中文

ungnoi Taichi MAX


Issued by MY-HIEND




Reborn to a whole new level:
ungnoi Taichi MAX Tai Chi shock foot cone


UN( ungnoi) is a brand from Hong Kong, specializing in the designing and producing High-End audio tuning accessories. Its products include Taichi (Tai Chi) isolation foot series, Crown (Crown) resonant adjuster, M System Audio stand, UN speaker tripod...etc. In the early days, Taiwan and Hong Kong were quite close, I often went to the Hong Kong Audio Show for interviews. I was lucky enough to visit many Hong Kong audiophiles, and I experienced the enthusiasm of Hong Kong audiophiles for tuning and sound. In recent years, many well-known audio brands are also from Hong Kong. Ungnoi is considered a new face to Taiwan, but their parent company MIC Audio can be said to be a company with a long history in Hong Kong. Taichi currently has three types of anti-vibration foot, ranging from entry-level to high-end, including Taichi Nino (small Taichi base), Taichi Base (Taichi base) and the protagonist of our review – the flagship Taichi Max (Taichi Max).






The flagship Tai Chi Max is not only the largest but also the most durable. Each Tai Chi Max can bear a load of 33Kg. If 4 pieces are used, it can reach 132 Kg. It is enough to handle more than 99% of audio equipment and speakers on the market. The height of Tai Chi Max is 46.5mm. , can be placed directly under the equipment with a higher foot. This is also the most recommended way of use by the manufacturer because if placed under the foot of the original equipment, the effect of the Taichi foot will be affected. Currently, the original factory has tried the available equipment including Gryphon, Accuphase, McIntosh, etc. Each Taichi MAX comes with three types of screws (M8, M8 > M10, M8 > M6), which can be directly replaced with foot cones of compatible specifications.




Starting from the extremely exquisite packaging, you can feel the intention of the original manufacturer. A single Tai Chi Max weighs 0.5 kg, and the curves of the design are also stunning. The manufacturer stated that it was designed by ungnoi designers whose idea is from Turkish Sophie Spinners (Sema). ) clothing. Taichi Max mainly uses three materials: carbon fibre, stainless steel and ceramics. Art of Balance is the core of ungnoi's brand philosophy. Just like good cooking, ingredients must be good, and the chef's cooking skills must be good.




The main body of Tai Chi Max is made of high-grade non-magnetic stainless steel and contains Grade 5 top-grade ceramic beads. The error of each bead is as low as ±0.00013mm, which makes its vibration-absorbing effect different from other products on the market. There is a carbon fibre gasket on the top of Taichi Max. We all know that even carbon fibre is categorised into many qualities and types. UN value the balance of stiffness and flexibility when selecting material. Taichi Max is mainly designed for heavier equipment, such as speakers, amplifiers, vinyl turntables, audio stands, etc. During our evaluation, we will use it under amplifiers, SACD/CD players, turntables and speakers.




The nemesis of harmful vibrations (Ted Chen)

Isolation feet have always been an important audio accessory and the easiest option to upgrade. Whether placed under equipment or speakers, they can often improve sound quality, especially if the equipment produces more vibrations. The speaker unit uses vibration as the principle of sound production. Method to reduce the negative impact of sound generation is naturally a top priority. The speaker design team also takes this as the core design, such as isolating and suppressing the spread of the unit vibration. There are also obvious vibrations from CD turntables or amplifiers, because of turntable mechanisms and large transformers. Poor design will cause bad vibrations that affect the sound quality. Therefore, many well-known brands also prioritise isolation when designing equipment products.




(Use the included M8 > M6 x 20mm screws to replace and mount under our reference speaker Marten Django XL)


Reborn and Comprehensive Improvement

This time we used ungnoi Taichi MAX Taichi on speakers, CD turntables and amplifiers. And it achieved a substantial improvement in sound quality. It is not an exaggeration to say that the system sound has been reborn and raised to another level. We first used it on the speaker, replaced it with 4 Taichi MAX on each side and referred to Kesha's "High Road". Kesha's sound was significantly clearer and more transparent, and with more spiritual sweetness. The range of resolution enhancement was from high-frequency to the low-frequency bands, the changes are as if we replace new speakers. The most amazing thing is the depth of the sound field, the clarity and consistency of each sound effect. I feel that the audio and video are more "in the right place", and an organised and rich music picture is right in front of me. The overall improvement was what I expected before using it, but I didn't expect it to be so great. It is a fresh, energetic, and clean sound performance, perhaps only by using the correct isolation feet product can you truly hear the uncompromising strength of the equipment.





The pure tone and tight fit of the vocal lines create a more complete sense of presence (Wackoi Wang)

In the review, I played the song "My Father's Father" by The Civil Wars for reference. Here, I first replaced all the speakers with ungnoi Taichi MAX to test and listen. The first thing I felt was that the overall and comprehensive sound was "perceptually amplified". I could hear that the vocal lines fit more closely together, and the condensed performance made it unique in terms of the feel of the playing, the texture of the instrument, the characteristics of the voice, etc. A deeper, more undulating, clearer portrayal. The sound is also clearer, cleaner, and spotless without impurities. It shows a more complete and all-round picture in front of you, like looking from an aloft perspective, printing the entire track from top to bottom.





When listening, I also found that the contrast of the sound is quite pleasing. There is a moist sweetness and a slightly subtle sheen in the middle and high frequencies. It caresses my ears and feels relatively comfortable, while the low frequencies expand the feeling of being relatively spacious. There is no obvious boundary around the sound, but a natural and solid extension in the space. It has a very good sense of presence at the moment of listening, and it is matched with the sound of humming at the end of the song.





It brings out the original and charming appearance of the sound and naturally spreads into the space

Then we listen to Adele's "Make You Feel My Love" as a reference. This time, Taichi MAX is used with an amplifier. The manufacturer recommends you place the Taichi MAX right under the bottom of the equipment. When listening, I felt that the performance of the sound field was outstanding. The sound broke the frame and blurred the boundaries, completely removing the stiff feeling, and making the picture spread more smoothly. After being more integrated into the music, you can also hear more dynamic details. When the piano is pressed, you will feel that the sound is deeper, the mids and highs show a more lively bounce, and the distance between the instruments is also clearer. Overall, the improvement is quite significant.





The vocal part sounds like the description of the voice is more in-depth. You can hear a bit more shadow on the edge of the voice line, which depicts a more three-dimensional shape. It adds a warm and mellow charm to the sound, restoring the charming appearance of various sounds. In the song, the vocal, the sound of the piano, and the sound of the strings play together. I also feel that the timbre analysis and the separation are better. It allows you to hear their respective characteristics, leaving a detailed space for each other, and presenting soft tones without interfering with each other.





The description with depth and detail makes the music performance vivid and colorful

Finally, I tested Taichi MAX with a CD turntable and played the song "Desperado" by Emi Fujita. In summary, Taichi MAX has the same feeling that the sound field is wider regardless of pairing with speakers, amplifiers and other equipment.





For vocal songs, it feels quite spacious after using the Taichi MAX. The sound naturally permeates the space, and both the sense of being brought in and the sense of envelopment are relatively strong, making you feel as immersed as if you were visiting a music palace. The instrumental sound feels that its texture is more prominent, and the edges are carved more angularly. This does not mean that the sound has become sharper, but that the timbre has been painted more vividly.





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