[ricemanhk]

Yep, the K1 (and really most fiio products) are a great way to try out portable DAC+amp at a low price. Bear in mind though that the K1 draws all its power from the USB connection, it has no battery of its own. Not all phones can output power/enough power from the OTG cable for this.
For better compatibility, Q1, E17/E18 and those have their own battery so that the USB connection is purely for data. Still, some phones don't play nice so check the forums for compatibility lists before buying.

Meanwhile I haven't done much testing yet on high vs low quality files for the ZS5, but judging from my podcasts, ZS5 handles lower quality files pretty well, whereas the ZST is less kind to low quality output.

 

[TheWongWrong]

Does the KZ silver cable do anything other than lowering impedance by a bit? What are the improvements over the standard cable if there are any? The plug on my ZST's standard cable is starting to go after 3 months, which is a bit disappointing, hoped it would last longer without this kinda wear and tear

 

[cybstorm]

Hi guys,

I have been reading up on the KZ ZS5 and have a few questions...

1. Understand that some of you have purchased it as a package with the gold cable. Have been searching on AE for similar packages but all of those available come only with silver cable as an option. Does the gold cable need to be purchased separately?
2. The ear phones look really angular in design. Has anyone experienced discomfort over prolonged periods of usage? I know this really depends on individual but would like to get some feedback all the same.
3. There seems to be 2 retail boxes available. A bigger rectangular box without window and a smaller box with a window. Are the contents similar in both retail boxes? With ear buds, ear hook and stock cable?
4. How well does the cable connect to the phones with the 2-pin connector? With my current IEMs, I do accidentally pull on the cables sometimes. I hope these are secure enough not to come loose with a bit of tugging...

Thanks!

 

[WaffleIron]

Yeah, it is becoming more clear that KZ used the foam on some versions of the ZS3 and no foam on others. I don't know if there was no foam in early revisions and they added it in later revisions, or vice versa. It may also have something to do with the satin black vs glossy black version too.

I do know that a few people reported that their satin black ones did NOT having foam.

In any case, I totally agree with you that regardless of foam or no foam, the red screen is way too restrictive and has a lot to do with the veiled sound. I am very happy with mine once I added the stainless screen (and experienced no noticeable difference with the stainless screen vs no screen at all). Taking into account the protection having ANY screen affords, the order of preference would be:

stainless screen > no screen > red screen​

I got my ZS3's pretty recently so I'm inclined to believe it is the earlier models that may have not had foam.

 

[khighly]

Does the KZ silver cable do anything other than lowering impedance by a bit? What are the improvements over the standard cable if there are any? The plug on my ZST's standard cable is starting to go after 3 months, which is a bit disappointing, hoped it would last longer without this kinda wear and tear

Makes it look nice is about all. I find the silver cable to be only slightly more durable than the stock one. Different cables don't change sound quality, especially unshielded cables like these.

 

[khighly]

4. How well does the cable connect to the phones with the 2-pin connector? With my current IEMs, I do accidentally pull on the cables sometimes. I hope these are secure enough not to come loose with a bit of tugging...

Thanks!

I don't know about the ZS5's but KZ has a pretty snug connector. I've never accidentally pulled out the cable from any of my KZ iems. It would be really tough.

 

[WaffleIron]

I don't know about the ZS5's but KZ has a pretty snug connector. I've never accidentally pulled out the cable from any of my KZ iems. It would be really tough.

Judging from images, the ZS3 has the exact same socket as the ZS5. Doubt cables will be falling out any time soon as long as they're the right pin size.

 

[SomeTechNoob]

Does the KZ silver cable do anything other than lowering impedance by a bit? What are the improvements over the standard cable if there are any? The plug on my ZST's standard cable is starting to go after 3 months, which is a bit disappointing, hoped it would last longer without this kinda wear and tear

The silver cable also has significantly less cable noise than the stock cable.

 

[ustinj]

KZ ZS5 measurement

 

[Holypal]

KZ ZS5 measurement

Wow, Looks pretty good.

 

[ustinj]

Wow, Looks pretty good.

They sound miles ahead of the ZS3 (which I found to be a dark messy IEM)

 

[Cya|\|]

KZ ZS5 measurement

Can this be added to Crinacle's thread?

 

[ustinj]

Can this be added to Crinacle's thread?

No, our mics measure a little bit differently (even though it's the same mic) -- in comparison to mine, his Andromeda measurement has more overall bass presence between 50-750hz.

 

[Keller2]

Any word on the ZSR / new Audio Technica with window clone?

 

[Pankaj135]

Just got replacement KZ ATE from Aliexpress and KZ ATR and KZ ZS3 from Gearbest.

ATR seems the clearest of the bunch. Slightly bigger soundstage than the ATE but fatiguing and boring. I can't wear them for more than an hour.

ZS3 has good good seal very comfortable to wear, until you play some music. It's a bit bass heavy and sounds bloated to me. Soundstage seems 3D and very good but I can't handle the bass. It's not totally bass heavy but for me it's a bit too much.

ATE & ATES sound literally the same to me. Note that these are both 5th generation. In earlier generations there might be some differences (could someone confirm? I've checked @CoiL description of KZ ATE versions.) The sound is more intimate and has little bit bass which I like. Though the soundstage is less these are non fatiguing (I can wear them for hours). I like them the most.

On other hand I checked my brother's KZ EDR2. It's even more clear than ATR and has the same soundstage with little bit of bass. Most comfortable to wear and apparently cheapest of the bunch (most durable metal body too). A bit fatiguing. These make me question why are not these hyped?

I checked these earphones on Samsung Galaxy S3 (Wolfson dac Exynos version) & Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime (Snapdragon dac). ZS3 sounds the same on both but ATE & ATR sounds better on Samsung.

On other note KZ tips supplied with these Earphone are horrible! They are hard and don't stay in my ears. Could someone tell me will there be an improvement with KZ star tips?