KZ Symphony 1 Planar + 1DD

KZ Symphony: Is KZ Aiming Higher?



Intro

Just as Nintendo releases new Pokémon games each year, KZ frequently updates its IEM catalog. This time, they've opted for a slightly more expensive model, hoping to appeal to a more dedicated audience within the hobby. The KZ Symphony features a hybrid configuration with a dynamic driver and a planar-magnetic driver. I hope you enjoy this review of the KZ Symphony (MSRP: $68.99 USD).


If you wish to read this review in Spanish, click here

Check out previous reviews here (or in spanish here)
Disclaimers:

• Many thanks to the people at KZ for sending me this product to give my honest opinion.
  • You can find the Symphony here: https://www.kztws.com/products/kz-symphony?variant=45311135383803
• Analysis over 4 days – sessions of approximately 2 to 4 hours each
• All music is lossless (Qobuz & Tidal > 16bit – 44.1kHz)
• Gear used: FiiO E10K

Unboxing, Build & Comfort





KZ Symphony: The IEM housing is crafted from 3D-printed resin with an opaque tint, while the faceplate is made from a lightweight metal alloy. The faceplate features the model name and several perforated grids, giving the Symphony a semi-open design, although I didn’t notice any impact on the seal due to these openings. In terms of size, the Symphony leans towards being a larger IEM, though thankfully, it remains lightweight.



KZ provides the standard 0.78mm 2-pin connector located at the top of the IEM. At the end where the Symphony inserts into the ear canal, it features a nozzle of approximately 5.5mm.



Inside this structure, the Symphony houses two types of drivers: a 6mm dynamic driver primarily responsible for the lower frequencies, and a 13.2mm planar-magnetic driver aimed at delivering better resolution in the higher frequencies.



Cable: Unfortunately, the cable doesn't match the quality expected for a product priced around $70 USD. It closely resembles the cables provided with KZ's more budget-friendly models. This feels like a missed opportunity, although it does its job as a typical cable compatible with the 0.78mm 2-pin connection. The cable terminates in an L-shaped plug.

Eartips: The package includes three pairs of KZ’s well-known Starline silicone tips and one pair of foam tips. Similar to the cable, the accessory selection is underwhelming for this price range. The Starline tips were my preferred choice, performing adequately as everyday eartips, especially for those who favor balanced orifice tips.

Comfort: Despite their larger size, which causes them to protrude more than I’d like, the Symphony passes the comfort test and provides excellent isolation with the included tips.

Driveability: The Symphony is moderately difficult to drive, primarily due to the inclusion of a planar-magnetic driver. At a minimum, it’s advisable to pair them with a decent dongle (at least 70mW@32ohms) to get the most out of these IEMs and provide the necessary dynamism to their drivers.



Sound Description


Credits: Paul Wasabi

Bass

The best aspect of the KZ Symphony is undoubtedly its bass. The subbass is impressive, capable of giving you a visceral experience at high volumes, and it reaches quite deep, down to around 50Hz. Naturally, this emphasis results in a noticeable bloom in the lower frequencies, making them somewhat intrusive to the overall sound signature.

The midbass is slightly less prominent but still holds its ground without being completely overshadowed. Overall, the bass frequencies ensure an enjoyable experience for all types of electronic music that focus on this range. It's worth noting that the driver responsible for the subbass and bass (a 6mm dynamic driver) is quite capable of maintaining adequate speed, even in tracks with rapid bass tempos. The definition and texture of the bass frequencies are more than satisfactory.


Mids

From this point on, the classic V-shaped signature from years past begins to struggle significantly. Most vocals come across as thin, except for those that occupy the higher range of the mids. When listening to singers with lower or mid-toned voices, their authority is diminished by the overpowering low frequencies, making it a challenge to enjoy rock or heavy metal bands, or solo artists accompanied by instruments that have a deep tone.

However, as I mentioned earlier, certain artists, like Billie Eilish in "No Time To Die", manage to avoid this issue by elevating their vocal range, which benefits them within the Symphony's sound signature.

To wrap up this section, it’s clear that this type of tuning quickly reveals its disadvantages, where there's a noticeable imbalance that heavily favors the extremes of the frequency spectrum, leaving the mids at a disadvantage.


Treble

Before reviewing any product, I like to do some research, and something that stood out to me about the Symphony was the mention of a disparity between the dynamic driver and the magnetic planar driver. I decided to test this myself, as it’s said that the magnetic planar driver, which controls the treble, tends to increase its volume more than the dynamic driver. And indeed, songs from the "Deceivers" album clearly demonstrated this when the cymbals played; at higher volumes, they tended to overshadow the rest of the instruments and sometimes even the vocals. This created a dysfunction in this frequency range that I didn’t expect, which is a significant downside for those who don't typically listen at lower volumes.

Aside from this crucial detail, the treble is powerful and even a bit sharp in certain tracks with a strong presence of cymbals, triangles, or other instruments that sit in the upper part of the spectrum. For those sensitive to treble, the Symphony quickly becomes a challenging listen. However, the definition and clarity of the highs are commendable, as all the tiny microdetails in Tchaikovsky's albums were easily distinguishable. The treble is airy, with a fast attack but a somewhat slow decay, making it quite suitable for orchestral music, though with the obvious drawback of being highly fatiguing.


Soundstage and Imaging

Given the V-shaped tuning, I didn't expect to say this, but the spatiality of the Symphony is a major strength. The width is immense compared to many other IEMs I've tried, and this aspect really stands out for me. The depth is adequate, though it doesn't particularly shine.

As for imaging, I was also surprised by how clearly and precisely the instruments' positions were rendered by these IEMs. In live albums like Coldplay's "Live in Buenos Aires" and Iron Maiden's "Live After Death", I could easily identify the different guitars and their positions on stage.



Conclusion

You might be wondering why there's no comparison of the Symphony against other IEMs. Given the old-school V-shaped tuning of this KZ set, I don't have anything similar in my collection that falls within the same price range to compare it against.



Even though this hobby is largely subjective, I'll try to justify my verdict. At a price point of nearly $70 USD (MSRP), the Symphony targets a very specific niche of listeners who seek a "heavy" V-shaped signature with a strong focus on bass and treble. In this regard, KZ has done a commendable job with dynamic bass and subbass, as well as treble that offers excellent micro-resolution for the price. However, the naturalness and body of the mids is an irretrievable characteristic in this case, and it will impact many music genres.

Personally, I'm not a fan of this kind of tuning, but I can see its strengths and appreciate the quality and detail retrieval of the drivers. However, the treble imbalance at higher volumes and the unusual signature for many listeners lead me to give it a score of three stars.

KZ SYMPHONY , V-SHAPE , FUN & NO BORING MONDAYS ....

Hallo this mission is to review one of the iems from kz, namely the kz symphony which has a hybrid driver configuration with a plannar + DD combination. How does it sound? Just look at the review.

1 . INTRO :

Before starting the review, I would like to thank Uncle Yuwan Tara once again for the unit loan. Disclaimer: This review is purely my opinion using the Symphony cable & eartips plus the Tempotec Sonata BHD DAC supported by the Redmi Note 10 Pro + Yt music with my personal playlist. Well, it won't take long." Just get on with it.

2 . PACKAGING, BUILD QUALITY & FITTING :

- PACKAGING:

Still the same as KZ in general which many people know. So don't discuss it too much, okay?

- BUILD QUALITY:

You could say the housing is really good or not, but it's not bad either. It's not bad, the faceplate is made of metal with the bottom made of plastic/resin. But the feeling of being heard honestly doesn't feel cheap, it's comfortable & feels solid.

- FITTINGS:

The housing is relatively large, but I find it comfortable in my ears, more comfortable than the Rhapsody or AS16 Pro x. However, perhaps this is not a universal housing size, so you have to be careful.

2 . SOUND QUALITY :

- BASS :

The bass is the best sector for me. He has quite a large quantity of bass which is quite dominant in the sub bass area with deep extension coupled with very steady rumbling. He also has good bass control, in terms of impact the bass is really nice, the bass is very addictive, in terms of texture the execution is also good, finally, even though the quantity is big, he has a speed bass that's fast enough to double pedal it's still good. Overall the bass execution is good for me so the score is (9.5/10).

- MID:

The mid presentation is quite backward compared to the bass or treble. The weight is also a bit thin, but I still appreciate that it still opens and doesn't close even though the position is backwards. The vocals have a thin body so they are better for female vocals than male vocals. The presentation is actually quite good, clear, quite clear, quite sweet too & minimal sibilance. Timbre is also quite natural, even though I don't think it feels like plannar. Yes, overall the mid is not that good but it's still an okay score for me (7.5/10).

- TREBLE:

As for the treble, it feels very typical of Plannar, a bit reminiscent of Plannar PR3. The presentation is good, a bit smooth, but it has good extension, the Treble body is also right, the details are nice, airy & there is no sharpness or piercing like that. Overall good execution for the treble, score (8/10).

- TECHNICAL

Technically, it also feels distinctively planned, the presentation is neat. From clarity, detail & micro detail, it's great. From the stage it also feels spacious, slightly dominant in the wide area with good depth & height presentation. The execution in imaging & layering is also good, it feels accurate, the separation is also neat. Overall, this IEM also has a good technical execution, with a score of (8.5/10).

4 . COMPARATION :

- VS SONUS :

Obviously Sonus is more balanced in execution but Symphony is much more fun than Sonus for me. From the bass, the symphony is more fun overall, the bass execution is better than the Aonus. As for the mids, the Sonus is better, the vocals are sweeter, clearer, more full-bodied & more balanced than the symphony, although the indication of sibilance is more pronounced on the Sonus. As for the Treble, you could say it's equal, technically it's still 11 12 for me.

5 . CONCLUSION :

KZ Symphony is probably not getting enough attention because people are skeptical about KZ products that cost over a million. But to be honest, for me personally, this is actually a good song if you look at the sound. Can compete with IEM in its class like Sonus. Although I have to admit that for a 1 million IEM, the packaging isn't really original, it feels like I bought an IEM for 100 thousand. But if you don't see it, this iem still has value because the sound is quite unique for me, namely V-Shape, but executed properly, it could be one that you have to try.

6 . NOTES :

This iem is quite heavy and requires quite a lot of power to unleash its potential, but it's not as heavy as the Lord PR2, so don't worry. When I use Tempotec Sonata BHD, I just use low gain at 70-80% volume. Usually it just sticks to 50%. It is recommended that you use a source that has a balanced jack at least, don't use a cheap DAC.

KZ Symphony
1DD + 1Planar
$59

Before I begin this review, let me thank KZ for sending the Symphony in for review.
Rest assured, my review is 100% my own personal opinion.
Just in case you're interested on getting this IEM, you can get it here
https://www.kztws.com/products/kz-symphony

Unboxing
Build Quality

The faceplate is from metal, it looks kinda open, but I'm not sure if its really open or only just for aesthetics.
While the main shell is made from plastic, it is a decent feeling plastic.

Cable is just MEH.
It is the KZ "bihun" cable, its usable but c'mon...

Comfort
Despite its large shell, I can wear the Symphony for long listening session no problem, though maybe if you have smaller, you might get some comfort issues.

Sound

Tested using FIIO M23, Kiwi Ears Allegro, Stock Cable, Stock Eartips
Music is mostly from Apple Music (J-Pop, J-Rock, K-Pop, EDM, Rap, Metal, Jazz)

Tonality in General : V-Shaped
Bass has strong bass boost, ranging from sub bass to around 300hz
Bass presentation is pretty bold, thick and full bodied.

Bass speed is normal, not that fast but not slow either, it still can be used with double pedal music, but for that kind of genre, I think the bass quantity is a bit too much.

Midrange is a bit weird here, the lower part is scooped out while the upper midrange is a bit boosted, it gives sense of spaciousness and clarity but at the same time it makes the overall body a bit thin.

Some vocal can get a bit sibilant from the treble boost, not all vocal but sometime its there.
Thankfully the vocal is not shouty.
While instrument sounds a bit intense, has good clarity but thin on the body.

Treble is boosted around mid treble area, its sounds sparkly, airy, forward and can be intense at times.
Though due to its boost and the planar driver used, it feels like the treble has superb detail retrieval, but in cost of the forwardness.

Technicalities
For its price, I can say the technicalities is very good.

Stage : Stage layering is decent / good.
Stage size is on the large side, also symmetrical in shape (width – depth).

Imaging : Good.
with the FIIO M23, it sounds holographic no joke, but with inferior source such as Kiwi Ears Allegro, it sounds 2.5D sounding to my ears.

Detail Retrieval : Very Good.
It has lots of textures and micro details, especially on the treble region (well probably thanks to its boosts and forwardness)

Positioning and Separation : Very Good.
Thanks to its large stage size, positioning an object and separating them is a breeze, tested on music and games (Valorant).

Conclusion

Is the KZ Symphony worth it?

YES, kind of.
If you're looking for an aggresive V-Shaped tuning profile then yeah sure go ahead grab this IEM.
It has bold satisfying bass and forward treble BUT with very good detail retrieval.

The only concern or nitpick I can give to the Symphony is that the shell is somewhat very large, so if you have smaller sized ears, the Symphony might not fit your ears.

thanks for reaching this far !

Just in case you're Indonesian or understand Bahasa Indonesia, you can check the video review of Symphony here


-littlenezt.