Knowledge Zenith (KZ) impressions thread
Sep 1, 2018 at 4:51 PM Post #36,031 of 66,005
remember I was struggling to skim down my shopping list?

well... it ended up like this XD



immagine.png


in the end I even added the V80 :p cause it was at a very appealing price in the AK store and I found for a few dollars more in that shop (over 65 usd i think, and I was already very close as most KZs i bought in AK store) i would have had a 6 usd discount :p

Nice choices there buddy! You’ll be quite happy for the amount of money you spent :)
 
Sep 1, 2018 at 5:10 PM Post #36,032 of 66,005
remember I was struggling to skim down my shopping list?

well... it ended up like this XD



immagine.png


in the end I even added the V80 :p cause it was at a very appealing price in the AK store and I found for a few dollars more in that shop (over 65 usd i think, and I was already very close as most KZs i bought in AK store) i would have had a 6 usd discount :p

Wow, mind posting what else you bought? Deal seekers wanna know.:floatsmile:
 
Sep 1, 2018 at 6:03 PM Post #36,033 of 66,005
Wow, mind posting what else you bought? Deal seekers wanna know.:floatsmile:

If you click the photo, he shows everything he bought. It’s like 25 things
 
Sep 1, 2018 at 6:05 PM Post #36,034 of 66,005
remember I was struggling to skim down my shopping list?

well... it ended up like this XD



immagine.png


in the end I even added the V80 :p cause it was at a very appealing price in the AK store and I found for a few dollars more in that shop (over 65 usd i think, and I was already very close as most KZs i bought in AK store) i would have had a 6 usd discount :p


Nice one haha!
I never even thought about the fact that you can buy a usb type-c cable for detacheble headphones :xf_eek:
Got a Mi8 on the way, and thought I would just use my headphones with trn bluetooth aptx cable, or the supplied usb c to 3.5mm jack adapter.
 
Sep 1, 2018 at 6:08 PM Post #36,035 of 66,005
Nice one haha!
I never even thought about the fact that you can buy a usb type-c cable for detacheble headphones :xf_eek:
Got a Mi8 on the way, and thought I would just use my headphones with trn bluetooth aptx cable, or the supplied usb c to 3.5mm jack adapter.

The KZ type C cable is sweet. If they make a lightning version, it would be even more epic.

They also need to fire whatever hack had been designing their Bluetooth cables, and get someone competent in there. Their whole line of Bluetooth cables is all half-baked junk.
 
Sep 1, 2018 at 6:13 PM Post #36,036 of 66,005
The KZ type C cable is sweet. If they make a lightning version, it would be even more epic.

They also need to fire whatever hack had been designing their Bluetooth cables, and get someone competent in there. Their whole line of Bluetooth cables is all half-baked junk.
Awesome, u mean this cable?
I might get an MMCX cable too, to use with my iBasso IT01, like this one.
 
Sep 1, 2018 at 10:58 PM Post #36,040 of 66,005
Did they finally put a notch in the canal of the star tips so it will stay put instead of sliding out easily out of the sound output nozzle? Star tips are the best fitting and sounding tips to my ears and if they hadn't done this, they really should.
 
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Sep 2, 2018 at 1:24 AM Post #36,041 of 66,005
I was able to graph the Harman Target Response for IEMs this weekend using data Oratory1990 from reddit made available. Here's how the KZ IEMs I have on hand compare to what Harman believe our ideal signature is:

KZ ZSA

KZ ZSA vs Harman Target.jpg

KZ AS10

KZ AS10 - Harman Target.jpg


Now on that note, the Harman target has changed a lot over the years. It used to have a more linear response in the low end and rise higher. Over the years with more testing and more non-technical listeners, they've made their target curves more U-shaped with elevated bass and more recessed mids while also lower treble a little bit. The IEM curve adds even more bass than the Target over/on-ear headphone curve.

Here's the Tin Audio T2 just for kicks. It followed the older response target from 2013 much more closely.

Tin Audio T2 Harman Target.jpg

Disclaimer: Measurements were made with MiniDSP EARS which has some limitations and isn't industry standard.
 
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Sep 2, 2018 at 6:19 AM Post #36,043 of 66,005
I was able to graph the Harman Target Response for IEMs this weekend using data Oratory1990 from reddit made available. Here's how the KZ IEMs I have on hand compare to what Harman believe our ideal signature is:

KZ ZSA



KZ AS10




Now on that note, the Harman target has changed a lot over the years. It used to have a more linear response in the low end and rise higher. Over the years with more testing and more non-technical listeners, they've made their target curves more U-shaped with elevated bass and more recessed mids while also lower treble a little bit. The IEM curve adds even more bass than the Target over/on-ear headphone curve.

Here's the Tin Audio T2 just for kicks. It followed the older response target from 2013 much more closely.



Disclaimer: Measurements were made with MiniDSP EARS which has some limitations and isn't industry standard.
I've as well found Harman to sound best. Rtings.com seem to also use Harman for their compensated graphs. And Spectral Flatness test at audiocheck.net has a description of human ears having 1-3kHz sensitivity increase (the author has a PhD in field and is obviously obsessed with the topic, therefore I guess he's right), so that test also fits somewhat well with Harman graphs. Plus there's the fact that as the volume decreases, we perceive bass and treble decrease as more severe than the decreases of other frequencies (but also vice versa, increased volume yields more severe bass and treble increases), so having these frequencies bumped theoretically allows one to listen at lower volumes and still hear one's preferred signature. You can see how that looks for lots of headphones and IEMs at Reference Audio Analyzer - it's the second graph of every test report.

Since most graphs are raw (Audiobudget, ThePhonograph, crinacle's, Reference Audio Analyzer), I usually look for either graphs resembling Harman graphs (like that of Fiio F9 Pro), or ones with the least amount of sharp peaks and drops, so as to ensure that it's possible to fix the signature with as simple an equalizer as possible (Stuff like a 20dB drop at 4kHz, such as that of KZ ZSR, is a no-no, as far as I'm concerned. How is one to fix that on a smartphone player?).

Hence my opinion is that it's a good idea to make such graphs, thanks, antdroid.
 
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Sep 2, 2018 at 8:24 AM Post #36,044 of 66,005
Guys i'm thinking of going with the AS10, currently with ZSR, first of all, is there any other pair of iem to consider for a similar price? Also feel free to give your thoughts on the AS10.
YES PLEASE, I too want to know peoples opinion view on the matter, KZ ZSR vs AS10

now using ZSR (with Axon 7) and thinking about AS10, could there be big "wow" jump like from ES3 to ZSR (es3 was quieter and less detailed) so ZSR was big jump in fun/quality/upgrade.

TLDR - ZSR VS AS10 anyone? opinions?
 

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