Bad Guy Good Audio Rankings and stuff (under construction) (Part 2)

Ok this sounds awesome through the Z300 x HBBs

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I have and am very happy about them.

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I trust they’re fantastic for sure. Would be awesome to see all the options for custom tips from other companies put into one gigantic informational post because I’m too laz- I mean don’t have much free time :sweat_smile:

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!

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Ahhh very good to know :+1:
Great reviews and can’t agree enough about the PR2
I think it’s definitely the budget king for technicalities :ok_hand: and tuning preferences can be fixed with EQ :metal:

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The best value planar out !

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I just got the notice that my PR2 shipped. I am still waiting on my Z300, which shipped last week.

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Everytime that I grab these bad guys to listen to music I can only think: “Why the HELL do you spend 15-20-30 times more in another sets?”

Am I alone? :rofl:

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I own them and I like them. But when you will try something that has more resolution, you will understand.

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I say let them be happy if they’re happy, I’m glad @usagidan has found a stopping point in this rabbit hole.

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I didn’t find! :joy:

What I meant to say it’s that set brings me so much fun and joy, sometimes even more than another sets I have costing $200-$300.

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I think we can all agree that even if it isn’t this particular set, we all have at least one that hits us this way

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Just received the z300 today. I think I’ve been spoilt by the midbass of the EA500. Sadly these aren’t for me but gracious for all you do for the community Chris. Looking forward to the PR2 that are on the way :+1:t5:

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I used to have spoilts too, then I started putting more rice in my diet and it cleared it right up. ba-dum tish

What color set did you get? Think you’re going to keep them?

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Dark blue. I think I’ll be gifting these ones unfortunately

While I appreciate the immense value of these, especially looking at the IEM value timeline from 1-2 years ago and that a person used to have to drop $100-270 for this SQ and build…

I’ll also be passing mine along unless something really “clicks” or stands out as special to me. The tuning of the EA500 is working out better for me so far.

That sentence does end with a “so far” however, and I’m learning to give sets more time, use cases, and tips before deciding to be done with them.

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If you do move them on, let me take a go with them if you don’t mind? I need to see what these are all about

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I’m surprised you didn’t place an order already lol