KZ CRN impressions

KZ CRN (Zex Pro) impressions:

As usual, I didn't use the stock tips because usually those are garbage on cheaper IEMs. Impressions were done with Final E-type tips as those had the best fit and worked best with the sound of the IEM.

I heard that it has a pleasing tonal balance, but I find it sounds a bit U-shaped. Midbass is nice and restrained. Subbass is quite strong but not unpleasant (honestly it's kinda fun). Highs can be a bit harsh in that "fake detail" sound but they can sound genuinely detailed too. The mids, especially lower mids, sound kind of scooped and lifeless vs. the lower and upper frequencies. Bringing up the volume to bring vocals more forward gives too much presence to the highs and it sounds painful. Upper mids/female vocals tend to be less scooped and are a little more present.

Doesn't play well with tracks that aren't well-mastered (esp. in the highs) and makes it quite unpleasant to listen to them, with all the issues above exacerbated. Sibilance is absolutely cutting.

Imaging is pretty good with a strong center image for vocals. Instruments have all right soundstage but can be a bit too diffuse and lacking definition. Excellent sense of depth considering the price though, as most others in this ~$40 price bracket have basically no depth to speak of.

Tip rolling is highly recommended for the IEM for both fit reasons and for tuning the sound. The IEMs themselves are kind of small so fit might be loose in the ear -- I had to use tips that are slightly bigger than what I usually use.

For tuning sound, I prefered tips with a softer core (the center tube) since a harder core made the highs sound harsher, and not too long. I found that the Spiral Dot++ helped alleviate a lot of the issues in the high frequencies, but I didn't use them when evaluating because the tips cost almost as much as the IEMs themselves (lmao).

Overall I can sort of see the vision behind the tuning: basically a very flat sound. For listening, I prefer slightly more bass and maybe a 3-4db shelf in treble, so that explains why it sounds a bit harsh to me.

Despite all my complaints, it still sounds great because I'm comparing it to IEMs that cost over 40x its price. Versus other IEMs in its price that I've tried, it manages to avoid or minimize most of the usual issues (overblown midbass, zero imaging, screeching highs). It manages to have a good amount of bass, fairly flat mids, and decently detailed treble without making any significant sacrifices in its tuning.

For the ~$40 price bracket, the CRN is a very safe choice that leaves little to complain about.