[VShaft]

Someone once said that about LZ iem's and look at the A4! IMO KZ will have enough QA for an expected $90 Hybrid that QC will not be an issue. I personally am hoping they hit it out of the park whenever it releases the ZSR

 
This.
 
KZ is stepping up their game and there's no reason for them to fail at it. They've more than proven themselves on the ultra-budget tier, so why not trust them when they're stepping up, too?
 
I've had 4 KZ IEMs so far and none had any QA problems whatsoever, and as Podster said it, they're sure to tighten up the QA process for their shiny new flagship model. And if they indeed deliver on the sound quality (which I truly hope they will), why not give them the $90?

 

[thejoker13]

Which more expensive phones do you 'prefer' them too?

I used to only buy what I thought was"good" because of their slick marketing. I updated my profile to include which iems I own. Basically, I was referring to my bose and beats iem's though. This hobby has blown my mind, because of what we're able to get for such a fraction of the cost as the highly marketed brands.

 

[rad7]

Can we use the stock ZST cable in the ZS3? I sometimes like to not wear my iems behind/around the ear & just wear them traditionally (in front of the ear). I can do this with my ZSTs by inserting the left bud in my right ear and right bud in my left ear. I am wondering if I can do that with the ZS3s too by using them with the ZST cable.

 

[ricemanhk]

  Can we use the stock ZST cable in the ZS3? I sometimes like to not wear my iems behind/around the ear & just wear them traditionally (in front of the ear). I can do this with my ZSTs by inserting the left bud in my right ear and right bud in my left ear. I am wondering if I can do that with the ZS3s too by using them with the ZST cable.

No.  The ZST wire housing is bigger than the ZS3 and won't fit into the ZS3 earbud.
Meanwhile the ZS3 cable can "fit" into the ZST, but will generally be loose as the wire housing is smaller than the ZST.
 
That said, I don't see why you couldn't wear it "down" with the stock ZS3 cable, although the ZS3 earbud shape itself doesn't seem to lend itself to wearing it down, but everyone's ear shape is different and it might work for you.
 
What's wrong with wearing these earbuds over-ear as they were designed though?  I actually find it 1. more secure when running and 2. if I need to take 1 earbud out to hear something I can leave it dangling over my ear rather than have to hold the earbud (the case for normal earbuds worn down).  Unless you need to constantly put them on and off entirely (not just dangling off your ears), not sure what the benefit to wearing them "down" is.

 

[ricemanhk]

BTW still no updates on ZSR from their official taobao store.  I asked and the CS reps don't know anything either.
Actually the shop is still the Chinese New Year design, so there hasn't been any updates on their page since before CNY.
 
I think I saw some unofficial online website "pre-ordering" the ZSR with pictures taken from this thread.  Highly suspicious...don't get scammed.  Likewise some of the posts here that claimed the ZSR would be launched in Feb...it will come if and when it comes.  I would only get it from their official taobao or GB stores just to be safe, at least during the initial launch.

 

[rad7]

  No.  The ZST wire housing is bigger than the ZS3 and won't fit into the ZS3 earbud.
Meanwhile the ZS3 cable can "fit" into the ZST, but will generally be loose as the wire housing is smaller than the ZST.
 
That said, I don't see why you couldn't wear it "down" with the stock ZS3 cable, although the ZS3 earbud shape itself doesn't seem to lend itself to wearing it down, but everyone's ear shape is different and it might work for you.
 
What's wrong with wearing these earbuds over-ear as they were designed though?  I actually find it 1. more secure when running and 2. if I need to take 1 earbud out to hear something I can leave it dangling over my ear rather than have to hold the earbud (the case for normal earbuds worn down).  Unless you need to constantly put them on and off entirely (not just dangling off your ears), not sure what the benefit to wearing them "down" is.

ok, thank you. Yes, It seems like if I wear them down, the "bendy" cord near the ear buds (that goes behind the pinna) might stick out in an awkward fashion. 
 
And you are right, I don't usually mind over-ear iems and they have their own advantages. But sometimes, I use them in such a way that I constantly have to put them on and off or wear them one side only & in these situations, I feel that wearing them down is more convenient. 

 

[ricemanhk]

  ok, thank you. Yes, It seems like if I wear them down, the "bendy" cord near the ear buds (that goes behind the pinna) might stick out in an awkward fashion. 
 
And you are right, I don't usually mind over-ear iems and they have their own advantages. But sometimes, I use them in such a way that I constantly have to put them on and off or wear them one side only & in these situations, I feel that wearing them down is more convenient. 

Just cut out the metal wire in the ZS3 cable then if you don't want the bendy portion.

 

[Lord Rexter]

Anyone know if KZ would release balanced upgrade cables for ZS3, ZST or ED12 IMEs in the near future. 

 

[ricemanhk]

Don't know but I doubt it, balanced cables are still a fairly niche segment.  I'm surprised KZ came out with removable cables in the first place at this price level!

 

[Lord Rexter]

  Don't know but I doubt it, balanced cables are still a fairly niche segment.  I'm surprised KZ came out with removable cables in the first place at this price level!

 
That's KZ for you, ultra budget range astounding SQ for the price 

. I'm thinking/wishing pretty soon they would release balanced cables as well. Can't wait for ZSR to be released. 

 

[ricemanhk]

I've only recently looked into this, but doesn't the driver need to be designed to use balanced cables as well?  Or can you just plug in a balanced cable directly?

 

[Shawn71]

I've only recently looked into this, but doesn't the driver need to be designed to use balanced cables as well?  Or can you just plug in a balanced cable directly?

No & yes!......

 

[ricemanhk]

Interesting.  Well the ZST uses the UE 0.75mm pins, so maybe you can get a balanced cable with those connectors.  However, I've found that the pin housing on the earbud itself is not providing that much friction, rather the plastic wire housing is also holding the wire onto the earbud.  So you might have to cut up an existing cable to get the housing for it, otherwise the pins will come out easily.
 
Another option (a more permanent one) is to use 0.78mm pins, but that will stretch out the connector and you can't go back to 0.75mm.  I mistakenly did this with my UE triplefi 10s before when my stock wire broke and I got a replacement cable but they were 0.78mm (it didn't say so on the pack, just said compatible with UE earbuds)...so now I can only use cables with the bigger pins.

 

[Vidal]

  I've only recently looked into this, but doesn't the driver need to be designed to use balanced cables as well?  Or can you just plug in a balanced cable directly?

 
 
My understanding is that 'balanced' are just a cable with separate -ve connections for left and right with a 4 pole plug (2.5mm or 3.5mm). Normally this connection is merged at either the splitter or the jack plug. Quite a few IEM could be switched to balanced just by swapping the plug.

 

[ricemanhk]

   
 
My understanding is that 'balanced' are just a cable with separate -ve connections for left and right with a 4 pole plug (2.5mm or 3.5mm). Normally this connection is merged at either the splitter or the jack plug. Quite a few IEM could be switched to balanced just by swapping the plug.

Yep, read up on it.
 
For those who have tried this, does it make a significant difference with IEMs?  Or do the benefits shine more with full size headphones?
Are there any portable balanced DAC+amp recommendations?