Shozy Zero... Wow (good)

Shozy has sent numerous people their new budget iem. Well, I consider it a budget iem, compared to the average price of IEMS these days. I was fortunate enough to receive a review sample with only 2 stipulations. Burn in for 150 hours of classical music, and post impressions, or a review.

I'm not ready for either, but I must admit, I am incredibly impressed. Their MSRP is $50. I'll add some pics shortly. I'm not sure what they come with, however, I did receive a small selection of tips.

I briefly listened as I'm not finished with burn in (if you believe in it). It's a dynamic driver iem, although I'm not a huge believer in burn in, I tend to sway towards the fact that burn in occurs with a DD.

I will share more impressions as I finish burn in and become acclimated with them. They are supposed to be ideal for Apple products, at least that is my interpretation of what their rep stated on Head-fi.

Anyway, in my quick audition, they sounded very good. Nice treble extension and the bass was hitting hard.

Not sure if anyone here as heard them, but definitely worth a listen if anyone has the opportunity.

 

I just tried them briefly out of my phone yesterday, I'm inclined to agree. Midrange was a bit scooped to my liking but the bass quality was excellent and overall tonality was very enjoyable, especially for the price.

 

I'm kinda bored with my IE8's, these might be fun to try. The sound-sig seems to be pretty much up my alley.

Anyone buy these in the EU-zone?

 

I ordered a pair from german Amazon, surprisingly there were no shipping fees. 59 euros straight from the company.

I'll post my views here when I get 'em.

E: I'm hearing stories of these needing +100 hours of burn-in? Really?

 

That's what they say... I've heard a little difference myself, I normally don't.

 

My IE8 should be a good candidate for comparison being dynamic also and seemingly having a somewhat similar sound-signature. Very interested to see what happens - not that happy about the claimed need for that much of burn-in though.

 

It's not a dramatic change, at least to my ears. Just curious, why does that bother you?

 

Burning in gear is just a hassle I don't need. This also seems like a good way for the manufacturer to get less items sent back. People get used to the gear etc.

 

Ok, just curious. Thanks for your explanation.

 

Finally got my pair. I've listened to these for roughly 4 hours (+ about 10 of burn-in), so initial impressions here.

These are very much on the warm side of things. Mid-bass boost gives heft, but also keeps them from being very snappy. Bass is fairly resolving, but not all that punchy. The highs are smooth and pretty rolled-off. Easily the biggest surprise is the mids quality, for 50 bucks this kind of clarity and resolution is some big bang-for-buck. Chugging & chiming guitars, saxophones and vocals are a real treat. Picking out background instrument is pretty easy. My IE8s leave very far behind in that dept (but yeah, initial impressions). Sound-stage is surprisingly wide but not very deep.

Basically these sound quite clean and resolving, esp for the price. The biggest "but" is the FR curve - if you're not a fan of large levels of warmth, steer clear. Right now I think these are leaving my IE8s with little use for SQ reasons, and the Triple.fi 10s because of their terrible comfort and usability.

Before the short burn-in I think they sounded a bit sibilant, didn't notice it now. Maybe the mids were slightly more sucked out too. Or it's just my brain getting into the signature, who knows. Let's see if stuff happens after more burnin'.

They isolate well and they are easy to put in. The cable is very thin, rubbery and tangly. I guess this where the price shows. These are very light and they came with a nice semi-hard case and six pairs of tips.

 

I'm not big into budget IEMS, but these definitely impressed me. I agree with pretty much everything you said bro.

 

Yeah. For fans of a warm sound these are easy to recommend.

It would be cool to see some mods for these. Even though that one-piece wooden body might leave little to play with.

 

I found that this IEM is okay but nothing special (okay for $50).. I personally found that it is warm and dark... I owned this about two weeks and got rid out it. Not my taste... Love to hear other people's impression on RE-00. I missed it when it was on Massdrop and keen to try when it is on Massdrop again..

 

That sounds fit my personal taste. Will definitely try RE00.

 

I just purchased the Zero to see what the signature was like. I like the warm and laid back, it has its place. For $59, I'll give it a try. Love the idea of the wood finish, wonder if that is contributing the warmth? I'll post something once I get them.

 

I think the wood is just an overlay? I might be wrong though.

 

What if you burn in with hip-hop?

 

I was handed a Shozy Zero last September, but I never really spent any time with it. Around 1 hour max. Now with the AKG N40 being discussed, I grabbed these again. Their signature seems to be very similar (with the AKG exaggerating on the v-shape, though).
Even the Zero can be quite harsh on sibilant-heavy tracks to my ears; 6 kHz really stand out.

I also have to say that some bass notes are a bit thick and coloration can be bothersome with some Jazz or Classical music. Stereo separation is great, though.

As far as dynamic v-shapes go, this is one of the better implementations, IMO. The sound is lively and the driver is surprisingly quick in the treble. Soundstage has adequate size. The Shozy Zero does not sound like a budget IEM. If it has the build quality and design of JVC/Victor FX, I'd probably fall to my knees and fall in love.

Here are the measurements done by my friend at Headflux.de:

 

I completely agree. Definitely doesn't sound like a budget iem at all. I was very impressed with them. Unfortunately I gave them to my girl, and she gone done lost them on me. She now has my rha t10s... Which she'll probably lose as well... After that, she's cut off.