Enameled Ceramic Sound

 

Ratings

 

 

Pros

 

• Quality of the treble driver, gives a very characteristic sound to the whole.
• Great clarity, transparency and precision.
• Remarkable instrumental positioning and recreation of the scene.
• Versatility of the filters.
• Very suitable for a large number of musical genres and for daily use.
• Carrying case.
• Construction and comfort.

 

Cons

 

• Cable
• Very soft silicone tips.

 

Purchase link

 

https://penonaudio.com/lz-a6mini.html

 

Link to the Store

 

https://penonaudio.com

 

 

Introduction

 

The LZ A6mini is a cheaper version of the Flagship of the Chinese brand LZ Audio, the LZ A6, from which all BA drivers have been removed. These are hybrid IEMs with a 10mm dynamic driver and a ceramic piezoelectric driver for each capsule. The shape is practically identical to its big brothers, but without Loud button.

 

Comes with three filters to be able to modify the sound:

 

• Blue (Hi-res): Bandwidth: 15Hz – 35kHz. Filter frequency: 3kHz – 7kHz. Boost +3dB
• Black (Balanced): Bandwidth: 15Hz – 35kHz. Filter frequency: 3kHz – 7kHz. No enhancement 0dB
• Red (Bass boost): Bandwidth: 15Hz – 35kHz. Filter frequency: 3kHz – 7kHz. Reduction -3dB

 

You have the option to choose cable with MMCX connector or two-pin cable 0.78mm.

 

 

Specifications

 

• Driver: 10mm Dynamic Driver + 7 layer piezoelectric ceramic extra-high driver hybrid
• Frequency response: 15Hz-35kHz
• Sensitivity: 112dB
• Nominal Impedance: 20Ω
• Cable length: 1.3m
• Plug: 3.5mm L
• Cable terminal: MMCX or 0.78mm two-pin models available
• Designed according to CITA IECQ standard

 

 

Packaging

 

The LZ A6mini come in a 194x154x47mm box with a black cover. On the main face is engraved, in violet, the logo, the brand below, the model at the bottom and a small description on the foot. On the back come the web address, an e-mail address and the brand address, plus a QR code.

 

After removing the cover there is a completely red box with the logo engraved in white in the middle.

When the lid is opened there is a mould containing:

 

• A case with zipper
• The capsules
• The quality certificate
• The instruction manual

 

 

The rest of the accessories that can be found in the interior:

 

• The cable
• The filter holder with the red and black filters. The blue filters are already installed.
• 3 pairs of SxMxL wide channel silicone tips.
• 3 pairs of narrow-channel SxMxL silicone tips.
• 1 pair of blue foam tips

 

In this case the content is more than acceptable, incorporating several sets of tips and a very practical case with zipper to keep the IEMs.

 

 

Construction and design

 

The capsules are metallic, quite light. They have an ergonomic shape, although they are clearly fat. They are designed to be used with the cable over the ear. They have two different parts: the outer plate and the body. The outer plate has a perceptible bevel on its outer edge, which allows you to see the color of the material, giving a distinctive and elegant touch. Next to the bevel the mark is read, in white letters and capital letters. Very close to these letters is a hole, just in the area of the sharpest vertex of the cover. Both the plates and the capsules are perfectly assembled and the union, although distinguishable, does not present any gap

The nozzles are made of aluminium, 7mm long and have a screw thread for easy fixing.

The filter holder is also metallic and fulfils its function perfectly.

The cable is thick, covered with black rubber, somewhat rigid, with a tendency to take shape.

The Jack connector is a black metal cylinder from which the cable comes out at 90º.

The splitter is another black metal cylinder. There is a metal piece to adjust the cable under the chin.

 

 

In the model I own, the connection is two pins of 0.78mm. These connections in the cable are protected by a thick plastic cover, in the shape of L open. From it, the cable is protected by a wrapper that gives it shape to fit over the ear.

The cable, being very rigid, has a certain microphony and the possible impacts are transmitted. Another negative aspect, in this case due to the two-pin cable, has been its connection: the holes are inside a rectangular cavity, whose dimensions are very close and inserting them has not been easy. In addition, there is no indication of how they should be connected, so it is necessary to be guided by the adjustment of the capsules in the ears

 

 

Adjustment and ergonomics

 

The placement is simple and in my particular case, the capsules barely touch any part of the ear, rather remain as floating, ensuring good comfort throughout the time of use. This is due to the relative length of the nozzles, the insertion of which could be considered almost medium. Once adjusted, they do not fix completely, but allow a certain degree of rotation, although I have not observed any change in the sound, once I have found the right tips.

Thanks to the insertion, as I said, something deeper than superficial, the capsules do not move easily and this allows their use for everyday life.

Although the size of the capsules is somewhat fat and almost bulky, this does not negatively influence the comfort or fit.

 

 

Sound

 

One of the great advantages of this model is the filters, because they are very versatile and their influence is clearly perceptible in the range in which they move, from 3kHz to 7kHz.

In the manual you can see a graph showing the acoustic properties of each filter over the frequency range.  Clearly it can be distinguished that the blue filter enhances the mid and high frequencies. The black filter does not alter the frequency response of the A6mini. And the red filters reduce mids and highs. It can also be observed that the incidence of filters in the low zone is relatively zero. Thus, the modification in the perception of the low zone is basically determined by the reduction or enhancement of the rest of the zones.

 

 

My quick evaluation of each filter is as follows:

The blue filter makes the A6mini too bright for my taste. The high mids have a clear enhancement and are quite sharp and crunchy. The overall tone becomes somewhat unreal, somewhat forced by the excess brightness. It is true that clarity is emphasized, but naturalness is lost in the mid-range, something that is clearly appreciated in the voices. Recommended for fans of enhanced treble and high mids.

The black filter seems not to affect the frequency response of the A6mini at all. That being so, I find its profile clearly correct, because it has a fairly good balance throughout the entire range. All zones are highly enjoyable individually and none of them are restricted. The black filter is my favorite because it allows to extract and enjoy all the virtues of this model.

The red filter has an excessive influence on the sound, cuts the mid-range and smoothes the treble, turning the A6mini into spark-less, dark IEMs with much less detail, clearly reduced resolution and clarity. The filtering is even noticeable in the volume, being necessary more power to equal volumes with respect to the black filter.

 

As I said before, the influence of each filter is quite clear. Its great advantage is that everyone can adapt the profile to their personal taste. My critique in this respect is that it does not seem to affect particularly the bass. I would have liked to have a filter that only enhances that area over the rest, without having to lose quality in the middle and treble.

 

From now on, the sound will be described using the black filters.

 

 

Profile

 

With the black filters the A6mini are quite balanced. It’s true that the midzone is quite present, but the bass is not as backward as in other IEMs, whose mids have similar characteristics. After noticing a certain distance between bass and treble, I could venture a certain profile in soft W.

 

 

Bass

 

Bass enjoy a certainly linear presence, both the sub bass and the middle bass are felt with an adequate dose of power, not emphasis, generating an area with good equilibrium and balance. The upper part of the bass is softer, a characteristic that produces a certain lack of body at the confluence with the mids.

The A6mini are not bass-focused IEMs, but they offer a more than acceptable level of punch, very necessary for eminently bassist musical genres such as electronic music.

One of the most noticeable characteristics of the bass is its speed, as well as the level of recovery. This gives you a large dose of control, accuracy, resolution, even transparency.

The area has a remarkable lamination, being able to distinguish all the low frequencies almost individually and clearly perceptible, without any blurring. It is really pleasant to be able to focus the senses in following all the bass lines without there being even an ounce of interference in the rest of the frequencies.

Overall the lower zone is quite versatile, allowing the A6mini to enjoy an off-road character that makes it compatible with a wide range of musical genres.

As a negative attribute, the area lacks a more powerful character globally, reducing the level of fun and spectacularism.

 

 

Mids

 

Mids starts from a light presential valley, a double-edged sword: on the one hand it prevents the intrusion of the bass in the mids and gains in clarity. But on the other hand, male voices, as well as the entire lower midrange, lack body and sound somewhat isolated. On the negative side of this subrange, lightening presence reduces forcefulness and power in an area with a lot of musical information in most genres, perceiving a certain feeling of hollow. On the positive side, the sound produced is quite decongested, even passages where this area is very dense, sound much lighter and fresh.

As the frequency increases, the presence is enhanced and the female voices take advantage of it, becoming the stars of the function, being very frontal and close, as well as clear and detailed.

Cleanliness, clarity and elegance are attributes that end up defining the midrange. Special mention should be made of the unusual detail caused by the treble driver.

 

 

Treble

 

The sound is not blatantly analytical, but is perceived as different from that generated by BA drivers or dynamic drivers. The nature of the emitter influences the generation of the music, revealing a different sonority. The highs coming from this ceramic piezoelectric driver offer an interesting and diverse point of view: almost a micro universe to be discovered, some mids with new ornamental endings, some highs with a distinctive sound signature. This driver of new generation contributes an appreciable musical value, apart from that new color, the trebles gain in extension without the rest of frequencies suffer negative consequences, in spite of its clear influence.

Another great virtue of this driver is its speed; the highs are so fast that wheezing hardly occurs. This gives an idea of how sharp the highs are, but being very safe because they never become lacerating, at least not with the black filter.

 

 

Soundstage, separation

 

The scene is wide and high too, but to a minor degree. The sound has a good feeling of depth and three-dimensionality. But as a whole I don’t find the scene very spherical, but vaster frontally.

Where these IEMs excel is in instrumental location and positioning. The separation is almost excellent and the great clarity and transparency allow a very precise recreation, with a large number of instrumental planes and very close female voices.

 

 

Comparisons

 

Anew U1

 

I’m very impressed with the U1 for their overall quality and, in particular, for their lower zone. When I directly compare the U1 against the A6mini I see many differences. And the biggest difference is not the lows, but the mids: the U1 cannot compete in this range against the A6mini. The presence of the voices overwhelms the U1, sounding distant and veiled, lack of resolution and clarity. With the rest of the mids the same thing happens, A6mini offers a great amount of details and information that in the U1 seems omitted. As expected, the treble sonority is noticeably different, with more extension, resolution and micro detail, as well as a different naturalness, in favor of the A6mini. While in the U1, the low trebles, sound more sharp and marked.

Bass of the U1 deserve special mention, as a lover of this area; I prefer their warmth, depth, body and presence. The lows of the U1 make me move my head up and down without stopping, enjoying. While their mids make me twist my mouth…when I compare them with the A6mini.

In the rest of parameters, like the scene and the separation, A6mini win without discussion, only in the width of the scene the U1 approach the LZ.

 

 

Ikko OH1

 

The profile is equal when A6mini are compared to OH1, although the differences exist. OH1 and A6mini share similarities in the depth of the bass, but the LZ offer a little more presence and more width; they are not so focused on the sub bass, producing a fuller bass range and more body, giving the sound more warmth.

Mids of both have a good presence and feel close and ahead. But the OH1 mids still sound colder than the A6mini. There is a difference between male and female voices between the two IEMs: Male voices sound more clearly in the OH1, while female voices sound better in the A6mini. It is possible that this effect is due to the valley that the A6mini present at the confluence between bass and mids. The tone in the mids also varies between both, persisting in the OH1 that colder and brighter character, because their highs are more marked and crunchy. Again the sonority of the high zone is distinguishable: it is sharper in the OH1 and with more emphasis in the lower part of this zone. While in the A6mini is more relaxed, no less extensive.

The scene in the A6mini is wider and higher, producing a greater feeling of three-dimensionality and spatiality. The instrumental recreation also improves the one offered by the OH1. In terms of clarity and separation, the differences are not so obvious; the somewhat cooler and brighter character favors the Ikko in this sense, as well as being more analytical.

 

 

Conclusion

 

In this hobby, the question is always the same. Is it worth spending more money to get better sound quality? Manufacturers are well aware of this and their efforts should be directed in this direction. For users, it’s like fleeing forward: this world is moving very fast and new models with technological improvements are appearing every day. But do these improvements translate into better sound? Do the new models surpass the ones I already own?

In this case, LZ has combined well-known technologies with more recent ones: the use of filters and the ceramic piezoelectric driver. The influence of both elements is clearly perceptible and this is the key to the added value offered by this model. In this case, there is another advantage: LZ wanted to make its Flagship more accessible. In my opinion, these operations become virtues to be considered when buying this model, apart from its proven sound quality, which in itself could justify its price.

Speaking in terms of sound, the A6mini are based on a low area of remarkable quality, whose mission is to reproduce all musical genres in the best way, trying to please everyone. Then they offer the possibility of modifying the presence of the mid-high and treble-low by using filters, so that the profile can be adapted to the taste of each one. Of course, in terms of scene, detail, separation, comfort and ergonomics, the A6mini fit, even exceed, the expectations generated.

In my opinion, the weak point is in the cable.

 

Sources used during the analysis

 

• Burson Audio Playmate (OpAmps V6 Vivid Dual + V6 Classic Dual).
• Sabaj Da3.