Hi everyone! Welcome back to the Neighborhood. I've got the KZ EDX in the house for review today. Lately KZ has been a bit of a mixed bag. Some of its been great, some of its been unique, some of its been mediocre, and others have been... well if you watch the channel and follow the blog with regularity, then you'd know. So what's the verdict in on this $10 dollar earphone... at that price, can it even be any good? Let's get InToit!
So the build if this KZ is pretty interesting to me, at least in consideration of its price. The shell here is probably plastic, as there is a clear variant online, but it almost seems as if it is a metal shell. I actually mistook it for metal at first. It appears to be an enameled, tin-like material- like and old school lunch box, but like I said, its probably plastic. This is a pretty traditional shell style and akin the KZ ZST X. It fits in my ear most comfortably, the angle is good, and there is a lip on the nozzle to hold its tip. The tip here are clear KZ Starline Tips, which are a nicer touch for a $10 IEM.
The cable is also similar to the ZST X, and it has the same recessed, box-style, 2-pin connector, inline microphone, and angled 3.5 mm termination. This time its color is a bright, rose gold colored copper, in the traditional KZ weave. It is a a bit stiffer than the ZST X cable, but it isn't as bad as KZ cables of yesteryear.
The sound of the EDX is pretty distinctive, and it actually surprised me- especially given the other descriptions of this earphone that I came across prior to this review. I had expected a bassy, mediocre presentation, but instead I heard something pretty unique.
The best way to describe these is that they sound like auto-tune with a under-glow of sub-bass warmth. Timbre quality is like that of plate reverb. So these aren't really an accurate or a critical listen set, and more of an idiosyncratic experience. I do enjoy these though, and I find them to be quite fun, especially given their low price of $10 dollars.
Auditorily, the low-end is driven here by the low-bass. It isn't particularly tight, and has a soft an pillow like quality to it with mild impact and dynamics- never overpowering the rest of the mix.
Lower mids are less present than mid and upper components of the mid-range, but even on guitar driven music, this had a surprising amount of presence throughout most of the midrange, and I enjoyed them on both classical guitar arrangements and hair metal from 1980's.
Treble wasn't exactly relaxed due to its mildly airy and ambient nature, but it was also somewhat soft in its delivery. There is also some mild thinness to be aware of. But, I like the amount of extension here, and I never found things to get harsh, strident, sibilant, or incohesive in their presentation.
For its price, I was amazed by its detailing in general, including its peripheral detail, decay, separation, and imaging capabilities. This set can easily keep up with others beyond 3 times its price in this regard. I also have CCA CST in the house for review, which has recently been hyped by others, and compared to that set, I find the EDX much more capable. I also just reviewed the Tin HiFi T1 Plus as well, and while those have a more accurate tonality, I enjoy the EDX much more and find its resolution to be a step above both it and the CST.
Vocals come across as though they are being captured by a slightly hot mic, but they are easily differentiated from the mix in the case of both male and female singers. There is a slightly bright, haunting, and arid quality expressed in the case with most vocalists, but I rarely found this displeasing outside of poorly recorded tracks.
So for $10 I really like this earphone, and I think you get a lot for your money here, both in terms of build, and in terms of sound. The sound is also pretty different here from other offerings in the price-range by KZ and others alike. Given its price and distinctive presentation, what's not to love for $10 bucks? Just expect a fun, and unique presentation rather than an accurate one.
But, before I go, I wanted to say thanks to Dave, the newly minted Honest Audiophile, for sending in the EDX for review, so make sure to hit subscribe here if you haven't already, and then check out his channel for his take on the EDX and others. You can also become part of the Neighborhood by following the blog at intoitreviews.com, the Twitter, the Instagram, or by becoming a Patreon. The Patreon is only $1.50 a month, and it shows your support for the channel, and gets you access to early written reviews from me. And as always, thanks just for watching, and I appreciate you all. And with that, I'm out for now!
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