Linsoul website: https://www.linsoul.com/

There’s nothing like sitting back with some good music and a nice cup of tea. But lately, I’ve discovered another guilty pleasure, namely the Mangird Tea. The Mangird Tea is a 7-driver in-ear monitor with one dynamic driver, 2x Sonion BA (balanced armature) drivers and 4 Knowles BA drivers.

Mangird is yet another Chi-Fi brand that is new to me but that shouldn’t surprise anyone by now: there are new ones popping up practically every day. So, with its large and exotic driver count, does the Tea actually sound any good? Let’s go!

Disclaimer: This sample was provided for the purpose of an honest review. All observations and opinions here are my own based on my experience with the product.

Mangird Tea

Package and Accessories

The Mangird Tea comes in a simple black box with the Mangird logo embossed on the top in gold. Inside the box is a fairly simple layout with the usual black foam insert holding a metal carrying case and a smaller plastic box containing eartips. Let’s break down the box contents as per usual in a little list:

• Mangird Tea in-ear monitor
• Aluminium carry case
• 3 pairs of black silicone eartips
• 3 pairs of clear silicone eartips
• 2 pairs of foam eartips

Design, Comfort and Noise Isolation

Made from high-quality imported Egger resin, the Mangird Tea has pseudo-custom shaped shells with a gorgeous design. The shell body is dark amber in colour while the faceplate has a sprinkling of gold foil, along with the Mangird branding embedded within.

2-pin connectors are the flavour of the month and that’s what we find here on the Tea. There is a single vent just near said connectors. The nozzle is aluminium and has a protective metal mesh cover. Unfortunately, there is no ridge present on the nozzles so some eartips with a larger core can slip off quite easily, although the default ones included were fine.

Overall, the smooth curves and dark tones with flashes of gold give a premium impression reminiscent of patinated leather and wood. The actual build quality looks and feels excellent.

In terms of comfort, the Tea is great, at least for my ears. It’s similar to many similar earphone designs such as ones ranging from the ultra-budget TRN IM2 to the upscale DUNU SA6 (review coming soon) and Fearless S8F etc.

With its sexy curves and somewhat long nozzles, the Tea fits in my ears like a charm. The fit feels very stable and coincidently, the passive noise isolation granted by these in-ears is very good. These are perfect for bus or train rides and noisier environments.

Cable

The included cable is a 2-pin, 4-core variant but it’s unclear whether it’s SPC (silver-plated copper) or pure silver. The cable is available with 3 different terminations (3.5mm unbalanced, 2.5mm balanced and 4.4mm balanced). It has a straight aluminium plug with a matching Y-split and transparent plastic chin slider. At the top are heat-shrink ear guides and aluminium connector housings with an L and R marking for the left and right sides respectively.

Although it is a little on the stiff side, the cable handles well and has a nice uniform braid. It’s very lightweight and the chin slider helps to attenuate any cable noise.

Sound

Gear used for testing:

• iPhone with Shanling UP4
• iBasso DX120
• Windows laptop -> Foobar2000 -> EarMen Sparrow
• Windows PC -> Foobar2000 -> Topping DX7 Pro

In an era when there are so many great earphones released on a regular basis, it’s quite special when something grabs your attention the moment the first notes reach your ears. Mangird Tea has some outstanding qualities, including tone, clarity, soundstage and realism. It’s a very natural sounding earphone that has a fairly neutral presentation with a little added warmth for musicality and naturalness.

Bass

With many hybrid driver IEMs, the bass is often a focal point. In the case of the Tea, the bass is more balanced in relation to the mids and treble. Furthermore, this is a bass that exudes maturity and quality.

In terms of quantity, the Tea’s bass is on the lighter side of the scale. But in reality, it’s a bass that adapts effortlessly to match each recording. Attack and decay speeds are fast, not unlike a typical BA bass albeit with the ability to move more air for that physical bass sensation.

Bass extension is good with a slight emphasis on its sub-bass and a smooth, controlled rumble. In some ways, this bass reminds me of the fabled Tin Hifi T2 with its neutral weight and extension.

Mids

Vocal lovers take note, the Mangird Tea has a silky, natural midrange with accurate note size and thickness. While transients are fast and precise, the midrange notes are full-bodied and organic. Despite having a leaner bass, the Tea’s mids are laced with a touch of warmth to give them musicality and naturalness.

At the same time, the Tea’s mids have abundant nuance, articulation and detail. In Malukah’s “The Dragonborn Comes”, the Tea recreates vocals like honey, while the timbre of the lute is done to perfection. This track also highlights Tea’s ability to create a spacious, airy soundstage.

Treble

The treble is clean, slightly lifted and precise. It has a light, open feel and delivers big on detail without being harsh. This gives the Tea a slightly bright overall tonality but it doesn’t come from a glaring treble: it’s also partly due to a leaner bass.

Just like the bass and mids, the treble has excellent timbre and natural sound. Although it creates a brighter tone, there is no harshness or sibilance. As an aside, it also provides abundant clarity to the midrange.

Soundstage

The soundstage is average in size but is well-defined and precise. Vocals are forward, allowing instruments to appear behind them, creating a holographic image. Instrument separation is superb which keeps the stage organized and creates clean air between sounds. There is good width and impressive layers of depth and overall the Tea has one of the best soundstages I’ve heard from an IEM at this price point.

Comparisons

DUNU DK-2001 ($299)

The DUNU DK-2001 (review here) is still one of my top picks in this price bracket. The main difference between these is in the quantity of the bass. DK-2001 has more sub and mid-bass quantity while the Tea leans more towards neutral.

The DK-2001 has more mid-bass impact and slam, along with fuller lower midrange. Male vocal lovers will appreciate the extra fullness of the DK-2001. But if you’re looking for midrange resolution/detail, then the Tea has got your back.

In terms of treble, both IEMs have some sparkle and a light, airy top end. Due to the lighter bass on the Tea, it has a slightly larger soundstage. In the end, I would recommend the Tea for vocal and acoustic lovers while the DK-2001 works better as an all-rounder, especially for those bass-dependent music genres.

Conclusion

Well, the Mangird Tea turned out to be a hidden gem. If you’re a vocal lover, you owe it to yourself to check out this earphone. It’s not one for the bassheads but is for people looking for something more neutral with a focus on the midrange. Timbre across the spectrum is really good and the quality of the soundstage is truly outstanding. The gorgeous aesthetic and build quality at this point are just icing on the cake. Mangird is definitely on my watch list after hearing this sterling in-ear monitor and you should check it out too.

Specifications

• Shells: Imported Egger Resin
• Drivers: Hybrid Driver, 6BA+1DD 2* (Knowles RAD-33518 -4*Sonion 2600 -1*German Bio-titanium dynamic driver)
• Resistance: 18 ohm
• Sensitivity: 112+/-2 dB/mW
• Frequency Response Range: 20-20KHz