CCZ Coffee Bean
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Introduction
CCZ is a bit of a inconspicuous company. The link www.cczhifi.com does not seem to lead anywhere, and in general it is rather difficult to find information on CCZ products.
Nonetheless, I was invited to review a relatively new CCZ IEM, Coffee Bean, and I thought that I had no reason to refuse without checking it out.
Description
Coffee Bean is a single 10mm dual magnetic circuit dynamic driver, with a PU + PEEK composite diaphragm, intended to provide elastic and textured low frequencies, accurate resolution and rich details.
The cable is a 2-Pin connector, following the highest versatility φ0.78 standard, made of 4 core 4N oxygen-free copper (OFC), for improving the transparency, soundstage and separation while presenting a clear sound background.
The housing is made of a PC material, covered with UV varnish, which gives the earpieces a nice lustre and makes them look very nice. It comes in two colours, brown, which is the colour of the real coffee beans, and black, without or with a microphone; my sample was black with a microphone.
Now, the cherry on the tart is Coffee bean’s MSRP, which is, only, $15.99. To be honest, when I was offered a sample (at that time the price was $18.99), I was a bit hesitant whether it makes sense to review a such a low price IEM. Then I thought that not too long ago, I reviewed the Blon Mini, which costs $29.99 and it really impressed me, so I thought why cannot Coffee Bean do the same? Let’s see if this was the case.
The sound
If I had to describe the sound of Coffee Bean with only one word, this undoubtedly would be “bassy”. The bass dominates the audio spectrum, which that alone is not necessarily bad; after all, bassy earphones is the preference of many listeners. The problem is that this enhanced bass of Coffee Bean is not always properly controlled; the sub-bass is bloated and occasionally covers the mid-bass, and it even intervenes with the mids. This is maybe the reason for the latter being forward at times, which is more obvious in certain musical pieces. The highs, on the other hand, are extended, but never harsh or rolled off. So, Coffee Bean’s sound signature, depending on the musical piece, varies between what we call a “V” or a “W shape”.
Coffee Bean’s soundstage, mostly in width and less in depth, image and separation are not bad, and they would definitely be better if they were not shaded by the enhanced bass.
I have tested Coffee Bean on several musical pieces, in particular pieces containing female and male vocals. “The Look of Love” by Diana Krall, from the album with the same name, Verve, “Baby Can I Hold You” by Tracy Chapman from the album with her name, Elektra/Asylum Records, “Damn Your Eyes” by Etta James from the album Heart & Soul: A Retrospective, UMG Recordings, Inc. are all female songs, where the strong bass together with the forward mids creates a problem in high volumes; either the sound comes out a bit distorted or the artist gives the impression of almost shouting. The solution is to play these pieces at a lower volume, which of course is a kind of a compromise. In “I Want The World To Stop” by Belle & Sebastian from the album Write About Love, Rough Trade Records Ltd, the bass is quite boosted, and although the mids are not that forward, the result is a bit piercing to your ears. On the other hand, in “Texas Sun” by Khruangbin and Leon Bridges from the album with the same name, Dead Oceans, the performance is not bad; the bass is still boosted, but the mids are clear and nicely placed without being either forward or recessed.
Overall, although Coffee Bean might be favoured by many people, I nonetheless believe that there is room for improvement in the tuning section.
Selected comparisons
I chose to compare Coffee Bean to KZ EDC. The latter is a truly cheap IEM; its MSRP is $18.40 - 20.46, but it actually sells for $10.12 - 11.25 depending whether it is without or with a microphone. Now, given its humble price, the quality is really good. First of all, it is equipped with a 10mm high resolution dynamic driver, with a PET like-diamond diaphragm,a large size external magnet and a through-tube kind of cavity in order to improve low as well as high frequencies. The cable is a 2-Pin connector made of OFC. The housing is made of a skin-friendly resin and metal parts, and it certainly looks very nice. It is truly impressive that KZ can give you such quality with so little money.
Going to the sound presentation, EDC is very balanced, with a descent portion of bass, which is mainly mid-bass, very good mids, without being forward or recessed, and extended tremble that are never harsh or rolled off. Its sound is sufficiently detailed and very clear, however, due to its low sensitivity of 95 dB and slightly high impedance of 32 Ω, it appears to be, particularly in female and male vocals, kind of “distant” and maybe a bit “cold”. Coffee Bean, in comparison, is bassy and that way much more intimate. The soundstage, width wise as there is not much depth, is about the same in both IEMs, however, the image and separation appears to be better in EDC.
Accessories and fit
The exterior box of Coffee Bean is pretty nice for the price and inside it the user will find, besides the IEM and cable:
CCZ is a bit of a inconspicuous company. The link www.cczhifi.com does not seem to lead anywhere, and in general it is rather difficult to find information on CCZ products.
Nonetheless, I was invited to review a relatively new CCZ IEM, Coffee Bean, and I thought that I had no reason to refuse without checking it out.
Description
Coffee Bean is a single 10mm dual magnetic circuit dynamic driver, with a PU + PEEK composite diaphragm, intended to provide elastic and textured low frequencies, accurate resolution and rich details.
The cable is a 2-Pin connector, following the highest versatility φ0.78 standard, made of 4 core 4N oxygen-free copper (OFC), for improving the transparency, soundstage and separation while presenting a clear sound background.
The housing is made of a PC material, covered with UV varnish, which gives the earpieces a nice lustre and makes them look very nice. It comes in two colours, brown, which is the colour of the real coffee beans, and black, without or with a microphone; my sample was black with a microphone.
Now, the cherry on the tart is Coffee bean’s MSRP, which is, only, $15.99. To be honest, when I was offered a sample (at that time the price was $18.99), I was a bit hesitant whether it makes sense to review a such a low price IEM. Then I thought that not too long ago, I reviewed the Blon Mini, which costs $29.99 and it really impressed me, so I thought why cannot Coffee Bean do the same? Let’s see if this was the case.
The sound
If I had to describe the sound of Coffee Bean with only one word, this undoubtedly would be “bassy”. The bass dominates the audio spectrum, which that alone is not necessarily bad; after all, bassy earphones is the preference of many listeners. The problem is that this enhanced bass of Coffee Bean is not always properly controlled; the sub-bass is bloated and occasionally covers the mid-bass, and it even intervenes with the mids. This is maybe the reason for the latter being forward at times, which is more obvious in certain musical pieces. The highs, on the other hand, are extended, but never harsh or rolled off. So, Coffee Bean’s sound signature, depending on the musical piece, varies between what we call a “V” or a “W shape”.
Coffee Bean’s soundstage, mostly in width and less in depth, image and separation are not bad, and they would definitely be better if they were not shaded by the enhanced bass.
I have tested Coffee Bean on several musical pieces, in particular pieces containing female and male vocals. “The Look of Love” by Diana Krall, from the album with the same name, Verve, “Baby Can I Hold You” by Tracy Chapman from the album with her name, Elektra/Asylum Records, “Damn Your Eyes” by Etta James from the album Heart & Soul: A Retrospective, UMG Recordings, Inc. are all female songs, where the strong bass together with the forward mids creates a problem in high volumes; either the sound comes out a bit distorted or the artist gives the impression of almost shouting. The solution is to play these pieces at a lower volume, which of course is a kind of a compromise. In “I Want The World To Stop” by Belle & Sebastian from the album Write About Love, Rough Trade Records Ltd, the bass is quite boosted, and although the mids are not that forward, the result is a bit piercing to your ears. On the other hand, in “Texas Sun” by Khruangbin and Leon Bridges from the album with the same name, Dead Oceans, the performance is not bad; the bass is still boosted, but the mids are clear and nicely placed without being either forward or recessed.
Overall, although Coffee Bean might be favoured by many people, I nonetheless believe that there is room for improvement in the tuning section.
Selected comparisons
I chose to compare Coffee Bean to KZ EDC. The latter is a truly cheap IEM; its MSRP is $18.40 - 20.46, but it actually sells for $10.12 - 11.25 depending whether it is without or with a microphone. Now, given its humble price, the quality is really good. First of all, it is equipped with a 10mm high resolution dynamic driver, with a PET like-diamond diaphragm,a large size external magnet and a through-tube kind of cavity in order to improve low as well as high frequencies. The cable is a 2-Pin connector made of OFC. The housing is made of a skin-friendly resin and metal parts, and it certainly looks very nice. It is truly impressive that KZ can give you such quality with so little money.
Going to the sound presentation, EDC is very balanced, with a descent portion of bass, which is mainly mid-bass, very good mids, without being forward or recessed, and extended tremble that are never harsh or rolled off. Its sound is sufficiently detailed and very clear, however, due to its low sensitivity of 95 dB and slightly high impedance of 32 Ω, it appears to be, particularly in female and male vocals, kind of “distant” and maybe a bit “cold”. Coffee Bean, in comparison, is bassy and that way much more intimate. The soundstage, width wise as there is not much depth, is about the same in both IEMs, however, the image and separation appears to be better in EDC.
Accessories and fit
The exterior box of Coffee Bean is pretty nice for the price and inside it the user will find, besides the IEM and cable:
- 3 different sets of silicon eartips (S,M,L).A Quick Start Guide and warranty card.
Coffee Bean is very lightweight, and although its earpieces are not that small, they are nonetheless of very ergonomic design; they are equipped with a TPE soft and non-allergic environment- and skin-friendly material where it touches the ear. So, assuming that you found the right shape and size of eartips, Coffee Bean will fit very well in your eardrum without any feeling of oppression.
Furthermore, the eartips made also of a TPE material, with a special nozzle design intended to enhance details and soundstage, provide a good level of sound isolation, so ambient noise with Coffee Bean was never a problem.
Finally, as already mentioned, the cable of Coffee Bean is a 2-Pin connector 4 core 4N OFC cable of good quality and, although it does not avoid tangling, it is not susceptible to microphonics, while the microphone works flawlessly.
In conclusion
If bassy earphones is your cup of coffee, then you should definitely check Coffee Bean. If you play your source at lower volumes, then it will satisfy you for everyday use.
Is there room for improvement in Coffee Bean’s overall tuning? Sure is, but if one pays $15.99, he should not be very picky, shouldn't be?
Specifications
Driver: 10 mm Dynamic driver
Frequency response: 20 Hz – 20 kHz
Sensitivity: 111 +/- 3 dB
Impedance: 18 +/- 2 Ω
Plug size: Gold plated 3.5 mm
Cord length: 1.2m
Price: $15.99
www.cczhifi.com
You can buy Coffee Bean at https://keephifi.com
Reviewer’s note: The reviewer is grateful to Ann at KEEPHiFi for sending him a sample of Coffee Bean.Last edited:Chenkw
New Head-Fier
CCZ Coffee Bean - An Aesthetically Pleasing Yet Inexpensive IEM Pros: - Lightweight Design
- Comfortable and fits perfectly
- Good sound performance for a single DDCons: - Bass bleed into mids
- Feels Cheap in handsRecently, KEEPHIFI provided me with a pair of CCZ Coffee Bean and a pair of CCZ Emerald, so here is my quick impression and comparison between these two pairs of budget IEMs. On this topic, I will focus mainly on the Coffee Bean.
Introduction
CCZ Coffee Bean is a pair of budget-friendly IEM which comes with one 10mm dual magnetic dynamic driver on each unit.
Design
CCZ Coffee Bean unit comes with UV-Curing PC Cavity with stylish brown color which obviously resembles a coffee bean. It also comes with a 4N OFC cable and 3 pairs of CCZ exclusively patented eartips for enhancing details and soundstage production and reduce sound loss. Build quality is a bit cheap in my opinion.
Comfort
It comes with a CCZ exclusively patented, uniquely designed earfin for comfortable wearing. Due to its lightweight design, I was able to wear this pair of IEM for long periods of time without causing stress on my ears.
Performance
Overall, CCZ Coffee Bean has a typical V-shaped sound signature. It produces fairly warm sound and is smooth and relaxing. Sealing and sound isolation is pretty good. Its bass production is more powerful than that of CCZ Emerald but sometimes bleeds into the mids, mids & treble is smooth but not too bright, vocals are clear. Soundstage is not huge but just great as compared to CCZ Emerald.
Comparison
CCZ Coffee Bean is comparable to the KBEAR KS1 as they have almost similar drivers and frequency response, both are suitable for basshead. As compared to Emerald, the Coffee Bean has almost similar sound performance, and it is slightly louder and produces much greater bass.
Conclusion
CCZ Coffee Bean is stylish, comfortable, nicely tuned and most importantly affordable considering its price of around $20. I would highly recommend this to those who are on a budget but yet would like a pair of good performing and stylish IEM.
Purchase Link
Keephifi (Official Website)
Friendly Audio Store (Aliexpress)
Tashphii
New Head-Fier
CCZ Coffee bean: Budget Goodness Pros: +The build quality is really good for the price
+Semi open back design
+Light and comfortable, easily one of the most comfy IEMs in this price range
+The rubberized fin locks the IEM in place and provides a secure fit
+Warm smooth sound nice treble extension.
+Good bass extension.
+Mids are recessed but sounds pretty nice. Got some airyness to it aswell.Cons: -Bass can be a little bit boomy in some tracks and can make male vocals sound thick sometimes.
-Soundstage, imaging and layering could have been better.
-The midbass bleeds and makes it sound muddy sometimes.CCZ Coffee bean is a ultra cheap budget IEM that costs around 15$.
CCZ is a relatively new chinese IEM manufacturer, and the coffee bean is their entry level offering! and it is a pretty good one and sure deserves your attention!
Specifications:
Driver unit: 10 mm dynamic, dual magnetic
Impedance: 18 ± 2 ohms
Sensitivity: 111 ± 3 dB
Frequency response range: 20 Hz - 20 kHz
Packaging and Contents inside the box:
-The IEMs
-3 pairs of their unique designed eartips
-4 core OFC cable
-Warranty and other booklets.
Sound:
Lows:
The bass is pretty forward, got nice rumble to it, goes pretty deep, definitely will please the bassheads, however the midbass can bleed into mids in some tracks, and can make vocals sounds thick sometimes.
Mids:
The mids are the weakness of this IEM, it is slightly recessed,and sometimes the bass takes over, but other than that, it's not half bad for the price. the imaging and the resolution could have been better but at this price range honestly, it's not half bad.
Treble:
The treble here is well extended, smooth and quite airy thanks to the semi open back design, the treble here is some of the best in it's class!
Photos of the IEM:
adriansticoid
New Head-Fier
CCZ Coffee Bean Review: Just Like a Cup of Warm Coffee Pros: Unique earfin design
Smooth trebleCons: Bloated midbass
Mids need a lot of improvementIntroduction:
CCZ is a newcomer in the portable audio industry, which seems to be from China. They don't have any website or social media page so I'm not entirely sure. They launched 3 IEMs so far; the Plume (which I will review next), Coffee Bean, and the Melody. The Coffee Bean currently retails for 20 USD, and was provided to me for free by Keephifi in exchange for this review.
International purchase link
Specifications:
Driver unit: 10 mm dynamic, dual magnetic
Impedance: 18 ± 2 ohms
Sensitivity: 111 ± 3 dB
Frequency response range: 20 Hz - 20 kHz
Source:
Poco X3 paired with iBasso DC03 and Shanling UA1
Test tracks:
Africano - Earth Wind and Fire
Dark Necessities - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Gurenge - Lisa
The Chain - Fleetwood Mac
Monsters - All Time Low
Ours - Taylor Swift
Stay - Mayday Parade
Snuff - Slipknot
Yesterday Once More - Carpenters
So Slow - Freestyle
Aurora Sunrise - Franco
Attention - Pentatonix
Blue Bird - Ikimono-gakari
You're Still The One - Shania Twain
Anyone Who Knows What Love Is(Will Understand) - Irma Thomas
Salamin - Slapshock
AOV - Slipknot
Hey Jude - The Beatles
The Way You Make Me Feel - Michael Jackson
...and a lot more.
Unboxing and Accessories:
The Coffee Bean comes in a small white sleeve box. It is very similar to the typical Chi-Fi IEM packaging you see in KZ and other brands. The only difference is that the top portion is closed, so you have to pull from the bottom side. Upon removing the sleeve you will find the Coffee Bean inserted in a soft, foamlike material. Below it is a smaller box that contains the spare eartips and the cable. Inside the box you will also find an instruction manual.
The stock CCZ eartips are unique in design as well. The stems are short and there is a circular notch at the top portion.
Build:
The shells are made of plastic with a glossy finish, while the nozzles are made of metal. The faceplates have the CCZ logo on one side, and a curved slit on the other that acts as a vent. On the rear side of the shell there is another vent, and interestingly, CCZ decided to put rubber earfins on the shell, similar to what you will find in some true wireless IEMs.
It is supposed to improve the overall fit. Since rubber provides more friction than plastic, it kinda holds on to your ears. Unfortunately though, my ears are bigger than the average Joe, so I don't really feel the difference. Nonetheless, it's always nice to see companies exert some effort to innovate their design.
The cable is a twisted, 4N 4-core oxygen free copper. It is light, very soft and thin. The angled 2 pin connectors are made of plastic, while the chin slider, splitter, and the L-type 3.5mm plug are made of hard rubber.
Now let's get to the sound.
Lows:
The lows are presented in a forward manner. Subbass has above average rumble, it reaches quite deep, with a well extended decay. Midbass has more focus, and sounds bloated more often than not, to a point where it interferes with the mids.
Overall, the Coffee Bean possess the subbass that is enough to satisfy bassheads. But the midbass give the mids a hard time to shine when it needs to, therefore lessens the listening enjoyment.
Mids:
The mids are recessed sounding. Both male and female vocals sound thick and boxy. Articulation is below average. The transparency feels inadequate and the clarity is also below average. I have heard some IEMs that have a more recessed mids than this but had at least an average level of articulation.
Overall, the mids of the Coffee Bean sound lacking in every sense of the word. It falls behind in terms of the resolution that some other IEMs in the same price range can provide somehow.
Highs:
The highs have a smooth presentation with a fair amount of crunch. It is neutrally placed, and there is a decent amount of air in it. Treble reach is on an average level accompanied by a moderate amount of decay.
Overall, the Coffee Bean avoids that aggressive treble typicaly found in V-shaped sounding budget IEMs. Instead, it offers treble that is relaxed and does not induce fatigue in long periods of usage.
Soundstage and Imaging:
The soundstage is not that wide. There is more focus on the depth than the width. Imaging accuracy is slightly below average, as well as the layering. Instrument separation is good, with a fair amount of congestion in busy tracks.
Comparisons:
CCZ Coffee Bean (1 DD, 20 USD) vs. KZ ZST (1 BA + 1 DD, 12 USD)
I was honestly surprised when I listened to them side by side, because they sound very similar. ZST has a more pronounced subbass, while the midbass in both of them are identical. The mids sound more natural on the ZST, but the difference is not that big. The ZST has definitely more sparkle up top and has greater reach. The soundstage is also more open and wider in the ZST, resulting in a more accurate imaging and separation of instruments.
CCZ Coffee Bean (1 DD, 20 USD) vs. KBEar KS1 (1 DD, 14 USD)
Again, these two sound very similar. Subbass are just the same, but the midbass is more forward with the Coffee Bean. Mids are slightly more forward in the Coffee Bean but the KS1 has slightly better transparency. KS1's treble is a tad more extended. The stage depth is a bit bit better on the KS1.
Conclusion:
The CCZ Coffee Bean lives up to its name by providing a warm and smooth sound, just like a cup of coffee first thing in the morning. Putting something unique in the design of the shell and the eartips, CCZ is on the right path here. The mids, however, need a lot of improvement especially its clarity to make the Coffee Bean a true contender in this price range.
bryaudioreviews
100+ Head-Fier
Coffee, Tea, or CCZ?☕ - CCZ Coffee Bean Pros: - balanced tuning
- semi-open back design
- good bass extension
- good treble extension
- airy vocalsCons: - boomy bass
- midbass bleed
- brittle and harsh treble
- below average technicalities
- valueThe CCZ Coffee Bean was sent over by HILL AUDIO - MY in exchange for an honest review.
It retails for around $20usd and it sports a single 10mm dynamic driver. The unboxing experience is pretty bog generic. It comes with 3 sets of "exclusively designed" silicon tips (S, M, L), the IEM itself, and a cable. For $20usd, eh. A bit underwhelming. The box design is really nice though, with coffee bean accents all around. The "Let Music More Beautiful" gets an extra point too. Reminds me of Oppoty LetMusicBurn lol.
Anyways, we are here for the sound. So with that out of the way, let's start the review.
*Disclaimer: this review is done using both stock tips and cables.
PROS
:- The tuning here is pretty balanced. I would describe the sound signature here as slightly warm V-shaped. Warm bass, slightly recessed mids, and slightly elevated treble. The semi-open back design of the CCZ Coffee Bean also contributes to the "airy" sound signature that it has. More on it below.
- The bass here is warm, punchy, textured, and well extended. It is also somewhat airy thanks to the semi-open back design. However, there is a bit of mid-bass bleed.
- How I would describe the airiness is that it sounds like the bass has more room to breathe, thus when the bass hits, instead of sounding tight and in your head, it sounds more loose and open while still retaining the punch.
- In terms of mids, the midrange here is warm, airy, and slightly recessed. Just like the bass, there is a slight openness and airiness to the vocals here which I find to be pretty pleasant sounding. However, there is a bit of bass bleed which in return smears the midrange and makes vocals sound muffled at times.
- Treble here is slightly bright and elevated, with decent treble extension and good air presence. However, I find that the treble could sound a little brittle and harsh at times.
- In terms of soundstage, it is pretty well-rounded but pretty small in general. I would describe it as having a bit more width than height/depth. For $20usd, it is ok. At least it isn't claustrophobic.
- Timbre is pretty decent. Albeit slightly on the warm side.
- The box design is lovely. Love the coffee accents all around the box!
CONS
:- Bass can be boomy at times
- Midbass bleed makes vocals sound smeared
- Treble sounds brittle and harsh at times. Not the most refined
- Imaging, separation, and layering aren't the best.
- Not a great value for the price imo.
IN CONCLUSION:
I honestly thought that these were around $10usd (MT1 EDX price) when I first got them. Turns out, these cost around $20usd retail….. and for $20usd, I can't recommend them.
Don’t get me wrong, the Coffee Beans are not bad. I can't find any complete dealbreakers or anything very wrong with them. For the price, it is decent. Problem is, for $10usd, you can get the likes of TRN MT1 and KZ EDX, which can both compete head-to-head with CCZ Coffee Bean in terms of performance (and even beat it too).
I've heard that they frequently go on sale for $10usd on Amazon though (link below). So if you manage to get them at $10usd, great! They are pretty good for $10usd. But at a full retail price of $20usd, Nah. In my opinion, save your money and get something else.
Interested in checking the CCZ Coffee Bean out for yourself? Here are the purchase links (non-affiliated):
• Hillaudio (Malaysia): https://shopee.com.my/CCZ-Coffee-Be...Hifi-Earphone-i.6548893.6294695099?position=0
• Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Monitor-Headphones-Coffee-Bean-Earphone-Musicians/dp/B098J2N8LB
bryaudioreviews@wafflezz thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on the Coffee Bean
I would take Coffee Bean over ZSN Pro X anyday too so I agree with you!
Yeap, Chifi is seriously getting better day by day and I am super excited for what's next!
gadgetgodI have Plume with me and liking it so far. While listening to it I got to know they have a single dd budget pair too. Was kind of excited about this one but thanks for your honest review mate.
Personally I think these are absolutely fantastic. I think they're still on sale on Amazon for 10$. But even for full retail I'm falling in love with these guys. They're more natural to me than my KZ ZSN Pro X(which I already love) and despite the graphs and measurements? I think they're even less bassy. or at least the bass is more "open" and "airy" if that makes sense. Bass has room to breath because of the vents...So I think they're less V shaped and sound more natural with their DD than the KZs which are(I guess) a slight competitor in the 15-20$ range.
Chifi is getting better and better every single day at tuning.