KZ x HBB DQ6S Review

KZ x HBB DQ6S Review

Hi everyone,

After a week of listening to the new KZ DQ6S IEM, I’m ready to share my thoughts on it.

The KZ DQ6S is an IEM consisting of 3 dynamic drivers: one 10mm “Xun” dynamic driver and two 6mm drivers. This is the same configuration of the original KZ DQ6, but this is tuned differently. It is a collaboration between KZ and HBB.

As usual, the IEM box and content is no different from other KZ IEMs and we get the IEM, some additional ear tip sizes, and the silver cable (No mic version for me):

Here is the full package content:

KZ x HBB DQ6S - Box Content

My KZ DQ6S seems to have been manufactured on January 19, 2022:

KZ x HBB DQ6S - Manufactured Date in the box

This date is important because there seem to have been a quality issue with some models having glue on them, preventing them from working as they should. My pair seems to not be affected and I have not noticed any glue residue on it.

Moving on with the review, the sound of this is completely different from that of the original KZ DQ6. Let’s see each category below:

Bass

This IEM is bassier than the original KZ DQ6. In general, this IEM has a warm sound without sacrificing details. In this section, we can hear the low frequencies with very good details. This IEM, besides music, does a good work on movies, especially on action films where the bass is mostly heard.

Mids

This IEM seem to not be that much “V” shaped. The mids are very detailed and warm too. Voices are forward and this is probably one of those IEMs where they stands out. This makes it also an excellent choice where vocal detail is preferred. The instruments are very well separated and doesn’t affect the voices in any way.

Treble

While this IEM is warmer, the treble is not sacrificed. You will hear most of the treble “from behind”. If you prefer a more focused and brighter treble, then the original KZ DQ6 wins here.

Compared with the KZ ZEX Pro

The KZ ZEX Pro is a tribrid IEM, featuring a 10mm “Xun” driver, an electret driver, and a balanced armature. The sound is similar between these 2 IEMs, but the DQ6S have more bass presence and the voices are a bit more warmer. I personally like the DQ6S because of the more details in the bass and mids areas, but the KZ ZEX Pro is also an excellent choice.

Conclusion

In conclusion, even with some saying that this model only has a functional 10mm drivers and that the 6mm drivers are there “for decoration purposes” (I’m not going to debate this), this IEM has an excellent sound and it seems KZ is improving on the budget IEM area with every new model they release.