Well the pros and cons pretty much sums it up. I like how the price is low but that's about it. They're a fun listen, but the treble sounds un-natural, spikey, sizzley and splashy. The headstage is medium to small and the mids are super intimate. The mid bass hump is not for me either and the mids are a little grainy. They don't suit me in any way except they are perfectly comfortable.

There's a lot of people out there that seem to really like them and that's fine by me. But this is how I hear them and they're really not for me.
I'm enjoying a more musical sound these days, not the robotic, artificial sound these things make.

About me - I'm a hobbyist with no horse in this race or in any race.
I got a slight discount because I buy so many iems off the seller. Link here

https://m.aliexpress.com/item/32719903946.html
And on Taobao or a Taobao agent http://www.mistertao.com/beta/pages/item/535427832809.html I call it Chi-Fi in the title but I think they're made in Singapore.
 
 
 
I don't go with deep insertion with these, thats why they're not flush with the ear. Comfort is fine when I wear them like this.

 
 
Quick sound summary
 
In a nutshell the DZ9's are mid forward and otherwise pleasant hybrid customs in an acrylic universal shell. Bass is very tight with a tiny amount of rumble down low. Zero bass slam. There is nothing to distract from the mids, hence mid centric. Never sounding sibilant and have a clean and quick signature that will please mostly only a mid-head and a neutral-head.
 


Tip selection and source

Without a perfect seal the sound is very different so my listening for this review was done with Spinfit's and a Fiio X5 as my source. They are very efficient and go fine from
my Cowon J3. The housings are large and on the heavy side so I just use them indoors so my J3 doesn't get to use them much.
Note: It looks like each side has 4 sound tubes running to the nozzle. 1 from the dynamic, one from the 4 mid BA drivers, one from the two high BA's and one running from the two ultra high BA's.

 
Package
 
They come with a small hard case and a bunch of tips. Bring your own cable, and choose a faceplate colour and 2pin or mmcx.
 

 
 
Signature
 
The sound signature of the DZ9 is similar to something like the P1 except unlike the P1 it has micro detail in spades across the whole FR. Also a similar signature to the DQSM 2 although it makes the DQ sound quite 2 dimensional and small (especially short and shallow). It's a signature that is quite neutral but has that hybrid sound with that slightly elevated natural sounding bass that to my ears sounds peak free all the way up, with nice sparkle in the highs. Never sibilant.
 
Presentation
 
Hard to describe the soundstage but I'll do my best. The DZ9 for me projects the focus forward, in front of my eyes. Other spatial cues happen inside and outside my head, mainly the front of my head. The soundstage is awesome because of the great height and forward projection and massive separation but don't get me wrong it's a much more conventional soundstage than something like the Earsonics SM3 which does magic tricks with the soundstage.
It's like a cross between a conventional soundstage and the stage of the SM3. Imaging is exceptional and the extra armatures help the instrument separation along.  Sonic cues can be pin pointed around your head and have plenty of air between them. The instrument separation does not sound like it has been enhanced on purpose but rather just like it has been helped along by the different armatures and sound tubes running to the nozzle. The Ear Kegs have a soundstage that is a fair bit more 3d, like a sphere around the head. The DZ9 stage is as tall as it is wide and goes for forward projection instead. The vocals make their way layered in front of the rest of the instruments most of the time. Helped along by the high resolution of these the vocals separate themselves from the music.


Bass
 
Bass amount is slightly leaner than usual hybrid iem standards but above most dual armature sets like rock-it sounds R50 or Ath-im02. About the same as Earsonics SM3 bass and Fidue A73 if memory serves. Sub bass does not quite reach the depths of the ear kegs, which makes the DZ9's mids and highs sound cleaner in comparison. The DZ9 still has sub bass but not so much as to get in the way of enjoying vocalists, I like to test this with Cat Stevens, Tea for the Tillerman. The DZ9 sounds fantastic and the sub bass does not interfere at all. The Ear Kegs enhanced sub adds rumble where it shouldn't be. The ear kegs don't go well with Cat Stevens etc. but the DZ9's have the versatility to be used with any genre. Sub bass and mid bass are nicely balanced, bass reaches as deep as the track calls for but doesn't bump up the sub bass. The bass is as textured and gorgeous as my T-Peos H300. The bass has just a small amount of slam which means they satisfy down below but do not get annoying if you are sensitive to slam.
 
Mids
 
These Iem's come off mid centric but only because nothing else distracts from the mid range. Highs and bass are not recessed and the mids sound a touch forward, Also it does not hurt that the mids are stunning. There is amazing micro detailing in the vocals and electric guitars have an attack of note that gives them serious grunt and bite. Vocals are well centered and spread wide across the stage (in my case vocals present themselves in front of my eyes). During complex passages the DZ9 doesn't break a sweat, I've never heard it sound congested only effortless.
 
Treble
 
Does not extend as far as the Altone 200 to avoid harshness but it certainly matches it's quality. Treble extension rolls off later than most, shimmer and sparkle and lovely decay of cymbal crashes are the order of the day, never sounding harsh or too bright. Never sounding smoothed over or grainy just a transparent representation of whats on the track.
 
 
Size comparison

 

Conclusion
 
They're a very enjoyable listen because of how well they reproduce the music, analytical with enough warmth down below to stop them from being cool. Clean and crisp with details galore and still maintain a natural and realistic sound. They are right in between musical and analytical. To my ears they add very little colour to the sound which is a very rare find amongst the Chi-fi thread.
 
As an overall package these to my ears are a wonderful piece of tuning. To not have any sonic weakness for me is quite a feat, even in this price bracket my ears have no complaints, which is something I've never been able to say about an iem before.
"But SkullMan are they worth all those magic beans"? I hear you ask.
"Well they outclass the rest of my collection by quite a margin in terms of technical ability so I have to say yes they are". A while back I owned some JH16 customs and liked the way they sounded but I had reservations, mainly with the bass. Not the case with the DZ9. These are a class act all the way, 5 stars because of the amazing price / performance for 9 drivers per side.
 
Thanks for reading

[mod edit] Removed affiliate tag

About me:
I am a hobbyist, not affiliated with any audio company. I have been trying iem's and headphones for about 8 years now and have tried 
countless pairs. These are my honest opinions about this Iem.
 
 
Introducing the MusicMaker Shockwave III
5 driver per side hybrid, (1 dd + 4 ba).
 
 
I got mine from Shenzhen HCkexin Electronic Technology on Aliexpress but Mistertao (Taobao) and Easy Earphones on Aliexpress has them as well.
Here are the links:
 
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/2016-New-HCK-S3-In-Ear-Earphone-DA-Hybrid-5-Drive-Unit-Headphones-DIY-HIFI-Hi/1825606_32604922125.html?spm=2114.10010108.100007.6.3kNLWd
 
http://www.mistertao.com/beta/pages/item/36397321173.html
 
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/2016-New-MrZ-Tomahawk-Music-Maker-III-5-Units-4-BA-With-DD-In-Ear-Earphone/32609950666.html?spm=2114.01010208.3.1.eiB1En&ws_ab_test=searchweb201556_9,searchweb201644_3_505_506_503_504_301_10020_502_10001_10002_10017_10010_10005_10006_10011_10003_10021_10004_10022_10009_10008_10018_9999_10019,searchweb201560_3,searchweb1451318400_-1,searchweb1451318411_-1&btsid=a1471105-9a67-4f46-814f-538fcb24f148
 
 
The back story:
 
A fellow Head-fier TwinAcStacks and I were so impressed with the MusicMaker TK12 that we both pulled the trigger on this one, the older brother.
Mine arrived first so here we go:
 
This will all make more sense if you first read at least one of the three reviews out there about the MusicMaker TK12.
These improve resolution and micro detailing, depth, tighter & better bass quality and top end detail & extension over their little brother.
 
Specs     
                                                                        

1. Sensitivity: 99dB / mW​
2. Applicable type of music: classical symphonic concert type​
3. Impedance: 20Ω​
4. Frequency range: 5-40000Hz​
5. Color Category: dark blue white purple pink ...​
6. Wearing styles: ear​
7. Headphone type: Wired​
8. Whether the microphone: without wheat​
9. Headset service: shop three packs​
10. Plug Diameter: 3.5mm​
11. Headphone plug type: straight type​
12. Headphone output audio: portable audio-visual​
13. Cable length: 1.2m​
14. Headphones category: HIFI headphones Headphones​
15. Brand: Tiankui​
16. Model: Shock III​

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Linan Zhong's store on Taobao translates they are two-channel low-frequency,1 midrange, a high-frequency channel, a UHF channel.​

I have no reason to doubt this but to me it ​

sounds like a massive dynamic down low, 2 mid, 1 high and 1 ultra high.​

Detatchable version is available (probably won't include a cable), just message the Ali seller if buying from Aliexpress.​

 
Burn in: Taobao reviews say that around 350 hours of burn in make these things sound their best. In honour of that I burned mine in for 24 hours and am still going.
 
Looking at the graphs now on Taobao of the Shockwaves FR, you can see a huge spike in the upper mids. Don't worry it dosn't sound anything as bad as it looks.
Pictured below are some wide bore KZ tips which saved the day. Without wide bore tips the shockwaves sound like your singer has a very bad lisp. But with them
the sound opens up and while the spike in the upper mids remains, sibilance is not a problem. Comfort is ok, they are quite large housings but 
they have not caused me any discomfort.
 
Wide-bore sleeves

 
Accessories


The usual accessory set. Medium bore tips should not be included imho. Comes in a nice HZsound wallet.
 
Sound

 
In one sentence these sound like a bassheads version of the T-Peos H-300.
 
Bass that is everything great bass is, extremely well textured, well extended, slams hard (when called for), it's all there in more amounts than anything I own. Like an IE8 turned half way up 
but not loose at all. Bass is enhanced and gorgeous. You can hear everything the bass player is doing. This much bass might be a shock to some but I came from the TK12 so there was hardly any adjustment time needed. This must be why it's called the Shockwave, you listen to something like RE-272's then switch to these and you will get a thunderous bass shock wave pushing lots of air right onto your eardrum. For some this sounds bad but for some this is paradise. They sound like they have their own sub which adds a 3 dimensional effect, all the while executed very well and not suffering from driver cohesion issues that i can hear.
 
Mid's are very, very clear and detailed just like the T-peos H-300 and do their best to stay above the bass, but no matter how thick the mids, the bass still throws some blanketing over the lower mids.
While the H-300 is thin sounding the Shockwave is quite the opposite.The mids present very thick notes to try to keep up with the bass and not be too V shaped. They do a stellar job at this but to enhance clarity the creator, Mr Z has tuned in a spike in the upper mids. Sibilance has not reared its ugly head since finding the right wide bore tips. The mids are some of the cleanest mids I've heard, making the UE900 sound veiled and also small in comparison.
 
Highs are very well extended and sparkly. They shimmer and decay beautifully with cymbals crashes. Very hard to fault highs this detailed and extended. There is quite a lot of the highs, along with the mega bass, giving the impression of these being V shaped. The mids are great in their own right but get over shadowed by the bass and highs somewhat. Maybe the dynamic will settle down a little and that would flatten them out somewhat. But I'm happy if they stay the same as they are.
 
Cable is nice but pink and quite thick, luckily there is a removeable cable option.

 
Soundstage
Huge just like it's little brother, taller and more depth. Seems to have the edge over the T-peos H-300 as well which is no slouch in the stage department.
Instrument separation is holographic and this thing renders the edges of notes beautifully. Everything is spaced out nicely and vocals are well centered and take place right in the middle of my brain.
Stage width gets a special mention and sometimes when a guitar is far off to the right of the stage the Shockwave makes it sound like the source of the sound is inches out of the head.
Tone of the mids and highs is similar to the T-peos making them slightly cooler than neutral. The T-Peos is sibilance prone but the Shockwave is right on the edge. I have not heard any sibilance since the tip rolling but the spike in upper mids runs pretty hot and is edgy for sure.
 
This is an Iem that holds nothing back. It just relentlessly spits out powerful sounds and this is good because the sound is oh so detailed and engaging. While the TK12 persues easy listening the Shockwave III slaps you in the face with details galore and massive bass. While the TK12 tries to not be too little or too much of anything the Shockwave III tries to give massive amounts of everything. It makes for a spectacularly entertaining listen. What it does, it does extremely well. Its not just five drivers thrown Willy Nilly in each side. It's a very carefully tuned and skillfully made iem.
 
A note on portablilty; The Shockwave sounds great out of my Fiio X5 or together with my O2 but sounds downright terrible and under powered from my Cowon J3.
 
Value
Pretty much speaks for itself, I'm not sorry I bought it. There is nothing else out there like this one. The TK12 is the closest thing that I know of.
Two gems that have been unearthed.
 
 
Size comparison, Altone 200, LZ-A2, Shockwave III, TK12.
They are about the same size as the TK12's.

 
 
 
Thanks for reading!

 
 Let me first say that I am a hobbyist and am not affiliated with any audio company.

The whole signature of the TK12 / HCK A2 treads the tightrope of not having too little or too much of anything.
Very Slight warmth but not so much as to create a veil. Apart from the enhanced bass it pursues a fairly uncoloured and flat signature.
Using thick notes in the mids and highs to keep up with the massively thick bass notes. These thick notes all over the response steers the TK12 towards a natural sound,
this I would say is the super power of this iem.

 Bass is enhanced and very well controlled. Nicely textured, layered and reaches very low. It only slams when the song calls for it, making it suitable for most music genre's. Fans of BA bass will struggle initially (and maybe forever). For me it has a bit more in quantity than the LZ-A2, I'm not much of a bass head but I love the bass of tk12. The bass would be enough to please a bass head but not enough that it gets too much for the rest of us. As long as you like hybrid or dynamic bass I can't see anyone being offended by the bass quantity because this much bass had better be good and it sure is.

 The mids are nicely detailed but not so much they become overly analytical or grainy. They draw attention to themselves and are involving as mids should but are not smoothed over or too distracting.
They are very clear and very thick sounding so they don't get swamped by the bass.

 The highs also play the balancing game and go the easy listening route by rolling off to avoid any sibilance or harshness at just the right point.
While remaining detailed and still shimmer nicely.
 
 Soundstage is very big, deep and especially wide everything is spaced out nicely and never sounds distant. Resolution and separation are excellent and compete with the H-300.

 I can listen to Cat Stevens then something heavy like S.O.A.D. with these no problem. As the bass does not get in the way of Cat Stevens.
The iems on the whole are fantastic and do more things right than any IEM I've heard.
 

 
Compared to T-Peos H300
 The A2 is a touch warmer than the cold h300. Nearly keeps up with micro details is very slightly wider but not as tall. Notes are quite a bit thicker with A2 which makes it harder to keep up with H-300's detail level. It's treble is rolled off earlier than H300 but just about every iem ever made is. A2's treble rolls off just where it remains polite but almost keeps up with the quality of h300's top end while being way thicker. Bass is noticeably bigger and could be called a little looser with A2 compared to the super tight and also amazing bass of h300. With the H300 I get caught up listening to the clinical presentation, listening to micro details, attack and decay etc. A2's have a more natural sound and are a more relaxing but still involving listen.
 

Compared to the LZ-A2
 Wider stage, thicker, less congested, cleaner, cooler, brighter, less coloured better extension, 
 

 
Size comparison of LZ-A2, TK12 and T-Peos H-300