[Skullophile]

I havnt written anything up yet but I have been comparing the DZ8 to my Angies and they hold their own.
The DZ8 are better than DZ9, they are not mid-centric and overall performance is a fair bit better.

 

[Ahmad313]

I havnt written anything up yet but I have been comparing the DZ8 to my Angies and they hold their own.
The DZ8 are better than DZ9, they are not mid-centric and overall performance is a fair bit better.

WOW nice to hear all about that , i just want to confirm couple of things , 
1:- is the DZ8 also carries a front focused presentation ( in front of your eyes)  like DZ9,?  
2:- how about the sound signature of DZ8,  they sounds to bright  ( to the harsh level)  or smooth and easy for long listening session , 
Thanks in advance , , , 

 

[Skullophile]

DZ8 are balanced, Bass, mids and highs are quite evenly matched. Detail levels are extreme, they're a stage monitor. Clear detailed sounds without extra warmth. So when you're on stage you can hear exactly what's going on. It does not have that front focused sound stage. Stage is more like a balloon around the head. It's not bright or dark, it's similarly balanced to my Angies. It lacks that bit of warmth the Angies have, Angies are more studio reference and the DZ8 are more like a clear stage monitor. Long listening sessions are no problem for them.
A different signature to DZ9 and from a technical standpoint a fair bit better.

 

[Ahmad313]

  DZ8 are balanced, Bass, mids and highs are quite evenly matched. Detail levels are extreme, they're a stage monitor. Clear detailed sounds without extra warmth. So when you're on stage you can hear exactly what's going on. It does not have that front focused sound stage. Stage is more like a balloon around the head. It's not bright or dark, it's similarly balanced to my Angies. It lacks that bit of warmth the Angies have, Angies are more studio reference and the DZ8 are more like a clear stage monitor. Long listening sessions are no problem for them.
A different signature to DZ9 and from a technical standpoint a fair bit better.

Thank you very much friend for your help now I am understand clearly about the both iems just one thing more please, 
as i know already the DZ9 is a mid centric iem which definitely have lush and full body vocals so how about the vocals quality of DZ8 compared to DZ9 i mean the vocals have full body or feeling bit thin against DZ9 and what is the position of vocals in presentation they are placed centre of the head or more back side of the head , ,  ???

 

[Cya|\|]

I've been talking to Skullophile, and he's been very informative . I'm now looking into the 2017 version, the dzx 1+8, I wonder if it's really an improvement, or just with bass regluation.
For about the same price I can get the Hisenior t8, which a guy around here says beats the Angies: https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/h...tors-8ba-per-side-680aud-review-video.842642/
I wonder which is better, the hisenior or the nicehck. But the nicehck are universal, and less "problematic" in terms of getting them.

 

[EasyEnemy]

@Skullophile
After reading your review DZ9 sounded like my cup of tea (forward mid). them being a hybrid, i'm a little worried about sound isolation. does DZ9 have good noise isolation?

 

[Skullophile]

Short answer is yes the DZ9 has good isolation, it's like a solid chunk of acrylic blocking noise.

Longer answer is I have sold my DZ9 from HCK and am now just rocking my DZ8 which I got through ShenZhen Audio.
which I prefer because they sound like they have a flatter FR and are not mid-forward (which I prefer at the moment). I took the DZ8
on the bus with me today (same shell as DZ9) with my M!s and they weren't turned up very load and I could hardly hear any ambient noise, their design is great for isolation because
they have some straight barrel going into the ear which tapers out to an ear shape. In short isolation is well above average.
Compare DZ8 to my Angies and it's a close contest. Angies are warmer and win in things like timbre and transients but the DZ8 is close.
DZ8 is more of a stage monitor, it's leaner and cooler then angie which is more of a studio monitor. Bass, mids and highs (especially the highs) are slightly better on the Angies but soundstage is very similar.
The DZ8 is half the size of the Angies which would never go on a bus with me. Angies are better for critical listening while DZ8 is better for portable or stage use. Both give goosebumps but Angie twice as much.
To sum up, lots of iems sound weird when compared to the Angies but the DZ8 dosn't sound to my ears to have any bad dips or peaks.
DZ8 performs much better than pretty much any 3-400 dollar iem that I have tried. But it is balanced and not mid-forward like the DZ9.

 

[Ahmad313]

HCK released a upgrade model of DZ series the DZ12 a 12 BA drivers iem,
It is Knowles+sonion BA mix iem with 4 crossovers,
2 super high, 2 highs, 4 mids and 4 sonion BA for low frequences,

 

[Metalboyy]

Looks great. Thinking about getting the 18 driver iem. But it sounds a bit crazy to put 18 drivers in a universal iem. I wonder how they fit.

 

[Ahmad313]

Looks great. Thinking about getting the 18 driver iem. But it sounds a bit crazy to put 18 drivers in a universal iem. I wonder how they fit.

Looks great. Thinking about getting the 18 driver iem. But it sounds a bit crazy to put 18 drivers in a universal iem. I wonder how they fit.

According to the previous excellent models of DZ series i am more confident about DZ12 ,,,

 

[EasyEnemy]

@skullopille

Thanks for the reply. great to hear than the isolation is good as i use my earphones on my motorcycle (need to block loud noise of wind and engine).

have you heard ATH-IM03 and/or creative aurvana in ear3 (the 2 earphone i have)? if you have, I would very much appreciate comparison with the DZ8 or DZ9 especially in term distance of the upper mid frequency. ATH-IM03 technically superior to the creative aurvana in ear3 but somehow I feel that the mids (vocals) are too far away. Despite being lousier, the creative would bring tear tear to my eyes when i listen to exec phantasmagoria () but never on my IM03. I am hoping DZ8 or DZ9 would bring the same kind of euphoria when i listen to exec phantasmagoria on my creative but with better technicality.

 

[Skullophile]

I have IM02 and not IM03 and DZ8 is a tier above the IM02. Makes it sound tiny, warm and blurry.home I listen mostly to the Angies.
The DZ8 and 9 have a massive soundstage but nothing sounds distant. The details still sink in but a little slower than
an intimate single BA like an ety. The DZ8 would be good for motorbiking because you could still concentrate on the road.
All the details are still there but it's the great separation and stage that make them more of a casual listen than a critical listen.
I use my DZ8 while I'm getting around town and this is where they excel. At home I mostly listen to the Angies.
I'm amazed that for me they come close to the Angies. They're for a different purpose imho, stage monitor apart from a reference monitor.
Angies being more of a reference monitor are warmer and thicker with better imaging, timbre, dynamics and transients but DZ8 sounds a little clearer
(from less warmth) and can be taken on stage or on the go. Angies are too big to go anywhere other than the couch. I have heard plenty of $300
iems and DZ8 outclasses them by a wide margin, they are a tier above and sit on the top tier imho. Mainly in soundstage and separation boosted by the extra amount of drivers. And because they're not hybrids I don't hear that mis match of dynamic and armature thickness.

 

[Ahmad313]

I have IM02 and not IM03 and DZ8 is a tier above the IM02. Makes it sound tiny, warm and blurry.home I listen mostly to the Angies.
The DZ8 and 9 have a massive soundstage but nothing sounds distant. The details still sink in but a little slower than
an intimate single BA like an ety. The DZ8 would be good for motorbiking because you could still concentrate on the road.
All the details are still there but it's the great separation and stage that make them more of a casual listen than a critical listen.
I use my DZ8 while I'm getting around town and this is where they excel. At home I mostly listen to the Angies.
I'm amazed that for me they come close to the Angies. They're for a different purpose imho, stage monitor apart from a reference monitor.
Angies being more of a reference monitor are warmer and thicker with better imaging, timbre, dynamics and transients but DZ8 sounds a little clearer
(from less warmth) and can be taken on stage or on the go. Angies are too big to go anywhere other than the couch. I have heard plenty of $300
iems and DZ8 outclasses them by a wide margin, they are a tier above and sit on the top tier imho. Mainly in soundstage and separation boosted by the extra amount of drivers. And because they're not hybrids I don't hear that mis match of dynamic and armature thickness.

How about the vocals quality and singer positioning on DZ8 compared with DZ9,???

 

[Skullophile]

DZ9 is mid forward and projects the singer in front of you with great resolution. Tends to make the lows and highs sound a little veiled.
DZ8 I would call balanced, not anything forward. Treble is not as extended as Angies but if you were using them on stage and the treble extended all the way it might get a little piercing. Treble is the main way the DZ8 falls a little short of Angie.But it's great for what it's made for.

 

[EasyEnemy]

I have IM02 and not IM03 and DZ8 is a tier above the IM02. Makes it sound tiny, warm and blurry.home I listen mostly to the Angies.
The DZ8 and 9 have a massive soundstage but nothing sounds distant. The details still sink in but a little slower than
an intimate single BA like an ety. The DZ8 would be good for motorbiking because you could still concentrate on the road.
All the details are still there but it's the great separation and stage that make them more of a casual listen than a critical listen.
I use my DZ8 while I'm getting around town and this is where they excel. At home I mostly listen to the Angies.
I'm amazed that for me they come close to the Angies. They're for a different purpose imho, stage monitor apart from a reference monitor.
Angies being more of a reference monitor are warmer and thicker with better imaging, timbre, dynamics and transients but DZ8 sounds a little clearer
(from less warmth) and can be taken on stage or on the go. Angies are too big to go anywhere other than the couch. I have heard plenty of $300
iems and DZ8 outclasses them by a wide margin, they are a tier above and sit on the top tier imho. Mainly in soundstage and separation boosted by the extra amount of drivers. And because they're not hybrids I don't hear that mis match of dynamic and armature thickness.

thanks for your reply. i'm more interested in the dz8 although it still a little pircey to me. somehow your comparison of dz8 to $300 iems seem a little strange to me. is it a typo error? shouldn't the dz8 which is brandless a iem that is $500 rightfully outclass $300 iems? or i'm misunderstanding something else?