DZAT DT-05 OOTB impressions.
This IEM is all about the bass.. and just like the song says "no treble". I don't know if the couple of negative reviews just had me lower my expectations a bunch or what, because these aren't nearly as bad as people were making them out to be. I have to wonder what people were expecting when they put IEMs that have two big 'ol dynamic drivers in them in their ears.
Bass: Yes, there's a huge midbass hump, but it doesn't bleed into the mids nearly as much as one would expect. The bass is overabundant, but tight and fast. I disagree with the folks saying the sound is bloated. There's a ton of bass, but it's not loose. Going along with that huge midbass hump is some brain rattling sub-bass. The best part about the subbass on these is that I don't have to crank an EQ up to uncomfortable levels to get that brain rattle it's just there. When I say subbass, I'm talking 40Hz and lower. These feel like they're tuned to really excel on the 25-30hz frequencies.
Mids: Smooth, controlled, not too recessed, very warm to the point of there being an artificiality to the tone. Not unpleasant, just nothing neutral about the sound. If you EQ'd out some of the bass you'd probably have some really good male and lower female vocals. Male barbershop groups have plenty of ring and overtone, however female quartets are missing overtones and lack ring, which brings me to...
Treble: Do you like sparkle? Do you like the Xe800 or **** 4in1? If so, this isn't the headphone for you. I haven't heard an IEM with treble this rolled off in a long time. Does that make it bad? Well, opinions will vary. To me, while there's a clarity and sparkle noticeably missing, it also leads to a very comfortable non-fatiguing sound.
Clarity: Well, there's a bit of a veil to everything which is only exacerbated by the lack of treble. That being said, it's no more veil than my IE80s, it's just more noticeable because of the rolled off treble.
Soundstage: This is one of the best traits of these IEMs. Start up your favorite headphone test track and enjoy the wide, deep and out of head sound. This surprised me since a lack of treble or sparkle can often lead to a closed in or "canned" sound. Not with the DT-05. Lots of space and remarkably good separation all things considered.
Verdict: Definitely worth the $20 I paid for them. Are they great? no. Will I be doing any critical listening with them? Not a chance. But for a good non-fatiguing sound that gets my foot tapping with some sub-bass that makes me involuntarily smile, they're pretty damn good.
Suggested Genre: Drum N Bass