KZ Earphone KZ ED9 Headphone Reviews

Manufacturer KZ Earphone Model KZ ED9
Headphone Type Canal Headband Type None
Weight (g) 24 Driver Type Dynamic
Enclosure Material Aluminium Isolation (dB) 20
Impedance (ohms) 16 Cable Length (cm) 110
Frequency Response (Hz) 15 - 29000  
Connector 3.5mm Street Price US$18
Buy from Amazon.com  
Average reviewer scores
Bass Extension 6.0 Bass Impact 4.0
Bass Quality 5.0 Mids Quality 5.0
Highs Quality 4.0 Soundstage 5.0
Detail 5.0 Portability 8.0
Isolation 8.0 Comfort 4.0
Durability 5.0 Improvement With Amplification 5.0
Value for Money 9.0    
Overall Score 4.7 Total Reviews 1

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Reviews by our members

Review by Lead Reviewer commando on 14 Nov 15  18:14
Individual review
Bass Extension6
Bass Impact4
Bass Quality5
Mids Quality5
Highs Quality4
Detail5
Comfort4
Durability5
Value9

The KZ ED9 headphones surprised me. The packaging was fairly low end and the included case not very practical or attractive. Fortunately the headphones themselves make a better impression.

The in-ear headphones are solid, weighty silver metal. The model I have doesn't have the in-line remote control that the website pictures - it could perhaps be an earlier model. All in all the look like a good, solid midrange in-ear phone.

Comfort is ok - maybe slightly less comfortable than average for in-ear headphones, but it could just be that I've been using in-ear headphones for two hours for reviews and my ears are getting sensitive.

Sonically they're pretty balanced. The bass goes down reasonably low, but isn't as strong as many bass focused in-ear phones. This can often be a trade off - you don't often get in-ear phones with great bass and great treble. The bass does respond quite well to equalization.

The flipside is they have pretty reasonable treble - the highs actually come across a little too strong for my tastes, but only slightly. They are a little harsh to my ear, slightly painful on some songs. The mids are quite good, unremarkable really.

Detail is reasonable across the board. They're not going to compete with really high end headphones, but they're as good as many in-ear phones and better than most at this price point.

Here's the results of listening tests with my standard test tracks:
- Joss Stone - sounds good. The strong highs are apparent. Vocals come through reasonably clearly.
- Diana Krall - vocals sound recessed, but the highs are there and have good detail. The bass is there, and going quite low, but isn't quite as strong as I would like.
- Eminim - Cinderlla Man, my bass test track. Bass goes reasonably low and is reasonably strong. Strong vocals. This track doesn't have a lot of highs so it works quite well.
- Sara Bareilles - Little Voice. Well balanced, highs slightly strong and harsh, and detail not quite as good as it could be. Overall quite well balanced.
- Electronic dance music - highs slightly harsh, maybe slightly too loud. Good low bass, balanced, not too strong. Clarity isn't as good as some.

You can't beat the value - they're on sale from the manufacturer for the equivalent of US$18 at the moment, making them a bargain.

All in all, for the price, the sound is fairly remarkable. They're not going to win any sonic awards, but the sound is really great for the price. At their regular price of US$96 I'd probably skip them in favor of something else.

Test setup: 256kbps mp3 files, Cyberdrive Clarity DAC feeding into a custom made PPA DAC, comparison headphones Audeze LCD2 headphones.

Disclosure: free review samples were sent to HeadphoneReviews for review.