Exactly. I can’t definitively tell from that graph which will sound more pleasing, but I can tell they’ll sound different for sure.
I will say the new version measures very similarly to my beloved VK4, so it has my interest.
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KZ pushing on…
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Hopefully next year there will be an upgraded version titled ZEX Pro XXX available. 
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Confirmed, RIP VK4 
P.S. Listening to my OG VK4 on shuffle, playlist just went from Iron Butterfly → Joni Mitchell → Modest Mussorgsky → Jason Mraz and it’s all great. I don’t have much equipment with such a versatile tuning.
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Give it a month and there will be a new QKZ with an expensive looking shell costing more and with the original VK4 tuning 
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That would actually be awesome!
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I posted a review of the KZ ZEX Pro over in the KZ thread:
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Not sure if this is the right place but I’m looking for budget IEMs. My primary use will be gaming and casual music listening, should I get Tin T2/T2+/T3, Moondrop Aria, or something else in that price range?
If you can stretch your budget, the Final A4000 is a great IEM for spacial audio and gaming.
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I think that would be quite a stretch for me unfortunately. Any other recommendations?
I’m afraid I don’t game, so I can’t give any input on that side of things. For music it depends on your taste in music and preferences as far as sound signatures.
For music listening, the Aria would be my choice in that price range. The Tin T3+ is a similar tuning but I feel that the Aria still has the edge on details.
If you want something with less bass (although neither of them are really bass heavy) and more neutral overall, then my preference are the T Force Yuan Li, although they are a little more expensive.
If you have no idea at all what you prefer, you could pick up two different tunings a lot cheaper, say the ZEX Pro and Moondrop Quarks to find out what you prefer.
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I’ve found that the Quarks are “OK” for music, but they really shine when I pair them with my Samsung tablet and streaming video.
They are inexpensive so you should be able to experiment and not hurt your budget too much.
Mark Gosdin
Here are some GRAS measurements of the KZ ZEX Pro (CRN):
Notes:
- Comfort and fit is pretty solid, no issues with the ergonomics
- Tuning is great up until the treble where things get into trouble
- Anything with cymbal hits tends to sound quite splashy and compressed - perhaps due to that mid treble peak and lack of upper treble, but what can you really expect from a $34 in-ear.
- Instrument separation is poor, as is the imaging but again, can’t expect all that much.
- Detail is about what you’d expect, slightly dull on the trailing ends of tones and again the treble falls apart, but not meaningfully different from other ultra budget stuff I’ve come across - although I admit my experience there is fairly limited.
At this price, all I’d really be looking for is an appropriate bass level (not bloated or ridiculous like you often see, but also not nonexistent), and nothing too wonky for the rest of the FR. The ZEX pro is pretty darn good at that, and that’s about it. In my view, while it’s nice to see the ultra budget stuff get better tunings, this is not one of those best bang for the buck type products where the inflection point for crazy value for money kicks in. Rather, I see it as more of a ‘well-considered’ option for those hard-capped for an IEM budget, and it would be in the conversation for me if I was.
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Reecho SG03
Also available in Spanish on my blog here and on YouTube here.
The Reecho SG03 have been loaned to me by CqTek from hiendportable.com, allowing me to try them out and post this review. If you would like to see his review of them, please check it out here: Reecho SG-03 English Review - Hi End Portable
Intro…
A while back, a subscriber of Acho Reviews on YouTube asked me about the SG03 and if I could review them. I remembered seeing a review of them on hiendportable so I reached out to CqTek asking to borrow them and give them a listen.
His first reply was “Sure, I’ll send them you but I’m not sure they will be your flavour”. I guess he knows my tastes fairly well because he was totally correct, they are not a set of IEMs that I am overly delighted by.
However, that does not make them any less eligible for review, nor does it mean that, as they are not my cup of tea, that they won’t be perfect for others, so I’ll try and give my impressions on how I hear the Reecho SG03 without being pessimistic 
Presentation…
As these were sent to me by CqTek, who probably has even more IEMs than me, it is understandable that he doesn’t keep the packing and accessories around for most of them. In this case, the Reecho were shipped to me in a transport case along with an aftermarket cable, therefore I cannot comment on presentation of the product.
Build and aesthetics…
The IEM shells are metal and on the large side, with a fair bit of weight that comes along with that combination. They are not the heaviest IEMs that I have had in my ears but they aren’t really a lightweight either.
The faceplate use a design that combines shapes and gives them a look that is different from the majority of IEMs on the market. Although the faceplate does use strange shapes and angles, the interior or the shell is smooth and well contoured. resulting in a farily comfortable set of IEMs to wear.
The also seem like a sturdy build, due to the full metal shells, but the edges of the faceplate are starting to show a little sign of wear in the paint. Of course, this is something that is not really fair in comparison to other IEMs I review as these have been used (not sure for how long) whereas the IEMs I usually review are new, with approximately a week of use, but I thought I would mention it anyway.
As I mentioned, the cable I received is not the stock cable, therefore it isn’t relevant to this review, however, I will say that it is the thickest IEM cable I have ever used. I think this cable is a perfect EDC carry for a prepper, as it can be used as a rope if necessary 
Sound…
I already said in the intro that these IEMs are not for me, I am not going to go further into that as I think I have made my preferences clear in previous reviews, so I will just focus on the Reecho SG03 as I hear them.
In the subbass category, there is plenty. In fact, there is more than plenty. Using “Chameleon” which has become my default test track for subbass, the SG03 provide a wall of it. At a low listening level, the subbass is very present, give it some power and it just becomes a huge low end monster.
“Chameleon” is an exaggerated track, one that pushes the low end to an extreme, but even with tracks that are not quite as subbass focused, such as “No Sanctuary Here” by Marian Herzog feat Chris Jones, the low end is nothing short of brutal. The thing is, the SG03 actually manage to pull off this amount low end without it getting too out of control. I mean, there are times when “Chameleon” does sound dirty in the low end, or even “No Sanctuary Here” can feel a bit out of control when pushed, but the exaggerated bass doesn’t really have a negative affect on the remaining frequencies, or at least not to the extent that I would have expected.
Although this is a very V shaped tuning and there is certainly some bleed into the lower mids, this bleed is actually a lot less prominent than I would have thought by listening to the bass these IEMs put out. That is not to say that the transition from the bass to the mids is clean and articulate, but it is cleaner and more articulated than one would expect.
The mids are recessed in comparison to the lower registries. Depending on the choice of music, voices can go from being present enough to actually struggling, depending on the amount of bass and information happening in those lower registers. As an example, “Breezeblocks” by alt-J is acceptable while it is in a tranquil part of the track, but once the bass kicks in, the vocals disappear behind a mass of rumble.
As we move up towards the higher registers, there is presence in the 2kHz to 4kHz which manages to not be harsh but is also not quite enough to bring the presence of vocals back through the rumble. To be fair, they haven’t done a terrible job as I can understand that it is very difficult to make voices cut through the elevated bass rumble without them being overly harsh in quieter and more tamed passages.
That doesn’t mean that they sound great with vocals in simpler and quieter tracks, they still have a harshness to them that I am not fond of, but it is certainly not as bad as it would have been if they had continued to try and cut through.
In the higher regions, there isn’t a great sensation of air or extension. This is partly due to a roll off in the higher frequencies but also due to the tuning itself. I feel that the higher regions are similar to the higher mids in regards to having to counteract the bass without becoming unbearable in parts of tracks where there isn’t a huge amount of bass.
The soundstage is also not very large, although it doesn’t come across as claustrophobic, it just seems to hit a “do not pass” line off to the sides. For example, when listening to “Letter”, the pencil moves across the center but once off to the side, it seems to sit there for quite a long time. Saying this, the SG03 does manage to separate things fairly well inside the soundstage it has to work with. You can still pick out details in the higher mids and lower treble, even in the center of the mids to some extent, just don’t try to focus on bass details when there is a lot going on.
Conclusion…
I have said it already but I’ll repeat it, the SG03 are not for me. They don’t suit my tastes and don’t really make anything that I listen to sound better than I would expect. There have been a few moments of “wow” when listening to certain genres or tracks, like the first time I played “Chameleon” through them, but those weren’t really “wow, I’m impressed” moments, it was more “wow, that’s not what I expected” moments.
That doesn’t mean that they are bad IEMs, I am sure that there will be plenty of people who love these IEMs. Maybe for those who like to listen to deep throbbing Dubstep (which I do on occasions also) will find these perfect for their taste, they just don’t suit mine.
I don’t think I have mentioned the price yet, these sell for around 75€, which is not terribly expensive but is not ultra budget either. I suppose I would need to take into consideration whatever is included as far as accessories etc. before saying these are expensive, but based solely on how they sound, I feel they could be cheaper.
In fact, if these were a set of IEMs that fell into the ultra-budget category, like some of the offerings around 30€, then I would probably be interested in a set just to have in my collection of IEMs, as the bass really is… well… bassy. But as I wouldn’t use them regularly to listen to music, I wouldn’t pay the current price.
Again, this is all personal preference, as with all my reviews, they are personal opinions and are only relevant to my own taste in music and how it is reproduced. If you feel that these may suit your tastes, then give them a whirl!
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its really hard to estimate a frequency response just by listening but here is my best effort. if you look at the bottom of the image you will see a thin blue line that i have drawn which shows a bump around the vocal range and one close but not dominating sibliance area with the rest of the range being relatively prominent but not as high as these areas. note that there is only a hint of sibliance just the faintest touch, not annoying at all but there must be a bump somewhere here to account for the spaciality (compared to very cheap iems) and air detail (compared to very very cheap stuff)
What IEMs is the estimated FR of?
Sorry I assumed my posts would be approved in order. I had a late night listening session on some super cheap knock offs of these
When I get home I’ll post the link for you again. They only cost 4 pounds! Hopefully by then the rest of my posts will be approved 
I think I’ve been lucky as some uiisii ear buds that I have left over from a broken earphone fit these really well and are providing my ears with good isolation. I suspect the air volume turns out perfect by chance and the result is incredible (at least for my ears)
I still can’t believe what I heard last night. It rivalled and marginally exceeded my moondrop spaceships for 4 pounds gbp. The build quality is crap but the sound addictive. N.b I think earbud tuning may be critical
Just found them but my phone can’t copy the link on the app. Search on Amazon for “aydino cherry wood 054” they are £3.99 gbp and have a light blue cable.
I buy cheap and cheerful stuff and am amazed at these!
Reecho SG01
The Reecho SG01 have been kindly loaned to me by CqTek of hiendportable.com so I could test them out and create this review. Of course CqTek has not requested anything from me in exchange for sending these IEMs over but if you would like to see his review of these IEMs, you can find it here: Reecho SG-01 English Review - Hi End Portable
This means that my review will follow the usual rule of being as unbiased and sincere as possible but, as I always say, I have not actually spent any of my own hard earned cash to try out these IEMs, so you may want to keep that in mind.
Intro…
CqTek has actually sent me a few models of IEMs to try out, for which I am grateful as I hadn’t tried any of the models he sent me, or anything else from the brands.
The loan of these items started with a subscriber to Acho Reviews who commented that he would like to see me review the Reecho SG03. I remembered that hiendportable had published a review of them (although I couldn’t remember anything about them), so I reached out to CqTek who kindly agreed to send them to me (the SG03) and also included some more models at the same time, the Reecho SG01 being one of them.
I must say that I know absolutely nothing about these IEMs, so I did a bit of research before sitting down to write this review. From the brief search that I did, it seems that the SG01 are available for just over 40€ (at the time of my search) and features a single graphene 10mm dynamic driver.
Apart from that, I didn’t find much info, without reading reviews of course (which I always avoid doing when I plan on reviewing something myself). I do know that the review on hiendportable contains more details and information, so I suggest that you give it a visit to see more details.
Presentation…
As this set of IEMs was sent to me by someone who has the exact same issue as myself, too many IEMs which means too many boxes, which means too little space to store them all, he just sent me the IEMs in their travel case along with a cable that is not the original (without any tips or other accessories).
This means that I can’t comment on the presentation of these IEMs. I can say that the way the reached me, nicely coiled inside a semi-rigid transport case, is something i have absolutely no complaints about.
Build and aesthetics…
Again, as I just said, the included cable is not the original, therefore I can only comment on the build and aesthetics of the IEMs themselves (well, I can comment on the cable also, which is quite nice, but it is irrelevant to the product at hand).
As far as the IEMs, to be honest, it took me a while to decide if the shells were made from a lightweight alloy or plastic that has been painted to look like metal. In the end, I am 99% convinced that they are actually a lightweight metal in their totality.
This means that they are extremely lightweight and I also find them very comfortable. The size is rather and sits well inside me ear, being almost flush. Using silicone tips I found the seal to be very easy (I didn’t even try Xelastec or foam on these, which is usually a sign of immediate comfort for me) and different tips did do the usual change of sound but none of the ones I tried sounded awful.
As far as aesthetics, they remind me of something that I would associate with Fiio, with the wavy face plates. I don’t mind this look to be honest, it is something that breaks from the normal smooth finish but is not too over the top.
As far as build quality, I don’t know how old these IEMs are or how they have been treated (although I know that CqTek treats his stuff very well) but they aren’t showing any signs of wear or damage, which is always positive.
Sound…
There are times when specific IEMs or headphones inspire me to listen to certain genres of music, although the day and my mood also play a big part. In the case of the SG01, they were the IEMs I picked up to go back to work on the 3rd of January, without listening to them previously. Upon sitting down at my desk to start making my way through the hundreds of backlogged emails, I connected them to the Atom and started listening. After about 10 minutes, the SG01 just kept making me feel like listening to female pop.
Who am I to disagree with my subconscious? So the first 5 or 6 hours of my work in 2022 was spent listening to people like Alicia Keys, Destiny’s Child, Macy Gray and many other similar artists, which I feel that the SG01 did a very good job of presenting.
Not everything was perfect, I’ll mention more about the flaws, but I was happy with the tuning and quality of the music I was listening to, and that was before I knew the price of them. Now that I know that they cost 40€, I must say that I am impressed.
Anyhow, starting off with the subbass, there is a clear roll off as we reach down to the lowest notes, therefore these are not a set of IEMs that will appeal to those who want plenty of that low end rumble. The subbass is not totally absent, there is enough to appreciate that the music has information in the lowest registers but those looking to tickle their eardrums will need to look elsewhere.
In the mid/high bass rangers, I find that the presence is a little north of neutral for my preference. However, although there is a little too much presence in this area, the SG01 does still manage to be smooth and it is only on occasions when this extra bass is noticeable. For example, the start of “No One” by Alicia Keys comes across as slightly too much and can seem as though it is about to distort.
The transition from the bass to the mids also suffers due to this extra presence of mid-bass and lower mids, with the bass clearly bleeding into the mids on tracks that are a little busy in those areas. Listening to simple acoustic and vocal music, this muddyness is not overly apparent but when moving onto tracks that are a little busier in those regions, it does become a little overpowering. The sensation is very similar to when you are in a venue listening to live music and you end up standing in just the wrong spot for those 300Hz notes. The difference is that in a live venue you can take a few steps sideways and resolve the issue, whereas with the SG01, you can’t fix it that way.
The mids themselves are pretty smooth also, with no real issues until we get to the highest of the mids, the 2kHz to 3kHz mark. Around this area I find that the SG01 are tuned very similar to the Yuan Li that I like so much, however, the SG01 increase this area more than the Yuan Li, and this can present some sensation of harshness depending on the song. This increase works well to bring back presence to the vocals, and on voices that are not harsh in those 3kHz frequencies, it works very well and gives a nice clarity to the voices. However, when coming across a voice that is overly hot in the 3kHz range, the SG01 make it become rather harsh on the notes that are centered around those regions. It is a shame because this is something that attracts far more attention from me than if the peak was somewhere else. There are occasions when the harshness appears out of nowhere and draws attention to itself, only to disappear again when the damage is already done (in other words, when it has already drawn my attention to it).
Moving into the higher frequencies, I find them to be rather smooth and fairly airy for a single driver. There is a decent extension in the top end but it is not boosted, meaning that it keeps the smoothness that I find constant in these IEMs except for when the 300Hz or 3kHz issue arises. I don’t find these IEMs sibilant, at least on tracks that are not overly sibilant themselves. For example, “Code Cool” is quite listenable on these IEMs, which is a good guide line.
As far as stage width, I find that the SG01 is actually larger than the average I have come to expect from IEMs. There is a decent amount of space which, partnered with that smooth and extended treble, gives room for the music to breath and for there to be space between instruments. I wouldn’t say that these SG01 are the most detailed IEMs I have heard, nor that they are amazing at placing those details with millimetric accuracy, but they are not something that I could really complain about, there are far worse IEMs out there in this regard (some at much higher price marks).
Conclusion…
The SG01 is very close to hitting my preferred tuning for IEMs, if only those boosts around 300Hz and 3kHz were resolved. They don’t need to be eliminated, not at all, they just need to be reduce slightly. In fact, if those two areas (say 100Hz to 300Hz and 2kHz to 4kHz) were reduce slightly, the SG01 would be almost identical to the Yuan Li at less than half the price.
As it stands, those peaks don’t actually affect all the music, I can spend hours listening to certain artists and genres without any negative effects, but then with another artist of genre, the peaks will suddenly become noticeable, at least to me. I guess it is also due to the fact that the 100Hz to 300Hz is a frequency range that I focus on a lot due to being a bassist and the 2kHz to 4kHz range is something I focus on a lot due to my preference for vocal orientated music. This means that these two peaks probably stand out to me more than they would other people.
Honestly, other than that, I have no issues with the SG01 at all. I find them comfortable, they seem well built, the tuning is aimed towards my preferences, they don’t suffer from the single DD drop off in the higher registers… in general they are a decent set of IEMs for around 40€.
I am not going to rush out and purchase a set but I am glad to have been able to try them out and will certainly take more notice of Reecho as a brand.
This review is also available in Spanish on my blog here and on YouTube here.
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I figured since the Dunu Titan S is only $80, it fits into this category. Doing a live stream impressions today:
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