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TFZ King In-ear Earphone Review

Sound –

The Kings utilise a very unique driver setup that, dare I say, might be unprecedented at this price. They are technically a single dynamic driver earphone though they employ a technology similar to RHA’s high-end earphones with dual magnets and voice coils acting like two drivers in the space of one, quite innovative indeed. And in listening, the TFZ King’s proved to be the most technically impressive earphone I’ve heard around this price point; take note that a more revealing earphone may and probably does exist out there, I just haven’t heard it. In terms of resolution, end to end extension and outright detail retrieval, the King handily bests the Oriveti Basic, Simgot EN700 and Magaosi K3 Pro. And this technical ability really enhances every aspect of the earphones sound; whereas clarity is a tuning choice, resolution can only be achieved through meticulous housing design and driver choice. The K3 Pro best illustrates this concept, it is a clearer sounding earphone than the King though TFZ’s earphone is continually more detailed and nuanced. Of course, the King is not faultless and despite being objectively superior to a lot of earphones out there, their tuning will be polarising to some listeners. Read the breakdown to see whether the King will suit your personal tastes.

 

Burn-in –

The Kings achieved considerable change with the usual 150 hours of burn-in that I put most earphones through before review. Out of the box, I questioned a few of the reviews I had read online, I felt that the King’s were quite bass heavy rather than balanced. But post burn-in, the King’s sound more balanced and transparent, bass is more controlled and quantity is more in line with the midrange. Again, I can only subjectively comment on these changes but I have found the King to become the balanced earphone that others have described and I am pleased with the ultimate tonality these earphones produce.

 

Tonality –

The King is quite a balanced earphone, more so than the more V-shaped K3 Pro and L-shaped Basic though slightly less so than the Simgot EN700 Bass. It is nowhere near neutral, I don’t believe any of these models are really comparable to earphones like the Hifiman RE-400 as they inherently pursue different kinds of sounds. The King has a brighter tonal balance with treble having the most prominence by a slight margin. Mids and bass are in good balance though the upper midrange and treble can rarely overshadow the lower frequencies. They have a very forward sound that capitalizes on their resolving nature.

 

Soundstage, Imaging and Separation –

The King’s excel with soundstage similar to the EN700 Bass and K3 Pro. And amongst $100 earphones, the King holds a notable advantage in soundstage depth which is considerably better than that offered by the K3 Pro, EN700 Bass and Basic though width isn’t as obviously out of the head as these models. The King’s are quite well-rounded as a result though I would still call them slightly width biased. When listening to Eric Clapton’s “Old Love”, the King’s presented a delightful sense of forward projection that added an extra dimension of realism to the live recording that the other earphones were unable to achieve. Their advantage with resolution also aids layering and background effects are brought to the fore; they are definitely tuned for engagement and clarity over outright realism. The King’s have no issue with separation, they don’t have the bass bloat of the Simgot’s nor the busy treble of the K3 Pro’s though the super smooth Oriveti Basics still sound cleaner in their presentation. Imaging is also great due to their rounded soundstage and resolving nature though I would give a slight advantage to the Simgot EN700 Bass in overall accuracy. Ultimately, the King’s technical ability really enhances their sound throughout and their mostly tasteful tuning takes maximum advantage of that unique driver design.

 

Drivability –

The King’s have incredibly sensitive at 110dB combined with a low-impedance at 12ohms. As such, the earphones are exceptionally easy to drive in terms of volume, even my iPod Nano drives them to deafening volumes. Though despite being a dynamic driver, the King’s are actually very source sensitive, I especially noticed the biggest difference with their bass performance which varied quite noticeably between my devices. Switching from my HTC 10 to Oppo HA-2 yielded more sub-bass extension and impact in addition to an expanded soundstage. The King’s also pick up a huge amount of hiss from almost every source. This ruled out the Hidizs AP60 and even my Fiio X5 III and Oppo HA-2 produced an ever-present hiss audible even when music was playing; though my HTC 10, iPods and Fiio X7 all served the King’s perfectly. While they sound perfectly fine from an iPhone or high-end Android phone, the King’s benefit from a clean low-impedance source with a warmer tone like the Chord Mojo or Fiio X7 with AM2 module. All comments below will be with the X7 w/AM2.

 

Bass –

The King’s have a nice bass response that has great transparency, agility and articulation. Sub-bass extension is very good, they are just bested by the Oriveti Basics but hold a noticeable advantage over the K3 Pro’s and EN700 Bass. Deep and sub-bass hold the most focus with a slight emphasis while mid and upper bass are closer to neutral in quantity. Bass has great linearity with a very consistent tone to notes of various frequencies. Sub-bass is nice and tight and mid-bass is devoid of any bloat. And despite having similar tuning, the King’s more linear emphasis and neutral quantity gives it an advantage in texture over the Oriveti Basic, they are notably less muddy. That being said, I suspect a lot of listeners will prefer the more mid-bass focused responses offered by these other earphones and the added sub-bass slam of the Basic’s is often more engaging despite being less technically impressive. The bass performance of the King’s most impressed me when listening to Simply Red’s “Stars”, quite a fast track that easily overwhelms earphones costing many times more. The King’s handled this song with aplomb, their agility allowed them to keep pace with the song’s rapid bass lines while their resolution perceived minute details within the low-end that the K3 Pro’s and EN700 Bass both skipped over entirely.

 

Mids –

The King’s have a delightful midrange that combines traits of the clarity driven K3 Pro and the very natural EN700 Bass. The King is a brighter earphone though its transparency and resolution mean they don’t have to rely on clarity to bring details to the fore. As such, they are a noticeably more natural sounding earphone than the K3 Pro though they still don’t sound quite as organic as the EN700 Bass which benefits from increased body and smoothness throughout. The King’s have a slightly thinner midrange with well-judged clarity and excellent layering. Midrange presence is great, sitting ever so slightly in front of the bass and mostly in line with treble though some areas of treble hold greater emphasis. As such, vocals are rendered wonderfully and instruments such as piano and acoustic are reproduced with exceptional detail. They can sound a little over-forward on certain tracks, for instance, the very intimate mastering of modern K-pop can become a little intense. On the contrary, when listening to older western music and some Jazz where vocals tend to be more recessed, the King’s sound considerably more balanced. This was most notably highlighted when listening to Steve Conti’s “Call Me Call Me” where the King brought the slightly recessed vocals forward while retaining pleasing balance in the lows and highs. The King also avoided bringing instruments such as strings overly forward despite enhancing vocal presence and the orchestral backdrop sounded smooth and appropriately restrained. In addition, the King’s well-rounded stage and imaging provide nice directional cues and an atmospheric effect to classical and instrumental tracks without making vocals sound distant when listening to other genres. The King’s tread a delicate line of equilibrium though TFZ have very carefully considered their tuning to make sure things remain in balance.

 

Treble –

High notes are sparkly and crisp with great detailing and a nice sense of air that contributes to that expansive soundstage presentation. Extension is good though I feel like the Simgot EN700 Bass and K3 Pro do resolve the very highest details just slightly better, especially the Simgot. That being said, the King renders other treble notes with slightly more detail and micro-detail retrieval is especially impressive at this price point. Int terms of tuning, the King’s treble is slightly uneven with a typical middle treble boost. This grants the earphones with a sense of vividness and clarity that generally extracts details from tracks, making them quite an aggressive earphone. The Simgot’s, by contrast, aren’t as immediately engaging and detailed as the King but possess a more natural and realistic response with more accurate texturing to cymbals and strings. The King generally has more definition than both of these earphones though its more sculpted nature does give cymbals a bit more crunch. I still prefer the King to the peakier K3 Pro and would consider the King to be closer to the more natural EN700 Bass in terms of treble tone and character than the Magaosi. Listening to Steely Dan’s “Peg” and “Deacon Blues” and the King provided hyper clear cymbals with nice texturing and adequate body. But while cymbals never sounded thin or splashy, high-hats were somewhat tizzy compared to the EN700 Bass. That being said, each guitar strum was crisp and airy and the King’s instrument separation provided delineation of instruments that the K3 Pro and EN700 Bass both tended to mush together. While some have labelled the King as a fatiguing earphone, I personally didn’t find the high-frequencies to be overly forward. Rather, I would surmise that their very forward, aggressive nature could turn off some listeners and despite the King’s ergonomic comfort, their sound is geared more towards short-term excitement over long-term listenability.

Next Page: Verdict

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ABOUT AUTHOR

Ryan Soo

Ryan Soo

Avid writer, passionate photographer and sleep-deprived medical student, Ryan has an ongoing desire to bring quality products to the regular reader.

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19 Responses

  1. Have formed a desire to get these but am very worried about that housing size. But I have no real way of knowing just how big it is. What I do know is that I once bought these IEMs called Revonext QT3 and found them impossible to wear the to size ( and maybe shape too). Would anyone here possibly be able to tell me how the TFZ King housing size compares to those ?

  2. Hi Hugo, depends what you’re looking for. In terms of detail and resolution, I would think so, but if you want more bass, the others will likely suit you better.

  3. Hi Ryan,
    Thank you for reviewing this fantastic item. Can you compare TFZ King and RHA MA750 which one is better. Thanks

  4. Hi again Ryan,

    Thank you very much for the reply. The reason i mentioned Yamaha was because of the 2016 guide of recommended earphones where Yamaha was the next step from Pistons. However this review persuaded me to look at my other options in the same price range as well. Now that i know that i should rather go with TFZ 5, it basically comes to price and availability for me. Thanks again.

  5. Hi Amin,

    Unfortunately, I haven’t heard the Yamaha’s so I can’t provide direct comparison or recommendation. I would perhaps point you towards the TFZ Exclusive 5, it is similar to the King with a nice soundstage and resolution but it is also more v-shaped with a warmer low-end that will be better suited towards films. I think it will be a more natural progression from the bassier Piston earphones and you get the added benefit of a removable cable over the Yamaha while retaining a nice metal build.

    Cheers,
    Ryan.

  6. Hi Ryan,

    Great work reviewing this product. Just a simple question; i am planning to upgrade from my Piston 2. I was planning to go for the Yamaha EPH-100 but with this being in the same price range i have a decision to make. I mostly use the news set to play games and watch movies and listen to music occasionally. Which one do you think suits me best considering i really like my Piston set.

  7. Hi Ryan,
    Great,detailed review. Can you please compare the Fiio f5 and Tfz king based on sound quality alone.
    F5 is cheaper and both have removable cables. Does the sound quality justify the kings higher cost? Also in your opinion which is the best iem under 100 usd for sound?

  8. Noted, thankyou so much for your reply!

    Looks like I’m gonna have to plan a long trip to the big city to demo all of these side-by-side, instead of just order from home. So many choices!

  9. Hi Darryl,

    Based on your sound preferences it doesn’t sound like the King will be a perfect match; it has a bright midrange with female vocal emphasis and treble is moderately forward and aggressive. It is relatively balanced but not nearly as neutral as the RE-400, the King has substantially more bass and treble than that model. Unfortunately, I haven’t heard the GR07 mkII in quite a while so I can’t provide comparison.

  10. Hi Ryan,

    I would like to know how these compare to the popular VSonic GR07 mkII and HiFiMan RE-400. I’m looking for something balanced along those lines but brands like VSonic are hard to find here now.

    I like a little treble sparkle but am very sensitive to harshness and sibilance. I love good mid-mids but not too much high-mids. Thanks beforehand for your advice.

  11. Hi Sofia, the King has a notable advantage with fit, seal and isolation which are all very good, the EX1 2nd Gen doesn’t isolate much at all. The King is much more balanced, the EX1 2nd Gen has a considerably more recessed midrange. Perhaps the V-shaped K3 Pro will be a better fit if you’re coming from the Fiio.

  12. Hi Ryan, thanks for the review! I would like to know how they compare to the Fiio ex1 gen2, as I feel the ex1 gen2 also leans bright. Would this be similar? I’m trying to find an alternative or an upgrade to the ex1 gen2 which I quite like!

  13. Hi Ryan
    Just want to know how this will compare to the 1more triple driver since they are in the same price range

  14. Great to hear Shaan,

    Really, the quality difference between all of these earphones is not humungous so buying one that fits your preferences is the best decision. I haven’t had a chance to listen to the A4 in depth, unfortunately. Also, hope you enjoy the Simgot’s!

    Ryan.

  15. Hi Ryan,
    Great review for another fantastic chinese iem. I’ve purchased en700 bass after reading your review and they should be here soon. I see that you have given the highest rating to Kings, but I think they would be too bright for me. I’ll also let you know my feedback when I get my hands on en700 bass.
    Btw, which iems you will review now? LZ A4 by any chance?

  16. Might have to check these out. I switch between HiFiMan RE-400a’s and Etymotic Research HF5’s. Thanks!

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