Linsoul QKZ x HBB 10mm Titanium-Coated Diaphragm HiFi In-ear Monitor Earphones with Semi-open Cavity, Detachable 2Pin Silver-plated Cable, Noise Canceling for Audiophile (With mic)

Product Information

I have no hesitation in recommending the QKZ HBB it is a “do it all” gem of an IEM. You could spend hundred of dollars more for a lot less performance. Just like that, HBB delivers the goods……..in essence a tune that delivers both bass and adequate vocals. If this exact mix of fun and excitement is your bag, that’s up to you? Surely QKZ are making a bunch of these, knowing beforehand that they will sell no-matter-what. Is it a classic? In a way it kinda is! Why? Simply being…………..I’ve heard a bunch of IEMs before yet none exactly like what the Kahn is doing. Does that make it a necessity? Depending on your collection and what your trying to obtain, it actually may be necessary to acquire the QKZ x HBB Kahn, especially for its price! Just go into this venture knowing that the HBB Kahn (due to its tuning) will not ever be all things to all people, it doesn’t try to be. Still I’m surprised at how all this tuning magic played out, I mean why is this not done more often? Why has this exact tune never been done exactly like this before? If it has been done before, I’ve not heard it? And that my friends makes the HBB Kahn special, that and the price. Yep, this is a lot of IEM for the money asked............and even more if you relate to what sound profile it does in the end. Double the number, double the power. With two dynamic drivers, the sound of Khan precedes any ordinary dynamic IEM. It’s big 10mm driver contributes to the warm and immersive low-to-middle frequency while the medium 7.8mm diaphragm adds airy treble to the plate. No matter what your music taste is, instrumental or vocal, Khan is well-qualified to deliver. Furthermore, with audio purity intensified by LCP liquid crystal complexes diaphragm, Khan is the uncarved jade completely faithful to its input. Great with Mobile, Superb with Amplifier The only flaw I discovered was that longer nozzles on these are causing discomfort to me. They protrude from the ear. The over-the-ear cable is slightly raised and does not sit flat against the skin. I think treble extension is slightly in favor of the XHBB while the Lyra has a hint more emphasis, especially in the low-treble. The soundstage actually has more depth and more of a holographic sensation on the X-HBB with a slightly more fun and dynamic sound. Still, I’d say the Lyra has a wider stage. The overall timbre and tonality of the Lyra has an airier quality to it with better spacing and a touch more resolute overall. A Tough Call…

Being a perfect consumer, and a fan of the HBB collaborations I just had to try the QKZ HBB and just see what all the hype was about. There is more light, transparency and clarity in the Blon's midrange, with the timbre less impaired by the Khan's softness. Although they have more bass impact, the cut-off is not as abrupt as in the HBB Khan, they again seem more realistic and with a fuller, more realistic timbre. The HBB Khan's are more sparse, shaded, dense, dark, warm and analogue. They do not possess the sparkle or transparency that the BL-Max do, but they are not paradigmatic in this respect. The Blon's tuning makes the high-mids more present, offering a greater closeness on female vocals and guitars. They also possess a point of greater physicality and body in the first half of the mids. Undoubtedly, for better or worse, this is a more traditional tuning.This comparison is closer in tuning than the previous one, with the Wan’er coming out as more tonally balanced given the earlier and more prominent pinna region, while cutting the bass shelf by around 2 dbs. Again, the clarity goes up but when we isolate the treble itself, the Wan’er isn’t brighter but rather darker, especially past 6k during sine sweeps. The overall signature of my pair of QKZ HBB are on the warmer side without being overly dark. They are easily driven and will deliver a thumping surprisingly crisp tight well tuned bass… However what you also get is the midrange only slightly recessed and wonderful treble that rolls off before ever becoming sibilant…. reminiscent of much more expensive IEM’s.

The QKZ x HBB IEMs have since been my go-to pair when gaming, as their sound signature fits right in the games I casually play.You should treat this review as the subjective impressions of an audio geek rather than an “objective truth” about the IEM. Your experience with any IEM would change depending on your DAC/AMP, music library, ear tips, and listening volume. 7Hz Salnotes Zero Sound I had to include the KZ ESX and you know why if you look at the graph. And to be honest I like the ESX more than the QKZ as it can manage to balance all frequencies better for my taste. Although the bass level is still higher for my liking, more elevated upper mids, and treble help the end sound signature be more enjoyable. As for instruments, it gives more emphasis on percussive and some brass instruments, it gives snare drums more impact, penetrating and harder sound. Field drums also have harder and full sounding. Brass like trumpets has power and sonorous sounding, tubas seem to have this weighty and more resonant sound. Saxophone which is really not a brass instrument as it is more of a woodwind, has a very robust and warm sound. Strings like guitars and violins have rather less crisp sound as guitar sounds a bit more buttery and violin sounds rounded and lustrous. Pianos have a more lush sound due to a richer tone with more warmth into it to make it more velvety and vibrant. Which one to choose?​Personally, I do enjoy the QKZ X-HBB a bit more. It simply is closer to my target and what I prefer when listening to music. However, I can’t say that it isn’t extremely close considering all that the Zero does well. The difference for me lies in the fuller and more dynamically expressive sound of the XHBB, with its more robust and deeper low end and the way vocals come across more saturated in the “feels” department. This is in no way a rebuke of the Zero and I want to make sure there is no misunderstanding. I thoroughly enjoy that set. It is a budget Marvel in my opinion, and I do believe that it will be some time before we see another which is so well executed.

Even in technical aspects, Wa'ner is even better as it has more spacious head room and better layering and separation. It is even more detailed that it will provide better resolution.

The fit for me is like “Peas & Carrots”, or like a “Hand in a Glove”. This (Fitment) is obviously a subjective thing and really… I have zero idea why I waste digital ink on explaining it, but the XHBB fit me very well. Drivability I think treble extension is slightly in favor of the XHBB while the Lyra has a hint more emphasis, especially in the low-treble. The soundstage actually has more depth and more of a holographic sensation on the X-HBB with a slightly more fun and dynamic sound. Still, I’d say the Lyra has a wider stage. The overall timbre and tonality of the Lyra has an airier quality to it with better spacing and a touch more resolute overall. This is not indeed a clean bass response as there are some obvious bass bleeds that smear on the midrange that gives a more warmer sound and at the same time a sense of bloatedness.