KZ is a famous chi-fi audio brand producing a lot of audio gears ranging from budget to mid fi in ear monitors. Most of the audiophiles must have started their audiophile journey by having one of any KZ earphones. They have some successful models like the ZSX, EDZ, ZS10 PRO, AS10 etc.. and to continue that legacy the DQ6 is launched. In this review let’s see whether the DQ6 stands up to the name of the mighty ZSX which is one of my favourite in-ear monitors in the KZ lineup.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Driver Unit: 10mm + 2*6mm Dynamic Drivers
Sensitivity: 112dB/Mv
Impedance: 24 ohms
Frequency Response: 20-40000 Hz
Termination: 3.5mm Gold Plated Jack
CONTENTS:
- Earpieces
- 3 sets of ear tips
- A SPC Cable
- Documentations
Table of Contents
DESIGN AND FIT:
The earphones are made as usual as per the KZ standards. The outer body is made of resin and the faceplate is made of aluminum. The faceplate however looks attractive and eye catchy. The colouR is grey and muted out with subtle KZ branding on the face plate and also they come in pure silver colour. There is a pseudo vent in the faceplate that gives a nice touch to the design. The overall shape is very ergonomic where it is designed like a universal custom shell in ear monitors. They fit very nicely and isolate from most of the surrounding noises.
The cable is the worst part here however they are much improved from the older KZ brown cable that comes with the KZ earphones. Now the cable is silver colour but still retains the same braiding and the texture. The quality is mediocre but for the price there is nothing to complain about. The earphone however scales when you use a nice aftermarket upgrade cable hence the stock cable doesn’t make any sense in the box. The stock cable also comes with the mic hence taking calls via this earphone is a possible means. Has a L shaped 3.5mm gold plated jack with Y splitter in the middle part of the wire. The mic module also has the single button for controlling the music playback.
SOUND:
The KZ DQ6 is overall a V shaped sound signature following the traditional KZ sound signature. But surprisingly this earphone is tuned slightly differently from the usual treble harshness. The overall sound signature is very pleasing for the price and it’s one of my favourite KZ earphones considering all their products. In this review let’s see what’s so special about the DQ6 and why it is one of my favourite KZ earphones.
BASS:
The best thing about having a Dynamic driver inside the earphone is that they deliver one of the best bass responses and to add that this earphone has been fitted with 3 big dynamic drivers (10mm+6mm+6mm) thus producing one of the best bass responses in this price range. This is definitely not best in terms of bass but considering the price this is easily my no 1 pick for bass in this price range.
Both the sub bass and the mid bass tuned really well here. The bass has a nice attack and slam all over the track but where it loses is that CONTROL. The bass sometimes becomes less controlled hence sounds slightly boomy in certain tracks. Overall the bass is very pleasing and heart thumping. Especially when listening to pop tracks this thing just pumps a lot of bass thus making your head shaking every time you listen to your favourite tracks.
The attack of the bass is moderately faster than the decay hence provides nice sub bass rumble and the weight to the bass. There is however a slight mid bass bleed that gives nice warmth and body to the mid section. For the price I have nothing to complain about in the bass department, they are just tuned to near perfection to give you enough eargasm and satisfy your bass needs. This bass overall is excellent for casual and fun listening and can be a easy recommendation those who need a bass boosted earphone with some nice texture and resolution. This just reminds me of the cheaper version of the ZSX which has one of the best bass response
TRACKS USED:
- YOU NEED TO CALM DOWN – TAYLOR SWIFT
- GAME OF THRONES – RAMIN DJAWADI
- EVEN HEAVEN – AIMER
- NO PARTIAL – RHYTHM AND SOUND
MID SECTION:
Since this is a V shaped sound signature the mid section is recessed a bit but not to the extent of what the usual KZ would be. The instruments are however slightly pushed forward whereas the male vocals are pushed backwards. The female vocals have a nice presentation of being slightly forward due to that nice upper mid emphasis in the 5k region.
The tonality is slightly warmer due to that nice bass boost but for the most part they sound realistic when the guitar string strikes. The other instruments however sound slightly less natural and realistic. Overall the mid section is pleasant and nothing to complain about based on the price since I have heard worse earphones in this price range.
Overall the mid section is slightly recessed with forward female vocals and the instruments.
TRACKS USED:
- PERFECT – ED SHEERAN
- DREAMS – FLEETWOOD MAC
- K – CIGARETTES AFTER SEX
TREBLE:
The best part of the DQ6 which separates from the usual KZ earphone is in the treble section. They sound very smooth with null harshness or sibilance. They sound very nice with good enough extensions for the price. The cymbal crash sounds very natural and nice without any harshness. They have two peaks in the treble section of course but during my listening it just helped in retrieving the detail out of the track and helped in bringing out the brilliance on the top.
The last earphone in the KZ lineup I liked is the ZSX which is tuned very nicely and has nice bass and the treble section where not that harsh. Following that legacy the DQ6 is tuned but even though not as close to the ZSX they still deliver nice sound for the price.
TRACKS USED:
- SANTERIA – SUBLIME
- GRAFFITI – CHVRCHES
TECHNICALITIES:
SOUNDSTAGE AND IMAGING:
The soundstage is pretty massive in this earphone due to that large bass and the nice laid back sound signature. The instruments have a nice sense of space in between them and the instrument separation is above average for the price.
The imaging is pretty impressive for the price where the sound sweeps from side to side smoothly without any interruptions. Overall the technicalities are above average in this earphone considering the price.
TRACKS USED:
- BLACK GOLD – HANS ZIMMER
- CROSSING – YOSI HORIKAWA.
VERDICT:
The DQ6, a latest offering from the KZ lineup is my go to recommendation for anyone looking for excellent bass for the price with no harshness and sibilance. After a long success from the ZSX no earphone was able to replace that position and now even though the DQ6 can’t replace that position it just offers more value for the money and can easily pick the sibling spot of the ZSX.
They have excellent bass for the price which is very nice in all the aspects like the attack, speed, resolution, texture. The mid section even though recessed a bit still the female vocals are pushed forward with overall nice realistic tonality. The treble is very smooth yet detailed with nice coherency. This just makes me fall in love more with Dynamic Driver earphones since they are getting nice day by day. For the price this is my NO 1 pick to those who need one of the superb bass with smooth yet detailed treble and also this picks the sibling spot of the mighty ZSX.
PROS AND CONS:
PROS:
- EXCELLENT BASS WITH NICE SPEED AND SLAM
- SMOOTH TREBLE
- ABOVE AVERAGE TECHNICALITIES
- FIT AND PRICE
- BUILD
CONS:
- LAID BACK VOCALS (ESPECIALLY MALE VOCALS)
- CRAPPY STOCK CABLE
This Review is Written By KATHIRAVAN.C
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I’m Kathiravan from Tamilnadu. A budding audiophile here with high love towards music and audio equipment. My first experience of enjoying the hifi audio came when I started to use budget chi-fi gears and now it came all along the way of reviewing the gears with high end stuffs. I love reviewing audio products.
Shubham
Shubham Garg (Editor Shubz.in) is an engineer with a specialization in Mechanical Engineering from AKTU, Uttar Pradesh. Being a mechanical engineer he has always loved to learn the inner working of various machines and consumer electronics. He regularly tests various audio, home appliances, and daily use products, to provide the best advice to readers. He is a wizard that can make your shopping easy, saving you time and stress of figuring out what to buy.
