KZ EDR2 REVIEW

THE KZ EDR2

BUDGET GEM 

INTRO

Earlier I reviewed the KZ ZS3 IEMs with detachable cables, and I loved how they looked, how they sounded and how they felt. But over a year of ownership of the ZS3, those headphones have barely seen any regular use. The reasons for such being how uncomfortable these can get. I thought that because I have large ears, those huge IEMs would fit me fine, but I was wrong, its form imitating a Custom IEM hinders its functionality. And recently, I decided to give KZ another shot with the EDR2, this time in a more conventional form factor. And boy, oh boy did they shine!

PACKAGING. 

 KZ does Packaging bad, real bad. I don't know if they even care about that. Remember how I complained about them ripping off Vsonic on the ZS3? 

Thank God, for small mercies. 

I got a taste of genuine KZ in-house packaging with the EDR2 this time. 

Its a BOX, yes literally just a BOX and nothing else. 

Companies have done much better for the asking price of around Rs. 700 (Buy here) for the with-mic version. Like the Cowon EM1, 1More, Xiaomi Piston 3. 

Luckily while you may feel the absence of any accessories other than the standard three sizes of eartips disturbing, the medium size on these is a nice KZ Red Bore, which I love, from the KZ ZS3.

BUILD QUALITY AND DESIGN

KZ tends to make very trendy and unique looking IEMs and these are not very different. A metallic housing made of lightweight aluminium and a meshy back which looks like a vent but is not. The strain relief out of the earpieces themselves are pretty well designed. And the Y-splitter is in my opinion one of the better ones. Unlike the ZS3, the cable on these is a Translucent Soft touch material that doesn't tangle easily and looks quite thick but I'll refrain from being too tough on these. While these don't have much memory on the wires, I bet that once bent they will stay bent and break the innards permanently, I wish the cable was like the VE Monk Plus where you could abuse it all day long. 

The L-shaped connector, as a KZ standard is one of the best designs below and above its price range. Its the small details that make these things last in the long run.

While a cheaper Model is available without an In Line MIC (Rs 540), my version at Rs. 770 (including delivery charges) contains a single button universal MIC which is very helpful as I intend to use it with my Phone. 

SOUND QUALITY

Now coming to the point everyone has been waiting for, the Sound.

And count me impressed. These sound drastically different from most of the IEMs I own, maybe the VSD3S is the closest I have to this sound signature though there are some big differences. 

Bass is something these things do well. Sub bass (Lower Bass) which is the 'rumble' that one hears in his/her music is nicely done and present. While the Upper Bass or the 'Punch' in the music is thick and abundant, I might even call it excellent. Listening to 'Tightrope' by Walk the Moon with its Bass heavy tune brings forth how well, these handle the lower frequencies. It doesn't overpower rest of the spectrum which means its there when you need it and dissapears when you don't. Honestly in terms of sheer quantity these are bassiest headphones I have owned. While quality wise I don't think it has any competition in the price range, compared to something much costlier like the Vsonic VSD3S somehow the Bass feels a bit hollow and lacking the depth it could have. And even the VSD3S can't match the quantity these pump out. 

Mids are okay, though I do feel that vocals on these could have been better. Listening to the Vocals on Regina Spektor's 'Oh Marcello', I noticed how a bit more shine there could have helped. 

The beginning of 'Supersonic' by Oasis is just so lively with these showing how well detailed the high frequencies are. 

My biggest complaint with these is the sound-stage, while not congested like the Meelectronics M6P and 1more Piston Fit which sell for around this range, it also isn't as well done on something like the VE Monk Plus (though these are earbuds) and maybe equal to the Seinnheiser CX180. 

CONCLUSION

The KZ EDR2 has lot of things to love about it. And it makes recommending it to people so much easier for me, if they don't mind a Chinese brand they probably never heard of. With hifinage selling it officially in India, claiming a warranty becomes much easier than importing it from China which was my complaint with the ZS3. 

The EDR2 is eye catching, has great sound quality to back up its looks and sells for cheap. 

Seriously, what more could the average consumer ask for?

FOCUS TRACKS.