Same here Doc, matter a fact I'm listening to my new Benjie X6 on them right now and they sound crazy good You are also right about where Chee-Fee is today
As I said I would I popped open the zsn pros (with some effort though, as they were glued shut unlike the zsn's shell) and wow look at the size of that magnet ring! These babies were in fact so strong the earphones tend to stick to each other if left dangling. The images below show the pros in purple and the non-pros in black. The pros also seem to have a mystery glue blob covering what looks to be some terminals.
Picked up the grey silver 8-core Kinboofi from the post office today. Back home I hooked it up to my older ZS6 and yeah ... I like what I hear ... a lot!, just need more time to go through some more test tracks and compare it to some other cables. On top of that, that cable looks pretty precious on the 6es, another 16 Eurons well spent.
Haha, yes - pages and pages of discussion was spent on that lol
Now, what IS possible is that KZ is using newer/different drivers in the most current production runs ZSTs.
We already know they’ve quietly updated the ED9 with a slightly different/better driver. The case seems to be the same with ZS6. And we also know they’ve refined the good old Bellsing 30095, which has improvements over the previous 30095 generation. And KZ uses the 30095 in almost every one of their IEMs (ZST included).
So it is possible that ZSTs bought today sound slightly different/better than the original ones. My point was there is no true ‘Pro’ ZST. The ZSN IS the upgraded ZST, according to KZ themselves. That’s why I see no reason to get a ZST nowadays (other than nostalgia or collectibility), when there’s truly overhauled versions of the ZST (ZSN and ZSN Pro) that is far superior to the ZST.
Haha, yes - pages and pages of discussion was spent on that lol
Now, what IS possible is that KZ is using newer/different drivers in the most current production runs ZSTs.
We already know they’ve quietly updated the ED9 with a slightly different/better driver. The case seems to be the same with ZS6. And we also know they’ve refined the good old Bellsing 30095, which has improvements over the previous 30095 generation. And KZ uses the 30095 in almost every one of their IEMs (ZST included).
So it is possible that ZSTs bought today sound slightly different/better than the original ones. My point was there is no true ‘Pro’ ZST. The ZSN IS the upgraded ZST, according to KZ themselves. That’s why I see no reason to get a ZST nowadays (other than nostalgia or collectibility), when there’s truly overhauled versions of the ZST (ZSN and ZSN Pro) that is far superior to the ZST.
truth be told, the zst was never that good--its inital hype was probably more a function of it being the first kz hybrid. the zsn, otoh, is well tuned for such a cheap piece and i suspect it'll still be worth hearing in a couple of years
Well once again Pod's old saying of "We all hear them differently" rears it's pretty head because I still prefer my old carbon ZST's to my ZSN V1 Of course it's also well documented that Pod's the original "High Range Drifter" too The fact that KZ may be putting the new drivers in all their latest models of pre-existing iem's sucks because I'm sure not going to try and sell ones that may be considered inferior now because they have old 30095's in them Now with that said maybe I should put all my old ones on the gifting list (4 ZS6's, 2 ZST's, 5 ED9's and all the others with original 30095's in them) and replace the ones I like that now have upgraded drivers in them since most are still inexpensive Chi-Fi
As I said I would I popped open the zsn pros (with some effort though, as they were glued shut unlike the zsn's shell) and wow look at the size of that magnet ring! These babies were in fact so strong the earphones tend to stick to each other if left dangling. The images below show the pros in purple and the non-pros in black. The pros also seem to have a mystery glue blob covering what looks to be some terminals.
The ‘mystery glue blob’ is usually the voice coil wires, which are extremely thin and fragile and need to be protected at all costs (hence why they’re always protected by a blob of epoxy or potting compound etc).
For a more fun and energetic listen, I much prefer the ZS10 Pro. The C16 is just too boring for me, unless I EQ it. The ZS10 is also much more comfortable for me.
I’m not saying the C16 is bad, only that I enjoy the ZS10 more. I can use the ZS10 all day every day, for every genre I listen to, with no EQ. I only like the C16 in small doses, with certain sources, and certain music, and only with EQ.
I still think it's a shame that those with small ears (and maybe even medium sized ears) will never be able to enjoy these.
Chi-Fi has almost irreversibly spoiled us. When the listed price of $90 was announced I thought KZ had gone overboard. I don't think so anymore. If you can wear the BA10 comfortably the BA10 is priced accurately. Probably one of the cleanest sounding KZ's on the market (haven't heard C16 or AS16).
All I have to do is cue up a few great tracks and I am reminded of how capable the BA10 is.
In my opinion, CA16 largely supersedes BA10.
More developed highs and a bit more bass with two BAs and definitely better resolution for CA16.
I learned to fit BA10 reasonably, and not even the size but those sharp corners are harsh for my ears to enjoy comfortably.
As I said I would I popped open the zsn pros (with some effort though, as they were glued shut unlike the zsn's shell) and wow look at the size of that magnet ring! These babies were in fact so strong the earphones tend to stick to each other if left dangling. The images below show the pros in purple and the non-pros in black. The pros also seem to have a mystery glue blob covering what looks to be some terminals.
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