Pros:
- Great price to performance ratio
- Better technical performance than a number of IEMs in the same price range
Cons:
- Packaging lacks information
- Weirdly shaped earhooks
- Treble and upper mids need more control
Introduction:
BQEYZ is a Chinese company that produces in-ear monitors. They specialize in the hybrid driver configuration of IEMs and the KC2, which was released in 2018, was one of the many IEMs they released in a short span of time. The KC2 currently retails for 35 USD, and was provided to me at a discounted price by BQEYZ in exchange for this review.
Specifications:
Driver units: 2 dynamic (10 mm and 6 mm) + 2 balanced armature
Impedance: 15 ohms
Sensitivity: 105 dB
Frequency response range: 7 Hz - 40 kHz
Source:
Poco X3 paired with iBasso DC03 and Shanling UA1
Test tracks:
Africano - Earth Wind and Fire
Dark Necessities - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Gurenge - Lisa
The Chain - Fleetwood Mac
Monsters - All Time Low
Ours - Taylor Swift
Stay - Mayday Parade
Snuff - Slipknot
Yesterday Once More - Carpenters
So Slow - Freestyle
Aurora Sunrise - Franco
Attention - Pentatonix
Blue Bird - Ikimono-gakari
You're Still The One - Shania Twain
Anyone Who Knows What Love Is(Will Understand) - Irma Thomas
Salamin - Slapshock
AOV - Slipknot
Hey Jude - The Beatles
The Way You Make Me Feel - Michael Jackson
...and a lot more.
Unboxing and Accessories:
The KC2 come in a very small and compact black glittered box. It can be noticed right away that the box doesn't tell you that much about what's inside. There is no model name, no picture or drawing of the IEM, or the driver configuration, which are usually seen immediately on the box. The only thing you will know right away is the brand, that it's an IEM that uses hybrid drivers, and the specifications.
Upon opening the box you will see the KC2 with the cable and medium eartips already attached. You will also find the small and large eartips, a quality control pass certificate, and an instruction manual. The instruction manual, same with the box, doesn't say that much about the KC2. Instead, all information can be found in the product page of online stores where the KC2 is available.
Build:
The shells are made of metal. It is on the larger side, perhaps necessary to house the uncommon driver configuration which is 2 BA + 2DD. The faceplates have this design that resemble gills.
Near the female 2 pin port there are left and right side indicators, which I think is redundant because first, it's impossible to switch the sides accidentally due to the shape of the shells, and second, the male pins on the cable have indicators as well.
On the rear side of the shell there are 3 vents, 2 of which are larger than the other. The nozzle here is also made of metal which doesn't have a lip unlike most IEMs, but eartips don't have any problems staying in place because the nozzle has an above average diameter.
The cable is a standard 4 core twisted, but the material used was not specified. If I had to guess, this is most probably copper. The male 2 pin is made of plastic, and I noticed that BQEYZ replaced it with an angled one. If you're going to look at the product page of the KC2 anywhere, the pictures will show that they used a straight design at first.
The splitter is made of metal, with a plastic chin slider. The L-type 3.5mm gold plated plug is made of metal as well.
Now let's get to the sound.
Lows:
The lows are presented in a lightweight manner. It is slightly recessed and the least highlighted among the three major frequency division. Subbass has an adequate reach with a moderate decay, while the midbass sound a bit soft and has a below average thickness to it.
Overall, despite the lows having some recession and lightness to it, the KC2 was still able to reproduce bass that has ample weight. Bass heavy tracks doesn't sound as heavy, but the presence was just sufficient to stay enjoyable.
Mids:
The mids are placed a bit upfront. Vocals here have enough substance but somewhat leans on the thin side. Female vocals are slightly more forward than the male vocals and occasionally, there is a very slight hint of aggressiveness and harshness in the upper mids.
Overall, the mids can rarely get uncomfortable depending on the track. Although it has good resolution, I recommend experimenting with different types of eartips to turn the upper mids down a notch.
Highs:
The highs have a forward presentation with an above average level of shimmer. The reach is above average with a moderate length of decay. The highs may sound aggressive sometimes just like the upper mids, and there are points where there is minor sibilance on some tracks.
Overall, the highs provide the fun factor in the KC2's listening experience. It has good energy and shine to it. There is some aggressiveness that needs to be considered but it's not that extreme and it's fairly manageable.
Soundstage and Imaging:
The stage has a slightly above average expansion. There is a lot more focus on the width than the height, although the height has good expansion as well. Imaging has great accuracy and clarity. Layering and instrument separation are above average with some little hints of congestion on complex tracks.
Conclusion:
The KC2 has a rather unusual driver configuration; rocking a 2 DD + 2 BA setup which is pretty rare. The only IEM I found to have this setup is the TRN V80. The KC2 was released 3 years ago and there were a lot of IEMs released in the same price range from that point until today, but the KC2 still remains a great choice. And that, is a testament to its overall technical performance.
Tags:
In-Ear Monitors