CCZ Warrior

Greetings!

This is a review of the CCZ Warrior, which KeepHifi have provided me to review.



DISCLAIMER: I WAS PROVIDED THE UNIT IN EXCHANGE FOR A NO-FRILLS, UNBIASED REVIEW. I AM NEITHER PAID NOR COMMISSIONED TO PROVIDE A SKEWED REVIEW.

The CCZ Warrior is one of the most promising IEMs that I have heard in its price range. All its efforts in displacing itself among its peers (unique earfin implementation, patented eartips, beautiful transparent faceplate, and unique overall colorway) pays off, as it is a unique set that isn’t afraid of showing its identity amidst a saturated crowd. It stays true to its name sonically by being a strong set in terms of bass quality, while retaining its “humanity” through the natural timbre that it sets for the listener. With the budget IEM market being more and more saturated by the second, the CCZ Warrior strived to tread that road with eagerness and energy, that of which successfully does so.

𝙋𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙚
$32.99 (USD)
~₱1800 (PhP)

𝙏𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙎𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨
𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱: 10mm PET Diaphragm Dynamic Driver (1), Balanced Armature (3)
𝗣𝗶𝗻 𝗧𝘆𝗽𝗲: TFZ 0.78mm 2-Pin
𝗣𝗹𝘂𝗴 𝗧𝘆𝗽𝗲: 3.5mm unbalanced
𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲: 18 Ω
𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗥𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲: 20Hz – 20KHz
𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆: 108dB/Vrms

𝙋𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 (out of 5)

Presentation
The box presents itself in a way that we’ve seen already for a million times when it comes to budget IEMs. The rectangular, white box can easily be crowned as the absolute staple in the budget IEM range; The Warrior surely follows on that note. Nitpicking aside, its very much understandable as for the reasons why companies do this: to keep costs down for a cheaper product. Though in a layout perspective, it steps slightly out of way from its usual peers by having different placement areas in terms of the IEM name, pictures, and other wordy mumbo-jumbos. It also flexes on the sides of the box through the two “patented” implementations they did for the Warrior: the eartips and the earfin. It perceives it as a nice inclusion rather than a conceited one because it is truly a unique aspect of the IEM that’s worth mentioning. Rather than that, everything falls into place when it comes to usual budget IEM packaging.




Product
The CCZ Warrior displays itself in the same way we’ve seen other budget IEMs like KZs and KBEars: the clear acrylic plastic that protects the IEMs and its content. But what lies underneath is what’s important: the CCZ Warrior looks very clean and interesting from the faceplate alone. One can clearly see the inner workings of the Warrior at a single glance: an aspect which I truly love as an appreciator of any see-through tech gear. Another plus is that every component inside (drivers and wiring) is organized, which is important if you want to go with the see-through route in designing tech.

Particulars
The CCZ Warrior comes with a very spartan number of particulars that is usually found in IEMs priced around its range. Extra eartips, cable, and some paperwork are all that you will find here. It is a modest presentation, but you get what you pay for.

𝘽𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙌𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 & 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩 (out of 5)

✳ Build Quality
The build quality of the IEM itself is very impressive, considering the price that it comes at and the overall look it has compared to its peers. Even though it has a mostly plastic build, it brings confidence with the type of plastic used: it feels and looks very sturdy. It would take on some harsh everyday usage, which I can be capable of doing during the busy days of schooling and commute that I had while reviewing the Warrior. The earfin added to the overall sturdiness that it had, as it is made of a thick, rubbery plastic that bulks up and pads the Warrior by a good amount. When it comes to the cable, it’s the tried and trusted black & braided cable we’ve seen in the likes of KBEar and old TRN releases, which is a step above from the lowest of the lows cables we’ve seen from other budget IEM companies.




✳ Comfort
Earfins. That’s it. That’s the review for comfort. But in all seriousness, the earfins that CCZ was proud of mentioning whenever marketing material was seen in the Warrior. It may be a simple addition, but it brings a whole level of comfort and fit. It is excellent to the point that I can say it is the most comfortable IEM that I have tried, and yes, even more than that of bullet-style ones. It just fits so perfectly on my ears, and it just sits there with an immaculate feel; all without the intrusive and “violating” feel of smaller IEMs that fit deeply. The nice fit also complements the warm and bassy nature of the IEM, as it keeps all the bass frequencies trapped inside your ear, which is excellent for some grooving and headbanging sessions. This is excellent stuff that should be continued.



𝙎𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 .5 (out of 5)

𝗠𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗖 𝗨𝗦𝗘𝗗: (𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘍𝘓𝘈𝘊 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵, 𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 24𝘣𝘪𝘵/48𝘬𝘏𝘻 𝘰𝘳 24𝘣𝘪𝘵/96𝘬𝘏𝘻)

𝘋𝘢𝘧𝘵 𝘗𝘶𝘯𝘬 - 𝘙𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘈𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘔𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘋𝘢𝘧𝘵 𝘗𝘶𝘯𝘬 - 𝘈𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 2007 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘋𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘥 𝘉𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘦 - 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘋𝘶𝘢 𝘓𝘪𝘱𝘢 -𝘍𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘕𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘨𝘪𝘢 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘛𝘸𝘪𝘤𝘦 - 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦 & 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘛𝘸𝘪𝘤𝘦 - 𝘌𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘞𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘖𝘱𝘦𝘯 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘦𝘭 𝘑𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘴𝘰𝘯 - 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘖𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 – 𝘛𝘖𝘛𝘈𝘓 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘖𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 - 𝘗𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳, 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘶𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘪𝘦𝘴 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘗𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘛𝘳𝘦𝘦 - 𝘐𝘯 𝘈𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘗𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘛𝘳𝘦𝘦 - 𝘍𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘵 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘚𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱 - 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘔𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘚𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱 - 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘖𝘮 - 𝘈𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘚𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘴 - 𝘌𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘋𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘔𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘴 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩 - 𝘔𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘗𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘳 - 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘧𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 - 𝘚𝘶𝘯𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘧𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 - 𝘖𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘶𝘱𝘵 𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘒𝘰𝘳𝘯 - 𝘒𝘰𝘳𝘯 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘒𝘰𝘳𝘯 - 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘐𝘴 𝘗𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘺 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘛𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘦 - 𝘕𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘳 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 - 𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 - 𝘚𝘺𝘮𝘣𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 - 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 - 𝘖𝘯𝘤𝘦 [𝘙𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥] (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 - 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘗𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘺 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩 - 𝘖𝘱𝘷𝘴 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘷𝘳𝘢𝘮 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩 - 𝘐 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘈𝘵 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘴𝘵 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩 – 𝘌𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩 - 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘺 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩 – 𝘋𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘰𝘥 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩 - 𝘡𝘰𝘴 𝘒𝘪𝘢 𝘊𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘴 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩 - 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘵 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘔𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢 - ...𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘈𝘭𝘭 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘔𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢 - 𝘔𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘚𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘩 – 𝘛𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘯
𝘚𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘩 - 𝘊𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘹 𝘖𝘮𝘦𝘨𝘢

𝗦𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗖𝗘𝗦 𝗨𝗦𝗘𝗗: 𝘚𝘢𝘮𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘹𝘺 𝘚8+; 𝘍𝘪𝘪𝘰 𝘟3 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘐𝘐𝘐 ; 𝘘𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘦 𝘔15

𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗘: 𝘐 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘦-𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘐 𝘈𝘓𝘞𝘈𝘠𝘚 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 & 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘐𝘌𝘔 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵.



Signature
The CCZ Warrior is very warm sounding from the get-go, it emphasizes mid-bass to lower midrange mostly in its presentation. Due to this, it is very comfortable to listen to, akin to a warm blanket enveloping you in your listening sessions. The amount of warmth and punch that it has is enough that it can be classified as a basshead IEM: the bass response is very impactful while not sacrificing the midrange like V-shaped IEMs do. Although a great IEM throughout, the CCZ Warrior lacks some refinement in layering and resolution here and there but is only apparent in busier genres. Overall, it is yet another exciting entry in the budget range, and it shows that the Chi-Fi space is indeed maturing in their tuning styles, leaving behind some of the stereotypes placed upon them through the years.


✳ The bass is clearly the main focal point and foundation of the general sound signature of the Warrior. It truly lives up to its namesake: the bass performance feels like a genuine warrior in terms of its authority and power in every song that you throw at it. The "patented earfins" absolutely help with its bass performance through a snugger fit, resulting in bass frequencies being preserved inside the ear. The CCZ Warrior’s bass performance is definitely mid-bass focused, it has the signature punch and boominess that attentive listeners will recognize at the first go. Slower attack and decay to really solidify each bass hit; bassheads will get their money's worth with the Warrior with how it can satisfy their booming needs. As seen from these, it definitely has some bass bleed in the midrange especially in the transition to the lower midrange area, but is part of its unique warm sound signature that it cannot be defaulted to the subtraction of points.
✳ The midrange has a warmer timbre that favors lower pitched instruments and, naturally, male vocals. The CCZ Warrior outputs surprisingly rich and well-presented midrange despite the bassy nature of the IEM, resulting in a very comfortable and natural tone to every song you throw at it. The thickness of the midrange can sometimes throw it off, as the Warrior lacks some refinement and layering to how the midrange is presented to the listener; add the bassy signature to the mix, and it results to at-times sloppy presentation. At the end, how matter how well the midrange is presented is appreciated, but it can use some tweaks here and there to be considered as excellent in my books.
✳ The treble is clearly not the focus in the CCZ Warrior. It falls prey to the typical tuning decisions of the v-shaped past, resulting in an uneven and incoherent experience when compared to the more natural overall timbre. It has obvious hints of sibilance and tinniness in the cymbals, which can be sometimes shrill in modern production songs. Its definitely focused on the shimmer side of treble presentation rather than the body, which highlights the unevenness of the region. All of these are also partnered with an inadequate extension over the extreme upper treble regions, which does it no favors in balancing out the peaks present in the overall presentation of the treble. Overall, I hope that CCZ works more towards improving the treble response in their next releases, as it can bring their future IEMs to the next level when done right.

Soundstage/Imaging
The warmer and bass focused presentation of the CCZ Warrior results in it having a very forward and intimate feel when it comes to its soundstage. It renders all instruments at the absolute front of the listener, no matter what instrument it is. This favors rhythm and/or beat-oriented genres, as one can truly enjoy the pulse of the music in one, solid aural package. However, this negatively impacts the lack of nuances brought upon by the overall tonal presentation of the CCZ Warrior. It has average to below average levels of layering and imaging capabilities, resulting in some more concentration and attention needed to point out the different instruments in every song that you throw at it. Overall, if you’re just looking for a coherent and solid presentation without any expectations of incredible soundstage/imaging capabilities, the CCZ Warrior is a good choice.



𝙊𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙑𝙚𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙩:
Packaging:
Build Quality & Comfort:
Sound: .5

Get your own CCZ Warrior over at this link (non-affiliated): https://keephifi.com/products/ccz-warrior?_pos=1&_sid=8a11e28b9&_ss=r

The CCZ Warrior have been sent to me by KeepHiFi in exchange for the publication of this review. They have not made any specific requests and I will aim to be as unbiased and sincere as always, although you should always consider the fact that these IEMs were sent to me free of charge.

You can find a non-affiliate link to the Warrior via KeepHiFi by visiting the version of this review published on my blog (link at the end of this post).



Intro…

Last year I reviewed two sets of IEMs by a brand called CCZ, the Emerald and the Melody. Both sets featured a 10mm dynamic driver with a custom knowles BA driver and both came in at less than 20€. They both sounded very similar with the Emerald just being slightly more enjoyable for me personally.

A year later, KeepHiFi has kindly sent me the new model from the company, this time named the Warrior. A simple glance shows that these are very similar to the previous models, using the same shell, however, this time the driver count has been increased to feature a 10mm dynamic driver this time paired with 3x balanced armature driver.

The price has also increased slightly, with the Warrior coming in at slightly less than 35€. This still places them well inside the sub 50€ limit that I set as an extreme budget, but is a 75% price increase over the previous models.

So let’s see what advances have been made from their previous offerings.



Presentation…

The packaging has not changed and the presentation is exactly the same as it was with the Emerald and Melody. A simple white box that reveals the IEMs sitting in a card and foam cut out, with the accessories underneath.

The accessories are 3 sets of silicone tips (one installed and the other two in the typical white bag) and the cable, which just so happens to be the same as the cable included with the other two models.

I am not one to complain about accessories or packaging in this budget range but as I have noted with other brands that still use similar presentations, there are models out there that are doing much better in this regard.

Again, no complaints, the accessories are enough to pull out the IEMs and get straight into using them.



Build and aesthetics…

This is something that has also remained the same. CCZ have stayed true to their shell shape with their patented “Earfins” which is to provide a more “comfortable, light and stable” experience. The only issue with this is that I had issues with the Earfins on the previous models and the Warrior creates the same issues for me. The Earfin rests in just the wrong place for me and causes me pain after a short while. This means that I can’t wear them for extended periods and my listening sessions are limited to brief 10 to 15 minute stints before I need to take a break.

Obviously comfort is a very personal thing and I am sure that others will not have this problem with discomfort but in my case it limits the use of the IEMs.

The build is lightweight and doesn’t have any specific flaws to highlight. They use a semi transparent shell, allowing you to see the inside and count the drivers, which is surrounded by a gold coloured trim on the face plate. Not my favourite combination as far as aethetics but I have seen much worse.



Sound…

All tracks mentioned are clickable links that allow you to open the reference track in the streaming service of your choice (YouTube, Tidal, Spotify, etc.)

Not a whole lot has changed in the sound department either. There have been a few tweaks as far as tuning but nothing dramatic.

Here is a graph that shows the Warrior in comparison to the previous two CCZ models I reviewed, along with my usual preference curve for reference:



Starting off with the subbass, this is very similar to the subbass on the other two. I am not sure if the same dynamic driver is being used but it certainly sounds very similar. There is plenty of rumble in the lowest notes of my usual “Chameleon” test, although it is not the cleanest of performances.

“No Sanctuary Here” also has plenty going on in the low end, with the midbass being above my preferences in this regard. I have said many times that if a set has an elevated bass range but is clean and detailed, I usually enjoy it. Unfortunately the midbass range is not that clean or detailed on the Warrior. I can’t say it produces fatigue as the discomfort from the shell kicks in before this point, but it is not something that I consider that clean in these ranges.

There is also some bleed from the lower notes into the low mids which is not terrible but doesn’t help with the sensation of the low end being rather bloated and out of control. This is highlighted on many tracks, such as “Crazy”, where the low end of the guitar has body to it but is just a little too boomy, giving the impression of exaggerated room reverb in the upper bass and lower mids.

In the center of the mids there is a which is not as exaggerated as on the older models, however, as the upper mids don’t have as much presence as said models, the Warrior doesn’t really bring vocals back enough for them to counteract that boominess in the low end. I find that this is the case with both male and female vocals.

There is also quite a bit of roll off in the higher areas that wasn’t as apparent on the Melody for example. This creates a high end that is lacking air and comes across as a little claustrophobic at times. This does avoid sibilance however, with “Code Cool” coming across quite subdued in the sibilance ranges, even the intro to “Hope Is A Dangerous Thing” shows a lot less sibilance than on so many other sets.

Details are also affected by the overall presentation of the sound signature. Here CCZ haven’t used the high range peak trick that many other brands use to give a false sense of detail. Unfortunately, this leaves the Warrior without much sense of detail at all.

Soundstage is below average, again affected by that darker treble and lack of detail, which works against image placement and gives the sensation of an overly blunted response.



Finally, isolation is also below average until we make it up to the higher mids, where it does improve.



Conclusion…

There is some fierce competition in the 20€ range, with many sets offering a lot of performance for very little money. While the Melody and the Emerald weren’t ground breaking, I would have said that they were still pretty competent in that 20€ bracket.

I am sorry to say that the Warrior takes the base of the Emerald, removes performance and increases the price. Yes, there are 2 more BA’s in the Warrior than either of the previous models, but the result is not a positive experience, at least for me.

Things are very tough at the moment in the extreme budget section and CCZ will need to do more than this in order to stand out and make themselves a space.

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This review is also available (as are all of my reviews) in Spanish both on my blog (www.achoreviews.com) and on YouTube (www.youtube.com/achoreviews)

All FR measurements of IEMs can be viewed and compared on achoreviews.squig.link

All isolation measurements of IEMs can be found on achoreviews.squig.link/isolation