Knowledge Zenith (KZ) X Crinacle CRN/ZEX PRO

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KZ x Crinacle CRN (ZEX Pro) Review!​

• KZearphones.ph / Sir Jeff Yang /KZ provided me this review unit free of charge in exchange for an honest clear review. Rest assured that this review will be free from any bias/es as much as possible.
• The following remarks and observations shall be made and owned only by me.
• No monetary compensation is/was involved before, during, and after the period of creation of this review.
• Your mileage may (and always, will) vary.

• Hidizs AP80
• Not-By-VE Avani Realtek Dongle
• Samsung Galaxy S3 (WM1811 DAC)
• Non-HiFi smartphone (realme 5i)
• Local Files via Foobar and Roon, YouTube Music, Deezer, and Qobuz with UAPP.

• Mild V/U-shaped sound signature depending on the setup, but this time it leans to the brighter side. Sparkly, bright upper mids and treble. There are instances of peaks and sibilance on upper frequencies. Wide soundstage. This IEM does not forgive poorly-mastered or lower bitrate tracks and files.

• Lows are present and slightly elevated. Subbass presence is dominant over midbass. Bass may lack texture on busy tracks due to its smooth character, even smoother compared to the CA16 Pro. Average decay, not too fast or too slow/boomy. Very good control. Bassheads may find the ZEX-Pro’s bass lacking, particularly on the midbass. Overall, the bass is controlled and exhibits sub-bass dominance.

• Mids are slightly recessed with some little to no bleed at all. Lower mids may sound thin depending on the track’s mastering and file bitrate. Upper mids are elevated, bright with above-average clarity. Instances of sibilance and peaks are present, particularly on sibilant prone tracks. Overall, the mids are slightly recessed and never got drowned even on busy tracks, but can get hot and peaky on sibilant prone, poorly mastered, and low—bitrate tracks.

• Highs are bright and extended. It is also airy and sparkly but can introduce pierce occasionally on bright tracks. Above-average detail retrieval. This has by far been the most detailed KZ IEM I have owned and auditioned. Overall, the treble is bright with very good detail retrieval for its asking price, but will not please treble-sensitive people.

• The soundstage is above-average, even wider than the ED16 I used to own. It is wider than deep. Separation is also average and showed very slight congestion on busy tracks. Imaging is also surprisingly precise on most tracks I play with it with a very good sense of space and position of instruments and vocals.

• Very good, flush-fit to most ears
• Above-Average detail retrieval, the most detailed KZ IEM I have owned and auditioned so far.
• Little to no midbass bleed
• Well-defined, sparkly upper frequencies.
• Good stock ear tips, not too soft nor hard
• Wide soundstage
• Above-average imaging and separation.

• Definitely not for bass heads (subjective)
• Instances of sibilance on sibilant prone tracks are present
• Upper frequencies may sound thin at times
• Not forgiving on poorly mastered/low bitrate tracks.
• Bass may lack texture
• Accessories could be better
• There may be better alternatives for its asking price (30USD)