KZ ZEX PRO
| Electrostatic | Balanced Armature | Dynamic Driver |
? KZ ZEX PRO, an electrostatic earphone for little money – not sure who was in charge of the model name but that will be a conversation for another day.
The KZ ZEX PRO is the second generation of the electrostatic family of earphones from KZ, being preceeded by the non-PRO version which was a dual driver model.
The KZ ZEX PRO, instead, is an hybrid model that combines 3 driver technologies: electrostatic, balanced armature and dynamic driver.
Specifically, the KZ ZEX PRO features a 30095 balanced armature driver for high frequencies and 10mm dual magnetic dynamic driver and a 6.8mm electret electrostatic driver.
Being a technology not widely used in budget Asian earphones, the electrostatic driver of the KZ ZEX PRO might tempt many buyers to jump on the hype train.
As seen on the past with balanced armature drivers and even before this with multi-driver budget models, new technologies that used to be seen at premium prices with reputable brands start to fuse and become widely accessible on budget Asian brands and eventually even on some controversial brands at crazy low prices.
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KZ ZEX PRO Review
Tests & Scores
A
Accessories & Packaging
The KZ ZEX PRO come in small packaging, holding inside the bi-pin cable, a 3 pair of eartips.
7.5/10
B
Bass & Sub Bass
The KZ ZEX PRO is not as a bassy as most KZ models, right out of the box this earphone will offer a tight upper and mid bass that will not overshadow the rest of the sound signature.
Nonetheless, the overall bass feel of the KZ ZEX PRO will lack mid-bass and fall short of punch for any genre besides specific tracks that do not call for much punch.
Usually, earphones that show a non-emphasized bass tuning tend to exhibit a stronger mid-bass than sub-bass response and a stronger rolled-off sub-bass; on the ZEX PRO, this is actually the opposite, this model shows a way more recessed mid and upper bass than sub-bass.
Despite this, the KZ ZEX PRO does suffer from rolled-off sub-bass and is unable to reach the extended deepness of sub-bass but is not fully absent of it.
The KZ ZEX PRO shows a flat response but this flat response is usually not a desired effect on bass and sub-bass ranges when it is not finely tuned and carefully achieved as tightness and non-invasive sound gets confused with flatness.
7/10
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M
Mids & Vocals
The KZ ZEX PRO exhibits a much flatter midrange than other KZ models.
The lower mids of the ZEX PRO present a fairly clean sound due to the absence of mid-bass bleed.
On the other hand, lower mids will tend to sound too laid back on many tracks while male vocals and deeper midrange notes could lack body and warmth when needed.
Up to now, nothing comes out of the blue nor unexpected to our editor´s, as all the aforementioned sound qualities are mostly typical of flat tunes headphones.
The upper extension of the midrange offers a crisp sound with emphasized female vocals that can benefit of these 2 qualities as long as the female singers notes do not oscillate too much in dB range as their peaks can easily become shouty and harsh.
The KZ ZEX PRO will offer a significantly flat response and this will be good news for users that search for this tuning but it might not fit the liking of the biggest cut of listeners who prefer a more inviting and cozy sound with a more exciting sound out of the box.
8.5/10
H
Highs & Treble
Highs on the KZ ZEX PRO continue a coherent tuning with the upper midrange extension, presenting a flat response.
On the other hand, the upper end and treble ranges start to suffer from a significant roll-off effect.
Overall, this tuning will result in a sound that is bright but easily sibilant but that at the same time is uncapable of resolving significant detail.
Nonetheless, it is fair to note that despite the sibilant issue, the ZEX PRO did not suffer from piercing peaks as much as sibilance.
7/10
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C
Comfort
The KZ ZEX PRO makes use of the very custom-IEM alike form factor used by KZ in several older and recent models.
This earpiece´s shape offers a super fit and comfort (as long as you do not have smaller than average ears) A somewhat similar design can be seen on the KZ SK10 PRO, KZ VX10 and even on the CCA CA24, CCA CA16 PRO and the exact same housings is used on the ultra-cheap GK G5.
9/10
EQ
Response to Equalization
The midrange of the KZ ZEX PRO had a very good response for fine tuning and to repair the “flaws” exhibited out of the box.
On the other hand, bass and highs did not benefit as much from equalizing nor were as responsive as its midrange.
7.25/10
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KZ ZEX PRO Frequency Response Curve
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ScoresKZ ZEX PRO Scores
- Accessories - 7.5/107.5/10
- Design - 7.75/107.8/10
- Bass - 7/107/10
- Mids - 8.5/108.5/10
- Highs - 7/107/10
- Sound Leak - 7.25/107.3/10
- Sound Isolation - 7.75/107.8/10
- Comfort - 8.75/108.8/10
- Response to EQ - 7.25/107.3/10
- Value for Money - 8/108/10
Summary
✅ Excellent mids
✅ Strong output
✅ Easy to drive
✅ Tech-spec rich
❌ Unbalanced SQ
The KZ ZEX PRO is an example that the audiophile rule of "flatter is better" does not fit all listeners.
For audiophiles obsessed with the research of technically flat response curves or tech-specs for little money fans, the KZ ZEX PRO might be the nearest that you can reach with a KZ model but for listeners searching for a balanced sound and harmonic, musical sound, the KZ ZEX PRO might sound too cold, bass anemic and soulless.
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KZ ZEX PRO
