Intro:
The KZ AS10 is Knowledge Zenith‘s first ever BA-only in-ear released to the public – and quite surprisingly at this price point, it features not one but actually five Balanced Armature drivers per side whereas most other in-ear manufacturers offer a single-BA in-ear at most when they release a BA-only in-ear at the same price point.
Even though a BA-only Knowledge Zenith in-ear is something I’ve dreamt about for quite a while (and might even have suggested to them in an e-mail that I never received a reply to), and even though I am super excited, I am at the same time also somewhat sceptical about what the AS10 can deliver at such a reasonable price, especially since some of their recent releases were somewhat of a disappointment, at least when it came to tonal
tuning
(I don’t expect high-end resolution but some cohesion and precision
would be nice – in terms of sound signature, I already sort of know
what direction it heads into based on the official frequency response
chart released by Knowledge Zenith: emphasised, warm lows and some
treble sparkle that may be happening a bit too early).
Packaging and Stuff…:
The small box looks quite impressive for the price (well, impressive is probably the wrong term, but it is cool nonetheless), and opening it, one is greeted by an engraved metal plate (me gusta!) and an overall nice presentation of the in-ear.
Quite surprisingly, the included cable looks really good and is of high quality (it only lacks a chin-slider for perfection) – something rarely found included at this price.
Not so surprisingly, a storage case or box does not come included, but that was quite expected as KZ want you to buy their aftermarket cases. And I wouldn’t be surprised to see some silver or gold upgrade cables offered as well, even though the included one is already great.
You also get three pairs of differently sized silicone tips.
Comfort and Fit:
I personally own quite a few in-ears and headphones and have additional access to probably just as many, and the AS10 is easily among the most comfy fitting in-ears I have had in my ears (seal is easily achieved, too); period. And unless you have got really small ears, comfort shouldn’t be an issue either.
Sound:
Used ear tips: only largest included silicone tips.
Used driving gear: only low impedance DAPs, DACs and Amps.
Tonality:
If you can read frequency response charts, the official one provided by KZ already tells you pretty much mostly all about the tuning that I already assumed in the introduction of this review – strong, slightly warm bass that extends low and “hits hard” for BA standards (the elevation should be a bit more than roughly 10 dB, which is definitely on the upper end of the scale for BA-only in-ears, especially at this price point), mids that are just a very thin hair on the leaner side of spot-on, and a bit of a colouration in the middle highs around 5/6 kHz (it would be great if this peak were located somewhat higher). Great extension on both ends.
So yeah, a fun, airy v-shape sound that avoids the ZS5’s and ZS6’s treble imperfections to a good degree while lacking a bit of naturalness around 5/6 kHz on its own (while still avoiding stridency rather well).
Resolution:
General level of details is definitely good. And the sound is coherent.
Despite the strong BA-only bass, it never becomes muddy or soft sounding and remains tight and to the point, even though missing out some details (it’s somewhat hard/tendentially dull sounding) compared to some of the more expensive multi-BA models on the market, it outperforms several other BA-only IEMs in the budget-oriented price range when it comes to bass tightness (the often overlooked and underrated Apple dual-BA IEMs are inferior, just like the Brainwavz B100/150 or Mee A151 – they all appear somewhat softer in the lows whereas the AS10 only shows slight softness tendencies). Yep, I’d definitely take the AS10 over some highly-acclaimed single-DD IEMs in the $200-range that I reviewed too (with generally rather negative tenor).
Other than that, resolution is good but doesn’t reach multi-$100-levels (treble separation) – not that KZ claimed that, to my knowledge at least. So while treble details might sound a little soft and might lack the last bit of refinement one would desire from a multi-BA IEM costing more than $100, one has to always remember that the AS10 is an in-ear in the $65-ish range, and at this price point it is definitely in a good physical shape.
Show me an in-ear that performs better at the same price in terms of speed, tightness, separation and resolution – you won’t be able to name many. I certainly can’t. So for the price, the AS10 is definitely convincing, if not even already slightly impressive. And that KZ had the balls to enter the BA-only market and deliver sound that is definitely worthy of a multi-BA in-ear (separation (really good), speed, tightness and control are (really) convincing, even more so when remembering how much/little the AS10 really costs given what it is (a penta-BA IEM!)).
Soundstage:
Surprisingly open and with good front projection. Clean and sharp instrument separation. Great width that leaves the base of my head.
And this open presentation (that was sort of expected due to the tuning, nonetheless it turned out to be quite a bit larger, more three-dimensional and more precise than I expected) is what makes the AS10 stand out at its price point to a good degree.
Conclusion:
The KZ AS10 isn’t perfect. But it is definitely good at its price point. Really good actually at what it does; just don’t expect several-hundred-dollars worth of sound. All in all something like the Brainwavz B200 (first generation, not the second one that unfortunately lacks linear bass extension) or Pai Audio MR3 (to cover in-ears that head into an at least somewhat similar direction in the lows respectively highs and are multi-BA setups) may deliver the somewhat better overall refinement, nonetheless the AS10 is in no way a slouch (heck, name an in-ear at the same price that delivers a better overall package – you won’t find many (yep, not many come into my mind – spontaneously the only one that I could name would be the Fostex TE-02)).
So yeah, while the tuning isn’t spot-on natural (the treble peak should be located higher), some minimal colouration in the mids, and despite the shortcomings compared to some of the more expensive multi-BA in-ears (bass details, treble separation), the AS10 delivers a strong, quite well-controlled bass rather rarely found in BA-only setups, especially at this price point, a tuning that doesn’t go overboard with peaks, a really nice, open soundstage and generally good performance and resolution for the price. The great fit and comfort is a plus as well.
Recommended as an overall package. The only area where you might likely find a better in-ear at the same price is the tonal tuning. But even despite this imperfection and centre treble colouration, the AS10 manages to avoid the treble mistakes the ZS5 (first generation) and ZS6 made to a good degree.
Packaging and Stuff…:
The small box looks quite impressive for the price (well, impressive is probably the wrong term, but it is cool nonetheless), and opening it, one is greeted by an engraved metal plate (me gusta!) and an overall nice presentation of the in-ear.
Quite surprisingly, the included cable looks really good and is of high quality (it only lacks a chin-slider for perfection) – something rarely found included at this price.
Not so surprisingly, a storage case or box does not come included, but that was quite expected as KZ want you to buy their aftermarket cases. And I wouldn’t be surprised to see some silver or gold upgrade cables offered as well, even though the included one is already great.
You also get three pairs of differently sized silicone tips.
Comfort and Fit:
I personally own quite a few in-ears and headphones and have additional access to probably just as many, and the AS10 is easily among the most comfy fitting in-ears I have had in my ears (seal is easily achieved, too); period. And unless you have got really small ears, comfort shouldn’t be an issue either.
Sound:
Used ear tips: only largest included silicone tips.
Used driving gear: only low impedance DAPs, DACs and Amps.
Tonality:
If you can read frequency response charts, the official one provided by KZ already tells you pretty much mostly all about the tuning that I already assumed in the introduction of this review – strong, slightly warm bass that extends low and “hits hard” for BA standards (the elevation should be a bit more than roughly 10 dB, which is definitely on the upper end of the scale for BA-only in-ears, especially at this price point), mids that are just a very thin hair on the leaner side of spot-on, and a bit of a colouration in the middle highs around 5/6 kHz (it would be great if this peak were located somewhat higher). Great extension on both ends.
So yeah, a fun, airy v-shape sound that avoids the ZS5’s and ZS6’s treble imperfections to a good degree while lacking a bit of naturalness around 5/6 kHz on its own (while still avoiding stridency rather well).
Resolution:
General level of details is definitely good. And the sound is coherent.
Despite the strong BA-only bass, it never becomes muddy or soft sounding and remains tight and to the point, even though missing out some details (it’s somewhat hard/tendentially dull sounding) compared to some of the more expensive multi-BA models on the market, it outperforms several other BA-only IEMs in the budget-oriented price range when it comes to bass tightness (the often overlooked and underrated Apple dual-BA IEMs are inferior, just like the Brainwavz B100/150 or Mee A151 – they all appear somewhat softer in the lows whereas the AS10 only shows slight softness tendencies). Yep, I’d definitely take the AS10 over some highly-acclaimed single-DD IEMs in the $200-range that I reviewed too (with generally rather negative tenor).
Other than that, resolution is good but doesn’t reach multi-$100-levels (treble separation) – not that KZ claimed that, to my knowledge at least. So while treble details might sound a little soft and might lack the last bit of refinement one would desire from a multi-BA IEM costing more than $100, one has to always remember that the AS10 is an in-ear in the $65-ish range, and at this price point it is definitely in a good physical shape.
Show me an in-ear that performs better at the same price in terms of speed, tightness, separation and resolution – you won’t be able to name many. I certainly can’t. So for the price, the AS10 is definitely convincing, if not even already slightly impressive. And that KZ had the balls to enter the BA-only market and deliver sound that is definitely worthy of a multi-BA in-ear (separation (really good), speed, tightness and control are (really) convincing, even more so when remembering how much/little the AS10 really costs given what it is (a penta-BA IEM!)).
Soundstage:
Surprisingly open and with good front projection. Clean and sharp instrument separation. Great width that leaves the base of my head.
And this open presentation (that was sort of expected due to the tuning, nonetheless it turned out to be quite a bit larger, more three-dimensional and more precise than I expected) is what makes the AS10 stand out at its price point to a good degree.
Conclusion:
The KZ AS10 isn’t perfect. But it is definitely good at its price point. Really good actually at what it does; just don’t expect several-hundred-dollars worth of sound. All in all something like the Brainwavz B200 (first generation, not the second one that unfortunately lacks linear bass extension) or Pai Audio MR3 (to cover in-ears that head into an at least somewhat similar direction in the lows respectively highs and are multi-BA setups) may deliver the somewhat better overall refinement, nonetheless the AS10 is in no way a slouch (heck, name an in-ear at the same price that delivers a better overall package – you won’t find many (yep, not many come into my mind – spontaneously the only one that I could name would be the Fostex TE-02)).
So yeah, while the tuning isn’t spot-on natural (the treble peak should be located higher), some minimal colouration in the mids, and despite the shortcomings compared to some of the more expensive multi-BA in-ears (bass details, treble separation), the AS10 delivers a strong, quite well-controlled bass rather rarely found in BA-only setups, especially at this price point, a tuning that doesn’t go overboard with peaks, a really nice, open soundstage and generally good performance and resolution for the price. The great fit and comfort is a plus as well.
Recommended as an overall package. The only area where you might likely find a better in-ear at the same price is the tonal tuning. But even despite this imperfection and centre treble colouration, the AS10 manages to avoid the treble mistakes the ZS5 (first generation) and ZS6 made to a good degree.
