HiFi Mai Tai

A quick look at the storm that we call the internet shows a lot of love for the KZ Gale. This is an IEM that has some dedicated storm chasers. Probably a subculture of the wider KZ fan club. A cult for those that love to feel the wind running through their hair. The whipped up winds have swept forward a wave of positivity but is this a winter storm or ripple in a puddle? Lets find out in the Bartender’s KZ Gale Review.

KZ Gale Review – The Cocktail:

I paid just £6 for this IEM. Price wise it there is positioned just above the KZ EDX Pro (£4) and just below the TRN Dolphin (£10). It is therefore nestled between the lowest scoring cocktail I have reviewed and perhaps my favorite ultra budget IEM.

Looking at the specifications there isn’t much different between these three cocktails. All are single 10mm dynamic driver IEMs and all have pretty typical specs. The sensitivity of the KZ Gale is a little higher but now I am really desperately trying to find differences.

Drivers: 10mm Dynamic Driver
Frequency: 10 to 20,000 Hz
Impedence: 24 Ω
Sensitivity: 107 dB

KZ Gale Review – The Taste Test Setup:

This is exactly the same setup as was used for the KZ EDX Pro and only the cable is different to the TRN Dolphin (so its the same). Just as was the case for those cocktails this is a slightly ridiculous setup. I really don’t think the IEMs should be the cheapest component. Its a bit like going to a fancy restaurant and being served MacDonalds. Yes the plates are nice and the cutlery polished to perfection but the food…well I think this comparison makes sense (have I used this before. I feel like I have).

DAC/AMP: Moondrop Dawn Pro 2
Cable: Tripowin Zonie 4.4mm (Balanced)
Eartips: Stock (Silicon)

KZ Gale Review – The Non-Audio:

The accessories are the typical invisible option that KZ favors for all its IEMs. Some say if you look really hard you might find a collection of premium eartips, a modular cable or even a case. I have been looking for a long time and still not found anything. Maybe I should get my mum to have a look cause I certainly can’t find anything.

The build and style both feel and look cheap. The join between the faceplate and the rest of the shell is mountainous you can see it from a great distance. Nothing broke during my testing and reviewing but I wouldn’t bet on them lasting long. These are cheap and they know it. Everyone knows it. If trying to fake it till you make it I would recommend something else. Anything else really. That said I do think these have more style than the Tangzu Waner Red Lion and the TRN Dolphin. So there are certainly worse options out there.

Being smallish and of a light construction these are pretty comfortable. The stock eartips aren’t the best but the shells themselves cause no problems. I wore these for hours at a time with no problem.

Accessories: Drink Only (Nothing Else Worth Talking About)
Style: Well Liquor (Firmly On the Bottom Shelf)
Build: Hand Wash Only (A Feather in the Wind)
Comfort: Sat in the Booths (A Warm Afternoon Breeze)

KZ Gale Review – The Audio:

Lets start by wrapping up the debate I started at the very beginning. These are more KZ EDX Pro than TRN Dolphin. These do not exceed their budget in the way that the TRN Dolphin do. That said they are in many ways a significant improvement over the KZ EDX Pro.

The bass is more restrained than the KZ EDX Pro but actually very similar. To me it sounds like they have the same approach to the bass. Both striking the same balance between the sub-bass rumble and a nice hard hitting slam. They are very much brothers one is the taller skinnier one and the other the shorter buffer one. A sort two Ronnies arrangement (I promise I am not that old. My knees only creak sometimes).

In the mids the KZ Gale is a significant improvement and allows instruments in this range to be more forward and less recessed. The opposite is true however when it comes to vocals. The KZ EDX Pro pushes vocals more forward. The slightly more recessed KZ Gale vocals does have the advantage of being less shouty. Both cocktails are not vocal specialists. Both can be sharp and piercing at times.

The KZ Gale also has a significantly improved treble over the KZ EDX Pro. It is less peaky. Less sharp. There is still quite a lot going on the treble but it has more balance and is much better for it. If you are treble sensitive I would probably still avoid this one but if you have been listening to the KZ EDX Pro then I encourage you to switch to the KZ Gale for the improvements in the treble alone.

I probably should have mentioned at the very beginning that these IEMs are marketed for gaming. I would have said so earlier but I was too busy trying to think of wind themed lines without mentioning farts. Anyway yes, these are targetting gamers. And yes I think these will probably work for gaming quite well. For the price the soundstage, the details and the imaging are pretty good. I was impressed. When it comes to technicals the KZ Gale can out perform IEMs twice or thrice the price (got to get those rhymes in).

The technicals are this cocktails party piece. Its not really the most exciting party trick. Its a bit like being able to recite the starting 11 of FA winning sides. No body really cares, everyone thinks your boring and then suddenly you’re in pub quiz and have become the hero. Okay that didn’t really make any sense. I could try again. But I think you have got the idea. The technicals and details are good. That’s all I am trying to say.

The Base Spirit (Bass): 59.84 % (Chasing the Storm)
The Modifier (Mids): 57.42 % (Trapped in a Wind Tunnel)
The Sweetener (Treble): 58.51 % (A Cold Sharp Breath)
The Vocals: 57.80 % (The Refinement of a Hairdryer)
The Garnish (Details): 67.00 % (The Right Clothes for the Weather)
The Presentation (Technicals): 67.53 % (An Acurate Weather Forecast)

KZ Gale Review – The AI Opinion:

This a new feature that I am trying out. How well will it work? I don’t know but here goes anyway.

In this section I have asked Google’s AI mode to predict a score for the to be reviewed IEM prior to publishing my review. To get this prediction I have asked that it predict a score based upon the scoring system employed by me here at the HiFi Mai Tai beach bar. That’s it. It is as simple as that. I could be doing myself out of the job here. But got to embrace the modern world etc. And if AI is gonna take my job I am going to go down fighting. Hopefully it proves itself rubbish and there is nothing to worry about.

So the KZ Gale. What does AI think?

The Base Spirit (Bass): 74.00%
The Modifier (Mids): 68.00%
The Sweetener (Treble): 78.00%
The Vocals: 82.00%
The Garnish (Details): 75.00%
The Presentation (Technicals): 72.00%

Nothing like AI to make you doubt yourself. Or maybe actually the opposite is true. Maybe I should take comfort that at least according to me AI is taking rubbish.

I suspect that most reviewers consider the price quite heavily in their review and this is reflected in the scores AI predicts. If 100% is the best in the budget then the KZ Gale probably does deserve the scores awarded to it above by AI. But here at the HiFi Mai Tai Beach Bar we do things a little differently. We like to pretend that money isn’t real. You should try it some time. It certainly helps me sleep at night, enjoy my days and make the most of things or at least I pretend it does. Well if you don’t believe your own lies no one else will. Just ask AI. Its excellent at believing its own lies.

KZ Gale Review – Summary & Comparisons

No surprises that the KZ EDX Pro is the first one to enter the comparison ring. And straight away the KZ Gale has the KZ EDX Pro on the ropes. The KZ Gale is generally all round better with a much more balanced sound. The bass is less dominating, the mids less recessed, the vocals less shouty, the treble less sharp. Win, win win win win (I lost count).

Yup that right you guessed it. The TRN dolphin is up next. I won’t spend long on this one as the TRN dolphin is better across the board. It is almost twice the price but at this budget that really isn’t much (even for me). The TRN dolphin is brighter and it does look like dried slug but there is no escaping the fact it is the wiser choice even if buying for gaming.

I have tested a range of other single dynamic drivers at this sort of price and I am not going to go through all of them. But I thought it might be time to bring back the KZ DQS one more time. If you are absolutely insisting on a single dynamic driver by KZ in the ultra budget space then I would consider the KZ DQS. The KZ DQS is a more fun. Its like a spaniel. A mad ball of unrestrained energy that at times isn’t even very good at being a dog and yet you find yourself giving it all the love.

Overall, I do understand some of the praise for this IEM. Its a good gaming option and for the price it is competitive. However, I also think there are better options. KZ themselves have better options for not much more (KZ Duonic anyone). I guess just as was teh case for the KZ EDX Pro my conclusion is pretty irrelecent because if you want to know what the KZ Gale sounds like you should probably just try it for yourself. Really you have nothing to lose.