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  1. SpaceOperaVillain

    Knowledge Zenith (KZ) impressions thread

    ...to them (whether it's marketed as a V shape is really more of an indication about the price and fooling successively wealthier buyers) and then *bam* there you are, just like it was 1987 all over again, rocking a fresh copy of Tango in the Night on your cousin's newly upgraded Alpine in the...
  2. SpaceOperaVillain

    E1DA DACs Discussion Thread (PDV2, 9038S, 9038D, 9038X, HiFiToy, HPToy)

    Which one are you waiting on? The KA17 looks like a beast.
  3. SpaceOperaVillain

    Knowledge Zenith (KZ) impressions thread

    Now that is some high praise, indeed. Today I've been listening to classic rock - Fleetwood Mac, Black Sabbath, and the remastered Led Zep albums using a balanced cable through the FiiO BTR3k in its dongle mode w/ mostly FLAC files. The amount of detail and transparency on tap is just so...
  4. SpaceOperaVillain

    Knowledge Zenith (KZ) impressions thread

    Yep totally. In head-fi's defense, I think the bulk of regulars here are much more cognizant of this than some of the other online venues and tend to be immediately suspicious of the YouTube generation's influencer types. Everybody in the Discovery thread, for example, is well aware of what...
  5. SpaceOperaVillain

    Knowledge Zenith (KZ) impressions thread

    ...allegiance to the curve. Fortunately, this is very easy to rectify with a bit of EQ by boosting at 3, 5, & 12 kHz to reinflate the top-end and *bingo* - ** chef's kiss ** personalized perfection. Single dynamics respond relatively poorly to EQ whereas clusters of BA weapons are ready to...
  6. SpaceOperaVillain

    Knowledge Zenith (KZ) impressions thread

    The first lesson in audio is to consider how wildly different each person's subjective response is to any specific piece of gear, much less how it performs in their specific chain: source -> DAC -> AMP -> cables/wires (for some - I think this is pure scam) -> drivers -> tips/cushions. Each of...
  7. SpaceOperaVillain

    Knowledge Zenith (KZ) impressions thread

    From what I can see there are less than ~ five of us hyping unless I've missed something. :- D Seems like Trio has all the hype. Hope you enjoy them. I nearly ordered the Bass version today to sample those too. My favorite config on the Harman so far is UDDD.
  8. SpaceOperaVillain

    Knowledge Zenith (KZ) impressions thread

    It seems like these new 3D shells with the tubes have potential to fix coherency issues which do affect some of KZ's sets AS10 are the Gen II OGs in KZ's lineup and one of the most cyberpunk looking things I've ever seen in audio. Original CRA are good. These have a good treble response but...
  9. SpaceOperaVillain

    Knowledge Zenith (KZ) impressions thread

    My Castor Harman review depressing spiel is in the database. Slipping back now into my corner for a few weeks until I get bored of these, they break, or another pair magically shows up after sleep-shopping...
  10. SpaceOperaVillain

    Review by 'SpaceOperaVillain' on item 'KZ Castor (Standard/Harman-Neutral Version)'

    The wet weather has dragged on for far too long into this year's spring. I shouldn't be complaining as temperatures are soaring past 50 degrees Celsius in parts of India while my little corner of the world enjoys full reservoirs and a replenished water table after the European drought. The cool...
  11. SpaceOperaVillain

    Knowledge Zenith (KZ) impressions thread

    That's fair. I must also point out post-rant that it's the same price as KZ Symphony which has the same driver setup of 1DD + 1 planar selling on the 60-65 mark. ... but still guys ... DSP?! C'mon! I have yet to read an overwhelmingly positive review about the Symphony which is a shame. It...
  12. SpaceOperaVillain

    Knowledge Zenith (KZ) impressions thread

    yep. I'd rather spend another 15 palourdes on the next KZ than swallow the giant crap sandwich that is Moondrop's DSP offering. Like you pay them 60+ bucks to figure out that hey - EQ actually works except the people jumping on that hype train push the "DSP" lie instead of acknowledging poor...
  13. SpaceOperaVillain

    Knowledge Zenith (KZ) impressions thread

    ...out a rather dark verse. There's a lot going on here. The vocals are husky and a bit dark without being too thick, and the endless riff is just *there* floating along on the top. Then when the verse dissolves and the drum & rythm guitar bridge starts and the bottom end fairly well slaps...
  14. SpaceOperaVillain

    Knowledge Zenith (KZ) impressions thread

    Yeah who knows. The cap looks like it's there more for aesthetics. They have so many different IEM being made that it could be that someone just made an honest mistake after veering rogue on the assembly line. +1. we're expecting pokemon and mildly exotic side grades. that's why we're here...
  15. SpaceOperaVillain

    Knowledge Zenith (KZ) impressions thread

    First near coffee-spit of the day - LMAO
  16. SpaceOperaVillain

    Knowledge Zenith (KZ) impressions thread

    ...end is really solid. So what other pairs did that specific driver tech find its way into so that I could choose an update with a bottom end that I *know* I like and also has better treble response? I have no way to tell, and that's kind of frustrating. Suffice it to say that when you order...
  17. SpaceOperaVillain

    Knowledge Zenith (KZ) impressions thread

    Eh - I think your gut is probably correct the first time, and there will be plenty left for sale in a couple weeks after your bass versions arrive. Like you I've been tempted to get the yin to the yang just for the hell of it. My active listening tends to be classical, jazz, and metal so bass...
  18. SpaceOperaVillain

    Knowledge Zenith (KZ) impressions thread

    right? After the first 5 or 10 minutes of listening I just kind of imagined the others dissipating into the air like Marvel characters after Thanos wins. Quite possibly! From graphs alone I'm attracted more to the profile of the Vader HiRes than the advertised / reviewed warm signature of the...
  19. SpaceOperaVillain

    Knowledge Zenith (KZ) impressions thread

    First impressions of the Castor Harman: these just bodied all of the budget pairs most of my collection, including the Heart Mirrors, and it's barely a contest. At least to my ears the CRA is not in the same league despite being sold for the same price. As Nimweth laid out in his excellent...
  20. SpaceOperaVillain

    Knowledge Zenith (KZ) impressions thread

    If you haven't seen it, there's also a DIY sub-section here on the forum :beerchug:
  21. SpaceOperaVillain

    Knowledge Zenith (KZ) impressions thread

    Definitely, and the same thing happens if your collection of over-ears start to multiply like gremlins. You settle down on 2-4 pair that are close-by and reach consistently for 1 or 2 pair, because a) switching up all the time isn't very convenient, and b) brain burn-in is a real thing and can...
  22. SpaceOperaVillain

    Knowledge Zenith (KZ) impressions thread

    Nice! That's very interesting to see the progression listed out like that. I have only succumbed to 4 pair of KZ and 3 pair of CCA, with 1 KZ in the mail. Less than 10 pairs! So many of you here have 30-40+. :-o right?! lol ---------------------- Castor Harman's have cleared customs...
  23. SpaceOperaVillain

    Knowledge Zenith (KZ) impressions thread

    Your guess is as good as mine, but the trick will be to use just a very small amount at full strength absorbed into a small cloth (or qtip) and then try to just rub the surface down, using it more like a polishing compound and less like a cleaner. If you can see excess liquid it's probably too...
  24. SpaceOperaVillain

    Knowledge Zenith (KZ) impressions thread

    I've used BKF stuff in the past and it tended to be great. This stuff is amazing for all kinds of uses - I'd look at the soft-cleanser. Good for SS, copper, brass, you name it. https://barkeepersfriend.com/products/soft-cleanser/
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