TFZ Tequila 1 review

“The Fragrant Zither” abbreviated as “TFZ” an interesting dynamic model with darkened sound and accentuated bass. The earphones are undemanding to the sound source, you can use a simple player of the Shanling Q1 or xDuoo X3-2 level. The scheme is primitive: one driver with a graphene diaphragm is used. Here again, everything is at the highest level: a removable two-pin wire, a metal case, elegant build quality. Let’s take a look at the model in more detail.


Accessories & Packaging

The box is durable, high quality, made of cardboard. The black cover is removed in any position (up and down). In front of the box is a link to the company website. On the back side marked the color option. The quality of the packaging is not bad, standard for this segment.

Box contents:

  1. A small instruction in English.
  2. Braided cable (1.2 meters).
  3. Silicone ear pads of two kinds.
  4. Foam ear pads (one pair).
  5. Cable tie with Velcro.
  6. Plastic case.

Design

The round metal case is made of aluminum, the assembly is fantastic, no gaps or burrs. In the center there is a copper insert with a serial number and the application of “TFZ Lux” (sub-brand TFZ). The sound guides are at the right angle, they are quite long and, what’s most interesting, they lack the classic design with an insertable mesh. Here, instead of the mesh, we have three holes; the mesh itself is slightly recessed.

The diameter of the cases is 16 mm, the diameter of the sound guide is 6 mm. There are protrusions to hold the nozzles, there is one compensation hole. The L-R markup is visible on the inside, 2pin connectors for connection are not the most familiar, through the plastic you can see both contacts and wiring that lead to the connector. The platform seems to rise above the earpiece body and bulges out decently. We didn’t find any problems with the connection, the cable is tight. The platform with the connector does not backlash or move. Great build.

The bundled cable does not have a mic effect. The wire is normal, it can get confused from the splitter to the ears themselves (the wiring in this place is very thin). The plug is massive, 10 mm. There is a metal splitter with a slider/limiter.


Sound

V-shaped curve with emphasis on low and high. Despite the slightly accented treble, the character of the sound is darkened, since the main role is given to deep low frequencies.

The weak side of TFZ Tequila 1 is high frequencies. We can say that this is normal for this price, but when compared with more top end plugs from the USA (Periodic Audio), they lack naturalness, simplified attacks and attenuation, and the treble is a little rough. By ear, there is a slight rise in the area of 5-6 kilohertz. High frequency haters can if anything to change the nozzle and at worst to change the source. Specifically, we would not call the upper frequencies sharp, you get used to them quickly. High frequencies here balance the bass, allowing you to enjoy not only pop and electronic music, but also various Latin and ethnic music with a variety of acoustic and wind instruments. This is a better, more universal setting. When we comparing for example darkened “Tunai Piano” or “Shozy V33 Pro” are up this part of the range, the detail suffered.

There is a lot of bass here, and a deep subbass will also present. The woofer is deep, elastic, not as relaxed as in NiceHCK M6 and BGVP DMG. Obviously it’s not a fast and perfectly designed bass. Here we sacrificed a little quality, speed and detail. All in favor of a more emotional and massive sound. Saturated with electronic bass pop sounds good in general, but sometimes it still seems that the woofer seems to crawl slightly to the middle. We like how textures are transmitted, how tools are separated.

The semiopen acoustic design has almost no effect on sound insulation, the bass clogs everything possible. We can safely recommend this model to “basshead”. Also TFZ Tequila 1 are suitable for the only and basic street earphones.

The scene is very deep, very straight. The width is average, you should not expect from Tequila 1 some incredible virtual space. Female vocals are slightly behind, and male vocals do not stand out in general. The middle frequencies are partially submerged, they are dense, drive and pumped. Usually such earphones are undemanding to the quality of the material, but do not forget about the specific high frequencies.


Verdict

TFZ Tequila 1 turned out to be quite high quality and decent headphones. Good assembly, reliable wire, bass sound. However, this is far from the standard of its segment, today there is something to choose from. But, if you like deep bass and are not demanding on the general quality of musical material, can look closely at TFZ Tequila 1.


Specification:

  • Drivers: Dual-magnetic two-way graphene driver
  • Magnet material: NdFeB N50
  • Diaphragm material: Grafeno
  • Diaphragm diameter: 8.9mm
  • Voice coil material: copper clad aluminum wire
  • Frequency response range: 5HZ ~ 40000HZ
  • Sensitivity: 105dB
  • Impedance: 20 Ω
  • Magnetic flux: 9000KGS
  • Harmonic distortion: 0.5%
  • Wire: core count 4 * 18 * 0.05 5N oxygen-free copper
  • Jack Connector: Straight, gold-plated
  • Type of capsule connection: 2 pins 0.78mm