The Mangird Tea is a new in-ear monitor sold exclusively by Linsoul and DD Audio Store on Ali Express, and I was provided a sample review unit to share my impressions of this set.
First off, the unit retails for $299 and comes with cable options at checkout. You can choose from options of a standard 3.5mm cable or one of the balanced options of 2.5mm and 4.4mm cables. The cable itself is a silver-colored braided cable with aluminum mmcx connectors and split. It's a nicely designed cable that is easy to use and looks attractive.
The Tea comes in a 7-driver setup, with a single dynamic driver and six balanced armature drivers from Knowles and Sonion on each side. The shell design is a thicker black translucent resin shell with a carbon weave face-plate with some gold foil sprinkled in. It does remind me a bit of the Unique Melody MEST and the Empire Ears Wraith in the appearance.
The unit also comes with a round metal case and a box of tips.
Sound Impressions
When I first saw the graph of the Mangird Tea online, I was quite skeptical with how it would sound. The graph looked a little dark, though it had treble extension, but the dipped treble really made me not really consider this to be anything I'd enjoy.
So color me surprised when I put these on and immediately started bobbing my head and loving the rich, laid back sound of the Tea. Yes, there is a darker tonality to it, but the treble extension is ever present and that really makes this shine in a way that, in some cases, the 64 Audio U12T does for me, however, I do want to note that the U12T doesn't have this big of a dip, and it also sounds deeper in it's bass extension.
The Mangird Tea has a thick bass line that is both punchy, and has a good impactful rumble. This along with the softer treble makes this IEM more on the velvety lush side of sound than IEMs that I normally listen which are thinner, brighter, and more nimble in presentation.
This is most apparent in rock songs, as the times where I miss some of the lower mid-range thickness is not a problem. Male voices don't sound as thin, and basslines have a lot more authority. I think this has a lot to do more so with the reduced treble than the actual warmth of the low end in some ways. Perceived bass and lower midrange is higher because the treble is dipped lower, if that makes sense.
This in general, makes this IEM sound very mid-centric in some ways, which luckily it does fairly well and coherently. I think some of the areas where it may not do as well though, is the imaging is only average, and that is partially due to the smaller instrument separation on this IEM than others that I am used to. These two along with a more intimate soundstage does make the Mangird Tea have a little more trouble with busier songs in finding space and creating a grander sound.
But, for the limited space it does work in, I think the Tea is nice. It's definitely not shallow, and not blasting music at me directly into my head. No, it's got some space, but just not as much as some of my current favorites like the Hidition Viento, and the new Campfire Andromeda 2020, which I also have on hand. It's more along the lines of the Etymotic series in this sense, but perhaps a little wider.
I do want to talk about the treble extension though. This is an area where I think the Tea is quite good at, and it also shows up in the measurements. Drums sound present and real. Snares and cymbal hits sound complete, and that's a big deal for me as I listen to a lot of jazz music lately that has a lot of drumming in it -- stuff from Tingvall Trio and EST and Vince Guaraldi Trio -- the trio of trios.
Wrap-Up
The Mangird Tea is a nice IEM, I think. It's very pleasantly sounding, with a rich, thick tonality, and a lush flavor. I think it's biggest flaw is that it's a tad too intimate, but I never found it to be a deal breaker. If one was looking for a slightly darker sounding IEM, while still retaining good treble extension and a very inoffensive sound, this is one to definitely keep an eye out for.
No Comparison to the Blessing 2 huh? I can see you don't wanna Burn that Linsoul Bridge.
ReplyDeleteI have written plenty of bad reviews of linsoul products, so not too concerned about saying something is bad if it's warranted. I haven't listened to the blessing 2 in over six months as it's been on loan but I think the same comparisons I made stand. My entire set if iems are all basically the same iem tuning at different price points. Viento, etymotic and blessing 2. One thing to note is that I never had fit issues with the tea like I had with blessing.
DeleteReally? 12 point? I think the score of that iem is too low!! Its not an error?
ReplyDeleteNo, its not an error. It was higher before but after I normalized scoring, it falls into the middle and is still above average. Average is 10/20, so 12/20 is actually good. Hope that makes sense.
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