KZ - PR1 Pro

After owning and adoring the KZ PR1 Pro, I found the PR2 to be a massive disappointment. Unbearably peaky and much harder to drive. 

Just received my PRX---previously used PR1 Pro. I'm not expert or anything and kind of an amateur enthusiast so I'll try to describe my experience with them by comparing them against each other to the various songs. So far I think the term would be that the PR1 Pro is more bright and the PRX is more warm. Device: HiBy R5-i. Balanced 4.4. new same cheapo foam tips on both sized S. No EQ. Same cable. Gain: low. 100% volume for maximum ear damage. Methodology: listen a few times and swap just iems. Compare segments of songs where I think I hear the most differences between the 2. song: Fleetwood Mac - Dreams (2001 remaster 96.0khz/24bits FLAC). Immediately off the bat the PR1 Pro in general sounds louder. The clang of cymbals at the start hit at a higher frequency. Vocals are a bit more shouty as well. The timbre I guess you can say is less fatiguing on the PRX. Soundstage of the PRX feels more wide and isolation of sounds and vocals is a bit more noticeable to me on the PRX than the PR1 Pros. song: Kali Uchis - Telapatia (acoustic) (44.1khz/24 bits FLAC) Once again right off the bat everything on the PR1 Pro is louder. First notes in the guitar string hits differently... not sure how to describe it but it just does? lol Certain notes and sounds seem to linger slightly longer on the PR1 Pro. Sibilance on the PR1 Pro on Telapatia is also more noticeable to me. Song: Kendrick Lamar - Squabble Up (48.0khz/24bits FLAC) Once again immediately louder on the PR1 Pro. Vocals are more shouty as they were with Rumours compared to the PRX. I'm not sure how to describe all these bass thumps but the way they're hitting is different. To me on the PRX the bass in general sounds more "clean". Contrasting the vocals to the bass it doesn't really flow well together. The treble is a tad too high and doesn't blend well on the PR1 Pro. There are also literal shouting sections in Squabble Up and they're borderline piercing on the PR1 Pro (something I never noticed before until testing them against the PRX). Song: Porter Robinson & Madeon - Shelter (44.1khz/16 bits FLAC) Once again everything is just louder on the PR1 Pro. In fact, after listening to this song with the PRX it's almost unbearable on the PR1 Pro---something I never noticed before. Because everything is just louder it gets a little over-bearing. It's not muddy per-se. It's just that on some songs the PR1 Pro is just too much noise all at once because it is louder. It's very evident on Shelter every time song builds up it's momentum. Near the end of the song it's where the song gets very energetic and the PR1 Pro takes the energy of that song and cranks it up to 11. Song: Billie Eilish - Ocean Eyes (44.1khz/16 bits FLAC) There's some lingering notes and bass seems to hang around a bit longer on the PR1 Pro compared to the PRX. Sibilance also hangs on just a smidge longer on the PR1 Pro. Some vocal notes on the PR1 Pro are a bit sharper than on the PRX. === Overall they're actually quite different from one another. I think there will be times the PR1 Pro will stand out due to it's brighter sound signature but overall the PRX is a much better listen. It's much more balanced across the board. Just looked at KZ's supplied graphs on their site and yeah---almost all frequencies on the PRX is lower than the PR1 Pro which would explain why the PR1 Pro is overall just louder, brighter and a tad shouty. I'm definitely pleased with the PRX but may hang onto the PR1 Pro as backup or when I want to focus more on vocals at a lower volume. I spent several hours listening to them and then comparing the two. Compared it with more songs but reddit didn't let me post the comment (too long I guess lol)

All IEMs break or get lost or get left behind. I’d much rather replace a perfectly fine pair of IEMs that cost $60 than a pair that cost $1200. That’s personal preference. I personally think that clarity and detail are completely unimportant in a live situation. There are lots and lots of people who will disagree with me. But my hot take is to go the less expensive route If money is an issue. I currently use the KZ Pros and they sound just fine.