KZ x Crinacle ZEX Pro Review: Its ALL About Tuning!

So I actually enjoy when something comes out that makes me eat my own words. That makes reviewers in general eat their own words, because it usually means that something is changing. And change usually means that something can get better, right? I mean, not when something is good. And I say, yeah, definitely. Totally buy that thing from that brand. And then the next iteration comes out, get everything that was good, throw it out the window, tries to do something super special and just Cocks it up. Those situations not that great, but when something comes out and you say yes, do not buy that, just skip it. And then the next iteration comes out and makes you say, Crap, I'm going to have to recommend this.

That's a good thing. And that's what's happening with this. This is the KZ Zex Pro. It's a collaboration between KZ, the Im company, and Chronicle, a guy who you guys probably know more than I do. So KZ is the one producing the Im. Chronicle is responsible for how it sounds. This is going to turn out to be a recommendation. Okay, but there are a couple of things that I think we need to discuss in regards to this little Im. Let's start with the easy part. Kz has done a pretty good job actually building it. The Zex Pro is well constructed. It's got a nice cable, it's a bit too stiff, it's not the most flowy, the best cable in the world, but good.

The overall color scheme, I actually enjoy with everything being a little bit sort of this translucenty white silicone look, right angle connection. I'm not really crazy about these things, but I know you guys really enjoy them for some reason, but I mean, it's there. The actual Im has a good shape. It does fit well on the years, at least for me. Creates a nice seal, and I actually enjoy them more with the included silicone tips rather than with aftermarket foams, because this is like what it's been tuned for. Nice choice of materials. It's light, but doesn't feel like it's going to break easily. And it's hefty, but it's not too heavy and box wise and everything that comes with it as basic as it gets.

Because this is a $36 to $37 a it's not meant to be a super fancy flagship. It's meant to be a budget friendly, well rounded, good sounding Im, and it does exactly that. It doesn't try to be exceedingly special at any one thing, but in turn it actually exceeds in being a balanced, wellrounded overall experience that does everything well enough to be really good. It's fun, it's engaging, it's relaxed, it's not too aggressive, it's easy going. You just pick it up, put it on your ears, and don't instantly regret not spending more or going for another set of items that you have. And this does the job. It could cost like 50 $60, and I would probably still recommend it just the same because it is good.

The caveat to that is if you're looking for a Kzim, you're probably looking for something that's more aggressive. Mdc Expo is not an aggressive Im. It doesn't really have the house sound that you would expect from a Kzim. That's kind of the thing. The problem and the interesting part of the whole discussion is that the core thing this needs to achieve is to sound good, or at least nice or not terrible. And this thing has everything and it sounds good and it's cheap, like 36 $37. But KZ didn't do it. Kayz did. Put in here, harbor. That's good. There's a good electrostatic, there's a good dynamic, there's a good balanced armature. The trio works well, but the hardware itself, if Critical, doesn't do anything else with KZ in the future, and he still comes out with another collaboration or with an Im that's just his own.

I am definitely going to want to take a look, and my initial thought process is probably going to be in the lines of, hey, the last thing I heard from that guy is actually really good. So maybe this thing is even better. Let's say it's a little more expensive. I would expect it to be good and even better, right? It makes sense to think like that now. Think of the same thing towards KZ and it will be like the last Im was a collaboration with Chronicle. He's the guy that tuned it, so it sounded good because of him. And this new thing that they're putting out, which is not tuned by the same dude, they're going back to their own team. Will they do a good job as if they have learned from the experience of working with Clinical, or will they go back to what they've been doing for the past two or three years and screw everything up, that's not really a good position to be in.

But at this moment in time, considering that the previous two to three years from KZ hasn't really been good, it's better than nothing, because at least it shows that KZ is trying to improve, they're trying to do something different, they're trying to evolve. The other collaborations they are putting out also do well. They will have a larger sample of good experiences to draw from and understand what has been done in those situations, learn from that, and then start to put out good products. Again, a good Kzim. That sounds like a Kzim. I'm looking forward to seeing what they're going to put up next, and I'm going to make a conscientious effort to not instantly assume they're going to go back to screwing everything by going back to tuning stuff on their own.

If whatever it is they put out next isn't in a partnership with someone like Critical, because I want to be as fair as possible. Still, when and if clinical puts out something different, I'm going to want to check it out. Because this one is really good. But that's about it. Hope you guys enjoyed the video. Thanks a lot for watching. And I'll catch you guys later.