KZ ZSN Pro X Review – Fool’s Gold?
Pros — Fast drivers, good staging, quality build, great value.
Cons — Apparently same earphone as KZ ZSN Pro; boosted upper frequencies not for everybody; old, generic design.
In this Article
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The KZ ZSN Pro X earphone follows a long lineage of the company’s budget models with its V-shaped mainstream sound and stellar build that has experienced subtle refinement over time. The tuning is still somewhat tainted by the company’s signature boosted upper end that can generate fatigue in some listeners. Caution: may be essentially the same as the KZ ZSN Pro earphone.
INTRODUCTION
Knowledge Zenith is a Chinese company that has provided us with budget earphones since 2014. Their early $5-10 single DDs are legendary (here a comprehensive summary by the Contraptionist). Since 2017, they have also brought us cheap multi-driver hybrids with up to 10 drivers per side. The price of balanced armature drivers had dropped dramatically to make this happen. The company will issue their 50th model anytime soon.
I purchased about 20 models between 2017 and early 2018, but gave up as they always could be described as follows: “extremely V-shaped with thin and sharp vocals buried between variably boomy bass and a hot upper midrange. Great value but not usable for me in the long run”.
I felt the company should focus on decent tonalities and not be involved in a driver war. As it has turned out over the last three years, the number of drivers and sound quality are not strictly correlated. The BAs do not generate the natural timbre of the old DDs. Recently, the DDs saw a revival in Chi-Fi (Tanchjim, Moondrop…) with brandnames such as Sennheiser still sticking entirely to this technology.
After an almost 3-year hiatus I was talked into doing one for the team by reviewing the KZ ZSN Pro X. After all, the predecessor KZ ZSN Pro had seen one of the largest number of visitors of our blog.
SPECIFICATIONS
Drivers: 10 mm DD + 30095 BA
Impedance: 25 Ω
Sensitivity: 112 dB/mW
Frequency Range: 7 – 40,000 Hz
Cable/Connector: 2-pin 75 mm
Tested at: $20
Product Page: NA
Purchase Link: KeepHifi
PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY
Nothing new here: earpieces, “Starline” eartips, cable, paperwork. Seen many times before. The earpieces follow a proven standard design, they fit well, isolation and comfort are good. Build is also as good as you can expect, the zinc-alloy faceplates look and feel valid. I went for the golden faceplates…nice bling bling.
The eartips work – and have always worked for me. The cable shows zero noise transfer but tangles easily. A low impedance of 25 Ω together with their high sensitivity of 112 dB make the KZ ZSN Pro X harmonize well with any phone. No external amplification needed. I used the KZ ZSN Pro X with my iPhone SE (first generation) and my MacBook Air.
After having owned over 20 KZ models, I have to make them one compliment: their build and their quality control are stellar: I have never had a bad apple, that is channel imbalances etc.
TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES
My tonal preference and testing practice explained
Looking at the graph, not much appears to have changed in the last 3 years. The low end is still elevated with a prominent mid-bass hump – and the upper midrange has two broad peaks at 2.5 and about 4.5 kHz up to 13 dB above the trough at 1 kHz. And there is another rather unexpected peak at around 10 kHz.
When it comes to listening, I record an overall sonic refinement however no improvement in the tuning following my 3-year hiatus from KZ. The KZ ZSN Pro X offer a crisp, punchy, and well extended low-end which I find inviting. Gone are the days of strong mid-bass boom…ok, it is still a bit too punchy for some, but overall not bad. The two drivers are fast and the tuning is mainstream V-shape.
But what has not changed is the overshadowing of the the overall sonic impression by the overly boosted upper midrange and that mid-treble peak. These add too much energy (through overtones) to the voices stuck around that 1 kHz trough – which makes them crisp and clear but also somewhat sharp and aggressive, while still being recessed.
The degree of which this happens has been reduced in the last 3 years, not so much by the tuning but by driver quality. The positive effect of this extra energy is the addition of clarity and transparency to the midrange that is only partially real. A nice sonic deception that makes the earphone sound more expensive. The treble comes with some sibilance and splashy cymbals. But the overall tonality is not as fatiguing to my ears as in previous KZ budget models.
Timbre is surprisingly good and a far cry from the plasticky KZ sound a few years back. Soundstage is actually quite impressive. It is wider than deep but deep enough – the speedy bass does not congest the mids and adds to the midrange transparency and a good spatial cues. The other technicalities are also more than acceptable for the price.
WHAT WOULD I DO DIFFERENTLY?
Flatten the curve! But for this sound signature you have the alternative choice of the TRN-STM: same shell design, similar price. In this case, the graphs tell us more than words.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
After my 3-year hiatus from KZ products, I certainly record a refinement in their sonic quality – whereas the build has remained as impeccable as before. But I still think the company needs to cater more to the western taste and adapt their tuning by removing energy from the upper midrange – many ears still find the sound aggressive.
If you already have two handfuls of KZ earphones, there is no need to line up for this one, especially as there are allegedly little (if no) sonic differences between the KZ ZSN Pro X and the previous KZ ZSN Pro model. But for noobs, the KZ ZSN Pro X may be a good introduction to the brand’s offerings.
In summary, these are decent earphones. In the past, the many KZ earphones have ended up in the drawers of their owners (including mine, until they were shipped to charities) when the next models was ordered a few weeks later. Maybe the time has come to consider the current models as keepers and actually use them.
Until next time…keep on listening!
You find an INDEX of all our earphone reviews HERE.
DISCLAIMER
The KZ ZSN Pro X were provided unsolicited by KeepHifi and I thank them for that.
Get the KZ ZSN Pro X from KeepHifi
Our generic standard disclaimer.
You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.
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