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Review: KZ D-Fi or He who tries the untried

Mahir Efe Falay

…For KZ and thanks to the brand for providing the KZ D-Fi for review purposes. 

KZ D-Fi is the latest KZ with Zobel network circuit design and have 16 different tuning choices for a highly customised experience. It’s price is around 35 and highly open to upgrades.

Company Overview 

We all know KZ for more than a decade and it doesn’t need an introduction.

TL:DR__________________

Pros

Neutral timbre

Beyond average technicalities

Midrange and rich soundscape

Good clarity and notal weight

Authentic and durable design

Cons

Driving can be problematic as its source picking

Lots of tuning options can be tricky

Layering isn’t a strong feature

Escalating with power

Technical Specifications

Packaging

Here you can witness the dull, non exciting unboxing experience. The only exciting element is the D-Fi itself.

Cable

Pure solid silver plating cord. These are among the new-generation KZ cables, but some label them a dull.

Design

Unique metal construction with an unconventional faceplate layout. The product’s unique ability to do this sets it apart from competitors. Longevity and reliability are guaranteed by the all-metal construction as well.

Comfort

Great, resting well on my ears. These phones have a comfortable design that makes them perfect for extended listening sessions.

Internals

10mm DD but Zobel network circuit, and a tunable model with a 4-key EQ slider.

KZ D-Fi Sound

Spacious and detailed, instrument separation is quite high at MBA 2022. The same is for layering as well. It looks like it studied its lessons, as KZ always fell short in technical department. But now I am hearing a vocally extended, natural, textured, and neutral sound, albeit some fogginess in male vocals, but it can be caused by many parameters too 😉  

Bass

At OG 0000 settings, it’s just a little bit bassy, but it’s not interfering with any technicalities to which I’m very accustomed. Yet, in order to comment on KZ’s bass handling, I had to listen to tracks with heavy basses in their mixes, which is a bit of a weird requirement for a review. Holy cow, someone just used the word “neutral.” Hearing the bass not touching other frequencies or without the bass interfering with any other frequencies is priceless when it’s a KZ we are speaking about, especially if it’s foam ear tipped 😉 Yet, drum and bass needs no explanation. Both the bass and the treble are playing their parts without adding unnecessary volume. And giving you a pleasant multi-dimensional ambiance.

Midrange

I’m picking up a midrange that doesn’t seem to match up with the +25 KZs I’ve tested so far. The level of control is really good, and the technical level is impressive and nice to my ears. When we talk about nice, we can’t ignore the upper mids and NEY lurking under the outer layer of the oriental strings. Nonetheless, the mentioned open layout has its advantages and disadvantages. Going solo on the bassy string instrument UD is challenging since its tones echo across the air and it’s resulting some tunes fading out…

But you know what, I haven’t heard a KZ model with a more distinctive midrange tone than the KZ D-Fi, He Who Tries the Untried. The sound is crisp and detailed, It’s great that there’s a lot of room for sound to travel. The technical mastery of this model, however, merits at least a silver and likely a gold award and provides for a really pleasant listening experience.

Treble

Even with all the joy, KZ always failed to reach WOW limits in treble, especially in quality and treble extensions. But this one is partially different. I can’t hear Tef (another Middle Eastern percussion instrument) strike with it in 3D, but Saz’s upper registers are easy to hear. The KZ D-Fi is a good step forward for the KZ brand, delivering a treble that goes slightly beyond previous expectations. With its detailed and extended high-end, the D-Fi allows for the precise and nuanced notes of a Saz to be heard without any loss of quality or clarity, or with the clarity 35 bucks allow. Let’s not be over optimistic.

The treble also reaches some surprising heights for an organic playing KZ (organic sounding and KZ are still not merged in, but this one is the most successful one and hinting for a natural playing KZ in the future like Galileo), allowing for instruments like the Tef to be heard in its own isolation. Overall, the KZ D-Fi is a remarkable change from its predecessors, delivering a treble that’s both nuanced and extended, allowing for a truly unique listening experience for the brand who is infamous with bloaty basses and piercing trebles.

Image courtesy of eagleowI BL

Comparisons

  1. KZ ZSN: The KZ ZSN is another IEM from Knowledge Zenith that is priced around $35. It features a hybrid driver configuration with one balanced armature driver and one dynamic driver. The sound signature of the ZSN is similar to the KZ D-Fi, with a warm and bass-heavy sound and good detail and clarity in the midrange and treble frequencies. The ZSN has a slightly more emphasized treble response than the D-Fi, which can provide more sparkle and detail.
  2. TRN V90: The TRN V90 is an IEM that features a quad-driver configuration with two balanced armature drivers and two dynamic drivers. The sound signature of the V90 is more balanced than the KZ D-Fi, with good detail and clarity across the frequency range. The bass response is present and controlled, but not as emphasized as in the KZ D-Fi. The V90 has a slightly brighter sound signature than it with more emphasis on the treble frequencies.
  3. Yinyoo KZ ES4: The Yinyoo KZ ES4 is an IEM around 30 bucks and features a hybrid driver configuration with one balanced armature driver and one dynamic driver. The sound signature of the ES4 is similar to the KZ D-Fi, with a warm and bass-heavy sound and good detail and clarity in the midrange and treble frequencies. The ES4 has a slightly more emphasized treble response than the D-Fi, which can provide more detail and clarity in the higher frequencies.

Where to Buy

Conclusion

If I hadn’t seen this iem prior to reviewing them, I could never guess the name of KZ behind it. All I had was a $50 performance with its dedicated ups and downs, nothing drastic save its pint of brightish timbre. I open my eyes and see 15 other tuning options other than this OG tuning of 0000! and begin to look forward to the future of KZ tunings. Thanks for Sami Yusuf for portraying me it’s untouched capacities. Youtube link here.

“Beam me up to KZ’s future IEMs Scotty”

75/100

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