KZ PR1 Review

It's not surprising KZ is also one of the brands that want a piece of the planar pie, hence they decided to actually do something that's significantly different enough from everything else they've made. But does the brand most well known for its V shaped consistency be able to deliver something that's actually redeeming enough for it to be popular within the realm of planars?

UNBOXING & ACCESSORIES

As always with KZ products, they will be coming in the same form factor kind of box. Unsleeving the box will be presented with the headshells and underneath the cardboard sleeve will show its accessories, this time a copper stock cable with a smoked grey finish and starline Tips.

BUILD & FIT

Aestheticaly, I think KZ has done it. It has a metal-ish alloy faceplate that looks and feels stunning that extends to the sides, taking the visual theme of what looks to be like some modern industrial metal CnC look, with cut out grills on the face as well as prismed grills on the side, accented with the silver grill underneath it. Complementing the metal half is a tinted transparent shell that exposes the inners of the IEM. I think I should probably stop explaining and let the photos speak for itself.

In terms of fit, it's overall still made of plastic and have a universally safe design which for sure, will fit almost everyone's ear. The tips given - for me personally, ain't it so I just changed it to some other third party no brand tips.

SOUND

Source : Foobar2000 -> JCally JM10 Dongle DAC (CS43131) -> S.M.S.L. SH-6 Amplifier -> KZ PR1 stock cotext : JM10 DAC is a more neutral DAC, the usual JM20 I used recessed the mids too much for me to test effectively Moondrop Aria stock tips

*context : JM10 DAC is a more neutral DAC, the usual JM20 I used recessed the mids too much for me to test effectively

Tracks/Albums listened to but not limited to :

Polyphia - Playing God (FLAC)

Kana Hanazawa - Happy Endings EP

Mac Miller - Swimming Hochimachi Suisei - Still Still Stellar

YOASOBI - THE BOOK

FKJ - VINCENT, French Kiwi Juice Kanye West - The Life of Pablo (Ultralight Beam)

In general, the KZ PR1 sounds like any signature V shaped KZ, except now it has planar characteristics to it such as the crispiness of the highs and the crunchiness of the lows

BASS

• Subbass of the KZ PR1 performs amazingly with good rumble

• Bass notes can be heard complemented with a very specific crunch to it

• Tight, thumpy for drum kicks

• Little instance of bass bleed covering mids, vocals will mainly be affected

• Note definition is decent, but can be slightly muddy when met with fast bass licks

MIDS

*note*

whether midrange sounds recessed or not, so far on my end is very dependent on the Dongle DAC used.

• Using the JM20C elevates the highs but pushes back the midrange a lot

  • Using the (more neutral) JM10 makes the midrange sound more forward BUT ;

  • THE MIDS OVERALL IS STILL RECESSED compared to the lows and highs

• Vocals will be the main star of this range, being more forward than other elements in most cases. Esses sound bright but has no sibilance what-so-ever

  • Male vocals (Mac Miller, Stromae) sounds raspy and organic in a good way

  • Female vocals sound bright but lacking a little body (somewhat hollow) , otherwise is still very resolving to listen

  • Layered vocals and choir-esque type vocals will sound floaty and dreamy and not busy due to good separation from main vocal track

• Very fast mids, hence notes from synths and guitars with arpeggios sound plucky, bubbly and very resolving

  • Upper mids with instruments such as keys and strings sounds vibrant and colorful

  • Guitars with distortion will sound lean and have a very nice rough, crunchy texture to it

TREBLE

Keyword : Airy, sparkly, smooth

• Typical planar timbre characteristics can be heard here, with high ends sounding crispy and bright but not sibilant

• Good amount of treble extension, making hats sound amazing with its decay and being more presented in the tracks

• Instances of rimshots sound plucky and very rounded off

• Ride cymbals sound airy with good decay

• Chimes sound dreamy but complements the song than being too in your face

• No hints of sibilance

• No metallic characteristics

• Any instances of bright elements will be met with a smooth shelf, which prevents anything from sounding sibilant

TECHNICALITY

In terms of KZ's planar contender in the scene, it overall does deliver an enjoyable listening experience with its ability to handle quite busy tracks, albeit if there are any instances of vocals in the track, it'll most likely steal the show. This is not to say that the KZ PR1 is bad though. YOASOBI's THE BOOK album still is enjoyable - even with the amount of layers within the songs it still manages to separate everything well.

This is best tested with the track Stellar Stellar from Hochimachi Suisei

If we're listening to strictly instrumentals from FKJ, whenever there aren't any vocals, it's when the technicality comes in. The resolving electronic keyboard complemented by plucky guitars and synthy bells makes everything have a chance to shine yet do not steal each other's thunder.

Soundstage is also suprisingly wider than a typical IEM at this price point with decent depth to it.

Detail retrieval on this pair emphasizes more on every track's micro-detail rather than the overall song. I think I might be stretching this claim a little bit because most of the micro details are probably owed to the long treble extension which makes everything sound more detailed than it needs to be. Otherwise, in a general sense, detail retrieval is decent for its price but nothing exceptional

*additonal notes ; SOURCE SENSITIVE *

Considering that the sound signature is significantly affected from using the JM20 (recessed mids, elevated lows and treble) and the JM10 (neutral), we can kind of expect this IEM to also be interesting for audiophiles who have a lot of DACs on their hands.

COMPARISONS

*notes*

I personally prefer IEMs with a balanced tuning, hence the comparisons might be more biased than it should be.

1.LETSHUOER S12

The LETSHUOER S12s have more of the neutral bright tuning, but overall emphasizes everything. Think of it like the KZ PR1 but saturation on everything is cranked up. Personally I would prefer the S12 if I was listening to something that's less busy but in a more general approach, if I was going to drive an IEM for a few hours a day, I would prefer the KZs over this for the sake of not getting fatigued, because the S12s will sound too overwhelming due to its brightness and amount of detail retrieval.

2.MOONDROP Stellaris

Objectively speaking, the Stellaris is just a detail retrieval god. But its personally just too bright for me till the point where I need to selectively listen to songs in order to be entertained and intrigued, without the constant fear and PTSD of being sibilant'ed to death.

FINAL THOUGHTS

All in all, the KZ PR1 is a well performing V-shaped Planar IEM. with honestly the most resemblance with DD IEMs. For certain people who wants to have something that sounds like a planar but do not want something to be exceptionally bright, the KZ PR1 will get you covered with the planar characteristics at every facet. Think of it like sprinking MSG on some food I guess.