[lgcubana]

Here is a phenomena that I have not quite grasped yet.... lots of members having lots of multiple pairs of IEM's. Now in the ancient days, I had multiple pairs of head phones depending on if I wanted full isolation (over the ear), lightweight for moving around and being mobile... can't think of another reason.
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For the sake of full disclosure I will admit that I own 5 pair as follows:

2 pair of Monster Turbine that I won in a sales contest. I use these when I am mowing the lawn or at the beach or in an environement that I don't want to expose my good IEM's. Sound quality not an issue here.

1 pair of 1More Triple Driver. My first adventure into "Better" IEM's. They are in need of a good home.

1 pair Fiio F9Pro - nice IEM's... they are now attached to my LDAC Bluetooth adapter for casual listening.

1 pair CCA-CA16 - My new standard for listening attached to a nice 16 core silver plated copper cable. I think these will be around for at least 2 years.
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With IEM's, these previous factors are pretty much eliminated so this would lead (as I can see it) to only four reasons to own multiple pairs:

1. You need different colors to match your various outfits your favorite IEM doesn't have the color you need.

2. You can't break the emotional bond and part with the old.

3. You have graduated to better IEM's and either can't sell your originals.

4. You are unknowingly admitting that your IEM's are not tuned properly and you find that one sounds better for metal, one for classical, one for rock, one for jazz, etc.

So addressing the issue: #1, #2 ... I can't help you or offer any assistance - you will need to deal with your own demons.

#3... depends upon the market and finding a buyer... I'll give you this one.

#4: Since your ears have one hearing curve and your IEM's have another and we assume that the producer of the music has recorded it faithfully to how it really sounds, then the answer is to take the time and put in your overall favorite IEM's, play your favorite 3 tracks for each type of music and use the EQ in your player to adjust the sound where it sounds exactly how you want and then save that EQ setting and name it Classical, Rock, Jazz or whatever you choose. Move on to the next genre of music and repeat the procedure. Now you can carry one set of IEM's and at the press of button enjoy your music EXACTLY how you want it to sound as if the IEM's were custom built for your taste in music and your ears. It may take you a few times and some additional tweaking to get them just right, but in the end you will appreciate the work. And now its time to....

Enjoy the Music!!

You’re visiting the insane asylum and asking the patients why we’re here ?

you missed
#5 FOMO

 

[IEMusic]

I’m simply too lazy to sell things in general, and especially budget IEMs.

 

[BubisUK]

I did some more listening with CCA CA16. So far I like it more than I thought I would do. Yes they do sound "dark" or what I would call as thick sound, not realy airy and light (hope this makes sense ). Despite this vocal do not sound veiled or pushed back, on some tracks they are really upfront and in your face. What I had chance to listen to:
Radiohead - Amnesiac. I have listened to whole album and I would say I just got pulled in by the music, CA16 sounded amazing with this and their "thickness" simply added to the overall feel and nature of the album.
Roger Waters - Is This Life We Really Want. This album is where CA16 did not do well at all. Might be because of the way album is mastered, but on most tracks vocals are in your face, especially on track Wait for her - it seems that Roger is shouting in your face and all of the instruments are somwhere in the other room. So did not enjoy this at all.
Thats it for now. And remember due to how our ear canals are "made" your mileage may vary

 

[Thx1326]

To reply in "your spirit" of conversation: using an equalizer is akin using MSG with your food - it may surely feel "tasting good", but I prefer a real meal

P. S. My different IEMs are excitingly different, I do enjoy their strength.

Every commercial recording you may have has been equalized in some way... so you should already have a good taste for MSG.

 

[BubisUK]

I don't get it why people don't like eq. I see it as a way to get the most of your equipment instead of waisting money on stuff you not shure you need (I get this bit is a part of a hobby, lol) or will like.
It is the same, for me, as overclocking in a PC/Mobile world, I do it because I want to see how far can I go or what I can get out of my hardware. Anyway it all should be about the music in my opinion and getting the most enjoyment out of it

 

[PhonoPhi]

Every commercial recording you may have has been equalized in some way... so you should already have a good taste for MSG.

If equalizers are applied in the mixing - it is done to cater to artistic intentions (at least some), and at the different technical level.

I do not have such equipment.
Using equalizers on my DAP immediately compromises its pristine near-zero background, which I greatly enjoy. Also to my ears, the overtones are not compromised by equalizers only if to modify the extreme ends of the sound spectrum. Taming some treble spikes worked the best, but again I prefer not to use equalizers and enjoy my different IEMs to match the music and the mood of the day

Getting $300+ DAP (or further choosing between them in trials and errors) is an entirely different rabbit hole...

Back to MSG, I like the taste of it (who does not) but prefer not to put it in all my food to fully savour all the different flavours and aromas

 

[axhng]

CX10 review unit arrived yesterday. case is pretty much the same, but the shape of the earbuds aren't though. So charging case is not interchangeable. Still experimenting with various tips and giving it more time in my ears first before i comment on the sound. So far because of the elongated nozzle, the smallest tip with deeper insert seems to work and sound better for me. On the Z1 i had to use the wider tips. First full charge got me around 2.5 hours of use before low battery warning came up... so not a good sign.

 

[DynamicEars]

CX10 review unit arrived yesterday. case is pretty much the same, but the shape of the earbuds aren't though. So charging case is not interchangeable. Still experimenting with various tips and giving it more time in my ears first before i comment on the sound. So far because of the elongated nozzle, the smallest tip with deeper insert seems to work and sound better for me. On the Z1 i had to use the wider tips. First full charge got me around 2.5 hours of use before low battery warning came up... so not a good sign.

another 2.5 hours (and probably will be 1.5 hours like your Z1)?? no no no... seriously they need to fix this, and throttling issues when they just a little bit away from the BT source device, and the hiss, and stuttering problem when low batt (hiccups on off sound - not losing connection). Even cheapo TWS can do these tech problem solved. Cmon KZ CCA, you can do it

 

[Thomas De Brito]

CX10 review unit arrived yesterday. case is pretty much the same, but the shape of the earbuds aren't though. So charging case is not interchangeable. Still experimenting with various tips and giving it more time in my ears first before i comment on the sound. So far because of the elongated nozzle, the smallest tip with deeper insert seems to work and sound better for me. On the Z1 i had to use the wider tips. First full charge got me around 2.5 hours of use before low battery warning came up... so not a good sign.

The product comes out in a couple of weeks so I hope they fixed their problem. I hope they change it for the people that are funding it too and not wait for the next version

 

[Unolord]

So the same weak battery as the other KZ models... Is the BT just as choppy?

Hopefully those people that are funding it don't have the same thing happen to them that did with those of us who funded the KZ S2. Once it went live it was cheaper on AE...

 

[bhazard]

Good call on recommending Spinfits. They provide the best fit and sound for the CA16 over anything else I've tried.

 

[axhng]

For CX10, connectivity seems about the same as the Z1 for me, and similar to most of their TWS. I know a lot of folks have mentioned they have issues with it, but for me it's about the same as TWS with QCC3020 like outlier gold, haylou gt1 plus though. It's reliable enough most of the time, and maybe like a stutter once in awhile or when there's interference in the same frequency like i do with QCC chips. So haven't had that much issue with it when i'm using it at home, or while jogging.

Battery life seems to be 2.5hrs on average for me. Went through 4 cycles already of 100% to low battery warning. So if it's like the Z1, that number will probably be closer to 2 or less after 2-3 months if you use it regularly.

Sound wise, definitely still a V-shaped tuning with boosted bass and treble. Compared to Z1, i think the overall quantity of bass and punch is about the same, but it's shifted from the sub-bass to the mid-bass a bit. So I think a little less "rumbly" feeling. But I also think it bleeds a little bit more into the lower mids. Mids are present in the mix, but not the most forward sounding, and leans more towards the upper mids. Upper mids i think is a little less elevated than the Z1, but it has a brighter tonality (maybe because the BA drivers are handling mid frequencies too). At normal volume i think it sounds okay, but not sure if i'm imagining things, but feels like female/brighter vocals seems to thin out slightly as the volume gets louder? Anyway, most of the time, it sounds fine, and has nice details in it. I don't find the upper mids too shouty also (i do have a preference for a slight boost here since i listen to a lot of jpop).

Treble is well extended, and right at the edge for me in terms of intensity and splashiness. this is with the use of smaller tips though which seems to help make the treble sound a bit more mellow I think. I ended up using the smallest tip from the UGREEN HiTune TWS because it seems to grip a bit better. There is a good amount of details in this region (though definitely still lose out to a good pair of IEMs like ER4XR), and like older KZs like ZS10 Pro, the timbre can sound a little less natural. Staging is just okay, and not particular great since the insertion depth is deeper for me. Detail retrieval in the upper mids and treble region is above average for me though.

Overall, i think these probably sound more like the KZ S2 than the KZ Z1/ZST X, which kinda makes sense since the KZ S2 was sort of an indiegogo thing too. I wonder if that makes a difference. Overall, still enjoyable to listen to for me aside from the less natural sounding treble, and it's like the next step up from the S2 i guess. At 49 USD, i'm kinda on the fence though. Just basing it on sound, it's not a bad price. It's about the price of chi-fi multi driver IEMs (a bit more expensive than wired options in the same performance category, but added convenience of wireless), and still much cheaper than TWS from more well known audio brands, in some cases many times cheaper. So even if the battery life deteriorates to the point where it's not enough anymore like 9 months down the road, buying another one of these would just bring it to the price of something like the outlier gold. Or i'm pretty sure by then KZ/CCA will have a few more new TWS options already. lol

So i think just have to set the right expectations when getting these? It's not something I would unreservedly recommend for sure, but for a niche group of folks who wants something like this, and can live with the shorter lifespan in exchange for some convenience, it's not like a terrible option too. Because even though FIIO UTWS1/TRN BT20S + IEMs is a better option in terms of sound quality and longevity, it's still not as convenient as TWS. So.... overall.... my rating is.... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
(they definitely need to improve their battery capacity though)

 

[DynamicEars]

For CX10, connectivity seems about the same as the Z1 for me, and similar to most of their TWS. I know a lot of folks have mentioned they have issues with it, but for me it's about the same as TWS with QCC3020 like outlier gold, haylou gt1 plus though. It's reliable enough most of the time, and maybe like a stutter once in awhile or when there's interference in the same frequency like i do with QCC chips. So haven't had that much issue with it when i'm using it at home, or while jogging.

Battery life seems to be 2.5hrs on average for me. Went through 4 cycles already of 100% to low battery warning. So if it's like the Z1, that number will probably be closer to 2 or less after 2-3 months if you use it regularly.

Sound wise, definitely still a V-shaped tuning with boosted bass and treble. Compared to Z1, i think the overall quantity of bass and punch is about the same, but it's shifted from the sub-bass to the mid-bass a bit. So I think a little less "rumbly" feeling. But I also think it bleeds a little bit more into the lower mids. Mids are present in the mix, but not the most forward sounding, and leans more towards the upper mids. Upper mids i think is a little less elevated than the Z1, but it has a brighter tonality (maybe because the BA drivers are handling mid frequencies too). At normal volume i think it sounds okay, but not sure if i'm imagining things, but feels like female/brighter vocals seems to thin out slightly as the volume gets louder? Anyway, most of the time, it sounds fine, and has nice details in it. I don't find the upper mids too shouty also (i do have a preference for a slight boost here since i listen to a lot of jpop).

Treble is well extended, and right at the edge for me in terms of intensity and splashiness. this is with the use of smaller tips though which seems to help make the treble sound a bit more mellow I think. I ended up using the smallest tip from the UGREEN HiTune TWS because it seems to grip a bit better. There is a good amount of details in this region (though definitely still lose out to a good pair of IEMs like ER4XR), and like older KZs like ZS10 Pro, the timbre can sound a little less natural. Staging is just okay, and not particular great since the insertion depth is deeper for me. Detail retrieval in the upper mids and treble region is above average for me though.

Overall, i think these probably sound more like the KZ S2 than the KZ Z1/ZST X, which kinda makes sense since the KZ S2 was sort of an indiegogo thing too. I wonder if that makes a difference. Overall, still enjoyable to listen to for me aside from the less natural sounding treble, and it's like the next step up from the S2 i guess. At 49 USD, i'm kinda on the fence though. Just basing it on sound, it's not a bad price. It's about the price of chi-fi multi driver IEMs (a bit more expensive than wired options in the same performance category, but added convenience of wireless), and still much cheaper than TWS from more well known audio brands, in some cases many times cheaper. So even if the battery life deteriorates to the point where it's not enough anymore like 9 months down the road, buying another one of these would just bring it to the price of something like the outlier gold. Or i'm pretty sure by then KZ/CCA will have a few more new TWS options already. lol

So i think just have to set the right expectations when getting these? It's not something I would unreservedly recommend for sure, but for a niche group of folks who wants something like this, and can live with the shorter lifespan in exchange for some convenience, it's not like a terrible option too. Because even though FIIO UTWS1/TRN BT20S + IEMs is a better option in terms of sound quality and longevity, it's still not as convenient as TWS. So.... overall.... my rating is.... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
(they definitely need to improve their battery capacity though)

so its a good driver with bad tuning v2.0 with same medium-bad technology capabilities. Thanks for your fast honest review. I'll pass.

 

[axhng]

so its a good driver with bad tuning v2.0 with same medium-bad technology capabilities. Thanks for your fast honest review. I'll pass.

I was kinda hoping it would be a direct upgrade from the Z1/ZST X but it's more like an upgrade of the KZ S2 which I wasn't that big of a fan of because of the treble timbre. Actually I see sellers selling the Z1 at a much cheaper price now. 37SGD is like ~27USD? I still kinda like the Z1 a bit more because it sounds a bit more natural to me overall, even though in terms of technical capabilities the CX10 is clearly better. But this is just my preference of course, and I know there are a lot of ppl who enjoys the KZ S2 and will likely enjoy the CX10 too. For now my short term wish is like a TWS with KST X's sound, at least 5 hours battery life, KZ Z1's shell, and better bluetooth chipset? Volume controls will be nice too. It's weird that they had volume controls for the KZ T1, but then stopped doing it for subsequent releases. :/

 

[Thx1326]

I'm using the Fiio LC-BT2 LDAC compatible around the neck BT adapter. That way I can plug in my favorite IEM's and give up nothing. No battery life issues with this.