KZ HDS2

ø6mm Dynamic Driver

$10~$15
3.0/5.0

Another tiny earphones by KZ - the KZ HDS2 - are a great improvement over KZ HDS1 in the bass department, but a step back in clarity and brightness. The loudness is still insufficient. An instant word of advice: Get rid of the included tips and pick any other single-flange wide-bore tips instead.

Pros

  • The sound is an improvement over the previous earphones in the series, in my opinion, especially in the low-end.
  • The design and build quality of the housings is pretty awesome.

Cons

  • The sub-bass still can't get too deep, even though I'd consider these earphones as bassy.
  • The 4 included pairs of double-flange tips are useless, they provide no seal and no hold.
  • These earphones have extremely wide nozzles, which makes picking other tips for them much trickier.
  • The same gut-like cable KZ uses for their products.
  • The splitter is way lower than chest-level and makes the cable wiggly and hard to control.

Package & Accessories

Package:

Plastic

Ear Tips - Double-Flange:

XS+S+M+L, black, ø6mm bores

Build & Materials

Housings:

Metal, extra-small, ø7mm nozzles (ø6mm bores), soft strain reliefs

Y-Split:

TPE, no strain reliefs

Cable:

Silicone (grippy), 118cm, soft, straight

Plug:

TPE, 90° angled, short, soft strain relief

Comfort & Fit

A word of advice, take the included double-flange tips and toss them into the trash can. Get yourself some decent single-flange wide-bore tips instead, only then you will get a proper seal and the earphones' sound will shine.

Lows / Bass

There's a very mininal amount of sub-bass, which is understandable, since the drivers are pretty tiny. However, the mid-bass and lower-mids are present, warm and quick. KZ HDS2 definitely beat the KZ HDS1 in the bass category.

Mids / Vocals

The mids are muffled and dark, definitely not as good as some of the larger variants offered by KZ.

Highs / Treble

The highs are comfortable to listen to. However, they are not crisp and not detailed at all. Tonally, they are dark and as quiet and muffled as the mids.

Frequency Response

Published on 2016-02-04 21:34:27 (GMT)
AS06 ATE BTE C56R DT5 ED2/EDR1 ED3 Youth Version ED4 ED9 ED10 ED11 ED16 EDR2 ES3 GR HDS1
HDS2
HDS3 IE80 RX S3 ZS1 ZS5 (V1) ZS6 ZS7 ZS10 ZS10 PRO ZSA ZSE ZSN ZSR ZST