Knowledge Zenith (KZ) PR1 HiFi

Knowledge Zenith (KZ) PR1 HiFi​

The PR1 comes in three flavors at the moment, the regular PR1 which has a resin shell and aluminum faceplate, the PR1 HIFI, which comes as a resin/electroplated build and aluminum faceplate, and the KZ PR1 Pro. All have 13.2 Planar Drivers. The Pro version comes with a resin build along with an aluminum faceplate.

With that out of the way I’m going to be doing fast and simple comparisons between two other recent KZ creations and comparisons between two other Planar IEMs. Note the Zeitan Wu not pictured here.

left to right=KZ AS16 PRO, Kinera Celest Gumiho
left to right=KZ PR1 HIFI, KZ ZS10 PRO X


Listed in order of best to worse
A) KZ ZS10 PRO X
B) KZ AS16 PRO
C) Kinera Celest Gumiho
D) KZ PR1 HIFI

Note:
The Zetian Wu was not really in test group due to price constraints, though it's only an important comparison as another planar, to make sure I wasn't just judging the KZ PR1 HIFI's incompetence solely on planar attributes.

My rating for the PR1 HIFI is the lowest in this test group, and I will explain my. While not a bad IEM in any form or fashion…….the competition is stiff. Meaning nothing is wrong per say about the PR1 HIFI, except it lacks separation of elements in the stage. Everything else is great, and you may still be interested in the PR1 HIFI due to the great build, wonderful fit…….and of course value. As truly with the Kinera Celest Gumiho not being a true planar, with different style of Planar construction and a BA added, it’s different.

1) https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/the-new-kz-zs10-pro-x-universal-iem.26128/reviews#review-29430

The KZ ZS10 PRO X is the overall winner here. Reason being it shows a nice instrument separation, in contrast to the clogged togetherness of the PR1. Also for many other reasons it even beats out second place in our contest. This list of reasons is gone over in the review. Though a short take is that it has a slightly more (natural) laidback treble, and a more natural bass, being DD as oppose to BA bass. 5 stars!

2) https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/knowledge-zenith-kz-as16-pro.25953/reviews#review-28967

Here is KZ AS16 PRO climbs to second place despite it’s slightly controversial nature, being it's impedance dependence for tone. I personally found it charming and filled with incredible abilities. With 8 BA drivers per side, offering a slightly buzzy yet airy and thrilling take on my music library. 5 stars!

3) https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/celest-gumiho.26076/reviews#review-29411

The Kinera Celest Gumiho makes third place simply by reason of pure bang-for-the-buck………..big sound for the buck…..and really doing nothing wrong. While not perfect, its one issue is the slight BA sheen put-out by the addition of the BA to the 10mm planar driver. Still the little Gumiho has pizzaz and soul. Rocking its way into third place simply because it’s just so darn fun to listen to. In fact, I haven’t heard the KZ PRI Pro yet, but if KZ wanted to stay competitive, they would need to make the KZ PR1 Pro have the little Gumiho’s separation and clarity to still be competitive.The Gumiho got a wonderful 4.5 star review.

So that’s our four IEMs listed in the photograph.

One more……….
I got to thinking…..you know planar IEMs have a sound, a character all their own, thus popular right now………but what if I am simply judging these IEMs only with comparison on separation. With just me liking (and focusing on) separation? What I’m referring to is 1st place is a Hybrid, second place is 8 BAs, third place is also a Hybrid of a 10mm planar and a BA. So what if these judgments are purely subjective and I’m in my own little world here, not offering and value of opinion to anyone. Judging simply due to personal (read subjective) preference? So regardless of price, I threw the Tangzu ZETIAN WU into the mix.

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/th...nar-in-ear-monitors.26114/reviews#review-2938



$149.00 USD
https://www.linsoul.com/collections/featured-home/products/tangzu-wu-zetian?variant=43301859557593
$70.00 USD
https://www.linsoul.com/products/kz-pr1?variant=43415897506009

That’s right, our KZ PR1 HIFI is totally half the price of the ZETIAN WU! So why am I comparing them here? Because of planar separation. That’s right, it’s not just a character of planar technology to have the soundstage elements seemingly near one another.

Is there a huge difference between the separation going on with the Zetian Wu and the KZ PR1 HIFI?


Does a bear schiit in the woods?

In fact........again the separation issues with sound elements become really the main reason for the KZ PR1 HIFI being at the very bottom of our list today……………still it’s an enjoyable IEM.

Knollage Zenith has been on a roll lately and proving their Knollage is real……being the fit and form-factor of the PR1 rocks! It offers great sound occlusion, feels lightweight and has a great nozzle lip. The nozzle itself combined with the overall shape is totally correct. Look at the photographs of the KZ PR1 HIFI! Just look at the work of art you get. In fact due to its shape a wide range of tips can be chosen. This is often what happens with a great shape, we are able to keep getting perfect fit with a whole range of ear-tip options. I ended with the shallow profile/wide-bore as the ultimate methodology to get soundstage. So my soundstage was about average, to slightly better than average. Still there is actually a very close relationship between the three KZs talked about in this review. Offering a subtle V fun response with all the bases covered. While it could almost be said that the sound character difference was arrived at by the use of different sound making technologies? Each way to make music has its own driver idiosyncrasies.

That’s right KZ did the multi-BA, they did the Hybrid, then they made 3…..count-em 3 planars. So? Did this third KZ planar come-out (fast) due to KZ attempting to make their mistakes “fixed” or are they simply playing us? You know PRO, PRO X, HIFI PRO, HIFI PRO X............and so on? I haven’t heard the Pro model yet……..and with so many products launched/produced it simply adds to the confusion.

Knowledge Zenith (KZ) PR1 HiFi​

13.2mm Dual-Cavity Planar Magnetic Driver Earphones

• Ultra-thin Silver-plated Diaphragm
• N55 Double-sided Magnetic Circuit
• Exquisite Finish With Aluminum Alloy Face Covers
• Professional Tuning Adjustments For Impressive Sound
• High-Quality OFC Silver-Plated Cable

Joining the pack, KZ is attempting to cash-in of the absolute flood of planar popularity. And just look how they tried to one-up-man-ship the whole design. Those exhaust vents……..IEMs become more like cars in design every year. Seriously how many IEMs do you know which have vents on both the front and the sides?


Build:
The PR1 comes in a solid three piece electroplated shell. The bottom (ear-facing) semi-custom build offers a single small vent, in contrast to the 9 slots sporting the top-plate, and 5 vents off to the side, as shown in photographs. I don’t think build is solid aluminum? The faceplate is 100% aluminum, but note the back is referenced as electroplated, and strangely it almost feels like metal due to the metal top finish. Cruising in at only 6 grams a piece, they can’t possibly be all metal………right? It’s a strange future world where KZ now offers electroplated plastic!

The nozzle goes all out to hold ear-tips on with style. Already touched-on, these nozzles are not only angled the correct way, and have the right length, they offer beautiful beveled lips and inset screens to-boot. An extruded two-pin acts as the only clear plastic seen in construction, seemingly emitted through a small (doorway) port on the aluminum faceplate! This qdc style of .078 2 pin goes to offer increased strength due to having the outside plug receptor actually add another layer of material (plastic) in daily use. Such apparatus also guarantees an absolute angle of attachment (causing you the cable fitter) to approach the pin-set-up at only an exact angle, before reception will occur. Once joined the beginning of the cable ear-hook is started by the plastic 2 pin holder. An OFC silver-plated surface wire adds to the frequency balance at hand before being quickly changed out for possibly better cables you may have on hand. Not that there is much wrong with the provided cable………it actually works fine……….it’s just a 4.4 balanced add becomes effective…………..especially when you get down-and-dirty and release how darn hard the PR1 is to drive.

This 13.2 Planar driver is difficult to drive. I mean all planar IEMs like juice, but you will be reminded fast, especially if you’re doing as many side-by-sides as I was during this review. Oh…….that’s right…….when your doing comparisons the all BA is incredibly efficient, the Hybrid KZ in the middle (as far as power requirements) and the planar IEMs the most difficult to drive.

IEM shape:
Yep…….I made a section just to reiterate on the shape! If all IEMs could only emulate this exact form……the world would be a better place. Seemingly just right……..is what Goldilocks found, you see she found balance, and balance is what is taking place here………as far as form and weight, nozzle length and angle. The other guys can simply 3D scan this IEM and replicate much of what’s going on…………….the special trait is feel too. As the electroplated plastic has both the feeling of metal and plastic, it doesn’t get cold and seems to carry the perfect middle weight. And……with all the vents you would think natural sound occlusion would be awful…..but no, it’s blocked-off by the internal driver by being a double cavity inside. Your fingers touch the very edge of the aluminum faceplate during the first adjustments and they fit so beautifully……..you then can leave them alone…….paradise!

Packaging:
Laughably the charm is again they didn’t waist paper on QC documentation, and placed a rubber stamp marking on the bottom of the box……….proof the QC person was present to inspect this IEM upon leaving the factory floor! YZ did the inspection duty on 10/15/22 using a hand stamp. While the packaging in not anything other than a box, you have to realize that I have witnessed lower quality IEMs with GUCCI packaging…….that made you question where there priorities were. Where here the effort goes into the sound and build of the product……..with generating 1/2 million examples of certain models……….you come to realize KZ is at the point now of going from strength to even greater strength! Truly I like the package……..I mean put your money where it’s important…….at this level of IEM……we care about sound and consistency of build; give us those two things and we will be happy-campers.

1) The KZ PR1 HIFI IEMs
2) Cable OFC Silver plated optional/mic/media-key
3) 3 sets of ear-tips S/M/L
4) Instruction manual








Sound:
Bass:
Probably the bass is what changed the most upon burn-in. What was a thick syrupy sludge of bass OTB, became a reserved and critically controlled spectacle. This is surprising and found as an opposite in bass response in contrast with other planar IEMs. That’s right, most planar IEMs (and this is my 7th) have started-out a bass shy experience, only for the burned-in mature bass to finally show-up at 60 to 100 hours. While here was are witnessing 7 days of full burn-in…………..the bass was definitely “fixed”. In fact it went to the total other-end of the spectrum. While still showcasing the celebrated current KZ sound……….we are now in view of a controlled, reserved and relatively fast bass response. Somehow smoothness was also the 2nd best change. Where smoothness and cohesiveness was obtained, it’s the bass that became noticeably different, more agile, better paced and in the end obtained imaging to die for. Though to be critical, the stage still shows average styles of separated imaging resulting in average clarity. And even with this new reserved stance in bass placement……..stuff is slightly jumbled-up and centered, instead of gloriously taking a fully entertaining disjointed spender in staging. I know I may sound like a broken record, going over the same issues as when this review started, but it is what it is. I mean it’s OK, nothing totally bad or anything……..it’s just not a class leading experience and not of a true value do to these issues.

Treble:
While yes, there is this planar sound, it’s developed to introduce great transients and they are clean and fast. There is a slight upper timbre issue which goes to make instruments sound ever-so-slighly higher in pitch than they truly are. It’s this ever-so-slight plasticky tone that while not so bad, is not so good either? Everything falls under this blanket of reproduced tone. Yet attacks are clean, and decays offer a great pace and clarity. The basic agility is maybe going to be the singular draw in the market-place……..that and the look and feel of these simply in your ears. This takes place with every amp I’ve tried and every cable. Doesn’t matter which ear-tip change I do either, this tone is just part of the PR1 experience though and though. What your getting for your dollar is quick and clear transients and nice pace and fast decays…………really sounding more on the digital side of sound personality, than the analogue. Still all this is fun and in a way cutting edge for the price-bracket. Especially if you have a fast rock song, where every instrument get some attention………..and the more and more you listen you kinda become under the PR1’s spell, seemingly starting to forget about the issues………almost. So it does have that?

Midrange:
It’s the midrange, the mids are what you buy the PR1 for. And crazy as it sounds these didn’t come-off sounding this way out of the box. We went from the subtle V giving way less emphasis to the midrange, almost buried in the mix……….to a celebration of midrange as the KZ PR1’s final destination. While still stuffy in character, vocals start to work their way out, and while not offering the most inner detail or even showcasing…….there comes about a utilitarian character. Just getting there, while being separated from the whole mix, still not fully human sounding. It’s this lack of relief in the mix that will have you try plain vocal music……..and again even when there is nothing around to complete with, vocals are still shown for great articulation but lacking texture………almost simply going through the motions. It’s this texture we are looking for, for involvement to take place. Guitars are exactly like vocals…….in every way both styles of sounds follow the same character issues here. Where yes, pace and bounce in there, yet this is a sterile environment missing that all important factor called simply…………life!





Conclusion:
While relatively fun and comfortable, some life essence seems to be left out. In a way I feel that it’s gone, yet at times I can’t exactly put my finger as to why it’s gone. Is it the detail texture? Is it the slightly skewed-tone? Because to pace is great, better than great, the pace is simply amazing……these just need some adjustments. Maybe that’s what the KZ PR1 Pro brings to the table, I don’t know? And……for me this is sad to find, as the KZ ZS10 PRO X is one of my favorites of the year. Really I’m 100% on board as to what the ZS10 PRO is doing, 100% of the time! You may have called me a Knollage Zenith fan back in 2016 when the first wave of popularity hit and my review was spotted on the front page of Head-Fi. And years went by, and I paid very little attention to what KZ did. I hadn’t forgotten about them, but I had no idea how far they had come with sound design and making budget IEMs capable of providing amazing sound. Meaning I actually found it pretty much unbelievable how good the 8BA a side KZ AS16 PRO is. Then they top-themselves again making the Hybrid 5 driver KZ ZS10 PRO X! So you can totally see I was excited to see how they would try and incorporate planar technology into their offerings. And in my testing here I had to rotate in a second planar IEM into the test group side-by-sides…….to use it as an extra example of planar technology…….to see if I wasn’t just making all this up. So in conclusion, and after thorough testing the KZ PR1 HIFI finds its place in the lineup, not really a bad IEM, but not really the best style either. Though this testing example I have tried to be complete and fair, I have given the KZ PR1 HIFI enough burn-in as well as ample chances to prove its worth, I have used multiple music genres and multiple amplifiers, I have tried multiple cables and multiple ear-tips too. And while the build and fitment of the PR1 HIFI is great, and singularly one of the best ever…….there is more to an IEM…..and that more takes supreme importance in sound quality. We all have our favorites of the IEM stable which don’t always fit fantastic, but sound wonderful, you know which ones I’m talking about. KZ is close on this one……I hope to see the company join the success stories of other planar manufactures, embracing this now popular form of driver technology, as it seems they got halfway there with the PR1 HIFI……..just not all the way.

Here they are:
$70.00
https://www.linsoul.com/products/kz-pr1?variant=43415897506009

Free shipping and one year warranty when you order from Linsoul.
Linsoul website: https://www.linsoul.com/
Linsoul Aliexpress Store: https://ddaudio.aliexpress.com/store/2894006
Linsoul USA Amazon Store link: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=merchant-items&me=A267P2DT104U3C

Disclaimer:
I want to thank Kareena of Linsoul for the love and the KZ PR1 HIFI Universal IEM review sample.

Disclaimer:
These are one persons ideas and concepts, your results may vary.

Equipment Used:
Sony WM1Z Walkman DAP MrWalkman Firmware 4.4mm
Sony WM1A Walkman DAP MrWalkman Firmware 4.4mm
Sony TA-ZH1ES DAC/AMP Firmware 1.03
Electra Glide Audio Reference Glide-Reference Standard "Fatboy" Power Cord
Sony Walkman Cradle BCR-NWH10
AudioQuest Carbon USB
UA3 Dongle DAC/Amplifier 4.4mm

The KZ PR1 have been sent to me by Linsoul for me to try and share my opinions. As always with Linsoul, they have not made any specific requests and my review will aim to be as unbiased and sincere as possible, although you should always consider the fact that these IEMs have been sent free of charge.

Keeping up with my usual aim to not publish purchasing links on forums where I am only a guest, even if all my links are non-affiliate, you can find the PR1 via Linsoul by visiting the version of this review published on my blog (link at the end of this review).



Intro…

Until recently there were very few planar IEMs on the market, we had Audeze, Tin and not much more. Now there are no shortage of planar IEMs available, covering all kinds of price brackets. The PR1 is Kz’s entry into the planar battle, coming in at just over 65€ and using a newly developed 13.2mm driver that is different to the drivers used in many other sets.

So the question is, other than the price, does the PR1 provide anything that sets it apart from all the other planar models that are readily available?



Presentation…

The PR1 presentation is just another typical KZ package. A small white box covered with a transparent cover that reveals the IEMs inside.

The contents include the IEMs, the typical KZ cable, the typical KZ tips and the typical KZ user guide.

So, as far as presentation goes, there is nothing here that hasn’t been seen many many times before from the brand.

I have always said that the presentation is the last thing on my list of worries and that I would much prefer the money to be spent on the IEMs themselves than a bunch of accessories that I may or may not (probably the latter) use.

Saying that, many other brands have got us used to decent packaging and contents, making the KZ presentations lack in comparison, giving us a cheap vibe when opening the package. Again, this is not an issue, as long as the IEMs provide an experience that matches the price point.



Build and aestetics…

I have to say that I like the industrial looks of the PR1. They use a combination of a clear resin interior shell with a gunmetal grey aluminum faceplate. There are grills on the front of the faceplate, with more ventilation areas along the top. Now, these IEMs are well vented but by no means are they as open as the faceplates would lead to believe. However, it does add a great aesthetic to them, in my opinion of course.

The comfort is the same as the majority of KZ models, which I find to be quite comfortable with no issues over longer periods of having them in my ears.

As far as the cable, well, not much I can say that hasn’t been said many times before. It’s not a fancy cable but it does its job and is much better than the cables that KZ used to include in yesteryears.



Sound…

As I have quite a few IEMs that are pending review, I have been measuring them in batches, meaning that for some models I have seen the measurements before listening to them. THe PR1 are one of these cases.

I am mentioning this because when I saw the graph, my first thoughts were “oh no!”. However, when I got around to listening to them (quite some time after graphing them), I was expecting something much worse than what I actually found (not to say that what I found was amazing).

Here is the graph in comparison to my personal preference target:



Those of you who follow my reviews and know my tastes will be able to spot exactly what I am referring to by looking at the graph. That 10dB over my preference is the subbass zone is one thing but the 6 to 8dB over my preferences in the midbass range was what worried me more.

So I was expecting overly present and bloated bass, stealing the spotlight from the rest of the frequencies, yet it is not quite as bad as I expected.

I have said before that I have no issues with excessive subbass (which is certainly the case here) as long as it is clean and doesn’t lose definition, and the KZ are actually not too bad in this realm.

Moving through the usual frequency categories and starting off with the subbass, yes there is a lot. In fact, listening to heavy subbass tracks, such as my usual subbass test track “Chameleon”, there is a heck of a lot of rumble. It is in fact too much rumble for my tastes. However, in tracks that have less subbass presence, the PR1 doesn’t force it on you and it keeps more or less out of the way of the other frequencies.

If you are someone looking for a planar experience with plenty of subbass rumble, then I think that the PR1 has you covered.

The midbass is a little more invasive but is still not as bad as I expected it to be when looking at the graph. I will say that the midbass is not out of control though, at least with the majority of music. It does bleed over a little into the lower mids, or at least it gives that impression due to the dip in the center of the mids, but is rather composed and is not terrible.

Listening to things like “No Sanctuary Here” from my test list, the focus is certainly on the lower end, pushing the midbass above the level I would like to find on this are but it is tolerable. I do find it tiring but it is not headache inducing like it is on other bass heavy models (to me of course).

The mids do suffer from a scoop between the 500Hz and 1kHz mark, meaning that V shaped recordings will be even more exaggerated, especially towards the lower notes. This is something that many people find enjoyable but it is not something that I favour personally.

The upper end of the mids does climb rather smoothly to the ear, however, the presence between 2.5kHz and 3kHz is not quite enough to balance out that low end. It is not terrible, again, I expected much worse judging by the graph, but it is still lacking some clarity and definition, with vocals taking a back seat on many tracks. Sting's voice in “Walking On The Moon'' seems quite distant (maybe on the moon? ), as does the guitar, with the bass becoming the lead instrument (which some bassists would be happy about).

Moving into the upper frequencies, the extension is decent, with a sensation of air that is maybe not as apparent due to that low end being overly present. Using the typical “Code Cool” sibilance test, the results aren’t bad although they are not perfect either.

As far as details go, again they aren’t bad but they are not overly impressive for a planar driver either. To be fair, even the S12 that I really enjoy is not exactly a detail monster and none of them come close to what I have come to expect from bigger planar drivers, but the PR1 is certainly acceptable detail wise for it’s price point. Again, the excessive bass works against the sensation of detail, which does improve slightly by EQ’ing the low end down.

Soundstage is not a strong point in my opinion either. I did expect more width from a set of IEMs that looks to be fairly open but I’m afraid it is around average or even slightly lower. Image placement is ok inside the space it has to work with but becomes difficult to appreciate when the track is bassy. For example, “Bubbles” has a constant low rumble that takes away from the clarity and definition, and “Bubbles” is not exactly a bassy track.



Regarding isolation, well to be honest it isn’t terrible. It is actually better than average in the lower ranges whilst falling slightly below average as we get to the higher frequencies. It would probably have been better if it was the opposite (so the bass could be tamed naturally in noisy environments) but I am not complaining.



Conclusion...

If it wasn’t for the excessive bass ranges, then I would have actually been pleasantly surprised by the PR1, coming in as one of the cheapest planar IEMs on the market. In fact, with some EQ, these can be made to sound rather good for the price. However, as it is, I do find that the low end is far too much the “center of attention”.

If you are a bass head and are looking for a budget set of planar IEMs, then I think the PR1 should definitely be something you try out. The performance is also not terrible, it maintains its composure fairly well with fast moving dance tracks and I can see a lot of people being able to have a party in their head with their favourite dance tracks.

However, if you are looking for something that is more of a balanced sound, then I feel that there are quite a few alternatives out there that are much better suited, both in the budget range and in the planar range, if t
hat is what you are aiming for.

I can’t say that the PR1 is bad, in fact, if it had been released a year or so ago, before the planar boom, then it would have probably received a lot of praise. As it stands, there is a lot of competition going on in the planar IEM world and while the PR1 does have something that the others don’t (that 10dB of bass), in my personal tastes it is not high on my list of preferences.

As always, this review can also be found 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

General Info (Packaging/Build/Comfort)
KZ or rather Knowledge Zenith is a brand which everyone is familiar with and needs no further introduction. I got into this hobby with their budget model KZ ZST and back then, for the price they’re asking for, they sounded good and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

Fast forward to today, they too wish to take a slice of cake from the planar’s market and decided to release the PR1. In terms of packaging, they remain pretty barebone, a standard box consist of the IEM, cable and several pairs of eartips and that's it, more or less the same even for their entry level IEM, i personally think that they should at least include a storage pouch or some variety of eartips to correlate to the asking price, but that’s just me.

Build quality is good, the faceplate’s design is very refreshing, it looks like an open back but it is not, you can actually see the planar driver on the IEM itself, fairly big. The shell is not too big nor small, average to my ears and I can achieve a good fit with the stock M sized eartips. I wore them for several hours straight and I didn't feel any discomfort throughout my listening session.



Equipment and Software used

• iFi Zen Dac + iFi Zen Air Can
• Topping DX1 + iFi Zen Air Can
• Tempotec V6
• iPod Touch 2G
• Dunu DTC 500
• Hidizs S9 Pro
• Macbook Air M2
• Apple Music/Tidal/foobar2k

Sound
The PR1 is a mild V shaped sounding IEM, boosted bass and high and slightly recessed mids. They are slightly warm and easy to listen to, with a tiny bit of planar timbre, it is not really that noticeable to me (subjective). PR1 is generally easy to listen to and non offensive

Bass

• Bass is emphasised with good texture and maintains good control (if properly powered)
• Bass extension is quite good, sub bass quantity is good and has a good rumble when the track calls for it, i have tried watching some video with it and it’s pretty good
• Mid bass has got good thump to it, it certainly need a little power here in order to have good control, else it will sound a little muddy during complex track
• Overall speed is fairly good considering the price

Mids

• Vocal sounded a little recessed but not too bad, i noticed that as you feed it with more power, the vocal goes a little more forward and not that recessed
• Male vocal has got good texture and also doesn’t sound thin, same goes to female’s vocal as well
• Instruments in the mid range has good note weight to it, Imperial March for example, the cello, violin, all sounded realistic and carries sufficient note weight to it

Treble

• Treble is a little boosted as this is mild v shape sounding IEM, but it is nowhere near sibilant or harsh, well done KZ, gotta give credit where it's due
• Extension is average but they made it up with good amount of air for good separation and imaging capability
• Nothing to shout out overall in the treble region, good amount of fun in an inoffensive way
• Detail retrieval is good but not decent, microdetails can be picked up but not expect totl kind of detail retrieval capability and you’re good to go

Soundstage/Imaging

• Soundstage is really good on the PR1, good width and height, a little lacking in terms of depth but quite good overall. It does gives off the sense of wide sounding, very enjoyable
• Imaging is surprisingly quite good, instruments can be pinpointed easily even in complex track

Driveability

• PR1 is not hard to drive, you can get decent volume even from Apple’s Lightning Dongle, but it does scale with more power, eg: vocal is a little bit more forward, better control on the bass and bigger soundstage

Final Thoughts
KZ PR1 is KZ’s first attempt in planar IEM, entering the planar market with aggressive pricing, and the tuning that they’re well versed with, V shaped with a little bit of tweak here and there and they then have a pretty good tuning that’s pleasant and inoffensive to listen to. We gotta give credit where it’s due.

Will I recommend PR1? Yes, why not? If you’re in the lookout for a pure planar IEM with limited budget, PR1 is the way to go, if you feed it with more power and better source, it will reward you with better sound. Peace out and enjoy music everyone! Till next time.



*KZ PR1 is sent over by @Linsoul Audio f.o.c in exchange for this review. I received no monetary compensation nor am I under any influence to produce this review.

Non Affiliated Purchase Link
KZ PR1