Marcelo reviews the TANGZU OX Demon King, the company’s debut 85mm planar magnetic driver open-back headphones, currently priced at $349.
Disclaimer: I received this sample in exchange for my honest opinion. Headfonics is an independent website with no affiliate links or services. I would like to thank TANGZU for their support.
You can click here to learn more about the TANGZU audio products previously reviewed on Headfonics.
This post follows our current scoring guidelines, which you can read in more detail here.
TANGZU is a relatively new brand, having released its first IEM, the Wan’er S.G., in late 2022. They quickly gained popularity for the sound quality of that IEM.
Since then, they have been releasing good IEMs after another, including the TANGZU The Monkey King and the TANGZU Zetian Wu legend, which were reviewed here at Headfonics not too long ago.
Upon learning that I would be reviewing the OX Demon King, which sells for $349, and the first TANGZU headphone, I got excited because of its stunning looks.
Having owned a TANGZU Wan’er SE, a good-sounding budget IEM, I am expecting good sound from the OX Demon King.
How does the OX Demon King sound? And how does it compare to other headphones, including the FiiO JT7 and the MOONDROP Horizon? Find out in the review below.
Features
The OX Demon King is a full-sized open-back planar headphone featuring an 85mm Planar Magnetic Driver.
I wish they had made it a 100mm planar driver for better sensitivity, since the sensitivity rating is only 92 dB. It has an impedance of 25Ω and uses dual 3.5 mm input connections.
The OX Demon King features 5-axis CNC-machined aluminum-alloy earcups that allow the backwave and air to flow out, while also providing a stable structure for the drivers.
The headband tensioner is also made of metal, while the ear pads and the headband cover are made of premium leather.
The OX Demon King’s earcups can rotate forward for flat storage. The all-metal structure has a sturdy build quality; unfortunately, it is a heavy headphone, weighing 471 grams.
Design
The design pattern in the earcup looks stunning and unique. When viewed from below or above, one can see how the aluminum is formed and that the entire earcup is made from a single piece of metal.
The metal yoke allows limited movement of the earcups and also allows them to swivel forward for flat storage. There are left and right indicators at the top of the yoke.
I like the leather headband cover, which has a nice texture and TANGZU logos on each side. The inclusion of thick, soft head padding, together with premium leather ear pads, makes the OX Demon King look and feel premium.
Ear Pads
The leather earpads are thick, high-quality, filled with memory foam, and replaceable.
To remove the pad, press it firmly with one palm, then rotate counterclockwise. However, there are no extra pads; I was hoping it had come with velour pads as well, to change the sound.
Stock Cable
The included 2-meter-long cotton-sleeved cable is 4 mm thick and neither too stiff nor too soft, making it easy to use while remaining non-tangly.
The plugs are made of metal and rubber material, and the splitter is made entirely of rubberized plastic. I wish the OX Demon King came with a more premium cable with a modular plug.
As of this writing, only a 3.5mm plug cable is available, but TANGZU promised to release a 4.4mm version that looks more premium and probably costs more. A 3.5-6.35 mm plug adapter is included.
The stock cable is not bad, but it feels pedestrian by today’s standards. I have a less expensive pair of headphones that includes a sleeved cable with fully metal parts and a modular plug system with both 3.5 mm and 4.4 mm plugs.
Comfort
The OX Demon King is a heavy headphone weighing 471 grams, which is substantially heavier than the average headphone weight of about 350 grams. At first, the clamping force was strong, but with subsequent use, it relaxed slightly.
Thanks to the big, soft, premium leather memory-foam-filled earpads and the thick headband cushion, the OX Demon King is surprisingly comfortable as long as I relax and avoid sudden head movements.
I listened for about 1 hour in a cool room with AC without feeling discomfort or sweating.
Packaging & Accessories
The box is large, measuring 32 x 22.5 x 13 cm, and opens easily, allowing one to hold the bottom while the top cover pulls away.
Inside are foam inserts to protect the OX Demon King headphones during shipping. The accessories include a 2-meter 3.5mm cable, a 3.5mm-to-6.35 mm plug adapter, and a headphone stand.
Sound Impressions
Before doing a critical listening, I did about 50 hours of burn-in, which is twice as long as my standard burn-in because I find the OX Demon King sound bright in the treble, with some peakiness in the perceived response. I noticed a slight improvement in sound clarity and smoothness after the burn-in.
Please note that you don’t need to burn in the OX Demon King like I did, as it will eventually burn in over time, the more you use it.
I was forced to burn it in due to time constraints, as reviews have deadlines.
I used the iBasso DC-Elite, MUSE HiFi M6 Double, and FiiO M15S for the sound evaluation and comparisons.
The music player apps on my Android phone and DAP are set to their defaults: the filter settings are at their defaults, no EQ is used, and no sound-enhancing programs are enabled.
The OX Demon King includes only the 3.5mm cable. In typical headphone or IEM reviews, I would use the accessories that came with the review sample.
However, due to the OX Demon King’s below-average sensitivity, I noticed it can take a lot of power without overloading, so it can take advantage of having more power. I decided to use it with either the stock cable or a third-party 4.4mm balanced cable.
Summary
The OX Demon King greeted me with a lively, mild V-Shaped sound signature characterized by a moderately boosted mid-bass, neutral but slightly relaxed mids, an elevated upper midrange, and an energetic lower treble with a neutral upper treble.
As expected from headphones, the subbass is rolled off, but there is a healthy mid-bass presence with good punch, impact, and energy, along with good tightness, detail, and texture. The bass never sounds bloomy nor too thin; it is just boosted enough to balance the upper midrange and treble.
Midrange is smooth, detailed, and clear-sounding. It has a slight relaxation to give way to the mid-bass, upper midrange, and treble, but not so much that it is buried in the middle or makes the vocals sound recessed or the instrument note weight sound thin.
In the upper midrange, however, a perceived peak in response is observed. It is not always apparent, but most of the time, the upper midrange peak is obvious. While this adds clarity to the midrange instruments or the vocals, it colors the sound.
Additionally, just next to the upper midrange is the elevated, peaky-sounding lower treble. Though it is not too peaky and harsh, it just adds energy or enthusiasm to the treble. It makes the OX Demon King sound brighter than it should be.
There is a fair amount of extension in the upper treble; however, I don’t hear much upper-treble air, as the sound smears.
This means the OX Demon King’s resolution is not very high; the whole treble is not as clean as it could be, resulting in somewhat lacking microdetails.
Coloration
That said, the most obvious coloration of the OX Demon King is in the upper midrange and lower treble.
Though not totally fatiguing, it almost always has a slightly prominent presence. It adds liveliness to the treble, sometimes annoyingly so, as if the song is noisier or shoutier due to poorly recorded music at high volumes.
I also find that the upper treble, though not sounding rolled off, is not as refined and ultimately lacks the delicate shimmer, air, and atmosphere as if the OX Demon King is putting too much energy into what is supposed to be a delicate and graceful movement.
Staging & Dynamics
The OX Demon King soundstage is spacious and certainly above average in size; it’s wider than it is deep, but not totally flat-sounding. There is a good sense of depth and height.
Though the soundstage size isn’t the biggest I’ve heard, it is spacious enough, so I don’t feel the need to reach for other headphones with a bigger soundstage. I have a good lateral spread of the instruments, and the depth placement is also apparent.
The center images of the instruments or the main vocals are clear with good edges, but the edges are fuzzy or less defined in other off-center instruments or vocals.
The separation between the instruments is not as broad as it should be, and though I hear good front-to-back layering, it is not very layered.
The OX Demon King is a very dynamic, energetic, and lively-sounding headphone. Though fun to listen to, it is sometimes annoyingly so, as if the energy in the instruments is exaggerated.
I blame this on perceived peaks in the upper midrange and lower treble, or unevenness in that region.
I’m happy to say that the OX Demon King can take a lot of power and maintain its composure, without changing tonality or collapsing the soundstage, at both loud and low volumes.
The OX Demon King is noticeably more linear than other headphones in this review.
Click on page 2 below for my recommended pairings and selected comparisons.
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