Pros:
– Great timbre for a planar
– Great detail retrieval
– Solid build quality
– Cable is legit!
Cons:
– Shell is large and bulbous – they fit well for me, but for those with average to smaller conchas, they might not be a great fit.
– Fingerprint magnet – the smooth finish on the shells catches fingerprints and smudges really easily, and they can get oily and slippery over use.
– The combination of the above 2 cons means the shells can gradually slip out over time and you will have to readjust them.
Disclaimer – I bought these on my own and these thoughts are solely my own.
Since the 7Hz Timeless shook up the market, planar IEMs have made quite a splash in the IEM market. Detailed and precise, planar drivers offered great technical performance without breaking the bank, but more often than not, they fell behind in the tone department. That is, until now. Enter a new collaboration between Tangzu and reviewer HawaiiBadBoy (Chris), the Tangzu Wu Zetian HeyDay Edition. Chris is no stranger to collaborations and has previously put out some very competitive collabs over the past couple years, including a couple favorites of mine, the LetShuoer EJ07M Kinda Lava and the Tripowin Olina.
Build – Slick black, fully metal shells. They feel like a solid improvement over the original Wu Zetian, which had a plastic shell fitted with a metal faceplate. The Heyday feels markedly more premium, whereas the original felt cheap and had sharp edges where the metal faceplate met the plastic shells. Even the driver used is different as far as I know!
Sound – When one thinks of planar IEMs, chances are planar timbre might be the first thing to come to mind. Most planar IEMs I’ve tried to date have a strange, artificial timbre and incisiveness that doesn’t sound quite natural. You get all the details, but the music sounds slightly off. This means that planars are a great choice for detail heads on a budget, but for those who prefer something that sounds more realistic and natural, it has been wise to stick to IEMs with driver configs that use some combination of DDs and BAs. I can say that this is not the case with Heyday! If you told me this was a single DD, I likely would have believed you!
Bass – Bass on the Heyday is textured and extends deep. It also outperforms some of your more run-of-the-mill DDs in impact, which is quite surprising! It rumbles down low in the subbass region and punches in the midbass region. Bass texture is quite good, and while the decay is quicker, it still feels pretty meaty and substantial. Very satisfying and perhaps only missing that last leg of physicality that a very good DD implementation can have.
Mids – Heyday has a decent amount of midbass, contributing to a fairly decent note weight that is slightly leaner but not thin. This helps the mids sound more substantial and meaty compared to the S12 where the mids take a clear backseat. Planars (the S12 included) can sometimes have a thin nasally sound to the mids. I’m happy to say that this is not the case with the Heyday. Mids here are pleasant and clear!
Treble – Smooth and well extended. Fairly airy and sparkly without being too much. No offensive peaks or sibilance here – just a pleasant listening experience. Snares and cymbals have a nice timbre to them without being too accentuated.
Techs – Soundstage is fairly average for an IEM; it’s neither large nor claustrophobic – just don’t expect an expansive sound. Imaging performance is decent, as is separation. Detail pick-up is very good – not as in-your-face resolving as some planars can be, but the tradeoff here is much-improved timbre over other planars. I’m a card-carrying member of the tonality-over-tech club, and if something sounds tonally off to me, I don’t quite care as much for how technical it is. Good transients. Fairly dynamic. Did I mention that the timbre on the Heyday is quite good?
Closing thoughts – The Tangzu Wu Zetian Heyday Edition is very well-tuned, has great technical chops, and does very little wrong. At the time of this writing, I think this is the best planar available and is among the best IEM choices (if not the best choice) under $500 USD. If you’ve been waiting for someone to solve the age-old problem of tuning a planar well, look no further – that day has come! Build quality is top-notch, timbre is surprisingly good for a planar IEM. A marked improvement over the original Wu Zetian, the HeyDay lives up to its namesake, the first female emperor of China – a true planar empress in a sea of planar IEMs that are decent but fall short of greatness. In light of the recent announcement that the OG Wu will be discontinued, I honestly believe there was a missed opportunity to name this something else to prevent cannibalization of sales – build quality, sound quality are all greatly improved over the original – they don’t even share the same driver! If you are considering spending $200, or even up to $300 on an IEM, look no further!
