[DocHoliday]

Wow Doc, you have more willpower than I do. 24hrs with no earphones....

It's the same rule for wine tasting, always try to start with a clean palette.

 

[Slater]

Dumb question about your mod. From the picture I'm assuming that you did your method #2 on those, the small washer versus #1, the nylon mesh. I was going to ask why not just put the washer over the existing stainless steel mesh but as I was writing this I think I answered my own question. Between the smaller diameter of just the hole in the washer and the extra percentage of the hole covered by the existing mesh it gets too closed off. Am I right?

Correct - it was too restrictive (to the sound) to my ear. You can see this on one the Russian methods of narrowing the nozzle - see how you only end up with a handful of "holes" for the sound to go through? You effectively end up with a VERY small nozzle, significantly smaller than the already small nozzle created by the restriction (in their case, a piece of silicone; in my case, the washer).



I also built a few custom ZS6 'tuning filters', made by trimming small circles of filter material (tea bag paper and a few types of desiccate bag paper), then adhering the filter between 2 washers (like a hamburger where the filter is the patty and the washers were the top and bottom bun). Because the washers fit perfectly into the nozzle (in place of the stock screen), this allowed me to easily swap tuning filters. In the end, I settled on just the washer with no filter (ie an open restricted hole). This provided the best compromise of increased sub-bass and knocking down a bit of the 10k peak.

I imagine this was the similar conclusion of KZ arrived at on the ZS1 v1, as they ended up doing the exact same thing (ie an open, but restricted, hole):




I would love to get a measurement rig up and running, which would make testing like this easier and more scientific. Because we all know how imperfect the human ear is.

 

[Otto Motor]

ES3 vs. ZSR: my ES3 sound rather dull and bassy without any shine and sparkle compared to my ZSR.

ZSR treble: I can't handle overdone treble either. For example, the SEAHF-AWK009 or Boarseman CX98 sound unpleasant to me after a short while. But my ZSR's treble has not bothered me at all.

The question is: do all our ES3s and ZSRs sound the same?

ZSR cable: my ZSR have the coloured cable and not the ZS6's black cable. I was told that the coloured cable is better - possibly less microphonic. True or false?

 

[Slater]

The question is: do all our ES3s and ZSRs sound the same?

In theory.

I'd say for the most part that each IEM in the same production run is basically "the same" (that's the intent anyways). But the reality is that there are inconsistencies from IEM to IEM, due to manufacturing tolerances coupled with KZ's craw-rity control.

We already know from past experiences that drivers get wired internally out of phase, glue clogs vent holes, BAs get mounted crooked, foam inserts get forgotten, sound tubes get crushed, the inside of shells get full of rust, solder joints get cold or sloppy, etc.

All of that comes into play, when considering possible differences between my ZS5 or EDR2 vs yours vs someone else's.

 

[paulindss]

@khighly

Off Topic: Do you find that tennmak pro are a good iem by today standarts ? How do they stand against, let's say, your kz's, in sound. Their design really attracts me. And they can be bought with only Shells for 12$ in tennmak store, with a 6$ KZ cable they could go for cheaper than retail price.

 

[khighly]

@khighly

Off Topic: Do you find that tennmak pro are a good iem by today standarts ? How do they stand against, let's say, your kz's, in sound. Their design really attracts me. And they can be bought with only Shells for 12$ in tennmak store, with a 6$ KZ cable they could go for cheaper than retail price.

The MMCX on the Tennmak's is really bad and every pair I've had lasted only 2-3 weeks. They were very warm and lacking a soundstage. They were actually pretty good, however due to the MMCX issue I'd pass.

Tennmak Piano is worth it if you want an absolute bass cannon.

 

[Slater]

@khighly

Off Topic: Do you find that tennmak pro are a good iem by today standarts ? How do they stand against, let's say, your kz's, in sound. Their design really attracts me. And they can be bought with only Shells for 12$ in tennmak store, with a 6$ KZ cable they could go for cheaper than retail price.

I haven't heard anyone talk about the Pros in a long time.

My brother bought a pair when they 1st came out (I thought they sounded OK, but nothing special). They struck me as your typical generic v-shaped IEM, and there's massive competition in that area. He doesn't even use them anymore, but I don't know why (maybe because the MMCX jack failed).

Since it's release, there are much better IEMs available, at better prices.

For $4 and change the KZ EDR1 walks all over the Tennmak Pro. For $9-$12 the UiiSii CM5 (with it's graphene double dynamic driver) is in another league altogether. Sure, neither have removable cables, but that's overrated if you don't absolutely have to have that feature.

 

[paulindss]

Thx @Slater and @khighly

I had some mistrust that the Tennmak could be not so impressive anymore. I Will discart the Idea.

About the CM5, i'd love to order one, they seem to be a hell of a Deal, but Amazon shipping to Brazil makes It Impracticable. If someone at home buy something in Amazon and redirect to home, i'll certainly grab one and ship together as the price of shipping Would barelly change.

 

[theintroprose]

The MMCX on the Tennmak's is really bad and every pair I've had lasted only 2-3 weeks. They were very warm and lacking a soundstage. They were actually pretty good, however due to the MMCX issue I'd pass.

Tennmak Piano is worth it if you want an absolute bass cannon.

Can't speak to Tennmak's MMCX connector quality as I had only owned mine for a few weeks. You're absolutely right about warm sound. Very dark and veiled sounding headphone. I've listened to mine with foam tips and at least on my copy the sound stage was very good actually. Also very comfortable fit.

Someone above mentioned KZ QA lacking and wiring things out of phase. I am now convinced that the ES3 I was listening to definitely had one of the drivers out of phase. Luckily my ZSR and ZS6 appear to be wired correctly.

 

[Otto Motor]

Cable Salad
Tested two KZ cables with the ZSR. The ones designed for the ZST have the same connectors as the stock cable. Now I am really confused...both "upgrades" make the sound clearer/harsher or simply louder but certainly different. But the sound with the original cables is more subtle - which one is better I don't know. And whether there is a difference between the two upgrade cables, I don't know either.

I am confused.

UPDATE: did the same with the KZ ES3: the ZST cable makes things louder with increased mid bass punching against my eardrums. The ZS3/5 cable makes things much quieter and removes bass and 3-dimensionality (same with the second ZS3/5 cable). Ran a channel identification test...was fine.

 

[theintroprose]

Cable Salad
Tested two KZ cables with the ZSR. The ones designed for the ZST have the same connectors as the stock cable. Now I am really confused...both "upgrades" make the sound clearer/harsher or simply louder but certainly different. But the sound with the original cables is more subtle - which one is better I don't know. And whether there is a difference between the two upgrade cables, I don't know either.

I am confused.

Maybe their polarities are flipped causing them to be out of phase. If they can misswire the drivers inside of headphones they could misswire cables too.

 

[Slater]

A couple of people have asked me about the custom tuning filters I made for the ZS6. I figured I would share the details with everyone, as they are easy and inexpensive to make (<$0.01 each).

I will be continuing to test additional filters, as I had initially only made a few different filters.

My plan is to test more filters made using additional types of material that I didn't test initially - additional desiccate bags, disposable paper coffee filters, stainless nozzle filters, nylon nozzle filters, etc.

As evidenced by the wide variety of BA tuning filters available commercially, it will be possible to target very specific frequencies depending on filter material. At the time I did my testing, my primary goal was to increase sub bass (as an alternative to the Russian methods), not on tuning the BA output.

I feel there are still hidden improvements to be had with the tuning filters, unlocking the ZS6's true potential. Since so many of us have the ZS6 v1 (vs the better tuned ZS6 v2), I think this would be very beneficial to the HF community.

I would greatly appreciate anyone's assistance in getting an IEM testing rig set up (ARTA or otherwise), even if crude and uncompensated. If you can help, please PM me.


Required materials:

• M2 stainless steel washers (details here: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/kno...essions-thread.698148/page-1847#post-14013143)
• very sharp/small bladed scissors, such as those used for sewing, hair cutting, etc
• tweezers
• disposable food plate
• magnifying glass (optional, as the washers and filter materials you'll be working with are ridiculously small)
• fine sewing needle, sewing pin, safety pin, or "T" pin
• super glue (GEL style, not regular liquid type)
• filter materials
  • tea bags
  • disposable paper coffee filters
  • desiccant bags
  • micropore tape
  • used anti-static dryer sheets
  • cotton headphone driver tuning paper
    
  • permanent metal coffee filter (different micron levels available)
  • 3.7mm stainless nozzle filters (universal f/Aliexpress)
  • 3.7mm nylon nozzle filters (removed f/other IEMs, ie KZ red filters on ZS3, EDR, EDSE, etc)

Steps:

1. On your disposable food plate, lay out a few washers. This is your working surface. Keep everything on the plate, as this will help keep all of the ridiculously tiny materials organized and contained.

2. Attach your filter material

• If you are using a filter material with adhesive pre-applied (such as stainless or nylon nozzle filters):
  • Simply peel and stick them to the washer using tweezers (make sure to center the filter on the washer).
  • Press with your finger to adhere the nozzle filter fully.
  • Proceed to step 3.

• If you are using a filter material without pre-applied adhesive (such as coffee filter, tea bag, or desiccant bag):
  • Use your scissors to cut a perfect square slightly SMALLER than the OD of washer (ie the washer is 5mm OD, so cut the square around 4.5mm)
  • Now trim the corners of the square off at 45 degrees, so you end up with a symmetrical 4.5mm octagon. If it ends up as a 'lopsided' octagon, start over until you get it right. The material is trivial - a single tea bag can make probably 500 cut squares.
  • Take your GEL super glue and squirt and tiny blob at the edge of the paper plate, out of the way of your working area (ie at the top edge, on the rim of the plate, etc). It only needs to be the 1/4 the size of a single grain of rice (and even that is will be too much).
  • Using your tweezers, center your octagon filter on the washer as best as you can (this is easier said than done, as you'll see in the photo below).
  • Using the sharp edge of your fine sewing needle, sewing pin, safety pin, or "T" pin, dip it into the super glue GEL and apply a THIN smear to the 12 o'clock position of the filter. The idea is to get half of the smear of glue on the edge of the filter, and half of the smear of glue on the bare washer. Don't use too much glue, or it will soak/wick to the center of the filter where the sound travels through. LESS IS BETTER!!
  • Repeat this procedure at the 3, 6, and 9 o'clock positions.
  • Let the glue fully dry.
  • Proceed to step 3.

3. Repeat the procedure to make a 2nd filter.

4. Congratulations, you have now made a pair of filters.

5. Repeat the entire process using an alternate filter material if you wish.

6. To ATTACH the filters to the nozzle of the ZS6, follow the procedure outlined in Mod #2 at the following link: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/kno...essions-thread.698148/page-1847#post-14013143


Photos of the completed filters.

A completed tea bag filter, showing the BACK side of the filter with the tea bag attached per Step 2 above. See how the tea bag was cut slightly SMALLER than the washer OD? This gives the thin smears of glue an opportunity to stick to both the edge of the filter material and some of the washer in the 12,3,6,9 o'clock positions (seen best in the photo at the 6 o'clock position):



The FRONT of a completed tea bag filter, held up to the light so you can see how the sound will filter through:



The FRONT of a completed stainless mesh filter, showing how the stainless filter looks from the FRONT:



The FRONT of a completed stainless mesh filter, held up to the light so you can see how the sound will filter through:



Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[Slater]

Cable Salad
Tested two KZ cables with the ZSR. The ones designed for the ZST have the same connectors as the stock cable. Now I am really confused...both "upgrades" make the sound clearer/harsher or simply louder but certainly different. But the sound with the original cables is more subtle - which one is better I don't know. And whether there is a difference between the two upgrade cables, I don't know either.

I am confused.

I can't tell the COLOR of the plastic rings between the poles of the TRRS jack in the TOP photo. It's obscured by the wire.

That could explain the difference in sound. It boils down to impedance.

The BOTTOM wire has the non-white rings. If the top cable has white plastic rings between the poles of the TRRS jack, then it has higher impedance vs the bottom wire, which would explain the difference.

 

[Otto Motor]

I tried to delete this...

 

[Otto Motor]

I can't tell the COLOR of the plastic rings between the poles of the TRRS jack in the TOP photo. It's obscured by the wire.

That could explain the difference in sound. It boils down to impedance.

The BOTTOM wire has the non-white rings. If the top cable has white plastic rings between the poles of the TRRS jack, then it has higher impedance vs the bottom wire, which would explain the difference.

Sorry, I don't understand a word.
1. Which coloured plastic rings? Everything is white.
2. Between the poles of the TRRS jack?
3. How are white plastic rings and impedance related?


I think I figured it out:
1. There are two connector type plugs, a kinked/curved one (ZST, ES3) and a straight one (ZS3/5/6).
2. The ZS3/5/6 jack is a bit recessed so that the ZST type plug does not fit well.
3. When replacing stock cables with "upgrades" of the same plug type, things work.
4. The upgrade cables have a slightly lower impedance, making the earphones easier to drive.
5. This is not worse than the stock cable, just different.
6. The sound is probably not any worse with the upgrade cable.
7. My mistake was using the stock cable as reference for the right impedance. There is not such a reference as none of the two impedances is right or wrong.