TWS true wireless earphones - $50 to $75
FOUR STARS - When an audio brand goes all-in on a waifu presentation, do they cover up for something else? Don't rule the Tanchjim Mino out, as it can offer amazing equalizer options next to its honest sound.
Tanchjim Mino (asano Tanch) specs and features:
Bluetooth 5.3 with AAC codec
No waterproof rating
5 hours playtime on a single charge
Charging case can charge earpieces fully 5 times
Has: ANC, Transparency, multipoint connection
Doesn't have: app support, wireless charging, gaming mode, spatial audio
Comes with 3 sets of ear tips, English manual
$60 - See price on Amazon US or AliExpress
In and underneath this Tanchjim Mino review, you will find comparisons of the Tanchjim Mino vs Moondrop Moca, Moondrop Space Travel, and Realme Buds Air 6 Pro.
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Design, comfort and battery life
Tanchjim went all-in with the presentation of their latest model, the Tanchjim Mino. These wireless earbuds wear a waifu (anime girly) presentation, with a model dubbed Asano Tanch coming back everywhere you look.
She's on the packaging, comes on a bunch of stickers in the box, there's a button with her model and your order may even come with a base plate and flat figurine. The entire yellow-brown-orange colour scheme continues everywhere you look, from the box’ inside to the rubber ear tips.
It depends on your taste if this is great or cringeworthy for you, but you can't deny Tanchjim didn't put effort into it. They even made a LEGO-like model from Asano!
Button, stickers, a pin-up and everything else entirely in the Asano Tanch colours
The Asano Tanch-presentation is continued in the case, with a low-res sticker on the cases front. The charging case is scratch-resistant and compact enough to carry comfortably in a jeans pocket, and shows the earbuds through a transparant lid.
The case doesn't support wireless charging, but can be recharged via USB-C and is capable out of itself: it provides five full recharges of the earbuds before needing new power.
The earbuds themselves last about 5 hours on a single charge with Active Noise Cancelling turned on. That's a mediocre score.
The earbuds don't have Asana displayed on them, but do draw attention with symbols on the touch panels, the text Tanchjim and Mino on the stems and the colour scheme that's different from all other TWS.
Most importantly for everyday use, the Mino is comfortable to wear for hours, thanks to the oval rubber ear tip attached to the compact diagonal earpiece.
The Mino doesn't have an official waterproof rating, sadly. The microphone hole on top of the stems may indicate these earphones aren't rain resistant.
Controls, connectivity and app support
The Tanchjim Mino enjoys support from the free Tanchjim app on iPhone and Android that adds plenty of useful features to these earbuds. You can find QR-codes for the apps in the back of the Manual.
Android users beware! The Android app is an APK-file you download outside of the Google Play Store. It gives a security warning if you're using the latest version of Android, and Google marks the app as unsafe. If you neglect this warning, you can still install the app.
Unfortunately, I couldn't get the Android app to work at all on my Google Pixel 6A and Xiaomi Mi 12 Lite. The app crashes immediately or doesn't show the earbuds, even with all app permissions granted. As I'm seeing multiple complaints online too, I think it's justified to say that only iOS users get a good app experience from the Tanchjim Mino.
Homescreen of the Tanchjim iPhone app
Changing controls is cumbersome, but works
The first useful app feature is the firmware update that lets you switch language. Select the default setting instead of Chinese or Japanese, and the Chinese voice prompts make way for sound effects to indicate Bluetooth connections and Active Noise Cancelling modes.
The app lets you customise controls, meaning you can add volume controls to triple-taps of the earbuds. The setup works counterintuitive, but the control scheme is pretty simple afterwards:
Tap L/R to pause/play
Double-tap L/R to return of skip a song
Triple-tap L/R to decrease/ increase volume
Hold L/R to change between ANC modes (pay attention: the left earbud triggers ANC off/ ANC on, the right one switches between Transparency and ANC off)
The touch panels on top of the stems respond quickly and well to your input.
The earbuds pause music playback automatically when you take both earbuds out of your ears, and resume playback when you put them in again. You can turn this off too.
By far the best feature of the app are the Sound Settings, which turn out to be a real playground for audio enthousiasts - but more on that in the sound part of the review.
The earbuds don't have dual-device multipoint connection; you can only connect them to one device at a time.
The overall Bluetooth connectivity is strong and reliable up to 10-12 meters away from your device.
The Tanchjim Mino is two-faced when it comes to features and connectivity. As the app bypasses the Play Store and doesn't function properly on Android for Western customers, only iPhone users get the great control and EQ settings that lift the Mino to a higher level.
Does the app work on your Android device? Please share your country + phone model + tips in the comments. It may help other readers!
Phone and video calls
The Tanchjim Mino is not recommended for phone calls and video conferences.
The Tanchjim Mino passes through your voice with enough volume, and makes it sounds warm and full.
That may seem nice, but it quickly turns to bloomy and overly dark when you're on the move or walking in the wind with these earbuds.
Surrounding noise is left out of the calls well, but also colours your voice darker and harder to hear.
There's quite a bit of crackles on the line as well.
Video and games playback
The Tanchjim Mino has no problem playing videos - picture and sound synchronize flawlessly.
There's no specific low-latency gaming mode on the Tanchjim Mino, but the gaming performance is great. There's little to no noticeable delay in the sound effects in a challenging game like Call of Duty mobile.
The earbuds even have multiple specific EQ settings for games!
Mobile games include Genshin Impact, Honkai Star Rail, League of Legends and Call of Duty mobile among more - elevating certain frequencies to gain more bass impact or spatial awareness.
It also has special equalizers for Switch-games like both big Zelda's, Splatoon, and Mario Kart - and pc support for games like Black Myth: Wukong, Apex Legends, Call of Duty, PUBG and Fortite.
Amazing! Although it's another special feature western Android users could miss out on, due to the lacking app support.
ANC test of the Tanchjim Mino
The Active Noise Cancelling of the Tanchjim Mino doesn't impress.
The ANC mode can remove some darker constant background noise, like a fridge running in the other side of the room.
Higher sounds are reduced decently, like chittering birds, a baby crying or a radio playing in the background.
Still, the ANC doesn't feel very strong. That's because middle sounds come trough with ease. Keyboard typing, people talking, door slams, or even people walking around in the same office: they are all clearly audible.
This is the performance when you're not playing music. The ANC does help to reduce surrounding noise when you are.
By default, the voice prompts are in Chinese, and as the effect is sometimes lacking, it can hard to detect if ANC is on.
The sound effects after the update via the iPhone app don't give a clear indication as well. It also doesn't help that the left earbud lets you cycle between ANC off and ANC on, but the right one between Transparency and ANC off - although iPhone users can change this in the app.
The Transparency mode isn't strong enough to forward conversations or higher traffic noise when you're listening to music on or beyond moderate volume.
The ANC mode does leave out wind noise quite well.
Sound quality review of Tanchjim Mino:
Dry or a fantastic playground
The Tanchjim Mino delivers its music in an honest, dry manner. However: if you're able to use the app, the Mino turns into an audiophile playground thanks to an entire social netwerk of shared equalizers!
By default, the Tanchjim Mino offers a rather flat sound signature. That means that there isn't a part of the music that's severely boosted, and makes for a musical presentation that feels honest and a bit dry.
The aspect that is forwarded the most, is the lower treble. Male and lower female vocals often stand out. They sound clear, but grounded enough to keep touch with the lower notes. Clear doesn't mean bright.
The Mino also handles higher treble well. Cymbals and claps sound natural without being piercing, and even the highest instrumental or vocal outhauls stay away from harshness.
The flat signature applies to the lower frequencies too. The Mino has a bone-dry bass, that doesn't extend in depth. Mid-bass strikes have some weight in their length, but are rather slim. The sub-bass in James Blake's ideal test track Limit to Your Love rumbles lightly, but feels on the surface instead of hitting deep. The sub-bass doesn't show itself easily.
Music needs a bit of volume to gain any power at all from the lower frequencies. It's only over half of the volume bar on iPhone and Android that the clear mid and upper range gets accompanied by some lower-mids and bass kick.
While there's good separation between instruments and frequencies and the sound is clear, it doesn't translate to a wide soundstage or very airy sound. The Mino is as honest, as straightforward as it comes.
But… this changes with the Tanchjim app, which turns the Mino into a true playground for audiophiles.
A custom EQ that improves the bass power
Even in Chinese the EQ Forum is fantastic
At first, the app has 8 alternative presets which tweak the sound subtly, which cater to audiophiles. There are three Harman sound-curve variations you can should choose from (2013, 2016, 2019), and the Balanced, Natural and Popular presets all offer interesting nuances that don't overhaul the sound, but are fun enough to try out.
Next to that, you can setup a custom equalizer with great versatility, as you're able to change both the output and the tonality. It's a bit sluggish to swipe between the frequencies, but really - you can change the sound character here.
The best and most unique app part is the EQ Forum. That's a social feed of people that uploaded their own EQ variations, which you can activate direcltly! Every upload comes with a description and the number of likes. While most descriptions are in Chinese, it offers great EQ presets like:
Oratory1990 by Paul Wasabi, for warmth and cave-like immersion
Kadenz Aria 2 ver2.0 by NateAFish, for more lower-mid and mid-bass punch
ACG by Robinade, for an energetic V-shaped sound with sub-bass
The Mino equalization options are so versatile, these can turn into entirely different sounding earphones - with either forward or laidback vocals, a downright flat or a dynamic engaging presentation - including strong yet precise mid-bass thumps and a much deeper (although still a little dryish) sub-bass. The chance that there’s already an EQ in the Forum you’ll love, seems quite big.
Sadly, it's also a bit limited. You need a Chinese phone number to contribute your own equalizers to the social feed, save your favorite finds, or save your own equalizer presets. Let's hope Tanchjim quickly puts this out worldwide - because it's great!
The EQ options and built-in social network show just how versatile the Tanchjim Mino is in the sound department. It makes the world of difference if you can use the Tanchjim app on your phone or not. If you can't? The sound is honest, but can be a tad boring.
If you can use the app, this is a fantastic playground unseen on wireless earbuds before.
—> These are the best sounding wireless earbuds from $25 to $100
Tanchjim Mino comparisons
Tanchjim Mino vs Moondrop Moca
Targeting the same audiophile market at around the 50 dollars mark, the Tanchjim Mino and Moondrop Moca both have their strengths and limits.
The Moondrop Moca shares some of its misses with the Tanchjim Mino: its battery life is limited to +- 5 hours, and the app support differs on iPhone and Android - in case of the Moca in favour of Android.
The Moca has much stronger ANC and clearer calls since the 1.2.5 update; the Mino has a more outspoken design and comes with the joyful EQ Forum.
Out of the box, the Moca has more space and warmth in its sound, while the Mino is clearer and flatter. Even against the most fun and best EQ's on the Tanchjim forum, the Moondrop holds its ground with its wonderfully balanced sound. It just isn't as fun.
Around $50 on Amazon US, your Amazon country or AliExpress
Tanchjim Mino vs Moondrop Space Travel
And how does the Tanchjim Mino compare to the budget wonder Moondrop Space Travel?
Combining character and great sound, the $30 Moondrop Space Travel also is a solid competitor to the Tanchjim Mino.
Even this cheaper Moondrop has stronger ANC than the Mino. The Mino does offer 1,5 hours more playtime per charge, more fluent video playback and way better gaming performance.
Musically, the Space Travel's slightly larger elevation of lower mid-tones gives music a warmer undertone and a little more dynamics than the default preset of the Mino. Treble is clearer on the Mino, and music feels a little bit better articulated - and more so, it can be altered much more than the Moondrop.
Around $30 on Amazon US, your Amazon country or AliExpress
Tanchjim Mino vs Realme Buds Air 6 Pro
At around 60 dollars, the Tanchjim Mino has a lot of competition from brands that focus less on audiophile pleasantries and waifu's. The Realme Buds Air 6 Pro is a terrific alternative.
For the same money as the Mino, the Realme Buds Air 6 Pro has usable ANC, great call clarity, and about 7,5 hours battery life on a single charge.
The Realme also has dual-device multipoint, so you can connect it on two devices at the same time.
Sound-wise, both earbuds can and perhaps have to be tweaked to make the most out of them. The Tanchjim is much flatter out of the box; the Realme presents more dynamic vocals, a harsher sibilant edge, and more bass depth and fulness. The last past doesn't even change by cranking the bass up on the Tanchjim. The Realme always feels a tad more artificial, but perhaps a bit more engaging as well.
$60 - $100 on Amazon US, your Amazon country or AliExpress
Verdict: Tanchjim Mino
The Tanchjim Mino is a two-faced pair of wireless earphones. On one hand, it's tough to recommend. The honest and dry sound certainly won't be everyones cup of tea, and its lack of multipoint and its mediocre battery life, ANC and sub-par call quality don't help to sell them.
However, if you have an iPhone or get the Tanchjim app to work on Android, you're treated to the most fun you can have with equalizers on any pair of budget wireless earbuds. So, there we have it:
FOUR STARS - Good
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I received the Tanchjim Mino AT (Asano Tanch) from the manufacturer to test and review. This doesn't influence my judgment. My reviews are 100% independent and non-commercial - read about it here.
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