TANGZU - DUFU Second Stanza (Fudu Verse 2)

Price Categories Entry-Level (< $100) Introduction The last Tangzu product that left an impression on me was the purple Wuzetian, but I only got my hands on the Dufu recently after spotting some rave reviews in various forums. And with the price hovering around $40 on sale, I couldn’t resist giving it a try. Packaging & Accessories (3.5/5, 15%) Sticking to Tangzu’s traditional aesthetic, the packaging is bold—a long, oversized box that really builds up the excitement. However, the unboxing experience ends up feeling a bit overhyped, as the accessories are somewhat sparse. The Dufu comes with three pairs of Sancai fit ear tips, which frankly feel a little stiff and uncomfortable on the ear. There are also three pairs of velvet ear tips from the Divinus collaboration; they feel much softer and more refined, though they tend to color the sound with a mid-bass tilt. Plus, there is also a pair of red tube ear-tips on the nozzles—the ones I end up using the most. The cable sports a 4-conductor silver-plated oxygen-free copper build with a 0.78mm 2-pin connector that feels pretty good and skin-friendly, but there’s a slight cheap vibe to the texture, reminiscent of what WANER2 uses these days. Also included is a lychee-grain leather pouch with a solid first impression—the zipper is a standout feature with its big teeth that glide smoothly, and there’s an internal pocket handy for storing a portable DAC or the headphones. But a closer look at the stitching reveals a lack of finesse, and I’ve long since stopped using such bags as they offer no real structural protection for the insides. Build Quality & Aesthetic Design (4/5, 15%) The Dufu marks Tangzu’s first hybrid with both dynamic and balanced armature drivers. It features one 10 mm dynamic driver handling the lows and a pair of custom balanced armatures taking care of the mid and high ranges. The inner chamber is made from 3D-printed matte plastic paired with an aluminum alloy CNC-cut front panel, resulting in a design that’s both compact and lightweight. On the downside, the thin metal borders can feel a bit rough, and compared to another 3D-printed model like Moondrop Variations, it lacks the extra support around the ear cups. Overall, the Dufu sports a low-key look, though some of the detailing feels a tad cheap with room for improvement. Comfort & Fit (5/5, 15%) Thanks to its plastic-plus-aluminum construction, the Dufu is incredibly light. Once you find the right set of ear tips, it practically vanishes on your ears without any sense of foreignness or sagging, ensuring excellent comfort even during extended listening sessions. Sound Performance (4/5, 40%) Low-End & Sub-Bass The Dufu nails its low-end tuning—there’s plenty of bass output, especially with the velvet ear tips where the bass feels rock-solid. That said, I personally dig the performance with the red ear tips more: the lows stay tight and warm, making the Dufu ideal for pop and electronic music that call for a moody, atmospheric vibe. In many ways, the bass performance is comparable to that of the Titan S2—a favorite at this entry-level price. However, the sub-bass isn’t particularly strong and can feel a bit sluggish when stacked against higher-end models, as the layering and separation in the low-end just aren’t there, which can lead to a muddled presentation when a lot of instrument is going on in the mix. Midrange The midrange tuning is safe and comfortable to listen to. Vocals come across with a moderate density and slightly forward placement, though both male and female vocals lack a bit of emotive coloration compared to offerings like Simgot’s EW300. Instrument separation in the midrange is decent for this price point—the resolution is on par with the Titan S2 despite the hybrid driver setup. But if you’re really after a vocal-centric performance, you might lean towards the EW300. Treble & Ultra-Treble On the high end, the Dufu takes a conservative approach. The treble isn’t overly bright, and its separation is fairly average. While there’s no harsh sibilance, the Dufu lacks of a sense of airy, and the ultra-highs don’t quite soar. On the bright side, they’re smooth and non-fatiguing, making them a good match for those sensitive to bright highs over long listening sessions. Soundstage and Imaging Another strong point for the Dufu is its well-defined sonic framework. Even though the separation isn’t its standout feature, it offers a broad lateral soundstage and clear positioning that creates an open, enveloping vibe. Honestly, I can see this being a solid pick for FPS gamers if paired with the right mic cable. Cost-Performance Ratio (15%) At the MSRP of $89, I wouldn’t normally consider the Dufu—my heart usually beats for the EW300 or Titan S2. I’d rate its value at around 3.5 to 4 out of 5 at that price. However, if you’re able to snap it up at around $40, then its bang-for-buck score would easily hit a full 5. Summary All in all, if you’re an entry-level user looking for rich, atmospheric bass and comfortable long-term wear—or a gamer in need of a wide soundstage—the Dufu is worth checking out when it’s priced around the $40 mark.

Correction: it is Tangzu Fudu rather than Dufu.

https://preview.redd.it/dxjv889dzvwe1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5e2b56dd148764914d6bc91923424c96408acc23 Same as OP, I just bought Hexa and recently received my Tangzu Fudu... good to interchange them once in a while.

4.4mm nicehck 6n 0.78

Completely agree with the review findings. I would recommend this over the EW300 any day of the week. And a good cheaper alternative to the AFUL Explorer if its out of your price range. That said, i still think the Delci AE is the best in the price range for a more warm sounding IEM. Especially with the Gold nozzle. Despite having plenty of other better IEM's, i still keep the Fudu in my rotation. It has a certain charm to the tonality and timbre that i really enjoy. I think the only really weak side of it, as you correctly pointed out, is the bass performance. It is slow, and more complex tracks it will struggle with technicalities. But if you dont know what you dont know, then you wont notice it as a problem. And there are plenty of more expensive IEM's with worse bass performance, so i cant fault it too much. And i think most people will likely consider the bass performance to be above average. Given the typical bass performance on mainstream wireless IEM's.

The Delci's have warmer bass presentation. Where as the Airoso has a faster more tactile bass presentation. By that i mean the bass on the Airoso does not get that lush subwoofer feeling to it. Because the Airoso leans so heavily on the BA's in the treble and mids, that faster bass actually nicely tunes the DD to the BA's, giving them good matched tonality. When you look at an IEM like the Tangzu Fudu (another favorite of mine), the bass can sometimes present as being bloated, just because the decay speeds between the BA's and DD are so different. You really feel like the DD is pulling duty as a subwoofer. So, the Fudu feels like a small bookshelf speaker with a 12" subwoofer, where as the Airoso feels like a full tower, full range, speaker. So while the Airoso does have a tendency to make some bass notes feel a little dry. This is really only an issue if you are listening to something like Jazz or Big Band, where notes from an upright String Bass are prominent in the mix, and the bass plucks loose some of that natural warmth because they fade out a little quicker than our ear might hear it naturally. So, while it is accurate to the recording, the timbre can feel a little dry and clinical in some songs, if you are used to hearing them a certain way. Which is something people new to Planars often experience for the same reason too, the speed of the driver can make it feel less natural sometimes. That being said, if you predominantly listen to EDM, or any kind of electronically produced bass, like from a Roland 808, they are perfectly capable of replicating the rolling bass notes, and really replaying the bass notes with authority, provided the song is mixed for them to play that way. So in the right songs, sometimes the bass of the Airoso feels more impactful than the Delci, because it can really dig out some of the texture of very low sub bass frequencies, in a way the Delci cant. Overall, the Delci is going to have generally warmer tonality, and timbre, and represent a subjectively "better" bass presentation for most music types. Owning all three, musically, i will go for my Delci AE with the Gold Nozzle, and for gaming, or YouTube videos, i will go with the Airoso. And as a lot of my music is Popo and EDM based tracks, it works fine. I might consider something different than those two if i wanted to listen to metal or classic rock, because i think they fall on either end of where you want an IEM for that kind of music. Comfort wise, i have no complains with either. I regularly sleep with my Delci's in, because they have a very thin profile, and they disappear into my ear. The Airoso is a little thicker, so its not a sleepable IEM. But I have no issues with all day comfort with either. They fit my ear very well. As always, make sure you use the right tips, and try every tip you have available to you for the best seal, comfort, and tonality. Tip selection is SUPER important. Sorry if thats an overwhelming amount of data, but i hope that helps.

I loved the first, the second is an even more insane value\*.\* First impressions compared to the first after the first few songs is it has a little less bass and a little more treble, so if you wanted more details, but maintain the original's warmth minus the flood of bass from the originals, this is it. I do think the vocals are slightly more muddled than the original, but for the bass trade off, I can accept that. But it's a bit more sibilant. Way more spacious and detailed though, plus, a lot more isolating and a touch bigger. But, notably heavier. Haven't tip rolled them yet though edit: comes in 3.5, and 4.4. I chose 3.5. Includes their sancai Narrow, standard, and wide bore tips. Which run about 30 bucks for those 3 sets.

I loved the first, the second is an even more insane value\*.\* First impressions compared to the first after the first few songs is it has a little less bass and a little more treble, so if you wanted more details, but maintain the original's warmth minus the flood of bass from the originals, this is it. I do think the vocals are slightly more muddled than the original, but for the bass trade off, I can accept that. But it's a bit more sibilant. Way more spacious and detailed though, plus, a lot more isolating and a touch bigger. But, notably heavier. Haven't tip rolled them yet though edit: comes in 3.5, and 4.4. I chose 3.5. Includes their sancai Narrow, standard, and wide bore tips. Which run about 30 bucks for those 3 sets.

It's not quite that warm, it's just not overly bright. I also own Tangzu Fudu and they are considerably warmer.

I also bought this kz zsn pro 2 iem and i can confirm that the soundstage is great, i played hogwarts legacy and i couldn't belive cuz it was similiar than my philips shp9500 openback headphone! But i only use the kz for gaming cuz tbh for music listening it's a very mixed bag and it does not work for like 1/3 of my playlist cuz the treble sometimes is a bit too harsh and can mess some female vocals. For music i use a tangzu fudu with -1.5 dB on bass and the soundstage is almost as good (the 2x ba is way better tunned than on kz) without any harshness and def better than my zero red. You can check Paul Wassabi review where he praise this iem for soundstage and airy treble but he also sometimes got harshness so i don't think you got something special maybe our taste or hearing are different (i'm treble and upper mid sensitive). https://youtu.be/JwY8h6b_RT4?si=dIzIVl80lK4k5_Ij

I received mines today. The unboxing experience was amazing. The case and the shells look stunning. The only thing that I didn't enjoy that much was the tip rolling. None of the tips that comes with this set worked for me. I had to use some different tips from another set that I own. I'm gonna get the Tanchjim tips that you're mentioning to see how it goes.

Started with the kz zst, moved on to the zsn pros, they felt like a sidegrade, different taste, in fact I preferred the zst.  Then my brother lost the zst and also the zsn pros so I got the 7hz zero... Not impressed NGL, they were so boring and thin sounding (it was early on and I didn't know about my tuning preferences) dull! But they were unreal with EQ, amazing!!! 😍  Then I got the s12 and I was once again disappointed 😞 it was so bright! And... Honestly not that special (I was driving them out of my computer's headphone jack). Then I got the VE Abigail pro dongle and it was an improvement but they were still way too trebly and sharp and bright. Then I got a bunch of stuff... - cvj mei (The timing differences of the various drivers made these unlistenable for me) - tripowin piccolo (gave it away, too safe) - ew200 (way too bright and thin and lean but these are amazing drivers for EQ) - Trn conch (good accessories but bad treble but amazing for mods) - kiwi ears cadenza (I wish they fit me, a lil too v shaped for my taste) - kz dfi (why have I been spending so much when 5 bucks is enough?) - zvx (opened it up cause I suspected the driver was revised, I was right, quite trebly) - PR2 (shout city but planar for 15 bucks, whatever, awesome for EQ and mods, king of price to performance, recently got another one for 7 bucks, ridiculous!!!!) - Zs10 pro 2 (typical kz tuning stock, amazing for EQ, this was my first proper hybrid, competes with planar maybe 🤔) - tangzu fudu (awesome for 30 bucks on sale, good tips and cable... I wish I could get it again for that price, Zs10 pro 2 with EQ is better and cheaper so nevermind) - oh yeah and the xsl X one! (Ew200 has a better driver fight me, tuning is super fun though.) - faaeal iris 2.0 (earbuds are something else huh... Shame they hurt my ears) Then I quit for a while and now ima make my own iems, thanks for the opportunity to remember the journey My faves are prolly the zst, ew200, Zs10 pro 2, D-fi and probably the PR2 at the top. I always EQ and mod, fudu is probably the best stock, or d-fi

Received mine yesterday and they are fucking amazing. One of my best pair for sure 😊 Just sad of the noble eartips buying in the same time doesn't fit in my ears with this pair... Hopefully noble tips works fine with my explorer, bravery 2024 and nova

they replaced it with the Fudu Verse 2, which is meh tuning (depends on person), and wood faceplate (for those who likes woodgrain) Fudu Verse 1 still better imo, though they still sell here on Shopee Philippines, most likely warehouse inventory