[Hung Tuan]

i received the PR3 today and immediately impressed by its design. This is a significant step up from KZ. The contrast between parts is much better, and in an elegant way.

The sound signature is lean with very well done on top & bottom end extension. However,

If you're looking for thumpy bass, you may break the balance at high volume and find it sound harsh.

As expected from Planar drivers, the technicalities is very good. Timbre is meh for vocal and acoustic lover. Staging is normal.

The PR3 requires more power than other KZ non planar models. I only need 30% power with the AZ20 hook for my AS24, but I have to increase it to 55% for the PR3. I tried a frequency sweep from 8kHz to 15kHz (my listenable range is around 16kHz) and did not detect anything weird or distortion. Both channel seems match, at least to my 33 years old ears.

My most listening genres are metal and Jpop.

 

[WhereAreMyEars]

I received the PR3 today and immediately impressed by its design.

Haha gotta admit that was an important factor when I decided to order it in the pre-sale.

 

[Carpet]

Which filter was on your PR2? White? Black? No filter? My black filter seemed normal and not bright. But I also lacked a good headphone amp.

I'd have to find the damned thing, it hasn't seen much use since burn in. It's the the V2 with the later filter.

 

[kekappa]

i received the PR3 today and immediately impressed by its design. This is a significant step up from KZ. The contrast between parts is much better, and in an elegant way.

The sound signature is lean with very well done on top & bottom end extension. However,

If you're looking for thumpy bass, you may break the balance at high volume and find it sound harsh.

As expected from Planar drivers, the technicalities is very good. Timbre is meh for vocal and acoustic lover. Staging is normal.

The PR3 requires more power than other KZ non planar models. I only need 30% power with the AZ20 hook for my AS24, but I have to increase it to 55% for the PR3. I tried a frequency sweep from 8kHz to 15kHz (my listenable range is around 16kHz) and did not detect anything weird or distortion. Both channel seems match, at least to my 33 years old ears.

My most listening genres are metal and Jpop.

Quite intrigued about this pairing. I've heard that the KZ Planar iems (mainly the PR2) require a decent bit of power to drive. Do you think this serves as a viable replacement for a pair of TWS buds, or do you have any recs for other BT earhooks for the PR3?

 

[dirtdawg]

Just got my PR3 in the mail today. It's a little easier to drive than my PR2 (PR3 at around 40% on my DX1 with high gain is about same as the PR2 at 55%). Male and female vocals are a little more forward on the PR3, which are a little warmer on the PR2. Early impressions, I think I like it better than the previous version. Granted, my PR2 is the stealth rev with no mesh on the driver. I can't say how it compares to the original PR2.

 

[579369]

Granted, my PR2 is the stealth rev with no mesh on the driver. I can't say how it compares to the original PR2.

I've heard of multiple KZ PR2 versions: white filter, no filter, black filter. I assume the white filter is the original?

 

[Carpet]

I've heard of multiple KZ PR2 versions: white filter, no filter, black filter. I assume the white filter is the original?

Original version had a black mesh rectangular filter that sat on top of the driver. This disappeared on the later production variant that had filter in the nozzle.

 

[Skullophile]

i received the PR3 today and immediately impressed by its design. This is a significant step up from KZ. The contrast between parts is much better, and in an elegant way.

The sound signature is lean with very well done on top & bottom end extension. However,

If you're looking for thumpy bass, you may break the balance at high volume and find it sound harsh.

As expected from Planar drivers, the technicalities is very good. Timbre is meh for vocal and acoustic lover. Staging is normal.

The PR3 requires more power than other KZ non planar models. I only need 30% power with the AZ20 hook for my AS24, but I have to increase it to 55% for the PR3. I tried a frequency sweep from 8kHz to 15kHz (my listenable range is around 16kHz) and did not detect anything weird or distortion. Both channel seems match, at least to my 33 years old ears.

My most listening genres are metal and Jpop.

The FR graph of these piqued my treble head interest. Is there any sibilance? @Hung Tuan

 

[Hung Tuan]

Quite intrigued about this pairing. I've heard that the KZ Planar iems (mainly the PR2) require a decent bit of power to drive. Do you think this serves as a viable replacement for a pair of TWS buds, or do you have any recs for other BT earhooks for the PR3?

I think the AZ20 is the only one that justifies its convenience. It offers multi-device pairing and auto-switching, even between different platforms like iOS and Android.

The signal-to-noise ratio (SnR) surpasses any TWS I've owned, including the Bud2 and Airpod 3. However, I find the sound profile of the PR2 and PR3 are not suitable for street/office use, as the bass quickly fades into noisy background. You might consider other bass-heavy KZs like the Castor or Rhapsody.

The FR graph of these piqued my treble head interest. Is there any sibilance? @Hung Tuan

There is no significant sibilance. I have owned some other IEMs like the K3003, Castor, and CCA DUO. The PR3 has weaker bass than the first 2, but it has better sibilance control than these. If you check the graph, matched at around 1 kHz, the PR3 has a nearly 5 dB dip from the 3 kHz to 8 kHz region, strongest at mid-treble, where our ears can hear/perceive the most sibilance from resonance, and recording flaws.

The part over 8 kHz was my main concern since it could make the whole tonality metallic and shrilling. It still does, but the effects are not significant, and you have an extra airiness bonus from that.

Rhapsody, AS24, and PR3 all have a gradual decrease from 2 kHz. The 8 kHz peak is usually an artifact or resonance from the coupler. There is an engineer at KZ knows how to make IEMs sound bright without sibilance/harsh.

 

[Plumbus the Wise]

AZ20 hook for my AS24

It would be amazing if they would produce these with regular .78 connectors.

 

[Carpet]

It would be amazing if they would produce these with regular .78 connectors.

Surgery to the plastic shrouds on the QDC connectors? Trick would be to clamp the pins to protect them while trimming.

 

[579369]

Original version had a black mesh rectangular filter that sat on top of the driver. This disappeared on the later production variant that had filter in the nozzle.

I wonder if I magically got the 1st version of black filter PR2 a week or two ago? I will take a photo and post...

 

[579369]

I ordered a cable surprise bag from I believe a banner seller for $10 during the 11/11 sales and they sent me a really nice KZ cable!

How'd they know I just ordered the Castor my first KZ in like 3-5 years? Wow!

PS: Head-Fi Reviews are the #1 place to go! Not Amazon!

 

[hansnaert]

The FR graph of these piqued my treble head interest. Is there any sibilance? @Hung Tuan

I received my PR3 and have no sibilance with foam tips.

The PR3 sound is almost the same as the PR2 v2, I would wonder if you can detect the difference in a blind test.
Maybe the sensitivity difference (volume) is a little noticeable, I tested with left PR2 and right PR3 ...

 

[BowWazoo]

My preset for the PR2
(Silicone tips)

Adjust band 1 for bass.
2 for punch.