Introduction

What's a Mangird, I hear you ask? While I do not know what it specifically means, it is also another newly popped up Chinese HiFi brand that is taking advantage of all the new audio hardware and tuning developments in the Shenzhen region. What Kailh and Gateron are doing to the mechanical keyboards market is what we are experiencing now with audio. It is hard to keep up with these brands no doubt, but the words "Mangird Tea" have already made their way onto many an IEM ranking list, and even more users swear by them. Thanks to Mangird, via Linsoul, for sending a sample to TechPowerUp as we aim to find out why!


The photo above is my own, and not a stock image from Mangird for two reasons. First, there isn't an actual website for global users to read up on the brand—that's how new it is! Second, the owner of the company clearly had an identity crisis to where Mangird is no longer a thing just about a year into the lifetime of these IEMs. Mangird is now known as XENNS, which is equally dumb but no BLON at least, and the rebranding exercise happened just a couple of weeks ago with my sample having the updated packaging. That's why you see XENNS on the cable strap above, and despite the Mangird Tea name being popular, this product will eventually be renamed XENNS Tea. That has not happened yet, however. As always, we begin the review with a look at the product specifications below.

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

The Mangird Tea has gone through a few changes over the months since its launch, including a rebranding exercise with the company recently shifting from Mangird to XENNS. This is more relevant with its latest and greatest, the XENNS UP, and we see the packaging has changed as well. When these eventually get renamed XENNS Tea, there will probably be no more signs of Mangird on the packaging or the IEMs themselves. We see a plastic seal over a hard cover box with an interesting logo that might as well be the Mangird/XENNS logo for all I know. New at least for now is the "Mangird Tea" at the bottom, and a sticker on the back provides more information, including some technical specifications and the combination of cable connector and plugs. There is a subtle "Open" on the side, which confirms that you need to lift the lid on the box to continue this unboxing.


Ah, we see two magnets holding the clasp of the lid in place, which opens up as seen above. On the underside is the XENNS branding as well as the hilarious tagline: "pursuit of high cost performance sound." Maybe XENNS needs to get a better marketing person involved; I'd rather not know that my product was made with high cost in mind. Language barrier aside, we see a very thick foam sheet in the box that has a cutout to host the carry/storage case itself. Underneath is another layer with more foam and cutouts for other accessories that come with the Mangird Tea. This looks, feels, and comes off as quite the premium unboxing experience with the precise foam cutouts adding to the detail. The accessories include a thick bond paper with the serial number and the XENNS logo, as well as a warranty card/customer service note. There are also XENNS-marked, thick cardboard packs that hold the various ear tips in a neat manner with clear indicators for the size of each set.


I have always been a proponent of using IEMs for travel, but these days, it might be a harder justification for wired IEMs as opposed to true wireless earbuds with active noise cancellation. Still, if you have a long flight and perhaps a movie or two to watch, nothing beats the sound quality, comfort, and isolation of IEMs. Seeing an airplane adapter included was thus a pleasant surprise, but note that these are high sensitivity IEMs, so keep the volume low to avoid any clipping leading to potential hearing issues. I also like XENNS' confidence in including a 3.5 mm to 1/4" (6.35 mm) adapter plug for when you might want to use these with a powered DAC/amp setup perhaps. More useful to everyone are the bundled ear tips, and we get three different sets at that. The lighter gray silicone tips come in sizes S/M/L, as do the darker black silicone tips, with the former having a softer flange that is more amenable to taking the shape of your ear canal without sticking to it as much as the other set. The memory foam ear tips come in two sizes and further take this trend forward in terms of shape retention and filling available space.


The carry case is quite substantial and looks premium too, keeping up with the trend of making the Mangird Tea come off as a more luxurious product. It is composed of faux leather with foam padding and a tanned finish that does look and feel the part. There is that same triangular logo embossed on the top, and the stitching quality is exceptional throughout. The case is composed of two pieces with a solid hinge on the back, and lifting the top reveals the IEMs with their attached cable in the bottom, and a liner compartment at the top for spare ear tips perhaps. There is also a shirt clip, with XENNS recognizing that most users tend to route the cable down the front of their shirt. This will help reduce microphonics and is always an appreciated option.


Here we see the earphones completely removed from the case, with the cable pre-installed and the first proper look at the Mangird Tea. You do need to stuff it back in carefully since there isn't much actual storage room. For a closer look at the cable and ear buds, we need to separate the two, and this is where we notice the use of 2-pin plugs on the ear bud side. Carefully tug at the cable while holding the ear bud with the other hand and level with the pulling force lest you bend the pins or even damage the connector/housing. It does not take a lot of force, and the cable pulls off cleanly at that point.