KZ Krila ($17)
Another day, another ultra-budget KZ iem that ups the standards of the previous generation of iems. Today I am reviewing the latest ultra-budget iem from KZ, the “KZ Krila”. The Krila just so happens to be a hybrid iem consisting of one Dynamic Driver and one Balanced Armature Driver and even has tuning switches! I was quite surprised to see KZ, or any company for that matter releasing a hybrid with switches at such a low price. However, it wasn’t the price that surprised me and wasn’t the driver configuration that hooked me. What surprised me was the sentiment that went along with this most infamous release. I’m sure anyone reading this already has heard of the challenge associated with the Krila. Basically, Tyvan Lam went to Facebook and challenged the community to a duel against any other kilo-buck (+$1000) iem. KZ was quite open with this stance and dared all of us to take the challenge.
I can respect it
Naturally a statement like… “The Krila can take down even $1000 iems” is something you’d take as a jest or a joke. Right? However, as far as I can tell, KZ wasn’t joking. I can respect it. We all saw the KZ promotional. I read most of the jokes from the peanut gallery, the sarcastic remarks, virtual eye-rolling, the “LOL’s”, the snide comments from the keyboard warriors… all of it. People went pretty hard on KZ for declaring this and for all intents and purposes… those reactions are perfectly reasonable. Some were a bit harsh but understandable. I mean… I get it. However, at the very least KZ is putting their money where their mouth is… so to speak. Friends, KZ believes in their product. They have to! Nobody would ever make such a proclamation… in this community… this cutthroat audio community… If they didn’t believe it.
Call it what you want to but imagine the boulder sized KAHONAS it takes to say this! I respect it friends. In fact I can identify with it. Think of this… KZ is ushering out an ultra-budget iem ($17), shoving them dead square into the line of fire and living with results. They even handed everyone the gun. Literally everyone. They aren’t scared to give out review units either. Understand, they openly subject those units to the scrutiny of a subjective “reviewer” and “consumer” opinions in the light of these claims. And KZ has never asked me or anyone else that I know of to skew their reviews or give false reports. Again, I can respect it, right or not, ludicrous or savvy, ridiculous or genius.
Granted, there are very few hobbyists who can actually test this claim and even fewer who would ever admit it if this claim was true. The best I can do is compare against sets that make sense to me, for this ultra-budget hybrid, and hope it helps some of you.
I’m better than you
With all that said, I like it. I like it even if it’s crazy. Not everyone has the confidence to put themselves out there and even less people have the Kahonas to look at the monsters (in this case $1000 flagships) in front of them and openly declare… I’m better than you! I suppose I’ve always been a fan of the underdog, the phenom, the confident little guy who could. I’m a sucker for the “Longshot” or the “Dark horse upsetter”, or the “Rank Outsider Little Guy” with the gull to take on the elite. Okay I may be stretching my admiration way too far, but you get the gist of what I’m saying. It’s almost reckless valor or some sort of fearless audacity. Or, it’s simply confidence in their craft with an over-achieving self assurance because that type of conviction takes mettle to openly declare. Of course, this may also just be a marketing tactic… Lol. I don’t know who in their right mind would dream this up simply for a cash grab but stranger things have happened I guess. Tactic or not, I like the boldness of it.
My good senses tell me…
Now that I’ve said all of that, let me just make a statement of fact, to me and for me, and of my own subjective opinion (factual to my good senses)… The Krila is not better than any plus $1000 iem that I’ve ever tried. I just want to get that out of the way. The KZ Krila may take down some plus $100 duds or oddly tuned sets or some much older sets, but by and large the Krila is really facing iems possibly a price point higher, generally speaking. I’d say maybe $35 to $55. Also, let us not forget that there is a slew of “not so good” plus $100 iems. It was a valiant effort though. I simply like the confidence and conviction to boldly make such claims. Call it whatever you want, but you can’t call it weak, and you can’t call it spineless. You can’t call it gutless and you darn sure can’t call it passive. Also, sorry for this little spiel, I’ll get on with the review now.
KZ
KZ has been on a tear friends. Truly they have. I have reviewed a number of the past bangers at Mobileaudiophile.com. From the CCA CRA+, the KZ Linglong, KZ ZVX, KZ AS16 Pro, KZ X-HBB PR2, KZ D-Fi and the KZ EDXS to the KZ AS24 and all of them are fantastic buys in their relative price points and styles. There were quite a few others that I am miss-remembering but all in all KZ just keeps outdoing themselves. That leads us to now, I actually have the KZ Krila in my ears as I type these words and I’m ready to get into it. The KZ Krila everyone…
Purchase links:
Krila Pros
-Build Quality for the price
-Nice fit (subjective)
-Price to performance is fantastic
-Tuning switches which do actually work well
-The bass is clean, tight
-Midrange is nice for vocals, technical
-Treble is snappy, vibrant
-Fairly mature tuning for such a low price (seldom seen)
-Details are near top of class
-Separation / Imaging for the price
Krila Cons
-Slight BA timbre up top
-Bass could use more solidity & oomph
-Upper-midrange can become shouty
-Note weight could be better (unfairly picky)
-Not the most “musical” (unfairly picky)
-Truthfully I shouldn’t even put a con here, $17 friends
Gear used for testing
–iBasso DX240 with Amp8 MK2
Packaging / Accessories
This should be short. The KZ Krila comes in a regular small KZ rectangular white box. There’s a graphic of the Krila on the front and some specs on the back. Nothing we haven’t seen before. Once you open the box, you’ll see the shiny looking Krila staring back at you. Inside the packaging is the eartips as well as the usual KZ cable and a dip-switch tool. Nothing to see here folks, business as usual.
Cable
Another short little paragraph. Obviously, KZ added in the same exact cable we’ve seen a hundred times before. It’s the QDC style 2-Pin, 3.5 single ended, opaque white silver-plated cable. Honestly, this cable isn’t bad at all. Do we remember the old cables? This cable is actually quite nice for the price. Heck, I’m even glad that the cable is detachable! I of course immediately swapped out the cable for a balanced Tripowin C8 cable. Which, by the way, is twice the price of the Krila. Oh well, I needed it for my balanced sources. I will say that the provided cable is just fine for single ended use.
Eartips
I love the new trend that KZ is adding KZ Starlines with all of their sets now. The Starlines are some of my favorite tips and are great when you need them. Whether in stock form or turned inside out for “Reverse Starlines” these tips are always useful. KZ also provides one set of medium foam tips of decent quality. I personally don’t ever really use foamies unless they are absolutely necessary but it’s a nice addition at this price I suppose.
What I used
I tried out the Starlines and I didn’t get a bad replay at all however, after playing around with other tips I did what I usually do. Mostly for fit purposes I landed on the KBear 07 large sized tips. To be honest the Starlines actually are perfectly fine however I had to fidget just a little bit less with the 07’s. In fact for sonic purposes it may benefit to have the smaller bore of the Starlines.
Build / Design / Internals / Fit / Drivability
Build /Design
One thing that can be expected anymore is that KZ will absolutely have the best build quality in the ultra-budget sector. The ZVX, D-Fi, even their EDXS were all very well built iems and the Krila is no different. The Shells are a hazy carmel tinted but clear color and are made from the use of 3D printing while the faceplates are made out of a mirror finish alloy. The build is solid, and I can say that without flinching. Yes, it’s pretty simple but the structure feels durable for such a low price. Also, this set looks really nice. Very close in appearance to the KZ D-Fi or the Joyodio Shine as far as design language is concerned. I like the minimalist wavy pattern on the faceplate. It’s classy, simple and sleek. The Shells are very ergonomic as well, at least for me.
Dip-Switches
Also similar to the D-Fi model and the Joyodio Shine is that the Krila also has installed dip-switches to switch up the sound to a degree. There are four dip switches in total and each one affects different areas of the mix. KZ always implements their tuning switches in easy-to-follow ways. For instance, the first switch in the “on” position increases the low-end by one decibel. When you add the second switch it adds two decibels to the low-end. Coincidentally, or not, when you push “on” with the first three switches you will add three decibels to the low-end. Now the fourth switch acts a bit different, what it does is actually bring down the highs by 1.5 decibels. So, you can imagine the different ways to change the sound. All of it is gradual changes, nothing earth shattering, and the general sound doesn’t change ultra drastically.
For purposes of this review… “on” will equal “1”, and “off” will be “0”. So, with all switches on, it will read like this “1111”. With the last two switches off, it will read like this “1100”. Pretty simple. I find the way KZ attempts these switches is nice. They are easy to explain and just as easy to use. I find myself enjoying 0000, 1100, or 1110. For reasons I’ll explain in the “sound impressions” section I find that 1110 is my favorite. Here is a picture of KZ’s promotional to help explain the switches, probably better than I can:
Internals
KZ decided to go with a hybrid setup consisting of one 10mm second-generation XUN Dynamic Driver as well as a newly redesigned 30095 high frequency Balanced Armature Driver which is placed in the nozzle. Basically, the Dynamic Driver carries much of the spectrum with the Balanced Armature taking care of the highs.
Fit / Isolation
As far as fit is concerned the Krila fits me like a champ. I had no issues getting a good seal, no fiddling around at all. That’s me though, I have zero idea how well the Krila will fit you. As far as isolation is concerned, providing you have a good eartip seal then the Krila do an average job of sealing you from the outside environment. Nothing crazy to report here. There is very little as far as sound leakage as well so listening around others won’t annoy anyone.
Drivability
The KZ Krila is rated at anywhere from 28-36 ohms with a sensitivity of 106 db’s which means they are generally very easy to drive. I truly had no issues with any source. Even the IPad 6th gen was able to get very nice volume with the Krila. Using the Fiio UTWS5 while cutting grass I had a wonderful time jamming out. The UTWS5 quite easily handles the Krila and they pair very well together too. The IFi Go Blu also seemed to synergize well with its CS43131 dac chip and loads of output power. One thing I did happen to notice was the low-end tightened from the Ipad, not significantly but enough to take notice.
Using the Hidizs S9 Pro (ES9038 Q2M dac chip) or the Moondrop Dawn 4.4 (CS43131 dac chip) was refreshing, as both dongle dacs paired well as the Krila opened up the soundstage with them. Moving up to the iBasso DX240 (ES9038 Pro dac chip) or the Shanling M6 Ultra (AK4493SEQ dac chip) showed me that the Krila actually does scale to the source. Meaning they scale to the quality of the source. I don’t think they needed more power, but the better fidelity source was mirrored in the Krila. I found the warmer tonality and resolve of the M6 Ultra was wonderful for pairing with the Krila.
In truth, all that you’ll ever really need is a decent Dongle Dac at the least. The Krila are pretty sensitive and therefore don’t really need much to bring out the best in them. Perhaps choosing a slightly warmer source would be beneficial but I don’t think it’s absolutely necessary.
Sound Impressions
Note: prior to beginning the sound portion of this review I want to state that I did burn the Krila in for about three days. I’d say the Krila do slightly benefit from this but in the same breath it could’ve all been in my head. I just feel the sound became more vivacious with more alive macro-dynamics. Again, don’t hold me to that. Also, I performed all critical listening using the “1110” dip-switch settings. All. Listening was done using flac files which I store on my devices.
KZ is really doing some great things of late and I just have to call a “spade” a “spade”. No doubt about it that KZ is simply one of the best ultra-budget/budget iem builders, tuners and suppliers in the world. It’s just the truth. I realize it pains many of you to hear that, but the sound, build quality, and style, kinda speaks for itself. Gone are the days of piercing treble, overcompensated bass and recessed mids. The KZ of “now” is aligning themselves with more mature tunings, minimalist design languages that aren’t over the top and always good builds.
Before I get deep into the sound section, I wanted to simply give credit where credit is most certainly due. Now, is KZ the best in the budget world? Possibly. Still, we’ve seen many other companies come out with very competitive sets. I think the sentiment of this paragraph should be that KZ seems to always make a contender. Are they the best? Ehh maybe. But are they really GOOD consistently? They sure are.
Krila
The KZ Krila is more of a U-shaped sounding set to me with a neutral/bright tonal coloration. The Krila has fantastic clarity for the price with a balanced sound in general. It’s actually very clean & resolute for an iem costing so little. The sound is very detailed. Not the most “musical” but very detailed and clean. I find the Krila to have a moderate bass emphasis. They aren’t absent from the rumble though as they are decently deep and emphasized. The mids are forward, detailed, energetic and great for vocals. The treble is pronounced with some shimmer and they are well extended. I find that details are very well illuminated with an above average stage size and great imaging and separation. Between the 20’s, the Krila has the makings of a very fine set of earphones. There are subjective criticisms like some timbre issues etc. that I will address later.
Hybrid
One tthing I noticed is that there is a coherency in the sound. KZ went with an ultra-budget hybrid setup using a DD and a BA which I would normally find suspect at this price. At least as far as coherency is concerned. However, KZ blended the two very well with a nice and almost congruent sound which I find easily harmonizes the DD and BA together nicely for the price. I will say that I can hear where the BA effects the mix but they did a solid job with the tuning. Obviously the crossover network is doing some nice work and it’s obvious that KZ has some very competent sound engineering going on to put such a low price set out into the Audioverse that sounds this nice and in this form.
Bass Region
The first thing I check in every critical listening session is the low end. I look for speed, depth, texture, extension, and how much physical grunt and slam can be found among other things. Usually, I’ll go to a well-produced track with some good kick drums or a bass guitar or a fat bass drop. I have my “Low-end Playlist” ready to go friends. I found the Krila to have less bass emphasis than I would have thought based on the graph. Granted, the sound is pretty tight, punchy, and clean, but not ultra deep & robust as I was expecting. This doesn’t mean it’s bad, at all. In fact, it’s quite the contrary, the Krila has a quality bass for the price. Slightly less impact than the D-Fi “in general” in its “0000” form. Then I flipped the first three switches up and left the last one down (1110). The bass suddenly came alive, at least as best as the Krila will allow while still allowing the highs to extend as far as they can. This is how I will be listening for the rest of this review. The deepest or biggest bass should be in the 1111 setting.
Sub-Bass
The sub-bass can actually reach pretty deep. I hear a grungy, dirty, and grumbling bass guitar drone on the track “Undoer” by Geese. The sound is steely edged, tight, and mostly-properly gets down low to reach those low notes. “Heavy is the Ocean” by Bush was another example of the Krila getting sizeably low and doing so with meat on its bones. This track leads up to the climax of the melody with a growling low-end riff and the Krila creates some decently authentic and pronounced tactile “feel” to the sound. Certainly the Krila is sub-bass focused. Not the deepest. I don’t want to misconstrue any of you. The sound is deep enough. It still digs. It’s sensory image in my mind is actual and definitely satisfying to hear on this track. Undeniably there are many sets which reach deeper in the price range. That said, not many do so with such cleanliness though.
Mid-Bass
Now, the mid bass is a bit more held back. Slam is still good, forceful and authoritative, just not to the degree of the sub-bass. “Rich Off Pain” by Lil Baby and Lil Durk drops the beat about twenty seconds in. Not that the sound of the bass drop isn’t boomy, but it’s slightly held back and somewhat soft at the leading edge. Still textured and satisfying but simply not a distinct and powerful BOOM. However, the mid-bass does speed right along with a tighter sounding bass region on attack finishing with an atmospheric decay/sustain. The mid bass offers some nice macro-details and plays right along with the overall macro-dynamics of the core sound. I don’t feel like the mid-bass is pushed back or recessed and is definitely in proportion to the auditory whole of the spectrum or mix.
It’s a good bass
I really enjoy the bass. No, it isn’t my perfect subjective favorite in the price point, but it’s tight, textured, tactile in its framework, and has decent control. Man I just wish KZ would’ve given the Krila just a little more bass, a little more warmth. That’s just me though. Really this is a nice low-end for a set which costs so little. Normally you’ll hear a faint bit of fuzz at the note outlines and the sound can come across pillowy at times. Thankfully not on the Krila. I also hear some macro-details as the bass region has good resolution for a set which costs under $20. Bass guitar has a good amount of body and grungy growl to it which is nice. Kick drums have a nicely hollow boom with a sticky leading edge. To be honest I’m happy with the bass.
Like I’ve somewhat already stated, I find the bass region to be more of a “part” to a “whole”. A supporting character if you will. There is nothing that is over the top about it and it doesn’t distort. It didn’t matter how much juice I fed the drivers, no distortion that I heard. Of course within reason. Very well done KZ.
Midrange
The midrange is presented more forward than it isn’t. Note weight is a bit thin throughout as well, but clarity is great, and details are able to rise to the surface rather easily. The midrange is near neutral sounding to me as the mid-bass doesn’t really spill over into the low-mids, so you don’t hear that thickness & warmth to vocals or instrumentation. I’d like to call the midrange the bread and butter of the KZ Krila but in truth it is pretty well balanced across the mix. One thing is for sure…the Krila has an energetic midrange with a nice vibrancy and a more vivacious and dynamic coloration to the sound.
Lower-midrange
The lower midrange is very clean, out front, with a surface that’s somewhat knife edged and pretty crisp. Kind of a mix of crisp and smooth actually. Listening to “How Good It Feels” by Cat Stevens off of his latest album King of a Land shows this to a degree. Cat’s voice has good clarity and is very well singled out and highlighted on the Krila. However, his voice is also a bit thin which is just north of natural. Not a bad sound and truthfully I enjoy it but it could use some warmth and body. Strings in this track suffer the same fate by coming across a bit too tinsley and tingy. Nothing that distracts me but it may be a problem for you. Also, Cats voice is not the type of thin that comes across frail or dry and paperlike. His voice still has a fairly moist fundamental body or tone. There is still density to be heard.
So the low-mids are a hair on the thin side but come across very clean, very resolute too and without any little audio artifacts floating around note ends. They also sound very detailed too. After some time I really began to enjoy this area of the mix.
Upper-Midrange
Females in the upper-mids certainly have a shimmer to them. There’s this “up front and center forwardness” which is great for a nicely accentuated female inflection. Like “Stampede” by Jess Williamson. Her voice has a crisp sound that has a chiseled nature to it and not at all brashy or coarse. Almost knife edged. However, this is where we begin to notice some of the BA timbre come into play. There is the slightest, and I do mean slightest bit of BA metallic note edges to her vocals. Granted the Krila has a nicely soft note body which doesn’t sound entirely thin and even unnatural, but it isn’t organic either. Instruments also share in the BA timbre a bit.
I don’t want to dissuade any of you. Perhaps the Krila is an acquired taste to a seasoned single DD listener. A bit of a change from the ultra cohesive and authentically organic possibilities of a single Dynamic Driver iem. We all know the shortcomings of a single driver arrangement too. What KZ did was up the game and added an affordable BA to add to the sound. A little different in timbre but you gain so much as well. I do like that females on the Krila can come across nicely soft and feathery as well as pretty resounding. I also don’t find the ear gain to be too much but instead it’s sparkly with a nice luster to it.
Pretty nice
The midrange is pretty fast. KZ tuned the Krila to be snappy, deft, compact in note body and technically sound, yet still with a slightly musical flair to it. More on the analytical side but not deplete of musicality. Transients come and go quickly, and so listening to fast paced tracks is actually really nice on this set. It seems effortless for this ultra-budget iem. “Ice Bridges” by Billy Strings is a super fast banjo track which toes the line between mids and lower treble and the Krila hits every note with ease. I find the vocals to be really very nice as well alongside the instruments. Forward just enough without sounding too intimate. The banjo play is rapid fire and each note has its own space to operate. It’s crisp, distinct, and each note is easy to discern. All things considered, KZ did a great job tuning this set.
But…
On the flipside, I did come across a couple of tracks that almost became shouty. The ear gain can push the boundaries a bit and you can hear voices or instruments (especially electric guitar) kind of poke the ceiling of peakiness. Especially on tracks that are prone to pushing those boundaries. “Sensitive” by Megan Trainor is the perfect track to check for this piercing type of vocal shout as her voice begs to grate at my ears. Sure enough the Krila takes me right to where it begins to become sharp on the ear but stops just short and keeps decent control which is something that is nice. The sound doesn’t just “fall apart” in these more expressive tracks. All in all, for $17 this is a fantastic midrange. Vocals sound great on this set, and it are very detailed.
Treble Region
The treble region is no doubt boosted and pretty vibrant uplifting the spectrum and giving off a sense of space and luster to the overall sound of the Krila. Treble Heads may actually enjoy this aspect of the Krila up top. The treble has an air and shimmer to it that I find quite nice. Certainly, more uplifted than a set like the D-Fi or the ZVX for example. There is a brilliance that brings on some shine to instruments but also there is some treble bite as well which is aided by the snappy transient response. Furthermore, the treble is also very detailed, very snappy, and pretty crisp.
On point
Like I said there’s a nice amount of air to the sound as the treble uplifts everything around it. There are times things can get a bit splashy but for the most part the treble region is kept in pretty good control. Cymbals are emphasized well with nice harmonics, possibly a little splashy but nothing to worry about at $17. One thing you’ll notice is the nice extension past 10k.On all of my treble tracks the Krila is well able to cleanly reproduce each one in a definitive and clean manner and again, pushing right to the edge of peakiness but stopping just short. This creates an uplifted sense, or a feeling of open space to a degree. Of course, with that sense of air and emphasis you’ll also have a slight BA type timbre. However, it isn’t the type of metallic sound that smears. The Krila stays on point and is clean in its attack and release of each individual note body.
One thing I find to be very nice is the details in this region. It doesn’t feel like forced resolution to me but rather an emphasized and precise sound. You won’t be killed in treble sheen, nor will you hear anything glassy or very sibilant. Obviously, this treble will not be for everyone, but for the most part “generally speaking” the treble of the Krila is detailed, crisp, and has decent body without many downsides. Especially for the cost.
Technicalities
Soundstage
The stage size is of a good size all the way around. No, it isn’t stadium sized and no you won’t feel like you are in some grand arena. However, I hear good width, good height and nice depth. There’s a somewhat layered approach to the sound which is nice to hear. It isn’t simply a flat and narrow wall of sound. There’s depth to the field of sound which adds a sense of dimension. Listen, for $17 the Krila has a great stage with nice dimensions that do spread out nicely for the price point.
Separation / Imaging
This is one area where the Krila shines. Separation of elements in an imaginary stage is very well done. I hear nicely partitioned off instruments and voices with clean delineations between them all. Imaging follows suit, perfectly placing elements on the stage and doing so in a resolute manner. I don’t hear any blurring or smearing, and I found that the Krila can handle those more complicated passages of music and still separate and create an imaginary image very nicely. The sound is not so 3D that I hear all sides of instrumentation but the picture I get through sound offers distinctions that are very good. Again… $17.
Details
One of the strong suits of the KZ Krila is its ability to precisely illuminate all the finer details in my music. We have good resolution across the board, good separation, a balanced sound as well with speedier transients and there isn’t any frequency which drowns anything out. This is a good recipe for the Krila to be well able to bring the minutiae to the surface. Details in the treble region and the midrange are actually very nice. For the $17 asking price I do feel the Krila outdoes its price range in this key area. Especially when you usually hear overdone and over-emphasized bass regions and overcooked treble areas of forced and phony resolution. Hearing a mature tuning with a clean sound is not the norm. One more time…$17.
Comparisons
Note: Each comparison here is not a duel to the death. I don’t find that very helpful in subjective comparisons. I compare attributes between sets, simply to better acquaint the reader with how the iem I am reviewing sounds. However, during the process I do think you will gather which set is better for the price or style for you, at least that is what I’m trying to do. Each comparison is mostly done with iems that have similar driver types or are priced similarly. There has to be some relatable quality to qualify a reasonable comparison. I try to keep these comparisons pretty short and somewhat concise and so I use very general terms, nothing in-depth either and always my subjective thoughts over fairly long a/b sessions.
KZ ZVX ($18)
The KZ ZVX was one of the better sets in its price range and quite easily stands against anything in the $15 to $30 price point. Depending on what your preferences are of course. The ZVX is a single DD iem that launched a few months prior to the Krila and comes with excellent build quality, a mostly balanced sound signature and is very cost effective at only $18. I reviewed the ZVX earlier in the year and you can find that review HERE.
Differences
I would say that build quality would go to the ZVX with its all-metal alloy construction, although the Krila is built very well itself. As far as looks goes I personally feel the Krila is a better-looking set. Tonally both of these two iems are extremely similar. In fact, both comparisons in this review are very similar. The ZVX has a slightly warmer sound with a touch better note weight and sounds a titch more V-shaped to my ears. The ZVX is a hair more sensitive, but I feel the Krila reacts with different source tonalities a bit better judging by my use of many different sources for this comparison.
Bass Region
The ZVX has a beefier bass region with a heftier sound and more slam. When the first three switches are turned on with the Krila it gets close, but the ZVX has it beat only in that regard. It simply has a more guttural and deeper haptic drone and a more authoritative slam. The Krila has the tighter and cleaner bass replay to my ears and is a bit more technically savvy for quicker bass arrangements in my music. I do think the Krila has the more accomplished bass which can handle most anything you throw at it. More detailed, more textured.
Midrange
Beginning in the lower midrange and focusing on male vocals, the ZVX has a thicker note weight with a smoother sound whereas the Krila has better resolution and clarity. Female vocals in the upper-mids are also smoother on the ZVX and are less vibrant and forward than the Krila. I do find that the Krila has better control of this area and region (in my opinion) with the better sounding female vocals. However, between the two the Krila is the only one with timbre issues that can arise due to the balanced armature. Despite that, I like the presentation of the Krila a bit better, but both are very nice. The ZVX is a tad warmer, fuller and smoother but the Krila is more energetic, shimmery and resounding.
Treble Region
Both sets offer a similar treble region to me, but I find the Krila to sound more boosted, more technically sound and with quicker transient attack & decay. The Krila has better treble “bite” and has perceivably better extension. The ZVX is again, smoother, more laid back yet still has enough vibrancy to uplift the whole spectrum. Both are nice and while the graphs look very closely, I can assure you there are audible differences.
Technicalities
The Krila has a more dynamically analytical sound with better details, cleaner, and a more vibrant sound all together. The ZVX is smoother, more musical, emotional, and fuller in note weight. I find the Krila is able to highlight the subtleties in a track much easier, but both are above average in this respect. The soundstage of the Krila quite easily bests that of the ZVX. It’s wider, just as tall but the Krila is deeper with better layering of sounds. I also find the Krila to have much better separation and imaging. Basically, technicalities all go to the Krila.
All things considered
KZ has been doing this thing for their existence where they one-up the previous versions of earphones. I suppose this is the same way in any field and with most legacy type products when their is a want in the market that can be filled. However, I’ve never seen it at such a fast pace. KZ will one-up an iem within a three month period. Such is the case here. The ZVX is good, actually it’s very good for the price. It offers great sound, truly. We wouldn’t have dreamed to get this five years ago. Yet here we are. In spite of that, the Krila is simply a technically better iem and is also very simply a more polished iem. Plain and simple.
KZ D-Fi “Tunable Version” ($32)
The KZ D-Fi is one of my benchmark budget sets. I reviewed the D-Fi recently, you can read that review HERE. Truly it outperforms almost anything in the price point quite easily in many regards. The D-Fi is a single DD with its own set of dip-switches which react well and also slightly change up the sound to suit your tastes. The D-Fi is built completely if a Zinc Alloy and has a mirror polish. Truly a contender.
Differences
Starting with the build, the D-Fi is much better. Just a beautiful iem which coincidentally looks strikingly familiar to the Krila, however, the D-Fi has an all-metal mirror polish covering everything. Just DOPE! The Krila only has faceplates made out of alloy. As far as looks, in my opinion they both look nice to me. Probably the D-Fi if I were to pick. As far as sound, the D-Fi is slightly warmer though both sets are close to neutral sounding. The D-Fi comes across much smoother across the board, also more of a natural timbre and fuller note weight. The Krila has the brighter and more technical sound and boast the better control over busier tracks.
Bass Region
The Krila has less of a bass emphasis yet with more of an actual punch to the sound. The Krila has the quicker and more versatile bass region. However, when it comes to slam (though they are close) I would have to say the D-Fi has a bit more deep rumble in its tank depending on what switch setting you use. The D-Fi slams with a fuller boom, yet with less decisive punch. The Krila is tighter, leaner, but more solid at note ends and can manage fast bass tracks better. Between the two I find they both have nicely done low ends performances.
Midrange
Both iems share the same forwardness for male vocals, but the D-Fi has a hint more warmth. The Krila has a bit more of an edge to it, and definitely cleaner and better detailed, however this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s better. As for the upper-mids I find females on the Krila to have a slight bit more of a shimmery dressing to a female voice. A tad bit more illuminated and vibrant whereas the D-Fi has better note body, it’s smoother and a bit more emotional sounding, more musical. I would say that the Krila has a more spirited sound that is a bit closer to shout while the D-Fi is a touch more laid back in comparison. The Krila is better detailed with tighter transient responses and able to take on complicated tracks much better.
Treble Region
I find the treble of the D-fi to be slightly less boosted and less bright. The Krila on the other hand is simply abuzz, sprightly and has a crisper definition to notes. However, the D-Fi is more tolerable over long periods with a smoother playback while remaining pretty uplifted. Details come out on the Krila very well in comparison. The Krila has the better extension past 10k.
Technicalities
Between the two the Krila has a larger stage, this I find the Krila to have a slight bit more depth. Still the D-Fi doesn’t lack at all. Separation is better to my ears on the Krila while imaging goes to the Krila as well. Also, detail retrieval is easier to hear on the Krila. Basically, the Krila bests the D-Fi in virtually all technical areas. However, the D-Fi is a much more musical iem which is most definitely something to consider.
All things considered
I hhave both of these two iems in front of me. I have completed the arduous task of comparing. Always the hardest part of any review, without question. So much goes I to the process with so many variables to consider. This is half the reason why I preface these comparisons in every review with “this is not a duel to the death” I guess that takes the onus off of me a bit. Instead I’m trying to explain the sound of the set I’m reviewing. However, this doesn’t always happen. It usually turns into a duel. Somehow. Anyways, listening to these two, I found out that as much as I thought they were similar, I was wrong. These are two different birds. They share aesthetics to a degree but the part they play in my listening is much different.
The DD-Fi is more musical, organic, and has a more earthy sound. The Krila is more vibrant, off-natural, speedier and just more technical. After the back and forth between the two I’d say that this is no duel to the death at all. They are different enough that they actually begin to complement each other in a collection. Looking at the graph you’d think they are dead-eye the same. This just isn’t true. What they do share is this cleanliness per the tuning. Whether organic and earthy or vibrant and technical… They are clean. Both are fantastic at thier price and both are very competent iems.
Is it worth the asking price?
This must be a trick question I’m asking myself? I will keep this section pretty short because I absolutely believe the Krila is worth every penny. What a tremendous iem at the price of $17 dollars. You have a nice build, a great minimalist design that looks cool and a very vibrant, dynamic and detailed sound that provides an excellent listening session if that’s what you are into. Folks, let me repeat for the 50th time, this set is $17. Do I need to say it again? My biggest question for myself would not be if this is worth the price. The real question should be, “Is the KZ Krila the under $20 King?” For many it will be and in my opinion, it probably is. At least from what I have heard. Also, wait three months when KZ out classes this set.
Now, obviously there will be folks who don’t enjoy this set. If any of you are even close to being sensitive to shout, then I’d say maybe keep walking. Or if you are a basshead who adores big and plump low-ends that vibrate your nose hairs, maybe this isn’t the set for you. For anyone else on a budget or anyone curious, this is one of the easiest no brainers out there. This set can compete with pricier iems in a few metrics, namely in the details department. At least with sets up to about $50 or even more, especially in technicalities. Possibly the BA timbre will scare some folks off, but I don’t find it to be too noticeable as KZ did well to hide it as much as possible. All in all, the Krila is a stud at this price and I find it one of the best under $20 iem that I’ve heard. Surely we will see a better iteration of this soon, we can hope anyways.
Ratings (0-10)
Note: all ratings are based upon my subjective judgment. These ratings are garnered against either similarly priced sets or with similar driver implementations or styles with the unique parameters of my choosing. In the case of the KZ Krila ratings below, that would be $15-$25 iems in any configuration. Please remember that “ratings” don’t tell the whole story. This leaves out nuance and a number of other qualities which make an iem what it is. A “5” is exactly average and please take into consideration the “lot” of iems these ratings are gathered against. $15-$25 US is a broad scope of iems and so seeing a 9 better means something special. My ratings are never the same and each set of ratings tells a different story. Each time you read one of my ratings it will be unique to that review. Basically, I create a Rating that makes sense to me.
Aesthetic
-Build Quality: 9.8
-Look: 9.4
-Accessories: -.- (At this price Accessories don’t apply)
–Overall: 9.6
Sound Rating
-Timbre: 8.5
-Bass: 9.3
-Midrange: 9.5
-Treble: 9.5
-Technicalities: 10.0
Overall: 9.4
Ratings Summary:
I don’t always dig rating items, as I tend to think a lot gets lost in the black and white “grade” and people do tend to rely too much on them. This also rings true with the Krila. I decided upon the $15-$25 price point which will boost the numbers of the Krila significantly. If I would have pushed it to $35 then those ratings would have dropped quite a bit. Especially when you have absolute bangers around the $35 mark like the Reecho SG-01 Ova, Tripowin Piccolo, Simgot EW200 (actually around $39), Kiwi Ears Cadenza, QKZ X-HBB Kahn etc. etc. just to name a few. The list is a long one and it keeps going and after a long review like this I don’t have the headspace to think of them all. So, $25 seemed like a good place to stop. Plus, most people who are scraping to find the money for $17 are likely not going to be able to double that. This is about helping you people.
$15-$25 makes more sense
Still, in the $15-$25 segment there are a whole lot of excellent sets. That said, I honestly can’t think of an iem that bests the Krila in straight up detail retrieval. The midrange I feel is perfectly justified at 9.5 as the vocal rendering is very well done on this set for both males and females. Timbre within the midrange is good too with a effervescent and technical take on what natural sounds like. I’m happy with a 9.5.
The bass rating takes a little nuance to explain. Obviously if you are a basshead then there is no way you are giving the Krila a 9.3. I gave the Krila such a high score because the quality of the low-end is very good. I’m not kidding. I’m sure there will be those who listen and say I’m crazy but I just spent hours comparing with many sets. You only saw the two comparisons I decided to publish. The Krila can hang with any set in speed and delivery but it’s just a hint svelte in its oomph. I said a hair. But the other intangibles make the 9.3 a worthy grade to me and from my subjective perspective.
Then you have the treble. Timbre isn’t perfect in the treble region, but the sound is very crisp and clear with great resolution throughout and you cannot deny how technically proficient and detailed the Krila is up top. In the face of that, I could easily see someone giving it a lesser rating for their own reasons. I wouldn’t argue either. If your brain grows accustomed to the more lively sound than you will possibly begin to enjoy the treble here. You may even give the Krila a 9.5 or more.
They don’t tell the whole story
The only other issue I have with Rating a set like the Krila is that the rating doesn’t tell the story, at all. If you break down each individual Rating (Bass, Mids, Treble, technicalities etc.) it doesn’t show what the Krila looks like as a whole. It’s the “whole” which impresses me. Like any iem you have to step back and look at something, anything, for what it is using a panoramic lens. The macro is fun and I do that too, but the Krila is a set that brings it ALL together. Also, ratings aren’t good because nobody has heard everything. I certainly haven’t. I almost need to post every iem I’ve ever heard in this price range to qualify my ratings to you. Anyways, grains of salt my friends.
Conclusion
To conclude this review of the KZ Krila I want to first thank Tyvan Lam as well as KZ for supplying the Krila in exchange for a true and honest review and feature at mobileaudiophile.com. I had a good time reviewing this set. I really do love an iem that is this inexpensive and produces sound at the quality with which it does. How cool is that. To be completely honest, there really isn’t much at all that separates the Krila from $100 iems. No joke. The hobby has been trending this way. In fact, it isn’t out of the question for a person to enjoy their $15 ultra-budget set more than their $150 set. I hear it more and more. Tuning, quality of materials, R&D, emulation mixed with competition, knowledge, and the unique understanding of the community at large has gotten so much better. Competition is at an all-time high. Competition breeds better products and lower prices, it’s a tried-and-true system. It is a wonderful time to be a fan of audio.
Thanks
Also, thank you to the reader. It means a lot to me that anyone would spend the time to read my thoughts and blabbering’s. I do hope it helps at least one person as I give you my exact thoughts from exactly what I hear every time I type a word for review. That will never change. However, don’t stop at me, please. Please check out other thoughts. I am one man, and this is the most divisive and subjective hobby out there. What is good to one man may not be good to another. It’s just the truth. Get to know reviewers. And please look into other perspectives. We all have different likes and dislikes, musical libraries, hearing ability and we haven’t all been down the same audio journey. I don’t think you understand how much that last point affects our opinions. We only know what we’ve tried, it’s just the truth. You can only report what you know. So, get to know other reviewers and check out other reviews. Please take good care and try to stay safe…God Bless.
