Reviews by erowixia
Having rocked the TRN MT1s for a while, I decided to upgrade to the KZ ZEX. The KZ ZEX is an interesting IEM - it is really warm but has great vocals, albeit a little hot, with great detail retrieval. The mids are great, and the highs are really nice most of the time. It performs really well on metal and pop songs.
For the cons, there is a bit of sibilance occasionally, for example on ESCAPE PLAN. Travis Scott's voice is especially spicy on the S's. Cymbals are also handled terribly by the ZEX, at high volumes they're very spicy. This might be because I am quite treble sensitive, and if you're coming from an pair like the ZST X's, you should be fine as this is less spicy. Theres also crazy bass, which can come off as bloated sometimes depending on the song. It's hard to explain - theres a heavily extended bottom end which is overwhelming at times.
Personally, I prefer warm IEMs, but I also really enjoy a good vocal presentation. I'm both treble and bass sensitive - I have tried both the BLONs and the Tin T2s and I found them too hot or sibilant/sparkly for me. The TRN MT1s were amazing for me, not too boomy but also not sibilant, but lacking in details. Coming from that, it took a while to get used to the ZEX's highs. When listening on one ear the cymbals can sometimes drown out everything else, which made it hard to listen to but that only happens occasionally.
Overall, the ZEXs are actually quite a good pair of IEMs, when they're not sibilant. It's a very fine line, they could either have just enough treble extension to be eargasmic or just plain sibilant.
SONGS TESTED:
Sanctuary - Joji: The low end is really good this song, not extremely boomy but just warm enough to be pleasant. Joji's falsettos are controlled superbly by the ZEX, with a hint of sibilance at high volumes. Soundstage is wide for this price range.
ESCAPE PLAN - Travis Scott: Travis Scott is the archenemy of the KZ ZEX. His voice is constantly sibilant, and listening at high volumes is quite challenging due to his sibilant S's. (Although it is probably arguably fine compared to IEMs like the ZSN or EDX.)
Taman Rashidah Utama - Wings: This is a metal song which is handled exceptionally by the ZEX. All the metal songs I've tried have given very very satisfactory results, with great vocal performance. Songs like Black Sabbath's Symptom of the Universe is also very pleasing to listen to.
For the cons, there is a bit of sibilance occasionally, for example on ESCAPE PLAN. Travis Scott's voice is especially spicy on the S's. Cymbals are also handled terribly by the ZEX, at high volumes they're very spicy. This might be because I am quite treble sensitive, and if you're coming from an pair like the ZST X's, you should be fine as this is less spicy. Theres also crazy bass, which can come off as bloated sometimes depending on the song. It's hard to explain - theres a heavily extended bottom end which is overwhelming at times.
Personally, I prefer warm IEMs, but I also really enjoy a good vocal presentation. I'm both treble and bass sensitive - I have tried both the BLONs and the Tin T2s and I found them too hot or sibilant/sparkly for me. The TRN MT1s were amazing for me, not too boomy but also not sibilant, but lacking in details. Coming from that, it took a while to get used to the ZEX's highs. When listening on one ear the cymbals can sometimes drown out everything else, which made it hard to listen to but that only happens occasionally.
Overall, the ZEXs are actually quite a good pair of IEMs, when they're not sibilant. It's a very fine line, they could either have just enough treble extension to be eargasmic or just plain sibilant.
SONGS TESTED:
Sanctuary - Joji: The low end is really good this song, not extremely boomy but just warm enough to be pleasant. Joji's falsettos are controlled superbly by the ZEX, with a hint of sibilance at high volumes. Soundstage is wide for this price range.
ESCAPE PLAN - Travis Scott: Travis Scott is the archenemy of the KZ ZEX. His voice is constantly sibilant, and listening at high volumes is quite challenging due to his sibilant S's. (Although it is probably arguably fine compared to IEMs like the ZSN or EDX.)
Taman Rashidah Utama - Wings: This is a metal song which is handled exceptionally by the ZEX. All the metal songs I've tried have given very very satisfactory results, with great vocal performance. Songs like Black Sabbath's Symptom of the Universe is also very pleasing to listen to.
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