Disclaimer: Thank you and kudos to KZ for arranging this review unit, all herewith are based on own observation with no affiliation nor obligation, noob observation - please enjoy.
Packaging / Presentation :
Packaging in KZ black box. IEMs are well built top plate metal alloy and body resin. Comes with 1 black foam tip, 3 pairs of starline silicon tips in S M and L. Cable is the white flat cable.
Equipment used / Music choices :
ASUS Laptop WIN 11 with Spotify Connect to
LG G7+ 3.5mm SE with Shangling UP5 2.5bal/3.5SE/4.4bal BT via LDAC
Music Tracks - variety of EDM, pop, rock, jazz, country, instrumental, classical, audiophile male/female, chinese / cantonese favourites.
Some of tracks used -
Shatter Me – Lindsey Stirling
4x4=12 – Deadmau5
Need you tonight - INXS,
Jack and Diane - John Mellencamp,
I'm Good - David Guetta and Bebe Rexha,
Dancing in the Dark – Eddie Berman,
Snow Throwing – Lose Again,
IntroOooOoo – Kidkanevil, Daisuke Tanabe,
Brydshot and Bye - Dimlite,
Mushroom Picker Dance - Floex,
Bubbles – Yosi Horikawa,
Ageispolis – Aphex Twin,
Original remastered – Leftfield,
Virtual Reality and Acoustic Guitar Guy – Instrumental only, etc..
Sound Impression :
Technically good, well tuned and Versatile tuning [with 8 switch version]
Overall Tonality and Timbre – Sound Signature is warm with good Weight Tone and Clarity. Overall is Well Balanced tuned set, organic and natural, clean and clear.
Bass – Bass transient speed is fast and snappy and clean, on the leaner side, well controlled and accurate, kick drum and strikes are precise. Sounds quite natural and organic, close to DD, not Basshead level on Low Sub Bass Rumble on neutral setting. Thus no bass bleed which is a good thing.
Mids – Male and Female vocals are organic natural sounding, forward sounding with good weight tone and clarity.
Treble - Instruments separation and imaging are clear and concise, accurate and precise, cymbals and high hats are good, have good micro details and nuances.
Soundstage is good in width, depth and height.
All testing are done using the stock tips and cable.
KZ AS24 with 8 switch [USD114.00 currently]
Comparison to
TRN BA5 [USD45.00 currently]
TRN BA5 is tuned with more Bass and on the brighter side [compared with KZ AS24 on neutral setting], AS24 have the upper edge with 12BAs [compared to 5BAs], thus can hear more micro details and nuances.
Sony XBA100 [discontinued, USD200 on eBay]
Sony XBA100 has only 1BA covering full range sound spectrum, so when A/B with 12BAs AS24, will sound like 2D one dimensional though Sony BA sound and quality is well recognised to be one of the best, in terms of clarity and resolution.
SeeAudio Bravery [USD280.00 currently]
SeeAudio Bravery have 4 BAs of Knowles and Sonion, comes with 6N OCC Hakugei cable and Premium Azla Xelastec Sednafit ear tips. On A/B comparison with KZ AS24, again the AS24 with 12 BAs have the upper edge of displaying more micro details and nuances. Both sets have similar sound signature, on the warmer side as compared to the other 2 sets.
Final Thoughts
KZ AS24 on first listen, I was quite impressed with the neutral Harmanish warm sound signature on the neutral setting, no peaky or sibilance, that might offend some sensitive ears. There is no metallic timbre which I dread on all BAs set, which is a pleasant surprise to my ears finally. In the market currently, to have a 12BAs set that is tuned well and priced at this price point, I would say this is an easy recommendation to those that longs to land their hands on an ALL BAs set.
Packaging / Presentation :
Packaging in KZ black box. IEMs are well built top plate metal alloy and body resin. Comes with 1 black foam tip, 3 pairs of starline silicon tips in S M and L. Cable is the white flat cable.
Equipment used / Music choices :
ASUS Laptop WIN 11 with Spotify Connect to
- ifi UNO DAC to FSA Beyond HD Amplifier 6.35SE and Supplier HD Linear Supply
- Topping DX3PRO DAC to Topping Amplifier L30 6.35SE
- ifi Zen Dac v2.0 interconnected to ifi Zen Can 3.5SE/4.4BAL
LG G7+ 3.5mm SE with Shangling UP5 2.5bal/3.5SE/4.4bal BT via LDAC
Music Tracks - variety of EDM, pop, rock, jazz, country, instrumental, classical, audiophile male/female, chinese / cantonese favourites.
Some of tracks used -
Shatter Me – Lindsey Stirling
4x4=12 – Deadmau5
Need you tonight - INXS,
Jack and Diane - John Mellencamp,
I'm Good - David Guetta and Bebe Rexha,
Dancing in the Dark – Eddie Berman,
Snow Throwing – Lose Again,
IntroOooOoo – Kidkanevil, Daisuke Tanabe,
Brydshot and Bye - Dimlite,
Mushroom Picker Dance - Floex,
Bubbles – Yosi Horikawa,
Ageispolis – Aphex Twin,
Original remastered – Leftfield,
Virtual Reality and Acoustic Guitar Guy – Instrumental only, etc..
Sound Impression :
Technically good, well tuned and Versatile tuning [with 8 switch version]
Overall Tonality and Timbre – Sound Signature is warm with good Weight Tone and Clarity. Overall is Well Balanced tuned set, organic and natural, clean and clear.
Bass – Bass transient speed is fast and snappy and clean, on the leaner side, well controlled and accurate, kick drum and strikes are precise. Sounds quite natural and organic, close to DD, not Basshead level on Low Sub Bass Rumble on neutral setting. Thus no bass bleed which is a good thing.
Mids – Male and Female vocals are organic natural sounding, forward sounding with good weight tone and clarity.
Treble - Instruments separation and imaging are clear and concise, accurate and precise, cymbals and high hats are good, have good micro details and nuances.
Soundstage is good in width, depth and height.
All testing are done using the stock tips and cable.
KZ AS24 with 8 switch [USD114.00 currently]
Comparison to
TRN BA5 [USD45.00 currently]
TRN BA5 is tuned with more Bass and on the brighter side [compared with KZ AS24 on neutral setting], AS24 have the upper edge with 12BAs [compared to 5BAs], thus can hear more micro details and nuances.
Sony XBA100 [discontinued, USD200 on eBay]
Sony XBA100 has only 1BA covering full range sound spectrum, so when A/B with 12BAs AS24, will sound like 2D one dimensional though Sony BA sound and quality is well recognised to be one of the best, in terms of clarity and resolution.
SeeAudio Bravery [USD280.00 currently]
SeeAudio Bravery have 4 BAs of Knowles and Sonion, comes with 6N OCC Hakugei cable and Premium Azla Xelastec Sednafit ear tips. On A/B comparison with KZ AS24, again the AS24 with 12 BAs have the upper edge of displaying more micro details and nuances. Both sets have similar sound signature, on the warmer side as compared to the other 2 sets.
Final Thoughts
KZ AS24 on first listen, I was quite impressed with the neutral Harmanish warm sound signature on the neutral setting, no peaky or sibilance, that might offend some sensitive ears. There is no metallic timbre which I dread on all BAs set, which is a pleasant surprise to my ears finally. In the market currently, to have a 12BAs set that is tuned well and priced at this price point, I would say this is an easy recommendation to those that longs to land their hands on an ALL BAs set.
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