TANCHJIM Kara Review – Crystal Clear Sound
Kara, a brand new five-driver hybrid IEM from the house of Tanchjim. The pair features transparent ear shells 3D printed from imported medical-grade resin material. It has an analog acoustic tube frequency division architecture. Tanchjim has equipped the Kara with a 5-driver hybrid configuration featuring a DMT3 dynamic driver with a PU+PEEK diaphragm paired with four high-performance balanced armature drivers on each side.
Tanchjim has equipped the Kara with a five-driver hybrid configuration. The drivers are arranged in a three-way analog frequency crossover. With the help of precisely designed electronic crossover and 3D printed acoustic tube cavity structure, the drivers are adjusted to deliver a clear sound response with low interference between them. The dynamic driver has been adjusted for a strong lower-end response, the dual Sonion 2389D balanced armature driver unit is arranged for mid and high-frequency bands, and the customized Knowles dual composite balanced armature driver unit helps to produce the ultra-high frequency band.
Tanchjim Kara features a small and compact build. The pair features a pure and transparent shell design that looks like a crystal. The shells are lightweight, small, and have a compact design. The pair have improved space utilization. The compact design also ensures a comfortable fit for the users.
Tanchjim bundles the Kara with a high-purity stock cable. The pair comes with a 6N oxygen-free copper cable with silver plating. The cable has a litz texture that makes the wire soft and anti-oxidant. The metal components on the wire are made up of high-quality stainless steel material.
Tanchjim bundles the Kara a high-quality PVC leather storage bag with a white cross pattern and high-quality T-APB air-pressure balancing ear tips.
What’s in the box
Features
- Five-Driver Hybrid IEMs.
- 1 Dynamic Driver & 4 Balanced Armature Drivers.
- High-Performance Balanced Armature Drivers.
- PEEK+PU Composite Diaphragm DMT3 Dynamic Driver Unit.
- Original Imported Medical-Grade Resin Material Shells.
- Three-Way Analog Frequency Division Architecture.
- Small & Compact Design.
- Clean and precise Sound With a Superlinear Frequency Curve.
- High-Quality Accessories (T-APB Air Pressure Balanced Ear Tips).
- Good-looking design.
- High-purity 6N Oxygen-Free Copper Silver-Plated Cable.
- Litz Wire Structure.
- PVC Storage Leather BagWith White Cross Pattern.
Specs
- Impedance: 27Ω±10%.
- Sensitivity: 115dB/Vrms.
- Frequency Response Range: 7Hz-40kHz.
- THD+N: <0.8%@1kHz.
- Connectors: 2-pin 0.78mm.
- Termination Plug: 3.5mm.
- Price: $179
I want to thank TANCHJIM for providing me with the review sample of the Tanchjim Kara.
Sound
Tacnhjim has adjusted the tuning of the Kara matching their self-designed HiFi tuning curve. Kara achieves a balanced profile in the sound response.
When we talk about Tanchjim, their iconic IEM Oxygen comes to mind for sure. Let’s take a quick look comparing both. I never listened to Oxygen but I can guess why people liked it by looking at the graph, besides having a good dynamic driver of course. The Oxygen is much more like a classic V-shape IEM as we see, the whole bass line is more elevated than the Kara. We also see more elevation on the treble side, especially after 10K. We see that the peak at 5K is fixed on the Kara. Also, both sub and mid-bass reduced a couple of decibels. On the mids section, Tancjim made some minor changes too which in the end makes the new Kara more balanced and clear sounding.
Kara has a mild V-shaped sound, closer to Harman(ish). I would say it’s mostly a linear monitor. This is a neutral tonality, but of course, warmer sources would make it a bit more musical and organic. With more raw power though, the Kara can shine with better sonic qualities all around.
Bass
The Tanchjim Kara has a controlled bass response with good impact and rumble. The dynamic driver is not dominating in any way, but it makes its presence felt when needed. It has good mid-bass and sub-bass balance, so it doesn’t feel too v-shaped with a fat sub-bass response. The tuning prevents the bass from bleeding into the lower midsection. The detail level is also good. Notes have good authority and are distinguishable even in heavy layered music. The bass performance is very satisfying.
Lows have good texture as well and they have a good pace with great control. I really liked the bass presence and quality of the Kara, simply because it can make things fun while not being overpowering. Lows are very tight, dynamic, and nicely balanced out.
So overall Kara’s bass presentation is very impressive, especially in terms of tightness, texture, control, and definition. This dynamic driver is excellently tuned for bass lovers indeed. For me, I prefer a tad less mid-bass to be honest, a more polite curve.
Mids
Starting with the lower mids, the sound follows a recipe of linearity. I would easily say that this smart move ensures that the signature stays airy and a general sense of air is present. The overall signature feels quite spacious, as well as the stage and the space between the instruments. The midrange has a linear tonality and features a note weight that is rather on the lighter side of the scale. However, the body of the instruments and the body of the vocals do not feel particularly thin and insufficient.
The mids are well-balanced with good tonality and the instrument timbre is quite nice. It could’ve been better but I think for the price it manages to be well-balanced in terms of tonality. Kara’s mid dip is very natural and makes lower mids sound very clear. This complements the clarity in the upper mids perfectly. The resolution is extremely good too. As a result, in heavily layered songs, snare body or lower registers of vocals never get shadowed by pads, mid-bass, or synths.
The vocals feel breathy with plenty of details and they are quite engaging to listen to. The resolution and detail retrieval are really good, you can hear and track micro-details and individual instruments on the stage, easily. The slightly recessed midrange does not stick out at all, it feels quite alright, following the rest of the spectrum effortlessly.
Treble
The treble range follows the bass line, they are a little more pronounced compared to the lower midrange. Treble once again is crisp, and dynamic. The overall resolution success serves Kara very well once again, making the treble sound well-defined. Although it lacks some ultra-high extension, the treble has a smooth sound character. The treble character will probably please most with its naturalness. It supports the high mids very well giving guitars a good hint of airiness, snares have good stick attack and orchestral instruments have a good sheen. There is no issue of sibilance at all. All in all, the treble is smooth, yet has a good sheen, definition, and clarity.
The most impressive thing here though is the level of detail. Sure, the Kara has articulated and well-extended treble, but it’s also very clean and detailed. This is proportional to your source device as well, but a good level of detail retrieval makes you hear every little detail in the song.
The dispersion of extended highs helps stereo imaging and enhances the perception of stage height and width.
Technical Performance
The Kara has great performance in terms of technicalities and staging is one of the impressive parts. Thanks to this particular presentation, the stage is wide and deep with a 3D feel. The instrument separation is also very good, with great layering ability and micro-detail pickup.
Sum-Up
Tanchjim Kara is a clean-sounding, nicely balanced, and resolving IEM with a spacious presentation. It also has good dynamics, tonality, and resolution. Its bass has good pace and kick, its mids are dynamic and resolving, and its treble is smooth but defined. My only complaint can be about the box content. For the asking price, it should have been very nice to have a better and non-similar-looking stock cable with exchangeable plugs. Other than that, I’m very satisfied.