ScrofulousBinturong
100+ Head-Fier
Tangzu designs are killing it.
Knowledge Zenith (KZ) impressions thread
- Thread starter bhazard
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r31ya
Headphoneus Supremus
Its soo pretty.
i really wanna buy it because it soo pretty and have pretty waifu on the box for display too.
on the other hand, in my quest in finding Eda Balanced successor
Kefine Delci might be pretty close and it have pretty rave review
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Hung Tuan
100+ Head-Fier
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Yeah, the AS24 has beautiful treble. I only found one con: its vocals are pushed a bit forward. Its bass heads toward natural, and focuses on both subbass and midbass.
The ZS10 Pro 2, in my opinion, has better vocal and instrument alignment. It also focuses a bit more on subbass instead of midbass. The tonality is a bit leaner on the Pro 2. The treble is a bit less resolved than the AS24.
Colin5619
100+ Head-Fier
Interesting, I haven’t heard the ZS10 Pro 2, but have the ZS10 Pro X, and the AS24 and AST. I agree about the forward mids, which I actually like, and a great detailed and slightly warm highs. I look forward to the ZS10 Pro 2 dropping in price in the future and buying them
still, when it came down to it, the airpods Pro 2 and the AS24 beat out the XS10 Pro 2 by just a hair on my IEM score chart [linked earlier in this thread] because the ZS10 had bad sibilance on a song prone to it, but the as24 and airpods did NOT.
MightyBalzaq
New Head-Fier
Just ordered the Castor Bass direct from the KZ store for $16 to go along with my recently purchased PR2s.
The PR2s are phenomenal for my rock/metal library (with the included foam tips, KZ 784 core cable and no EQ) but a bit lacking in bass quantity for my EDM/trap/dubstep/hip hop library so I decided I needed a true basshead set and from what I have read/heard online the Castor Bass will fit the bill very nicely.
Can't wait for them to arrive.
Still haven't pulled the trigger on a DAC/amp for the PR2s. Still trying to find something in the $10-$20 range that will drive them properly given I understand they need at least 2 vRMS to sound their best. A lot of what I see recommended is older and hard to find so I'm having a time trying to figure out what to get. The Jcally JM6 Pro is mentioned a lot but I'm not 100% sure it will do the job.
Also thinking about grabbing the ZS10 Pro 2 but not sure if it's a necessary purchase.
The PR2s are phenomenal for my rock/metal library (with the included foam tips, KZ 784 core cable and no EQ) but a bit lacking in bass quantity for my EDM/trap/dubstep/hip hop library so I decided I needed a true basshead set and from what I have read/heard online the Castor Bass will fit the bill very nicely.
Can't wait for them to arrive.
Still haven't pulled the trigger on a DAC/amp for the PR2s. Still trying to find something in the $10-$20 range that will drive them properly given I understand they need at least 2 vRMS to sound their best. A lot of what I see recommended is older and hard to find so I'm having a time trying to figure out what to get. The Jcally JM6 Pro is mentioned a lot but I'm not 100% sure it will do the job.
Also thinking about grabbing the ZS10 Pro 2 but not sure if it's a necessary purchase.
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SpaceOperaVillain
100+ Head-Fier
After ragging on them I felt kinda bad, so I put a spit shine on the ol' CRAs, plugged up a set of balanced cables, refreshed the tips, and stuck the business end into the BTR3k in USB/FLAC mode on my laptop to give them a fairer shake. I've been beating these things for 2 ... 3? years now as my nightstand pair.
After complaining about the bass earlier I broke out the electrical tape and sealed off what appears to be a very small vent right behind the driver through the shell. No more venting on the left side, and no more perceived volume imbalance. This yielded two more differences: 1) yes, there is air buildup. *shrug* it doesn't bother me that much. 2) more bass. A lot more bass.
I had to subtract a few dB off the bottom end; shaved just a hair out of the treble, then bumped the lower mids to un-U the U/V shaped tuning just a bit. All of that is to taste of course, but holy moly what a difference. I've been underrating these by a significant margin all this time. Staging and depth are still very average, but the playback is so much more ... dare I say it? yes ... more musical. Treble extension is very natural and they sound really fluid with more power, less granular in the details. Herring's gravelly voice shimmers with a little reverb. The percussion sounds like a tiny NY club. The mournful organ meanders around in the track, drifting down a river of introspection. I have to eat some crow here - the CRA are actually much better than they have any right to be.
After complaining about the bass earlier I broke out the electrical tape and sealed off what appears to be a very small vent right behind the driver through the shell. No more venting on the left side, and no more perceived volume imbalance. This yielded two more differences: 1) yes, there is air buildup. *shrug* it doesn't bother me that much. 2) more bass. A lot more bass.
I had to subtract a few dB off the bottom end; shaved just a hair out of the treble, then bumped the lower mids to un-U the U/V shaped tuning just a bit. All of that is to taste of course, but holy moly what a difference. I've been underrating these by a significant margin all this time. Staging and depth are still very average, but the playback is so much more ... dare I say it? yes ... more musical. Treble extension is very natural and they sound really fluid with more power, less granular in the details. Herring's gravelly voice shimmers with a little reverb. The percussion sounds like a tiny NY club. The mournful organ meanders around in the track, drifting down a river of introspection. I have to eat some crow here - the CRA are actually much better than they have any right to be.
SubMiNimal
New Head-Fier
I'd consider the FiiO KA11 at $30
MightyBalzaq
New Head-Fier
I've looked at that one but Andy of Dongle Madness recently said there was some kind of firmware issues with it.
SubMiNimal
New Head-Fier
It's fairly new, so some firmware updates are to be expected. I have the KA17. It's It's fine as it is, despite the issues users have been complaining about. Long as you are not driving very high impedance/current hungry devices you are good to go.
Must say I find the power in such a small and efficient package very compelling. I'd take the plunge and buy it off Amazon, knowing I have the option of returning it should usability prove too cumbersome.
seanwee
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
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The PR2s are as hard to drive as my Anandas...
I had the JM6, JM10, JM20. All don't power it sufficiently.
I needed to step up to the Hidizs S9 Pro for it to sound unrestrained. And even then it still scales with better sources.
In Akros' XuanNV review, at the Trio comparison part, he said since his Trio review he changed from L to M tips and got a deeper fit. Apparently that did wonders to the mids and treble and he called the Trio "a beast". 
ScrofulousBinturong
100+ Head-Fier
The castor bass is NICE. What surprised me is that the bass is not tubby or bloated. It's well defined and tight, but not as tight and punchy as E.G. the BAs I have. It's just good, musical bass. How they can make those and sell them for $16 shipped is a mystery.
MightyBalzaq
New Head-Fier
I'm considering just saving a bit longer and getting the iBasso DC03PRO or the Moondrop Dawn Pro.
I hate to wait much longer but I'm starting to feel it might be worth it.
ScrofulousBinturong
100+ Head-Fier
I use the iBasso DC03 pro daily and enjoy it. No issue with power. It'll make you deaf if you ask it to.
