The TFZ x Angelears Athena earphones were kindly provided free of charge in exchange for an honest review. I didn’t receive monetary or any other kind of compensation and I don’t use affiliate links.
The original price of the TFZ x Angelears Athena earphones is $159.96 but it can get as low as $129.96 after applying the AliExpress discount. The earphones are available from the Angelears audio store at AliExpress.
The Fragrant Zither (TFZ)
TFZ was founded in 2015 by a group of audio enthusiasts in Shenzhen, focusing on affordable HiFi IEMs and earphones. The name stands for The Fragrant Zither, evoking craftsmanship and tonal refinement.
TFZ offers a range of budget to mid‑range IEMs usually tuned towards bass‑rich sound signatures, especially suitable for genres like EDM, hip-hop and R&B. Some of their best‑known models are the T2 Galaxy and the No. 3 while they also have the more expensive “Exclusive” and “Series” lines.
Angelears Audio Store
The Angelears Audio Store is a Shenzhen based boutique audio company that creates its own brand Angelears and partners with other HiFi brands, such as TFZ, KZ and BQEYZ, to make collaboration earphones and other audio products.
Examples include the KZ x Angelears Libra, BQEYZ x Angelears Winter Ultra and their own KAZA earphones.
TFZ x Angelears Athena
The latest Angelears collaboration is with TFZ to create the Athena earphones.
The TFZ x Angelears Athena houses a 10mm dynamic driver with a beryllium‑plated diaphragm, chosen for its rigidity, rapid response, and low distortion.
The dual chamber acoustic structure optimizes the internal wave interactions and damping to smooth the frequency response and improve bass/mid control.
Strong N52 neodymium magnets with a Tesla strength circuit are used to drive the diaphragm while the single driver layout maintains full phase coherence across the whole frequency range and eliminates crossover distortions commonly found in multi‑driver IEMs.
Design and wearing comfort
The semi-transparent ear-shells are made from CNC milled resin compound in a deep blue color with iridescent green patterns embedded into the material. The circular, hand crafted, resin faceplates have a black color and bear a mythological inspired logo that is engraved in either gold and silver colors. The TFZ x Angelears Athena earphones are limited to 500 units for the silver and 500 units for the gold versions.
The lightweight (5g each) and compact sized shells have a custom-like ergonomic design that follows the natural curves of the ear. The fit is exceptionally comfortable and stable, you almost forget that you are wearing them, while they also isolate pretty well. The TFZ x Angelears Athena earphones are well made, comfortable and beautiful looking.
Stock cable and accessories
The 2-pin detachable cable is a four strands braided design and is terminated with an aluminum 3.5mm plug. The cable is reinforced with a durable outer sheathing in a blue color that matches the appearance of the shells. This is a high quality cable that is soft and flexible without much microphonic noise.
The cable can’t be ordered with a 4.4mm plug but the Angelears audio store is currently running a promotion offer where you can buy the TFZ x Angelears Athena together with the upgraded Angelears 4.4mm Curacao cable for the same price as the regular bundle.
Other accessories included in the package are two sets of ear-tips in three sizes each (narrow and wide bore) and a pleather carrying pouch. Not bad for the price but a hard carrying case and a few more ear-tips would make the bundle more appealing.
Power requirements and associated gear
The earphones have an impedance rating of 32Ω with 105dB/mW of sensitivity so they don’t need special amplification. A high quality USB DAC dongle like the FiiO KA15 can drive them to their full potential. Entry level DAPs like the Shanling M1 Plus are also a great choice.
Listening impressions
The TFZ x Angelears Athena is tuned after the classic V-shaped target curve, however it manages to retain an exceptional balance between the lows, the mids and the highs. The emphasized bass is the star of the show but it doesn’t come as overpowering the rest of the frequencies that are left plenty of room to breathe.
The bass might be slightly out of tune by neutral/reference standards but it has a very tasteful prominence that is ideal for music styles like pop, rock, EDM, R&B etc. Let’s make it clear from the beginning, the TFZ x Angelears Athena is not made for critical listening and is not intended for people who like classical music or are after strict tonal precision. It is tuned to elevate your everyday listening experience by sounding fun and enjoyable with plenty of high quality bass and at the same time stay clean in the mids and the highs.
The sub-bass is extended enough to offer a stable foundation to the music with a subwoofer-like thump but it is not boosted to dominant levels. Both the lower and the upper parts of the lower-end are emphasized in such a way to keep the party going on but they don’t end up masking or clouding the mid-range. The bass is weighty, powerful and physically impactful but also fast, tight and controlled with very satisfying layering and definition. There are some traces of echo and reverb but the overall technical performance is surprisingly good for this kind of tuning.
More listening impressions
The mid-range might seem a little recessed or distant in the published frequency response graph but if you trust your ears, then you are going to find out that it sounds more present and engaging than the graph suggests. Voices and instruments are natural and realistic enough with good note weight and exceptional clarity. This is the part where the TFZ x Angelears Athena really shines as it has a bass focused tuning that doesn’t drown the mids.
The transparency of the mid-range is really outstanding for the category, you can enjoy vocal music with strong background bass without losing track of the voices. The upper mid-range is more prominent than the lower but it doesn’t compromise the overall tonal accuracy and it doesn’t make the sound too fatiguing or piercing. Still this is a V-shaped tuning that might annoy people with certain frequency sensitivity. The TFZ x Angelears Athena resolves very well for the category while it also captures the harmonic richness of the music.
And more
The treble is pretty brilliant and energetic in order to counterbalance the boosted low-end and add sparkle and luminosity to the sound. The tuning is not too sharp or excessively bright so it doesn’t cause ear piercing fatigue and the timbre stays mostly natural with just a hint of metallic artificiality. The textures don’t become too thin or dry, the sound is very cohesive and homogeneous, the benefit of using a single dynamic driver instead of a multi driver set-up. The clarity and the definition remain equally impressive in the higher frequencies that are only left lacking some refinement.
The soundstage is above average but not spectacular. Open and spacious enough with good positioning accuracy but limited sense of depth. If it was for listening to classical music, I would have probably been more critical but given the scope of use, the soundstage presentation is pretty much solid and quite satisfying.
Vs the competition
There are a lot of high quality, single dynamic driver earphones in this same category. Notable examples that spring to mind are the LETSHUOER DX1, the NF ACOUS NA20 and the FiiO FD15. While each one has its own unique tuning, they all sound good and worth the price of admission.
Between the three of them, the tuning of the TFZ x Angelears Athena resembles very much that of the NF ACOUS NA20. They both have a classic V-shaped tuning, however the NA20 has a slightly more boosted bass and sub-bass that are a bit more dominant and powerful than in the TFZ x Angelears Athena. Other than that, they have an almost identical frequency response but the Athena sounds a little more balanced and cohesive with better technical performance.
The TFZ x Angelears Athena is a little bit more expensive but it comes with a higher quality cable and one set of ear-tips more, albeit missing the hard carrying case of the NA20. Other than that, both earphones are lightweight, comfortable and beautiful looking so it’s up to you to choose your favorite tuning.
In the end
People who love the V-shaped tuning, now have plenty of reasons to rejoice because the TFZ x Angelears Athena stands out as one of the most successful and cohesive implementations of this classic target curve.
Bass rich and sparkling, yet balanced enough, the TFZ x Angelears Athena sounds fun and enjoyable with most kinds of music while retaining excellent technical performance and transparency for the category.
The TFZ x Angelears Athena is also lightweight and very comfortable to wear, well made and beautiful looking with good value for money if we take in account its current price offer and the promotion that includes the upgraded Curacao cable without extra charges. If you are after a well done V-shaped sound signature, then you should strongly consider the TFZ x Angelears Athena and better hurry because it is a limited edition that is going to sell out soon.
Copyright – Petros Laskis 2025.
+ Balanced V-shaped tuning
+ Plenty of high quality bass
+ Not too distant and expressive mid-range
+ Sparkling yet not too bright treble
+ Good clarity and transparency
+ Satisfying resolution and definition
+ Easy to drive and less sensitive to source noise
+ Lightweight and comfortable with good isolation
+ Well made with unique appearance
+ High quality 3.5mn cable
+ Good value with the current discount and the balanced cable
- The low-end feels out of tune for critical listening
- The soundstage is flat and swallow
- Slightly artificial treble
- A simple pouch instead of a carrying case
- The stock cable is not modular
- The regular price without the offers is not very competitive
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