Xenns Mangird Tea Pro Review: Cult Classic

Xenns is a popular ChiFi brand that currently sells only two IEM models: the Tea Pro and Top Pro. The Tea Pro, which is the subject of today’s review, is a hugely-popular IEM that made waves last year for its strong performance and flexible tuning. The Top Pro is its more-refined sibling, and is an IEM I’ll be getting to at some point in the future. The Tea Pro has been written-about to death, so I’ll be focusing on how it performs against its newer competitors and assessing its long-term durability — which shouldn’t be too hard, considering I got my Tea Pro pre-owned.

You can find the Xenns Mangird Tea Pro for sale here, on Linsoul, for $359.

About My Preferences

This review is a subjective assessment and is therefore tinged by my personal preferences. While I try to mitigate this as much as possible during my review process, I’d be lying if I said my biases are completely erased. So for you, my readers, keep this in mind:

• My ideal sound signature would be one with competent sub-bass, a textured mid-bass, a slightly warm midrange, and an extended, but not dramatic, treble.
• I have mild treble sensitivity.

Testing equipment and standards can be found here.

The Big Picture

Pros:

• Bright, precise, treble presentation
• Well-toned, expansive, bass response
• Flexible and engaging sound signature
• Quality metal shells with beautiful face-plates
• Foam eartips included
• Excellent unboxing experience

Cons:

• Occasional sibilance
• Lower-mids lacking 1–2dB warmth
• Above-average nozzle size impacts ergonomics
• Cable has body, oddly-sized ear-hooks

Technical Specifications

Note that Xenns is being misleading with their driver count here. They’ve claimed a total driver count of 8 drivers per side, but truly only have 7 independent drivers per side. The RDB 34834 is a so-called “composite” driver, not two truly-independent balanced-armature drivers.

• Drivers: 2x dynamic (8mm), 6x balanced-armature (2x RAD 33518, 2x RAF 32873, 1x RDB 34834 Composite)
• Impedance: 13Ω
• Sensitivity: 104 ± 1dB
• Cable: 0.78mm 2-pin w/ modular termination (3.5mm, 4.4mm)

Sound Signature

The Tea Pro’s sound signature is V-shaped. Its midrange is cool, though not recessed-sounding. There’s a formidable lift in the upper midrange that pushes vocals front-and-center. The Tea Pro’s lower-register picks up steam around 300Hz and then jumps at around 200Hz, delivering solid mid-bass response and plenty of sub-bass emphasis. Treble-wise, the Tea Pro is on the brighter side, but isn’t drowned in treble response.

The Tea Pro’s treble and upper-midrange are paired well. They’re also metered nicely, and usually don’t exhibit sibilance. Most tracks, even those with sharp mastering styles like Nero’s Satisfy, are entirely listenable even with my treble sensitivity. The uncommon instances of sharpness from the Tea Pro usually originate from snares or high-hats, but don’t even consistently appear from a single album, let alone artist. Take Uh Oh; Puddle of Mudd as an example. The mid-song bridge features some spicy high-hats when played through the Tea Pros, but the rest of the song is totally benign.

Vocals are well-resolved and highly-textured for both male and female varieties. General intelligibility is high, and the Tea Pro does a good job at layering diverse vocal timbres such as those in Bohemian Rhapsody; Queen. High-pitched male vocals sound fantastic through the Tea Pro’s drivers, and contrast extremely well with the depth of its bass. Dead Poet Society’s floaty lyrics drift above the crushing chugs of bass guitar in I Hope You Hate Me and HURT. HURT in particular demonstrates the Tea Pro’s immense control and finesse with high-pitched vocals thanks to their duet with The Warning’s (female) vocalist. Honestly, both the vocalist have similar styles, and less-performant IEMs can muddy them together or make it difficult to tell which singer is actually, you know, singing.

Weightier vocals and instrumentation are likewise well-articulated and layered. Thrice’s Anthology undulates and crashes through the Tea Pro, leaving listeners awash in the track’s expressive guitars and poignant percussion. The Tea Pro maintains a strong sense of separation for each individual instrument, but doesn’t necessarily assemble them into a “holographic” soundstage the way that the Luna or Venus might. Drums hits have a convincing sense of slam to them, and high-hats decay organically and with plenty fine texturing.

The Tea Pro is broadly compatible with electronic music and delivers plenty of bass for all but the most-ardent of bassheads. If you’re not looking for bass domination, the Tea Pro is probably sufficient, or even perhaps a bit excessive, for your use case. It was able to throw plenty of sub-bass rumble into the Satellite (Seven Lion’s Remix)’s drop, and punched with intent and precision. Unlike Pluto’s Worst In Me brings both punch and rumble to the Tea Pro’s table, and it delivers a satisfying meal for its listeners. Notably, the Tea Pro is able to express quite a bit of bass intensity without muddying up the lower-midrange of masking the rest of the sound signature.

Build Quality

The Tea Pro is put together really nicely. It features aluminum shells with hand-painted resin face-plates. They really sparkle and glitter in the sunlight, which makes for a genuine spectacle when the light shifts across them.

The top of the Tea Pro’s shells house its flush 2-pin 0.78mm connectors. They’re planted in a basic plastic block and sit firmly. I was able to swap cables without issue which indicates that they’re tolerance’d well. The Tea Pro’s nozzles are also made of metal and feature an integrated metal debris filter, which bodes well for long-term durability.

The Tea Pro’s cable is bespoke. Its wires utilize SPC and feature a simple two-strand twist “braid”. Interestingly, within each strand are two more twisted pairs, making it, effectively, a four-core pattern. This tracks, given that the cable features a modular termination with a 4.4mm balanced connector (which would require at least four independent wires). The modular connection is well-designed and features an affirmative locking mechanism. It is also compact and ergonomic, which is a plus. In all, I quite like the Tea Pro’s stock cable and will probably keep in as my cable of choice for this IEM.

Comfort

Note: Everyone’s ears are different, inside and out. Comfort is therefore varies person-to-person, and your mileage may vary.

The Tea Pro packs a lot of drivers and has a fairly large shell. It’s not the largest shells I’ve seen for a hybrid IEM, but is substantial nonetheless. I find it to be of average comfort with the stock eartips and cable. I was able to wear it for a few hours at a time without issue, though I did need to take a break to rest my inner ear thanks to its large nozzles. Swapping to Comply foam eartips and a thinner, softer cable also helped increase ergonomics for me, so I’d advise investigating third-party accessory options if you’re struggling with comfort.

Accessories

Inside the box you’ll find:

• 6x pairs silicone eartips
• 2x pairs foam eartips
• Semi-hard carrying case

This is a solid accessory package, though one that lacks the creature comforts you can find with many cheaper IEMs such as cleaning tools and micro-fiber cloths. The included eartips are of average quality, but will be sufficient for most buyers. The case is good-looking, but of average protectiveness. It will be fine to insulate the Tea Pro from the jostling of gym bag, but might not stand up to the test of a packed college backpack or cluttered purse. I also don’t recommend the Tea Pro’s case for those who anticipate needing protection from moisture or liquid (rain, etc). The zipper should repel sand and silts though, so at least that’s a plus. If you’re serious about protecting your IEMs, though, you should be using a case like the (water-proof) Pelican 1010 and IEM baggies.

Comparisons

Note that comparisons are chosen based on what I find to be interesting and entertaining. If you want me to compare additional IEMs, just leave a comment.

ZiiGaat Luna

The Luna is, believe it or not, more expensive than the Tea Pros. For a $20 premium, you get worse shells (hollow resin vs. aluminum), a worse cable (generic black vs bespoke), and fewer drivers. I don’t think that drivers count is a direct indicator of sound quality, but its worth noting nonetheless.

The Luna’s sound signature is much-more relaxed, and is focused on balance. It has less mid-bass and sub-bass, a slight decrease in upper-midrange emphasis, and a little more upper-treble. The Luna is therefore less suitable for bassheads and V-shaped enjoyers. That said, it has a level of transparency and ease-of-listening that the Tea Pros do not. The occasional sibilance that the Tea Pro exhibits is entirely absent from the Luna. And while the Luna does have less bass emphasis, it certainly does not qualify as anemic or flat. Its precise, and sometimes punchy, mid-bass make it a qualified companion for rock and alternative. I particularly enjoyed the clean and cohesive pops and punches from the percussion in Social D’s California (Hustle and Flow) via the Luna. The Tea Pros, of course, rendered the same details, but did so with softer edges and a less-transparent presentation. I find that the Tea Pro and Luna are similarly-detailed and texture-prone, but tend to synergize best with different types of music and mastering styles.

Overall, I prefer the Tea Pros. The Luna is great in its own right, but doesn’t line-up with my bass preferences, and lacks the Tea Pro’s metal shells and improved cable. While those who are sensitive to treble may prefer the Luna, its higher price-tag and lesser materials make it a tougher-sell.

EarAcoustic Audio SPA Limited Edition

The SPA LE is a single dynamic-driver IEM cloaked in thick metal shells. It feels more substantial in the hand versus the Tea Pro, and its cable features superior hand-feel and ergonomics. The SPA’s cable is fixed 3.5mm, so it isn’t as adaptable as the Tea Pro’s 3.5mm and 4.4mm modular termination. That said, neither feature USB-C compatibility out of the box, so you’ll have to source your own dongle (a US-spec Apple Dongle is fine for both) if you don’t already have a compatible source.

Sound wise, the Tea Pro is more V-shaped, and brings much more treble, particularly upper-treble, presence. The Tea Pro also features a bigger and more-intense bass response. The Tea Pro’s bass isn’t necessarily better-toned or performant, but does suite electronic music a little better thanks to its increased punchiness. In terms of performance, the Tea Pro is, for the most part, on par with the SPA LE. The SPA seems to articulate certain midrange textures with more enthusiasm than the Tea Pro, though the Tea Pro exhibits better sub-bass and upper-treble extension. Both IEMs are strong performers regardless, with them mostly diverging when it comes to psycho-acoustic subtleties. I’d wager there’s a non-negligible group of listeners out there that will prefer the SPA LE’s dryer, more-even, and more-cohesive presentation than the Tea Pro’s drama, though they’re likely not in the majority. The Tea Pro is much-better suited to the mainstream and its sonic preferences. I struggle to select one IEM over the other for personal listening, considering their formidable respective strengths.

Punch Audio Martilo

Punch Audio’s first IEM is the Martilo, a bass-focused tribrid. It features resin shells, metal nozzles, a robust accessory package, and a modular cable, and runs about $330. That’s roughly $30 less than the Tea Pros. The Tea Pro has less-emphasized bass overall, but maintains a strong mid-bass presence. The Martilo’s bass is well-tuned, giving listeners big waves of sound when called upon, and subtle, substantive punches and undulations when not. Those who primarily listen to rock or alternative music may not notice much of a difference, as these genres don’t produce much of the frequencies that the Martilo responds to the strongest. Take Adam’s Song; Blink 182 for example: both IEMs do a great job of imbuing drums hits with weight and substance, but the delta in their respective performances are quite narrow. Switching progressive house or dubstep tracks reveal the Martilo’s bigger and more-dramatic sub-bass response. It rumbles deeper and with greater intensity than the Tea Pro, but not by that much. The Tea Pro maintains a stronger, more-robust mid-bass response.

Both IEMs are great choices for bass-inclined listeners, but deal out distinct flavors of V-shaped tuning. The Tea Pro’s greater focus on mid-bass aligns with traditional bass tuning methods and feels a little more organic. The Martilo leans heavily on rumble to establish depth and ambiance, but has a less-organic treble and mildly-stuffier midrange. Overall, your specific preferences about bass tuning will decide which IEM is right for you. I prefer the Tea Pro for general listening, but enjoy the Martilo more for artists like Daft Punk, Flux Pavilion, etc. The Tea Pro’s metal shells and more-ergonomic cable are nice pluses as well.

HiSenior Cano Cristales

The Cano Cristales is HiSenior’s 10-driver V-shaped darling, and a top-performer in my books. It’s another V-shaped, bassy IEM, and one that packs a serious punch. It lacks the Tea Pro’s metal shells, but still makes use of good practices for its resin construction. The Cano Cristales has bigger mid-bass response and a slightly less-emphasized sub-bass region. It has similar levels of warmth to the Tea Pros, with a slight decrease in upper-midrange emphasis. The Cano Cristales maintains a sense of brightness and air, like the Tea Pros, but does so without the subtle harshness that the Tea Pro sometimes displays. I find myself gravitating to the smoother, more-comfortable tuning style of the Cano Cristales over the Tea Pro on a consistent basis.

That said, the Cano Cristales is $40 more-expensive. And for that increase in price you get a marginal increase in tuning refinement, with bigger bass. It does come with modular cable (2.5mm, 3.5mm, 4.4mm) that’s more flexible than the Tea Pro’s, but is comparatively lacking in ergonomics. If you’re looking for a less-dramatic, bassier Tea Pro, then the Cano Cristales is for you. If you’re someone that wants to simply maximize performance-per-dollar, and don’t need the extra mid-bass, save the $40 and grab the metal-shelled Tea Pros.

Catchear CE6T

The CE6T is an oft-forgotten tribrid IEM from Catchear, a young, small brand. The Tea Pro is the same price as the CE6T, but has a few key physical advantages. It has metal shells and nozzles (versus resin), a proper carrying case, a modular cable, and a smaller overall footprint. The CE6T has a thinner, but better-behaved, cable and tuning switches, which may appeal to those who like to tinker with their IEMs. Both IEMs are strong performers, with the CE6T settling into a less V-shape and warmer sound signature (with both switches flipped “on”). It has softer, less-pronounced sub-bass, a slightly-bigger mid-bass presence, and a less-dramatic spike in the upper-midrange. That said, the CE6T has more total midrange presence, giving it a more instrumentally-focused soundstage. The CE6T’s extra warmth gives it richness that carries it nicely for deeper male vocals and bass guitars.

The Tea Pro’s broader, firmer bass response makes it more appealing to those that listen to electronic, or bass-heavy, genres. The CE6T is more compatible with those that want warmer, more-organic sound signatures and those that are sensitive to the Tea Pro’s mild spiciness. While I do prefer the CE6T for rock and alternative music, there are certain electronic tracks in my collection that are notably more-engaging via the Tea Pros. I also prefer the Tea Pro’s metal shells and more-robust accessory package, which makes for a more-compelling value-per-dollar versus the CE6T.

Kiwi Ears Astral

The Kiwi Ears Astral is a multi-driver hybrid IEM targeting a modern “U-shaped” frequency response. It runs for $299, so about $60 less than the Tea Pro. The major differentiator between these IEMs, sound-wise, is the Astral’s mid-bass tuck. This gives it an overwhelmingly-sterile mid-bass presentation, while maintaining a fair bit of sub-bass emphasis. The Astral’s sub-bass isn’t quite as pronounced, but is similarly-performant. Both IEMs are capable of rumble, but the Tea Pro does so with more enthusiasm and cohesion with its mid-bass. I don’t recommend the Astral for anyone seeking traditional V-shaped tuning, nor anyone who wants a balanced lower-register. The Astral does maintain brighter and somewhat airier treble, so those who want a true U-shaped sound signature will likely enjoy its style of tuning.

For the extra $60 on the Tea Pro’s price-tag you get metal shells (versus resin + metal nozzles), a much-improved cable, a superior case, more (and better) eartips, and a more-flexible sound signature. I think that the increase in price is well-worth the improvements in the Tea Pro’s overall offerings, and I much prefer its tuning. Proper mid-bass response, a less-hyper upper-treble, and metal shells are compelling factors in favor of the Tea Pros.

Rose QT-X

The QT-X is a multi-driver hybrid IEM from veteran IEM maker, Rose (or Rose Technics, or Roselsa). In its cheapest form, it runs about $340, while the deluxe version comes in at $430. This upgraded version gives you an upgraded USB-C DAC and fancy cable, but otherwise does not alter the IEM or its accessories. The QT-X is built nicely, and features semi-filled resin shells with metal nozzles. It has a fixed 4.4mm cable, sleeved in nylon. It has a little more body than the Tea Pro’s cable, making it physically and ergonomically less soft.

Sound-wise, the QT-X is a major departure from the Tea Pro. It is, essentially, a W-shaped IEM with a warm, forward midrange and less-emphasized treble. Its bass isn’t as dramatic as the Tea Pro’s, but is similarly performant. The Tea Pro’s cooler midrange is much closer to traditional tuning styles, while the QT-X’s will appeal to those who want warmth and substance. The QT-X’s treble isn’t as expressive as the Tea Pros, and has a minor amount of graininess in the upper-treble that isn’t present on the Tea Pros. The Tea Pro, however, can become a little sharp — an issue you don’t have at all on the QT-X. The QT-X has a healthy and well-rounded bass that will appeal to those that want an emphasized, but not spastic, bass response. The QT-X does an extremely-good job at articulating bass guitars, and really nails timbre. It’s particularly evident on tracks like Forfeit; Chevelle: both IEMs do a great job at capturing detail and texture, but the QT-X has a timbrel and tonal advantage. The Tea Pro sounds a little bit better-collected, but that’s a trade I’m personally willing to make in favor of the QT-X.

Honestly, it’s a tough call between these IEMs. Firstly, they don’t even attempt to satisfy the same crowds, and secondly, they prioritize different elements of physical construction. The Tea Pro leans on metal shells and a modular cable, while the QT-X puts its weight on USB-C DACs and quality nylon sleeving. For the general public, I’d imagine that the Tea Pro is the more-popular choice. Its cooler midrange and more-standardized tuning make it an easy swap from mainstream V-shaped earphones and headphones. The QT-X is great and will appeal to those who want hybrid performance with single-dynamic driver-levels of warmth and cohesion. My personal choice is the QT-X, though I do acknowledge its greater demand for “brain burn-in” time.

Previously-Performed Comparisons

• Melody Wings Venus

Conclusion

The Xenns Mangird Tea Pro is an outstanding IEM that has held up nicely during its year-long tenure in the limelight. Metal shells, solid accessories, and top-tier performance make it a compelling offering for less than $400, and its flexible tuning style will suite a wide range of listeners. While it does not top the charts for my personal listening enjoyment (that goes to the Melody Wings Venus and Rose Cappuccino Mk II), it gets close, and is an excellent example of what you can do when your development priorities are in order.

Who This is For

• Newly-minted audiophiles looking for a 1-and-done IEM
• V-shaped enthusiasts
• Those seeking to maximize performance-per-dollar
• Bassheads that demand tonal balance
• Those that want more mid-bass than the Martilo supplies

Who This is Not For

• Those with treble sensitivity
• Those seeking reference sound
• Listeners that enjoy warmth or smooth sound signatures

As always, happy listening!