All that glitters is not gold, but maybe a Prism.
PROS: Harman target inspired well balanced signature, good clarity, very clean soundstage space, very good imaging and separation, bass punch and definition, resolving midrange with forward upper-midrange, smooth but resolving treble, strong instrument definition.
CONS: Not much for me personally. Subjective – People who like their pinna gain served on the easier side of the Harman Target might find Prism’s midrange presentation a little too forward. I personally dig it.
The product was provided to me free of charge for the review in exchange for my honest opinion.
About Tanchjim.
Tanchjim are based out of Nanning, China. They have IEMs like Darling, Oxygen, Hana, Hana 2021, Tanya, Blue and Cora in their line up, with Oxygen being their most successful product till date. Their IEMs are generally tuned around the Harman Target curve. If you’d like to read my take on Oxygen, you can read it here.
Links – Tanchjim Prism (Shenzhen Audio)
Technical Specifications.
- Driver Config – 1DD + 2BA
- Drivers – DMT4 dynamic driver and dual Sonion balanced armature
- Frequency response – 7-50kHz
- Sensitivity – 125dB
- Impedance – 16 Ω
- THD – < 0.15%
- Cable material – Litz single crystal copper silver-plating + Litz oxygen-free copper composite mixed
Included in the box.
- Tanchjim Prism
- Cable
- Ear tips – 2 sets of SML (Bass & Treble)
- Leather case
- Manuals
Tech in Prism.
Prism has a 4th generation DMT dynamic driver with high polymer carbon nanotube diaphragm and a Sonion dual balanced armature driver. Prism uses a Vibration Suppression Metamaterial Back Cavity design which is based on the Helmholtz resonant cavity principle. What it basically does is absorb the reflections inside the cavity so that the transmitted sound is pure and natural. They’ve also designed a guided leakage channel port specifically to match the back cavity, which as per Tanchjim helps in managing the sound pressure in the inner cavity and optimises it by appropriately increasing the atmosphere flux. The nozzles feature an Italian SAATI filter and a nano-sized hydrophobic dust-proof coating. It effectively protects the nozzle from steam and dust entering and damaging the cavity.
Build Quality.
Prism features handcrafted glass face covers and stainless steel shells. The sapphire glass used is made by professional craftsmen with hand-polishing and grinding techniques. The underlying pattern is made by electroplating and etching. This results in the faceplate looking like you’re looking at a prism from one of the top corners. It is quite a spectacular design I must say!
Tanchjim is known for blingy design language and Prism is no different. It has the kind of bling which makes it look expensive. The overall build quality is spectacular! The stainless steel shells have a reassuring weight but don’t feel weighty in the ears. They have nice tight 2-pin sockets which hold the cable snugly and the nozzles have a nice lip to hold the ear tips.
Cable – The silver-plated monocrystalline copper cable has a whitish clear sleeve with a metal wire wrapped around that gives it a blingy appearance. The y-split has a nice Austrian crystal on it, which may go unnoticed if you don’t know or observe carefully.
Case – The case is white with Ts assembled in a Tetris style pattern. It’s a bit flashy for my taste but fits the IEM+cable and all ear tips nicely.
Fit and Comfort.
Prism fits me much better than Oxygen and I get a nice, fairly snug and comfortable fit with the large size stock ear tips and even better with BGVP A07 and Symbio W ear tips. It’s still not as snug as semi-custom shaped resin shell IEMs like Softears RSV but is very comfortable for long listening sessions. Being a vented IEM, it might not be the best option for extremely noisy environments but should work fine as an everyday carry IEM for subway/train rides and similar moderately noisy environments.
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