CCZ Plume Review 1 – Is All That Glitters Gold?
Pros
Premium accessories. Has option for 2.5mm/3.5mm/4.5mm connectors.
Above average isolation.
Good build.
Non fatiguing tuning.
Huge soundstage.
2 pin connector, better lifespan than MMCX in general.
Cons
Shells are on large side (with a concha protrusion).
Midbass bleed, incoherency in bass.
Limited upper treble extension with some loss of micro details and technical performance.
Slight BA timbre.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The CCZ Plume features a warm and non fatiguing V shaped bassy tuning. It has a big soundstage and a very premium set of accessories. There is however, some incoherency in the bass due to the midbass bleed and bass speed, especially when underpowered, and technicalities are not classleading.
SPECIFICATIONS
- Driver configuration: 1 dual magnetic DD + 2 BA (CCZ-IF-A for mid-high frequency)+ 2 BA (CCZ-HI-A for high frequency)
- Frequency response: 20 Hz – 20kHz
- Impedance: 16Ω
- Sensitivity: 1110 dB/mW
- Cable: 2 Pin (0.78mm), has adapters for 2.5mm/3.5mm/4.4mm connectors
- Tested at $239 USD
ACCESSORIES
Other than the IEM, the CCZ Plume packaging comes with:
- Wide array of tips
- Faux leather carry case
- 6N single crystal cable – well braided, non tangly. Minimal microphonics, but perfectly usable sonic wise. Very thicc and sturdy. It is by default a 2.5 mm cable, but there are adapters provided for 3.5 mm and 4.5 mm cable connectors
- Cleaning brush
- Cleaning cloth
The CCZ Plume comes with an extremely premium set of accessories, there’s adapters for balanced/unbalanced connectors, a cleaning brush, a cleaning cloth, a faux leather case and a nice thicc cable with a vast array of eartips.
The stock cable is a 2.5 mm cable, but the 3.5 mm and 4.5 mm adapters provided are very welcome, as it increases the permutation of sources that can be paired with the CCZ Plume.
I liked that the CCZ Plume’s cable featured a 2 pin connector, I had my fair share of mishaps with MMCX type connectors after switching cables once too often, they ended up like spinning windvanes.
For the purposes of this review, the stock tips and stock cables were used, so as not to change the sound signature with aftermarket gear.
BUILD/COMFORT
The CCZ Plume’s shell is very bling to say the least, it might not be safe to wear them in dodgy areas actually, one might get mugged! They are also a potential fingerprint and scratch magnet.
The shells are lighter than they look, but they are on the large side, with a huge concha protrusion. This may give fit or comfort issues for those with smaller ears.
Personally, I didn’t have driver flex with the CCZ Plume, but this is a YMMV situation, as driver flex is partially related to the eartips we use and our ear anatomy.
ISOLATION
Isolation on the CCZ Plume is above average, it has vents for the DD, hence it is not as good as some unvented pure BA setups. But nevertheless it is good enough to block out external noise (if one is daring enough to wear it outside!)
DRIVABILITY
I tested the CCZ Plume with a Khadas Tone Board -> Topping L30 amp, Sony NW A-55 DAP (DMP-A50 FEv2 Classic Mr Walkman Mod), smartphone, Shanling Q1 DAP, Tempotec Sonata HD Pro, E1DA 9038D, and a Khadas Tone Board -> Fiio A3 Amp.
The CCZ Plume can be driven from a lower powered source, but amping lets it scale better. Amping increases soundstage, microdetails and dynamics, and also tightens the somewhat flabby bass. In fact, with a lower powered source, the midbass can be quite overwhelming and rather incoherent, so amping is advisable.
SOUND & TECHNICALITIES
The CCZ Plume is a warm and bassy V shaped set. Tuning is towards laid back and non fatiguing.
For the bass aspect, the CCZ Plume is a midbass focused, the midbass hits with a big thump and is perhaps a level shy of basshead levels. Subbass extends quite well and rumble is as per a DD bass, but the copious midbass amounts does cause midbass bleed and is a bit on the slow side. The bass, especially when on an underpowered source, encroaches into the lower mids, this gives some added warmth, but may be a pro or con depending on your tastes.
With an underpowered source, the DD bass in the CCZ Plume is rather flabby and has incoherency – it may sound slower than the mids and treble (handled by the BA drivers), so amping is suggested to tighten this area. For non bassheads or those who want a fast and tight bass, the bass amounts can be tamed with wider bore ear tips (there are a variety of eartips provided) or tightened with amping. But even on the provided widest bore eartips, the bass is still quite north of neutral, so those that are averse to bass should take note.
The CCZ Plume’s lower mids are thickened and warmed by the midbass bleed. Upper mids on this set are quite tamed, nothing shouty like a classic V shaped CHIFI set, so it isn’t fatiguing thankfully. The recessed mids actually contributes to the big perceived soundstage, which we will talk about below.
The mids are a bit hazy due to the aforementioned midbass bleed, so this obscures instrument separation and edge definition between instruments and vocals, so it is not the most transparent midrange at this price range.
The lower treble on the CCZ Plume continues on from the safe upper mids, it is very relaxed and smooth, this is a safe set for treble sensitive folks. Upper treble doesn’t extend that well, and hence there is some loss of sparkle and microdetails.
Technicalities are about average on this set at the $200ish USD price range. Instrument separation, microdetails and clarity are hazy as mentioned. Imaging and layering is quite good though. I liked that the soundstage of the CCZ Plume is big in all 3 directions, a very spacious soundstage with no compression of music even on busy tracks.
Timbre is okay for a hybrid containing BA drivers, there’s a hint of BA timbre for acoustic instruments for the higher frequencies, but it will still do okay for classical or jazz.
COMPARISONS
As the CCZ Plume is considered borderline midfi in pricing, here are comparisons with some other midfi sets:
Audiosense T800 ($298 USD)
The Audiosense T800 is an 8 Knowles BA set that is mildly V shaped. Even though it has a pure BA driver handling the bass, the BA bass subwoofer is vented and the Audiosense T800 hence sounds like a DD bass in terms of bass decay and subbass extension and movement of air.
On A/B comparisons, the Audiosense T800 has better clarity, microdetails, imaging and instrument separation. Bass is also tighter and faster than on the Audiosense T800. The Audiosense T800 has much better treble extension too, but it is much brighter than the CCZ Plume, and may be fatiguing for treblesensitive folk.
The Audiosense T800 has better fit and isolation (almost 30 dB passive isolation). The Audiosense T800 doesn’t require amping and is easier to drive in terms of power requirements. However, the Audiosense T800 has a very low 9ish ohm impedance, and is hence very source picky (it pairs best with sources with output impedance of 1 ohm or lower due to the 1/8th rule), whereas the CCZ Plume isn’t so picky with sources.
Tanchjim Oxygen ($270 USD)
The Tanchjim Oxygen is a somewhat harmanish single DD set. It has better tonality and timbral accuracy than the CCZ Plume. Bass is faster and tighter than on the Tanchjim Oxygen, but the Tanchjim Oxygen has a thinner note weight. The CCZ Plume has bigger bass quantities, and hence may fair better than the Tanchjim Oxygen in bass forward music genres like hip hop or EDM.
The CCZ Plume has a better soundstage than the Tanchjim Oxygen, but the CCZ Plume has a slightly worse instrument separation, microdetails and imaging.
LZ A7 ($338 USD)
The LZ A7 has 10 tuning options via switches and nozzles, so it can be tuned to be V shaped to U shaped to neutralish. Hence, it can be more versatile than the CCZ Plume in terms of sound signatures.
The LZ A7 has a thinner note weight and is less bassy than the CCZ Plume, even on the bassiest tuning config. The LZ A7 has better isolation and fit. The LZ A7 has better clarity, imaging, instrument separation and microdetails and a tighter and faster bass than the CCZ Plume.
CONCLUSIONS
The CCZ Plume features a warm and non fatiguing V shaped bassy tuning. It has a big soundstage and a very premium set of accessories.
There is however, some incoherency in the bass due to the midbass bleed and bass speed, especially when underpowered, and technicalities are not classleading. The midbass can be tamed with aftermarket eartips eg wider bore ones, and the bass can be tightened with amping.
Bassheads and those that like a warm and big bassy signature will appreciate this tuning, but bass averse folks may have to look elsewhere. Having said that, this is a good effort for a first release into the midfi segment, and I hope CCZ can continue refinement of their future releases and I look forward to this company’s forays into CHIFIdom.
You find an INDEX of all our earphone reviews HERE.
DISCLAIMER
I would like to thank Ann from KeepHIFI for providing this review unit. It can be gotten here: https://keephifi.com/products/ccz-plume-1dd-4ba-full-metal-in-ear-headphone
Our generic standard disclaimer.
You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.
