cables

5. Source of audio file be it offline FLACS or streaming services like Deezer, Apple music, Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify and the likes..

6. Your playlist. It matters and is worth to be considered when reading from a reviewer's perspective. It is apparent that you get to know your favorite reviewer and what they are listening to leisurely and critically. 

My reviews are more on how music sounds in my ears. The technical stuff like frequency graphs and the physics behind the tech and drivers used, I leave to other reviewers.  

SPECIFICATIONS:

Configuration: 1x 14.5mm Planar driver

Impedance: 16 ohms

Sensitivity: 100db

Freq response: 20hz - 20khz

PACKAGING:

We did not receive the official packaging for this tour. But we got the bulky carrying case, which in my honest opinion looks like a woman’s purse. lol. And the Zetian Wu itself, and the cable with a 4.4mm termination. 

a woman's purse

the cable

For the entirety of this review, sound impressions were done with a 4.4mm balanced output. Tips used is my personal Radius Deep Mount. 

Now let us dive into how Zetian Wu sounds..

Sound Impressions:

The Zetian Wu has a balanced sound signature with an authoritative character. It reflects well on its name as Wu Zetian was a symbol of good authority according to history. I did not research deep enough to give you a lecture but it was said that corruption among the government offices was minimized during her term. 

The lows have the most authoritative nature. Punchy, quick and have a good body and texture. Just the way I like it. Never did it feel sluggish and was quick enough to catch up with my complex tracks. Reach to the sub-level is very impressive too! Making Zetian Wu’s overall sound presentation with muscle and rich and lush. Attack and decay are very admirable and I think this is the planars at work. This is my first encounter with planars and I can safely say that as a BA guy, I’m starting to love planar drivers. It has the character of a DD and the speed of a BA. Lows have a bump here but are impressively well controlled never sounding bloated or overbearing. Bleeds to other frequencies are almost none existent in my ears producing a clean and accurate reproduction. 

The mids are well placed and not a hint of recessed nature. Vocals are the main show here. Both on male and female genders. The vocals are very engaging and energetic. In very rare cases, high registers of vocals tend to exhibit some “sheen” and this comes naturally when it comes to planars. But the amount is very minimal. Mids reproduction is still maintained to be organic and very musical. I am very particular about my pianos as I am a pianist, and that’s why I was able to detect some hint of “sheen”. Nonetheless, the mids will suit mid-centric like me. Elements are full of life and emotion. And sounded as they are in real life. 

Trebles have a good extension and open nature. And never sounded sibilant or too much. Trebles are well controlled while possessing great details and texture. Cymbals are well executed and full of energy. Vocals again, on the treble domain, are not veiled and have that forward and somehow aggressive character. Trebles are full-bodied and not on the thin side. Rich, lush, and thick. 

Conclusively, the whole presentation of the sound of Zetian Wu is very well controlled, balanced, and staying organic, and musical. It connected to me on an emotional level and most likely will give anyone a sweet yet well-detailed embodiment. To be fair, the sound presented here is sometimes, too edgy for my taste. I can’t believe I’m saying this since I prefer speedy drivers, quick and snappy. But there is something that is just too edgy to me. Maybe it’s the performance of the planar drivers and possibly I need more time to adjust my brain to the concept. Still listening experience never becomes a chore on this set.    

Fit & Isolation: 

The fitting and level of comfortability are commendable here. No weird nozzle angle. Weight is on the light side and this will favor long listening sessions. 

Isolation is very effective and shuts off outside noise effortlessly. KZ earphones have been very comfortable for me in terms of wear. Zetian Wu reminds me of the snug fit of KZ products. With the exception of AS16pro. 

Technicalities:

The Zetian Wu is a very capable set in terms of technicalities. It has the speed that I look for in a gear, and… ok let’s get a move on…

The sound stage is very desirable. I don’t want to exaggerate as I have experienced earbuds. I can sense a sensible amount of headroom here. Width and height alike. Live recorded tracks are a joy to listen to. 

Imaging is very pinpoint and near accurate. Following instruments are a breeze and this will benefit those who listen to their music on the hunt for new details. The placement of instruments is on point and where they should be. 

Separation is very impressive as well. With the help of my Questyle M15, instruments most of the time, have that space in between and do not feel limited. This must be reinforced by that extra headroom from the sound stage. 

Speed of the drivers is well adequate. As expected from planar drivers. Quick, snappy and crisp. Attack and decay are the pinnacle of the speed here. So bring on your complex and busy tracks. Zetian Wu will never sweat. 

SOURCES AND GEARS:

• Questyle M15 

• LG V30 hifi dac (high impedance mode)

• Hiby Music player

• UAPP app (USB Audio Player Pro)

• Tidal Masters subscription

• offline FLACS

• Hidizs AP80 pro

• Deezer Hifi subscription

Here are some tracks I usually listen to when reviewing: 

That’s the way of the World by EWF

Africa by TOTO

The Girl in the Other Room by Diana Kral

Balmorhea album All is wild, All is Silent

Sila by Sud

Smooth Escape by D’Sound

Never too Much by Luther Vandross

P.Y.T by Michael Jackson

Ain’t no Sunshine by Eva Cassidy

Shoot to Thrill by AC/DC

Another one bites the Dust by Queen

Good times bad times by Edie Brickell 

Alice in Wonderland by Bill Evans

Ain’t it Fun by Paramore

 Redefine by Incubus

Far Away by Nickelback

Lovesong by Adele

Lingus by Snarky Puppy

Harvest for the World by Vanessa Williams

Love Bites by Def Leppard

No Such Thing by John Mayer

As by Stevie Wonder

Whip Appeal by Babyface

Ain’t Nobody by Chaka Khan

Futures by Prep

Landslide by Fleetwood Mac

Every Summertime by NIKI

SADE tracks

AC/DC tracks

Queen tracks

And many more… I always listen to High resolution format, being the least quality 16bit/44khz FLACS be it offline or online. 

Comparisons:

For the argument of comparisons, what I have with me is the Letshouer S12. I’m still in the process of critically listening to S12 so we will just touch the tip of the iceberg here. This comparison is done with the cable that came with Zetian Wu, and both were conducted on the 4.4mm balanced output. The Questyle M15 was picked as the source connected to the LG V30 phone via the Hiby music app. 

lying with the enemy

• Vocal presentation is better with Zetian Wu. More forward than the S12.

• S12 is harder to drive.

• Resolution and detail retrieval are almost the same. 

• Sound stage is wider on Zetian Wu.

• Bass response and body of the lows are better with the S12 by a small margin.

• S12 sounded more “analog-ish” while Zetian Wu sounded with the hi-fi approach. 

•  By a minuscule margin, S12 sounds more organic. 

• Mids are smoother on S12. Zetian Wu exhibits edginess in the mids. 

VERDICT:

This review is more like a quick impression. The Zetian Wu is with me for a limited time for this is a touring unit, and I hate to make the next guy wait. lol. 

This is a great introduction for me to planar drivers and I can see that planars have an edge on both DD and BA. Of course, implementation is still a very important factor. 

Zetian Wu has a well-bodied sound with no expense on its technical side. It is not hard to enjoy and it satisfied my sound cravings in abundance. With a hint of “sheen” that planar drivers possess but very minuscule. The key point here is its stupendous control over the whole spectrum of frequencies. Hence giving a lively, energetic reproduction without you wanting for more. It is balanced in sound and very versatile to any genre of music. Not to mention, the eye-catching faceplate. It does sound good as it looks. 

I would recommend Zetian Wu to:

• technically driven listeners

• vocal oriented tracks

• casual and mature listeners alike

• critical and casual listening

• any genre of music

• those who like the speed performance of drivers

The Zetian Wu is a no-brainer. A bang for your buck and an all-rounder. It will cater to most listeners. Casual or hard-core audiophiles. It appealed to me quite nicely and how it compares to other planar releases out there on the battlefield, is something yet to be reckoned with. A mystery yet to be opened. 

That concludes my review for Zetian Wu and do look forward to what my co-reviewers have to say. Again, love the music more than the gears and you mileage may and most likely vary. 

Cheers, and catch you on the next one!