Hey guys, I hope everyone had a great weekend! It’s finally time for the KZ PR2, and if it’s as good as Chris says it is then it’s going to be a game changer… and I guess there’s the JIU as well. But ya, maybe another crazy year incoming - let’s just jump into it.
Starting with the PR2, it sounds very similar to the OG Wu actually, which is 3x its price. Apparently it uses the same driver? I’m not too sure, so please correct me if I’m wrong @hawaiibadboy Anyways, the low-end is warm leaning like the Wu with a good amount of mid-bass, but slightly more sub-bass to my ears which really helps with that last bit of bass extension. It’s not DD levels of rumble, but it’s still very respectable, punchy, and fast in its bass attack and decay. Bass guitars are clear and articulate, and drums are very lively and have a great sense of momentum.
There is a little bit of coloring to the vocals mainly because of the extra bass, so you can expect vocals to sound warmer and slightly more forward vs the HeyDay and Tanya DSP, which I prefer more, but not as open (although still open) in the lower-midrange. But overall still very fun, and high quality low-end, bringing a nice slam with that planar speed. It’s crazy what we can get for under $50 these days.
Moving onto the mids, again, it’s warmer and not as neutral as the HeyDay, but instruments are overall still nicely layered and not muddying or burying each other on busy tracks. If you have a hiphop focused library then the PR2 will do very well, and I also found the energy in the mid-bass to be very fitting for rock as well since it brings the momentum to the drums and really completes the song. But, I do have a nitpick with the 4K and 15K region that tends to get fatiguing for me personally at louder volumes. Mid-volume is perfectly fine, but the 4-5K region with the elevated 15K sandwiches the 6-12K region, and brings too much focus to those other areas and hides certain parts of the treble, making the 6-12K less audible. So, I definitely think the PR2 could be smoother and better dynamically in that regard, but then again, it’s like $40? So, it’s a pretty killer set at this price.
Cymbals strikes are airy and sharp, but again, could be better extended since I do hear some masking on busier tracks like The Strangest Things where the middle parts between the attack and decay of the cymbals and electric guitars are harder to hear because of the masking. But in-terms of note-sharpness and resolution the PR2 is probably one of the best you can get under $150 because it’s Planar and tuned very well. Now, the P1 Max is still going to be my favourite Planar because it’s so unique, but I’d place the PR2 and HeyDay right behind it depending on whether you’re looking for a neutral or warmer sound, and I think the PR2 makes the OG Wu obsolete since it’s so similar performance and tuning wise that it doesn’t make sense to buy the Wu for 3 times the price - kind of like what the Olina did with the Oxygen. I’ll make a new budget list later, but the PR2 would probably rank in the top 5 behind the Tanya and Quarks DSP which is a different sound signature. But ya, great-job Chris. Looking forward to more!
Now, moving onto the JIU. I’ll make this very quick - it’s basically just the Chu but with more bass. The 13K peak is still there - and ya it’s less metallic sounding now, and ya the lowered 1K brings back the vocals and overall helps with vocal fatigue - but it just doesn’t compete with the Quarks and the Tanya DSP which both are way smoother, no harshness, better bass, and more natural sounding with no treble masking (15K peak).
The JIU is still great on its own, but it’s not as clean and smooth when you compare it to the Tanya DSP, but also not fun and warm like the PR2 or even the Waner and Hola to a degree. So, it just ends up falling into this deadzone of mediocre IEMs like the Droplet. I wouldn’t recommend the JIU since the Quarks DSP is just a better version of it, or the Tanya DSP if you want a slightly more exciting Quarks DSP. I don’t know why Moondrop didn’t just do a slight tweak to the Quarks DSP and called it a day, but, ya, it’s a no-go from me considering the competition out there. Anyways, that’s it for now. Thanks for reading!