LONG POST AHEAD
So short story, I’ve been sick the last few days and haven’t had the chance to do much outside of rest, but something in my mind has been bothering me. When I got the AN01, I immediately paired it with the PR3 as in my previous tests, the PR3 seemed to be the most responsive when it comes to sources. This is evident in how the Avani had a completely different measurement.
On my first few hours and days of listening, I felt like something changed about the PR3. It seemed smoother, darker and overall less “offensive” as I described on my review. So I intended to measure it a few days ago when my PC for some reason refused to read bluetooth devices. Then I got sick and halted the measurements.
Until today. I finally got the strength to get up, satiate my curiosity and measure the PR3 on the AN01 with my laptop which I had hoped still worked and read bluetooth devices. Lo and behold;
The PR3 really DID change with the AN01. At first, I thought this was the doing of the AN01 alone. “Did KZ really create a bluetooth module with a DSP that drastically changes the sound like this?”. So I continued testing, this time with a favorite of mine, the EDX Pro X. I was wholeheartedly expecting the same to happen and I was excited to see the output. However…
Nothing. Barely any difference. I’d chalk up the small dips to the EDX Pro X being beaten up, or maybe even a very slight impedance shift, but it’s negligible. There’s barely any difference with the stock cable and the AN01. At this point I was baffled. I didn’t know what the heck caused the PR3 to look the way it did on the AN01. Then a friend of mine mentioned planars usually having linear impedance curves. That sparked an idea within me. What if I measured the PR3 with an impedance adaptor?
Exactly the same as the AN01. This implies 2 facts; the PR3 is crazy sensitive to amplifiers/sources and the AN01 basically has a built in Impedance adapter. I will ask around what the exact impedance that the FatFreq Impedance Adaptor has, but least to say, if you pair the AN01 with an IEM that is as sensitive to impedance shifts as the PR3, you’ll get a much darker, warmer and smoother IEM, for better or worse.
Now what does this imply? Does this mean that the AN01 is bad? Not at all. If you intend to pair this with KZ IEMs, you’re in luck because most of them don’t respond poorly to impedance shifts. The only IEM by far that I’ve experienced is the PR3, and it essentially improves upon the PR3’s tuning for most people.
As for the PR3, this is one of the most peculiar IEMs that I’ve ever owned with just how responsive it is to sources. I’ve mentioned in my reviews before how sources somehow shifts the sound of the IEM or headphones you use. And while most of them are minor changes, the PR3 is one that I mean in the literal sense. The difference is not just measurements. Listening to the PR3 on the Avani (a horrible experience) compared to the Odo, AN01 and with an impedance adaptor all yielded a unique listening experience that, for better or worse, makes the PR3 one of the most peculiar IEMs that I’ve ever measured.
