[G777]

got a friend who wants to buy an iem, he listen to music only from spotify or youtube and a standard phone, will never use eq nor viper, mainly italian pop/rock, some rock and some classical.

i only have the ZAX and he loves the sound i get from my gear but i guess that ZAX is way too technical for him, i would like to tell him to buy the MT300, but i've read in this thread that they have QC issues and i suspect that the unit on sale on aliexpress under 70€ are seriously at risk of being affected by those issues. probably the better choice would be the DQ6 once i find the right tips.

any opinions/alternatives?

What do you mean by "too technical"? Too detailed?

 

[Jitu13]

got a friend who wants to buy an iem, he listen to music only from spotify or youtube and a standard phone, will never use eq nor viper, mainly italian pop/rock, some rock and some classical.

i only have the ZAX and he loves the sound i get from my gear but i guess that ZAX is way too technical for him, i would like to tell him to buy the MT300, but i've read in this thread that they have QC issues and i suspect that the unit on sale on aliexpress under 70€ are seriously at risk of being affected by those issues. probably the better choice would be the DQ6 once i find the right tips.

any opinions/alternatives?

I don't think ZAX is that technical (I assume you meant it becomes clinical in a sense). At least that's the impression that I got. As for alternative, Blon bl03 is always a choice. You can also include edx, if you want something dirt cheap. There is of course the dq6, but I don't have it to warrant much of a comment.

 

[ZAXon 7]

from my experience with ZAX i think that they are too good for youtube and spotify, they expose the fact that those services are meant for cheap audio equipment and 'cheap' music and they play their files accordingly. good to explore and find new music occasionally but nothing more.
ZAX give their best with lossless files, hi-fi music player and proper use of eq or viper. they are very difficult to enjoy with such poor sources as standard streaming services. never tried hi-fi streaming so can't say about them.

edit: for my friend budget is not a big issue, but i am pretty unexperienced and don't want to waste his money on a blind buy. 70€ MT300 seemed the perfect choice but then i've read about their QC issues.

 

[ZAXon 7]

I don't think ZAX is that technical (I assume you meant it becomes clinical in a sense). At least that's the impression that I got. As for alternative, Blon bl03 is always a choice. You can also include edx, if you want something dirt cheap. There is of course the dq6, but I don't have it to warrant much of a comment.

rather than clinical i would say cynical...

 

[G777]

from my experience with ZAX i think that they are too good for youtube and spotify, they expose the fact that those services are meant for cheap audio equipment and 'cheap' music and they play their files accordingly. good to explore and find new music occasionally but nothing more.
ZAX give their best with lossless files, hi-fi music player and proper use of eq or viper. they are very difficult to enjoy with such poor sources as standard streaming services. never tried hi-fi streaming so can't say about them.

Maybe the KZ ZS10 Pro or the CCA C10 would be better in that case? The C10, in particular, is quite smooth sounding so it's more forgiving of lower-quality recordings. The Blon BL-03 as mentioned earlier is also a good choice in that regard.

 

[ZAXon 7]

Maybe the KZ ZS10 Pro or the CCA C10 would be better in that case? The C10, in particular, is quite smooth sounding so it's more forgiving of lower-quality recordings. The Blon BL-03 as mentioned earlier is also a good choice in that regard.

from what i've read, i've excluded the ZS10 Pro because it's a downgrade from ZAX and BL-03 because i think they won't fit my friend's musical tastes.
the C10 seems interesting, i see that you have both the C10 and DQ6, how do they compare in my context?

 

[G777]

from what i've read, i've excluded the ZS10 Pro because it's a downgrade from ZAX and BL-03 because i think they won't fit my friend's musical tastes.
the C10 seems interesting, i see that you have both the C10 and DQ6, how do they compare in my context?

The DQ6 is brighter so it seems to be more revealing. I think the C10 has a bit more mid-bass while the DQ6's bass feels more linear, so the sub-bass is felt more. I don't use the DQ6 much though, because it's too big for my small-ish ears.

My biggest gripe with the C10 is that it looks kind of ugly. And the cable is mediocre.

 

[G777]

-delete-

 

[Barusu Lamperouge]

Any recommendation for a sub $80 IEM. I play bass guitar at church where the volume is well controlled on stage. I have been using the KZ ZS7. I am happy with it but wonder if there is anything better. I tried the KZ S10 Pros and they sounded awesome but were a bit sibilant and harsh cymbal crashes is not what I want. I've owned KZ5, KZ6 which were also harsh in my opinion.
Ive been looking at KZ ZAX, Tin T2, TC-01. I mainly shop on Amazon.

BQEYZ KB100, Moondrop SSR, Tin T2+, Smabat NCO (if you can still find them)

 

[Jitu13]

from my experience with ZAX i think that they are too good for youtube and spotify, they expose the fact that those services are meant for cheap audio equipment and 'cheap' music and they play their files accordingly. good to explore and find new music occasionally but nothing more.
ZAX give their best with lossless files, hi-fi music player and proper use of eq or viper. they are very difficult to enjoy with such poor sources as standard streaming services. never tried hi-fi streaming so can't say about them.

edit: for my friend budget is not a big issue, but i am pretty unexperienced and don't want to waste his money on a blind buy. 70€ MT300 seemed the perfect choice but then i've read about their QC issues.

Well youtube, I understand, but spotify has high quality stream option. Unless your friend listens critically all the time I don't see how ZAX would be a bother! As he already likes the sound of zax, I would think that's the safest buy. For youtube, I am not sure. I tested a song last time with my edx, zs10 pro and blon, I could definitely hear how bad it was compared to spotify on all of them! But my wife couldn't tell the difference. As your friend is a casual listener he may also not notice it. If you can get it from Amazon then why not audition it, and see if it works.

 

[ZAXon 7]

Well youtube, I understand, but spotify has high quality stream option. Unless your friend listens critically all the time I don't see how ZAX would be a bother! As he already likes the sound of zax, I would think that's the safest buy. For youtube, I am not sure. I tested a song last time with my edx, zs10 pro and blon, I could definitely hear how bad it was compared to spotify on all of them! But my wife couldn't tell the difference. As your friend is a casual listener he may also not notice it. If you can get it from Amazon then why not audition it, and see if it works.

indeed one of the tests i have yet to do is to let him try my ZAX on his phone, ha recently bought a new phone and hadn't installed spotify last time i've seen him.
he is a casual listener but has good ear, he spotted immediately the overall quality and a lot of aspects of the zax excellence and being on a €50 €100 budget i was wondering if i could recommend his something easier to manage than ZAX.

 

[Arjey]

from what i've read, i've excluded the ZS10 Pro because it's a downgrade from ZAX and BL-03 because i think they won't fit my friend's musical tastes.
the C10 seems interesting, i see that you have both the C10 and DQ6, how do they compare in my context?

Just gonna throw this in: if your friend intends to listen just on his phone I don't recommend Blon 03, it needs power, a phone won't do. I don't have KZ EDX yet (just ordered them), but considering how much praise they get, and their specs, they should be an easy choice (kz products are basically made for phones, so they should be good). And if he doesn't like them you can just keep them for.. work around the house or quick store runs or smth, they only cost $6

 

[Tonymac136]

Yeah the BL03 is a big no from me without a bit of power. DQ6 is better than the EDX, but put a decent cable and tips on the EDX and suddenly it's better than a stock DQ6 at the same money. Similar mild V shape, similar timbre (not on the level of the BL03 but very good nonetheless).
ZAX is actually as close to a perfect "one pair of IEMs for one pair of ears" as you could get. Whatever area it is you'll find a better set, but here's the thing - it does nothing badly. Get him to get the ZAX and get on with his life.

Edited to add - when I hear people talking about IEMs and using a phone as the only source, I wonder if perhaps those people might actually be better served by one of the many TWS sets around these days.

 

[Nellie75]

BQEYZ KB100, Moondrop SSR, Tin T2+, Smabat NCO (if you can still find them)

Thanks for the suggestions. It cost a bit more but I pulled the trigger on Amazon and got the Moondrop Starfields which show they arriving tomorrow.

 

[unifutomaki]

from my experience with ZAX i think that they are too good for youtube and spotify, they expose the fact that those services are meant for cheap audio equipment and 'cheap' music and they play their files accordingly. good to explore and find new music occasionally but nothing more.
ZAX give their best with lossless files, hi-fi music player and proper use of eq or viper. they are very difficult to enjoy with such poor sources as standard streaming services. never tried hi-fi streaming so can't say about them.

edit: for my friend budget is not a big issue, but i am pretty unexperienced and don't want to waste his money on a blind buy. 70€ MT300 seemed the perfect choice but then i've read about their QC issues.

I had a think about it... and still came back to the ZAX. Easy to drive, easy to live with, really can't find fault with it.