[General Accessories] vectron:
This is a review of HZSound HZ-EP001 in-ear headphones. http://penonaudio.com/HZSOUND-HZ-EP001

For those following my headphone reviews, you probably realized by now that quality headphones doesn't have to cost arm'n'leg. That's why I enjoy reviewing budget priced headphones, almost as much as I do some of the better known expensive brand names, and often refer to them as "giant killers" because they sound on par with other headphones that cost at least 2-3 times as much. When I saw Penonaudio listed a pair of new HZ-EP001 headphones from a company I never heard of and priced at $24.90, it really got my attention, and I was interested to find out if they sound as good as they look. Here is what I found.

Arrived in all black box, HZ-EP001 had a quality packaging with some of the familiar design elements from HiFiMAN and VSonic; definitely a first class presentation of the product. Along with headphones, HZSound included a number of accessories such as a set of S/M/L silicone tips, a pair of double-flange tips, a pair of foam tips, a carabiner clip, and a hard shell rectangular headphone case. Though earips were basically generic, I was actually quite impressed with a quality of the case. Headphones itself had a decent build quality and rather a non-traditional round disk shape. One important advantage of such shape is that it doesn't stick out and sits flush with your ear's inner rim, thus making it comfortable to put your head on a pillow while wearing these.

The design has an outer aluminum metal shell with an etched surface and an inner plastic body with an angled nozzle. Such unique shape made it very comfortable to wear these headphones wire down or wire up (though you will need to flip L/R sides for that). The shell has an air port opening on the back and another pinhole one at the base of the nozzle. Both earpieces had a clear L/R marking and also an id bump-dot on the left strain relief, where both strain relieves had a nice flow with a design while protecting wire attachment to the shell. Headphone wires were round and soft, and a little bit thinner before y-splitter, and then thicker going down to a straight gold plated connector. Both connector and y-splitter capsule have a similar design with details matching earpiece outer shell. In addition it has a cable cinch that slides right into y-splitter cavity when not in use. I found very little microphonics contributed by the cable, and also headphones itself provided better than average sound isolation, at least for anatomy of my ear where I prefer a shallow insertion.

They look cool, that's for sure, but what about the sound? HZ-EP001 are warm, smooth, and have a little v-shaped sound signature. Low end extends down to a moderate level of sub-bass with a punchy mid-bass which spills a bit into lower mids, though it doesn't make it bloated but rather adds thickness to a full body sound. Mids are smooth and warm, a bit recessed but still clear. Treble is also smooth with some roll off. Their lack of brightness makes sound less detailed but it still has enough clarity. Soundstage has an average width/depth. Also, I found it to sound good with any source, and amping was not necessary.

Overall, I definitely enjoyed these headphones. Everything from a design and a build quality to an included headphone case has a premium feel above its sub $25 price. Sound signature is not necessary suited for a detailed analytical listening, but has a nice warm, smooth, full body fun sound with a decent amount of bass that works great with EDM, pop, and rock music. And as I mentioned before, these are among few in-ear headphones that I can wear in bed with my head on the pillow without hurting my ears. Definitely a worthy addition to anyone's budget headphone collection!

Here are the pictures.