Here we have TKZK Wave review. 1BA + 1DD is it’s setup. TKZK is a brand with extensive OEM experience. This and their clever choices are explaining it’s high price to performance ratio.
Box, Box Contents, TKZK Wave and Cable
Black colored tiny budget box. A welcoming card in English and Chinese is the first thing you see. Contents are suprisingly poor.
Looks like 3d printed of resin and fit is comfortable. Cable is retractable. Case is extending into my ear. Looks like inserting deep and gain a monitor-like ability is what it wants. Short and wide nozzle.
Cable is very ordinary and thin yet braided. Silver plated and somewhat long square like first connection. Essential Y split is very longer than usual and chinguard piece is missing.
Driver Configuration: 1 (10mm) Dynamic Driver + 1 Balanced Amature
Frequency: 10-40Khz
Sensitivity: 110 +- 3dB@ 1K Hz V0.126V
Impedance: 22Ohm +- 15%
Max Distortion: 3%@1kHz 0.126V
Plug: 3.5mm Gold Plated Plug
Wire Length: 1.2m
Sound
Bright timbre. Background is very dark. Stage is wide. Presentation is somehow forward. Isolation is especially high. Meaty mid basses and high in body*. Layering and details are so so. Texturing is well, so is control (I didn’t hear comfort disturbing bass leaks), stage depth and 3d imaging. Vocals are smooth. %2 sibilance. Drivers have the potential to go higher. I’ll see at amping and cabling section.
*I’d expect occasional mid bass thumps at rock/metal and muddyness when double kicks began at live recordings. But I didn’t hear any.
Bass is the most successful area of the Wave. Some may say “typical budget chi-fi” But give it a sprinkle of power and see the bass strength in the control.
Mids are somewhat good. I am not getting poor (both experience and technical) performance despite it’s price. Absence of sibilance and high control is a good addition.
Treble is harsh. Or jagged. Result is a upper frequency happy performance.Treble brings a true classic HM into mind.
Amping TKZK Wave
Body, slam, stage width and separation rose up. Looks like an amp is what it desires.
Cabling TKZK Wave
6N Pure Copper cable had revealed it’s stock cable’s mischief on it’s sound performance. The sound I hear has more pressure now. This is the first sign of an insufficent cable. Notal strenght or weight had risen up. As well as stage widened, became almost immersive. Detail projection capacity has obviously rose up.
TKZK Review Conclusions
This TKZK isn’t your average budget chifi iem. Some sharp tones in its soundscape and the potential to be tiring in the long run. But the amplifier and the cable had balanced it’s result, corrected its wrongs and gave it life – revealed the true nature of the beast. A nice hit for 32$
