I'm more of a lurker, but every once in a while, I will post something about a set of headphones or IEMs that are worth every penny of their cost. I own headphones and IEMs randing from $9.99 to $1999. While I love the high-end equipment, there is something about IEMs at the low end of the market that sound nearly as good as the high end.
Due to the price point, I buy nearly everything KZ makes. The KZ ZST are my go-to pair of inexpensive IEMs, and several co-workers bought a pair after listening to them on my Hiby R3, which I keep at my desk. Recently, I received a pair of KZ ZS7 "earphones". I don't know why I got them -- I only have two ears and over three dozen headphones and IEMs -- but they are my favorite IEMs I own.
The sound is warm and full. I have tinnitus and a constant buzz in the high 7K range, and I t prefer more musical, warmer tuning. The KZ ZS7s are clear and loud. For my tastes, these are nearly the perfect IEMs.
I compared these to the more expensive Fiio F9 Pros and while I like the aesthetics of the F9s more, the ZS7s I preferred the ZS7s in every other way. The same goes to comparing them to my set of Audeze iSine 10s. ( I should mention that I keep myHiby R3's volume at the 60 to 65 range most of the time, but when I plugged in the ZS7s I had to turn down the volume to 15, which surprised me.)
The cable that came with my set is surprisingly good quality. Somewhere a year or so ago I purchased a compatible "upgraded" cable that cost several times the price of KZ's highest priced IEMs. I usually can hear the difference, but this time the stock cable was just as good. Most of my KZs have a "bend" in the connector, but the wires that came with my ZS7s was straight. I'm unsure if KZ changed the design or whether these were non-standard cables.
For me, the ZS7s are my new favorite "every day" earbuds that are better than ones for which I paid hundreds of dollars. I want to be critical of these IEMs, but I really cannot find anything I do not like about them. I highly recommend these to anyone who likes warmer, musical sound profiles.
[I found out that this was purchased through Yinhoo The cable looks different than the KZ ZS7s from other sellers, which may or may not mean this company replaces the stock cable.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07LF8J5K5/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_tUb5CbEJV488C]