- KZ DQ6 New-level HIFI professional headset technology benchmark,array type three-unit dynamic earphone,excellent overall performance, presenting high-fidelity music, allowing you to hear more details of good sound.
- 10mm dual magnetic dynamic unit + two 6mm single magnetic dynamic units, Brand-new structure, powerful analytical power, clear vocals, distinct musical instruments, and rich musical details can be displayed.
- The 10MM dual magnetic dynamic, once again used as the basis of low-mid and low-frequency sound, has deep bass and strong elasticity, which greatly improves the sensitivity and enhances the low-frequency texture again.
- Array type dynamic high frequency combination can greatly optimize the problem of insufficient high frequency of single dynamic, and can increase the range of sound field, and the sense of hearing is closer to stage sound.
- Zinc alloy face cover + fully transparent ear shells are selected, the internal structure is clearly visible, and the beauty of science and technology is clearly displayed. The visible details are attentive.
Pros: .Good Build
.Nice fit
.Great for bass heavy genres (EDM, Hip Hop)
Cons: .Sibilant at times
.Mediocre unboxing experience
.Narrow soundstage
About me Hello, I am a 23 years old Argentinean audio enthusiast. I have been enjoying this hobby for quite some time (~5 years) and recently I started writing reviews about the products I own in order to bring insight of them. I speak spanish as my mother tongue so if you wish to read this review in spanish you can head to my wordpress blog. Disclaimers:
This product was purchased with my own money
The review is based on 2-4hs listening sessions across 7 days - IEM used with stock tunning and accesories
Favourite music genres: Heavy Metal, Classical, EDM
Only lossless music from Qobuz
Gear used: Fiio E10K
Introduction This review will be about the Knowledge Zenith (KZ) DQ6, a triple dynamic driver IEM priced at $20.99 usd (found in Argentina for $41 usd)
Unboxing, build and accessories The IEMs come in a small and simple box, in my opinion nothing to worrying giving the price point. At first sight, the IEMs are inserted into a hard foam to protect them from scratching. Under that foam, the cable and three pairs of extra eartips can be found.
The KZ DQ6 have a 3 dynamic driver configuration which are contained within an acrylic shell. The faceplate of the iem seems to be some kind of metal/aluminium and comes in to different colours: matte gray or silver. The cable that comes in the box is okay but the eartips can difficult the fit of the DQ6. If you have some preferred aftermarket tips, I recommend you use those instead.
Regarding comfort, the shape of them is perfect for my ears and I can use them for long listening sessions with some adjustements here and there.
Good "air"/detail in the treble region (can be quite fatiguing for some)
Subjective Sound Description I divided this segment in two categories: gaming performance and musical performance.
Gaming
In this category I tried two kinds of different games: a Singleplayer game to test the level of immersion I get from this IEM and a Multiplayer game to test the imaging accuracy.
.Dying Light (Singleplayer)
With a good fit they provide excellent isolation and make a pretty immersive experience
Not a lot of spaciousness but you can infer the distance between each zombie on the streets
The voice acting of NPCs sound natural with a good sense of right to left feeling
Explosions during the campaign can sound a little bit harsh
.Apex Legends (Multiplayer)
Footsteps coming from right/left are rather easy to hear so as is to discern when an enemy is running or jumping
Gunshots can sound too strident for my liking
Sense of spaciousness and imaging got better overtime. The first 10 matches it seemed kind of difficult to locate enemies inside buildings. When you get familiar with how this IEM sound it becomes much clearer.
Music
Starting of with Iron Maiden (Live at Long Beach Arena) the instruments sound and voices sound natural and organic. However, the presence of the bass guitar can feel a little too much due to the tunning of the DQ6. Imaging does good in songs like "2 Minutes To Midnight", to guitars up front with the singer and the drums further back.
"Vivere" by Bocelli sounds right, the voices sound natural but female vocals seem a bit more emphasized than male vocals. On the other hand, during "Spring" from The Four Seasons (directed by Fabio Biondi) I find a decent sense of clarity with the triple driver configuration offering good resolution.
EDM is a genre where this in ears shine. The bass sounds punchy and extends well into the sub-bass region. Can get a little congested in more complex tracks.
As mentioned, female vocals have more presence in the mid region. I find it quite pleasant to listen to songs from Adele and Amy Winehouse.
Lastly, Yosi Horikawa's work shows that the soundstage on the DQ6 is average at best. It also reveals good left to right imaging but the stage is neither deep nor wide.
Conclusion KZ DQ6 offers a good value for the money. Is an IEM with good build quality and can shine in genres like EDM, Rap, Pop and Hip Hop. They are quite versatile as well, but the genres listed are the ones that favours the most. If you can get around some of the caveats like not a very attractive unboxing experience and the low quality eartips, I believe it is a great IEM to get into the audio rabbit hole.
A KZ ZEX and KZ DQ6 were sent to me by the KZ Official Team in exchange for a fair and honest review. I personally requested this unit of the DQ6 after positive feedback from some of my reviewer colleagues. This review is not sponsored, and no money was involved whatsoever. No external influences aside from my own will change the content of this review, and as always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Overview:
The DQ6 is perhaps one of the less known in the KZ lineup hiding in the shadow of more famous relatives like the ZSN or EDX. It features a 3 dynamic driver configuration with a single 10mm dual-magnetic “XUN” driver and two other 6mm single-magnetic dynamic drivers encased in a resin housing with a metal faceplate. It’s tuned to a fun v-shaped signature.
Inclusions: A
This IEM comes in the by now incredibly familiar white box that many budget Chi-Fi IEMs from different brands also come in. It’s a standard slide out box, the outside features a picture of the product with some extra info on the sides and back. Sliding it out reveals the IEMs nested in a cut foam platform which when removed reveals the new KZ 2-core cable that I first saw on the EDX Pro and 3 of KZ’s ultra-thin and soft tips which seem to be shaped like short nozzles R-Starlines. These are NOT the same tips that come with the ZEX, they are even thinner and flimsier, and I found them to be unusable for the purposes of this review.
The included cable is an excellent new addition to KZ’s budget products. It’s very soft and extremely resistant to tangles and kinks. The connectors are made of a transparent plastic whilst the 3.5mm jack and the splitter are made out of a hardened rubber material. The only gripe I have it that it has a fair amount of shape memory, however this is thankfully remedied by the softness of the cable, and for a budget IEM, this is one of the best I’ve seen rivaled only by the Moondrop SSX and FAAEAL Hibiscus stock cables.
Overall decent stock package. Tips need to be better but great cable
Build: A+
This IEM is built similarly to it’s brother the ZEX with a resin/plastic housing the bulk of the components like the drivers and a thick metal faceplate for heft and aesthetics. However, unlike the ZEX, the DQ6 adopts a much more molded resin shell design that resembles a CIEM more than a typical UIEM, it’s quite molded and this results in a rather snug and secure fit. However, do note that this IEM has a rather aggressive concha fin protrusion. It personally didn’t bother me but I have spoken to a fair few people who found it quite uncomfortable, so do note that if you have a shallow concha depression. There is a single vent facing the XUN main driver and another larger vent on the faceplate (which might be a reason for this IEM’s soundstage performance) However, despite the venting I still noticed some mild driver flex on this IEM. Additionally, the nozzle has the similar issue of a too-small nozzle, making it tricky to tip roll. Overall, the build quality and comfort of this IEM is quite good, with a few minor caveats to look out for.
Sound Review Conditions:
Stock KZ 2-core QDC cable
Final E, BeeNoise, AZLA SednaEarfit and Sony EP-EX11 Eartips
This IEM has bass that can be characterized as punchy, fast and clean. The presentation errs towards a more distinct, transient heavy sound with extremely prominent initial snap to all but the slowest and thumpiest of notes. The actual bass frequencies are quite balanced but with an emphasis on the subbass. The quality of the initial attack doesn’t quite carry over perfectly to the decay stage though because this IEM can occasionally be too fast for some tracks, lacking some of the thickness and lack of control that some tracks seem to like. However, for almost any track that’s well mastered this IEM performs exceptionally well with excellent impact and weight behind. Bass texture is very well done, thanks to a good frequency balance and driver control the subbass prominence doesn’t come at the cost of the midbass. Overall, the clarity and speed of the bass combined with the tonal balance mean that this IEM has fantastic bass that works well for almost any conceivable application and genre of music. For 20 $ this is the best bass I’ve heard in an IEM, thus, a provisional S+ rank here.
Mids: A-
This IEM has a less balanced midrange response with an emphasis on upper range instruments and vocals and less forward lower mids. Despite having plenty of bass and especially weight and definition, this IEM’s male vocals could use some more warmth or thickness because the cleanliness of the bass region means that there is little midbass affecting the mids to thicken and mix with them resulting in a slightly hollow presentation. On the inverse hand, the upper midrange has been overcompensated for with what seems to be a rather sizable 2k peak, which results in shoutyness and sibilance in tracks that are susceptible to it at medium-high listening volumes. However, despite all the negative things I’ve said so far the actual listening situation isn’t too bad, in fact it’s still fairly good. Pairing these with a more musical and thick, warm amp resolves both the issues in one go and makes these sound much better. Regardless, as they are stock, these IEMs are about average for their midrange at best.
Treble: A
This IEM has the usual affair of budget IEMs, a focus on the lower treble and a rolloff at the mid treble with what can only ever be described as a chasm of death when looking for actual treble air and extension. It’s good but nothing special. Cymbal hits are decently snappy and provide the necessary brightness but they don’t have too much shimmer to them as you would expect. Treble air is just ok. False detail capabilities at mid treble are ok, nothing special. Extension isn’t here as you would expect from a budget IEM with no BA drivers. Overall treble performance isn’t too remarkable to me frankly.
Technicalities: S+
This IEM has a really good set of technicalities on it for it’s price. Firstly and perhaps it’s most attractive feature is a really wide, expansive soundstage that matches significantly more expensive IEMs in terms of sheer width. Now in terms of actual staging it’s not as impressive with less depth and front and back stage however, imaging is quite good and fairly finite on this IEM. Separation is well done the cleanliness of the frequency reproduction and the wide soundstage help pull things apart immersively without sounding forced or unnatural. Timbrical performance is very good, the fact that this is an all-DD IEM definitely shows it’s merits here. Detail retrieval is also good for the price, with this IEM able to resolve as well as comparable hybrids, perhaps due to the fact that it has those 2 extra micro-DDs. Overall technical performance is as good as it gets, and if you can get these IEMs at the SRP pricing of 19$ where I live, they stand head and shoulders above their competitors. Provisional S+ rank awarded here again.
Conclusion:
This IEM is so close to being great. It has the makings of a very well tuned IEM, and has the superb technicalities to back it up. It has none of the issues that plague it’s DD+BA brothers and most, if not all of those same benefits. I implore KZ to consider perhaps making a sonically upgraded version of this IEM that fixes it’s tuning missteps. Even so, as it is, this is a great all-rounder IEM for some clean bassy fun and it’s easily one of my favourite KZ models. Highly Recommended
Thank you very much to KZ for sending these out. When possible, do buy direct from them. It should save you from a headache if QC issues do arise.
No filter in the world will compensate for the poor drivers KZ uses. The bass will always remain slow and sloppy. Just save your pennies and get a set of Arias or T3+ for light years better performance if you're a cheap ass...save for a few months more and get the Kato or 7Hz IEM for unicorn performance and forget about anything else.
Disclaimer: I bought this during the march sale on AliExpress at my own expense.
Price: 25 usd (was 21 usd during the sale)
Specifications:
Impedance: 24Ω
Earphone sensitivity: 112dB/mW
Frequency range: 20-40000Hz
Driver unit: 3DD (10mm dual magnetic dynamic unit *1 + 6mm single magnetic dynamic unit*2)
Accessories:
S/M/L silicone narrow bore tips
Cable: Better than KZ´s old brown cable, it works and at this price getting another cable isn’t that smart. (No measurements as I forgot about it and can’t find the cable anymore lol.)
Build: Metal faceplate with resin body, average size. Looks very high quality but the resin doesn’t feel as good as some other (a lot more expensive) resin iems. There is an inner-vent (taping this vent will increase the bass but also increase pressure build up) and vent on the faceplate to alleviate pressure. Nozzle is metal and has a lip and the mesh is metal as well.
Fit: Works great for me but people with very small ears can run into problems as this is bigger than KZ´s older iems.
Comfort: Good but could be better (my ears don’t like iems with a “wing”).
Isolation: Average isolation. Setup: Schiit Asgard 3 (low-gain, volume around 8´o clock), Elecom EHP-CAP20 tips L, cable A3 4.4mm, DIY FOAM MOD (1/16 size)
Lows: Elevated bass with a sub-bass focus which makes it very fun but it is still clean due to it being fast and tight and is very well textured.
Mid-bass: Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), fast and tight and quantity is pretty decent, although struggles because of the separation, individual strikes aren’t very clean. The (02:55-03:01) section with the chopper is hearable but could be cleaner.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), elevated quantity makes it very fun but still clean due to the speed and tightness. Texture is also very good.
Sub-bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), extends low and rumbles a lot. Punch quantity is pretty high as well but is still tight, fast and well textured. Tonality is very good as well.
Will Sparks – Sick like that (03:08-03:22), a lot of quantity (and well textured) which makes it very fun but it is still clean due to it being on the faster side as well as tight.
Mids: Vocal balancing isn’t that good due to the male vocals being recessed while female vocals are more neutral. Quality is good due to the natural timbre and bass doesn’t bleed into the mids either. But this is not a good recommendation to people that prioritizes vocals (due to the V-shaped tonality).
Female-vocals: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), excellent vocal and instrument tonality/timbre, although vocals could be a little bit more forward. Detail and clarity are excellent as well.
Yuki Hayashi – MightU (01:58-02:55), vocal tonality needs to be brighter as well as more forward but timbre is very good. Instrument tonality and timbre are very good.
Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), not shouty.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Crescent (02:07-02:26), shouty and a bit chaotic due to the instrument separation.
Male-vocals: Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (00:57-01:17), vocal and instrument tonality/timbre are very good but vocals are recessed.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), instrument tonality and timbre are very good but vocal tonality needs to be warmer as well as more forward (it is recessed), timbre is good though.
Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), electric guitars aren’t sharp while tonality is very good.
Deuce – America (03:03-03:16), not shouty but instrument separation can’t keep up and it is chaotic.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), Cello tonality, timbre, texture and detail are very good. Violin timbre and detail are very good but tonality could be brighter, treble extension is good.
Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), very good tonality and timbre as well as clean.
Soundstage: Extremely big soundstage in both width and depth, holographic.
Tonality: V-shaped with a tonality that doesn’t lean too much towards warmth/brightness and is well balanced. Timbre is very good and it is coherent.
Details: Very good macro-details but pretty average micro-details.
Instrument Separation: Separation and imaging are good for the price but it does struggle with fast and busy tracks (nothing I would complain at this price though).
Good genres: Rock/Metal, Trance, EDM, Pop, Kpop, Hiroyuki Sawano, Linkin Park
Bad genres: Very versatile for my library, but hip-hop, R&B and vocal music are the weaker genres.
Comparisons:
IEM: Blon BL-03 (mesh mod), Radius deep mount tips L, cable B3 4.4mm
Bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), similar extension but more rumble on the 03. Punch quantity is a bit higher on the 03 but tighter, faster and more textured on the DQ6. Tonality is a bit better on the 03 but cleaner on the DQ6.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), similar quantity but cleaner on the DQ6 due to it being a bit faster and tighter. Similar texture and overall tonality are quite similar.
Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), cleaner on the DQ6 due to the faster and tighter bass and tonality is slightly brighter on it. While it is warmer and more bloated on the 03.
Mids: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), vocals have similar quantity (and tonality) but is cleaner and more detailed on the DQ6, timbre is better on the 03 but still very natural on the DQ6. Instrument tonality and timbre are better on the 03, although the mid-bass on the 03 has some slight bleed compared to the cleaner DQ6.
Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), a bit peakier on the 03 but similarly relaxing.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), vocals a bit more forward on the 03 and better timbre but similar tonality while detail and clarity are a bit better on the DQ6.
Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), electric guitars are a bit brighter on the DQ6 and more tonally correct but better timbre on the 03.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), Cello tonality and timbre are better on the 03 but better clarity and texture on the DQ6. Violin tonality, timbre and texture are similar but better clarity and treble-extension on the DQ6.
Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), a bit better tonality on the DQ6 and cleaner. Timbre is a bit better on the 03.
Technicalities: Shiro Sagisu – Hundred years war (02:24-02:57), soundstage is a LOT wider and also deeper on the DQ6 and is holographic on it. Detail, instrument separation and imaging are better on the DQ6. Timbre is better on the 03.
Overall: They are both my top 2 budget iems (during this review at least) but the DQ6 is a step above the 03 for my library, mostly due to the cleaner bass and bigger soundstage.
Bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), lower extension and more rumble on the DQ6. Punch quantity is also higher on the DQ6 but tighter, faster and a bit more textured on the GD3A. Tonality is more accurate on the DQ6.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), more quantity on the DQ6 but cleaner on the GD3A due to the faster and tighter bass along with more texture.
Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), DQ6 is bloated in comparison due to it having slower/ looser bass and poorer instrument separation.
Mids: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), vocals are a lot cleaner and detailed on the GD3A as well as having better tonality and timbre, a little bit more forward as well. Instrument tonality is a bit better on the DQ6 (although unclean in comparison) while timbre is similar.
Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), peakier and more fatiguing on the GD3A.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), a little bit more forward vocals on the GD3A while it is also cleaner and more detailed. Tonality for both vocals and instruments are a bit better on the DQ6, while timbre is similar.
Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), electric guitars are more tonally correct on the GD3A but sharper.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), Cello tonality and texture are better on the DQ6 but similar timbre while it is cleaner on the GD3A. Violin tonality, texture, detail, clarity and treble-extension are a lot better on the GD3A while timbre is better on the DQ6.
Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), better tonality on the DQ6 but a lot cleaner on the GD3A and similar timbre.
Technicalities: Shiro Sagisu – Hundred years war (02:24-02:57), wider on the DQ6 but deeper and more holographic on the GD3A. Detail, imaging and instrument separation are a lot better on the GD3A. Timbre is a little bit better on the DQ6.
Overall: The GD3A is the better iem here and both are V-shaped iems, so the GD3A could be called the upgrade to the DQ6 (although their tonality is still different so its not a “true” upgrade).
Bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), extends a bit lower on the FD5 but similar rumble. Punch quantity is very similar, but tighter, faster and more textured on the FD5. Tonality is very similar.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), a little bit more quantity on the DQ6 but cleaner on the FD5 due to it being tighter, faster and more textured.
Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), cleaner on the FD5 due to the faster and tighter bass. (But treble is sharper here on the FD5.)
Mids: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), a bit more forward vocals on the FD5 and better tonality as well, similar timbre though. Instrument tonality is better on the DQ6 but a bit better timbre on the FD5. Cleaner and more detailed on the FD5.
Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), more fatiguing and sharper on the FD5.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), similar vocal quantity but cleaner and more natural (timbre) on the FD5. Although tonality is better on the DQ6.
Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), a little bit sharper and more fatiguing on the FD5.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), Cello tonality is a little bit better (warmer) on the DQ6 but similar timbre while detail, clarity and texture are better on the FD5. Violin tonality is similar but better timbre, detail and treble-extension on the FD5.
Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), a little bit better tonality on the DQ6 with similar timbre, more detailed and cleaner on the FD5.
Technicalities: Shiro Sagisu – Hundred years war (02:24-02:57), soundstage is a bit wider (and airier) on the FD5 but with similar depth. Detail, imaging and instrument separation are a lot better on the FD5. Timbre is a bit better on the FD5 as well.
Overall: They are somewhat similar but the DQ6 is the more relaxing and fatigue free iem with a warmer tonality, while the FD5 is brighter and more technical. Although the DQ6 in its stock form is actually extremely similar to the FD5, so in the DQ6 stock form the FD5 is a true upgrade over the DQ6.
Conclusion: Highly recommended, with this mod, TOTL tuning to me. In stock form It is good but can be a problem for treble sensitive people as it is quite peaky. Thanks for reading.
yo, i had to grab these after reading yours and Resolution's comments about these with filters, and my filters had just come in a couple days beforehand. i guess i have the O2 filters since i bought the replacement set of 5 pairs.
I still like the FH3 more since i don't notice any timbre or coherency issues, but the DQ6 + $1 worth of filters is probably 90% as good and more comfortable without any serious worry of damaging them at this price.
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