KZ VXS TWS Earbuds
Nowadays, the TWS earbud market is, at least for me, at its peak saturation and will remain so in the years to come. When searching for earbuds to purchase, the sheer number of brands and models can be quite crippling, especially for someone who’s just starting to explore this side of the audio market.
Western brands are often, if not, the most sought after by consumers just because of their popularity on both the consumer and professional levels. However, these past few years, especially for countries like the Philippines, have seen the rise of alternative non-western brands like KZ Audio which is a Chinese company.
The rise of these other brands has given us Filipinos more options that are easily within our budget. Since a lot of us aren’t really into the technical side of the consumer market and only want something for everyday use, may it be for commuting/work or simply consuming music on the go.
To help you narrow down your choices and hopefully show you what to look out for when buying TWS earbuds, here is my review of the KZ VXS TWS earbuds which is the manufacturer’s newest budget TWS entry.
About the Brand
A little introduction to the brand, KZ audio (Knowledge Zenith) is a Chinese company founded by Keith Yue who is a former Audio-Technica engineer, and Zen Li who is a western-trained classical musician. This company aims to bring low-priced audio devices that can somewhat compete with mainstream brands in the same price range.
For the first part of my review, we will take a look at the Packaging, Aesthetics and Build Quality, Comfort, Connectivity, Battery Life, Gaming, and Microphone quality.
What’s in the Box?
- A pair of KZ VXS TWS earbuds
- A User’s Guide
- A short USB-A to Type-C charging cable
- Charging Case
- Extra ear tips (small, medium, large)
Packaging
- The KZ VXS TWS earbuds are well protected inside the sleeved cardboard box that is adequately thick enough to provide a cushion in case you drop it. When you open the box, the second layer of protection is provided by the charging case that comes with the earbuds. Also, the charging case feels premium and aesthetically pleasing to look at.
Aesthetics and Build Quality
- This pair of earbuds, first and foremost, project a very sci-fi-esque approach to its design emphasized by its sleek curves and sharp lines offering a very hi-tech feel to it. The logo and lines located at the front of the earpieces really complement this look.
- Going to the build quality, the earbuds themselves do not feel cheap and fragile to the touch same with the aforementioned charging case that comes with it just adds to the premium feel it gives you.
Comfort
- This pair of earbuds fit almost perfectly in my ear and after wearing them for two to three hours there was still no noticeable discomfort with the added extra ear tips, you still have a few options to make it even more comfortable to wear. However, the ear tips that are provided are dome-shaped ones and are quite soft and flimsy, and, for me at least, they would be more comfortable to use if made a little bit stiffer.
Connectivity
- The KZ VXS is powered by Qualcomm’s QCC3040 chip with the new generation Bluetooth 5.2 and also supports APT-X lossless transmission. However, when using the “Full Power Mode” the connection becomes quite unstable even when you are close to the audio source. Other than that though I have not experienced any connection loss when using this TWS even when I’m approximately 3 to 5 feet away.
Battery Life
- The longest time I’ve used this device is at least three hours. At that time I was listening to music with at least 60% of the volume up and the battery only dropped to 70% so in my estimate it could last, with a reasonable volume level, at least up to 5 or close to 6 hours.
Gaming
- For gaming, the earbuds provide decent sound quality and directional audio when playing action/FPS games. The earbuds also have a low-latency game mode that reduces the latency significantly but for me though there are better options in this price range (priced at PHP 3,127) for this kind of consumption.
Microphone Quality
- In a quiet environment like your room, the mic has a fairly decent sound quality to it. It provides enough clarity and volume. However, when used outdoors the promised CVC call noise reduction feature fails to do the “90%” external noise reduction it promises but it is still quite tolerable if you really need to use it outside.
Sound Quality
Now, onto the next and juicy part. Before moving forward though I would like to clarify that my opinions about the sound quality of this device will be in line with its PHP 3,127 price point so please keep that in mind.
The KZ VXS features 10mm customized dynamic drivers alongside a full power mode that promises to boost sound quality but in my experience, it only made the Bluetooth connection unstable and only added a small amount of improvement in regards to overall sound quality. So the following pointers were based on the TWS’s standard mode.
Low End – When listening to bass-rich music like Hip-Hop/Trap/Deep house or EDM in general, the VXS provides an ample sub-bass punch you can feel and enough clarity in the low frequencies to hear the details. For heavier music though, the low end becomes a little bit muddy, especially when listening to Hard Rock/Metal/Progressive music. The low mids sometimes bleed through the mid-bass frequencies. But overall for its price range, this TWS provides enough low-end punch to satisfy most consumers.
Mids – In this range where most of the vocals usually sit, the TWS delivers quite well again for its price range. It has good clarity and is very well pronounced especially with male vocals. It provides a warm sound that does not fatigue the ear even when listening to higher volumes.
Highs/Treble – For this frequency range, there is much more room for improvement. When listening to heavily distorted guitars the earbuds have a hard time producing the high frequencies with enough clarity making it sound muddy or muffled sometimes. But in some instances when listening to a more laid-back genre, the earbuds provide enough brilliance to appreciate this side of the spectrum.
Sound Stage and Imaging – The KZ VXS provide enough space to differentiate the instruments and isolate their frequencies in some tracks and genres but it is quite inconsistent. Bigger and more complex musical arrangements can at times feel a bit compressed and muffled. There is much more to improve in this area.
Albums I Used for Testing –
- Skitz Kraven – “Children of the Ward” is good for testing low end
- Volumes – “Happier?”, Deftones – “White Pony” for testing with the heavier side of music and for harsh frequencies
- Kalandra – “The Line” I used this for the softer sounding instruments like ambient synths
- Film scores of Hans Zimmer and personal recordings of mine were used to test orchestral sounds and lossless audio.
KZ VXS Pricing and Availability
Finally, the KZ VXS TWS earbuds is priced at PHP 3,127 and can be purchased here. For this price and what the KZ VXS can deliver, I can fairly say this product is a bang for your buck if you are looking for an entry-level TWS for your everyday use.
If you prefer a wired solution, you may also check out our review of the CCA Lyra IEMs.
Started his freelancing adventure in 2018 and began doing freelance Audio Engineering work and then started freelance writing a few years later.
Currently he writes for Gadget Pilipinas and Grit.PH.
He is also a musician, foody, gamer, and PC enthusiast.
