Tanchjim built its reputation almost entirely on in-ear monitors, so the Rita is a notable departure. It is a wireless over-ear headphone with active noise cancellation, not another IEM, and that alone made me curious whether a brand known for tiny dynamic drivers and shell tuning could translate that experience into a full-size closed-back design. After several weeks wearing it for commuting, working from a noisy coffee shop, and a couple of longer flights, here is where it stands.
- Applies To: Tanchjim Rita wireless over-ear ANC headphone
- Driver: 40mm dynamic driver, closed-back design
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 6.0 with LDAC codec support, plus a wired connection option
- Battery Life: up to roughly 92 hours depending on ANC and codec settings
- Build: ABS plastic body with metal reinforcement, leatherette earpads (not user-replaceable)
- Compatibility: Any Bluetooth source device; LDAC requires a compatible phone or DAC to unlock the highest streaming bitrate
A Genuine Category Shift for Tanchjim
The Rita is a 40mm dynamic driver over-ear headphone with active noise cancellation, Bluetooth 6.0, and LDAC support for high-resolution wireless streaming. This is a meaningfully different product category from anything else in Tanchjim’s catalog, closer to a mainstream ANC travel headphone than an audiophile IEM. It is worth being clear about this upfront, since the name alone does not make that obvious, and shoppers expecting another wired in-ear monitor will be surprised.
- 40mm dynamic driver, closed-back over-ear design
- Active noise cancellation with adjustable modes through the companion app
- Bluetooth 6.0 with LDAC codec support for near-lossless wireless playback
- Wired connection also supported for use without Bluetooth
- Rated battery life up to roughly 92 hours depending on ANC and codec settings
Build Quality and Comfort
Construction is mostly ABS plastic with some metal reinforcement, which is the right call for a wireless headphone where every extra gram matters against your neck and ears after a few hours. The clamping force is moderate, and the earcups use a leatherette-covered padding that seals reasonably well for ANC purposes.
A few things are worth flagging honestly rather than glossing over. The headband adjustment lacks locking notches on the review unit I used, meaning it can gradually slide down during a session and needs the occasional readjustment. Weight balance also skews slightly toward the earcups, which some listeners will not notice and others will find tiring during very long wear. The earpads are not user-replaceable, so long-term comfort will depend on how the foam and leatherette age over time.
Sound Quality
The Rita carries a recognizably Tanchjim house sound even in a full-size format, with prominent midrange presence that brings vocals forward without sounding shouty. Bass extension is respectable for a closed-back ANC design, and the overall tuning favors a musical, non-analytical presentation over a strictly reference-flat one. Over LDAC with a compatible source, detail retrieval is a clear step above SBC, since LDAC pushes bitrates roughly three times higher than the standard codec most cheap Bluetooth headphones rely on.
Where it does not try to compete is technical resolution against dedicated audiophile over-ear headphones costing significantly more. The Rita is tuned to be enjoyable and easy to listen to for hours, not to win a detail-retrieval contest, and once I stopped comparing it against wired reference headphones and just judged it as a daily ANC commuter, it made a lot more sense.
App Features and Noise Cancellation
The Tanchjim companion app handles ANC mode switching, remappable button controls, multi-device pairing, LDAC toggling, and firmware updates. ANC performance is solid against consistent low-frequency noise like engine hum or HVAC systems, though like most ANC headphones in this tier it is less effective against sudden sharp sounds or human voices nearby.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Driver | 40mm dynamic driver, closed-back |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 6.0 with LDAC, plus wired mode |
| Noise cancellation | Adjustable ANC modes via companion app |
| Battery life | Up to roughly 92 hours depending on settings |
| Build | ABS plastic body with metal reinforcement, non-replaceable earpads |
Who the Rita Makes Sense For
If you already own Tanchjim IEMs and like the house tuning but want a wireless ANC option for travel or office use, the Rita is a logical extension of that sound into a full-size format. If you are strictly comparing it against established ANC headphone specialists with years of over-ear engineering behind them, temper expectations around long-session comfort and treat this as a strong first attempt rather than a category leader. For a broader comparison against established ANC headphone competitors, the discussion threads on Head-Fi are a useful place to see how other listeners rate the tradeoffs.
- Good fit: Tanchjim fans wanting a wireless ANC option, travelers who value LDAC-quality streaming over ultra-long comfortable wear
- Less ideal fit: buyers prioritizing all-day comfort above all else, or anyone expecting IEM-level technical detail in a wireless closed-back package
When Pairing or ANC Fails
Most Rita issues come down to a stuck Bluetooth pairing record or an app connection hiccup rather than a hardware fault. Work through these steps before assuming the headphone is defective.
Headphone Won’t Pair or Keeps Dropping Connection
- Delete the old pairing entry from the phone or laptop’s Bluetooth settings completely, then power the Rita off and back on before pairing again from scratch.
- Keep the headphone within a couple of meters of the source device during the first pairing attempt, since some phones are picky about range until the initial handshake completes.
- Turn off other Bluetooth accessories nearby (smartwatches, other headphones) that might be competing for the same connection slot on the source device.
Companion App Won’t Detect the Headphone
- Confirm the Rita is paired at the OS Bluetooth level first; the app can only see and configure a device that is already connected.
- Force-close and reopen the app, and make sure location or nearby-device permissions are granted, since some Android versions block Bluetooth scanning without them.
- Update the app to the latest version before assuming a firmware mismatch is the cause.
Alternate Manual Pathway: Wired Fallback
If Bluetooth will not cooperate at all, the Rita also works over a standard wired connection using its included cable. This bypasses pairing and app dependencies entirely, letting you keep using the headphone while a wireless issue gets sorted out, and it is a reliable way to confirm whether the fault is with the headphone or the Bluetooth source device.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Tanchjim Rita an in-ear monitor?
No, it is a full-size wireless over-ear headphone with active noise cancellation, a departure from Tanchjim’s usual IEM lineup.
Does the Rita support high-resolution wireless audio?
Yes, it supports the LDAC codec over Bluetooth 6.0, which streams at meaningfully higher bitrates than the standard SBC codec.
Can the Rita be used wired?
Yes, it supports a wired connection in addition to Bluetooth, useful if the battery runs out or you prefer a passive analog connection.
Are the earpads replaceable?
No, the review unit ships with non-replaceable leatherette pads, so long-term comfort depends on how well they hold up over extended use.
Conclusion
The Rita is a credible first step into over-ear ANC headphones from a brand that built its name on tiny in-ear drivers, and the familiar musical Tanchjim tuning does carry over well into the larger format. It is not without rough edges, mainly around long-session comfort and a headband that could use locking notches, but as a debut entry into a genuinely new product category it holds up better than most first attempts from IEM-focused brands.
Between years of testing wired IEMs and a growing pile of wireless headphones on my desk, watching an in-ear specialist attempt a full-size ANC design for the first time is exactly the kind of release I enjoy digging into.
Setting Realistic Expectations
It helps to walk in thinking of the Rita as a debut ANC headphone rather than judging it against brands that have iterated on over-ear designs for a decade or more. The tuning philosophy carries over cleanly from Tanchjim’s IEM work, and that familiarity is honestly the most reassuring part of the whole package. Small mechanical details like the headband notches are the kind of thing that tends to get refined in a second-generation release, similar to how the Ola line improved from its first generation to its current hybrid form.