Actually makes sense. From a marketing perspective, Crin seems to tease the collabs with higher end brands prior to launch, whereas KZ being the lay personâs entry level he might want to test the market in case it goes sidewaysâwith his name attached.
Atleast that explains why the tuning is so not KZ like 
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When i first saw the picture, I thought the kz CRN will be out, tuned by crinacle from a zex pro baseâŠ
Maybe it is just me, but this kind of communication can indeed be misleading.
Yeah, I do think having this reveal when itâs already been out for a few weeks might cause some confusion. Hoping Crin makes a video that can clear things up and maybe also talk a little bit about what working with them was like
The regular ZEX wasnât very comfortable either.
I am probably an oddball, but I think I still like the ZS10 Pro better than than the regular ZEX.
ZEX is not comfortable to me either, not in the sense of hurting or something, but feels pretty unsafe.
Reasons? I think the thin nozzle and the angulation are the culprit.
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My short impressions below. May update as I spend more time with them.
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Exactly what I thought, basically he admitted that ZEX pro released earlier than KZ CRN was a market risk control: to see how well it performed before his name was attached.
- Whether KZ fanbase could accept it
- Whether ZEX Pro sells well on the general market & how other reviewers reviewed the set
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If so, that was an interesting experiment, and I hope the data was useful for them. I hope they didnât lose sales in that, but I would imagine that the mumbling about it was mostly good for KZ. I got into IEMs with ZS10 Pro, so I want to see them succeed.
I was already interested, but wasnât sure if I needed another IEM right now. I have bought Mele ( blue & black ), Timeless, and ZEX in the last couple months.
My interest in the ZEX Pro / CRN was two fold, partly to see a budget set that is an easy recommendation, and partly because I donât own a tribrid. The ZEX has some mid bass bloat, but is a recommendation only due to the price. The ZEX Pro sounds like yes at a higher price point, and that price is really only capped by the quality of the driver hardware.
EDIT - I pulled the trigger today, so they got me, and I bought the CRN version
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Someone on Head-Fi recommended doing the tape mod on the ZEX by taping the vents on the pointy ends. Toned down the bloat and the sibilance in the highs. It was a game changer for me, I decided not to sell my ZEX after the mod and now itâs sitting in my ears.
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Plus Xduoo MT-602/604 (+ tubes) depending if you run balanced or not and hereâs your answer for 
over 
100 %
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I did that and it made a big difference, but I want something I can recommend to people not willing to mod them. Not everyone is up for the insanity we are 
I have been avoiding running actual tubes, since my cat singed his fur a couple times on the one I bought this fall.
I have been doing some experimenting with software DSP for tube emulation when I am in the mood for it. I have been writing my own Python code for this, but there is a free VST from Voxengo that works with APO too. Both of them seem to work pretty well. That code is part of my DIY DAC / pre-amp that I am working on.
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I agree that it has something to do the angle. I have found them very comfortable on the SpinFit CP240 Double Flange ear tips, but it makes them sit out from my ears.
Has anyone had both the ZEX and ZEX Pro ?
Do they fit the same, or are they different ?
I find it strange that the ZEX Pro doesnât have any markings on them. All of the other KZs I owned have markings (DQ6, ZSN Pro X, ATE). Not even a serial number, model number or lef/right markings.
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Interestingly, Linsoul is selling both ZEX Pro and CRN⊠at different price points.
So that logo alone worths $3 
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Ink isnt free you know. 
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I thought it was interesting, but that might be part of their experiment too.
I bought the CRN version, mostly because I felt like supporting Crinacle, and was thankful he did the tuning, and not KZâs in house people.
Am I alone on thinking this is really the DQ6 Pro ?
The shell and the sound profile below about 1.5k are way closer.
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However HBB has said in his video that he is in talks with KZ to retune the DQ6. Will have to see where that goes.
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