Knowledge Zenith (KZ) impressions thread
Aug 30, 2018 at 10:09 PM Post #36,001 of 66,005
I personally think that most ToTL stuff sounds like complete poo. Personally could care less if I can hear the friggen Oboe player pick his nose and wipe off under his chair. Dull and lifeless. Cold and sterile. Thats what I feel listening to most "audiophile" headphones.

I love the edr1, and as we speak I'm jamming out on some $9 EMX500 earbuds and loving life right now. Thankfully this whole industry is blown up so much that all of us have a place to go and get what we like. I also like that a cheap KZ can get me right where a $200-$250 consumer brand phone was getting me a couple years ago(cks1000, ckm99, FXT200 ect) :)
 
Aug 30, 2018 at 10:43 PM Post #36,002 of 66,005
Just shows how far behind IEM are or maybe always will be. No denying headphones are still decades behind speakers, and IEM even further distant.

But as others said, I like listening to my music on IEM a much as I do on my monitors.
 
Aug 31, 2018 at 2:04 AM Post #36,003 of 66,005
My favorite ear bud is a $10 Yincrow X6 and my favorite IEM I own right now is the $45 T2 - I probably like it equally to my (soon to be converted to custom) Unique Melody ME1 and previous higher costing IEMs. But I also really appreciate the Focal Elex and HE560 I have too. :)

I listen to all of these pretty equally. I just added the Mobius to my collection and it sounds great too. But that doesnt mean the cheaper buds and iems are technically better than the higher end stuff. :)
 
Aug 31, 2018 at 2:35 AM Post #36,004 of 66,005
You're probably right. I haven't used my HD800 in months. I think the ZS10 is extremely detailed for $40. I'm not sure if HD800 resolves much more. Maybe I should AB them sometime.
Uh yes, ZS10 (if i remember well) is extremely detailed, i have to admit it.
AB comparisons anyway are not easy (at least for me) as ear are influenced by the last headphone you've put in, so u will not appreciate the difference if you swap them fast.
What i can say is that price of the ZS10 is obviously surprising, but i'm even more surprised when i read people who are happy with their ED16A OR ZSA which cost the same money as a mainstream t-shirt.
This is actually unbelievable: years ago you should spend at least 100$ to get something like an ED16 or something like that, now with 21€ you can buy a TRN v80 (the one that i'm waiting for as it was shipped) that is well-reviewed everywhere and has got 4 drivers.. chinese technology is a real deal.

PS: HD800 are a paradise if amped well
 
Aug 31, 2018 at 8:38 AM Post #36,006 of 66,005
Got a couple more ES4 and ZSa yesterday and got to looking at the cables. Has anyone else noticed that the splitter is nearly 1/2 way down the cable length as compared to the previous batch where they were closer to 1/3 the way from the ears to the jack? The mic seems to have been moved away from the earpiece by about another 2.5-3 inches as well.
 
Aug 31, 2018 at 9:33 AM Post #36,007 of 66,005
I'd also love to know how people can perceive a "hype train" from only a few comments praising a model. Guess they weren't around when the Memt X5 was discussed. Both extremes on the spectrum does annoy me, but its better to acknowledge and rectify rather than focusing on only one side of it.

The way I see it, most models have been polarizing so far, which is a pass in my book with all the models being released allowing more choice. People are gonna have their preferences.


Bisonicr's review of the ZS4 is up, typical KZ V-shaped sig, really good fit (as expected on the ZS3 successor)
http://bisonicr.ldblog.jp/archives/55720021.html
I just skimmed through that but it seems like he was quite pleased with it. I have a ZS4 coming next week, so looking forward to that.
 
Aug 31, 2018 at 9:45 AM Post #36,008 of 66,005
I personally think that most ToTL stuff sounds like complete poo. Personally could care less if I can hear the friggen Oboe player pick his nose and wipe off under his chair. Dull and lifeless. Cold and sterile. Thats what I feel listening to most "audiophile" headphones.

I love the edr1, and as we speak I'm jamming out on some $9 EMX500 earbuds and loving life right now. Thankfully this whole industry is blown up so much that all of us have a place to go and get what we like. I also like that a cheap KZ can get me right where a $200-$250 consumer brand phone was getting me a couple years ago(cks1000, ckm99, FXT200 ect) :)
it's tough to generalize in a largely subjective endeavor, but i would agree that purely on technical abilities there are some current <$10 models that can outperform many of the $100 iems i accumulated from a few years ago (yamaha eph100, sony xba, etc.). that does not mean that these current <$10 models will outperform the highly ranked current >$100 models--i really like the edr1 as well, but it doesn't play in the same league as, say the it01 or sech9t. i do agree that alot of the megapriced totl phones i've heard tend towards that hyperanalytical, colorless signature which leave one more impressed than moved.
 
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Aug 31, 2018 at 10:56 AM Post #36,009 of 66,005
Agreed, if the other IEMs are as good as the V80 as my impression they are, it's impressive how competitively the Chinese are replicating technology or in some cases innovating (graphene). SE215 was for longest time the best value @ $125, now it's obliterated by $30 IEMs. Even the venerable Etymotic appear to be stagnant in comparison, stubbornly continuing with their 1 BA, only slightly adjusting filters but continuing to charge more and more for the same 20 year old tech.
 
Aug 31, 2018 at 11:26 AM Post #36,010 of 66,005
Wanted your advice about something. I really don't have any tips to start experimenting with tip rolling. Can any of you recommend any assorted groups of tips through somewhere like ali#expres@ or somewhere else. Just something inexpensive with a varied selection of tips to start trying new sounds with the KZ's?

Thanks!
 
Aug 31, 2018 at 11:59 AM Post #36,012 of 66,005
Yo guyssss
Could someone please tell me if there are very cheap foam tips (i pay like 60 cents for them to mount on my memt x5) that can fit TRN v80?

I saw it has 6mm nozzle like the ZSR.

Could you please link me foam tips for the ZSR on aliexpress so? I don't know which size as T300 is perfect for me but it doesn't fit the nozzle i think.
 
Aug 31, 2018 at 12:05 PM Post #36,013 of 66,005
Aug 31, 2018 at 12:47 PM Post #36,014 of 66,005
I personally think that most ToTL stuff sounds like complete poo. Personally could care less if I can hear the friggen Oboe player pick his nose and wipe off under his chair. Dull and lifeless. Cold and sterile. Thats what I feel listening to most "audiophile" headphones.

I love the edr1, and as we speak I'm jamming out on some $9 EMX500 earbuds and loving life right now. Thankfully this whole industry is blown up so much that all of us have a place to go and get what we like. I also like that a cheap KZ can get me right where a $200-$250 consumer brand phone was getting me a couple years ago(cks1000, ckm99, FXT200 ect) :)

That's another issue with TOTL products as well. I like detail but I also don't want to hear all the imperfections in the music. Most of my music is downloaded MP3s from Amazon and iTubes now. I don't want to hear the clipping. That's why I quite like the ZSR as much as much as my better stuff. Very forward and impactful sound but theres an appreciated treble dip.

Uh yes, ZS10 (if i remember well) is extremely detailed, i have to admit it.
AB comparisons anyway are not easy (at least for me) as ear are influenced by the last headphone you've put in, so u will not appreciate the difference if you swap them fast.
What i can say is that price of the ZS10 is obviously surprising, but i'm even more surprised when i read people who are happy with their ED16A OR ZSA which cost the same money as a mainstream t-shirt.
This is actually unbelievable: years ago you should spend at least 100$ to get something like an ED16 or something like that, now with 21€ you can buy a TRN v80 (the one that i'm waiting for as it was shipped) that is well-reviewed everywhere and has got 4 drivers.. chinese technology is a real deal.

PS: HD800 are a paradise if amped well

If I didn't have the ZSR, I would like the V80. The treble is too sibilant and distorted to me. ZSR has a treble dip. My HD800 are amped by Zana Deux SE. Its good. No complaints about sound. Ok, that's not true. They are a hassle to use and was extremely expensive to have setup. The sound is not exciting or impactful. They handle EQ poorly compared to multiple BA iems. Breaking a tube will cost me ten KZ earphones. I'd rather have 10 KZ earphones which is kind of what I'm doing now lol
 

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