So sad. I was heading home listening to the xiaomi gen 5s with the starline tips when the cable got caught on the turnstile as I was walking and the gen 5s got ripped out both from my ears and from my phone. The plug got bent between the ground and right ear contacts, no sound now in my right earbud, and I'm not too keen to plug it into my phone anymore in case the bent part gets stuck. Anyway thankfully no damage to my phone jack...and thankfully this was after I've done my A-B testing. Maybe I'll wait till it's on sale next time as I think both the ZST and ZS3 are better!
Anyway my thoughts on gen 5 vs KZ ZST vs KZ ZS3
First, with the gen 5 I think I actually get more bass with the stock M tips, as the front port is better covered by my ears this way. I do get a better seal with the starline L tips, but because they're longer the earbud sits further away. Ideal for me then, would be the front port cover mod plus starline L tips, otherwise stock M tips
Gen 5 vs ZST
Both are hybrids, the gen 5 with 2DD + BA vs the ZST with DD + BA. Bass I would say it's similar between the 2, assuming you get a good seal with the gen 5 which is not the easiest to do. With the ZST it's just so much easier to get a good seal every time. Mids are richer on the ZST, and the highs are clearer also. Indeed the gen 5 can get a little treble fatigue with certain songs. Soundstage wise gen 5s just seems a bit wider and a more airy feel, but I don't know if this is due to the better seal on the ZSTs.
In the end, I'm not sure if using a large DD and a small DD and the BA filling in the gap is the best design, as the simpler setup of ZST or even other hybrids with 1 DD for the bass and 1 or more BAs for the mid and highs seem to make more sense from a physics standpoint. But then I do like the gen 5s more than the gen 4s.
Still, the gen 5s are way easier to insert and take out of my ears, and the inline volume controls are great. KZ earbuds only have mic and the single button, no volume control, and the upgrade silver cables don't even have the mic. On this point, I don't really detect any major differences between the stock and silver upgrade cable, maybe a TOUCH brighter with the silvers, but it takes some time to swap them out during A-B testing and all this could just be in my head.
ZST vs ZS3
ZS3 has oh so much more bass, almost like a wall of bass. Great for EDM and bass heavy music, but not as good for jazz/classical as the highs are recessed and muddled. Mids I would say is a tie, ZS3 has warmth in the vocals, while ZST seems to have more resolution. I also prefer the wires on the ZST that don't have the memory wire, which actually makes them more comfy and easier to store.
Both are super comfy to wear, but I find I have to adjust my ZS3s more frequently than the ZSTs when I'm using them while walking around. The litmus test is when I put in the earbuds and get a good seal, then make a big smile which reduces the seal coz my ears move, then go back to normal. ZSTs tend to go back to a good seal, while the ZS3s sometimes will stay loose and I need to adjust.
For extended/serious listening I used to use my UE TF 10s. They still sound better than the ZSTs (so much more resolution and richness) but unfortunately the comfort level is lacking...my ears tend to ache after an hour or so especially with the reverse mod, but i also don't want to look like a teletubby. Anyway I think the ZSTs will be my go to from now...
Bottom line, for the price the KZs are a no brainer, pick the one based on your preferred music type and sound profile. If only their mic had volume controls as well then that would be perfect...at least for Android phones to keep the costs low. I also can't wait for the ZSRs to come out, if they can tune it well it should be really awesome!
