Short answer: a tie on sound quality. Both are rated 3.3/5 (#924 and #925 of 1291 in-ear headphones) at nearly the same price ($5 vs $9.99), so choose on features and fit.
Why pick the Kinera x Elise Audio Dark Phoenix: A broadly balanced tuning with a preference score of 65 against the Harman target. The tradeoff: An uneven response, 2.3 dB standard deviation from target.
What the Tangzu Xue Tao does well: A broadly balanced tuning with a preference score of 65 against the Harman target. The catch: Treble about 4 dB below target from 3 to 10 kHz, which can sound dull or veiled next to brighter headphones.
Buy the Kinera x Elise Audio Dark Phoenix or the Tangzu Xue Tao on features: they are rated the same for sound quality at close to the same price.
Still deciding? The full Headphones rankings cover every ranked option.
A broadly balanced tuning with a preference score of 65 against the Harman target.
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A broadly balanced tuning with a preference score of 65 against the Harman target.
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Specifications Side By Side
| Kinera x Elise Audio Dark Phoenix | Tangzu Xue Tao | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | 5.00 | 9.99 |
| Ranked | #924 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones | #925 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones |
| Form Factor | In-ear | In-ear |
| Back | Closed | Closed |
| Harman Preference Score | 65 (median of 3 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) | 65 (median of 6 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) |
| Deviation From Target | 2.27 dB standard deviation | 2.36 dB standard deviation |
| Tonal Tilt | -0.49 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) | -1.04 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) |
| Sub-bass Extension | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (+2.9 dB at 30 Hz) | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (+1.2 dB at 30 Hz) |
| Connection | Wired | Wired |
| Driver Type | Tribrid (1 DD + 2 BA + 2 Micro-Planar) | Dynamic |
| Drivers | 1 x 7mm dynamic driver + 2 x custom balanced armature + 2 x micro planar drivers | 1 x 10mm glass-centered PET-edged diaphragm dynamic driver |
| Impedance | 32 ohms | 18.5 ohms |
| Sensitivity | 103 dB | 109 dB |
| Frequency Response | 20Hz - 40,000Hz | 20Hz - 20,000Hz |
Frequency Response Compared
Both headphones’ measurements overlaid on the Harman target. Above the target sounds louder in that range, below it quieter. Each curve is the median of several independent measurements, shifted so its 500 Hz to 2 kHz average sits at 0 dB, so only the tuning is compared.
Measurement data: the Kinera x Elise Audio Dark Phoenix from pw, vortexreviews and vsg; the Tangzu Xue Tao from aftersound, atechreviews, bassaudio, csi-zone, jaytiss and soundignity, all via squig.link.
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