KZ X Crinacle CRN (ZEX Pro) Review: These $36 Earphones Set A New Standard For Budget IEMs

(Ed. Note 3/5/22): There seems to be some question as to the functionality of the Electrostat and BA drivers in these and some other KZ IEMs. A user on one of the audio forums did a teardown of a single CRN unit and provided some evidence that points to only the Dynamic Driver being in use. In spite of this, the general consensus is that these IEMs still sound good regardless of the number of drivers actually playing. I will provide more updates as they come out. Thanks.)

(Ed. Note 3/7/22): Crinacle has responded to the situation-https://crinacle.com/2022/03/07/the-crn-kz-situation/

TL;DR

You won’t find another pair of IEMs that provide this level of sound quality for $36.

Intro

With so many budget IEMs (In-Ear Monitor) earphones popping up online every day, it’s hard to determine which one is worth putting your hard-earned cash down on, especially when it seems like the mediocre-sounding examples outnumber quality options about four to one.

Enter Crinacle, a popular audio reviewer known for his uncompromising headphone critiques, and KZ Headphones, a company known for low-cost earphones with mixed reviews. The two have teamed up to produce the KZ X Crinacle CRN, a $36 IEM (slightly more on Amazon) with an advanced crossover, and three different types of drivers (Magnetostatic, BA, Dynamic).

At first glance, this may seem like an unlikely pairing since Crinacle usually demands neutrality from his headphones–something KZ isn’t exactly known for (with some exceptions).

However, as of late, Crinacle has branched out into several product collaborations, employing his personal brand of balanced tuning, which has been well received thus far.

That said, his initial collabs consisted of products priced in the $199-$350 price range, which could be a reach for some folks financially.

This time he wanted to challenge himself with a more affordable offering. So who better to team up with than KZ, the most well-known budget IEM manufacturer?

Crinacle’s goal is to prove that well-balanced audiophile tailored tuning can produce good-sounding headphones at any price point. So does the KZ X Crinacle CRN make the grade? Well, read on, and I’ll give you the scoop!

Disclaimer: This review unit was purchased by hifitrends. No outside input was given or promises made regarding the content contained in this evaluation.

Build/Features:

It’s been a while since I’ve checked out a pair of KZ IEMs, and not much has changed regarding packaging and accessories.

As usual for KZ, you get a small white box with just a few items inside, including the right/left earpieces, two pairs of silicone ear tips, paperwork, and the cable. You also get another pair of ear tips pre-installed on the earphones.

The earpiece construction is also par for the course coming from KZ, as they utilize the familiar acrylic housing capped with a KZ branded metal faceplate. In addition, the Crinacle logo is stamped on the housing this time around, which lets you know this is a Crinacle collab.

As far as KZ earphones go, the CRN is one of their better-looking designs, especially in black. The metal cap is clean and low-profile, making it look sleek, and the housing is shaped perfectly for my ear, so they fit like a glove.

To me, these earphones are remarkably comfortable. That said, my ears are on the large side, so YMMV.

Moving on to the cable, the CRN’s cable is a vast improvement over the stiff brown cables that used to ship with KZ IEMs. It’s both flexible and tangle-resistant, plus it feels sturdy enough to withstand a tug or two (KZ suggests they did a 50000 pull stress test).

I also like that KZ stuck with the plug-in (QDC) connectors where the cable connects to the earpiece, making the connection more durable and easier to connect. Additionally, if you want to swap out the included cable, replacements are plentiful online.

Sound:

For my testing, I connected the KZ X Crinacle CRN to my Fiio M11 Plus Digital Audio Player along with a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra/HELM Bolt DAC Amp combo. Then I played many tunes from the “Audiophile 101” playlist on TIDAL.

As expected from Crinacle’s explanation of the CRN’s tuning, which he describes as “balanced with a small bass tilt,” I immediately took to the CRN’s sound.

This sound signature has pleased me to varying degrees on headphones like Hifiman SUNDARA and, most recently, the Edition XS. I would also put the super-cheap Moondrop Quarks earphones in this category.

I like this type of tuning because it usually has just enough bass and presence (upper midrange) to provide some excitement without becoming a distraction from the music itself.

To me, this type of tuning typically allows for exceptional musicality. That means when you listen, you can feel and experience the artistry of the music more than the headphones themselves, which is the point.

Listening to “Jesus, Etc.” by the band Wilco, I was highly impressed by the CRN’s rich bass and remarkable dynamics, especially for the price. The rumbling bassline drove the rhythm effectively, and the bass was reproduced with excellent control. It wasn’t all over the place, as you hear on many budget earphones.

Listening to “Hotel California” by the Eagles, I was also taken aback by the bass articulation, but this time I was also treated to some nice dimensionality and soundstage. I couldn’t believe I was getting such separation and imaging from a $36 IEM. You don’t usually hear this stuff until you spend a couple hundred bucks.

I also found the blend of the three drivers relatively cohesive for such an inexpensive earphone. I didn’t hear any part of the audio spectrum sticking out in an obvious way.

On the other hand, these are $36 earphones, so you shouldn’t expect them to have reference levels of resolution, even though it isn’t bad. They also have a fair bit of treble roll-off, but they aren’t “dark,” which is a testament to the quality tonal balance.

Tonal balance is the real story of these earphones, and I must say it’s terrific. There’s no hardness in the treble or mids, and the bass quantity is in perfect proportion to the rest of the audio spectrum.

Overall, the CRN has a sound that lends itself to a wide variety of genres, providing enough excitement to work with pop and hip-hop but enough technicality to lend interest to an intricate piece of jazz or acoustic music.

The Wrap Up

The KZ X Crinacle CRN is a home run as far as I’m concerned. The tonal balance is excellent, there’s a nice soundstage, and you get just enough technicality to let you know this is an audiophile headphone. In reality, these headphones do things I would never expect a less than $40 headphone to do. So if you want to know what an audiophile earphone is supposed to sound like, this is your starter kit.

In addition, when you factor in the impulse-buy pricing, decent comfort, and respectable build, I don’t see how you can go wrong buying these IEMs unless you’re looking for a pair of sparkly bass cannons.

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