KZ ED7

| Dynamic Driver |

🎧 We have reviewed several earphones made of wood but this would be the first time that we are testing one made of bamboo. The KZ ED7 is a bamboo built in-ear headphone with a design that suggests an open-back. The KZ ED7 is not a very famous earphone from KZ like the KZ ATE, KZ ZS5 or the KZ ZST but with the ultra budget price and the construction materials it gained a place in our reviews database. The housings are mainly built with bamboo, the front section is made of metal and there is also a metal grid on the back part of the earpieces with a color ring to easily identify the right and left earpiece. The rings used are colored with the standard color coded blue for the left earpiece and red for the right earpiece. The metal grid on the rear section of the housings suggests an open-back design but we reviewed other KZ earphones that had the same style of design and then while reviewing them we discovered that they were not open-back and it was just an added aesthetic detail (see our reviews of the KZ EDR2, or the KZ ED9 for examples); we will find out later during the review if the KZ ED7 has an open-back design or not. The cables are rounded and very rubberized with a copperish main color, the same kind of cable that is used on the KZ ATE and many other Knowledge Zenith earphones. The rubberized finish is very effective against tangling issues and overall the cables feel durable and rugged. There is an inline microphone with a red colored button that can play/pause music, skip songs and answer/reject calls. The stereo plug is L shaped with a 90 degree angle which many users find it comfortable and less prone to breakage. You can buy the KZ ED7 only in bamboo and you can choose between an option with a mic/control or without it. Moreover, you can buy a mini sized version of the KZ ED7, logically named KZ ED7 Mini.

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KZ ED7 - Review

Tests & Scores

Weight

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Accessories & Packaging

The packaging of the KZ ED7 is the classic 1st generation KZ’s tiny dark cardboard with a small bag inside with the extra accessories; in this case there are 3 eartips.

^6_/10

Bass & Sub Bass

The KZ ED7 has enough mid-bass punch for most songs but sub-bass lacks depth and goes a bit mute when very deep bass is requested. If you fit them very deep and are able to make them hold that position their mid-bass and mostly sub-bass will get noticeably increased. Using an eq there will be a fair degree of extra mid-bass and sub-bass but nothing radically different. Putting the KZ ED7 under our extreme amplification test, while applying a custom basshead eq they were capable of handling 40% of a Fiio E12‘s maximum power (with bass boost turned on and set to high gain) resulting in a noticeable empowering of mid-bass punch and depth but distorted. Do not expect even a slight basshead rumble and in-ear shake coming from them and certainly not on the level of the KZ ZST, KZ ZS2, Monoprice 8320, Elecom EHP-CA3580, Xiaomi Mi Pro HD, Xiaomi Mi Quantie Pro Hybrid or Sony MDR-XB50AP to name just a few.

^7_/10

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Mids & Vocals

Mids have sufficient warmth, lower mids are rolled off and, though not extremely, they may make lower vocals lack a bit of energy or sound somewhat recessed at times. Higher mids are not as recessed and at the same time do not sound harsh or fatiguing. With an eq the KZ ED7 gained the extra kick needed for the lower vocals and higher mids got harshy with very strong peaks.

^7_/10

Highs & Treble

Highs are not too recessed nor too forward and are able to provide enough brightness and detail for most normal listeners. Usually they are not piercing unless extreme high notes are present; sibilant highs are rarely perceived. Applying an eq there is no increment of piercing highs but a bit of sibilance becomes stronger. Brightness and detail are highly increased.

^7.5_/10

Sound Leak

The KZ ED7 has an outstanding performance regarding sound leaking levels, most nearby people will never hear what your are listening to even if you are using a moderate volume. This clearly shows that their rear housing’s metal grid, that may suggest open-back design, is just an aesthetically design detail to embellish their looks.

^8.75_/10

Sound Isolation

The sound isolation is substantially above average, they will noticeably reduce perceived ambient noise even while using a low and medium volume.

^7.75_/10

Comfort

The bamboo housings makes them very light and the bullet-styled design makes them very easy to handle and fit. These combinations make them very comfortable overall with the possibility to use them for as long as you want without in-ear pain.

^8_/10

Response to Equalization

The KZ ED7 showed clear improvement on many audio frequencies with custom equalization. Bass got punchier and deeper; mids and mostly vocals highly improved their sound with just some problems of added harshness on the higher end of the midrange freqs; highs gained a clearly perceivable amount of brightness and added detail.

^7.75_/10

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Scores

• Accessories - 6/10
  6/10
• Design - 8.5/10
  8.5/10
• Bass - 7/10
  7/10
• Mids - 7/10
  7/10
• Highs - 7.5/10
  7.5/10
• Sound Leak - 8.75/10
  8.8/10
• Sound Isolation - 7.75/10
  7.8/10
• Comfort - 8/10
  8/10
• Response to EQ - 7.75/10
  7.8/10
• Value for Money - 9/10
  9/10

Summary

AWARDS

Pros

• Balanced overall sound
• Very controlled sound leaking levels
• Comfortable

Cons

• Mids may feel a bit laid back at times if not using an EQ

Conclusion

The KZ ED7 offer the interesting combination of bamboo and metal housings which results in an rugged but very light weighted earphones. Their sound quality will probably not steal the top awards from higher class earphones but they are still good and balanced.
Due to their very low price and good balanced sound they can be recommended to people interested in having a bamboo earphone for a very cheap price.

7.7/10

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KZ ED7 Frequency Response

KZ ED7

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Photos

KZ ED7

7.7

SCORE

7.7/10

Buy the KZ ED7