CCZ emerald

How I review: (See Previous Reviews)
Instagram: regancipher
YouTube: regancipher
Squiglink: regancipher
Socials: Biolink

Model: CCZ Emerald
Price: MSRP Approx $25
Website: Keephifi, CCZ
Review Reference: RC068

Manufacturer Specification:

• Brand: CCZ
• Model: Emerald
• Driver: 10mm Dual-Magnetic Circuit Dynamic Driver with Custom BA
• Impedance: 16±2Ω
• Mic: Available
• Sensitivity: 110±3dB
• Frequency response: 20hz-20KHZ
• Interface: 2 Pin 0.78mm - 3.5mm jack
• Cable: 4N OFC, 1.2m
• Earbud Weight: 5.94g
• Earbud Dimensions: 25.4mm height, 23.9mm depth with nozzle

Includes:

1 x Pair Earbuds
1 x User Manual
3 x Pairs Eartips

Real Life Experience

Welcome to the first @regancipher IEM review here on Headfi, the highly-rated CCZ Emerald.

CCZ are a relative newcomer to the IEM market. ShenZhen Juijang Electronic, their parent company, seem to have their fingers in many pies...but headphones doesn't appear to have ever been one of them, looking at their company profile. So it was a surprise to see a relatively new name upsetting the apple cart with several releases - the Plume, which were a little bit of a damp squib, the more impressive Coffee Bean, Melody, and in Q4 2021, the Emerald.

With KZ and KB-Ear dominating the market at this price point, I was fascinated to see how CCZ would perform, and the Emerald were a nice surprise.

As with all of my IEM/TWS reviews unless stated otherwise, these were purchased by me.

The Unboxing - 6/10

The unboxing is not exactly riveting here, and a little bit of a disappointment if you're used to the Kinera experience. You get the IEM, which is held tightly in an enclosure and difficult to remove. The eartips are pretty decent quality - they come fitted with the medium, and you get two additional sizes. The tips have an outer 'lip' around the nozzle, although this doesn't detract from the comfort.

The cable is decent enough quality - an OFC 4 core cable, similar to the old KZ ones. Frustratingly it is a little easy to tangle despite being rather short, at around 1.2m total length. Mine came with mic, although it is available without, and unfortunately no carry case included.

Ergonomics and Build Quality - 8/10




The Emerald really punch above their weight here, with very good build quality and decent comfort. The dimensions and weight are about right for a dual-driver, with the depth including nozzle coming in at just under 24mm. The nozzle is not too invasive, but with the medium tips I was able to achieve decent isolation. The earhooks are not too stiff either, so the overall design is quite malleable, making them solid all-rounders for all different shapes and size ears.



The IEM itself is teardrop shaped with a 2pin 0.78mm connection. The outside is covered with a sage green visage, and the cold aluminium texture looks much nicer in real life than the pictures do justice.



The semi-transparent inner-side shows off the drivers, with the BA sitting alongside the dynamic driver. Also visible to the right are a pressure release vent and matte green lip, designed to improve stability. Whilst I expect some will find the combination of the lip and tip-shape a little overbearing, I found the former to provide good support, and the latter to not detract too much from the overall comfort, which over prolonged usage was good, although not quite comparable to the super-comfy KB-Ear KS1.

Audio - 8/10 (for the price paid), 7.5/10 (raw score)

The low impedance makes it very easy to drive, and whilst I tested on various sources (smartphone, Ikko LOT dongle, AZ09 adapter) and with different cables (NiceHCK silver plated), the improvements were somewhat academic. Even so, audio on the Emerald is a really nice surprise, and definitely an improvement on the Melody.

With a custom BA and 10mm DD, generally, the Emerald has a pleasant sound signature that features a rounded, present low-frequency response and a solid sub-bass delivery that contributes to a refined, tight bass response with decent punch, no bloat and little mid-bass bleed.

Soundstage is surprisingly very good - there is a nice combination of warmth and breadth to the Emerald, with top notch imaging at this price point. Whilst the signature is v-shaped, it is nicely refined with smooth treble. Treble extension could be better, and as a result you're not getting anything like reference class detail retrieval and timbre bordering on the dark side, but I don't think anyone expects an analytical performance at this price point, and actually if you switch the cable to NICEHCK silver plated, the dynamic range extends further and brings a little excitement to an otherwise uneventful but enjoyable experience. With the stock cable, you aren't going to be offended by the Emerald - vocals have decent texture without discernible sibilance, and the combination of dark but spacious hits the spot with almost all music genres.

Final Comments

The Emerald are probably CCZ's best release to date. They are very nicely tuned, comfortable, well-designed and offer a lucid soundstage with a pleasant, dark-ish sound signature that offers clarity and detail that belies the low price.

You aren't getting reference-class detail, but you are getting good imaging, solid, well-balanced audio delivery across full the frequency spectrum that improves with better cable and amplification. Considering this is CCZ's first hybrid, hopefully they can build on this excellent value release and give the usual suspects even greater competition.

The Emerald are in my top five IEM's under $25, and are pretty much permanently affixed to my AZ09's. Well done CCZ on a really nice release.

Price Weighted Score: 86%
Raw Score: 83%

Disclaimer:

• KeepHiFi (Sandy CCZ) provided me with this review sample in return for my honest opinion and views on the Emerald. Rest assured that this review will be as devoid of bias/es as possible.
• The following remarks and observations shall be made and owned only by me.
• No monetary compensation is/was involved before, during, and after the period of creation of this review.
• Your mileage may (and always, will) vary.

Burn-in time: 5 hours per day, 3 days.

Source/s used:

• Hidizs AP80
• Not-By-VE Avani Realtek Dongle
• Samsung Galaxy S3 (WM1811 DAC)
• Non-HiFi smartphone (realme 5i)
• Local Files via Foobar and Roon, YouTube Music, Deezer, and Qobuz with UAPP.

Sound signature:

• Balanced-warm. Big, controlled lows most of the time. Vocals can sound intimate on vocal-oriented tracks, Average soundstage.

Lows:

• Lows are present and elevated. It is thumpy and has a normal decay, not too fast nor too slow. Levels of midbass and sub-bass are both equal to my ears. Overall, the lows exhibit a controlled yet fun presentation for its asking price. Bassheads may enjoy this IEM on bass-heavy and EDM tracks.

Mids:

• Mids are warm and may suffer slight recession depending on the source paired with it due to some slight mid-bass bleed. Lower mids are thick and have decent clarity. Upper mids are slightly elevated compared to the lower mids and can sound intimate on vocal-oriented tracks. It also exhibits decent clarity with no presence of harshness and sibilance. Overall, the mids are pretty good and have a compelling presentation under 20USD due to its lush and smooth character.

Highs:

• Highs are also extended, although not by much as compared to comparable IEMs in this price range. Treble-heads may be disappointed by the absence of treble energy, but most ears will be satisfied. Average detail retrieval, you can fairly easy to catch the small nuances on tracks. Overall, the treble on this IEM settled for the safer side without being too rolled off.

Soundstage, Imaging, and separation:

• The soundstage is average, wider than deep. Separation is also average; it can suffer a little bit of congestion. Imaging is also accurate and good for most tracks such as pop, acoustic rock and EDM.

Comparison/s:

Vs the KZ ZEX

• Both IEMs perform really good-even toe-to-toe when compared. The KZ ZEX sounds more “fun” and energetic compared to the CCZ Emerald. The bass on the ZEX is also punchier compared to the Emerald. The mids on the CCZ Emerald are much more forward compared to the ZEX. Treble is also much more extended on ZEX and can suffer some instances of sibilance to sibilant-prone tracks in return. The Emerald on the other hand has a decent extension on the treble without getting hot or sibilant. The separation is also better on the CCZ Emerald by a fairly small margin. The ZEX sounded a little bit congested when compared overall.

Pros:

• An All-rounder-sound
• Despite being an all-rounder, its presentation is somewhat different compared to the IEMs within its asking price (23usd or under)
• Smooth mids presentation
• Decent packaging and accessories, particularly the ear tips.
• Lightweight fit and feel, reminded me of the Final E1000 in terms of fit and feel.
• A fatigue-free listening experience.
• Very easy to be driven properly.

Cons:

• Intimate vocals (subjective)
• Lack of treble energy for treble heads (subjective)
• Slight mid-bass bleed
• Aside from those stated, nothing really bad for its asking price (23USD)

Additional Photos!

Bass: I'm gonna start where they shine the most. The bass is fast punchy and somehwat extended in the sub region and great body It leans towards more sub bass thank mid bass as it can miss some tones on occasion but it's nothing that truly affects the enjoyment of the iem over all the bass is well bodied and has great sub extension and presence

Mids: mids are neutral and dark along with the sound stage I tend to favor dark tones over bright and sometimes harsh tones. there's nothing lively or colorful with the mids as they are neutral with some warmth and a tad bit of transparency on pure silver cable. Over all they're a good set if you prefer a nuetral sound

Treble: treble is dark a tad to dark in my opinion it could use a little more snap and presence but it isn't unnoticeable . At times when songs are treble happy it can really show some presence and detail but nothing crazy out the box .

Sound stage : sound stage is pretty good I like it . Placement on instruments such ass frank Sinatra's New York New York they really shine ofcourse soundstage is dark but vibrant along with the mids but not over don't and artificial

Thankyou keep hifi for the wonderful review unit