No offense:everybody knows that this thing of audio is something subjetive,but this thing BLASTS!! not only many 50 bucks iems(dont naming brands,I own something more than this),if not much more expensive machines.The bass and sub-bass is huge and inmersive,the mids,a bit recessed, but very natural,and the treble are detailed and airy.For music I have a new all rounder.And I tryed for cinema ,and watched ALIEN with them,and believe or not,I remembered that large cinemas of the 80s with the inmersive and thundering stereo sound of that large halls !!.Thanks for the review
I think these could possibly be the best ultra budget set available ATM tbh, They are tuned great for me, I like recessed mids because im sensitive to that FR, I possibly prefer them over my T3 plus, timbre on the treble is better on T3 plus, But the wider stage of these make up for that, also if I a/b them against my timeless it definitely does not sound like £15 Vs £200, I tip my hat to KZ, They done really well with these.
Thanks for the review, yes the fortnight release schedule of KZ is infuriating even for us buyers because if you purchase an IEM, a better one might come out even before the one you bought has even been delivered. What is this cable you are using here Paul?
I wonder if the Lyra use the old XUN DD, or they made a new XUN Gen 2 based on the CRA membrane? The CRN has a really good implementation of XUN DD, probably just need a little bit more speed and extension to be potent.
ESX has more bass and sounds a bit bassier due to the more relaxed gain area. It is a good combination if you like a bit more volume. Lower volume listeners will want a bit more energy and Lyra probably works better at lower volume
My problem with the ESX is that the amount of bass isn't balanced by the treble level, especially the lower treble, as was pointed out in this review. I wish the treble level would have been more and following the target line so that it doesn't get crushed by the bass on some bassy tracks and on higher volumes.
First, you have good taste in bass levels. Seriously, someone at KZ does like a bit more boost than I do and most of their recent sets are a few db over. On their bigger V sets, it is fun, but as they keep refining tunings like ESX, they do need to ratchet back the bass a bit to compete at higher price levels.
Problem is, as DeltaAudio mentioned in headfi forums, there are 2 types of this product due to bad quality control. KZ made a revision and changed the product so if you order it directly from KZ Official, you will get the updated ESX ( I HOPE ). But if you order it from an another store i cant guarantee that you will get the “good” one... Thats very confusing and disappointing. Maybe we should wait for the pro. This explains why some people say this is the BEST KZ so far meanwhile some people say the set is a HUGE disappointment...
It is a tough road and lots of variables. On ESX, one of my channels is low in the treble so the average is lower than others. I am not sure there is a revision, just more channel variance than typical KZ on this 12mm driver. If I complained to KZ, they would say it is my measurement or within QC standard as will nearly every other brand in this situation.
Mr.Paul wassabi i buy this iem 2 times ,at first time my DD 12mm it have little vents on the magnet .... i love the sound But at second time 5 days ago my second pair of ESX they have different sound signature they have big bumps up at uplermids and treble another soudstage another bass and worst sound at all ,, and the DD magnet it not have the little vents on it i don't like my second version of ESX too much treble upper mids and no clean bass do you no something about that ;??? For sure the KZ make a reversion of esx for me the bad sound esx are those without the littlevents on the DD magnet please tell me your opinion about that story if you learn something more about that
Read my comment down below my friend the reversion esx sound worst at all im very sad for this because i like my first esx but i hate the sound of my second esx
This thing falls apart at any volume.. Maybe it's just my set.. High end turns into a mess, congested and distorted. If it's just this set, I will buy one or two more and see what's going on. Waiting for comments.
I don't use Spring tips often and some people really love them. I may be better off with the XL size which I do not have. I use the KBEAR KB07 more often. It is a great general tip. I know it is a common question to ask, but it is a real personal question as everyone hears tips and iems differently. I usually take note of what tips people are talking about but matching tips to a set based on what someone says is dicey.
Yep. I use them for the ESX and most of my KZ sets actually. If you really want all of that bass hitting your earholes, the Spring tips will allow that. The Spring tips are basically just plain gaskets to seal the parts of your ear canals where the sound may escape, and none of that bore diameter to consider when it comes to bass and treble changes.
hey which would u prefer, this or cra plus(not the cra og) ?? I want some lil fun sounding....not too neutral one....and I also do some casual competitive gaming... so proper imaging is important. U can arrange these in an order...or prefer something new around this price range...thanku :)
Thanks. The XUN is a fan favorite DD from DQ6 and Z1 tws for me. People have been asking for a 1DD with XUN since its introduction so people are getting excited to see if Lyra is really going to be that set.
@@PaulWasabii Hi Paul after 2 years in this hobby i found synergy between iems and dac's is also important factor. I own 7hz, S12 and Olina...recently got the Ovidius dongle works great on Olina but S12 dont like it.....but when i tried this dongle on BLON BL01 omg made for each other....like the warm sound amazing note weight and excellent 3D or speaker effect. If you can get that dongle pls do try on bl01with final E tips....works great with lg g8x and uapp softeare vol control....thanks.
i have the cca lyra and it was so good but i cant use it too long because of it shape it hurts my ear just a little bit, do you think it is worth it to buy kz esx?
Both need some help in the treble but KZ's 1dd sets tend to sound a bit more cohesive. CRN was an interesting experiment but ESX if you wanted more bass.
@@PaulWasabii such a beautiful album! Just about every song brings out all the emotions. Winter is one of my faves. Her voice and piano are heavenly. Do you like Florence and the Machine?
KZ paved the way for chifi. If it wasn't for them, we'd still only have 100$ Shures that sound like dogshit. A 2 dollar AK6 beats my SE215s lol. KZ / TRN, CCA, QKZ is the best thing that happened to IEM market, I don't care about the supposedly fake drivers (there is no proof that they don't do anything on every iem btw), sound and value is what matters.
No offense:everybody knows that this thing of audio is something subjetive,but this thing BLASTS!! not only many 50 bucks iems(dont naming brands,I own something more than this),if not much more expensive machines.The bass and sub-bass is huge and inmersive,the mids,a bit recessed, but very natural,and the treble are detailed and airy.For music I have a new all rounder.And I tryed for cinema ,and watched ALIEN with them,and believe or not,I remembered that large cinemas of the 80s with the inmersive and thundering stereo sound of that large halls !!.Thanks for the review
Right, just because a set costs $50usd, doesn't guarantee it sounds better than a $15usd set. I mentioned a few recently above that range. Thank you
I think these could possibly be the best ultra budget set available ATM tbh, They are tuned great for me, I like recessed mids because im sensitive to that FR, I possibly prefer them over my T3 plus, timbre on the treble is better on T3 plus, But the wider stage of these make up for that, also if I a/b them against my timeless it definitely does not sound like £15 Vs £200, I tip my hat to KZ, They done really well with these.
Thanks for the review, yes the fortnight release schedule of KZ is infuriating even for us buyers because if you purchase an IEM, a better one might come out even before the one you bought has even been delivered. What is this cable you are using here Paul?
It was a custom XINHS cable, 3 cores of pure silver, one copper iirc.
I wonder if the Lyra use the old XUN DD, or they made a new XUN Gen 2 based on the CRA membrane? The CRN has a really good implementation of XUN DD, probably just need a little bit more speed and extension to be potent.
Yep, no answers yet, but lots of people hoping for XUN or 2nd gen
Awesome paul!
Thanks John
Thanks for the review. I am a mid sensitive person, and love bass, so this will work for me. Wonder if it is about the same the LYRA
ESX has more bass and sounds a bit bassier due to the more relaxed gain area. It is a good combination if you like a bit more volume. Lower volume listeners will want a bit more energy and Lyra probably works better at lower volume
My problem with the ESX is that the amount of bass isn't balanced by the treble level, especially the lower treble, as was pointed out in this review. I wish the treble level would have been more and following the target line so that it doesn't get crushed by the bass on some bassy tracks and on higher volumes.
First, you have good taste in bass levels. Seriously, someone at KZ does like a bit more boost than I do and most of their recent sets are a few db over. On their bigger V sets, it is fun, but as they keep refining tunings like ESX, they do need to ratchet back the bass a bit to compete at higher price levels.
Problem is, as DeltaAudio mentioned in headfi forums, there are 2 types of this product due to bad quality control. KZ made a revision and changed the product so if you order it directly from KZ Official, you will get the updated ESX ( I HOPE ). But if you order it from an another store i cant guarantee that you will get the “good” one... Thats very confusing and disappointing. Maybe we should wait for the pro. This explains why some people say this is the BEST KZ so far meanwhile some people say the set is a HUGE disappointment...
It is a tough road and lots of variables. On ESX, one of my channels is low in the treble so the average is lower than others. I am not sure there is a revision, just more channel variance than typical KZ on this 12mm driver. If I complained to KZ, they would say it is my measurement or within QC standard as will nearly every other brand in this situation.
Mr.Paul wassabi i buy this iem 2 times ,at first time my DD 12mm it have little vents on the magnet .... i love the sound
But at second time 5 days ago my second pair of ESX they have different sound signature they have big bumps up at uplermids and treble another soudstage another bass and worst sound at all ,, and the DD magnet it not have the little vents on it i don't like my second version of ESX too much treble upper mids and no clean bass do you no something about that ;??? For sure the KZ make a reversion of esx for me the bad sound esx are those without the littlevents on the DD magnet please tell me your opinion about that story if you learn something more about that
Read my comment down below my friend the reversion esx sound worst at all im very sad for this because i like my first esx but i hate the sound of my second esx
This thing falls apart at any volume.. Maybe it's just my set.. High end turns into a mess, congested and distorted. If it's just this set, I will buy one or two more and see what's going on. Waiting for comments.
is spring tips (from chu) great for ESX?
I don't use Spring tips often and some people really love them. I may be better off with the XL size which I do not have. I use the KBEAR KB07 more often. It is a great general tip. I know it is a common question to ask, but it is a real personal question as everyone hears tips and iems differently. I usually take note of what tips people are talking about but matching tips to a set based on what someone says is dicey.
@@PaulWasabii thank you, I'll buy kb07
Yep. I use them for the ESX and most of my KZ sets actually. If you really want all of that bass hitting your earholes, the Spring tips will allow that. The Spring tips are basically just plain gaskets to seal the parts of your ear canals where the sound may escape, and none of that bore diameter to consider when it comes to bass and treble changes.
@@noobishsturmwerfer1129 Just got my esx today. For me, Spring Tips makes ESX lack energy in subbass& midbass. Still waiting KB07 tips to compare
hey which would u prefer, this or cra plus(not the cra og) ?? I want some lil fun sounding....not too neutral one....and I also do some casual competitive gaming... so proper imaging is important. U can arrange these in an order...or prefer something new around this price range...thanku :)
Tough call. ESX is just a bit more relaxed so I think for gaming I would go for CRA+. Slightly sharper detail.
@@PaulWasabii ooh thanks...but what about the soundstage and imaging on these two? Ig it's the esx here, right?
Nice detailed review....Is cca lyra announced? What is special about the xc1 driver?
Thanks. The XUN is a fan favorite DD from DQ6 and Z1 tws for me. People have been asking for a 1DD with XUN since its introduction so people are getting excited to see if Lyra is really going to be that set.
@@PaulWasabii Hi Paul after 2 years in this hobby i found synergy between iems and dac's is also important factor. I own 7hz, S12 and Olina...recently got the Ovidius dongle works great on Olina but S12 dont like it.....but when i tried this dongle on BLON BL01 omg made for each other....like the warm sound amazing note weight and excellent 3D or speaker effect. If you can get that dongle pls do try on bl01with final E tips....works great with lg g8x and uapp softeare vol control....thanks.
i have the cca lyra and it was so good but i cant use it too long because of it shape it hurts my ear just a little bit, do you think it is worth it to buy kz esx?
That wing..So either ESX or EDA Balanced. I like the bass on Lyra, ESX is a hair more so think about that.
Ugh..it’s something to be said that many a budget IEM are still being compared to the Blon 7’s.😋
True
Where are those cables from?
XINHS store on Aliexpress. You can send him a picture and mention it is pure silver and dark brown copper.
ESX better than the ZES?
Yeah, ZES was more of a test run of the same or similar 12mm driver used in ESX.
Which would you prefer zex pro or esx?
Both need some help in the treble but KZ's 1dd sets tend to sound a bit more cohesive. CRN was an interesting experiment but ESX if you wanted more bass.
Thank you, great review btw. Can you also recommend a eq fix for it just like the crn/zex pro?
@@choloboy check reddit
Cornflake girl ♥️
I have dropped a few Tori Amos refs over the years. I almost always run thru a few tracks from Little Earthquakes
@@PaulWasabii such a beautiful album! Just about every song brings out all the emotions. Winter is one of my faves. Her voice and piano are heavenly. Do you like Florence and the Machine?
Bro review the smabat nco2 , it's a basshead iem
First I have their new modular set on the way. We'll see how that goes first.
Lyra looks like set for a girls
I cannot disagree with that statement
10 years off cheating people. Lol
The only one I recommended is the
KZ KZ10 Pro…
@@carminedesanto6746 not even that their ba drivers don't do nothing too
Bruh, I get that you don't like the company, but don't go off spouting bs
What produces sound on their BA only IEMs? Invisible DD?
KZ paved the way for chifi. If it wasn't for them, we'd still only have 100$ Shures that sound like dogshit. A 2 dollar AK6 beats my SE215s lol. KZ / TRN, CCA, QKZ is the best thing that happened to IEM market, I don't care about the supposedly fake drivers (there is no proof that they don't do anything on every iem btw), sound and value is what matters.