QKZ DM10 Earphones Review – Poor Fit and Uncomfortable Wearing Experience

First Impressions

The QKZ DM 10 comes in a plastic case which feels pretty cheap, but it does a great job of protecting the earphones from any damage that may occur during shipping.

Apart from the earphones, the set includes three additional pairs of silicone ear tips. Meanwhile, the cable is non-detachable.

Although cheap, QKZ gave the DM10 a unique design that looks pretty sleek that you wouldn’t think it costs less than $10.

Build Quality

The QKZ DM10 combines rigid plastic construction with a metal faceplate. They feel substantial and are relatively light.

I like how they look but the way the cable is attached to the side of the earphone is a questionable design choice. The non-detachable cable is of average quality and has a similar look to those from the QKZ AK series.

The included silicone ear tips are quite cheap. There’s also some sound leakage so I’d highly recommend swapping them out for better-quality ones.

Fit and Comfort

I had some issues regarding the fit and comfort of the QKZ DM10.

I couldn’t get a good fit with the pre-installed ear tips so I had to swap them out for something better. I also had to push them deeper into my ear so they wouldn’t fall off. 

The way that the cable is attached also gave me problems regarding comfort as they were awkwardly placed on the side. 

I find all these very annoying since many IEMs at this price point can provide a good fit and comfort.

Sound Quality

The QKZ DM10 has a V-shaped sound signature which was evident on some tracks. 

There’s a noticeable lift on both the bass and treble areas, and the mids were a bit recessed without affecting how the vocals are presented.

The added lift on the bass gave the overall mix some extra oomph, especially on more bass-heavy songs.

Bass

The bass of QKZ DM10 is decent and has a good amount of sub-bass extension. 

The only problem is that there are times when the bass region muddied up the mix. I also experienced some sort of mid-bass bleed when I was testing these earphones on some tracks.

Despite these small issues, the DM10 can provide an overall entertaining sound.

Mids

Although the mids are recessed on the QKZ DM10, this didn’t affect how instruments and certain elements were presented. 

Both male and female vocals could stand out in a mix without needing any tweaks on the EQ.

For some laidback tracks, the vocals produced a balanced tonality with no harsh frequencies while maintaining to cut through the mix.

Treble

The treble region on the QKZ DM10 was average. It doesn’t have much to blow me away but it did a good job of complementing the other frequencies. 

The treble still manages to retrieve details in a mix, even though there were times when it gets drowned out on busier tracks.

Test Tracks

I’ve tested the QKZ DM10 on different genres of music to get a proper understanding of how the sound. Here are my findings and the tracks I’ve used.

• Metal / Rock – The DM10 presented less detail and clarity on busy tracks. The sound leak also proved to be a significant problem as it caused more detail loss so swapping out the ear tips is a must. Tracks used: Mayonaise (The Smashing Pumpkins), Playing God (Polyphia), Ignorance (Paramore), Cold (Korn)
• Pop – Although the isolation could be better, vocals were still present in the mix and had a decent amount of clarity. The sound separation was average, and the sound stage was lacking. Tracks used: Snooze (SZA), Closer (The Chainsmokers, Halsey), Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Tears for Fears)
• Hip-Hop – Surprisingly, the QKZ DM 10 provided a good amount of thickness on the low-end hip-hop tracks. The bass instruments had a decent texture and were well-balanced most of the time. However, there were times when they lacked details and got a bit muddy. Hi-hats and snare hits also got drowned out at times. Tracks used: LOVE. (Kendrick Lamar, Zacari), Cash In Cash Out (Pharell Williams ft 21 Savage & Tyler the Creator)
• R&B/Soul – Vocals were nicely presented and had a nice presence. There was no form of sibilance and the instruments had a decent tonality, although the details and sound separation could be better. Tracks used: Be So Cruel (ASTN), Get You (Daniel Ceasar), Moonlight (Kali Uchis)

Conclusion

Overall, the QKZ DM10 is a decent pair of IEMs, although it’s not much better than the QKZ DM7.

The fit and comfort are one of the main reasons I’ve given it a significantly lower rating. 

I believe that fit and comfort are essential and a great-sounding IEM is pretty much useless if you couldn’t wear them because they’re uncomfortable.

If you already own this set, then you’d know what I’m talking about, and swapping out the ear tips should be an improvement. 

While the QKZ DM10 is great for casual music listening and gaming, there are so many better options out there for the same price – one of which is the TRN MT1.