KZ ZEX "The Monochrome of the Night"
KZ ZEX "The Monochrome of the Night"
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Disclaimer
I like to thank kzearphone.ph for providing me a review unit of the ZEX.
David from KZ sent this unit for my honest opinion and assessment.
Rest assured that this review will be bias-free.
As always, since our ears have different shapes and resonances, your mileage may always vary.
Preliminary
Before the review, I continuously used ZEX for 3 days and burned in with pink noise and multiple tracks. Stock thin tips and cable were used; any modifications and mods will be written down below if any. My library mainly contains Japanese music, so if you're a fan of them like me, we might have the same experience. :)
My Target Sound Signature
I like IEMs with brightish neutral to Harmanish tuning to them. However, V-shaped or U-shaped will also work as long as there are sufficient technicalities. Congestion, bass bloat, and muddiness are a big no for me.
Equipment
Avani DAC (Realtek AL5686)
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
Generic Dell Laptop
Players
Tidal (For More Note Weight), Hiby Music (Transparency), and Apple Music (Warmth)
I will rotate between these players since they present music in a different but subtle way.
Thy Frequency Spectrum
You can call ZEX the monochrome of the night. Even if its bass drive is quite enthusiastic, micro-details still pop up like stars in the night. Vocals differentiate themselves like a monochrome between the colors provided by the bottom and top part of the frequency spectrum. ~~
Bass: 5/5
ZEX bass is prominent, plumpy, and entic- I mean enthusiastic. The bass is tight yet well-textured; the sub-bass rumbles down to 30 Hz. Bass does not congest or bloat another part of the spectrum. It stays in the back of your head and rumbles cleanly. Midbass bleed is minimal but still present in some tracks. ZEX bass is also authoritative; it hits very hard. Recommended for bass heads. Kudos to KZ for this type of bass.
Midrange: 4/5
This is what surprises me the most. It is unlike any other KZ I've heard. It's not recessed at all. Instruments fundamentals are weighted and rarely show signs of thinness. Male vocals are properly represented without any signs of harshness or honk; it's clear and natural. Female vocals, on the other hand, are kind of average. It somehow lacks the sparkle and bite.
Treble: 3.75/5
Treble is kind of alright, not the highlight of this IEM. Air and harmonics are kind of muted in some tracks. It feels like there is a roll-off around 10k up. However, due to the nature of the treble, the sound is relatively smooth and unfatiguing, perfect for long listening sessions.
Technicalities
Soundstage: Wide >> Deep > Tall : Above Average Soundstage
Separation : Closed-in > Separated : Average Separation
Imaging: Pinpoint << Foggy : Average Instruments Imaging
Coherency: Smooth >>> Dry : Impressive Coherency between the Estat and DD Driver
Music Analysis
Playlist for the Test Tracks: https://music.apple.com/ph/playlist/test-tracks/pl.u-oZylD69FGm3JmKX?ls&fbclid=IwAR3hmHfOWpqNAtxXI8HKaDXaBvwfIVjFLVNTpLJeNnjhRYcuNaqYp9f0reQ
1. Daydream by Kenshi Yonezu (Played in Tidal Masters)
[Male Vocals, Staging, Imaging]
The starry night-like atmosphere at the first part of this track is beautifully portrayed by the ZEX. The bass drive is quite fantastic at the first beat drop. It's so textured yet does not overpower Kenshi and the other instruments. Kenshi's voice sounds so natural and weighted. Drums are playing at the back of my head, and I can adequately locate where the cymbals are coming from. Cowbells at the chorus part are still audible even with Kenshi taking the front stage.
Replay Rating: Excellent
2. Howl at the Moon by Yorushika (Played in Tidal Masters)
[Female Vocals and Bass Response]
The back voice at the start is somehow tickling my ears. Again the bass drive of ZEX is quite fantastic in this track. Suis' voice is warm and clean; however, it lacks the zing (that HM somehow provides). Imaging is quite good throughout the track; however, the stage is relatively narrow for my taste. There are some micro details (reverb of the guitar) present at 02:48. However, it's muted with ZEX.
Replay Rating: Average
3. Escape by Yorushika (Played in Tidal Masters)
[Female Vocals, Stage, Treble Quality, Mids Quality]
The atmosphere that the guitar provides at the start is mesmerizing. Suis' voice is clear and well nuanced throughout the track. Bass drive is again the star of the show here, the bass notes hit cleanly, and the sub-bass rumbles nicely. Like in Howl at the Moon, I kind of like the wider staging of instruments and more air with this track; however, ZEX does not provide that. Instruments fundamentals in this track are thick and perfectly nuanced.
Replay Rating: Above Average
4. Sunset Chant by ShibayanRecords (Played in HibyMusic)
[Treble Quality and Imaging]
Wow, that drum and cymbals combination at the first part is fantastic with ZEX. The said instruments carry such a thick note weight and nuance that it feels like they are in my front. Instruments imaging is quite okay, but they are cramped due to the intimate stage of ZEX. There are some micro-details present at 00:15; however, it's again not present with ZEX.
Replay Rating: Below Average
5. Hysteresis by Treow and Nagi Yanagi (Played in HibyMusic)
[Bass Quality, Female Vocals, Driver Speed]
Nagi's voice is clear and clean throughout the track, but again, it lacks the zing. Bass is quite fast without overpowering other parts of the spectrum. Due to the narrow stage of ZEX, I feel somehow claustrophobic when listening to this track; a little more distance between the instruments is a warm welcome. Chorus of this track tests the driver's speed, and ZEX passes the test with flying colors; Nagi's voice remains precise even with the bass hitting as hard as it can.
Replay Rating: Above Average
6. Hello Euphoria by Turnover (Played in HibyMusic)
[Timbre, Male Vocals, Mids Quality, Driver Speed]
What the **** is this, maaaannn it's beautiful, the timbre of ZEX with this track is fantastic I can't. You can also hear the little nuances in the drums. The harmony between the guitars, vocals, and drums is just euphoric with ZEX. I can't describe what I'm hearing...If you like Turnover, just buy the ZEX and be satisfied.
Replay Rating: Superb Freaking Excellent
7. Camomille Moody Afternoon by ShibayanRecords (Played in HibyMusic)
[Timbre, Imaging, Staging]
The ultimate test for timbre, staging, and imaging by the legendary ハム (Hamu), unfortunately, ZEX does not play this track well. The bass drive is so strong that I am losing focus on the other instruments. Imaging is excellent and accurate; however, the small stage bothers me so much. For the timbre of the instruments, yeah, nope, some harmonics are muted, and there's a warm coloration in the instruments, which I don't quite like (Honestly, HM plays this track like a SIGMACHAD).
Replay Rating: Meh
IEM Comparison
MY IEM BENCHMARK
CCA C12: For bass attack and quantity.
Heart Mirror: For stage depth, driver speed, imaging, and treble quality.
Blon BL-03: Lower mids performance and timbre.
KZ EDX: Bass quality and price to performance correlation.
Tingo TC200: For stage tallness and width. (Yes, it's an earbud, cause why not?)
CCA C12 vs. ZEX
Bass is more authoritative in the C12s. ZEX is also authoritative but somehow lacks the sub-bass of the C12s. C12s bass has faster decay, ZEX bass has slower decay but has more texture. C12s bass attack quite hard, which makes it fatiguing sometimes; ZEX bass is softer and more satisfying. ZEX wins.
Blon BL-03 vs. ZEX
Male vocals and lower-pitched instruments are better in ZEX by a small margin. They are quite neck to neck with the Blons. Timbre still goes to BL-03, but ZEX is not bad. ZEX wins by a small margin.
KZ EDX vs. ZEX
ZEX is quite an upgrade to EDX if you want more enthusiastic bass. If you also find the EDX kind of peaky at the upper mids, then ZEX fixes that issue. The stage is wider in EDX; imaging is quite the same. Go for ZEX if you want a more refined version of the EDX. Tie
Heart Mirror vs. ZEX
Okay, this is where the ZEX regime ends. HM crashes the ZEX when it comes to technicalities. HM driver is amazingly fast that you can hear every minor detail in the instruments. The imaging of instruments is also precise, like a laser pointer. ZEX is quite clear but nowhere near the level of the HM. Female voices in HM are more lovable (it is like the singer is in front of you) compared to ZEX. HM also has a deeper and wider stage compared to ZEX. Heart Mirror also reveals more layers in the music; layering in ZEX is quite average. The only thing that the ZEX beats are the bass drive and lower mids. Heart Mirror easily wins.
Tingo TC200 vs. ZEX
Night and day, why am I comparing this. TC200 staging is tall and wide; it is like you're wearing a headphone; ZEX is quite intimate when it comes to staging. However, there's more depth with ZEX. This is an apple vs. oranges comparison so just buy both, lol.
Mods
You can somehow change the sound of ZEX just by changing the ear tips. Listed below are the tips I've tried so far.
1. KZ Thin Tips (The one that comes from the box)
The best ear tips for me so far, make the ZEX more balanced while turning down the enthusiastic bass drive. Adds more treble sparkle and somehow adds more space between instruments.
2. Spinfits CP145
Like 1, but more treble sparkle and taller stage. Mids are also crunchier than 1.
3. Sony EP-EX11
Lite version of the KZ thin tips, instruments are more close to each other, treble are more tamed down than 1.
4. KZ Starline Tips (Default one inserted when you open the box.)
Somehow okay? However, the bass drive is quite annoying in some tracks. The vocals are also more distant compared to other tips.
5. KZ Reverse Starline
This will make your ZEX bass drive go to 11. If you're a bass-head, use these ear tips. The stage will also widen a little. However, the bass decay will slow down, and the bass will bloom more.
Mod Tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak4T0mfP_UY
Cables
I've tried the ZEX using my Nicehck 8 core cable and Heart Mirror Stock cable; however, the differences I've noticed are quite subtle, so if you really want to somehow change the sound of ZEX, just use different ear tips.
Source
ZEX is quite efficient; it will sound good even with low-powered sources like mobile phones. Connecting it to an amp or dongle DAC will tighten the bass a little and will widen the sound even more.
Recommend Tracks/Genres
Indie/Alternative Rock
Modern Pop
Rock
Techno
Live
Shop Links
https://www.kzheadphones.com/products/kz-zex
Thank you again kzearphone for providing me a review unit.
Overall Rating
Overall Rating
Recommended!
Recommended!
A+ (Relative to My IEMs)
A+ (Relative to My IEMs)
S (Relative to Price)
S (Relative to Price)
Final Words
Hey, thanks for reaching this part! Hope you enjoy the read, even if it is quite long hehe.
Addendum
Cultured Listening ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
M-ing voices have that nice warmth to them, quite enjoyable, to be honest. Voices are also not that sharp, especially when the action begins. Action sounds are also not that forward, which makes the scene more enjoyable.
<I recommend ZEX for cultured listening.>
Hour Listening
ZEX is unfatiguing even within an hour of listening; the sound is so smooth and warm, the bass kinda hugs you in a way.
Appearance
Quite cool. I like the texture in the front plate, quite minimalist, KZ please continue this type of design. Thank You.
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