Rock Rau0501 In-Ear Monitors

he Rock Zircon’s are a great looking pair of earphones with it’s ‘angle’ designed earbuds. Beside it’s great looks, they deliver a wide dynamic sound, have an premium build quality, and low priced. Currently, this is the best deal you can get for this money. Take a look at out Rock Zircon review below to find out why these are so great!

Sound
The most important reason people buy a nice pair of earphones, is for it’s sound. The part where the Rock Zircon’s are differentiating itself from it’s competition, is it ability to deliver a wide dynamic sound. It’s provides a great contrast in it’s bass, mid-tones and treble. The bass is punchy and deep, which you can also clearly feel through these earphones. In combination with clear mid-tones, that results into a bright delivery of sound. Finally the trebles are very good, they have crispy high’s. You are able to listen long sessions through these earphones. And as mentioned before, they are really dynamic which is really fun to listen to.

Design & Build Quality
The Rock Zircon’s have angle shaped earbuds, which is personally really like. Next to the angle shaped design, they are also a bit curved as you can see on the pictures. The earbuds have a kind of dark grey/black metallic paint on it, with gold colour highlights on the ends of it. The metallic paint is providing the earphones a a premium look, that really looks good. The earbuds are created of ceramic, which provides them really premium quality and look! The outside of earphone cable is braided, which not only looks good, but also prevents your cable from winding. Finally, the headphone jack is aluminium and L-shaped, what prevents cable damage and providing also a premium look and feel.

Comfort
Thanks to the slightly curved earbuds, the earbuds are fitting really well. Furthermore, they are light weight, so you can barely feel them when you wearing the earphones. I use the earbuds currently as my number 1’s, so I’m using them a lot listing music when I’m working and working out. You can use them for long listening sessions, without any irritations and hurting to your ears.

Conclusion
All in all, we found in this Rock Zircon review that they are real winners. They are performing amazing on all fronts. I haven’t encountered any earphones, that perform so well on all fronts. Even $100+ earphones can’t hold up to these guys. I strongly recommend to buy these headphones, for this price you can’t ignore them!

GearBest link: https://www.gearbest.com/iphone-headsets/pp_234355.html?lkid=11945607

This review was originally posted on EarphoneKing.com.

I recently began a quest to find the best IEM under $30. I started with the buying guide on r/headphones and haven't looked back. One IEM that kept popping up no matter where I looked - any of the assorted review sites I checked as well as Head-Fi - was the Rock Zircon. People sang its praises, claiming that a sub-$20 IEM provided clarity the likes of which I'd never seen before and that these could outperform any IEM under [insert price here]. I was skeptical about the overwhelming positivity so I decided to get a pair to answer the question I kept asking myself: could these be worth it?

Extreme TL;DR: Yes.

Slightly longer TL;DR: These are definitely worth at least their asking price. These are among the few cheap IEMs that have powerful bass and crisp treble without drowning out or muddling the mids. The soundstage and imaging is incredible for the price range, which are amplified by their above-average isolation. On top of all of that, they are easily the best-looking IEMs I own.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------


At the time of this review, the Rock Zircon are $12.99 on AliExpress and slightly more on Amazon ($13.99 for white/$15.99 for black). Gearbest has them as well for $18.50 but if you can get them (legitimately) for cheaper then you should.

Packaging and Accessories:

For budget IEMs I've learned not to expect many accessories and the Rock Zircon are no different. They come in a pretty standard box that has pictures and specifications of the IEMs on it as well as some slightly broken English. The one thing different about the packaging for the Rock Zircons, though, is that the cutout through which you can see them is on the back rather than the front.



Also inside the box is a user manual and two extra pairs of eartips (small and large, the mediums come on the Zircons). I would've liked to see a carrying case included (especially because of the 3.5mm jack, but I'll get to that later) but that would likely have made these more expensive.



The Zircons are made of hard plastic, which feels very sturdy. The housing is a dark slate color with what looks like a small gold insert in the back, which gives it a very premium look and feel. Directly under each housing is a bit of clear plastic that provides strain relief (which the 3.5mm jack should also have) and tells you which ear it is.

I like the wing-tip design of the Zircons, which makes them comfortable to wear either over-ear or down for long periods of time without fatigue or pain.

The Zircons also have excellent isolation. They fit well and the ear tips comfortably go pretty far into my ear canal, which isolates noise passively even when I'm not playing music. I don't have to play music very loud to block out everything but jackhammers and sirens and these truly do put me in a world of my own when I'm listening to them.



The cable has two different sections: above the connector and below it. Above the connector, the cable is pretty standard rubber that feels smooth but isn't as tangle-resistant as some other cables I've seen. Below the connector, however, the cable is braided fabric. I personally like this setup - the rubber, which has to take more wear and tear, is stronger, and the braided cord cord feels better and is more tangle resistant.

The Zircons come with a single-button remote on the right side that has a microphone on the back. The microphone works very well and people have no trouble hearing me, whether I'm wearing the Zircons over-ear or down. The remote works very well for my Android (I haven't tested it on iPhone) and the button takes a bit more force to press than normal but provides a much more satisfying click than others do.



The only issue I have with the build quality of the Zircons is the 3.5mm jack. The jack itself is incredibly sturdy and takes slightly more force than normal to remove, which I personally like (it won't come out when I put my phone in my pocket and such). However, the hard plastic gives way to the braided cable with minimal protection around the joint. Because of this, the cable seems incredibly susceptible to fraying and I have to be careful with the joint any time I handle the Zircons.



Sound:

The Zircons have a V-shaped signature with surprisingly good mids. Where they truly stand out in my opinion, though, is their level of detail and imaging. Additionally, the Zircons are among the most fun of any IEMs I have to listen to and make music more interesting to listen to.

Every single IEM is going to sound slightly different in every ear. The shape of the listener's ear, the fit and amount of isolation, the shape of the IEM, the eartip material, the source, and the listener's ability to hear different frequencies - among other factors - can affect how an IEM sounds. The descriptions I put forth accurately describe the way I hear these IEMs but may not be accurate for everyone.

Bass: Bass is definitely the strong point of these IEMs. Both bass and sub-bass come through prominently and smoothly. The bass can best be described as "warm" and has a good amount of thump and rumble that doesn't become muddled on songs that heavily feature bass - like Sail and Seven Nation Army - when many other bass-focused IEMs do. The level of detail of the bass makes it even better. Even when the bass is in the background, you can hear the difference between a soft rumble and a gently pounding beat. On top of that, the bass remains clear even with bass boost turned up to 100%.

Mids: Unlike many other budget IEMs that have recessed and muffled mids due to a strong bass, the mids are crisp and clear. The detailing is excellent and makes sure that you hear the mid-range sounds along with highs and lows. Due to the V-shape of the sound signature the mids are slightly recessed but have the best balance of any budget V-shaped IEM I've seen. Mids come through warm and rich and fill out any song you listen to with the Zircons.

Treble: The best way I can describe the treble on the Zircons is "just right". They're neither too harsh, like someone is pounding the keys of a piano, nor too recessed. Highs have incredible detail and shine in piano-heavy songs like Someone Like You and Hundred. However, the treble gets slightly sibilant and muddled at higher volumes, which are only truly noticeable in songs with sections of isolated treble.

Soundstage: I read a great definition of soundstage somewhere that defined it as the answer to the question "How easily can you tell where each sound is coming from?" I used that definition to test all of my IEMs but the Zircons made me add another question: "How easily can you tell that the sound you're hearing is coming from an external source?" The Zircons provide a sound that truly seems like it's coming from all around you rather than through the IEMs. I was even a little bit surprised (for half a second) that the sound went away when I took them out. As I said for each section, the detail is excellent, and each instrument and each part has exquisite separation. Rather than just distinction between left and right, I can pinpoint where each sound comes from while wearing these, which gives the sensation that the music is being performed live in front of me rather than being played from my phone.

Comparisons:

At this time, the only well-known IEMs I have that compare to the Rock Zircons are from KZ, which says something about their quality.

vs KZ ZS3

The ZS3 has more of a focus on the lower end - it has stronger bass that is shown more prominently. However, the treble is still clear but strongly recessed. It also has very good definition but the sound is more towards the front and it loses the subtlety and complete scope of imaging that the Zircon has. The ZS3 is much more of a "fun" sound for bass-heavy songs and EDM compared to the Zircon, which is still fun but is more of an all-around experience and excels on softer and less in-your-face songs where the ZS3 fails to adjust.

vs KZ ZST

The Zircons and ZST have a very similar sound signature. The ZST have stronger mids and highlight vocals incredibly well but have a narrower soundstage than the Zircons. The Zircons also have a better (less harsh and sibilant) treble.

vs Granvela ED9 (rebranded KZ ED9)

The ED9 isolate better than the Zircons and are more bass-heavy. However, the Zircons have better balance and imaging, much better mids, and don't muffle at higher volume, which the ED9s do.

Final Thoughts:

These IEMs live up to the hype and may even be a bit better. For under $20, they provide the best imaging I've heard and have an incredibly balanced V-shape signature that makes the music fun to listen to. I was blown away not just the first time I used these IEMs but every time since. These are a must-have IEM whether you usually use budget IEMs or not and are the best value I've seen.

INTRODUCTION:
 
The Rock Zircon IEM's are very well known for its great sound quality at such a low price. 
At the price of only 8 -10$ you can't go wrong with these purchase.
 
UNBOXING:
 
The Zircon's come in a simple packaging.
 
Here are a few photos of the product.
 
The box
 

 
Unboxed with all accessories out
 

 
Close up view
 

 
BUILD/DESIGN:
 
For a 10$ IEM, the build on the rock zircon is really great. It even comes with a braided cable and a one button remote that works with most devices.
The design looks really sleek and pretty, the gun metal and gold color combination makes the IEM look like its a premium buy. 
Its also very sturdy and has a very good feel to it even when compared to products at a much higher price point.
 
FIT/ISOLATION:
 
The Zircon's come with 3 pair of silicone tips (S, M, L) and I'm pretty sure it would fit most people. The Zircon's are very light and won't be fatiguing to wear in my opinion.
It also isolates passively with the silicone tips, and the isolation is really good especially when you get a good fit.
 
SOUND:
 
The Zircon's are v-shaped and would very well be suited to casual listeners. This gives the Zircon's a boost to the low and high frequencies creating a very fun sounding sound signature.
 
 
Bass/Low's:
 
The bass is probably the strong point of the zircon's. The bass is really good and hefty without being muddy in most cases. Bass lovers should love these IEM's.
The sub-bass is probably what I love the most about the sound of the zircon's. The sub-bass has a solid feel and lots of volume to it and will make you just want to dance along with the music 
 
Mid's:
 
Due to the V-shaped sound signature, the mid's on the zircon's are slightly recessed. People who love vocals might find the zircons a little bit less engaging or lacking, but despite the mid's being recessed , the zircon's are still very detailed in the mid frequencies. 
 
High's/Treble:
 
The zircon's are very detailed and clear at its price range. It can even compete with some IEM's 10-20X its price when it comes to clarity and detail in the high's.
The only downside to the v-shaped signature of the zircons is probably that it might sound a bit muddy and sibilant at a high volumes of listening, especially with rock and metal genres. 
 
Imaging/Soundstage:
 
Imaging and soundstage are very good considering the price of 10$ It's pretty much as good as a 100$+ IEM. The instrument separation is not its strongest point, but the 3D imaging is pretty impressive especially considering that these are only 10$. (Did I just say that these are only 10$ again? Yes I did, Because that's how good they are at ONLY 10$!!)
It's certainly not the best, but at this price range, it might definitely be. You just can't ask for more for the price you're paying. 
 
COMPARISONS:
 
Zircons vs urBeats
 
Hands down this goes to the zircons, despite the urBeats costing 7x more, the zircon's have more detail and better bass. The urBeats sound very veiled compared to the zircons.
 
Zircons vs Beats Tour V2
 
Pretty much the same level in sound resolution but the zircons edges the Tour's V2 in the overall clarity and bass impact.
 
Zircons vs V-moda ZN's
 
The v-moda zn's are 180$ while the Zircon's are only 10$ (Bought mine for 8$). Despite the huge price difference, the sound isn't that much different.
The zircon's even have better sub-bass than the Zn's. The Zn's are much better in terms of imaging and soundstage though. 
 
Zircons vs JVC FX-1100
 
The JVC FX1100 is around 340$ today. In terms of sound signature, the FX1100 is very similar to the zircons. The FX100's is much more neutral though with a bass boost, unlike the zircons which has recessed mids. Despite the price difference, in terms of quality in the bass, I think the zircons are actually very close to the FX100. The FX1100 is very well known for its great bass even among TOTL iems, especially with a decent upgrade cable. And yet the zircons are actually pretty much almost on par with the FX100's when it comes to bass. The other noticeable advantages of the fx1100 against the zircon are; soundstage, imaging, and detail/clarity. But despite these advantages, the zircon isn't actually that far behind in terms of overall sound quality. I'd say that the FX1100 is only better by arguably 10-20% in terms of overall sound quality.  
 
 
CONCLUSION:
 
For the low low price of 10$ you cannot go wrong with the Zircons, it's definitely a no brainer! I mean come on guys you can get top notch sound quality for just 8-10$!
Whether you're an audiophile, or just a casual listener, the zircon's is a must buy.
The Zircons will now be my backup IEM's always placed inside my bag in case I forget to bring my daily drivers.
It will now also be my go to IEM's when listening to hip-hop, rap and EDM.

Very nicely made and good sounding. It has a little too much subbass rumble, and the mids should stand out just a little bit more, but if you turn down a few dB on the EQ from the sub section it all clears up. No sibilance at all, everything is where it should be, it even has some soundstage! Compared to the KZ ATE this wins by far in all compartments, so don't waste your money on the ATE, that is bad no matter what people say. Compared to Xiaomi Piston 3 original version (with the nice box and stuff) this has a little bit more bass probably, and midrange is more clear. They are close.

One negative thing I have is it makes such a vacuum in your earcanal, that moving your head alters the sound... But might be my ear only.

I guess these could get a 4 star rating, but i'm kinda sick of shrill high-mids in iems, even if they are cheap.
 
-I would say these sound 10% better than my Awei ES900, but because i have to have the same EQ cut around 2.5K-5K on both of them they kinda sound similar with the Zircons sounding a bit more detailed.
 
-Cable might be problematic.
 
-Buy them if you don't listen to Metal,Classical music or anything with a bright sound for that matter. Their strong suit is EDM and especially dark colored styles like Psy Trance.
 
-The small form factor is definitely an important advantage, it takes no real-estate in my pocket, almost like taking an extra key with me.
 
Update: these died after 3 months of easy use.
 
Since I've seen many other people encounter similar issues i dropped the ratings from 3.5/5 to 3/5.

When I saw it online (mostly in amazon) I was attracted by its aesthetic look. I couldnt understand how an in-ear one can be this cheap despite maintaining such beauty. After some digging i found it cheaper and ordered from China through Taobao at almost 9$. Rest of the things are now history
 

 
 
Lets see how it describes it's existence in Musical world 
 
Packaging:
 
Simple hard paper packaging with a plastic window to showoff the in ear which also have a magnetic flap to show some promising effort with a ten dollar in ear. Unboxing was a good experience indeed.  
 
Accessories:
 
Accessories!!! Are you expecting a quarter inch adapter? comply tips? variety of tips? For GOD's sake dont. Its a 10$ artifact. It only comes with 4 different tips and noting! (mark that tips are not that good. I should not say flimsy but not comfortable and lacks sound isolation. **so If you can use third party Tips you will find a gem!
 

 

 
 
Build quality:
 
It comes with a reasonable length braided cable; A bit thin but it shows promise to last longer. Spliter has a metal housing. The in ear itself has ceramic housing yeah sounds right!! has a satisfying ceramic housing with a large (in radius) sound tunnel. A tiny hole to vent air into the drivers, white plastic stain relief with L/R marking (small) but its easy to find Left and Right as both are not symmetrical rather than angled to the ear canal. And yeah it has a in line microphone and a one button remote with metal housing. the Mic and remote works fine with android and Iphone.
 
 

 
 
The Mighty Sound (the mystic opportunity)
 
Bass:
 
Bass lovers people will certainly love what zircon offers. You will surprisingly identify Sub-bass. The tightness of low end it not muffled or rounded of. It will equally treat the bass lovers and normal users as it can be controlled via EQ. when the EQ is off its prominent bass will entertain you with tight thumb.
 
Mid:
 
you read it has tight bass, "oh yeah then as it is cheap it has muffled mid" Sweet Jesus it has a clear mid. No way near muffled or sibilant. though it seems it is a bit recessed but not only a bit which wont make you uncomfortable with listening music rather its clear enjoyable.
 
High:
 
Highs are good. String instruments like guitar sounds good. its really clear but not like crystal clear (a bit grain might be heard if you come from higher end in ear) . But vocal clarity and clear high will amaze you as its a cheap in ear. 
 
Sound stage and Imaging:
 
holly goodness!! this really has decent sound stage. decent doesnt mean "a stage like 100$ iem offers. Decent here stands for a notable one. Notable as you can not expect a decent meal even under 10 bucks. however, the sound stage is sensible and you can sense where the drums is and so on. so it will be a decent experience with the Rock zircon regarding to sound stage and imaging. even it shines in separation too. you can hear individual instruments that are sounding differently.
 
Isolation: 
 
this dont shut all the sounds after you plug it in your ear. but when the music starts outside ambient noise reduces. they really dont offer extreme sound isolation (i didnt expect so but expected a bit better) **note that after changing tips it created a good seal. so changing tips to your personal choice will offer you edge
 

 
 
Comparison
 
First thing first, it throws away most of the in ears that can be found under 30-40$  
 
Vs Xiaomi hybrid: Rock zircon has tighter bass with a lot of details and clarity than hybrid. Hybrid is no way near it. specially for the price distance and SQ.
 
Vs KZ ATZ: Rock zircon is easy to put in ears and also stand upright against KZ with its tight bass and mid high clarity. KZ is more comfortable than Zircon.
 
Vs TTPOD T1e: The bass of Zircon it outruns TTPOD T1e. Though TTPOD's bass is more enjoyable to me to listen (i am not a bass head rather a metal lover and t1e offers as much as i want) TTPOD has serious sound stage and imaging. In mid and high battle Zircon offers sparky ends but T1e smooths with amazing clearity.
 

 
 
Aftermath:
 
"Holly grail" yeah its kinda! because at 10$ you cant even buy a decent shaving razor. With a good in line mic its a no brainer. The Mighty Chinese Artisans crafted their jolly engineering and created this..... 
 

 
 
source:
Oneplus one dacing with fiio e18
Macpro 2015
Fiio x1

Bought this from local online shop Lazada Malaysia. But shipping still from China so it just arrived 3 days ago after 1 month in transit. I paid RM40 or about 9.5USD about the same price if I buy from Aliexpress. After I tried for short time to confirm both channel working it went straight to burn in station.So far it has more than 50 hours of burn in period. Should be enough because there is not much difference from the sound out of box.
 
 

Excellent material used here. Housing made of black ceramic (real zircon ceramic?). The nozzle are perfectly angled. The silicone tip are the original, they are very comfortable and grippy.
There are vent at the back of housing (top of golden area). The strain relief are clear silicone just like my Uiisii HM7.

The cable are covered with grey braided fabric up until before Y-splitter. After that the cable is just covered with grey plastic.Y-slitter is tapered shaped metal with grey plastic strain relief. The earphone jack is L-shape with similar grey plastic strain relief. Single remote with Rock brand is on right cable after the Y-splitter. The remote work perfectly for play/pause single click and double click for forward/next. Never try yet for microphone function. Generally the built quality is on par with excellent quality earphone like Xiaomi 1more Voice of China.
 

With the sub 20 competition; Uiisii HM7(with Huawei AM12 tip) and Boarseman CX98(with KZ ATE tip).
 
Sound quality;
Excellent out of the box, not much different noted even after 50 hours burn in period. Perfect sound? Definitely not. Better than some more expensive earphone? Yes, some of course.
The bass is above average in quantity, fairly tight but not thumping. Slightly slow in bass response as compared to the likes of JVC FXT90 and Sony EX650.  But slightly better than direct competitors; HM7 and CX98. The treble is fairly bright and blends well with the bass. There are some noticeable sibilance, very mild and not really distracting. Some mild background coloration heard. Just noticeable but not really quite prominent like Boarseman CX98 or Audio-Technica CKX7/9. The vocal are slightly recessed as compared to bass and treble, but not to the extend it sounding like V-shaped. The details is moderate and more noticeable than HM7 or 1more Voice  of China. For me the sound of Rock Zircon is still balanced ,with fairly 'smooth' bass and mildly sibilance treble.
 
Comparison with Boarseman CX98;
I like built quality of cable from Rock Zircon better. CX98 has slightly springy and stiffer cable.The lightweight ceramic housing with angled nozzle are very comfortable on Zircon. But generally I still prefer CX98 sound quality. Rock Zircon has higher amount of 'smoother' bass as compared to CX98 moderate amount but with faster bass response. There are more details heard on CX98 and the mildly piercing treble is preferred over Zircon fairly smooth treble. Of course in the end there are not much different in sound quality between these 2 excellent sub 20 earphones.
 
Comparison with Uiisii HM7;
HM7 has fairly aggressive sound signature as compared to Zircon balanced sound. HM7 unfortunately need higher volume than any other earphone mentioned in this review. Bass is the weakness for HM7. Otherwise both Zircon and HM7 has excellent quality cable and ultra lightweight housing- metal vs ceramic. I choose Zircon over HM7 for pure sound quality.
 
Conclusion;
I will not compare this Zircon with 3 of my highest rated earphones; Audio-Technica CKX9, Sony EX650 and JVC FXT90. They are still in league of their own. But there are few more expensive earphone that lost preference to Rock Zircon and Boarseman CX98. Those are Zero Audio Carbo Basso and Sony XBA10. I am currently waiting for LZ Z03A from Easy Earphone. Hopefully this LZ can finally challenged or even surpassed those excellent triad. So for 9USD this Rock Zircon has truly rocked it. It has very similar sound quality to CX98 that cost 20USD and even better than some 30-40USD earphones that I own.