KZ x HBB PR2

Well since everybody else has talked about build and comfort I'll just talk about sound and how it compares to the 1st version (I must clarify I bought this on my own and am nor in any way shape or form affiliated with kz)

Bass

The bass on the pr2 sounds very much like a dd and I really like dd bass so this is a pro for me, the sub bass despite having a lot of volume doesn't sound like it has too much emphasis which can be a good or a bad thing depending on the person
the mid bass and upper bass is clear and uncoloured while also not bleeding into the lower mids

Mids

The vocals and basically everything in the mids are quite forward and are quite uncoloured, basically think an hd600 but planar and in iem form

Treble

The controversial bit well let's get on with it, for my specific pr2 it's well the version 2 but somehow it has slightly less treble than the og pr2 which is odd because the og pr2 had the foam, but hey maybe just a specific model quirk, but the treble is extremely detailed and also very clear, absolutely smacks the dioko for detail despite them both being on the market for almost the same amount of time

Soundstage and imaging

It doesn't stage much forward but it does to the side and side forward/back pretty well and in that staging is some incredible imaging performance


Final thoughts

Honestly from the solid 2 or so weeks I've had this I will say it blows every pr1, the dioko, the pr3 (well the pr3 is a treble cannon so yk you use that to detect faults in your mix and the pr2 as your true reference iem, anyways I'm getting a bit ahead of myself), and every other iem, not just planars until like $160 out of the water and it's truly an amazing iem, not just for the money but in general

Truly deserving of S+ tier for under $200

The KZ HBBxPR2
Impedance
15±3Ω

Sensitivity
94±3dB

Frequency
20-40000Hz

Plug type
3.5mm

Pin Type
0.75mm

Cable Type
Silver-plated cable

Cable length
120±5cm

Wearing type
In-ear

The packaging, accessories and cable are all typical for KZ, I would have liked one of their better flagship cables but this one does in a pinch.

Ergonomics are above average, and I found the comfortable with good isolation. The build quality is very good, and they look great too. This one has a resin back like the Standard PR1. I'll be judging this on the PR1 HiFi as I didn't have the pro or standard.

Sound quality and impressions:
Bass:
The Bass, lows on the PR2 are surprisingly nimble. this is planar bass done well. Both Mid and Sub have impact and texture with good depth and speed. Its detailed and almost Dynamic in presentation.
The Midrange:
Mids are rich but not over emphasized they are just perfectly focused; they have good body and texture to them.
The highs:
Treble has a nice airy and open sound with high details and a well-controlled extension, there is zero harshness on this part at normal volume.
Soundstage:
The staging is wide and deep with an accurate and detailed placement.

Afterthoughts:
The HBBxPR2 is one of those exceptions to the rules. Its a planar with planar Mids but has a more dynamic sounding bass. There is good resolution and details but it also very enjoyable and fun to listen to.

*****************************************************************************************
Disclaimer: I bought this pair of IEMs with my own money. What you’re about to read is my experience with the unit I bought and it doesn’t need to define your experience, which may vary with mine. KZ didn’t pay me anything to do this review and I'm not affiliated with KZ. Also, I don’t have equipment to measure the graphs for frequency response, and I may not use audiophile terms and words which may be regularly used for others, I just want to share my opinion with anyone interested in buying or trying this IEM.
*****************************************************************************************

Introduction
First of all, I have to talk about the controversy with this IEM: For the moment I’m writing this, there are 2 known versions of this IEM, the one with a black mesh visible in front of the drivers (I’ll call it V1) and the version without the visible black mesh (I’ll call it V2). Most reviewers seem to have received the V1 variant, which seems to be part of the first batch, so it seems to be almost impossible to obtain at this moment. V2 is the variant I own, and most likely the variant you’ll be getting if you order this IEMs right now, and you may wonder, what’s the difference between this versions? Well, to be honest, because I don’t own V1, I can’t say for sure, but it seems there is a difference in treble: V1 has a more controlled and less sibilant treble, while V2’s treble seems to have harsh peaks. We’ll talk more about this in the next sections of the review, but I tell you this because it’s something you may need to take into account if you’re planning to buy this pair.
For the reasons explained before, this review will be about V2 variant of the PR2s and not the V1 variant. With that in mind, I must say that this particular IEM has blown my mind (for good) and I aim to answer to most questions some may have about this IEM.

Packaging
The PR2 comes in the typical small KZ box. Personally, I like it, it is small and easy to save somewhere. The important thing is what is inside the box: When you open the box, the PR2s flashy metal mesh will be shown. The cable included is the typical KZ cable which is just OK, not good nor bad, just OK. Personally, I’d prefer a different cable which may have replaceable plugs (will talk more about this later in the review), but it will have a rise in the price too. Lastly, the tips included are KZ’s star tips, which comes in 3 different pairs, one for every size (small, medium, big). Along with the typical silicone start tips, a pair of memory foam (good memory foam) comes inserted already in the IEM.
Note here: Some units of the PR2 seems to have changed the medium size for a different pair of tips (these have almost the form of a memory foam, but aren’t memory foam), I don’t own these pair of tips, these didn’t come included in my package.



Design and comfort
To be honest, the PR2’s are big IEMs, but lightweight at the same time. You can see in the back of the PR2’s the metal mesh that adds an aesthetic and flashy design. Because of this big metal part, the IEM seems to be thick and big when you are wearing it. Still, as said before, it doesn’t feel uncomfortable, but rather just big. If you have small ears, it may not be comfortable nor easy to wear, but otherwise, it is fine.



Sound
I know, this is what everyone was looking for, right? Well, this is a complex section for me to write, but I’ll try to explain myself the best I can.
Remember what I said about a cable that comes with replaceable plugs? Well, this one needs it. Why? The PR2's need a good amount of amplification, and to get best out of this pair you'll need to use a balanced output. Looking at the technical specifications, impedance may not be much demanding with only 18 ohms, but sensibility is pretty low for an IEM. You'll need a desktop DAC or a dongle with balanced output. If your DAC doesn't provides a good amount of power, then the sound will be sibilant and very, very, lower in volume, it will not be a pleasant listening. Alongside with the amplification, you'll need to do a burn-in process. Trust me, just do the burn-in before listening to this hard-to-tame IEM, I found that it sounded better with low power sources after the burn-in (it may not do any miracles, but will sound better even if just by a bit).

The equipment I've used for this review is the following:

• Hiby FC4 (4.4mm balanced output)
• FiiO/JadeAudio KA3 (4.4mm balanced output)
• LG V50 (3.5mm unbalanced output)
• US Apple Dongle (European provides less power)

When I listened to the PR2s coming out of the box, the sound was fine overall, but treble was very agressive and very sibilant, even if it had enough amplification, was hard to listen to, specially if you're treble sensitive, because it may hurt. For this to solve, I did the burn-in process. When the burn-in process was completed, the treble changed a lot for good, the treble still sounded kinda agressive, but not sibilant, not a harsh or metallic treble, instead, it is very present in the audio scene, and very, very, detailed (maybe, the best treble I have listened to below the $50 bucks). When on balanced output, treble will be alright, but on unbalanced output, you'll need to do the burn-in first, and have a nice DAC (like the V50's Quad-DAC or better). On the Apple Dongle, for example, sound will be lifeless and feel empty even after the burn-in process, like you can hear the sounds but with no sense in listening, no good details and frecuencies were hard to distinguish, very low and even sibilant or a sensation of "distorted".

Bass
For me, bass is quite natural in the PR2s, but it is not the star of the show. The bass feels correct, with enough quantity a very high quality, well controlled. With that said, this is not an IEM for bassheads, or not for all bassheads. You can feel the rumble sometimes, the sub-bass is well defined, but there's not a high rumble coming from the mid-bass. Still, bass is quite enjoyable, but maybe not for everyone.

Mids
I must start this section saying that male voices are very enjoyable, they sound fun and correct at the same time, full of life, energetic. For example, most Queen songs are pretty amazing, it is an amazing experience to listen to Queen with the PR2s. Female voices, while having a good sound overall, they mostly feel correct with a good sense of enjoyment, not bad, but they're not near of the same enjoyment as the male voices. Overall, mids aren't behind other frequencies, they are well placed over the scene and you can distinguish between various voices that sounds at the same time. To me, mids are, probably, the best mids for $40. This is not a mid-focused IEM, but you can hear a lot of details with mids and still have a musical and fun experience.

Treble
Well, this is the part where I strongly recommend this IEM, but at the same time this is where many people won't like the PR2.
Treble, for me, is the star here. The details you can find in the treble, specially with genres such as classical, jazz, rock or metal, is something you'll hardly encounter with IEMs of higher prices, but it is highly fatiguing and very increased compared to the other frequencies, even flirts a little with sibilance (but when using with a proper source, sibilance is not a problem). No, it's not a piercieng treble, nor metallic, it won't hurt you, but is a hard to digest treble for some people. Highs have good extension, a high level of detail and sounds natural, like it should sound if you were near the source of this frequencies. The first thing you'll notice when you put on the IEMs is the treble. Also, treble does not opaque the bass nor mids. Treble is above average, superb, but fatiguing at the same level.

Technicalities
Overall, the sound provided by the PR2s when using a balanced output sounds natural to me, and very well detailed, with a nice soundstage and instruments well placed in the scene, you can distinguish every instrument and you can even make a distinction of the voices you can hear at the same time. Soundstage, for an IEM, is quite good, having nice distances between instruments.

Comparisons
For you to get and idea, maybe a comparison is needed to better explain the sound of the PR2. I must say that I don't own many popular IEMs and I can't do a further comparison because of that, but I hope you'll get an idea with these comparisons.

KZ EDX Pro
If you're coming from the EDX Pro, difference is abismal. EDX Pro has a lot bass (mostly, mid-bass), and the bass opaques all frequencies while PR2 has a natural bass, witch a bit of punchy sub-bass and a correct mid-bass, not leaving behind the other frequencies. PR2's mids are really above the EDX Pro's mids, and treble is just way inferior in every sense in the EDX Pro. Technicalities in the EDX Pro are nowhere near the ones you can find in the PR2, specially micro-details and instrument separation. Still, EDX Pro is nice for the lower budget of 10$, but the difference is abismal with a well powered PR2.

KZ ZS10 Pro X
The ZS10 Pro X's (I'll write ZPX for short) is, depending where you can get them, for almost the same price as the PR2. How does these, with the same brand, compare? I truly believe the two pairs are a Win-Win. ZPX is more fun-focused, having a more present bass, sub-bass and mid-bass, while the PR2's bass is "better" in a sense of naturality and feels more "real", the ZPX is a better suit for a basshead, PR2 have a notable ausence of bass presence. Mids, in both IEMs, are well defined, but are a bit behind (just a tiny bit, nothing to worry about) in the ZPX compared to the PR2. Treble is more "secure" in the ZPX, but not as well detailed as the PR2's treble (which is just amazing). Also, ZPX is needs way less power to sound amazing.
Both are amazing IEMs, and I love both (seriously, KZ is doing impressive with their latest products), but are so different and with different market targets. If you like bass and like to just enjoy music with no complications in the topic of DACs or whatever, go for the ZPX. If you own a powerful DAC/AMP combo and you'll like to listen to a planar driver, and you like natural and precise sound but still want to have fun and enjoy the music quite a lot, go for the PR2.

Moondrop Aria Snow Edition
How about comparing the PR2 against an IEM that's double the price? Well, I'm amazed that it performs well. Both sounds different, but still, both are awesome. Biggest difference is treble, which is way more controlled in the Aria SE, not fatiguing at all, but with less detail than the PR2. Even though the treble is lessen in the Aria SE, somehow it still is the star of the Aria SE, so both IEMs offer treble as the star, but treble is represented differently between the two options. Bass is more detailed in the Aria SE, and, overall, more present in the sound, but it is not always as natural and "real" as the bass offered by the PR2. Mids are more forwaded in the Aria SE as well, and female voices are truly a nice experience to listen to in the Aria SE, but male voices aren't that enjoyable compared to the male voices in PR2.
For my surprise, PR2 can compete face-to-face with $80 IEMs. For me, Aria SE is better in build quality (kinda, Moondrop assets aren't quality control after all) and is more comfortable than PR2, but audio quality is face to face (different sound signature, though).

Conclusion
Maybe, just maybe, the best sound within the $40 threshold (I know this is subjective, but I fell in love with these), but it actually goes beyond $40 because of the DAC and AMP (yes, it is needed for the PR2s to shine as they should). It is both superb, but not aimed to beginners in the hobby as you must own a good DAC/AMP combo. It is cheap, sure, but expensive at the same time. Even though it has some notorious cons, these are overshadowed by the pros, specially if you have a proper audio equipment and a balanced cable. There are probably better options at this price, considering the "requirements" of the PR2, but having met those requirements, these might probably be one of the better options under $100 dollars (or even more).