KZ ESX: A Decade of Dedication
This review will be a second tribute on KZ/Knowledge Zenith's 10th year anniversary of its establishment on how they became the game-changer and shifting the paradigm of audio industry. My first KZ product was an IEM with a non-detachable cable and it has a single DD set-up, the model is called KZ ATE. I bought it around late 2016 as I'm really curious about a good sounding earphone with the sound quality of a headphone in a smaller form. After the purchase of ATE, I bought more products from KZ until that I switched to other brands due to lack of progress in tuning. I still value KZ ED16 as one of KZ's best products.
What I have here right now is their decade anniversary product, The KZ ESX. Knowledge Zenith is now refining their single DD line up since the release of KZ EDX as it shows its capabilities in tuning and at least we should appreciate it, to give credit where credit is due on behalf of them.
KZ ESX is a single DD set-up encapsulated in a shell made of hybrid materials such as polycarbonate and aluminium alloy. The transducer of KZ ESX is a 12mm dynamic driver which offer better bass response and better resolution retrieval. This is not the first implementation of 12mm DD as it was previously applied on KZ ZES albeit the ZES was a hybrid driver set up which also includes a magnetostatic driver.
The proportion of shell of this unit is in average size and its faceplate is an aluminium alloy with an aesthetic cue reminds me of an abstract pattern art or a Neo-Picasso, industrial look. Like most KZ's line-up products, it still uses a QDC-type 2 pin connector which I still have some qualms about. As for fitting, it has adequate insertion in my lug holes if I rate it as comfortable enough but the sound isolation is just average as I still hear some noises from outside surroundings.
Packaging of KZ ESX is as usual to all KZ entry-level products, too barebone as included accessories are sparsely basic for its cheaper price offering. It has a small packaging box with illustration of ESX at the front and basic specification infos at the rear.
Its contents inside the box are the ff:
A pair of KZ ESX IEMs.
A parallel, flat 4-core stock cable with a L-shape 3.5mm termination plug (with mic version).
Extra ear tips of different standard sizes (small and large)
Instruction manual.
A KZ 10th year commemorative anniversary token.
The driveable and amplification aspect on this unit is laudable as they scales well to all audio sources even to decent ones like smartphones, tablets and laptops. DAPs that has amplification stages gives even more potential on ESX to improve its dynamics and quality volume output.
When it comes to its tonality, It has that usual V-shape sound signature that we are all familiar with KZ's in-house tuning. Elevated bass and treble with recessed midrange to sound more appealing and relatable to most listeners especially to casual ones.
I'll be describing its sound characteristics from each part of the audio frequency range spectrum based on what I perceived on my observation in this unit.
LOWS/BASS:
This is the eminently part of the ESX and it is its bass quality. It is punchy, robust and thump so that bass heads will be satisfied with its quantity. Sub bass has a good depth reach as I perceive a notable grumble.
Mid bass has a sufficient texture to give a good body on bass instruments. Bass guitars has that growl and weighty sound from each plucking either from slapping to fretless, a good thudding and full pounding on bass kick and a mighty and sonorous sound of bas baritone vocals. Midbass is somehow controlled as it rarely does some smudges that might ruin the midrange part.
In general, KZ manage to deliver a very good bass response on this set that bass heads will truly appreciate this one.
MIDRANGE:
As expected for a typical KZ in-house tuning, Mids are indeed recessed in this one. Despite of that dipped midrange. It is somehow a consistency of its texture to have a sufficient warmth and mellow.
Male vocals certainly benefited on texture as it give an adequate guttural and thicker voice quality. Female vocals are a bit smoothen out and less energetic in my liking on this one as a midcentric, the quality it's tad subdued, soft and compressed. Despite of those qualms that I mentioned, it remains to be melodic and soothing.
As for instruments, strings like guitar and violin don't have the crisp and vibrant sound rather than being muted and austere. The piano's sound is warm and somehow rounded in my liking. Saxs are more warm sounding and sometimes nasally and some brass instruments has that warm dark tuning registry either from bass trumpets to horns. And lastly, snares drums has the dry and less penetrating strikes.
Midcentrics will surely have a diverse impressions on the quality of its midrange especially if they want a more forward vocals and a detailed and precise sound on its instruments.
HIGHS/TREBLE:
This is what I'm bit surprised on how was the treble registry of KZ ESX. I certainly affirm its improvement on treble aspects compare to KZ's previous product offering in single DD segment, it has indeed a smooth, more balanced and less offensive upper mids to presence treble.
Due to smoothen upper mids peaks, it has very minimal amount of sibilance as I still discerningly occasionally hear them more on some sibilant-laden tracks as I still view it as a well-controlled one. KZ even manages to minimize the stridency and harshness cause by some peaks between upper mids to presence. With all these effort to tame down those peaks, there are some caveats which I will explain later.
Cymbals' sound has less shimmer and its sizzle is muted as its extension is fading fast as it has somewhat comparable to a a shorted chick sound of hi-hats which I find unnatural in my perception. The range of treble extension is just average as it has a lack of sparkle and airiness is simply flat and inadequate.
SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:
For a KZ product, it is now the widest soundstage among its products. The previously KZ product that I've tested with sufficiently spacious staging was the KZ ED16 and KZ ED16 was a hybrid driver set-up. But if I compare it to other IEMs that I have, KZ ESX has an above average width which I gave it a good mark. As depth and height, that perceived depth is merely average as it isnt that immersive and the sense of ceiling is somehow decently tall. It is has a good proportion and dimensions on all sides of sound field.
Imaging is tad blurry as it does not pinpoint accurately the placements of singers and instruments, separation and layering are more on average as it has enough spacing but it doesn't defined well and a bit muddied on perceived textured on stacking rows of frequency range especially when I play a more complex instrumental tracks.
Due to its newly-developed 12mm dynamic driver. The coherency of its drivers performs excellently. It is fast that it give a better transient and responsiveness to execute a homogeneous sound. Tonal colour is more on a warmer with a tad smoother definition.
As for resolution capability, it's more concentrated on macro details rather than micro details as it has insufficiencies on sharpness, vividness and definition on resolving on such amount of details on harmonics.
PEER COMPARISONS:
KBEAR KS1:
KZ ESX shell is bit larger and has better design has it has a cubism-inspired aesthetics compare to a more plain and spartan-looking shell housing of KS1.
Both have similar sound signature, V-shape. Bass is more tactile and impactful on KS1 but ESX has better control on bass bleed and some more balanced, ESX has better mids texture as KS1 is a bit leaner, treble quantity is somehow similar as both of them have average airiness on treble.
As for technicalities, KZ ESX has better soundstage width than KBear KS1 but terms of imaging, separation and layering, they are very similar.
BLON-03
KZ ESX is more logical when it comes to an ergonomic shell design than BLON-03's quirk and peculiar one as I still remember my struggles on putting it in my lug holes just to have a good fitting on it.
Bass is cleaner and more solid on ESX as BLON 03 has that bass bloat that keeps smudging the mids which is very annoying.
Technicalities wise, KZ ESX edges out the BLON 03 in any category from soundstage to coherency. Wider soumdstage, better separation and driver performance.
KZ EDA (Balanced)
Bass is more prominent on ESX as it has more thudding and has an impact compared to a more balanced, less haptic EDA.
Mids are similar, male vocals performance is a bit better on ESX but EDA is more balanced and transparent as it is more versatile on both male and female ones.
Both treble quality are similar, both exhibit on a smoother and sufficient treble but sibilance is more noticeable on EDA. Technicalities-wise, both are analogous but in soundstage, ESX is wider and feels more spacious than EDA.
As I conclude my assessment on KZ ESX, this unit definitely follows a more familiar KZ in-house tuning, with some improvements of tuning and materials to be more palatable in the even more competitive entry-level of portable audio market. I also expected some sort of change on the packaging of KZ ESX like new included accessories like an improved cable and better eartips since this is their decade anniversary product but it seems that it has the same barebone accessories that we are very familiar with and a decade anniversary token of Knowledge Zenith.
Anyway, KZ ESX is tuned for listeners who are leaning more on musicality and fun tuning rather than being more analytical and "audiophiliac". And in any event, Knowledge Zenith will continue to garner more newer audio enthusiasts who have just started their audiophile journey.
Checkout my other reviews from KZ products for reference and comparisons:
KZ ESX is now available in all known e-commerce sites and currently priced around US$19/ £16.
SPECIFICATION:
MODEL: KZ ESX
IMPEDANCE: 22Ω
SENSITIVITY: 122dB
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 40KHz
CABLE LENGTH: 1.25M
PIN TYPE: 2-PIN QDC-TYPE CONNECTOR
PLUG TYPE: 3.5mm
DRIVER UNIT(S): (1) DYNAMIC DRIVER
PROS:
·
Good quality solid bass response.
·
Eye-catching aesthetics cues on its faceplate.
·
Easy to drive set.
·
A balanced, well-tuned V-shape that will be
versatile to almost known genre of music.
·
Smoother and soothing treble registry.
·
Currently has the widest soundstage of all KZ products.
·
A warm and natural sounding as it doesn’t
display any hint of aggressive timbre.
·
Good quality male vocals
·
Minimal occurrences of sibilance compare to all
previous KZ products.
·
Mid bass smudging is keep under control in most
cases.
CONS:
·
Some aspect of its technicalities needs more
further improvement like separation, imaging and layering as they are still meagre
and mediocre.
·
As usual, plain packaging with more familiar
bare bone included accessories given that this is their anniversary product.
·
Definitely not for vocal-loving midcentric.
·
Subpar detail retrieval.
Some Tracks Tested: ( * =
16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)
Alison
Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *
Jade
Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**
Led
Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **
Mountain
- Mississippi Queen *
Queen
- Killer Queen **
Guns
N' Roses - Patience *'*
Eric
Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'
Sergio
Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'
Pearl
Jam - Daughter **
Roselia
- Hidamari Rhodonite *
Assassin
- Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*
Celtic
Frost- Visual Aggression *
New
Order - Blue Monday *
The
Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *
Jimi
Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *
The
Madness- Buggy Trousers *
Metallica
- Motorbreath **
Mariah
Carey- Always Be My Baby *
Destiny's
Child - Say My Name *
Malice
Mizer- Au Revoir *
Mozart
- Lacrimosa *
New
York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New
World." *
Eva
Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*
Michael
Jackson - Give In To Me *
Exciter
- Violence and Force *
Diana
Krall - Stop This World **
Debbie
Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*
Lucretia
my Reflection – The Sisters of Mercy **
Suzanne
Vega – Luka **
P.S.
I
am not affiliated to KNOWLEDGE ZENITH(KZ) nor receive monetary
incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange
of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.
Once again, I would like to thank Tyvan Lam for providing this review unit, I truly appreciate on his generosity towards me and other reviewers.
If you are interested for more infos, just click the link below:
https://www.kztws.com/collections/all-products/products/kz-esx
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