The leading IEM manufacturer, Knowledge Zenith (or "KZ" for short)  has finally released its first ever gaming headphone - the KZ GP20 - a budget gaming headset with premium looks and plenty of useful functionality such as 3-way connectivity via 3.5mm wired, AAC/SBC bluetooth 5.0 and 2.4Ghz low latency wireless (30ms)!

The KZ GP20 gaming headset is equipped with 50mm dynamic drivers and a powerful DSP amplifier with a rated power output of 110mW@32Ω, which ensures the KZ GP20 headset can be easily driven without external amplification. 

 

Built-in to the GP20 headset it's also a 1200 mAh rechargeable battery, which supports quick charge and takes 1.5 hours to recharge. A full charge gives you around 2.5 days of non-stop playtime in bluetooth mode and with RGB lights off. With RGB lights on, the battery life in bluetooth mode is about 1 day. In 2.4Ghz wireless mode, the battery life is around 5-6 days with RGB lights off. 

 

The KZ GP20 earcups and headband are made of plastic, while the headband yoke is flat and made of metal. The yoke has a ratchet style actuation so, it makes noise when extending and retracting the yoke into the headband. The slider yoke band can be extended up to 4.5cm to accommodate big, tall heads. The KZ GP20 headband enclosure is made of plastic, padded on top and bottom and covered with soft PU leather material. The headband has visible stitching for styling. The earcups can be tilted but you cannot rotate the earcups around. 

 

Most gaming headsets weight anywhere from 165 grams to 600+ grams so, at 350 grams the KZ GP20 headset is right in the middle - not too heavy. The earpads have an oval square shape and are made with springy memory foam padding covered with PU leather material. The inner hole of the earpads measures 6cm long and 4cm wide, while the outer diameter measures 10cm high and 8cm wide. The earcup depth is 2cm and the driver is covered with thin fabric material and is flat so, it has no poking bits of plastic sticking out, which can annoyingly rubber against the ears. 

On the left earcup, there is a USB-C port, a physical mute push button, status led and non-detachable memory wire boom arm (12cm long) with an omni-directional microphone. The boom arm is made of flexible rubber so, it can be bent into position at different angles. 

 

On the right earcup, there is a 3.5mm aux audio port, plastic volume potentiometer wheel, a power on/off push button (also controls play/pause and calls) and a mode button to toggle between wired, bluetooth and 2.4Ghz wireless connection. All the buttons have a loud clicky actuation, while the volume wheel provides a gradual volume adjustment.

On top of the earcups, there are perforated vent holes and exposed rubber cabling for styling. When extending the headband slider, the exposed cabling has enough slack to minimize stressing the cable.  The face plate of the earcups is made of glossy plastic and integrates RGB leds, as well as a KZ logo, which also illuminates. 

Potential deal breakers facing the KZ GP20 headset include no bluetooth multipoint support, no skip track controls, no RGB lighting support in 3.5mm wired mode, no passthrough charging whilst listening to audio, flashing bluetooth status light during audio playback, non-detachable boom arm microphone, no absolute bluetooth volume suport, no swivel earcups; hence you cannot lay the earcups flat on a desk

 

The large 2.4Ghz dongle is not as convinient as a nano dongle which is shorter. The full size form factor of the 2.4Ghz dongle means it sticks out of the USB port. The GP20 wireless dongle also doesn't have a reset button, which is convinient when needing to reboot the 2.4Ghz wireless connection. The GP20 PU leather earpads aren't as breathable as cloth earpads. The RGB lighting is also limited. There is no solid color option, only one effect which is a color changing effect that automatically cycles between 6 colors. There is an "off RGB mode" for turning off the RGB lights. 

 

The KZ GP20 could have been made even more versatile if the USB-C charging port also supported wired audio for USB-C only devices. This means, if your smartphone, tablet or laptop (e.g. macbook) doesn't have a 3.5mm headphone jack you will not be able to use the KZ GP20 in wired mode. 

The biggest selling point for the KZ GP20 is the audio sound. The 50mm drivers deliver very good sound for music and gaming. 

 

Clean and clear frequency separation. The bass is thumpy and punchy but controlled (non emphasized), while the mid/upper range is natural and forward so, you can hear voices and in-game cues clearly.Other selling points include RGB lighting, replaceable earpads, quick charge support, USB-C charging connection, good microphone quality, low sound leakage at 100% volume, premium expensive look, wired mode, bluetooth mode, low latency 2.4Ghz wireless (30ms) and AAC support for iOS devices. 

 

Bluetooth connectivity allows you to use the KZ GP20 gaming headset cross platform with a desktop computer, laptop, Android/iOS tablets, phones and video game consoles (e.g. PS4/ PS5, Nintendo Switch). You can also connect the 2.4Ghz wireless dongle to an Android/iOS phone or tablet but you will need a USB adapter, which is not included. You can use the KZ GP20 headset with an empty battery in wired mode.

Accessories included with the KZ GP20 headset include a 9cm long rubber charging cable (13 grams) and 1.2 meters long male to male 3.5mm audio cable (15 grams). The audio cable is made of semi stiff fabric braid and hard plastic plug connectors. The 2.4Ghz dongle enclosure is made of plastic. You can buy the KZ GP20 gaming headset from Linsoul and amazon.