The Kaiser Encore is actually very different from the Zeus, from top to bottom. In the bass, it has greater mid-bass impact and an overall darker tone. The Zeus has a wispier, airier bass that’s clearer and faster, but lacks any real punch in comparison. The Encore has a leaner midrange due to an attenuated lower-midrange, giving it a stronger sense of clarity and transparency. However, the Zeus’s accentuated lower-midrange gives it a sense of weight, thickness and organicity, which is beautifully paired with top-end extension to create a vocal range that balances power and resolve.
The Encore has an upper-mid peak along with a rise in the upper-treble for crispness and energy, contributing to - again - a greater sense of cleanliness and transparency; similar to the A18, for example. On the other hand, the Zeus has less of an upper-mid peak and more of an upper-treble rise for the same sense of clarity without the crispness or the edge; contributing to the Zeus’s more natural overall tone. The Zeus also has greater treble extension to create a more stable and well-resolved stage, while the Encore focuses on filling its soundscape with dynamics and energy; rather than ultimate definition.
Similar to the Encore, the Fourte is an IEM with a leaner signature than the Zeus, and benefits from this in detail, cleanliness and transparency. Its defining trait is an extremely controlled and tight decay, giving the Fourte an impressive sense of speed. Conversely, the Zeus’s thicker presentation - because of its lower-midrange hump - makes it sound slightly sluggish and somewhat hazy in comparison. However, the Fourte is nowhere near as natural in tone or romantic in its presentation as the Zeus is.
The Fourte has a more sub-bass focused low-end, with more tightness than that of the Zeus because of its upper-treble rise. However, it is similarly neutral in quantity, even though the Fourte’s DD bass gives it superior physicality and gutturalness. Again, the Fourte is cleaner in the midrange because of its attenuated lower-midrange. Vocals contrast against the black background with utmost precision, but they lack the warmth and richness required to sound completely natural. Its upper-midrange is actually less accentuated than that of the Encore, but it has a tremendous amount of air, clarity and edge because of its upper-treble presentation.
It lifts higher than the Zeus and extends further too, but the lack of a natural tone will make it more fatiguing, and it becomes harder to maintain a mental image of the soundstage in these conditions. The Fourte’s stage is large, but lacks a sense of solidity when compared to the Zeus, most likely due to the linearity and coherence in the latter’s response. All in all, the Fourte is far and away the superior technical performer - even if merely by virtue of its technological achievements. But, if you’re looking for a more pleasing signature that’s natural, organic, and definitely isn’t lagging behind in sound quality - plus the benefits of a custom fit IEM - then the Zeus is the one for you.
