🔶 Mangird XENNS UP

tkddans · July 10, 2021, 1:25pm

Ok. Here is my, hopefully, final take on the Xenns UP before I make and release my deep dive video in a week or two…

If you enjoy reading this detailed impression, please feel free to check out my rankings list where I try to make such detailed notes and comparisons for many other headphones/IEM’s. I give not just an impression, but I also try to sum up what I’ve seen in the community and reflect on giving practical buying advice

I hope this helps your buying decisions…

Xenns UP Detailed Impressions. Where does it go in a collection?

Very fun bass without losing too much on resolution, for my ear anyway. This set has mixed feelings by reviews so far. Some audio community members find the bass elevated to the point where the mids are too recessed for their liking. While I also hear the mids less on this set than I might on something like the MEST, they’re still present enough for me to enjoy.

The treble though, less impinged by the psychoacoustic effect of the bass as the mids may be, is clear as can be. The result of the pristine clarity of treble, the fun full sound of bass, and adequate and true to life mids, makes for an extremely enjoyable set for some buyers. The caveat, for even someone like myself who enjoys this sound signature, is that there are bass heavy mastered tracks that may be overwhelming with the UP.

I would say these aren’t good for the entire rap genre, for example, but it depends on the master of the track - some are beautiful sounding on this set if the bass isn’t too exaggerated. Generally, I’ve enjoyed my library of jazz, classical, electronic (track dependent as with rap), classic rock, acoustics, and vocalists. Particularly with acoustics, I find a lot of enjoyment with the harmonics surrounding string plucks and slides. Maybe not the best like MEST, but very good overall if taken with the caveat of the bass as mentioned.

This is a hit or miss set for potential buyers. For me, this set along with the MEST make an interesting partnership on a two-IEM-only collection as they have very different takes on musical enjoyment. MEST for general clarity and ultimate resolution and staging, UP for a fun change of bass. Hah! See what I did there?

In my situation, coming from owning the Clairvoyance and MEST, and listening to the Clairvoyance less and less when I have the MEST as an option, I no longer need or find time to enjoy the Clairvoyance in my collection and daily use. Time will tell if the UP retains its enjoyment for me, as some effect of enjoying them is the novelty of them to my ears and what I’ve been using.

In time, I could see having only the MEST in my ears again. But, for now anyway, I’m very much enjoying the bass option and hope that that joy remains over time enough to merit keeping them.

Resolution · July 10, 2021, 4:56pm

I have new information regarding the Xenns Up (for anyone interested in this set) but first I’ll re-post my reply to Veritas, even though it was hidden (was not meant to be inflammatory what so ever) since I feel it is necessary…

My Xenns Up cable was not only defective but I’m also told the set is most probably defective as well. It’s the reason why my set sounded so congested and poor. When we were going back and forth about the cable with Linsoul, I found it interesting that they required me to destroy the cable to prove to them that I wasn’t lying about it being DOA in an attempt to get a second cable out of them for free.

In the end, I was very upset over this entire transaction. I ultimately gave up on trying and have asked for a complete refund. Again, sorry if I offended anyone while I’ve been enraged over this product.

Veritas · July 10, 2021, 5:25pm

I’m sorry to hear about your experiences. No one wants to run into problems, especially that early on
I am another +1 on Sarda. It was the pair that made me take iems more seriously and wish I could let you demo them

tkddans · July 10, 2021, 5:36pm

That’s terrible. Unfortunate too since now potential buyers have to worry if their set will sound as intended. Like, what if any one of our’s looks cosmetically fine but has a malfunctioning driver? Ugh

Erokh · July 10, 2021, 5:40pm

Given the price of the set, I understand you go mad about that.

About cutting wires: it can be a habit with some manufacturer to deal with RMA. I remember Logitech doing that too, because they offered a change of gear without you having to send the original back. Cutting the wire and sending them the picture was a way to prove you didn’t try to fool them. In a way, it is a win-win situation: they have the certainty you don’t lie, and you don’t have the hastle to print a label and send a parcel. And no-one is paying for the product to be sent back.

It’s not really good for the planet, and could prevent some further inquiry about the failure, though.

hit_the_right_note · July 10, 2021, 6:07pm

It’s a shame that this kind of experience has to be repeated over and over again.

The QC of ChiFi products is still mediocre at best.

I have already reported on my experiences with it earlier.

The bad thing is especially the reversal and the effort it takes until the money is back in your own account.

Purplezorz · July 10, 2021, 7:26pm

OK, but is it overwhelming because the UPs can’t handle that much bass, or do the UPs reveal the bass as sounding bad in those tracks?

For example, if you play ‘LOTP’ by Congi, a lot of bass-pandering headphones can be overwhelmed, but on a good system, whilst the bass is over done, it still sounds good.
Whereas ‘Slingshot’ by Lil Xan has a very ugly bass sound design which can also overwhelm a lot of headphones - but it’s bad to begin with.

tkddans · July 10, 2021, 7:47pm

Hmmmm. Good question. In my opinion or taste, the general elevation of the whole bass shelf in the UP can create too much of the range and be distracting.

I wouldn’t say the bass is driven with poor driver speed, or “muddy” bass. It sounds more to me that the drivers are likely doing a good job. But hey, my experience with bass oriented gear is somewhat limited I suppose. Though, I have heard poorly delivered bass (old generations of beats for example, or car systems with bass turned up).

I find the bass to be “clean.” I think it’ll just come down to taste.

Or maybe I need more experience with good bass IEMs/headphones!

EDIT: Here is the UP against the MEST.

You can see how much the UP, comparatively is elevated across the lower end, which will impact the mids in such a way that those kids appear recessed. The effect of this is that the UP can sound “veiled” to some ears that are looking for more clear mids. I like the quality of the bass, but yes, they can overwhelm a track and take from the other qualities that track can offer. Take, a male vocal rap track where the bass elevation that extends into the low mids can kind of “overwhelm” the experience and steal attention from those male voices and other instruments.

Looking at the graph, it can also make sense why the upper mids/treble tuning appears clear and strings, female focals stand out well.

luizgarcia · July 10, 2021, 9:00pm

I think the UPs shelf starts too early around 600hz, that is probably what causes this effect…

Purplezorz · July 10, 2021, 9:20pm

OK, I know what you mean now, thanks
My interpretation is that for relatively neutral tracks, you get a little more bass energy than neutral IEMs, but tracks with overwhelming bass can start to characterise the lower mids - a little bit of bleed so to speak; not necessarily a deal breaker, but worth noting.
Definitely still on my short list - but looking forward to all the other aforementioned IEMs too >=D

Wouldn’t it it be nice to have unlimited money

tkddans · July 10, 2021, 9:24pm

This. This so much.

luizgarcia · July 10, 2021, 9:26pm

Dealing with chinese stores is absolutely infuriating, i have recently purchased a KBear Rhyme cable for the Teas and the left channel is not working, i contacted their customer service and they asked me to record a freaking VIDEO showing that the cable is not working, and not only that! I had to record more than one video showing that the IEM i am testing with actually works! LOL

I mean, you are the customer and to their eyes you are lying until you prove you are not, in my case i purchased 4 other cables from them and never had any issues so i have a buyer’s history there, frankly spending the time to record and upload videos for a $20 cable is almost not worth it…

Meanwhile in North America you can just return anything for a refund just because you changed your mind about the purchase, the experience is worlds apart.

czalarenta · July 10, 2021, 11:21pm

Costs have to be cut somewhere to get those Chi-fi prices, though, and proper warranty coverage/follow through is one place to cut. That’s not much of an issue when you’re dealing with a BL-03 for $30, but it’s a big issue when you’re charging many hundreds of dollars.

I would say that this is more of a Linsoul issue than a China issue. Linsoul could fix a lot of this by having a proper independent US distributor than handles product sales and warranty issues. It’s just too easy and tempting to screw with customers who live in two different societies with different laws and cultures thousands of miles apart. The legal systems really don’t mean much of anything at that point, which means the only thing keeping your warranty valid is the company’s tolerance for avoiding bad press.

Unique Melody is one of the best IEM makers in the world, and they’re Chinese. Difference is, they have had proper QC for a long time, and they have a US distributor. That removes so much of the potential risk compared to Linsoul purchases, even though the one US distributor for UM is just a one-man operation. That distributor is MusickTek, and you can see plenty of Chinese brands that can hack it in the US while being able to be held accountable.

This whole situation that @Resolution had to go through is inexcusable for such an expensive product. I was interested in these at first despite my stance on Linsoul, but after seeing that, nope.

boredbuyingstuff · July 10, 2021, 11:32pm

I’m not sure if this is available over there but if you buy from Linsoul through Aliexpress (DD Audio Store) there’s a 15-Day Free Return. I never used it either from DD Audio or any other store so I cannot confirm if that would work but is this available over there?

Resolution · July 10, 2021, 11:38pm

For the record, I’ve never had a problem with any product I’ve purchased from Linsoul except for the metal nozzle coming off on a Legacy 5 which Linsoul bent over backwards to resolve.

I’m confident Linsoul will make this right. This is the first time I’ve received a product that was completely defective.

luizgarcia · July 11, 2021, 12:08am

Oh i wish i knew that, i sold mine and lost around $100. But i dont think the return policy covers situations such as mine, my set was not defective.

tkddans · July 11, 2021, 2:07am

I’m having the weirdest experience this weekend. Terrible sleep several days in a row, never having a chance to listen to these or other IEM’s in any environment other than a car or in an apartment with the noise of the AC blasting in the background…

And I find myself not having joy with the Xenns UP. But then I tried the MEST, my always-joy when I’m at home (I’m on a road trip now). And even now, trying the MEST, I’m not finding joy either. Then the Clairs, same thing.

Does this ever happen to people or am I screwing up my brain’s acoustic expectations with all this testing and back and forth?

I’m telling myself it’ll be better when I get back home, when I get a good sleep, and listen in a quiet room again. Maybe with a glass of whiskey.

I just need to be careful not to tell you all my opinions under these circumstances because nothing is doing it for me right now.

Mr_Makua · July 11, 2021, 2:41am

It totally happens. Sometimes I’m just not in the mood, or I feel like I’m stressed or maybe even had one too many cups of coffee and then I’m like “Why is this thing that I liked yesterday bothering me right now?”. Frame of mind is a big factor in listening enjoyment.

hawaiibadboy · July 11, 2021, 2:47am

If you watch folks do reviews enough you can see when they are not in the game.
Scariest vids are ones a casual has no idea is a bash job because a person was being …human. Not intentional but I have sat up 30 seconds into vids and knew somethin was off…

Never know what is going on in peoples lives
Cancer
Depression
Just a bad damned day

Seen it many times

tkddans · July 11, 2021, 5:27pm

Oh and side note pertaining to potential quality control issues with the UP…

When I first tried them, there was an odd white noise type of sound on them and then the music stopped mid playback. They started up again and I think they were the same quality as before this sound occurred. I don’t know why I’m only thinking of it now but it happened within the first minutes of trying them.

Did a driver die or something and I’ve been loving them regardless? Lol