Shozy reached out to me and offered me a free set (just paid shipping+handling) in exchange for my review, and I gladly accepted. Many thanks to Shozy for this opportunity.
 
Even though Shozy recommends at least 40 hours burn in before usage, I started listening right away just for a few minutes, to get a sense of the "fresh" sound signature.  After about 15 minutes of listening, I put it away to burn in and did not touch it until about 60 hours had passed. I can confidently say it has improved after the burn in period. I am usually a burn in skeptic but there is a notable difference. The bass and soundstage opens up a bit.
 
First off, if you are considering a $50-150 IEM but don't have an amp and don't intend to ever get one, considering ending your search here. These are a godsend for people who use their DAP/laptop/phone's headphone jack. They sound great with any source. Unfortunately, the other side of this is that when matched up with nice headphone amps, the sound signature isn't really improved. There is minimal difference, so I don't recommend these to people who amp.
 
I found myself comparing these to the $299 Aurisonics Kickers often while using these. They have a very similar sound signature, a similarly pleasant bass presence, and an overall smooth sound signature. The soundstage and imaging is about equal on both the Zero and Kicker from my experience. I remember remarking I was unimpressed with the Kickers when amped, and that they were just as good with an un-amped source. However since both the Zero and Kicker use a single small dynamic driver, this makes sense.
 
You can listen for hours easily. They're very comfortable, and despite their tiny size, isolate very well.
 
The Zero has a bass oriented sound and does a pretty decent job at mid bass impact for unamped headphones. My main problem was that it couldn't hit real sub bass notes and certain mid bass notes were a bit muddy, but again I must emphasize these are truly all-arounder headphones and have no real weak points, so if my worst complaint is that I wish there was more sub bass, that's not terrible. You'll have to keep in mind I'm a raving basshead though. Normal non-bassheads will think this IEM is Bass City USA. When I use over ear headphones, they rattle off my head.
 

Click "like" if this much EQ makes you sick just looking at it.
 
The rosewood housings and cable are all very nice. The microphonics on the cable are quite low. I did not have any complaints. The mids are very pleasing and natural and the highs are very smooth and non-fatiguing. I did not experience any sibilance with these.
 
My review set came in a plain plastic baggie with a few sets of black IEM tips. I am using JVC spiral dots for my testing. For anyone on a budget, or who does not have an amp, I would gladly recommend these. I honestly think they are on par with several $300 single dynamic driver IEMs. The only reason these get a 3.5 and not 4 star rating from me is that they arguably sound worse with an amp (if you are not a fan of the "V" sound signature") so I only use them directly out of my laptop or DAP's headphone output.
 
I would love to hear what Shozy could pull off with a bigger dynamic driver. The Zero has faint hints of being able to handle sub bass, and I'm confident they could do it if they made an IEM with a bigger driver
 
In conclusion, if your budget is under $80, I would say these are what you should invest in. If the fact it doesn't really respond to amping concerns you, you could spend $70-80 on an IEM with a similar sound signature that will respond better to amping, but the Zero has a very sweet and alluring sound on its own. I keep mine in my travel bag for any occasions where I don't have an amp around.
 
----------------
Additional thoughts after a couple weeks of owning
I have owned these for about 2-3 weeks at this point. I rarely use them primarily because they aren't as bass capable as other IEMs I have, but also because they don't play nicely with amps. I always have and like to use amps, so I think these will appeal much more to people who don't own an amp and aren't interested in getting one. However, if I had to recommend any IEM under $100, I can't say I would recommend these to everybody, mainly because they can't scale with amping well and the cable is fairly microphonic. There is also a fair amount of mid bass bloat and the treble feels a bit sharp while stuffy at the same time. They are very sharply V shaped and I can only recommend them to people who don't and won't use a headphone amplifier. For that crowd, this is a fairly good value, but I think there are similar sounding IEMs in the $25-40 range which are as good as with low-power sources like smartphones or DAPs and are able to scale with amping better. It is still a good value at $50 and can compete with IEMs and isolates surprisingly well for its light & small form factor. They are good but I don't think they are $500 good or even $100 good to be honest. I will be giving my set away. I think the fit was great and strongly encourage Shozy to try and make a more bass oriented IEM with a larger driver. The rosewood is great but unfortunately it matters less than the sound when it's in your ears.

INTRO:-
 

 
 Shozy, A brand that hails from HongKong, going strong since 2012, better known for their amplifiers, DAPs and DACs has the mighty popular Shozy Alien that looks, sounds and performs outstandingly when it comes to SQ and details. They have plenty of outstanding products and are extending their range with new products ever now and then.
 
 What I have with me here is their Latest product, their maiden go at In-ear earphones Shozy Zero which ships worldwide is priced $60 comes in a single color scheme, not exactly color but has only one variant. Made out of selected high density Brazilian rosewood chambers and comes with selected cables.
 
 Some of its features are high efficiency drivers with low impedance, flat frequency response with good extension, low distortion without early roll off.
 
 It remains to be seen how this turn out in real life though.
 
 At $60 it has plenty of competition at its hands from Vsonic VSD3/2, Soundmagic E50, Brainwavz S3, Rockjaws Alfa genus, Vivo XE-800 and even the legendary Hfiman RE-400!! I will compare it with RE-400, Alfa genus and Brainwavz S3.
 
 Lets find out how this wooden beauty performs.
 
 Before that I would like to thank Ken from Shozy for this sample unit.
 If you want one you can get your from these links.
 
http://www.shozy-hk.com/zero-earphone/
 
https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Shozy-Zero-HiFi-wooden-stereo-dynamic-in-ear-earphones-ie8-ie800-custom-earphones/601461_32659128608.html
 
https://www.null-audio.com/products/shozy-zero-universal-in-ear-monitor
 
https://www.amazon.com/SHOZY-Zero-HIFI-In-ear-Earphone/dp/B01EHT6Z6C
 
ACCESSORIES ERGONOMICS AND MISCELLANEOUS:-
 

 
 Shozy Zero comes with minimal accessories, Nothing fancy at all. You can find 3 pair of rubber tips, a carry pouch and user manual. Its nothing I will complain about buy they should have included a cable clip, doesn’t matter how selected the cable is, it has microphonics and a cable clip will help in keeping it low.
 
 Don’t expect much from me as mine came with just the earphone and tips. No retail package so I cant show you that.
 
 Build quality is nice, straight barrel design is nothing one can complain about. Rosewood looks really nice, there is some stress reliving at the earpiece end and it does its job, sadly there isnt much at the 3.5mm jack, just tiny bit to protect it from sharp bends. Y splitter has minimal profile and has no stress relievers at all. There is a vent, oh no its not on the outer side, its at the bottom of the nozzle, yup, that’s a vent. R/T markings are on the stress relievers.
 
 Cable might have something special inside but to me it looks like just like the ones we see with KZ earphones. It has some microphonics for sure but not excessive, its bouncy and doesn’t exactly look strong but I have used it under stress and it hold up fine. Lacks a cable slider.
 
 Isolation is average and acceptable.
 
 I like the use of wood, it looks good but not as good as Dzat DF-10, which looks fantastic.
 
SOUND QUALITY:-
 
 This earphone comes from an exceptionally potential brand that has delivered one of the best Hi-res player so it's obvious to have hopes high.
 
 On first listen its quite good, I burned it for more than 150 hrs and used it mostly every day before I go to bed. It sounds perfect without amping and a mobile phone will drive it nicely.
 Signature is warm, bright and slightly splashy, not as bright as HA2 though.
 
 I am using stock Rubber tips for this review, which have really wide bore. It sound better with foam and narrow bore tips, try it if you have some lying around, it helps in smoothening things out.
 Lets start with our basics.
 
 I have to say, Zero responds well to EQ, Try yours.
 

 

 
 BASS:-
 
 It's not exactly balanced, doesn’t take off like a Wooduo neither stays calm like HA2, does its job and keeps calm when not summoned upon.
 
Bass quality is above average, it has nice thump, good amount of air and can reach deep too. It has nice impact but its more soft than hard. Thanks to the wooden chambers Zero sounds really meaty, organic and natural. The only problem I have with this earphone is that it has some mid bass hump which gets bothersome once you come across some mid bassy songs, it takes the center stage and somewhat overshadows sub bass to an extent, and this mid bass hampers decay too, which is good by all means could have been better.
 
 Bass has good amount of details for an $60 earphone, control could have been better, not bad by any means, better than Brainwavz S0 and Soundmagic E50 for sure but can't be compared with RE-400.
 Notes do lack some depth, no bleeding what so ever.
 
 I have seen better, but not from a dynamic driver earphone in this price range, Meelec A1512nd gen is a totally different story.
 
 MID RANGE:-
 
 I am a fan of beautiful mid range presentations, and as far as I am concerned Shozy Zero has some of the best mid range you will find in an earphone for around $50. There are many earphones which sound better overall but zero has really nice clarity and forwardness which I really appreciate. It has good details and nice transparency.
 
 Both male and female vocals sound good, meaty, organic and full bodied, thanks to shallower notes depth male vocals sound thick and sharpness with female vocals make them enjoyable, nicely tuned I must say. Upper mid range has some humps which makes some instruments like cymbals and guitars shine a bit more than others.
 
 Zero has good transparency, imaging, presentation, doesn’t lack much precision and clarity but texture is lacking, it sounds grainy, not as smooth as one would expect, it maybe the housing but what matters in the end is the final output.
 
 Has a nicely spacious stage, not exactly RE-400 spacious, but spacious.
 
 I might have sounded harsh, but all in all this mid range is far superior than S0. E50 and will even surpass 151 2nd gen if you don’t like sharper notes presentation.
 
HIGHS:-
 
 Zero has, I have to say good still not so good highs. It has good energy, good amount of details, better than average separation and transparency, nice sharpness, doesn’t sound harsh but at the same time it lacks the extension I was looking for, its good, but there are some dips and few peaks that make things worse.
 
 Even though it lacks extension, treble on this is neither over done nor rounded off. It sounds cohesive and engaging, doesn’t put anything off, but those peaks with upper mids can be bothersome to some, especially those who are treble intolerant or like it smoother.
 
 COMPARISONS:-
 

 
 VS Brainwavz S3 :-  S3 sounds cleaner, has better clarity, transparency, better bass with deeper reach, no mid bass hump, far better decay, smoother texture devoid of any kind of graininess, better top end extension, devoid of any kind of harshness. Comes with plenty of accessories. Sounds louder, has bigger stage and sonically superior.
 
 Zero has better balance, everything sounds meatier and more natural with awesome timber, notes are thicker too. Has less microphonic cable.
 S3 wins Hands down.
 
Vs RE-400:- Has better sub bass, better extension, faster decay, no mid bass hump. Has better clarity, transparency, details, sound stage and sonicality. Lower microphonics. Better accessories. Has reported durability issues.
 
 Zero has better cable and build, has more bass.
 Technically RE-400 is a far superior earphone.
 
Vs Alfa Genus (Black Nozzle):- Alfa genus has far more attack when it comes to bass energy, has bigger and stronger slam. Vocals have better texture and highs are smoother, has better sonicality. Has far better cables, build quality is awesome.
 
 Zero has better clarity, transparency and details. Everything sounds more natural and organic. Has better decay and top end energy too.
 Shozy all the way unless you want bass.
 
CONCLUSION:-
 Shozy Zero is a perfectly nice sounding earphone with good sound quality, nice timber, good tonality and nice build quality, let down by some mid bass hump and slight graininess.
 
 If you are looking for an earphone that has natural timber, meaty and warm sound signature, thicker notes with good clarity and transparency, you should consider the Shozy Zero.
 
 Thanks for reading guys, cheers. Have fun, enjoy.
 

 

 

 

 

 

REVIEW: Shozy Zero In-Ear - The Warm, the Smooth & the Woody
 
 

 
 
 
Website:
www.shozy-hk.com/zero-earphone
 
 
Specifications:
 
Housing material: Rosewood
Frequency range: 20Hz-18KHz
Sensitivity: 94dB
Impedance: 32 Ohms
Cable length: 1.2 m
 
Price (MSRP):  U$D 60. Can be purchased directly from Shozy website.
 

 
 
 
Accessories:
 
3 pairs of single silicone tips (S/M/L)
Carrying pouch
 

 
 
Build & Design:
 
Build quality is about average; not bad, but nothing outstanding. The housings are probably the better made part of the whole Zero IEM, half wood and half metal. The main driver chamber is made of wood and fully sealed, while the front and nozzle part is metal; both parts well attached together. The nozzle is quite peculiar; the lip is cut, apparently for better venting purposes, which seems to work pretty well. The cut is a bit sharp, and mounting the eartips is a bit tricky at first. It'd be better if the lip ends where smoother. The strain relief at the housings is a bit short and stiff, but well glued; the R and L markings are a bit difficult to see. The cable is a bit springy and kind of rubbery. The plug and Y-split are also made of wood, a bit small and lack a proper relief, and a chin slider is also missing. The design itself is quite attractive, like its sound, it looks rather smooth and elegant yet discreet.
 

 

 
 
Fit, Comfort, Isolation:
 
In short, really good! This is a strong characteristic on the Shozy Zero. The straight and compact housings are very light and easy to fit and can be worn both down and over-ear ways. They stay fixed and are among the most comfortable earphones I've tried. Just for reference, the fit is similar to the Zero Audio Tenore and Hifiman RE400/600, and just as comfortable. Same goes for the isolation, which is quite good being a sealed back IEM. Some driver flex is present, mainly on the right side (at least on my pair). Microphonics are about average.
 

 

 
 
Sound:
 
The Shozy Zero has a warm, sweet and very smooth sound. Like its design, the sound is very comfortable, relaxed and easygoing, with slight punch, good clarity and a rich tonality; which could be expected for a wooden in-ear.
 
Bass is not large quantity wise but has good body and decent natural decay. When needed the mid-bass is very slightly enhanced giving some fullness to the overall sound. Quality is rather good without a noticeable bloat, very well controlled but not the tightest or quickest at its price range, and rather limited in depth but reasonably well balanced.
 
The midrange is laid back, well rounded but not too upfront. It's very smooth and rich, and nicely balanced from low to upper mids and almost clean of any hint of bass bleed. Vocals are sweet but don't carry the best texture; mainly upper vocals can sound a bit off due the lack of treble emphasis. On the whole, the mids show a quite good level detail and clarity. They sound very coherent and have the rather natural texture and richness that 'wood' earphones usually present, but definitely not meant for those who seek in crispness and transparency.
 
The transition from mids to high is very smooth (even more than from lows to mids). The treble is very delicate and laid back in comparison to the midrange. Probably one of smoothest and most forgiving earphones I've got to listen. Clarity is not as impressive as with the midrange, and might sound a bit dull or off next to a Fidue A65 or Soundmagic E50 which aren't especially trebly sounding IEMs. As a result they Zero won't be as airy and may sound congested at times. The good thing is there are zero hints of sibilance and harshness even with brighter tracks and very forgiving on poor recordings.
 
Extension is limited on both ends, giving a closer and more intimate presentation. Soundstage is a bit narrow but less compressed than mid-centered in-ear sets such as the A63. Still, the overall presentation is competent for having a more intimate sound.
There's also a very interesting thing on the Zero. It responds quite well to equalization which can help to achieve a better balance.
 

 
 
Zero Vs SoundMagic E50:
 
The SoundMagic E50 is one of my favorite IEMs among the sub $100 bracket, and one of the easiest to recommend both for its sound and as a whole package. The E50 and Zero share a very good sense of musicality and overall balance, with a rich and full midrange. The E50 is a more all-rounder earphone, having a more solid and extended bass response, as well as stronger yet controlled highs. On the other hand, the Zero is softer in bass and much smoother in treble, with more laid back mids. The E50 wins in build quality, while the Zero might have slightly the upper hand in terms of comfort for some people. Personally, I'd pick the E50 as my daily IEM, but both are very strong contenders.
 
 

Hi All,
 
I was given the chance to review the new Shozy Zero Rosewood earphones in exchange for just a small fee to cover the shipping. I received, as I'm sure some other reviewers did, an imperfect model with just tips but no packaging or case. The Zero can be found here...http://www.shozy-hk.com/zero-earphone/
 
Product Details:
Features:

1. Milled CNC nozzles with special front venting
2. Rosewood acoustic chambers
3. High efficiency drivers

Specs:

1. Sensitivity(at 1Khz) :94db
2. Frequency response :20hz-18khz
3. Input connector :3.5mm/1/8 inch gold-plated stereo TRS plug

 
The Zero is available at several e-tailers including Penon Audio Online store which is reputable...http://penonaudio.com/SHOZY-Zero
 

(credit to Penon Audio) Shows the case which I am not able take a photo of.
 
 

 
My pair with my favorite tips on them. Note the small marks on them
 
 
Build Quality:
The Zero build quality is a combination of solid yet lightweight. Rosewood housings and capping for the Y join and plug. Rosewood is handsome and fairly lightweight but the finish may show signs of use or abuse after a while. The CNC nozzles are pretty much bulletproof. Sturdy rubber reliefs come out of the housings and plug. Fit and finish is perfect. Everything straight and clean with nothing out of alignment or ill fitting and no type of adhesive residue to be found. The cable is lightweight and has a slight plastic feeling sheathing. A bit bouncy is the cable but a nice blend of strong yet lighter weight. There is no chin slider which would help with microphonics and over the ear wearing style. A fairly simple design: straight barrel housings, straight plug, and a straight cylinder Y join.
 
Fit and Isolation:
I find the Zero to have a fairly easy and comfortable fit. The straight housings lend to both straight down and over the ear cable routing. The lighter cable can bounce off the ear at times so the a chin slider would have been nice for over the ear wearing.
 
Isolation is above average with the Zero. They are a sealed design with a special notch cut out of the nozzle lip. This can give better than average isolation but may introduce some driver flex with a deeper fit for those trying to get the absolute best seal. I have experienced it some on my right side. I find I can still get even slightly above average isolation with a medium depth insertion.
 
Sound:
The Zero has an overall well balanced sound with a slant towards bass and warmth. A decent bass amount but still far from basshead territory. Even with a tight seal I find them only a bit U shaped and not quite a V sound. Bass focused but the mids and treble are still right there. There is a good driver here combining with the sealed back wood housings for added richness and warmth. The added warmth of the wood and good driver dynamics give a enjoyable and smooth sound that doesn't become too thick or syrupy like many other wood earphones do. The driver is solid in it's performance being very coherent, quick, and accurate. Good extension on both ends that is above the price but short of the best. Dynamics are quite good with crisp lively treble and tight and fairly agile bass unless you seal them up too much where the drivers slow down a bit if they can't breathe as well. Detail is also good for a single dynamic and even presented throughout the range. Just don't expect mutli-armature detail. Clarity is quite good and close to some very good $100 offerings.
 
The Zero drivers sound quite accurate and the housings add in some wood richness. Vocals sound real. Most instruments sound realistic as well. Treble and cymbals are quite well done here. I hear nothing that comes off as artificial. A good portrayal with some nice transparency that gives a convincing experience. I find the Zero is also true to source as far as working well with most sources and not coloring the sound much and performing well. I may have a preference for using the Zero with less warm things but it still works well with those sources since the bass(sans unwanted vibration) is quite tight and composed. The Zero amps well but the extra juice can increase the vibration problem so the bass can muddle up/smear but if countered the bass seems to like added juice and should be quick and tight with more power provided the gear isn't adding significant warmth/bass.
 
The staging is quite good. Not very deep nor too forward though they are slightly on the forward side. Soundstage is large esp. with wide bore tips. Above average but falls short of huge. Smallish housing and a good seal won't present like a Titan 1 or other more open designs. Height, width, and depth are in nice proportion with each other. Maybe a bit taller than wide or deep but not enough to stick out and hurt the cohesion to any large degree.
 
*The caveat to the Zero sounding their best, IME, is keeping unwanted vibration in check. The wood housings seem to vibrate if not held place better with the right fit and/or tips. I noticed this on my pair early on when there was bass bloom combined with a surprising still clear upper mid/treble combination. Odd to hear that much difference and it was clear the front screens weren't to blame being quite fine and extra bass bloom that needs to burn off would effect the upper frequencies more and not leave them with that stark a difference in clarity. So, testing by holding the housing tightly and steady the bass cleaned up instantly and was much more clean and cohesive with the rest of the spectrum. YMMV on the issue with personal fit and tips used. A potential with wood which can resonate beautifully in an instrument but if not seated firmly causing low end smear/bass bloom. You don't know till you hear for yourself if or how much may be present. 
 
Select Comparisons:
I find the Zero compares quite well to two other earphones I have that cost about double the price...
 
Zero vs. ATH-E40(price paid - $89) - The Zero and E40 share a similar slight bass focus and smooth sound. E40 is a bit further back and spaced out not having the wood thickness in the sound. Only a bit more clarity and detail with the pricier Audio-technica monitor earphone which also works well with most of my gear. The Shozy is smaller and lighter and can be worn both ways while the E40 is over the ear due to having a memory wire portion. The E40 has twice the drivers in a dual phase configuration and can give a bit more bass quality and extension but not much difference comparing the overall SQ level of the two.
 
Zero vs. JVC HA-FXT200($100) - I did swap out the JVC's wool-like screens for a pair of metal mesh ones so they are not totally stock. I find the two phone at the same level of performance though a bit different in presentation. The JVC a more forward and immediate sound of similar thickness as the Zero. Again two drivers vs. one and at times or with certain sources the JVC shows a give in the cohesion of the two where the Zero won't. The Shozy has a bit more accurate/transparent treble. Both are very comfy and have lighter cables.
 
Conclusion:
Short and sweet, the Zero is a great little earphone. A good value. Easy to fit and can be worn both ways. Comfy. Sounds smooth and easy on the ears out of most gear but still quick and has some energy, transparency and good resolution and cohesiveness. No annoying flaws. Not the most accessories and could use a chin slider but you get one of the best performing earphones for $50. 

​

 

-Introduction-​

Edit: It's been brought to my attention by the Shozy team that the Sound Blaster E3 does not play nicely with the Zero. I will be re-evaluating it paired from different devices per Shozy's request.
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]In the audiophile world, it’s not uncommon to see products promise to deliver great things, often at prices that undercut their competitors. The community loves to take these claims and run with them, often generating hype trains that blow these promises even further out of proportion, leading inevitably to disappointment when the product is delivered. Unfortunately, the Shozy Zero is one such product. While it’s not bad by any means, the Zero (to my humble ears) does not live up to the hype it’s gotten from many a forum on the internet. At $60, the Shozy Zero is already a good value. But in an already-crowded price segment of high priceerformance IEMs, does it stand out?[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The Shozy Zero is available on Penon Audio here for $60.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The Shozy Zero is available on Amazon here for $60.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Find the official Shozy Zero web-page here.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Disclaimer: This review is based upon a sample unit provided to me by a manufacturer in exchange for my honest opinion and un-edited words. I do not profit in any way from the writing of the review. I would like to thank Wong at Shozy for providing me with this unit.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Preference and Bias: Before reading a review, it is worth mentioning that there is no way for a reviewer to objectively pass judgment on the enjoy-ability of a product: such a thing is inherently subjective. Therefore, I find it necessary for you to read and understand what I take a natural liking to and how that might affect my rating of a product.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]My ideal sound signature would be an extended sub-bass with a leveled, but textured, bass. The mids should be slightly less pronounced than the treble, but still ahead of the bass. I prefer a more bright upper range.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Source: [/color]The Zero was powered off of a Nexus 6P -> Creative Sound Blaster E3. All music was served as FLAC, ALAC, or as 320Kbps Mp3. I found the standard DAC/Amp inside my phone and PC to be adequate to drive the Zero at near-peak levels of quality, but used the Sound Blaster E3 for consistency's sake. Per Shozy's request, I am double-checking all of my claims against a Nexus 6P and HTC One M8 to ensure I was not making judgments based on a bad pairing.
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The Zero does sound significantly better on my M8 than it does on the Nesux 6P or Sound Blaster E3. [/color]

[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]

                Tech Specs​

[/color]

1. Driver: Dynamic​
2. Sensitivity(at 1Khz) :94db​
3. Frequency response :20hz-18khz​
4. Input connector :3.5mm/1/8 inch gold-plated stereo TRS plug​

[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The above specs were taken directly from the Zero’s page on Penon Audio.[/color]

[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]

-Sound Signature-​

[/color]

[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Initial Impressions: These impressions were taken before I’d seen any FR response graphs or measurements. Impressions are taken off of random songs in my music library.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The Zero has pretty good left/right separation. It’s definitely warm leaning, and took some time to adjust to. The mids seem slightly veiled, but seem less so as my brain burns in. Bass is fast and precise, but isn’t deep and rumbly or boomy. Treble pushes through the mix well.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Treble: Songs used: White Flag, Midnight City, Outlands[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Treble is toned nicely in White Flag, but isn’t the focus of the song. Some vocal effects can sound slightly metallic, but not significantly enough for me to notice the majority of the time. Accuracy and detail is pretty good, but not perfect.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Midnight City’s electric treble was placed well in front of the song, and had a clear and cutting presentation, without sounding harsh or piercing.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The violins of Outlands were presented well, but had a certain softness to them.Pairing the Zero with my 6P and M8 brought out the transparency that I look for in classical songs, and helped solidify the edges of the violins that I was looking for. The symphonic presentation that I was looking for is now more present.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Mids: Songs used: Flagpole Sitta, Jacked Up, I Am The Highway[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]While I found the vocals of Flagpole Sitta to be rather immune to the muggy coloring of the mids, the guitars and background vocals tended to get caught up in the warm tuning of the Zero. While it doesn’t compromise the sound, it does at a flavoring to it that not all listeners will appreciate.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Jacked Up’s pianos were resolved fairly well, but didn’t have super clean edges to them. The guitars, piano, and vocals never mixed together or smudged, which is a plus. There is a lot of detail present, and the general timbre of the mids is pleasant and effortless. The Zero does a particularly good job at resolving guitars of both the acoustic and electric type.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]I Am The Highway’s vocals were placed forward and center, making them easily take control of the song, and stay in control. The guitars had a very good attack and decay to them, lending the Zeros a very precise feeling. Upper mids are rather well presented, and sounded full-bodied.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)][color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Bass[/color][color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]: [/color]Songs used: Lights, Gold Dust, 99 Problems (Hugo Cover), Leave Me[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]This section has been edited. All new or changed parts will be in red text.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The Zero sounds like it tuned for optimal performance in songs such as Lights. The mid and sub-bass are present, but importantly, shaped. The bass sounds organic, but is not emphasized too much. This lends the song depth and makes for a pleasant listen.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Gold Dust is one of the two songs I use to determine how well the Zero performs on the majority of bass-heavy genres such as Dubstep. Once pairing with my HTC One M8, it was easy to see that the team at Shozy did not abandon us electronic music listeners. Sub-bass response is good, shaped, and clean. Believe it or not, it's a night and day difference compared to the bass response on the Sound Blaster E3.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]99 Problems [/color]sounded good, and had a decent amount of depth to it. The more organic and deep bass presentation of the Zero paired with my M8 significantly helps the drums have an impact and body to them, something I really was not expecting considering my initial experiences with the Zero.
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The bass-laden intro to Leave Me was rather sonorous and had a good amount of depth to it. The presentation and poise of the song is good, and doesn’t have the “disconnected” feeling to it that I got from my previous test tracks. Even when powered off my M8, I still find myself wishing for a little more sub-bass presence in Leave Me. The bass drops still sound a little too shallow for me to get really into it.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Clarity: Songs used: Throne, Map of The Problimatique, I’m Not Alright[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Clarity is one of the Zero’s strong points, and this is especially evident in Throne and I’m Not Alright. Many of the ambient and background sound effects were present and resolved completely, and there was no notable distortion during the chorus. Instrumental separation is on point.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Sound Stage[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The Zero’s sound stage is intimate, but not cloistering. It makes for a rather immersive, but not symphonic, experience. Left/right separation is very good during hard-panning. It could use a more air in the sound-stage. I would say the Zero performs right at its price point in terms of staging.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Comparisons[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Zero v.s Thinksound Rain2 ($90)[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The Zero is strikingly similar to the Rain2 appearance-wise, but falls short of it in terms of overall musical presentation. While the Rain2 is much warmer, it is just as precise and excels in mid and sub-bass reproduction. It’s got some softened mid reproduction, but lacks the fuzziness of the Zero. All said and done, I think the Rain2 is well worth the $30 over the Zero. The same holds true, even when comparing the two off my M8.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Zero v.s Rock Jaw Alfa Genus V.2 ($60)[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The Zero and Alfa Genus V.2 have strikingly similar sound signatures. The Zero has a warmer, but less boomy bass and is quicker, while the Alfa Genus V.2 provides more bass quantity. I’ll still have to give the Alfa Genus V.2 the win considering it’s durable cable, inline controls, and tuning-filter system.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Zero v.s Hidizs EX-01 ($40)[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The Zero’s bass is less emphasized than the EX-01, but is significantly more accurate and quick. The Zero is warmer, but at the same time is also brighter than the EX-01. Bassheads should go for the EX-01, while listeners looking for a more versatile IEM should head for the Zero. In terms of build quality, I’d take the Zero any day. The EX-01’s chromed plastic looks and feels cheap in comparison. I'd say the Zero takes this one.[/color]

[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]

-Packaging / Unboxing-​

[/color]

[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The Zero has a very basic unboxing experience. Inside the box you will find the case, with the Zero and extra eartips inside it.[/color]
 
 

​

 

[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]

-Build-​

[/color]

[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Construction Quality[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Exterior construction of the Zero is very well done. The driver housings are made from rosewood, and the cable is malleable, yet not too thin. It doesn’t tangle too easily, and is smooth enough to not catch on random surfaces. While it doesn’t appear to be too safe from impacts, the Zero doesn’t feel fragile at all. The cable terminates in a straight 3.5mm jack. I wish it would have terminated at 45 or 90 degrees.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)][/color]
 
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Some users are reporting large amounts of driver-flex (pressure build-up between you ear canal and the driver), which can lead to a damage driver over time. While I have not been able to detect any large amounts of driver flex, it is possible that others with different ear anatomy are legitimately experiencing it. Food for thought.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)][/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Comfort[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The Zero is fairly comfortable, fits very well into my ears, and seals easily. While it doesn’t include any comply, I find the standard silicone ear tips to be adequate.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Controls[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The Zero does not feature inline controls.[/color]

[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]

-Accessories-​

[/color]

[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Shozy stocked the Zero with a rather bland set of accessories: one carrying case, and two extra pairs of silicone eartips. While it’s not bad, it certainly isn’t exceptional.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The case is, however, rather nice. It’s a little large for my tastes, but is certainly designed well. You’ll have no problem fitting the Zero into it, and should expect a good amount of shock and impact protection. One side of the case has a net, which is handy if you tend to keep other accessories with your earphones during your travels.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)][/color]
 

[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]

-Summary-​

[/color]

[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The Shozy Zero is a mildly-warm IEM with solid bass impact. It's a great all-arounder that performs very well for the money. With an organic rosewood build, protective carrying case, and attractive cable, the Zero is certainly worth considering for $60. While it certainly doesn't beat more expensive IEMs, it's solidified it's place in my top five earphones under $100.[/color]

First of all, I would like to thank Shozy for the review sample of Shozy Zero!

Website:
http://www.shozy-hk.com/zero-earphone/
 

 
 
I believe what makes Shozy Zero unique is the wooden housing. The driver’s housing is made of high density Brazilian rosewood, the type of wood that is also commonly used for musical instrument. The cable splitter and the 3.5 mm jack barrel are also uniquely made of wood. The simple bullet housing design allows both straight down or over the ear wearing styles. Personally I like the simple and elegant woody design of Shozy Zero. The IEM is very light and very comfortable, even for a very long listening session. I had it for more than a month before writing this review, and so far I don’t see any quality issue on my unit. The only complain on the build quality is the missing of the left dot indicator, and the super small and difficult to see left and right marking. But that can be easily solved, like using other eartips with different color between left and right driver.
 

 
 
There is no information on the website about the driver, but Shozy confirms that Zero is a single dynamic driver IEM. At 94 dB sensitivity Zero needs a little push on the volume as compared to other higher sensitivity IEMs in this category. But just a little, and Zero is still relatively easy to drive and smartphone friendly, though I sometime pushed the volume on my Galaxy S4 to the max for some recordings.
 
 

Pros:

Non-fatiguing, bright recordings friendly.
Light and comfortable.
 

Cons:

Detail, clarity, and transparency are generally a bit lacking for distant miking recordings such as classical, and binaural recordings.
Obscured Left and Right markings, no left dot for quick identification.
 

Suggestions for improvement:

Improvement in detail and clarity.
Clearer Left and Right markings.
Microphone version for smartphones.
 

 
 
 
 

Sound Quality

Smooth warm and pleasant sounding are probably best described Shozy Zero sonic character. It has intimate presentation, and in my opinion sounds best with Pop and Vocal. Vocal sounds smooth and intimate with good body, and most important sibilant free. I’ve spent hours listening to Zero using various players and DACs, listening to various recordings. I’ve read some reviews and comments about Zero, and many people seem to like it. I like the fatigue free and vocal centric character of Zero, but frankly, overall Zero sonic character is not really my cup of tea, as it is a little too warm for me, and I generally prefer something with more clarity. But this is more of personal preferences, not really about good and bad. 
 
With Zero sonic character, some recordings shine nicely, while some don’t. So IMHO, not really an all-rounder, and matching Zero sonic character to the recordings is the key to get the best of it. Many vocal and pop albums sound more pleasing on Zero than for example, one of my favorite IEM, DUNU DN-2000J that cost more than 5 times of Zero. It is sometime tiring listening to Pop albums using DN-2000J due to its analytical signature. On the other hand, listening to classical and some audiophile binaural recordings using DN-2000J is a bliss, while Zero may sounds rather veiled and not transparent enough for those recordings. The recordings we listen play a great role in choosing the right IEM. And from my experience so far, close miking modern recordings such as Pop and vocal are what make Zero shines.
 
Special venting design on the nozzle for air pressure control:

 
 
Tonality of Zero is pretty smooth without any annoying peaks and dips. Zero strongest character is in its midrange. It has mild to moderate emphasize on mid-bass to midrange area, but in a nice and good way, and doesn't sound like a boring mid-centric IEM. Bass and Treble extensions are decent. Bass has decent punch and doesn’t sound anaemic, but doesn't go very deep. Bass is emphasized more on the mid-bass area. Bass speed and texture is average, quite ok for this price range, just don’t expect a very fast and detailed bass. Treble sounds soft and smooth, no sibilant and bright recordings friendly. Upper treble extension rolls off rather early, and perceived clarity and treble sparkle is on the soft side. Dynamic is quite ok, especially for an IEM in this price range. Good enough to make music sounds lively and enjoyable.
 
Shozy recommended some burn-in, and I followed their recommendation with 200 hours burn-in. I did some measurement before and after burn-in. The measurement result shows that burn-in improves the bass extension of Zero. And from what I can remember, besides the slight improvement in sub bass extension, I don’t remember any other significant changes in sonic character, before and after burn-in. I would say the changes in sonic character after burn-in is rather mild. I’m not a burn-in fanatic, and in many cases that I experienced, burn-in doesn’t always make any significant changes in sonic signature. But in the case of Zero, there are some measureable differences after burn-in. Sonic impression in this review is based on the after burn-in sonic signature.
 
 
Before observing the measurement results, please take note of the following disclaimer:

• Frequency response measurement in this review was done not using standard measurement instrument for in-ear monitors. Therefore measurement result should not be considered as absolute result, and should not be compared to other measurement result using different measurement instrument.
• Measurement was done using MiniDSP UMIK-1 USB measurement microphone with a DIY acoustic coupler. The program I use for measurement is the famous Room EQ Wizard, REW v5.17 Beta 8. I measured left channel and right channel multiple times, take 3 most consistent measurements for each channel, apply Psychoacoustic smoothing, and then average the result.
• From my own observation, measurement result beyond 10 kHz doesn’t seems to be reliable, therefore can be ignored.
• What shown on measurement result does not always correspond well to what I audibly perceived.

 
 
Shozy Zero Left and Right Channel - New Before Burn-in:

 
Shozy Zero Left and Right Channel - After Burn-in:

 
Shozy Zero Left Channel - New & After Burn-in:

 
Shozy Zero Right Channel - New & After Burn-in:

 
Shozy Zero Average FR - New & After Burn-in:

 
Shozy Zero Average FR After Burn-in compared to DUNU DN-2000 (my flat reference for tonality):

 
 
 
 

Comparisons

Comparison is important to see the value and performance of a product in perspective to other products in the market. Below are the comparisons of Shozy Zero with other IEMs that I have, that are more or less are in the similar price category.
 

 
 
MEElectronics M-Duo
No fight, Zero is clearly better than M-Duo. M-Duo tonality is too V shape with kind of hole in the middle. Besides that the dual drivers inside M-Duo don’t sound very coherent. The treble region sounds kind of detach from the midrange.
 

 
 
Fidue A65
It’s a tie. Fidue A65 shares some similarities to Zero. Both have pleasing, smooth warm type of sound signature. Fidue A65 has slightly thicker bass notes, while Zero has slightly better perceived clarity. Level of perceived detail and dynamic are more or less similar. Both are great for Pop and vocal recordings. Though I like them equally, but if I have to choose, I would probably pick Zero for the little extra clarity. In this case, the measurement result doesn’t correspond well with what I hear, as it shown that Fidue A65 to have more treble than Shozy Zero, but to what I hear, the level of treble is more or less similar.
 

 
 
Audio-Technica ATH-IM50
ATH-IM50 in my opinion is technically better than Zero. Higher perceived detail with better clarity and dynamic. Though sonic preferences is something personal, but objective evaluation is as important. IM50 tonality can be perceived as balance with a slight emphasize on upper midrange to make vocal sounds a little forward. Overall clarity is much better on IM50. Bass and midrange sounds tighter with better texture, and to me that’s very important. Moving from IM50 to Zero I feel that Zero is a tad veiled and congested. So in this comparison ATH-IM50 is a winner in my book. But some people might not feel comfortable with the shape of IM50 and over the ear wearing style, and might prefer the simple bullet shape design of Shozy Zero.
 

 
 
 
 
 

DAPs Pairing

Shozy Zero is not picky on sources, even my old Galaxy S4 drives them quite well with good sound quality. I tested it with some DAPs and DACs, and generally I prefer brighter sounding sources for Zero to give a little boost on the clarity. For example, my Onkyo DP-X1 is a little too dark for Zero, and my old DX-90, Fiio X3 2nd generation, and the new Astell&Kern AK70 match better with Zero. As for DACs, my ifi micro iDSD, Chord Mojo and Geek Out 450 are good choices for Zero. And the Superlux amp I used for IEM comparisons also sounds great with Zero. So far I find Zero is easy to pair and matches well with many of the sources I tried, but I would avoid rather dark sounding DAP like my DP-X1.
 
 
 
 

Conclusion

Market for sub $100 IEM is quite crowded, therefore competition is very tough. Some comments said that Shozy Zero competing well with IEMs many times its price, well I honestly don’t think so. But within this price category, Shozy Zero actually competes quite well, offering a unique sonic character that many may found pleasing and non-fatiguing.
 
 

 

 

 
 
 
 
Earphones / IEMs:
DUNU DN-2000
Audio-Technica ATH-IM50
Fidue A65
MEElectronics M-Duo
 
DAPs, DACs, & Headphone Amplifiers:
Astell&Kern AK70
Chord Mojo
Fiio X3 2nd generation
iBasso DX-90
Light Harmonic Geek Out 450
Onkyo DP-X1
Superlux HA3D
Samsung Galaxy S4
 
Measurement Microphone:
MiniDSP UMIK-1
 
Some recordings used in this review:

 
 
I was contacted by a Shozy representative and offered to evaluate and honestly review the Zero IEM, after letting it play around 200 hours of music. They were delivered to me free of charge, so keep in mind this potential bias. I will try to be as honest and objective as possible. I own several single dynamic driver IEMs, aswell as a few balanced armature designs.
 
I tend to prefer metal and rock music, aswell as soundtracks, and 80s music.
 

Design:
 
The Shozy Zero is a very small, very light-weight IEM. The prominent feature is the Rosewood housing, with what feels like metal nozzles (or maybe plastic, not entirely sure), and with cable strain relief by the housing. Cable has a slightly rubbery feel, with some memory effect. Overall the cable is quite nice, reminds me slightly of a slightly thinner Vsonic GR07 cable, and a transparent cover on it reveals some textures and colors of the internal wires. Straight 3.5 jack also from rosewood, with a slight rubber strain relief. Y-split is also Rosewood, and there is no cable cinch.
 
When inserted, the Zero creates a seal with your ear canal, meaning its Dynamic driver unit seems to not use/require ventilation. If you move the ear canal through big facial movements, the frequency response changes as the pressure in the ear canal changes. Typically not something you notice in most use cases, and I would imagine that foam tips would avoid this (though I haven't had the chance to try the Zero with foam tips).

 
Sound:
 
My Shozy Zero is a generally bass-leaning, smooth sounding IEM. Depending on tip choice, the sound can be quite sub/bass-heavy, or with some tips a slightly more balanced presentation is possible.
 
Micro-detailing is perceptually good, thanks to the even frequency response and non-peaky treble. Macrodetail/speed is probably where the biggest giveaway to the low price lies. The bass is quite big and deep, and fairly slow and loose, and slightly boomy-sounding, though that is probably more from the sub-bass emphasis, and the bass generally doesn't really bleed into the mids.
 
The mids are smooth and even, sitting a few steps behind the sub-bass and bass. The mids are slightly thicker, as opposed to projecting transients forward. This results in a dynamically veiled, slightly warm, inoffensive midrange. Instrument separation and layering is quite good despite this, and something like atmospheric synths can quite clearly be heard even while distorted guitars are taking up room in most of the midrange.
 
The treble has a certain level of micro-snap, but isn't nearly as dissecting as a balanced armature driver or some dynamic drivers. It seems to saturate fairly quickly in terms of how well it separates dynamically, and using EQ to create a peak around 6-7 KHz where drum transients tend to dominate doesn't really increase the dynamic level as expected, but rather boosts the volume without increasing the aggression of the sound. This again leads to a smooth sound which doesn't really immediately impress with its decay or technical prowess, but also allows you to avoid sudden aggression from music.
 
The general sound seems to be steadily held at a comfortable level thanks to the, dynamics-wise, smooth presentation, with smooth midrange and treble, and the bass having some depth and heaviness to give a bit of movement to the sound. Layering is quite good considering the smooth dynamics, and the soundstage, while not holographic or 3d for me, has good depth, I suspect the bloomy bass gives the sound in general a slightly longer "release" and fundamental vibration which makes them sound naturally slightly reverberant and roomy, rather than being completely dry like speedier IEMs.
 
Considering the fairly variable sound of the Zero depending on fit and tips, the above might differ more or less.
 

Comparisons: 
 
Zero Audio Tenore ($40-ish):
Probably the most fitting comparison I can make, since they are both small (possibly both using non-ventilated microdrivers), and both command a fairly similar price point. They both have a fairly similar presentation with withheld dynamics and slightly more distant sounding drums as a result. The Shozy has a much more moving bass however, the Tenore is quite dry and light in comparison. The treble of the Tenore I perceive as slightly more accurate, but the Shozy has slightly better transients there. Ultimately the Tenore also feels more compressed sonically, not quite getting the layering of the Shozy, possibly due to the bass movement and depth of the Shozy.
 
Vsonic GR07 Classic ($99):
Twice as expensive, the GR07, on a technical level, is entirely in a different league. Drums are not held back or restrained or evened out, they can pierce through anything. The difference in design goals between the Shozy and the GR07 is interesting to hear. Even when using EQ to make the GR07 treble significantly more dark than the Shozy treble, the GR07 still snaps as quick as Bruce Lee in his prime. Also apparent though, is that the bass (along with the general sound) of the GR07 is more armature-like, and just won't bloom with the same gravitas that the Shozy Zero bass does. The Zero, when going back and forth between the two IEMs, definitely is more gentle, more about bringing the tones closer to you, and not nearly so concerned with slapping you in the face with transients as the GR07.
 
 
Overall:
 
Despite the Shozy Zero being neither my favored sound signature nor presentation (I prefer a bass-lighter sound with strong dynamic separation), I can't really fault it in any area. The design inherently needs a vacuum seal (which I'm not a fan of but foam tips might help with that), and driver flex (a crinkling sound when pressurizing the ear canal while inserting using some tips) has been observed by me aswell. The driver seems to be affected by low or high pressure in the ear canal, which a ventilated design generally won't encounter. The Zero should suit someone who enjoys a non-offensive sound, who doesn't want aggression in the presentation, and who favors a sound that leads quite vibrantly with the fundamental notes of the music.

At the time this review was written, the Shozy Zero in-ear monitor was for sale at Amazon.com. Here is a link for purchase:
 
http://www.amazon.com/SHOZY-Zero-HIFI-In-ear-Earphone/dp/B01EHT6Z6C?ie=UTF8&keywords=shozy&qid=1464531193&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1
 
Introduction
Being on Head-Fi for the last three years, I’ve learned whose opinions and impressions of products I should trust. One of those opinions is my good friend Tamal’s. When he said that Shozy was releasing a new in-ear monitor and it sounded great, I knew it would be something I should check out. Needless to say, the Zero sounds excellent. Today we will go over it with a comprehensive review
 
Disclaimer
I was given an opportunity to review the Zero in exchange for my honest opinion and review. I am in no way affiliated with Shozy. I would like to take this time to personally thank the good folks at Shozy for the opportunity, and my friend @RedJohn456 for the recommendation. If you are unfamiliar with Shozy, they make some really good portable DACs, amplifiers and a unique screenless DAP called the Alien. Here is alink to their site if you’re interested:
 
http://www.shozy-hk.com/
 
My Background
I AM NOT a numbers and graphs audiophile or sound engineer. Personal audio enthusiast? Absolutely! Headphone junkie? Possibly…
 
There’s something about quality DAPs, DACs, Amplifiers and Earphones that intrigues me. I want to hear any earphone that looks promising, in hopes that I can share my impressions with  enthusiasts and help them find the audio product they’re looking for. My Head-Fi profile has a list of audio products ranked from favorite to least favorite. For me, this hobby is more about getting great price to performance ratio from a product, while having a variety of different gear to mix and match. With personal audio gear, we tend to pay a lot of money for minor upgrades. One thing I’ve learned over the last few years is that just because a headphone has a higher price tag, it doesn’t mean that it has superior build and sound quality.
 
I’m always looking for great audio at a great price. I’m after headphones and IEMs that give me the “WOW” factor. I can appreciate different builds and sound signatures as long as they are solidly built, with ergonomics and sound that is pleasing to my ears. It’s my pleasure to share my experiences with audio products and make recommendations based on gear I have owned and used.
 
REVIEW
Because I received a beta unit, I don’t have the retail packaging and all of the accessories. Because of this we will skip the unboxing section of the review.
 
Specifications and Accessories
 
Specifications
Sensitivity(at 1khz)94dB
Frequency Response 20Hz-18kHz
Input connector 3.5mm/1/8 inch gold-plated stereo TRS plug
 
Accessories
Zero earphone *1
Earphone bag *1
High quality rubber lining *3 Pairs
instruction book *1
 
Housings

The housing of the Zero are a combination of real rosewood and plastic. They are a relatively standard shape housing.
 

The nozzle is slightly wider than average and has a small notch missing from the bottom ring of each nozzle. The width and shape of the nozzle makes tip rolling a bit trickier than the standard in-ear monitor.
 
Cable, Y-Split, Cable Jack, Strain Reliefs

The Shozy cable is a thin and rubbery cable that seems fairly durable. There is a small amount of spring and memory. The cable will be subject to tangled if not handled in a manner that prevents this from happening. Zero’s Y-split and cable jack are both made with the same real rosewood material as the housings. The cable jack is a straight style gold plated 3.5 mm plug. Strain reliefs are subtle and adequate.
 

While I know that real rosewood and awesome sound quality are great aesthetics for an in-ear monitor in this price range, the Zero cable is on the cheaper side of things. I would have rather seen Shozy charge an extra twenty dollars for a more premium attached cable with a chin slider.
 
Functionality
The Zero has no microphone or remote. They are a plug and play device. Plug in, play music, enjoy the sound, repeat.
 
Ergonomics, Fit and Microphonics, Isolation
First things first, getting a proper fitting tip that seals well can be a challenge. None of the stock tips worked for me. I ended up using a gray and red tip purchased from Lunashops. The bore is wide enough to fit over the nozzle and they sealed well. Make sure to try and accomplish the same with your Shozy Zero and you will be rewarded with some great sound.
 
The Zero is a very standard fit that works both over and under the ear. Because there is no chin/neck slider, when wearing them over the ear I prefer to use aftermarket ear guides. This  prevents the cable from unlooping from over the top of my ears.
 
Wearing them under the ear, I get a considerable amount of cable noise. Wearing them over the ear, microphonics are pretty much a non-issue.
 
Sound Review
I did my demo with my usual gear. I used an LG-V10 for smartphone use, and either my Shanling H3 or iBasso DX80 DAP for high fidelity portable use. For desktop use, I used my Toshiba Satellite Laptop in combination with a ifi micro iDSD playing at 32/192 kHz. I tested them with several other sources as well. I used Google Music in its highest download quality (320 KBPS), and also streamed FLAC via Tidal streaming service. I also used purchased and downloaded tracks in MP3, FLAC, WAV and DSD. I make sure that any gear I test has sufficient playtime before writing a review.
 
I used my usual same songs for testing gear:
“Limit to your love” by James Blake (bass speed, punch, response)
“Doin’ it Right” by Daft Punk (sub bass)
“Get lucky” by Daft Punk (bass to midrange transition resolution, male vocals)
“Madness” by Muse (soundstage, separation)
“Some nights” by Fun (soundstage and male vocals)
“The soundmaker” by Rodrigo y Gabriela (texture and imaging)
“Bassically” by Tei Shi (bass to midrange resolution, female vocals)
“Skinny Love” performed by Birdie (female vocals, acoustic playback)
“One” by Ed Sheeran (male vocals, acoustic playback)
“Outlands” from the Tron Legacy Soundtrack (symphonic presentation, imaging)
“Sultans of swing” by Dire Straits (detail, separation, balance)
“And Justic for All” by Metallica (driver distortion, treble response, rock playback)
“Ten thousand fists” by Disturbed (driver distortion, treble response, rock playback)
 
Note: Other tracks were used, but the listed songs were primarily used to assess and break down the gear’s response.
 
Source Selection
Shozy doesn’t share any specifics in terms of impedance or driver size. If I had to guess, I would say they fall somewhere between 25-35 ohms. They work good through just about any portable source I used. They sound great with a smartphone, and scale up well with DAPs and portable DACs and amplifiers. The better files and sources you use, the better the Zero will sound.
 
A neutral and more linear source will make them sound very natural with a warm tilt. Using a warmer and bassier source will make them follow suit. A very minor warm tilt isn’t pushed overboard by colored sources.
 
Plug Zero into your favorite source and play your favorite music. I can almost guarantee you’ll enjoy their sound with any quality source you use.
 
Sound Signature
The Zero has been reported as bassy and smooth. While I agree with this to a certain extent, I feel the Zero is a very natural and relatively balanced sound. Rather than say bassy, I would classify them as slightly warm tilted and non-sibilant. They are spectacular for their price, and beat many earphones that cost twice as much in terms of sound quality.
 
Putting price and performance into perspective, the Zero is fabulous. In this hobby, budget earphones often times perform at a level that ALMOST matches and rivals the summit-fi gear. If there’s anything that would make me say that Zero doesn’t do that many of my favorite (and usually much more expensive) earphones do, it doesn’t have the same airiness, detail and clarity I’ve heard from the best earphones available. Still, the Zero rocks in these regards, it’s just not on the most elite of elite levels. Simply put, the Shozy Zero gets my approval as being flat out awesomesauce. They are hard to fault. People are going to really like these things.
 
Bass
Bass on the Zero is very balanced and packs equal amounts of punch and rumble. There is a slight tilt towards a bass emphasis, but it’s tastefully done.
 
Sub bass tones extend well and will satisfy a diverse range of music lovers. When listening to bass lines of various genres of music, the Zero handled all tones with a quality level of resolution and response. Nothing seemed lacking. The Zero has deep soundstage that sounds very natural.
 
Midbass is in good proportion with the sub bass response and well done. There’s enough midbass to give them good dynamics, and not enough to be boomy or sound unnatural.  
 
Midrange
A slight downward tilt from midbass tones leads to a dynamic lower midrange. This theme continues in slight downwards slope until reaching a small bump at upper midrange frequencies, giving vocals a nice sense of energy. All vocals and instruments have a warm tilt and nice bite at upper frequencies, making the Zero a very entertaining earphone.
 
Treble
Zero’s treble will be a hit with most people who listen to them. Simply put, the Zero has a pretty sizeable drop off at sibilant sounds. The dip takes place at a frequency range that makes the dip seem natural and far from harsh. Treble picks back up after 10 kHz, giving the Zero a sense of good extension. For me, the treble presentation of the Zero was probably my favorite part of their tuning. Their smooth and extended response in combination with the slight warm tilt and extension at sub bass tones makes them incredibly fun and non-fatiguing listen.
 
Soundstage and Imaging
The nice sense of depth and extension makes the Zero’s soundstage above average. A decent sense of clarity and balance gives them a decent sense of imaging, but the warm tilt prevents this from being elite.
 
Comparisons
VSONIC GR07BE ($85 to $150 USD on many sites)
The GR07BE is a hall of famer, sporting a bio-cellulose driver, articulating nozzle, and secure over the ear fit. It is a sentimental favorite, as it was the first earphone purchase I made that eclipsed the hundred dollar mark.
 
Comparing the two, I give a slight edge to the GR07BRE in terms of bass response. There’s something about the GR07BE combination of soundstage depth response that to this day is world class. Still, the Zero is no slouch, and is edged out by the slightest of margins. Midrange of the GR07BE is much drier and recessed as compared to the Zero. I prefer the warmer and more dynamic lower midrange of the Shozy offering.  Treble on the Zero is much smoother than the somewhat sibilant GR07BE. My ears need a minute to adjust with both earphones when bouncing back and forth. The Zero is definitely the less fatiguing earphone of the two. Overall, this is an incredibly close contest that comes down to what I’m listening to and source I’m using. I’m going to end this by saying it’s a tie in terms of sound quality.
 
Build quality, accessories and fit/comfort goes to the GR07BE. I wish Shozy would have increased the price and put a more premium cable and chin/neck slider, and also offered more in terms of tips and accessories.
 
At the end of the day, the Zero is a smoother and less fatiguing earphone that can be worn under or looped over the ear. They come in at a much lower price tag, which leaves it up to the consumer whether the GR07BE tuning and over the ear fit is worthy of the increase in price.

 
Trinity Hyperion-Discontinued ($65 USD when for sale)
The Hyperion is a titanium microdriver earphone with a V-signature. They have an incredible cable and small metal housing.
 
Comparing the two, the hyperion has more sub-bass to my ears. Although it has tremendous depth that trumps the Zero, it can also be a bit boomy with some tracks. Although being a V-signature, the hyperion has some rich and full bodied midrange that is very entertaining. Still I give a slight edge to the Zero mids, as they are a bit more airy and balanced with the rest of their frequency ranges. Treble on the Hyperion is a bit crisper and more natural on the Hyperion, but can also be harsher at louder volumes. In terms of entertainment factor, I prefer the Hyperion. In terms of being non fatiguing and for long listening sessions, The Zero gets the upper hand.
 
Build quality and accessories goes to the Hyperion. Their cable is awesome, and tiny metal housing is very cool. In terms of which one to get, Zero is the only option at this point. Again, if being forced to pick one or the other, I can’t. They are both excellent in their own way.
 
Conclusion
The Zero is one of the best sounding earphones in the sixty dollar range. The real rosewood they used is awesome. The cable they used isn’t the greatest and leaves room for improvement in their next earphone release. Their sound is fatigue free, relatively balanced and dynamic. Their sound quality will impress many who listen to them.
 
Shozy has already established a great name for themselves with the Alien DAP and portable DACs and amplifiers. It’s very cool to see they can manufacture an very nice pair of in-ear monitors as well. I highly recommend the Zero IEM. They are a universally great tuning that will work with any source.
 

Thanks for reading and happy listening!

Disclaimer: I received this earphone for free from the manufacturers. I did my best not to let that color my opinion on the product, but my impressions may not be entirely without bias.
 
Shozy Zero is a high quality value-oriented earphone, providing listeners with impressive sound in an attractive package, for a relatively low price. It is primarily focused around its powerful bass response and mostly clear midrange, placing treble a step or two back in the mix. The sound of the earphone is clean and detailed, from top to bottom, and is competitive with many options within its price range as well as some above, though the bass may distract the listener slightly from the lower midrange. I also perceive some upper midrange recession, reducing the energy, but not the clarity, of female vocals and higher pitched brass. The real selling point of this earphone is how clean it sounds; it reveals an impressive amount of detail in any track and I never perceive it as sounding muddy or unclear.
 
Ultimately, the sound this earphone reproduces is very good, and is competitive with many other earphones. Having heard several other earphones in a variety of different price ranges, I would easily recommend this as a high-value option for listeners who are not aiming to spend a great deal to achieve good sound.
 
There isn’t much more to be said about Shozy Zero. Put simply, it sounds good, it looks good and it won’t break the bank.
 
EDIT: Given further time to listen and to burn in the earphones, I cannot discern any appreciable difference in the sound quality of Shozy Zero. They earn a fantastic recommendation for anybody looking for a warm, bass tilted sound signature without sacrificing clarity and detail in the process. They are very respectable earphones and are genuinely a great option at their price range.

 
I am a big fan of overachieving gear of any kind. What I mean by overachieving is the “they sound way too good for the price” factor. This is a highly subjective mindset because the worth of an item is not based primarily on its cost but rather its overall performance, aesthetics and compatibility with the end user. However, some items are just almost “too good to be true” for their price – such as the VE Monk and Monk Plus by Chinese company Venture Electronics which deliver astounding quality for $5, a well-documented fact in the portable audio community online at this point. However, the competitive nature of the audio industry has birthed many a company to try their hand at producing premium sound at a competitive cost.
 
One of those companies is Shozy, who are based in Hong Kong. A quick browse through their website shows that they have been focused on amplifiers and DACs till now, along with a DAP called the Alien – which is said to have incredible phone-out sound quality at a comparatively low price compared to others in the market. It achieves this, however, by not having a screen – merely a few buttons that are reminiscent of the iPod Shuffle experience from the early 2000s. Shozy has exactly one earbud and one IEM and this is a review of the IEM.
 
Disclaimer:
 
I was provided with the Shozy Zero IEM after being approached by a representative from the company. I was told that I would be given a b-stock model, sent in an envelope with three sizes of tips and no packing or carrying case that the retail model will have.
 
I was given instructions to burn them in for 200 hours before being given an accurate sense of the sound. I found this to be an unusually long period of burn in time, but I carried out the deed due to an acute curiosity as to whether or not it would achieve anything. Thanks to Shozy for the review model.
 
Specifications (From Shozy’s Website):
 

1. Audiophile quality Litz structure cable with enhanced shielding.
2. Sensitivity (at 1khz) 94 dB.
3. Frequency Response: 20 Hz – 18 kHz.
4. Input connector: 3.5mm / 1/8 inch gold-plated stereo TRS plug.

 
Initial Impressions:
 
As I pulled them from the small, padded envelope they arrived in, I was startled by just how small they were. I had scoured their site for photos of the product and I came away with the impression that they were bigger than they actually are. I chose the medium tips, feeling that they give the best seal, and plugged the IEM into my Samsung Galaxy S6. I went straight for some electropop, a genre with prevalence on my phone due to it being good music for commuting – for me anyway. My first two thoughts were that the warm sound signature felt pleasing to my ears and that the mids were not bad at all – to say the least. I listened for a while to gather impressions of the performance and found it to be quite good. They had a fun sound signature that didn’t sound V-shaped. The sub bass extended quite well and the mid bass made EDM and electropop sound punchy and fun. I was strongly reminded of my time with the ZMF Vibro Mk. I and for good reason, but more on that later.
 
After a few hours, I put them aside at a burn-in station in a corner of my room and forgot about them.
 

 
Build and Comfort:
 
Before I talk about the sound quality and any changes that may or may not have happened as the burn-in process continued, I should note the build quality of these IEMs. As you can see from the photos, it utilizes rosewood on the monitors, the splitter and the 3.5mm jack. I found the latter two to be an interesting design choice, but it does lead to the uniformity of the entire design. The rosewood is a nice dark grain, not quite unlike my acoustic guitars that gives the IEMs a premium look. A nice wood housing can make many high-end components simply gain aesthetical appeal, and I’m glad to say that Shozy did not skimp on that aspect because the rosewood is indeed real and the entire design choice using it does not come across as gimmicky.
 
As stated before, the monitors are incredibly small. Even with the medium tips, they simply disappear comfortably into my ears. I, personally, found this preferable to oversized monitors that I have seen before – with their plastic or metal casings. However, this also means that the Zero is not the most durable of earphones and thus should be treated with care and respect. Basically, don’t damage the wood folks.
 
As for the cable, I approve of the colour scheme matching the rest of the unit, but the rubberized and sandpapery traction felt overly synthetic and displeasing to the touch (irony considering the kosher nature of the monitors themselves). I also found it to be a bit thin and would have preferred a thicker and more durable cable for the price. Ultimately, however, the cable did not make any noise when moved and adjusted and was still far, far better than my Zero Audio Carbo Tenore and Zero Audio Carbo Basso cables. There is also no neck adjustment for the Shozy Zero, which is another detraction.
 

 
Pictured Left to Right: Shozy Zero, Carbo Tenore and Carbo Basso
 
Comfort is excellent and I can’t find anything wrong with how long I can wear them. The only people who would have trouble wearing a Shozy Zero for several hours on end are those persons who dislike the feeling and experience of using IEMs in the first place. I especially preferred it to the Carbo Basso, which is extremely thick (with an extremely thin cable) and comparatively uncomfortable.
 
The left-right markers are in black…on top of black, which makes them a pain to distinguish in anything but the best lighting conditions. I fully understand Shozy not wanting to desecrate the rosewood with the letters “L” and “R,” but I feel that the lettering should have been given a matching reddish-brown tint to make it at least readable while maintaining the overall aesthetic. The Zero’s logo itself is chiseled into the wooden cable splitter, but could have been made a bit bigger and bolder in my opinion. I am in no way arguing for Beats level of brand-shouting, but a little more visibility of the logo would be nice.
 

 
The audio jack itself is straight, which works for my phone as the 3.5mm connection is on the bottom – but I can see it being an annoyance for those who have DAPs and phones with it on the top. Again, I can somewhat understand why a straight connector was chosen – so that Shozy could add more of the beautiful rosewood somewhere. The beauty does come with a cost however in this regard, if this sort of thing is a hindrance to you.
 
Sound:
 
The above comparison to the ZMF Vibro Mk. I made more sense to me the more I listened to the Shozy Zero. For those who do not know, the Vibro is a mids and bass centric pair of headphones that has rolled off highs.
 
The bass is not very tight by any means, but it is very filling and has good extension into the sub-bass area. The mid-bass is very clear and present and has a delicate balancing act with the mids as to not drown them out. I would actually consider the bass as treading the line between chaos and discipline carefully. Its strength at this is musical genre-dependent.
 
The mids were the biggest surprise to me as they sound really smooth. Vocals sound quite warm with a slightly forward tilt. The mid-bass and mids combine with well-recorded acoustic guitars to lend a quite authentic impact to the strumming and plucking. The biggest strength of the Zero’s tuning was its ability to give body to the vocals of a song with a large amount of instrument layering both in electronic and acoustic genres. Vocal harmonies were quite easily picked out as separation is robust and detailed. With the quality of bass that these IEMs have, I was surprised and grateful that the mids did not sound muddy or rolled off, as was the case with the Carbo Basso. I preferred the coloured and warm mids of the Zero to even my previous favourite IEMs, the Carbo Tenore, as they sounded lusher to my ears rather than incredibly neutral.
 
The treble is what reminded me the most of the ZMF Vibro Mk. I initially as it felt a noticeable degree rolled off. Unlike the sibilant V-shape of the Carbo Basso or the neutral presentation of the Carbo Tenore, the Zero halts the extension past a certain point to provide a warmer experience that is never sibilant. This did, initially, prove a little problematic with certain genres such as classic rock and orchestral music, but the highs definitely opened up by fifty hours of burn-in. Interestingly, I did not hear a difference past fifty hours, but continued to run them through my burn-in station regardless. I am confident that I now hear these IEMs at their fullest potential, and they sound good.
 
The treble is what denies these earphones from being classified as all-rounders to me, so if that is a consideration for the reader then the Carbo Tenore wins out. The listening experience is heavily dependent on the production quality of the audio played through the Zeros. At one point, you’ll hear a song where some instrumentation struggles to be heard, but at other times all will be right with what you hear. Hello by Adele is one such song that sounds great on these IEMs as her voice rings out clearly in the mix while the backing track retains a dramatic and cinematic sound due to the low-end being so well represented.
 
The soundstage is quite vast, comparable to the Carbo Tenore and far, far better than the Carbo Basso. Recordings with spread out instrumentation, as well as “3D” positional audio and ASMR will be well served by the Shozy Zero.
 

 
 
Driving:
 
I am comfortable in saying that these are very easily driven earphones to the point where I would recommend not using an amp at all. For the purposes of testing, I hooked it up to my Schiit Gungnir  and Cavalli Liquid Carbon, but found that it became way too warm. Switching the amp to the transparent Schiit Magni was a better match, but still unnecessary. It sounded better from my Samsung Galaxy S6 honestly. I don’t have a DAP at my disposal currently but once I do, I will update this section of the review.
 
Conclusion:
 
While writing this, I realize just how few “neutral” earphones and headphones I’ve actually had the chance to review. The Shozy Zero is another in the line of “fun” headphones that I’ve had that don’t try to, simply put, do it all. This makes a product like this harder to gauge so I just go by what I enjoy in music listening and apply it to my findings. Your mileage will doubtlessly vary, which makes it difficult to recommend based on written descriptions alone. That and the large amount of recommended burn-in time makes it so these are earphones I would highly recommend you finding some way to demo – unless you are into warm and bassy sound signatures by default.
For my purposes, these IEMs do well and I will be using these out in public because they are:
 

1. Easily driven and not picky about sources.
2. A good pairing with electropop and other high-energy genres of music that I primarily listen to in public.
3. They look good.
4. Comfortable and provide a great seal.
5. The bass and lower mid emphasis is good for commuting in noisy conditions. This is the opposite effect of the ATH M-50X that I used to have, that would become tinny and sibilant outdoors. This never changes in such a way and that is a big plus to me.
6. They combine aspects of the Carbo Tenore and Carbo Basso  – taking the strengths of the former and losing the deficiencies of the latter.

 
 
Do they sound like something in the several hundred dollar range? I can’t say because I have not heard IEMs of that pricing in recent years. Do they sound like they are worth more than $60? Yes. There is a refinement to the mids that is something to be appreciated. However, these do not fall into the range of critical listening. They are bassy, musically tuned and coloured IEMs and should be approached and appreciated as such
 
 
Song Impressions (lossless FLAC files in at least 16/44.1):
 
Abba - Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)
 
Does far better than the Carbo Basso at presenting the driving low-end of the beat without sacrificing the vocal impact. The bass guitar and bass synth-line are the clear focus while listening on these IEMs.
 
Aerosmith – Dream On (2012 Remaster)
 
Very warm with really good separation in the intro, with both guitars ringing clearly alongside the distant sounding string section. Steven Tyler’s vocals have a lot of body to them while the backing beat has a fair amount of discipline in its bassy yet refined presentation.
 
a-ha – Take On Me
 
A punchy piece of 80s synthpop being represented well, especially by the soundstage due to the swirling synth section.
 
Alan Parson’s Project – Sirius/Eye In The Sky (2005 SACD)
 
What I find most interesting about listening to these tracks on the Zero is just how detailed the guitar work can sound over a backing track that feels a bit too warm - especially the acoustic guitar in Eye in the Sky. While these recordings are incredibly produced, they don’t play to the Zero’s strengths.
 
ATB – Move On (Feat. JanSoon)
 
It doesn’t dive as deep with the sub-bass as the likes of a Fostex TH-X00 obviously, but still a decent presentation of electronic music.
 
Billy Joel – We Didn’t Start the Fire
 
A pleasurable and punchy listen, with the melodies spread out the vast soundstage. The vocal harmonies in the chorus ring out clearly.
 
Blink-182 – I Miss You
 
A nice representation of the acoustic guitar sound on both channels. The rolled-off treble tames Tom’s vocal quite a bit but in a manner that doesn’t detract from the song.
 
Childish Gambino – Heartbeat
 
A great match for the Zero. Donald Glover’s tortured rap and vocals ring out as the hectic backing track is compartmentalized while being well represented. The cinematic quality of the song is also well-served by the soundstage. The repeating piano melody sounds even more haunting than it would on a neutral pair of earphones.
 
Chris Isaak – Wicked Game
 
The gently-strummed guitars sound lifelike and well-separated. Isaak’s crooning vocal has even more body behind it thanks to the sound signature.
 
Clint Mansell – Lux Aeterna
 
This production plays to the Zero’s strengths again as it utilizes the soundstage and low-end on string section to add to the dramatic nature of the composition. The violins ring out clearly without sounding sibilant.
 
Coldplay – Clocks
 
A great match. Chris Martin’s vocal is encompassed by a warm and pleasing wall-of-sound as the uniform beat drives on. Vocal harmonies are well represented with the piano riff taking center-stage of the entire song clearly. 
 
Ellie Goulding – Lights
 
This is an example of a song that actually benefits from the Zero over a more neutral IEM. Goulding’s vocals in this track are quite thin in the upper-register, but the chorus is aided by these IEMs bringing forward her lower-note harmonization – leading to the overall sound feeling fuller.
 
Emerson, Lake & Palmer – From the Beginning
 
The acoustic guitar has a lot more body to the sound than some other headphones I’ve listened to this track with. The bass guitar is louder than those other headphones too. The separation of instruments is impressively well-done. The vocal volume feels a little lowered however.
 
Eminem – Without Me
 
The snare has a bit of a thud to it, but the rest of the track sounds as it should. The driving bassline does not clash with Eminem’s rap and the organ motif rings out in the mix.
 
Fleetwood Mac – Dreams
 
The mids of the Zero do this song immense justice. The vocals sound lifelike and well separated (the chorus has four vocal lines harmonized) while the acoustic guitar sounds lifelike. The bassline does not drown out the delicate balance of the rest of the song.
 
Kanye West – Jesus Walks
 
The backing track sounds bombastic but Kanye’s vocals feel slightly lowered in the mix.
 
Kavinsky – Nightcall
 
A lot of sibilance in this track is tamed by the Zero without taking away from the impact of the snare or female vocals.
 
Lana Del Ray – Summertime Sadness
 
Vocals ring out clearly with plenty of body while the cinematic and dramatic backing track does not clash with them. Sounds as the song should. Very good synergy.
 
Led Zeppelin – Achilles’ Last Stand (2015 Deluxe Edition – HDTracks)
 
I was a bit apprehensive going into this song because it did so poorly on my TH-X00, but those fears were alleviated once it kicked in. The soundstage helps this song immensely, which is the major advantage this has over the Fostex, as the guitar tracks are far to the sides while the bass and drums take center-stage. Everything rang out cleanly and Plant’s vocal was unencumbered.
 
Linkin Park – Breaking the Habit
 
A slight clash here because the frantic and heavily digital sounding backing track fights with the vocals a bit. Still a good listen.
 
Lorde – Royals
 
This more laid-back track benefits from the sound signature and soundstage. The sub-bass rings out without entering the region of the heavily-harmonized vocals.
 
Machine Head – Davidian
 
The song retains the power it absolutely should have, with the guitars having a warm sound to them.
 
M83 – Midnight City
 
This song mixes shoegazing elements with electronica/house. Probably one of the best pairings of IEM and song that I’ve heard as the vocals feel beautifully ethereal but maintain the body and clarity on top of the wall-of-sound backing track that absolutely pulls no punches. The only time anything feels drowned out, it is the saxophone solo at the end.
 
Pendulum – Set Me on Fire
 
The drop’s lower-end has the impact, but the upper ranges have detail that gets drowned out by the pounding bass. Not the best match.
 
Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody
 
Vast soundstage? Check.
 
Good vocal representation with the harmonies? Check.
 
So you just know the middle section is going to sound great, and it does. Interestingly, the tone of the distorted guitar in the last section benefits from the warmth too.
 
Queen – Another One Bites the Dust
 
Superb balance across all ranges. The vocals and guitars sound the most impressive, particularly Brian May’s clean-strummed lines.
 
Rage Against the Machine – Killing in the Name of (2012 20^th Anniversary Edition Remaster)
 
Zack’s vocal sounds good but the backing track feels louder than normal. Interestingly, it doesn’t bleed into the vocal. Despite this, the attitude and power (especially in the final refrain) is present and accounted for.
 
Ramin Djawadi – Game of Thrones Theme Song
 
Overly warm, but very good representation of the now classic theme song. I feel this has more to do with the production than the Zero however.
 
Slipknot – Wait and Bleed
 
I wasn’t able to listen to Slipknot out in public before the Zero because my other IEMs didn’t do the hectic production justice without losing out on the impact. I’m glad to say that this has changed.
 
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First, I would like to thank Shozy for sending me a pre-production model of the Zero in exchange for my honest opinion.
 
My pre-production model arrived in a small package. Inside was the Zero along with 3 sets (S/M/L) of black silicone ear tips. It is my understanding that the full production model comes with more accessories (namely a case and a box).
 

 

 
 
 
Build Quality - I've knocked off a star due to the cable. It has some memory, is thin and doesn't inspire confidence. I don't know, quite frankly, how it will hold up over time. Another factor for the reduced star is that the left/right markings are very difficult to see. You have to look very close in good lighting to tell. Some red/blue color banding would have been nice. The rosewood on the jack, y-splitter and IEM housings seems to be excellent quality with an elegant touch. No complaints there. The ear pieces are small and also very light weight which means you hardly notice they are there. 5 stars for comfort and fit.
 
Isolation - Isolation is about average for an IEM.
 
Sound - Now for the most important part, the sound. To my ear, the Zero is very balanced with slightly elevated bass. The bass is very well done though and doesn't interfere with other frequencies. IMHO these are not basshead IEMs. They aren't bass light either. It's just the right amount for an enjoyable listen.
 
The mids and vocals are very smooth and engaging. Vocals are slightly back in the mix. Not enough though that I would deem these a drastic "V" shape FR response (more "U" shaped). They are actually more forward compared to several others I have in my collection (e.g. Xiaomi Piston, Rock Zircon, TK12).
 
Treble is very polite and non-fatiguing. Details are excellent for an IEM in this price range. It's not a detail monster though, so for critical listening look elsewhere (e.g. BA's or BA/DD hybrids).
 
Concluding thoughts - What Shozy has done with a single DD is really amazing. Cable notwithstanding, I think these are a great value for the $50-$60 that they go for. I've sold IEMs in the past because of fit/comfort alone (e.g. Ultimate Ears TF10). The great fit and comfort these have adds value in addition to the great sound.
 
Highly recommended for all genres!!!
 
Notes: 1) All sound impressions were using an Xduoo X3 DAP with FLAC or 320kbps MP3 files at moderate listening levels. 2) Per manufacturer's recommendations, IEMs were "burned in" (i.e. played at moderately high volumes) for a minimum of 200 hours. 3) Stock tips did not provide a good seal for my ears. Therefore, JVC Spiral Dots were used instead.

http://www.shozy-hk.com/zero-earphone/
 
 
 
Preamble: I was honored to receive an invitation to join in the Delta test of the pre-production Shozy Zero around April 16^th. I received the unit in a plastic baggie along with several tips and was pleasantly surprised how Nice they sounded right OOTB. The review following will give my personal impressions of the Shozy Zero IEM and hopefully do them the justice that they deserve. As this is now the 13th Review of these, At the Risk of becoming redundant, I didn't waste time photographing the Zeros again as most reading this review probably have a Fair Idea of what they look like.
 
So with no further Ado:
 
 
 
Disclaimer: I am a hobbyist only. I am NOT affiliated with any sellers or manufacturers for items that may be used in my review, nor at this time am I provided with any samples for endorsement or reviews. I purchase all of my own gear. I do However, post links to the particular individual seller from whom I have made my purchase of the item under review. These reviews reflect my personal opinions of the performance and general information about the item, and should not be used as a basis for any purchase. As I am sensitive to higher frequencies, your impressions may also vary from my own. I will try to offer comparisons as long as I have something similar both in price and construction to compare. If however at any time I am provided a sample for review, I will disclose this fact immediately on an additional disclaimer.
Please also note an absence of graphs unless they are included in the Seller's links. Although they are a great tool for determining what kind of EQ or other characteristics a particular IEM or Headphone should have,  alas all too often my own experience upon listening with my ears, tells me something different. Sometimes radically so. I may be correct I might not be, sound quality is VERY subjective at best. Therefore I will leave the scientific data, analysis and comparisons to more qualified and experienced reviewers.
 
ADDITIONAL DISCLAIMER:  I was approached By SHOZY to take Part in a Delta Test of this new product and was provided a Pre-production Pair in Exchange for my Input and Review.
 
 
Specifications:  They are available using the link to the seller(s) posted at the top of the page
 
 
Construction: 
 
Cylindrical wooden body made of rosewood that terminates in a Black Plastic Nozzle with metal wax Screen inside. Also note that the rims of the Nozzles are “Notched” out to reduce overemphasis of  Bass. The cable is the typical 4 wire multicolored wire used on many Asian Products with a Somewhat “sticky” feel to it that I find is diminished with a little Baby Powder applied to it. The cable standoffs bear the only clue as to Right and Left orientation and are not easy to read. The Cables join at a wooden “Y” sans chin slider emblazoned with “Zero” then continue on to a wooden Bodied 3.5 gold plated Plug with “Shozy” inscribed on it in the Same script as the “Y” splitter. All in All Quite a Handsome product and somewhat smaller in stature than I was expecting. I opted for Wide Bore Medium Auvio eartips.
 
 
Source Details:  For this particular review I used my Rockboxed  XDuoo X3 (very much improved sound quality) both amped and un-amped through a Fiio E12 Mont Blanc portable amp and a Schiit Audio Vali headphone amp. Line out from source to both amps. My Files are all at Least 320kbps to 96khz high resolution files. I used this source in all comparisons. Note that there were no appreciable differences noted in sound quality using the 2 different amp sources.
 
 
Source Material:
The following is a list of songs that I used in this review. Some I use all the time, some less frequently. They all contain some type of frequency, Detail, or EQ that make them suitable for reference.
Note: for Burn In purposes to 200 Hours time, as suggested by the manufacturer, I used a Jlabs Test Track and Vivaldi and Mahler Symphonies on Repeat, Interspersing with some Fairly Bass Heavy Trance music about every 30 Hours or so.
 
 
 
Christina Novelli -- Concrete Angel (Long and Short Versions)
John Mayer – Home Life
Robert Plant --- Far Post
Molly Bancroft – Silence (Short version)
Ai Takekawa – Beyond the Moon (Long Version)
Vivaldi – Four Seasons (Spring and Summer)
John Bryson --- Let the Pipes play (full pipe organ album 1^st Cut)
Dire Straits --- Sultans of Swing
Eric Clapton --- For Your Love/ No Alibis
 
 
 
General Sound Quality:
 The Shozy Zero is articulate and fairly neutral tending towards the warm side. They're a full bodied sounding IEM, and have bass even though fairly well balanced. The bass isn’t the tightest but it’s there and in just the right amount, and fairly fast to boot.  The sound is on the smoother side, with a polite if somewhat rolled off treble, a mid-range with quite a nice amount of detail that manages to stay in front of the Bass.  The treble is very good as far as tone, and I find it quite listenable.  Detail retrieval and Placement are exceptional as I can easily locate separate instruments.  It has a somewhat narrow soundstage, but quite a bit of height and depth, this gives the impression of being pretty big sounding nonetheless, the layering is quite good too. Clarity and micro details are above average for an IEM with this warm of a signature.
 
 
Bass:
Bass is very slightly north of neutral and has a slight amount of Bloat evident on some Bass-Heavy material but is still very nice. I find the bass to be quite punchy, and forward without really intruding into the Mids. It does lack in comparison to some IEMs Sub-Bass extension.
 
 
Mids:
The midrange is really quite sweet. The overall balance between the Bass and Midrange is such that it is always in front of the Bass, showing more presence. As noted, I find them towards the light side giving more articulation to female vocals as opposed to male, some would describe this as Airyness. I just don’t think they are as thick in the lower "Male vocal" mid frequency range.
 
 
Treble:
The Highs aren’t harsh, in fact by most accounts they are rolled off, yet they show some sparkle without becoming fatiguing in any way.  The treble may lack for some, but it's not recessed out. I feel the Zero has somewhat of an “L” shape to its EQ. The highs on the Zero don’t really stand out but I find them smooth with enough extension to be enjoyable but not intrusive in any way. This gives the Zero a high listenability factor for me personally
 
 
 
 
Comparisons:
 
Well, I WAS going to go through a Step by Step LZ-Z03A v.s. the SHOZY, but it would suffice to say they are the Antithesis of Each other. Pretty much equals in detail retrieval, clarity, soundstage placement and layering They are Polar opposites in the Warm VS Bright of their individual signatures. The LZ is leaning on the enhanced Mids/ Bright side with maybe a TAD more bass extension and the SHOZY is just where I like it, Warm and Comfy.
 
 
 
For me Personally, it’s the Shozy Zero by a country mile, Hands Down.
 
 
 
Conclusion:
 
For Build, comfort and Sound versus Value The Shozy ZERO is a winner and pretty much a no Brainer for those looking for Great sound at an attractive price.
 
 
 
 
Thank You so much Shozy for letting me Participate in this Delta Test.

Before I start this review, I would like to reiterate that we all have different experiences when it comes to using earphones/headphones. YMMV and this is merely my "subjective opinion". I hope that helps and if there are any disagreements, feel free to comment . I'm all ears! 
 
 
 
Some history behind Shozy:
 
Shozy is a brand from Hong kong that is relatively known amongst the "audio enthusiast" community for releasing the odd looking "Shozy Alien". Recently, the brand decided to release several IEM's to penetrate the already crowded "budget IEM' market. I didn't show much interest initially, until I saw the gorgeous Shozy Zero. I'm rather fond of "wooden housings" (my ZMF Vibro Mk2's are a testament to that statement). The CNC finished nozzles and resonance chamber housed driver sounded rather ambitious, considering that this is Shozy's first IEM offering. Most importantly, they only cost 59 SGD. The attractive price called out to me. 
 
 
 
As you guys know, I am an avid believer in single-driver configurations. I tend to apply a reductionist-objectivist view with IEM's. "Less is more" and damping/material design is the best way to achieve any given sound signature. The Shozy Zero fits that bill and I decided to purchase them from Null Audio. Do take note that I am in no way affiliated with Shozy or Null Audio. 
 
Special thanks to Null Audio for the speedy delivery of my IEM's.
 
 
 
Package and Accessories:
 
 
The package was rather sparse. The box's design is non-descript, with some of the Shozy Zero's features printed at the back. Upon opening, we have:
 
1 X Shozy Large Pouch
1 X Shozy Zero IEM
1 X Frequency Chart/Measurements
1 X S, M, L Eartips
 
I am pleased to say that the overall package is rather cohesive. There is enough provided to get started with your IEM's. The Shozy Pouch has an embossed "Shozy" logo on the top. Its clam-shell design is rigid yet flexible, providing ample protection for your IEM's. Do take note that the case is a tad too large (considering the IEM's have a slim, negative profile). The extra space allowed me to fit in a couple more accessories (My Cowon Plenue D fits snugly inside). 
 
I have to commend Shozy for including the frequency chart print-out. This is unheard of with most audio companies and it serves as a "convenient extra", saving us the trouble of visiting the website for the measurements. I welcome this change and I hope competitors could be as transparent as Shozy.
 
Overall, the accessories and it's offerings are well thought out and I have no qualms about them. 
 
 
 
Build Quality:
 
 
Right out of the box, the Zero's feel solid and robust. The  shells are beautifully finished, with some minor imperfections (characteristic of the wood used) such as discoloration. Aesthetically, the earphones look exotic. The rosewood chinslider is easy manageable, with a taut firmness when adjusted. The engraved "Zero" logo on the Y-split and jack-end are nice subtle touches. The fitment of the Zero's is incredible. The nozzle length is adequate and fits snugly in my ears with the medium tips. The IEM's are comparatively tiny to many of its competitors, with an almost negative profile. Isolation is decent, blocking out at least 80 percent off outside noise (YMMV) 
 
However, the springy cable sheathing is oddly "sticky" and clumpy feeling. It tends to spring out into a mess when rolled up nicely. The strain reliefs on the driver housing and jack end doesn't exactly inspire confidence. The strain reliefs feel a tad too soft, with a lack of "length" to offset the weight of the cable to the reliefs. 
 
 
 

How they sound:

 

Setup Used: Cowon Plenue D

                    Fiio X3 Mkii

                    Foobar 2000 v1.3.6 +  Aune X1s

                

 

My Selected Playlist:

 

Plastic Love by Takeuchi Mariya (Imaging/Soundstage Test)

Songs for Judee by Case/Lang/Veirs (Female Vocals)

No Fun by The Stooges (Fatigue Test)

Downtown by Destroyer (Vocal Positioning Test)

 

From the get go, my first impressions of the Zero's are "Lush, Mid-Centric and Recessed". The liquid mids are smooth and supple. The highs are somewhat muted, with a tinge of sub-bass and speedy mid-bass punch. These are not "bass-monsters" and I wouldn't recommend these to bass-heads. I burned them in for approximately 20 hours through regular usage (had a holiday in Chiang Mai). The treble was noticeably clearer with an added "rigidity". The Zero's have an impedance of 32 ohms. The low input impedance is easily driven from any portable source. 

 
 
Imaging/Soundstage Test: This J-pop (lollita) track sounds mellow, rich and spatious. The highs from the wind instruments and keyboards are rather muted, but the forward presence of the mids captures the timbre of the aforementioned instruments beautifully. As mentioned in my previous reviews, IEM's aren't exactly known for their immaculate soundstage. But as far as IEM's go, the Zero's have vivid depth and width between the instruments and the vocals. Takeuchi's slow and slightly masculine voice is easily positioned among the array of instruments in the track. The somewhat "misty" atmosphere of the track fits perfectly with the Zero's.
 

 
 
Female Vocals Test: When it comes to female vocals, a clear and concise mid-range is required to achieve peak performance. In this case, the Zero's sounded "engaging". The thickly layered vocals displayed by Case/Lang/Veirs were superbly presented by the Zero's. The inflections of their voices were natural and enveloping. However, alittle more shimmer/ high-extension is needed to launch this song into "detailed" territory. 
 

 
 
Fatigue Test: Being an archaic song recorded in the 1960's, No fun is rash, loud and poorly recorded. The treble spikes are intense, with claps sounding razor sharp and distorted guitars sounding mushy and discombobulated. However, the Zero's are naturally forgiving. The incessantly loud treble spikes and gritty highs are masked over, with a clear mid-range capturing the spirit of the song effectively. From that conclusion, it's safe to say that the Zero's are forgiving of poor recordings. 
 

 
 
Vocal Positioning Test: As featured previously in another review, Dan Bejar's musky spoken word are at the forefront, alongside blaring saxophones and a thick bass-line. The female back-ups are effortlessly easy to pin point . If my head were represented as a 3D ball, the soundstage would be that of a intimate performance. Overall, the vocals are separated with no overlap. 
 

 
 
The Conclusive Sound Description:
 
After ample usage and testing, it is safe to say that the Zero's are a strong contender in the Mid-fi market. The creamy mid-range, it's smooth forgiving nature and "warmish" tint is suited for all genres. It has a quick sub-bass decay and strong mid-bass punch. The highs are muted and could be lackluster to some. Soundstage is surprisingly large and instruments are easily distinguished (even in poor recordings). 
 
Do take note that the Zero had a noticeably wider sound-stage and speedier mid-bass slam when amped (the improvement isn't exactly night and day).
 
 
 
Yay or Nay?
 
It's a YAY (if you're in the market for a easy-going daily listen). It isn't going to dethrone high-end IEM's, but the Zero's are all-rounded and adept at what they do. It is truly a breath of fresh air to see IEM manufacturers doing "simple" the right way. They do the "mid-range" justice and I highly recommend them as a spare beater. 

 
Some time ago I received a package in the mail inside of which was a small bag with a pair of IEMs and a note to burn them in for 100 hours with orchestral music. The IEMs turned out to have come from Charles at Shozy (and Cozoy), the maker of the Alien DAP.  Very small with wood and metal housings and in-built cable (which uses high-quality wire according to Charles from Shozy) their only negative is the rubbery outer sheath of the cable which makes it tangle easily and transmits a bit of noise.
 
The first time I listened to them, knowing nothing about them, I was very pleasantly surprised at the good, and fairly evenly-balanced sound, and general lack of any unpleasantness. After burn-in, the sound is more on the warm side of things with a noticeably stronger bass presence, but it keeps its sweet treble and good mids, making them, in my opinion, excellent all-rounders, and worth pairing with a good DAP. One of the best things about them is that the stock tips work perfectly with them. I tried switching in my usual alternatives -- Spinfits and JVC Spiral Dots, but each messed up the nicely balanced sound. The only sonic negative I could find was that they aren't so pleasant to listen with at louder volumes.
 
Overall, this has put them way above any pair of $50 IEMs I've tried (excepting the Meze 11 Neo) and made them good enough to slip them into a pocket for daily carry duty.

Preamble:
The Zeros that I'm reviewing today has been provided to me by Shozy for an honest and unbiased review,for which I'm honoured.The unit that I had received is a BETA UNIT so the retail unit may slightly differ.As mine were pre-production unit they came in a small plastic bag along with 3 stock tips.I'll try to give honest impression about them.The zeros can be purchased for 60$ from here - http://penonaudio.com/SHOZY-Zero
 

About Me:
I'm a student who has just got on the head-fi tour.I've joined this community before a month hence you can understand about my experience regarding to such stuff.My preference in music is Rock,Country music and Indie Pop.I'm not a basshead,I like neutral to warmish sound.As I'm a newbie and this is my 1st review so please bear with me for any mistakes.
 
 
Specifications:
Sensitivity(at 1Khz) :94db
Frequency response :20hz-18Khz
Input connector :3.5mm/1/8 inch gold-plated stereo TRS plug
(From official website)
 
 
Build Quality:
The housing of Zeros is made of Rosewood and metal.The audio jack is gold plated and made of resewood housing.The cable of the zeros looks good,though I feel the cable is not much sturdier but I've been told that the retail version will have better build quaility so take it as a grain of salt.The L-R markings are very hard to see.As photography is not my thing I've attached some pics of retail unit from Penon Audio.




 
Fit and Comfort:
They are very lightweight.I can plug them in for an entire day.You just forget that they're in your ears.They're so tiny and comfortable.The stock tips are pretty good and gives a proper fit.They can be worn both straight down and over ear.
 
Sound Quality:
Coming to the main part the sound signature of the zeros is neutral to warm.The zeros definitely require burn-in for about 150hrs.Before burn in they sounded quite moody,rolled off and congested.After nearly 150 hrs of burn-in they really opened up and the sound gets more defined and spacious.So I would suggest to burn-in them and then evaluate them.The sound tonality is very smooth,airy and detailed.
 
Lows:
The lows are very defined having a great extension.Lows are deeper and have wide spectrum.The mid bass is slightly overpowering.The sub bass is very natural and punchy.The upper bass sometimes interferes with the mids.Other than that lows are great on Zeros.

Mids:
Mids are full of lush.Both the male and female vocals sounds natural.The mids are very enjoyable along with great details.No sibilance,No harshness.IMO best within this price range.

Highs:
Heighs are smooth having enough body.Highs are slightly less detailed.The treble sometimes can be rolled off,it really Lacks some details and seperation.Though considering the price it's acceptable.
 
Soundstage and Seperation:
Zeros have very good sounstage.The depth is great but the width is slightly on the narrower side,though it has enough width to enjoy the music.Instruments sounds well positioned.The sound signature is airy and spacious.Separion is not top notch but good.
 
 
Isolation:
It highly depends on the tips you're using.Personally I feel the stock tips does give below average isolation.However comply tips provides better isolation.
 
 
Comparison:
Since I'm new I don't have a big iem collection but I've RHA MA750,SONY MDR-XB90EX and VE MONK+.Currently due to my study I'd not be able to give justice to such comparision.Though one can pm me if he's interested in such comparison.
 
 
Conclusion:
The Shozy has really nailed it considering the Zeros are their first iems.As we all know no iem can be perfect,the Zeros have their ups and down but believe me the sound is very fun and engaging along with awesome details and spaciousness.The 60$ price is a steal.If you're after iems under 150$ you should definitely not miss out the Zeros if you want smooth sound signature along with great details and excellent bass.Excellent bang for the buck.
 
I'd like to thank the Shozy Representative who provided the review unit.
Thanks to the readers for giving time to this review.
Pardon me for any mistakes and silliness.

Before I begin, I'd like to thank the representative from Shozy for sending me a set free of charge in exchange for my review. I will try and be as honest and truthful as I can in my review regardless. To be honest, when he approached me I had pretty low expectations for these since he was a bit vague on providing any specifics, he just told me he was sending me a "really good sounding IEM" and that I should burn it in before evaluation with at least 100 hours of orchestral music. 
 
My set came in a bubble wrapped bag with a set of eartips and that is it, no case or other accessories, just three sets of tips for small/medium/large ears. It looks like the final ones come with a case and perhaps some other accessories, but since mine didn't come with any of that I won't make a comment on the fit and finish of anything other than the IEMs themselves.
 
The wood housing used for the IEMs, Y split, and connector seems like it's good quality; it's not highly lacquered and then polished for days, and it doesn't look like some exotic endangered species of wood but the color and finish are both really nice, it certainly stands out a bit from the plastic fantastic crowd of IEMs at this price point. The cable is a nice feeling rubber material that's semi transparent and allows some of the strands of copper to show through, giving the cable a really sleek look when you really start looking at it. Microphonics on the cable are still certainly present, even when being worn over the ear, but they aren't too loud I'm guessing a slider would have alleviated this problem but my set did not come with one. The cable seems to have a small amount of memory to it, so trying to straighten the cable out all the way after wrapping them up for a while might be a challenge, but this shouldn't be a problem for most.
 
The housings are fairly tiny and fit very well into my ears. Then again, I have big ears and my go-to IEM for the last two years has been the Sony XBA-H3, which is much bigger, so I might not be the best person to judge fit from.  Isolation seems pretty good for a dynamic IEM but without aftermarket tips that go deeper in the ear canal they certainly shouldn't replace your earplugs or earmuffs in any high volume environments. I am unsure if these are ported or not but given how good the isolation is I'm going to guess they aren't. If they were it would probably be the single best isolating vented IEM I've ever heard with single flanged eartips.
 
Before giving my sound impressions, I just wanted to say that originally the rep didn't give me any pricing info for these until I asked, but I genuinely thought the asking price for these was going to be somewhere in the $100-200 range. When he told me they would be $50 I was pretty flabbergasted.
 
Now onto the sound. Going from bottom to top, the bass on the Shozy Zeros has good punch and great extension; it never felt like it was overpowering any other parts of the sound spectrum but it is definitely very present. I would say the bass has more of a rumble than a punch, which I believe suggests it's a bit more focused in the sub bass than mid-bass area. The extension is really good too, going at least as deep as my budget subwoofers in my car and home theater setups. Either way I was really impressed with the bass and it was probably my favorite part of the sound. 
 
The mids always seem the hardest for me to gauge on IEMs, but here they seem to be well balanced; they aren't heavily recessed or anything and I was able to hear a good amount of information in the range, but they also weren't crystal clear either. I would say some vocals and instruments sounded clearer on my H3s than the Zeros for example, but only by a bit. That may be related more to the treble than anything though. In summary, there's definitely nothing weird going on in the midrange, everything is pretty much where it should be.
 
The treble sounds pretty great too. This is where I feel like a lot of IEMs fail for me: they're either way too treble happy and end up giving me a headache after as little as a few minutes or too soft and dull sounding for fear of sounding like the former, or perhaps to mask treble peaks that they didn't bother fixing. Either way I am happy to say that the Zeros don't have any of these issues and the treble is pretty well balanced. While it does lie on the softer side, there is still a good amount of presence and it sounds more refined than a lot of other cheaper sets of IEMs I have laying around. The Zeros check that very rare mark for me since they don't sound too bright and painful nor too soft. Very few sets I've heard under $150 achieve this as well as the Zeros.
 
So perhaps it's because my sound preferences just align with the Shozy Zero's sound signature, but I really think these are a winner. To me, these IEMs sound like they are worth twice to three times the asking price to me.
 
Equipment used:
Nexus 6P 
Project H: Some Chinese CS4398 DAC combined with an Objective 2 amplifier.
 
For an idea of the kinds of music I listen to, you can look at my last.fm page but in summary I listen to a lot of Japanese music: EDM, anisong, pop, etc along with some American classic rock and miscellaneous other tracks from classical to rap.
 
Again, thanks to the rep and please let me know if anyone has any questions about my review.  

 
[size=24.57px]INTRODUCTION[/size][size=24.57px]

[/size]

This is my 2^nd product from Shozy. I purchased Shozy Alien Gold Edition and loved the product so much so that I put my sincere appreciation of releasing such a great DAP to Shozy and they appreciated my feedback and asked me if I will be interested in reviewing their new IEM, ZERO.  And I was more than happy to try out and review their new IEM, and I am now reviewing this IEM today.

DISCLAIMER

Shozy Zero that I’m reviewing today was provided to me gratis as a review sample and this is not retail version but sample version so the final version may slightly different to the one that I have. I do not make any financial gain from this review – it is has been written simply as my way of sharing my impression both to the Head-Fi and also Shozy themselves.

'ABOUT ME'

My preference in IEM is clear, transparent sound with wide soundstage. I am no basshead and I HATE muddy sounded earphone with over emphasized bass. I’ve used the ZERO from a variety of sources, but for main body of this review, I’ve used it primarily with my Shozy Alien Gold and Fiio X1.

This is a purely subjective review. Please note that I am not an Audiophile and I am actually a newbie who started audio enthusiast road beginning of this year.  And this is my 1^st review on any audio gear. Please take these all with a grain of salt - especially if it does not match your own experience. J

THE REVIEW

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES
Review unit arrived in bubble bag. It had earphone unit and 3 pairs of tips (S, M, L). That is it. I was told that Retail version would come with a Zippered clamshell case, too.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
(From Penon)

 
Sensitivity(at 1Khz) :94db

Frequency response :20hz-18khz

Line Length:1.2m

Resistance:32Ω

Input connector :3.5mm/1/8 inch gold-plated stereo TRS plug

 

BUILD QUALITY / DESIGN

The unit itself is made of real rosewood and front tip part in black is made of aluminum (not 100% sure what kind of metal but it is very light and feel like aluminum). I really like this wooden cylinder chamber. It looks gorgeous and I was amazed how it could be made out of real wood in this small size in this finishing quality and also be able to feed all of speaker units inside without causing cracks on the wooden chamber.

I could not see any pot or vent and found isolation is good.



The L/R marking is on cable strain relief rubber part but it is very hard to see. I wish that it had different color of rubber on each side or has some sort of more visible marks on it so it can be easily distinguishable. 
 

 
The cable has strain relief and look quite durable. However, the cable Y split part does not have any strain relief and looks quite fragile and not sure how long it will withstand daily abuse. I really wish that it had strain relief around Y-Split part so it could be more durable. The Y-split is also wooden cylinder shape cover on it with ZERO word engraved and look nice though.
 


The cable is also easy to get tangled comparing with other IEM such as Yamaha EPH-100, which I will compare shortly.

The jack is also made of wood and Shozy wording engraved on it. It is straight, 3.5mm, gold plated, and has good strain relief.  The jack itself is quite narrow so it should be smart phone case friendly. I tested with my one and it was fine.



FIT / COMFORT

I tried all 3 silicone ear tips and found L size tips fits me perfect and seal very well. The ear tip is quite shallow in depth so it does not go into ear canal deep. I found that it is very comfy and could not feel the weight much at all. At once time, I listened 4 hours straight and did not have any fatigue wearing at all. I found that ZERO is one of the most comfortable IEMs that I have experienced so far.

POWER REQUIREMENTS

This IEM has only 32 ohm impedance and easy to drive. I tested with Shozy Alien, Fiio X1 and HTC M8 and did not have any trouble driving this IEM.

SOUND QUALITY

The following is what I hear from the ZERO. YMMV – and probably will – as my tastes are likely different to yours. For my testing I used mainly Shozy Alien and Fiio X1 and all of my music file format are FLAC.




 
I don’t own many IEMs and only have handful number of IEMs. (You can check my profile to see what IEMs I do own). After 200 hours of burn in and listening, I personally found that ZERO is very similar sound signature with Yamaha EPH-100 that I also own. It has fun and dynamic sound and it goes really well any types of music that I choose to listen.



Comparing with Yam EPH-100, ZERO is slightly darker and has definitely wider soundstage and a bit more bass. It is not bass heavy IEM but when music demands, it surprisingly delivers plenty of bass & sub-bass. Since it is a bit darker, it sounds more organic and less fatiguing. If Yam EPH-100 sounds a bit metallic or brassy, ZERO sounds a bit more analog and tad softer. 
 
Overall Detail / Clarity / Timbre
Tracks used: String Quintet No.3 in G minor, K.516:1. Allegro by Mozart

I am very impressed how ZERO goes well with Classical music especially string instruments. The violin and cello sounds clear and I could definitely feel the timbre and hear all the details clearly. It sounds really natural and very pleasing. Comparing with EPH-100, ZERO sounds definitely better on string instrument oriented  Classical music.

Sound-stage & Imaging
Tracks used: Mad Max: Fury Road – Brothers in Arms

I again very impressed when I listen Mad Max soundtrack with ZERO. This soundtrack is consist of a lot of different instruments such as drum, violins, cellos, percussions and many other digital instruments and ZERO delivers great separation among instruments with BIG sound stage and imaging. I could separate all of instruments playing while listening. Only minor complaint is that I hear slight distortion on bass when there are many drums all playing at the same time but I would not notice this if I did not listen critically.

Bass Quality and Quantity
Tracks used: Fearless – Matt Nash, Carta

I continue being impressed. This track has plenty of bass and I could hear great mid-bass thump and this is more than enough bass quantity for me. If you are not serious basshead, I am quite confident that you will be satisfied with the amount of bass & sub-bass this IEM delivers.

Female Vocals
Tracks used : Nebraska by Lucy Rose, Fields of Gold by Eva Cassidy, Don’t know Why by Norah Jones,.

ZERO goes well with so many genres and Female vocal is not an exception. My personal favorite genre of music is female vocal and I spend great deal of time listening them. Some of bright sounded IEMs give harsh treble when listening high pitch female vocal and ZERO does not. Its slight darkish tone helps listening female vocal without harshness while maintaining great clarity. I really like sound signature ZERO offers.

Male Vocals
Track used: Riptide by Vance Joy, Ophelia by The Lumineers, Budapest by George Ezra

Again –Zero delivers. Folk music with men’s voice goes very well with Zero. I found that the slight dark tone makes the song slightly dark but it brings good bass & timbre to the forefront, whilst retaining richness and fullness through the vocals.

 

[size=24.57px]SHOZY ZERO[/size][size=24.57px] [/size][size=24.57px]– SUMMARY[/size]

First up I want to take the chance to thank (again) Shozy for giving me the chance to listen to Shozy’s new IEM.

I believe that this IEM is a fabulous choice if someone looks for all rounder IEM under $100. It is made of gorgeous real rosewood that is pleasing to Eyes and Ears. It is surprisingly light and offers good isolation.

It has fun & dynamic sound with slight darkish tone. It has good bass quantity without sacrificing clarity on mid & high and it has impressive soundstage.

It is also easy to drive and does not need separate amp.  This IEM makes me wonder why I need Yamaha EPH-100 after all when I have this one now.

My only gripe is hard to see L/R marking, durability of Y-Split area and tangling cable. Other than that, I could not find any major fault. I could not think any IEM that matches sound quality with ZERO at this price and I highly recommend this IEM.

Brilliant sound, brilliant value, and  – 4.5 stars.

 

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Preamble:

A group of engineers and designers has worked as OEM developers and producers for audio products, acting in the background, until 2012, when they decided to found a company for audio products for hi-fi enthusiasts under their own name. And that’s how Shozy, a registered trademark of Cozoy International, was born.
It was some time ago that I had been in touch with Shozy regarding a product review of their sleek looking Cygnus earbuds. They then also mentioned that they had a new cheap single dynamic driver in-ear in the pipeline, a model with rosewood body and a competitive pricing of $50 while it was said to perform up to 10 times the price. Well, I’ve heard that story multiple times (, especially by some users claiming a $10-30 product would smash the $1000 competition, and in about almost every single case it had turned out as utterly nonsense, especially once when the $10 Ivery IS-1 was claimed by many users in its dedicated Head-Fi thread that was later removed to sound neutral and be technically superior to the Sennheiser HD 800, which I didn’t believe at all but took a shot and bought it, just to find out that it was one of the most bass-bloated and control-lacking in-ears I had ever tried, nonetheless there are indeed some in-ears that are over-performing for their competitive price tag, but not by that much) and I honestly told him that I wasn’t much interested, but he replied to me that he’d just throw in a sample of those rosewood IEMs that later turned out to be named “Zero” (http://www.shozy-hk.com/zero-earphone/) and that it was about me to whether I’d write a review or not.
So here we go now, writing as unbiased as possible and entirely hype-free.


Technical Specifications:

Price: ~ $50
Sensitivity (at 1 kHz): 94 dB
Frequency Response: 20 Hz – 18 kHz


Delivery Content:

The final retail packaging wasn’t ready yet and instead of waiting, I agreed that Shozy would just send me the in-ears and dedicated silicone tips. So there is not much to say here this time.
 

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Looks, Feels, Build Quality:

Honestly speaking, judging by all pictures I had seen so far, I had expected an average quality rosewood, but it turned out to be really good. The pictures don’t do the product justice, mine do neither – one has to see the Zero in real life to appreciate its wood’s quality. Every Zero will surely look somewhat different due to the different grain of wood.
The in-ear bodies, y-split (that lacks a cable cinch, meh – but has nice “Zero” lettering engraved) and 3.5 mm plug (with engraved “Shozy” logo) are made of rosewood and look and feel really nice. Strain relief is good on the in-ears and connector and sufficient on the y-split’s lower section.
The side-markers are small letters on the strain relief and could be better distinguishable.
The cable: do you know Knowledge Zenith (KZ) in-ears? Zero’s is quite similar but the coat is darker. As also mentioned in my reviews of some of the KZ in-ears, the cable is pretty good, appears sturdy, is flexible, a bit rubbery and better than what a few other companies equip their more expensive models with.
 

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Comfort, Isolation:

The in-ears are more on the smaller side of average and easy to insert. With my large conchas, comfort and fit are excellent. As with most in-ears of this kind, a wearing style with the cable over the ears is easily possible and also what I recommend and practise with about all in-ears. This also helps to drastically reduce microphonics, as they are very present with the usual “cable down” style because of the lack of a cable cinch.

I cannot see a real vent except for the gap on the nozzle collar that is however covered by the ear tips, nonetheless isolation is "only" somewhat better than average but not excellent yet. Definitely not UE200 or SE425 levels yet, two in-ears with closed (non-vented) bodies that isolate extremely well.


Sound:

Just in case and as requested by Shozy, the in-ears were burnt in with symphonic music (for 200 hours, D’oh!) before listening started, although I suspect a greater burn-in effect (if any at all) with headphones.
For listening, I used the LH Labs Geek Out IEM 100, Leckerton UHA-6S.MKII, iBasso DX90 and DX80 as well as the largest included silicone tips. As desired by Shozy, I also used my iPhone 4, laptop (that puts out a flat signal except for a minor roll-off in the subbass) and AGPTek C05 DAP.

Tonality:

How is the tonality? In my ears, it is smooth, somewhat bassy and warm-ish but with a v-shaped tendency.

Bass is full, but it extends deep, doesn’t have too much lower midrange spillage and is tight, without boominess or being bloated (more on that in the “Resolution” section). It is forward but doesn’t become overwhelming; sound is musical and enjoyable but quite a bit bassier than the ER-4S’s and also UERMs’ neutrality (especially in the upper bass).

Although measurements indicate a bass around +12 dB, doing sine sweeps and EQ adjustments, it is rather ~10 dB in my ears compared to the very flat (diffuse-field target) Etymotic ER-4S and around 7 dB north of neutral compared to my UERM. The bass is full, somewhat big, but not really overwhelming and does not yet reach basshead levels. For my preference, there is somewhat too much (especially upper) bass most of the time, but that’s mainly because upper bass/lower fundamental range is already quite present and strong, something I don’t necessarily like much – in my opinion, upper bass could show somewhat less presence, being less kicking.
Bass starts rising at 800 Hz in my ears, reaching its climax at around 90 Hz but already being full between 100 and 200 Hz, with some rumbling (however with very good control) – the bass has more of a humped shape than straight rising tendency, adding some fullness and warmth to the fundamental range as well as lower vocals.
Yes, voices are more on the sweet and warm, somewhat dark side but I wouldn’t consider them as being really coloured or unnatural yet.
Between about 1 and 3 kHz, I hear a slight recession when doing sine sweeps, followed by a rising level above 3 kHz that extends into a broad-banded, above-zero peak at 5 and 8 kHz, with (just slightly) a bit less level above and really good extension past 16 kHz.

Overall sound is natural, musical. The bass is compensated by the treble that however doesn’t stand in the foreground too much, adding just the right amount of sparkle and perceived air in the upper ranges. Nonetheless, the middle and upper treble are undeniably forward in my ears when doing sine sweeps or listening to music – something that isn’t really showing on the measurement plots (in the middle highs) but rather the opposite, but in my ears, level is in the foreground in these areas. There might be some resonance in my large ear canals with the Zero.
Naturalness is good though, as the peaks are, as mentioned, broad-banded and decay in the upper ranges is just right (neither too fast nor too slow). At low listening levels, the Zero fits nicely in due to its sound signature, then sounding more balanced (keyword: loudness).
 
Resolution:

The Zero is not the super duper multi-driver killer. It is also not the best single dynamic in-ear. Nonetheless, it is a really nice offer for ~ $50 and stands well among other great dynamic driver budget offerings like the TE-02, B3 Pro I, A65 and M3 (direct comparisons further below). In fact, it even does some things better than those other budget offerings that could cost more, judged by pure sound quality.
Are most higher-priced dynamic in-ears overpriced or are all budget offerings (including the Zero) that are said to stand well against higher-priced stuff just sold at much lower prices than they could? Or is it probably a bit of both? It is up to you to decide. Taking manufacturing and buying prices into account, dynamic drivers, even the better ones, are usually much cheaper than BA drivers, and marketing, development and research costs are also things that play a role. So, good dynamic driver in-ears can naturally be sold at low prices if the company isn’t making huge profits from a single sold item and if engineering/research/marketing/design costs are kept rather low.
But enough introductory blah-blah, back to the Shozy Zero: it really does a good job. Could it compete with some other single dynamic driver models below/around $200? Yes. Is it technically better than most multi-driver BA in-ears? Not at all on the objective side, but you could still find it better on the subjective side if it really suits your tonal preference.

Bass quality is really really good for a dynamic driver in-ear. Punchy, quick, nicely controlled, without uncontrolled rumble. Quick music with fast bass lines? No problem at all for the Zero. Though, if we’re talking big boys, there could be a smidgen more bass details. Not a complaint at all for the price. If it was $500, I would desire a somewhat better detail retrieval in the lows, but not for $200 and especially not for $50, as the Zero is very easily worth that.
Midrange details are nicely presented. Not as liquid as with the LEAR LHF-AE1d, but with good minute details and good however not great speech intelligibility (no BA-levels).
Treble sounds natural and well separated, with good naturalness and air. If I was nitpicky, I could say that the violins’ overtones have some tendency to sharpness and if you don’t like a somewhat forward upper treble you might have problems at higher listening levels, but then again, no in-ear is 100% perfect (my UERM and even my beloved ER-4S aren’t) and decay appears neither too fast nor too slow in the upper range, is just spot-on.
For $50, you already get a lot of sound with the Zero, but that’s also true for some other budget offerings. Except for probably coherence, you will definitely get an improvement with good multi-driver BA-only in-ears between $200 and 500, but if you are more into the character of dynamic drivers, you will probably still prefer the Zero.

Soundstage:

Airy. Airy and well positioned. Do I need to say more? Probably not, but I know you want to read more.
Expansion to the sides is somewhat more distinctive than average, but not by much. It completely lacks congestion though. Spatial depth is nicely presented and layering as well as instrument separation are good. Size and airiness aren’t as present as with in-ears like the Havi B3 Pro I or DUNU Titan 1, but spatial precision and separation are really good. Not better BA-level but really good for a dynamic driver in-ear.

---------

In Comparison with other dynamic driver In-Ears:
So let’s see how the Zero stands up against other excellent budget offerings and some higher priced models.

Fostex TE-02:
Believe it or not, the TE-02 already is an excellent budget offering. Ignore its price tag, it doesn’t say anything about its sound. If I didn’t accidentally stumble across a German thread, I would have totally ignored the Fostex. It is one of the super budget (< $30) offerings, if not the only one, where I would personally easily see a price tag past $100.
The Fostex is the clearly more neutral in-ear, sporting a pretty flat bass, no real warm tilt in the lows and (in my ears) a somewhat darker, less present treble.
Overall, I just see a small advantage of the Zero in terms of midrange and treble details (especially as the upper treble decay sounds more natural), with both being on-par when it is about bass speed and control.
The soundstage of both in-ears is similarly wide but the Zero has somewhat more depth with comparable spatial precision.

Havi B3 Pro I:
The Havi B3 Pro I is an excellent in-ear - my only grief with it is that it doesn’t sound 100% coherent to me – besides that, it is a highly recommendable entry-level model. The Zero sports the better coherency with its single driver – but how about the rest? The Havi sounds more balanced, with less bass and fundamental warmth although it has some boost in the middle root range. The Zero has more middle treble whereas the B3 has little more upper highs with the stock black silicone tips I am using with the Havi.
Once again, I wouldn’t be able to say one is clearly better than the other. Both have comparable bass speed and control, resolution is very comparable as well.
The Havi’s soundstage is larger in both directions, with the somewhat better instrument separation.

Fidue A65:
The A65 – a really nice in-ear with titanium-coated diaphragms and built like a tank. Smooth, natural, very enjoyable and with really good bass quality and imaging (not really in terms of soundstage size but separation).
The Shozy sounds bassier and somewhat thicker, with more presence in the sub- and midbass. Treble is comparable though the A65 has somewhat less level in the upper and upper middle highs in my ears.
Talking resolution: the Zero has the very slightly quicker bass decay but the A65’s sounds more tactile, with the better body while maintaining the same if not even having slightly better control. The Fidue sounds somewhat more detailed in the bass. In the mids, both are comparable though I would give the very slight edge towards the Shozy. In the treble, I would say the Zero is slightly more natural as its decay isn’t as fast as the A65’s, but detail retrieval in the highs is nothing where I could make out a winner. It’s a tie.
Talking soundstage: the Zero’s is somewhat larger in both dimensions, but both are equally precise when it is about instrument separation and placement.

Brainwavz M3:
The M3 – a very nice in-ear, overall quite balanced, with just gentle “fun”. Great spatial depth. Average cable.
The Brainwavz has less bass and warmth. M3’s middle treble is more in the background but the peak in the upper highs is steeper, making it sound brighter there.
Bass speed is better on the Zero’s side. Control as well. When it is about midrange details and speech intelligibility, the Brainwavz is somewhat better. The Zero’s treble appears to be somewhat better resolving and little more natural.
Soundstage: the M3 has less width, more depth. M3’s depth is somewhat magical. In comparison, the sides feel somewhat congested on the M3 (imho). The Shozy sports the somewhat better spatial precision, sounds less blurry.

RHA T20 (“reference” filters):
The T20 is a well-built dynamic in-ear. It works well for Classic Rock. Midrange and treble details are quite good though the highs could be somewhat more even (there is some very minor sizzle). Over time, I realised what I personally don’t completely like about the T20 – its bass (not necessarily the quantity as I am rather flexible regarding that but the amount of upper bass and general quality). It is quick but somewhat rumbling. Not rumbling in a good way, but rumbling as in lacking control a bit. Yes, bass is better “distinguishable” therefore but that appears somewhat forced. Directly comparing the T20 to really good budget offerings, I realise that it is actually a bit overpriced for its bass performance alone.
Both in-ears have a similar upper bass level, however as the Zero is quicker and better controlled here, so it sounds a bit less forward – it sounds less bassy than the T20. It’s also because the Zero extends lower without roll-off. Upper treble is more forward on the Zero’s side.
Bass speed and especially control are better with the Zero. Much better distinguishable notes and lines, less rumble, quicker attack and decay. At first listen, it seemed like the Zero was more detailed in the mids and highs, but that was just because of its boost in the upper treble. Listening more closely in the next two hours, the T20 is somewhat better resolving in the mids and treble, but it is gentler and has more muted upper highs wherefore it doesn’t appear as airy at first glance. The T20 shows slightly more midrange details with minute singers’ variations – but it is just a little better and the Zero lacks the slight sizzle the T20 has at times. Bass quality goes quite clearly to the Zero. Treble and midrange quality are things where the RHA is slightly better. Is that alone worth the much higher price? It is not, as I would say because the Zero has the quite better bass quality, it is overall slightly better, especially if you value price-performance ratio where the T20 is, now directly compared to some really good budget in-ears, rather on the average side. But it sports the obviously superior build quality, more flexible cable, nicer packaging and the user experience is on a whole other level. And its soundstage is actually quite nice – a bit more width and depth than the Zero, the somewhat more precise imaging, better forward projection, but with bassier tracks it collapses a little in the upper bass, compared to the Shozy.
If you are willing to pay the upcharge for superior build quality, design, somewhat better soundstage and midrange details, the RHA T20 is still a quite solid dynamic driver offering – but rather expensive for its (especially lower note) performance compared to some budget offerings like the Zero that sounds more controlled, more rounded and just slightly less detailed in the mids.

LEAR LHF-AE1d (upgrade nozzles):
Here we go with one of my favourite dynamic driver in-ears of all time. Why? Good build & cable, variable bass, really natural sound with excellent midrange plus treble and excellent authenticity.
Bass quantity depends on where the LEAR’s screw is at. It can reach from sub-neutral to basshead levels with just a turn of the potentiometer. With the upgrade nozzles, the AE1d’s midrange is flatter, brighter than the Zero’s. The LEAR has got a more even and smoother midrange and treble, with a relaxed-dip around 5 kHz. As it is now, I have tuned the AE1d for a pretty neutral bass response.
The only category where the Zero is somewhat ahead is bass quality with better speed and control as soon as fast music is being played – as the LEAR’s bodies are vented twice, the bass is more on the softer side. Bass details are about comparable although the AE1d sounds less blunt. Midrange and treble resolution? It’s no competition, the LEAR is ahead, especially with its liquid, detailed mids and natural, well-resolving treble. Naturalness as well as authenticity are also things where the AE1d is extremely strong, hence making it one of my favourite dynamic driver in-ears.
Imaging/soundstage: the LEAR has comparable width but more spatial depth; the soundstage seems somewhat more natural. Instrument separation is about comparable.

Sennheiser IE 800:
It’s no fair comparison, I know. The IE 800 is a hell of a single dynamic driver in-ear. Its frequency response is tuned for fun. Bass is super quick and controlled. Separation is excellent. Though, its treble sounds somewhat artificial (cymbal crashes sound somewhat sizzling instead of crashing) and well, the cable is honestly some sort of bad joke at this price point (“What did those people think?! Creating a superbly sounding dynamic driver in-ear and using such a *cough cough average* cable?!”).
The IE 800 is more of a classical v-shaped nature, sporting present sub-bass and upper treble. The Zero doesn’t have less sub-bass at all but less perceived impact and pressure down there. Upper bass is about similarly impactful/present but as the IE 800 is more sub-bassy, it is perceived as somewhat less obtrusive. IE 800’s bass keeps out of the lower mids better. The Senn’s treble is of the typical v-shaped nature: somewhat recessed middle highs, elevated upper highs. IE 800’s upper highs appear more forward.
The IE 800 is overall ahead, but it better should at the price point: obviously better minute detail retrieval, even more control and bass firmness. The IE 800 feels more responsive, quicker, with better transients. Vocal, bass and treble details are better with the Sennheiser. Switching to the Zero, it feels like there is some sort of veil. The IE 800 is more refined, also in the treble where it however sounds somewhat artificial with cymbal crashes. Is the IE 800 12-14 times better than the Zero? It is clearly not. We’re talking about audio where we have a distinct law of diminishing returns with exponential price increase for differences here and there as well as a somewhat better performance.
Now all that’s left is a soundstage comparison. IE 800’s stage expands wide. Not super wide out-of-your-head style but wide. And it is precise. Separation and lateral placement are really good. Soundstage isn’t that super wide actually (no Westone 4R levels yet) but instruments are very finely displayed and it is easy to pick them out. Zero’s soundstage is not as precise and also not as wide but has some more depth and appears more round, circular.


Conclusion:

Sound is a total matter of preference – if a sound signature suits one’s tastes, chances are very high that the headphone will also be enjoyed, even when the objective sound quality doesn’t reach much better models. In the end, it is always a matter of personal taste and preference whether an in-ear will be enjoyed by folks or not.
If you like the character of dynamic driver in-ears with good musicality, some fullness and upper treble air, you get a lot with the Zero. It sounds very natural with most types of music and has a really good bass response. It fares well against other excellent budget offerings, even being somewhat better in some places, and even trumps models like the RHA T20 in some categories. In the bass, it is also somewhat better than my all-time favourite single dynamic in-ear, the LEAR LHF-AE1d, which on the other hand sounds even more natural and is audibly better resolving overall, but that should be expected at four times the price, just as that the Sennheiser IE 800 also trumps the Zero in everything except for upper treble naturalness where I always found the Sennheiser to be slightly artificially splashy sounding.
Is the Zero a really good budget offering? It is, although it is not noticeably better than other great budget offerings when compared face-to-face. Can it objectively compete with better multi-BA in-ears? No, not at all, but if you prefer the character of dynamic in-ears, it probably might for you.
It is no killer but a really good budget offering with natural, vivid sound. Good value? What does the question mark do here, Chris, it does have really good value, just as some of my other favourite budget dynamic driver in-ears I used for comparison. Is it a very enjoyable in-ear? Oh yes, it really is. For my preference though, upper bass could be somewhat less present – but that is a subjective thing.


With my usual 70% sound/price/value (97/100) to 30% build/fit/accessories (89/100 (might change if I get to see a real retail packaging)) weighting, the Zero gets 4.73 out of 5 possible stars.

Acknowledgment   

Thank you Shozy for the review sample in exchange for my honest opinion.

 

Introduction

Shozy is a manufacturer out of Hong Kong known for their interesting portable DAC/Amps and price to performance ratio. The company responsible for the brand has also manufactured under the name Cozoy. I think Shozy sounds nicer. The Zero continues in the same price to performance vein where the esoteric Alien and Alien Gold DACs have tread before, but the Zero is a lot more approachable.
 
Shozy sells the Zero on their website for $60 and notes that there are only a limited list of authorized distributors, check that your local (or not so local) shop is associated with the right distributor.
 

 

Vital Statistics (specs from manufacturers and distributors)

In this section of my reviews I try to let the manufacturer’s story about their product be told. Manufacturers and retailers always have something to say about their products, some of the time it’s accurate. The review sections will tell whether that is the case here.
 
Shozy doesn’t provide very informative information on their website, and has it formatted in a way that makes copy/paste onerous, the whole page is a jpeg. Shozy should definitely improve on making their website not just pretty, but functional. You can put lipstick on a pig, but you probably won't want to take that pig to the village dance--I don't presume to know what your community does. I’ve chopped the relevant bits up for you here.
 
Try googling pig with lipstick, you'll get racism, misogyny, judgemental religious blogs, and other fantastic things besides this great image. She's so stylish, she even knows how to wear pearls. Better trot out your best Sunday suit.
 

 
 

 
 
 
Conspicuously missing from the specs were driver size and impedance. Whilst the driver size isn't listed, it's a pretty safe bet to say between 8 and 10mm. The website says of low impedance. I have no idea what this means, but I'm guessing it means somewhere around 16Ω.
 

 
As can be seen, Shozy kind of sucks at drawing graphs. The scale here is obviously not linear, which makes it difficult to discern where that heavy roll-off really starts happening. That dip that drops down to 0 doesn't look so good to me. Luckily, it sounds better than that graph makes me feel. Maybe I just suck at reading graphs. After all, I've used the XKCD cartoon below for teaching economic modelling.
 
 

 

 

Form & Function

The units I received were one of many beta units sent out into the wild by Shozy, and I was very happy to be approached. My unit came in a simple padded mailer with no case or retail packaging, so I can’t comment on the packaging first hand. These are the accessories listed by Shozy as coming with the IEM:

1. Carrying pouch
2. Single flange eartips (S/M/L)
3. User manual

 
The stock tips have a very wide bore, which I found to increase stage width but decrease bass definition. I preferred the slightly smaller stage and improved overall definition and clarity of the spinfits. One interesting thing on the nozzle is there is a little notch on the bottom. Shozy indicates that this is for tuning, but I found that it also makes it easier to get tips on. The Shozy Zero has quite a large bore and loading the tips over the notch makes fitting tips much easier.
 
Overall the accessories are pretty bare, but are acceptable for the price range. There are headphones at lower prices with much nicer accessories, like the Brainwavz Jive. This is an area where Shozy could improve here, but from what is listed on Penonaudio.com, the cost of the wood might necessitate the price, and further accessories may cut into margins too much. According to Penonaudio:
 
SHOZY Zero in-ear earphones use simple in-ear design, wearing comfortable. Earphone front shell is  precisely processed by lathe and CNC,it has a remarkable acoustic structure designed to allow normal speaker releasing excellent sound; the rear shell, splitting and the plug shell, and are using good quality red sandalwood, precision lathe processed, carefully selected (1500 sets of wooden shell can pick out only about 300 sets). Imported speaker driver, high-sensitivity low impedance, mobile phone can drive it easily, if play with the high-end players and decoding amp, sound quality increase significantly and clearly.
 
The description on Penonaudio using ‘red sandalwood’ is not an error, as rosewood and red sandalwood are varieties of the same family. Rosewood is known for its excellent density, which makes it desirable in audio and woodcarving applications. Suffice to say that rosewood, a less expensive variety of red sandalwood, is still an expensive component.
 
Something to note ahead of getting into all this. I was advised by Shozy’s representative to burn the headphones in using classical music for at least 100 hours, preferably 200 hours. I think that this is a completely unreasonable amount of burn-in for a $60 headphone. If it requires this much burn in, most of this should be done at the factory. I’m also of the opinion that music doesn’t give drivers the same exercise as noise. I would usually burn-in headphones using what I’ve coined ‘Neapolitan noise.’ Neapolitan noise is white noise, pink noise, and brown noise; it’s like vanilla, strawberry and chocolate ice cream combo bricks you find in your grocery freezer section. Noise gives a more full frequency workout that reduces time to burn in drivers completely, and I’ve found that most headphones after 20 hours of noise exhibit no further changes. I have run into headphones that change around 50 hours, but there aren’t many. For the Zeros, I followed the manufacturer instructions, mostly. I tested them at zero, 20, 50, and 100 hours and noted that there were changes along the way. After 100 hours I gave them some Neapolitan noise to firm them up. The zero is more strident at first blush and mellows out over time. Give it due time.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Audio quality

The Shozy Zero has a warm mid/upper bass emphasis with smooth and pleasant sounding treble that does very nice with violins. I found that with the stock tips the bass could be a little fuzzy. A bit more control would be an improvement. The sound stage has good width but depth is superficial. You can hear the relative weight in the stage of instruments at different depths, but you can’t feel the air moving through and around instruments. It is like a painting done with broad brush strokes versus a painting using finer strokes. Both are pleasing, but the details are far superior when the more delicate brush is used. Instrument placement could be more palpable, with better separation in the depth dimension. Soundstage height is excellent on the Shozy Zero. I think the stock tips trade off some detail in order to blast out an impressively wide soundstage.
 
Switching to Spinfits, which give the bass more control and crispy up the treble a bit, I tried the Shozy Zero with a few DAC/DAPs. The Cyberdrive Feather DAC (a crazy bargain at current prices, $30 on IndieGoGo for DSD256 native DAC) is a nice pairing. The Feather DAC is a bit bass shy, so it controls some of the excesses on the Zero. I prefer a bit less emphasis on bass quantity, and more emphasis on bass quality most of the time, and the Feather tones down quantity nicely with the Zero. Soundstage height is still exceptional at this price. The LH Labs Geek Out 1000 is also a good pairing. The GO 1000 is fairly neutral with a bit of treble emphasis giving it a sharp sound that can be a touch metallic. This works well with the Shozy Zero. The iBasso DX50 has a bit of emphasis in the midbass to lower mids, which is where the emphasis is on the Zero also, so it didn’t make as good a pairing. The Opus Audio Opus #1 is a great pairing for anything I threw at it as it is sublimely neutral and was no different with the Shozy Zero.
 
When compared to the MEE Audio Pinnacle P1 (link to review), listening to Father John Misty – The Night Josh Tillman Came to Our Apartment, the Shozy Zero has more soundstage width and height, but lacks the definition and depth. The Shozy Zero has a romantic quality to it that many will find inviting. It has more forward mids and bass, and smooth treble that doesn’t extend as well as the Pinnacle, which makes it a less detailed sounding IEM, in comparison. Detail is still good with the Zero. I use Josh Tillman’s voice to check whether the midbass is bleeding into the lower mids and colouring the sound. Whilst there is emphasis in the midbass and upper bass, the Zero didn’t colour Josh Tillman’s voice, which made me very happy.
 
Listening to San Francisco Symphony Orchestra – Concerto for Organ with Percussion Orchestra - I. Allegro (off American Mavericks), with the LH Labs Geek Out V2 as the DAC (low gain, 100mW) the Zero keeps pace well and has good impact, but the 64 Audio X2 is a bit more composed with a greater sense of depth and a bit more impact on drums and percussion. Downloads now has a slew of fantastic recordings, and I particularly enjoy San Francisco Symphony Orchestra recordings. Concerto for Organ with Percussion… is a fantastically lively 5 and ½ minute track. I love me some percussion, and own four or five hi-res percussion albums from 24/96 PCM to DSD256. About the 64 Audio X2, which is relatively unknown, it was a Kickstarter exclusive fixed cable version of the 64 Audio U2, which retails at $399, so it is very impressive that the Shozy Zero is performing on similar level. I much prefer the 64 Audio X2, but it isn’t an open-shut case, and others may have different views. Both are excellent sounding. On Rage Against the Machine – Killing in the Name, the 64 Audio X2 is a bit cleaner and sharper with a slightly more balanced sound, which is more to my sound preference. On Be’Lakor – Abeyance/Remnants of the dynamic range laden metal purity Vinyl remaster of Of Breath and Bone, thanks @Trogdor (follow him on twitter @MetalFi), the 64 Audio X2 has much better bass texture, clarity, instrument separation and depth. The 64 Audio X2 is just better than the Zero, in my opinion.
 
Versus the Fidue A65 (link to review), the Shozy is a touch warmer and a little bit less crunchy.The signature of the Shozy is more restrained, with a bit more depth and width to the stage. The Fidue A65 has a more forward energetic signature with more brightness. Both are stellar performers in the price range. The Fidue A65 can be had from Hi Fi Headphones, locally in the UK for under £50. In a strange note, I’m pretty sure the rose gold Fidue A65 have the exact same cable as the Shozy Zero. The less sexy silver ones I have on hand have a black cable, so I can’t confirm if it is the same.
 
The Zero is really easy to drive. The Feather DAC doesn’t have much power, but it drives the Shozy Zero plenty. I like the Zero best with the Opus #1 and the Geek Out V2, two very neutral dacs with good strength in detail resolution.

 

Conclusions

The Shozy Zero is an excellent under $75 IEM. In fact, it is an excellent under $200 IEM. I don’t know if the joke on HeadFi is apocryphal or true regarding the Zero being designed to compare to headphones with an extra ‘0’ on the price, but I found it competed very well with all my sub $200 offerings.
 
This is a beautiful headphone made with premium wood with a warm and pleasurable sound. The soundstage is impressive for the price. It has smooth treble with a warm inviting sound that many will enjoy. I like a little less emphasis on the upper bass/lower mids, but this is a small quibble. Even with this emphasis, details are still good but do not beat the MEE Audio Pinnacle or the 64 Audio X2.
 
The Shozy Zero is well worth picking up for the low price of admission and competes very well with more expensive offerings.