The Indonesian brand Knowledge Zenith, specialized in in-ear headphones with a very particular design that can be seen in most of its products, brought us last year one of its top of the range products at a very affordable price: KZ AS10 earphones.
Although for some this brand may seem quite new, they have been operating in the market for more than a decade and they have a wide range of models, all of which are predominantly focused around the in-ear format. Most of them are quite inexpensive for what is customary in the audiophile world, but they try to offer a rather surprising quality for the price, and thus achieve a high loyalty among those who try them.
Opening the box
From the first moment, we can see that Knowledge Zenith has decided to build a brand through certain details both in their packaging and in the visual appearance of the headphones that make them stand out from the rest of the competitors.
In general, we can find that all its elements present a fairly minimalist touch, focused on providing meaning to its drivers, which we will discuss below given their exceptional quality/price ratio.
In the box we won't find much:
- The headphones in two separate compartments.
- Pads silicone.
- And a Very robust cable with braided covering of high quality that accompanies the design of the headset that we now present in more detail.
Design and comfort
If you look at the construction of these headphones, we were obviously expecting a light and apparently resistant plastic, weighing only 25 grams. The earpiece cover is transparent, revealing the interior of the device in a very elegant way and which is also shared by most of the models of this brand.
Silicone pads are highly compatible and interchangeable And even though in the box we can find a fairly complete set with three pairs of different sizes, we are completely free to purchase another set from any audio store that may fit our aural anatomy better, which will give us extra comfort.
The only drawback compared to most in-ear headphones we find today is that They are a bit rough in size and compared to other tighter models, they may be a bit more uncomfortable on smaller ears than we might expect.
The earphones are detachable from the cable with a dual pin connector, which would to some extent allow for replacement of the cable in case it breaks, without having to change the earphone or resolder the break point.
Sound quality
The KS AS10 are a real discovery in terms of sound quality, although we should not expect features comparable to somewhat superior devices such as the Shure SE215 which we have already analysed previously. Thanks to the transparent casing we can see the number of drivers that the electronics of this headset incorporate, something that for the most knowledgeable will be quite surprising given the price.
However, the real surprise comes when we see that Both the bass and the treble are especially consistent and the midrange is excellent, comparable to very high-end headphones with which we have been able to make the comparison.
We will notice this quality in the midrange, especially when listening to music with a high predominance of voice, compared to more instrumental melodies. As for the width of the soundstage, we can recognize that it is significantly superior to equipment of a similar price.
Noise isolation and cancellation
The isolation level is Pretty good despite not incorporating any kind of electronics to perform active cancellation. We can expect this type of isolation from most in-ear headphones, but we must consider that given their size and format, they are a little more suitable than average and we can expect that, even in noisy environments, the quality of the music will remain fairly stable.
Connections and controls
Following the classic properties of any wired headset, we find the typical 3.5mm jack connector on the one hand. But, in addition, on the other end we will find that double copper connector that allows, as we mentioned in the previous section, to be able to separate the headphones from the cable in question.
These headphones do not stand out in any other connectivity or additional sensor. As a negative point we have to mention the fact of not incorporating no additional buttons, relegating elements such as volume control to the device that is using them.
Who do we recommend the KZ AS10 for?
We can say that these headphones are aesthetically pleasing. Very visually appealing and worth wearing especially for those who use them when leaving the house and enjoying their music outside.
Compared to other headphones of a similar price and even from the same brand, we can detect that here Knowledge Zenith has made a special effort to design a flagship product that could end up being one of the best sellers for years to come. Although we cannot deny that at this price there is a wide variety of options, and if we dig a little, we will find other models that, as strong points, especially in the sound aspect, will stand out in those elements that the KZ AS10 have not been able to shine enough, as is the case with the bass.
With this we draw a conclusion: with a significantly good sound for the price they cost, we can say that Those who do not want to exceed the 100 euro barrier will find a pleasant surprise which will likely exceed your expectations, especially for those users who are more predisposed to listening to commercial music with a high voice content.