Knowledge Zenith (KZ) X Crinacle CRN/ZEX PRO

ZEX Pro. Nearly 3 years ago now, I dished about $40 US on these and, for the most part, they've been sitting in a cardboard graveyard. What can I say about them that already hasn't been said? If everything was right in your life you wouldn't be reading reviews about cheap IEMs you already know you don't need. Indeed, the ZEX Pro are all about those beautifully sad and emotionally devastating trumpet noises.

It's late afternoon on a Tuesday and you're wandering around the West Village as the sky darkens and cold rain begins to fall. You see a half-lit sign to a nondescript bar at the end of the block and make a run for it. Once inside, it's dark as hell. A low pile dark green carpet seems to be a remnant from the 70's but it's clean, a path to the bar is glowing against the amber lights; most of the space occupied by a half-moon stage and empty tables and chairs crowd around as the audience. The stench of bleach and stale beer permeates the air. As your eyes adjust, you look over to see a skinny trumpet player dressed in a white Adidas track suit and wearing a cream white fedora warming up his fingers on the instrument. The percussionist, heavy set and spilling over his perch is taking long pulls on a sweaty glass full of pilsner as a guitarist starts strumming.



There's a slender yet well-proportioned woman in a long black dress propped up on her elbows on the far side of the stage round, an untouched Manhattan her only companion. Long narrow fingers tumble the loose edges of a napkin just below her chin, her gaze lost in the dim air - eyes faintly sparkling like distant stars in the distance.

Our guy in the fedora straightens up, leans far back against his stool before recomposing himself, arching over forward as he begins to play to the empty tables at center stage. The bartender gives you a side eye while watching the band and asks what'll it be. Robotically you mumble out "Tanqueray martini - dry, 3 olives" while scanning the 2 tops and deciding to stay leaned against the bar, your trench coat warm and heavy from the rain.

The first few chords come off slightly strange from the old upright piano playing along to the acoustic. You can't figure out if our trumpet player is slightly out of tune before quickly observing that this is pure emotion spilling out of that bell. An electric bass comes flowing down heavy and fills the room as you take the first sip of your drink, several other players having assembled out of thin air to fill out the small stage.

Why or how you managed to walk into this bar at exactly this time is a mystery of the universe, but it's the best thing that's happened to you in weeks. The drink's sliding down cold. The acoustics aren't the best but this band is suddenly locked into the groove and making a slow burn straight into the heart of a red giant. Your heart's expanding in your chest with the increase in volume, and you're fighting back the emotion by signaling for another round just before catching those sparkling eyes peering over the rim of her manhattan.

That's the ZEX Pro experience. A deep sense of melancholia that seems a little strange and makes you nervous right before succumbing to its charms as if it had always been there, waiting just for you. You don't know what's going to happen when you walk out that door with her. But you're going to find out.

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

In summary: keep your expectations low and your heart open.

Okay, I guess I’m the last very rare non-paid voluntary headphoneous spremus to leave a note for this.

I hereby would like to put a RIP word and tomb markers:

Nah…Just don’t waste your money,
Rest In Peace.
ZEX Pro , CRN 2022-2022

You know Crinacle is not a particular fan of KZ, and it was a bit of a surprise that Crin even accepted that offer. I was curious to see how that water and oil would blend, so I bought both ZEX Pro and CRN.
And this is my last KZ purchase it may become.

Crin x KZ chemistry doesn’t work on this planet Earth.

For $20 you‘d better off on Moondrop Chu / tripowin lea / 7Hz zero. This new magnetostatic tech is simply premature.

-Can’t believe this is tuned by Crin, usually it goes with pretty high standard “oh ok, great“
-Driver spec is sub-par, I can understand if it is a $6USD EDX, basically it’s EDX with little buzzer added
-Sound is incoherent and unnatural. As if you added too many layers of acoustic damper filters

What else to say? I’ve wasted my money. That’s it. No other words.

KZ, keep your own tuning, Use a IEC60318-4 coupler, and looking forward for your ZAS’s successor.

(This review was previously posted in my main review page, Goji-Fi on Facebook. Thanks!)

Greetings!

This IEM marks the debut of this audio review page, Goji-Fi! KZ Official Store 's KZ CRN is a hell of a way to kick off a series of proper reviews of IEMs that I have here in my possession and those I have yet to acquire.

Every review here in Goji-Fi will be split into 3 parts for maximum simplicity:
- Packaging (Presentation, Product, and Particulars)
- Build Quality
- Sound (Signature and Soundstage)
In Godzilla fashion, each part will be graded by Atomic Breaths (). Grading scale will be from 1-5 Atomic Breaths, following the typical 5-point numerical grading system (1-Poor, 2-Below Average, 3-Average/Acceptable, 4-Good, 5-Excellent).

As a bonus, I will be providing a 𝘎𝘖𝘑𝘐-𝘈𝘗𝘗𝘙𝘖𝘝𝘌𝘋 𝘗𝘈𝘙𝘈𝘔𝘌𝘛𝘙𝘐𝘊 𝘌𝘘 𝘚𝘌𝘛𝘛𝘐𝘕𝘎𝘚 that are either recommended by the community and/or home-brewed by myself. Home-brew EQ settings are of my personal and subjective taste, playing by both the strengths and weaknesses of the IEM. These will respect the original sound signature and sonic vision of the IEM.

Let's start!


𝙋𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜
- Presentation
The box is of typical Knowledge Zenith fashion and dimensions. It comes with a minimalist white box KZ is known for, with some excemptions: KZ and Crinacle's logo are present in the top left corner, the full picture of the IEM on the center (a departure from the silhouetted presentation of the IEM inside), and the text "KZ x Crinacle CRN" highlighted. Technical specs are found at the back, more logos and information are seen at the sides.


- Product
Once the slide-on paperback cover is removed, we are presented with the KZ CRN on full view. It is still denoted as the ZEX Pro, as it is technically the same IEM. It is protected by a thin acrylic plastic, which has a small notch for convenience of unboxing.



- Particulars
A small baggie of eartips (S & L) are included, with the M sized tips already installed in the KZ CRN. Next, a white tapered cable is included, which is a departure from the past braided style cables KZ used to provide with their IEMs. Its equipped with the new KZ standard QDC ends, which promises increased protection of the 2-pin connection and a more snug fit to the IEM.

𝘽𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙌𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 & 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩

The build quality for this IEM is fantastic considering its price. It feels hefty and valuable, without it being too weighty for it to be uncomfortable to be used as an IEM. The faceplate is made of metal, with an option for a black or rose gold paint scheme. This gives the IEM most of its heft and durability, although there have been reports of paint chipping occuring after months of usage. KZ should address this situation through better methods of painting their metal faceplates, as it can be a caveat for those looking for long-term stylish IEMs. The back of the IEM is made from a medical grade resin material, that of which makes sure that skin irritation is kept to the minimum. The included cable is an upgrade from the previous bronze/brown-ish braided cable KZ used to include in their IEMs, which usually tangled LIKE HELL for me. This one almost never tangled for me, and it provides a proper complement to the heft of the IEM itself. The eartips are well, the standard KZ Starline eartips, only in a new color. I won't speak for it as they're honestly crappy for me, I would recommend to use other tips you have in your inventory.
KZ has allegedly analysed thousands of ear shape samples to create the shell of the KZ CRN, and it shows. Comfort in my ears is superb, the protruded fins properly secures the IEM on the inside. However, this can be a caveat for those with smaller and/or peculiarly shaped ears, as it can definitely cause pressure when fit is not shaped for said ear types. I can confidently say that I can wear this IEM for hours on end, but I can't speak for those who unfortunately cannot.

𝙎𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙
𝘔𝘜𝘚𝘐𝘊 𝘜𝘚𝘌𝘋 𝘍𝘖𝘙 𝘛𝘌𝘚𝘛𝘐𝘕𝘎:
𝘔𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢 - 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘐 𝘔𝘢𝘺 𝘙𝘰𝘢𝘮
𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 - 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘊𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳
𝘊𝘰𝘢𝘭 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 - 𝘓𝘰𝘤𝘰
𝘚𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱 - 𝘚𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘛𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘯
𝘖𝘮 - 𝘑𝘦𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘮
𝘌𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩, 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘦 - 𝘓𝘦𝘵'𝘴 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘷𝘦
𝘋𝘶𝘢 𝘓𝘪𝘱𝘢 - 𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘕𝘰𝘸
𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘦𝘭 𝘑𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘴𝘰𝘯 - 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴


- Signature
Surgically-precise. These words are what describes Crin's tuning for these IEMs. Every song comes through as very clean in presentation, but not too clean that it sounds sparkly clean. Everything is laid down in equal proportions, like a Mama and Papa Bear serving the proper portions of porridge for their cubs.
The low bass extension that Crinacle put into these provides a little bit of spice and identity to the surgical nature of these IEMs. Despite the rumbling low bass features, bassheads might be a underwhelmed by the lack of the mid-bass thump that they crave.
KZ's in-house sound signature that scoops the mids for more bass and treble are definitely NOT present here, as mids are clear as day. This gives the bulk of the IEM's body, as the non-recessed mids gives that oh-so meaty mids that I personally love. I personally love stoner metal music; the luscious layering of guitars are felt and heard, oozing out like a juice from a freshly-barbecued steak.
With all the praise I am giving, we come to the point wherein problems start for this IEM: the treble region. Its infamous 8K peak is currently doing its rounds around the community, making it a point of contention whether to buy the IEM or not. I kid you not, I CAN definitely hear this peak. Sibillance is immediately heard because of this peak, which can hurt treble-sensitive ears. It gives off a weird tonal imbalance to the otherwise-surgical approach of this IEM, making it sound metallic and cold. Maybe KZ and Crin were thinking of surgical knives when they tuned this one, hehe. If you're asking if this peak is enough to be warranted as a dealbreaker, fear not, it isn't. Its a weird feeling, as if its MEANT to be there to peculiarly compliment the neutral tuning they were trying to achieve with this one. After a period of adjustment and *supposedly* Crinacle-approved EQ fixes, the sound signature becomes a wonder to behold in the Chi-Fi budget range.
- Soundstage
KZ's limitations are also seen in this one. Those who are expecting an expansive sound will be disappointed. The soundstage is in-face and intimate, which compliments the straightforward, no-shrills presentation of the KZ CRN. Resolution is OK, which is expected at the price range. Imaging is average, as if it feels like there are two separate stereo images for each ear, with a recessed presence on the front. Drum tom rolls sound strong from the left, lose its volume in the front, then come back out strong on the right. I've had better imaging from other IEMs on this price range.

VERDICT:

Presentation:
Build & Comfort:
Sound:

GOJI-APPROVED PARAMETRIC EQ SETTINGS: (Community Recommended)

+5db at 150 (4.0Q) - Low Shelf
-5db at 8k (5.0Q) - Peak
+10db at 12k (4.0Q) - Peak