Initial 2 hour impressions of KZ ZS5 using the stock cable and starline tips on my LG v20.....
Nice presentation in the box, but as soon as you lift them out you realize how light they are...almost too light. The shells must be ultra thin. The metallic color juxtaposed with the rubbery cable and the lightness make them feel...cheap. But how do they sound you ask? Let's take a look!
- Clear highs. Bright sound when used on a bright source. The high-hat on Depeche Mode's Policy of Truth was a little piercing for my tastes. Not sibilant, just very bright.
- Mid forward. Vocals shine. Both female and male vocals are brought way forward in the mix.
- Decent bass extension, good bass presence. Not a basshead's IEM, but I don't think anyone would be disappointed. No perceptible midbass hump.
- Soundstage is nice and wide with good height as well. I know there's an on-going discussion about the "3D" sound some have reported. I don't perceive anything out of the ordinary here. They just sound like IEMs with a really good soundstage. Approaching the soundstage of some mid-range circumaurals.
- Instrument separation is again above average and hitting well above what any $30 headphone has a right to produce.
Overall: Easily worth the $30. Yet another chi-fi headphone with embarrassingly good sound. My only concern is with the build quality. They feel cheap and I doubt they would sustain much abuse. I think some people may be put off by the mid-forward sound, but it's not a cheap or disturbing sound. Just a different sort of tuning than the usual. Looking forward to trying them with a less bright combo like my Fulla 1/E12.
One last note, these require me going up to 45-50 on the volume of my LG v20 with normal Hi-Fi mode. I suspect they might react well to a little more juice being thrown at them.
I'll give more details after a couple of weeks with them.
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