Could the G10 just have a little more meat in the bass? Is that too much to ask?
1 Like
My favorite use case 
1 Like
I take everything back guys, EPZ 620 goes CRAZY with instrumentals - Wendy Marcini, Franz Gordon, Philip Glass, Lamp, Richard Dawson - I’m pretty sure it was because the fit was TRASH with the stock tips, and I thought my other tips wouldn’t fit because of the small nozzle, but it worked, and here we are 
The 620 reminds me of a mix between the U12T and SA6U… INTERESTING, well, back to the drawing board we go 
9 Likes
This thing has crazy good layering and detail for the price, also just realized it has a 4-way crossover plus the additional 6BAs at $200 USD. Kinda nuts guys, if you wanna try a mini U12T this is it…
5 Likes
How’s the timbre on them thar BAs?
Glad someone’s finally catering to the “freehand countryside” fans.
5 Likes
Damn, those are both beautiful graphs. 11.11 week is just a little money suck, isn’t it? I have so many things in my Ali cart as it is, I don’t know what I’ll choose but most likely it’ll be some cables and 1 new IEM that isn’t talked about much if the sales are half decent. Thank you for bringing the BGVP and the 620 to my attention boys… 
6 Likes
I am trying to whittle down my picks for 11.11
I think the Kiwi Ears Melody and the KZ Castor will make the cut, plus I need a couple cables.
@VIVIDICI_111 what cable do you use on Rosefinch? The stock one is bad ( looks just like the ZS10 Pro cable ), and my QDC cables don’t seem to fit ( the post is too squared off ). I put a 2-pin cable that I wasn’t using on it for now.
2 Likes
I use this one: https://a.co/d/7SmcyAI
You can use 2 pin, but TFZ is the correct connector for Rosefinch
2 Likes
Lou = Knowles
3 Likes
wow, 8BA + 2DD for under $200… thats an interesting set
1 Like
How much would you pay for harman in 2023 $100? $200? How about $35? Well, the G10 from EPZ is currently my favourite Harman budget set before the Olina SE.
Now the market is getting too saturated already with the same harman/diffuse field sound, so if you’re going to release another one, it better be on the cheaper side with some sort of differentiation factor such as price, packaging, or a slight twist to the sound, And I’m happy to report, the G10 does all of that - take notes moondroop.
Sound wise it’s very similar to the other harman sets, shocker, like the Crin Red, the Chu, the waners, and Arias of the world. EPZ pretty much took the Chu and the Chu 2, split the difference, and made a better version of them. The G10 doesn’t have the grainy and sharp issue of the cheaper sets, and more refined versus the 7hz Zero and OG Chu - WHILE having one of the smoothest uppermids to treble transition out of all the cheaper Harman sets, as well as having decent treble extension on top.
It sounds slightly cleaner and a bit more resolving than the Waner, Hola, Chu 2, EW100, and Cadenza because of the extra energy combined with less mid-bass. Now, the twist of the G10 comes from its elevated uppermids combined with a tamer low-end - this gives female vocals that extra sparkle and liveliness while being relatively clean without coming off as shrill and sharp. It’s perfect for mid-volume listening, and although it doesn’t blow out my ears when I crank it up, I wouldn’t recommend blasting these at high volumes because of the extra energy. Resolution, bass texture, and technical performance wise, it’s $35, it’s ok, decent even, but don’t expect crazy performance or anything.
Now, is the G10 worth the extra $10 to 15 versus the EW100P? I would say… yeah, the build, fit, cable, and sound on the G10 is an overall upgrade and since it’s on sale right now I think the price is fair. Of course these are small differences, but they do add up to worthwhile considering. Versus the Chu 2 on the other hand, it gets a little tricky. Build wise the Chu 2 is better since it’s metal, and both of their accessories are comparable where the Chu 2 is cheaper. However, I do like the sound on the G10 better - it’s cleaner, more natural, and female vocals are highlighted better, so overall I’d still take the G10 over Moondrop in-terms of who implemented harman better.
The difficult comparison would actually be against the EW200, which is only $5 more, but have a better build and package overall. Aside from the EW200 having more low-end they’re both actually very similar with the EW200 taking the slight edge in resolution because it’s got a better driver inside. But even with that said, just like how I preferred the EW100 over the EW200 because it sounds cleaner, I also prefer the G10 over the EW200 and EW100 for sound. The nitpick I have with the EW200 is that it doesn’t have enough bass or energy to be exciting - it’s not quite a slight v, nor is it clean enough to highlight any frequency in particular - they pretty much just slapped a bass boost on the EW100 and called it a day, which is why my pick would be the G10 still even though the EW200 is a better all-around package.
On the other hand, the Q5 has a warm and slight v-shape sound, a well implemented one, it’s around the same price as the EW200, and I would get the Q5 instead because it’s got more of a personality and uniqueness to it. Of course there is masking in the vocals and lowermids since it’s a colored sound, but hey, at least it’s not harman right? It’s actually kinda smart what EPZ did - they made the G10 a better EW100, and the Q5 a better EW200… Obviously don’t go blasting the Q5, or any of the EPZ IEMs really, however, at mid-volume it’s got a warm, and comforting sound with a slight sizzle and sparkle that nicely balances out the low-end.
The Q5 sounds the best with instrumental tracks that favours the extra warmness like Jazz , blues, and soul music where the extra uppermids isn’t an issue because there aren’t any vocals - And instead that extra energy actually helps elevate the musicality and soulness of saxophones and strings, as well as providing more body and fullness to pianos and bass guitars with the warmer low-end. The Q5 sounds the most intimate out of all the EPZs, pianos and drums are more forward, but decays nicely and never becomes bloated or muddy. The bass isn’t as fast as the Melody, but the sound is fuller and wetter, and honestly at first I wasn’t really feeling it with other pop and rock tracks because it can get slightly fatiguing, but the Q5 has now become my favourite IEM for jazz and blues under $100, and the best EPZ for those genres.
Similarly I also recommend the K5 for instrumental tracks, but the difference here versus the Q5 is that the K5 works better with acoustics, pianos, and orchestral songs. It’s the cleanest and most resolving out of the bunch around the same level as the EM6L and Nova, maybe a little cleaner, However, it does come off a bit clinical because of the lower-mid scoop at 500hz combined with the tamer low-end and bright vocals. The sound becomes very uppermids focused as the balance on the graph is shifted towards those regions, which is great for certain genres as it adds a layer of brightness and clarity to piano keys, acoustic guitars, and string instruments, BUT, vocals do get shrill and a bit fatiguing on EDM, ROCK, and POP tracks, especially with female singers and electronic elements.
For those genres the G10 would be the best choice out of the three as it’s the most balanced, and “Harman” one, even though it still sounds great for other genres as well… The G10 is just a very solid all-rounder, the timbre is better than the Sonus, sounds more weighted, and it would be my pick along with the Tanch One before the EA500, with the Tanch One being better for Rock and HipHop, and the G10 being better for POP, EDM, and alternative stuff. That aside the K5 is very good for acoustic and classical tracks, but as an all-rounder the EM6L, Olina SE, and Nova will be better.
With that said, my favourite EPZs so far are actually the 620s - they’re basically a mini U12T for $200, 6BAs with 4 crossovers, which is kinda insane. Now I know I trashed on the U12Ts in the past, because they were, well, $2000 for wonky vocals, but this is $200 so the “flaws” are more acceptable, kinda, ya it has its quirks… But let’s start with the pros first, the layering, separation, and resolution on the 620 is better than the Chopin and EA1000, and imaging feels sharper because of the extra treble highlighting the end notes. Likewise, the stage is also deeper, airier, more pushed back and open like the U12T - However, just like the U12T the vocals are a bit scooped and not as full sounding and natural as it’s more pushed back to create the deeper flat staging.
Consonants can sound sharp even just slightly past mid-volume, as well as snare hits can sometimes feel too jarring and fatiguing. I don’t recommend this for any electronic or pop stuff unless you listen at mid/lower volumes - you cannot listen to the majority of POP/EDM at higher volumes, it’s going to stab your ears like the U12T. But even still, the 620s are phenomenal with acoustics, orchestral, jazz, stuff like Richard Dawson, Ichiko Aoba, Wendy Marcini, Franz Gordon, Philip Glass, Lamp, slow r&b, lo-fi, and indie tracks. The peaks in the uppermids and treble are great at highlighting and bringing that extra sweetness, gleam, and shine to piano notes and strings, and combined with the open staging the 620 gives off a very grand and lively presentation.
The bass is also very tight and fast and doesn’t get in the way of other instruments - there’s a slight mid-bass emphasis as drums and bass guitars are slightly forward, very clear still, but I wouldn’t call it warm. Now obviously it’s not going to be the smoothest and well-rounded because again the peaks can get too much with female vocals, and the sharper peaks in the vocals do mask the other instruments in busier songs plus the scooped vocals, However, I didn’t find this to be an issue in instrumental tracks, and the 620s scales decently well in those genres - even artists like Lana Del Rey which has a deeper and more atmospheric tone sounds great.
Black Rose by Ash Island for example sounds phenomenal - not sharp or fatiguing, very open and lively with great layering, and that’s a rock/pop/hip-hop blend, SO, I think there are some exceptions depending on the production, but funny enough I actually didn’t like the 620s at first because it sounded really sharp, wonky, and tinny, but then I realized the stock tips were a very bad fit, so I swapped them and now they’re my favourite out of the bunch, so ya please use wide bore tips with the 620s.
Overall though, I’m really digging this EPZ line-up - G10 for best budget Harman, Q5 for budget jazz, and 620 for instruments and technical performance. Of course, if you already have a harman then there’s no point buying the G10 again unless you’re collecting harmans, idk, but I do recommend grabbing the Q5 still if you have a lot of jazzy and blues music… and likewise if you’re tired of all the harman/diffuse-field sets then the 620 is also a very unique pick. I still like the EA1000s better for vocals, timbre, and low-end texture, but instruments layering and technical performance goes to the 620, especially with those genres mentioned.
I’m actually really glad EPZ reached out to me because these released like 4 months ago, and I would’ve completely missed them, so thank you Mr. Liu, and keep up the great work. Thanks for reading 
Overall Rankings for the EPZ stuff:
G10: B
Q5: B
K5: A-
620: A or A+ (will need more time)
Q1: Not really recommended
E200: B-
A quick sidenote, I was also sent the Q1 and E200 TWS, but found the Q1 to be too dark and bloated as both the BLON Z300 and QKZ HBB does that bassy signature better. As for the E200, it’s a very clean/diffuse-field like sound, bright leaning, and overall pretty decent for $26. However it can get too aggressive with the energy, as well as the scoop doesn’t help with light noteweight/floaty imaging of TWS earphones. Controls were also wonky, mic is barely passable, and there’s no APP for EQ. It is only $26, but don’t go in expecting refinement for the features, although the sound is very “audiophile like” since it Harman/diffusefield.
8 Likes
It sounds sharp, but that’s most likely because of the treble peaks like the U12T. I don’t hear any graininess or plastic.
3 Likes
@VIVIDICI_111 have you tried the T3 Plus before? I think in todays market its priced a bit high but damn its pretty good compared to the other <$100 1DDs
4 Likes
That one was meh to me when I tried it like a year ago.
4 Likes
Nope, but it Looks like a EW200 haha, or any Harman really lol…
It didnt sound very harman to me, I remember it as being warm sounding.
Also think the cheaper Z300 might have been on the same level to me.
3 Likes
Yep, it definitely came off warm to me too. Wasn’t top of class in tech but vocals were great (I like the 2.5k hump for vocals) and bass, while a bit loose, was very fun and palpable. Its like taking the mids and up of the Olina SE with the bass of the EW200
I found the pinna a bit too much for me iirc. Which is why the Z300 is better imo.
2 Likes
yep that makes sense, especially based on your target. I like a bit of boost in the pinna around that 2.5k mark. I never made this connection before but the pinna hits super similarly two of my favorite vocal sets; IE600 and EJ07M.
Another bonus (for me) to the T3 plus was fit. its the only resin single DD with a substantial wing to the fit which really locks it in place. I should add though that I did end up returning the T3 Plus, at no fault to the set. I just have other sets that will dominate my ear time so it didn’t make sense to keep it around.
3 Likes