[BrainsyK]

Anyone know anything about the KZ brand headphones that are appearing on Amazon?

 

[Markolav]

Hmm, darn. I don't think I have any technical issues, but the bass presence is way too much without an EQ for me. On lower volumes it's bass only even.

Yeah, bass quantity is pretty serious on these. Quality is not much better to my ears, it kind of lacks impact and texture and sounds hollow. CAL for example has much better punch and richer feeling on its bass. In lower volumes the bass sometimes indeed buries all other frequencies under it to the point that i have to bump up the volume quite a bit to hear whats going on in the midrange and then the bass gets truly overbearing or straight out fatiguing to listen to. Listening to these almost gave me a small headache:





I feel like the bass starts to distort pretty badly on Paper Trails, at least in higher volumes.

Midrange and treble sound little muffled/stuffy but are ok. Soundstage is pretty good for a closed back (as far as i can tell with one properly working driver).

Overall ok sounding headphone for its price and i understand why many people like them but ive heard better for the same or slightly more money. Im not exactly disappointed because i wasnt really expecting anything life changing, just little wondering what the hype was about.

 

[Slater]

Anyone know anything about the KZ brand headphones that are appearing on Amazon?

Headphones, or earphones?

Got a link?

KZ has made a few (full size) headphones over the years. But their bread and butter is earphones.

 

[BrainsyK]

Headphones, or earphones?

Got a link?

KZ has made a few (full size) headphones over the years. But their bread and butter is earphones.

https://www.amazon.com/Headphones-K...ywords=ERJIGO&qid=1552450630&s=gateway&sr=8-7

 

[Slater]

https://www.amazon.com/Headphones-K...ywords=ERJIGO&qid=1552450630&s=gateway&sr=8-7

Looks like a pretty standard KZ ZS6.

KZs have been available on eBay, Amazon, and many other e-commerce sites for a long time now. So that’s not really anything new. The sellers are usually 3rd party sellers, but there’s nothing necessarily wrong with that.

The main thing you gotta watch out for on Amazon is where it ships from.

Just because it’s on Amazon doesn’t mean it’s available for the typical 1 or 2 day Amazon shipping. There have been HeadFiers that have ordered stuff from Amazon (for a lot higher price than Aliexpress), and it ships from China with the same 30-60 day shipping time that you get from Aliexpress. So in that case, they just paid a lot more money for absolutely nothing.

 

[nraymond]

Anyone know anything about the KZ brand headphones that are appearing on Amazon?

Knowledge Zenith (KZ) is based in China and is primarily an earphone maker. They have a very large lineup of earphones, many of which are multi-driver, most of which have different variations on a "fun" tuning (enhanced bass and treble). Depending on your sensitivity to treble, some can be sibilant/peaky. The ZS7 is their latest multi-driver earphone, and one of the less treble intense models. There's a dedicated thread here on head-fi about KZ earphones:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/knowledge-zenith-kz-impressions-thread.698148/

There is also a sister company called CCA that uses some of the same earphone housings but has a more neutral tuning. The thread about CCA is here:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cca-in-ear-monitors-impressions-thread.900149/

There are also resellers on eBay and Amazon selling them. And as with all earphones changing the tips to something else (JVC Spiral Dots, RHA Dual Density, Spinfit CP100, Acoustune AET08/AET07, Final Audio E Types, etc.) is a way to alter the sound passively and/or improve the fit for your ear.

 

[Bartig]

Yeah, bass quantity is pretty serious on these. Quality is not much better to my ears, it kind of lacks impact and texture and sounds hollow. CAL for example has much better punch and richer feeling on its bass. In lower volumes the bass sometimes indeed buries all other frequencies under it to the point that i have to bump up the volume quite a bit to hear whats going on in the midrange and then the bass gets truly overbearing or straight out fatiguing to listen to. Listening to these almost gave me a small headache:





I feel like the bass starts to distort pretty badly on Paper Trails, at least in higher volumes.

Midrange and treble sound little muffled/stuffy but are ok. Soundstage is pretty good for a closed back (as far as i can tell with one properly working driver).

Overall ok sounding headphone for its price and i understand why many people like them but ive heard better for the same or slightly more money. Im not exactly disappointed because i wasnt really expecting anything life changing, just little wondering what the hype was about.

Same here. Sent the CAL back to Amazon however, I don't think they really add anything to my collection.

The OneAudio DJ Studio sounds better than the ISK MDH9000. The bass is a little more subtle (only a little though) and the mids come out more clear. It really, like really smells of chemical paint though. Besides, the sound of the wireless version of the OneAudio sounds even more balanced.

 

[BrainsyK]

Knowledge Zenith (KZ) is based in China and is primarily an earphone maker. They have a very large lineup of earphones, many of which are multi-driver, most of which have different variations on a "fun" tuning (enhanced bass and treble). Depending on your sensitivity to treble, some can be sibilant/peaky. The ZS7 is their latest multi-driver earphone, and one of the less treble intense models. There's a dedicated thread here on head-fi about KZ earphones:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/knowledge-zenith-kz-impressions-thread.698148/

There is also a sister company called CCA that uses some of the same earphone housings but has a more neutral tuning. The thread about CCA is here:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cca-in-ear-monitors-impressions-thread.900149/

There are also resellers on eBay and Amazon selling them. And as with all earphones changing the tips to something else (JVC Spiral Dots, RHA Dual Density, Spinfit CP100, Acoustune AET08/AET07, Final Audio E Types, etc.) is a way to alter the sound passively and/or improve the fit for your ear.

Very informative. Thank you.

 

[BrainsyK]

Looks like a pretty standard KZ ZS6.

KZs have been available on eBay, Amazon, and many other e-commerce sites for a long time now. So that’s not really anything new. The sellers are usually 3rd party sellers, but there’s nothing necessarily wrong with that.

The main thing you gotta watch out for on Amazon is where it ships from.

Just because it’s on Amazon doesn’t mean it’s available for the typical 1 or 2 day Amazon shipping. There have been HeadFiers that have ordered stuff from Amazon (for a lot higher price than Aliexpress), and it ships from China with the same 30-60 day shipping time that you get from Aliexpress. So in that case, they just paid a lot more money for absolutely nothing.

Thank you for this.

 

[jason41987]

i didnt read all 300+ pages, but ive been looking at a few.. trying to find a good set of great sounding, open back headphones that arent going to break so easily.. primarily for gaming actually, and music.. i couldnt find the takstar hi2050s that others recommended, the ISK HF2010 look similar, or the same, and the superlux hd330s look nice.. but do not have the opportunity to try any of them

 

[kurcatovium]

It will be a bit more expensive due to import and clearance costs, but the Sennheiser HD58X Jubilee is amazing and very pleasant sounding. Way cheaper and more detailed, although quite bright, is the amazing OKCSC ZX1. Those are my top recommendations.

+

My first thought was also just to add a bit to the budget and get the HD58X so I support your suggestion. They're extremely hard to beat at that price.

If I understand it right, those Sennheisers are "something like HD599 from Massdrop", right? And isn't Massdrop just for US? I always thought it's just "the American discount thing" that's there only to provoke us living elsewhere with their great deals... I'll check into this then.

If I had $150 budget I would buy used instead chi-fi. Lack of warranty sucks of course but If you buy $100 headphones from China and have to ship them back on your own expense for repairs/refund that is nor much better either.

Used hifiman he400i for $150 is hard to beat. Heh, that is chi-fi too now that I think about it. Used onkyo a800 if you can find one, Sony mdr-ma900 and I'm sure that hd58x is great too if you definately need new headphones.

I kind of took this advice and checked some local 2nd hand sites and I'm now carrying Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro package in my backpack to test them at home. Not sure if it'd be considered good or bad price elsewhere, but I think for 1500 CZK (roughly 60€ / $75) I scored decent deal, considering our market (post-communist central Europe). They look like new, haven't test them though.

I've yet to find used HE400i for the price you mentioned. These are going for about $250+ 2nd hand and $500 new where I live. Same old story with the Onkyo and Sony, both are even little bit more than Hifiman.

 

[Bartig]

Since we're on the topic of the HD58xx...

i didnt read all 300+ pages, but ive been looking at a few.. trying to find a good set of great sounding, open back headphones that arent going to break so easily.. primarily for gaming actually, and music.. i couldnt find the takstar hi2050s that others recommended, the ISK HF2010 look similar, or the same, and the superlux hd330s look nice.. but do not have the opportunity to try any of them

The Sennheisers are great for this purpose too. Their soundstage isn't the biggest, but they sound warm, fun with a bit of a boosted bass and you can listen music on them for hours due to the fact their presentation is little bit laid back. If you'll use the headphone especially for single player gaming, I recommend the Superlux HD688b, with an outstanding soundstage and instrument placement for the money. The same Superlux can sound a little dry when listening to music though.

 

[mbwilson111]

If I understand it right, those Sennheisers are "something like HD599 from Massdrop", right? And isn't Massdrop just for US? I always thought it's just "the American discount thing" that's there only to provoke us living elsewhere with their great deals... I'll check into this then.

We ordered a few things from Massdrop in the past but we have stopped. By the time VAT (20%) PLUS a service charge of £8 (royal mail) or £11 (DHL) it is not worth it. If there is something unique that you really really want you can probably get it depending on where you are. You just have to be aware of the cost. Everything is declared at full value and Massdrop stuff does not just slip through customs. You have to pay the fees before it will be delivererd.

 

[raccoon city]

Brainwavz deals, including Round Sheepskin 100mm Pads for $25, perfect for ISK MDH9000 clones.

I've been using the Sheepskin Pads for a while now.
I absolutely love them.
The stock earpads are very good, but sheepskin is even better.

 

[hifi80sman]

I've been using the Sheepskin Pads for a while now.
I absolutely love them.
The stock earpads are very good, but sheepskin is even better.

I just recently picked up one of the ISK MDH9000 clones (LyxPro HAS-30) and they sound absolutely fantastic, definitely more than they should at $50. The accessories, especially at the price point, are far better than almost anything on the market. The box was also quite substantial, which was unexpected and great for initial impressions.

I just happen to have the Brainwavz circular pads hanging around here with no home...until now. Have you compared the Brainwavz sheepskin with their protein leather pads? If so, what are the differences?