[Carson Wotell]

I'm leaning towards the KZ ZST but I've heard good things about the auglamour R8's

 

[bakakuma]

If you're looking for best iem in 10-20 region, you should also try rock zircon
highly praised and rated

 

[egzbuen]

You can also check the Chinese/asian earphones thread as well as the lower than 99USD thread for good recommendations.

 

[KLgamers]

stick with KZ Zst, worth every penny.. Better than auglamour in SQ

 

[Juta]

Hi Guys. Just wanted to check about the sound quality of the KZ ZST's.

Have a good friend of mine (Friend A) that wishes to purchase two pairs of them (one for me, one for him) based on a raving recommendation of another friend of mine (Friend B). He seems to be going on and on about how good these are, even going to the point of saying that these are several times better than the Sennheiser CX-300 II In-Ears. Now, Friend A and myself have both owned numerous pairs of the Sennheiser CX-300 II In-Ears over the years and we like them due to type of music we listen to (mainly Progressive, Trance, Vocal Trance, Progressive House) & one could call both of us mild bassheads.

I'm waiting to give the go ahead to Friend A on buying two pairs of these but I'm trying to understand what the sound signature & overall quality is like.

What are your guys thoughts?

 

[Podster]

Hi Guys. Just wanted to check about the sound quality of the KZ ZST's.

Have a good friend of mine (Friend A) that wishes to purchase two pairs of them (one for me, one for him) based on a raving recommendation of another friend of mine (Friend B). He seems to be going on and on about how good these are, even going to the point of saying that these are several times better than the Sennheiser CX-300 II In-Ears. Now, Friend A and myself have both owned numerous pairs of the Sennheiser CX-300 II In-Ears over the years and we like them due to type of music we listen to (mainly Progressive, Trance, Vocal Trance, Progressive House) & one could call both of us mild bassheads.

I'm waiting to give the go ahead to Friend A on buying two pairs of these but I'm trying to understand what the sound signature & overall quality is like.

What are your guys thoughts?

Well I like the ZST and have them in both Carbon finish and colorful but they are Mid centric and to some can sizzle on the top end. IMO based on the music you like I’d consider the ZS7.

 

[Juta]

Hey Podster.

Thanks for your speedy response!

Just looking at the ZS7 and wondering if the extra drivers in them would add extra detail at the top end without sibilance? Also, what is the bass response like on the ZST's?

 

[Podster]

For me ZST has enough bass but as mentioned it lends itself to the higher freqs. The ZS7 has plenty in the mids and highs but bass has a more solid thump. I’m not any kind of reviewer and these are just opinions based off my hearing although you can garner similar response in these in the KZ thread. Both are great iem’s for the money but what you listen too I think the ZS7 would be a better iem. I might even go with the ZS6 too, pretty even across the spectrum but once again remember this is based on my old ears!

 

[Juta]

Thank you, Podster.



Much appreciated! I do value your thoughts even though you say your ears are old.

I'm ashamed to say that the ZS6's are a little out of my budget for now. LoL.

And since this is the first pair of IEM's from KZ, I will try out the ZST's first and report back.

 

[ewhere]

Okay I think I can chip in lol. So for me the best budget ones rank like this:
Transer Remax = Panasonic RP-HJE125E-A (YES THEY ARE AMAZING for their value!) > Rock Zircon
The DF-10 are pretty nice as well.
I am not particular fan of the KZ lines, Tried some of them and dind't like it.

 

[Podster]

Thank you, Podster.



Much appreciated! I do value your thoughts even though you say your ears are old.

I'm ashamed to say that the ZS6's are a little out of my budget for now. LoL.

And since this is the first pair of IEM's from KZ, I will try out the ZST's first and report back.

Well I think you will enjoy the ZST Juta, as long as you get the right tips to seal and don't over drive them you will find them to be very nice iem's and then you can compare notes with friend A & B Then again your thread title just states Best Budget iem's and you may want to look into some of ewhere's suggestions Anyway best of luck on your journey and keep on jamming

 

[Juta]

Hey Podster.

Sorry for the late reply to your post. Work has been busy.

I have just received a set of the KZ ZSN Pros and have been trying to do a little of burn in on them (Is that a thing?) I can report that they sound much more spacious and have a wider soundstage when compared to my Sennheiser CX-300 II. The treble is a little high but I would assume that this might go away once I've used them for a few hours. (Would playing white noise through them assist with burn in?)

I might also be getting a pair of the KZ ZSTs from my other friend. Can't wait to do a comparison between the two. So far, I'm liking what I hear with the KZ ZSN Pros. Comfort is excellent and sound quality is well above average. The only thing I would change is the way the cable is designed; the cable split is too low along the entire length of the cable and is a little of a handful to deal with once you remove one ear bud to have a conversation for instance.

Other than that, I'm a happy Chappy.

 

[Juta]

Okay I think I can chip in lol. So for me the best budget ones rank like this:
Transer Remax = Panasonic RP-HJE125E-A (YES THEY ARE AMAZING for their value!) > Rock Zircon
The DF-10 are pretty nice as well.
I am not particular fan of the KZ lines, Tried some of them and dind't like it.

Hey ewhere.

Thank you for your chip-in! You know, I'm quite surprised that the Panasonic RP-HJE125E got such a good recommendation around here. We used to sell the Panasonic RP-HJE125E earphones at my store a short while ago for around R129.00 in South Africa (Approximately $9), and we always dismissed them as cheap and nasty without ever giving them a listen to prove themselves. Now I'm thinking that I should have perhaps bought a pair lol.

Thank you once again for your input.

 

[Podster]

Hey Podster.

Sorry for the late reply to your post. Work has been busy.

I have just received a set of the KZ ZSN Pros and have been trying to do a little of burn in on them (Is that a thing?) I can report that they sound much more spacious and have a wider soundstage when compared to my Sennheiser CX-300 II. The treble is a little high but I would assume that this might go away once I've used them for a few hours. (Would playing white noise through them assist with burn in?)

I might also be getting a pair of the KZ ZSTs from my other friend. Can't wait to do a comparison between the two. So far, I'm liking what I hear with the KZ ZSN Pros. Comfort is excellent and sound quality is well above average. The only thing I would change is the way the cable is designed; the cable split is too low along the entire length of the cable and is a little of a handful to deal with once you remove one ear bud to have a conversation for instance.

Other than that, I'm a happy Chappy.

Well if your asking I do believe in burn in especially with anything that can move and re-adjust itself however I'm not a Pink Noise fan because my thinking is (remember this is just my thinking and I could be full of as a Christmas Turkey) But I like to just put them on any DAP (medium volume) in shuffle mode so that the drivers really get good variation and real exercise My suggestion on an upgrade cable would be either the advertised ZSN SP cable:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/329...6.0&pvid=cf413096-0fc5-4456-80eb-f0754e8fed88
or one of these:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32963189583.html?spm=a2g0o.detail.1000023.8.1f0f5171Y2xxJD
This is my personal fave but remember this and the one above do not cover the connector sleeve like the ZSN specific cables.
Will look like this once connected, connector housing on the iem is not fully covered but works fine.

 

[Juta]

Hey Podster.


My apologies for the late reply as usual.


Yes, I think that burn in plays a role, albeit a rather miniscule role in small speaker drivers such as earphones and headphones. I’ve not noticed a massive difference in sound before and after burn in; the difference is extremely subtle. I feel as if treble frequencies sound a little less harsh and/or sibilant after just a few hours of playing earphones/headphones. Bass frequencies tend to round out with a little better low frequency response.


I normally play music through earphones/headphones from my iPhone or iMac without actually listening to them during the burn in process, so, according to my understanding, my ears are not being “conditioned” to the sound of any new earphones/headphones. This way, I think I'm in a better position to judge whether the burn in process made a difference to the overall sound or not.
I’m not certain whether I make sense in what I’m trying to convey but I think I may be right. Then again, I also could be full of it as I don’t have verifiable tests like many of you guys do.


Thank you for the cable upgrades! I shall definitely look at getting one of them as soon as I have some cash!


My buddy bought the KZ Bluetooth adapter from AlieExpress & seems to be enjoying it quite a lot.