[Lord Rexter]

I hope they're doing what you think they're doing.
And Cya, I'm searching out a balanced cable for ZS5 before I join the club. Anyone have links for a 2.5mm cable that will fit it?

I just ordered 2.5mm cable for ZS3/ZS5 from Aliexpress link (one of the cheapest options I could find, looks like balanced cable to me but there's no mention of it on the site) yesterday, waiting for it to be shipped out to me. Hope this helps.

 

[SomeTechNoob]

are you in some country where IEM's are outlawed?

I didn't want to bring a ton of stuff since I'm moving a lot, so I brought along my CB-1s and ZSTs. Pretty inexpensive and sound signatures vary enough for me to survive a month or two without my other phones.

I do miss some good midrange though...

I mean I could always purchase new IEMs, but I don't know any of the shops around here. Everything I've seen are fake apple earpods haha.

 

[snip3r77]

Just received my ZS5, need to do the phase check as one my insert the cable wrongly.
I'm using the largest provided startip and enjoying atm.

 

[Francisk]

Bottom line guys, I've never heard sound quality like the ZST and ZS5 at the asking price. This is not hyping....but an honest truth.

 

[Modulus]

I FINALLY received my ZS5 after waiting over 40 days, having ordered during the pre-order phase.

I will post a more thorough review after a bit more use, but my initial impressions are very positive, they do sounds pretty damn good, and I was lucky enough to get the "premium" box with magnetic lid and 6 pairs of tips. Nice.

Quick summary.

Sound:
Great sound overall, wide soundstage, high energy treble without sibilance, good instrument separation, nice tight bass, I'm not noticing bass bloat like others have reported. I have noticed a dip around the 6k range, which is where vocals are at, making them recede into the mix just a bit. I've pushed up this frequency with EQ quite significantly and it comes out sounding really great.

I've only tested with my Sony Z5, need to get it plugged into my AudioGD for some critical listening. But having used them for a couple days on my daily commute, they sound very very good.

Build quality:
The cable. Oh boy... why would they make a rubberized cable? It's predictably sticky, which means it will be more prone to tangling and snagging on clothing. It's not terrible, but it's a curious choice. I don't understand why they would use this material. I did order the silver cable additionally, which is very soft, comfortable and feels great.

That said, the microphone and control toggle feels fantastic, it's made of metal and the buttons have a nice tactile click. These are important factors for me since I listen when I cycle or commute and need to change tracks frequently. Very nice buttons with a premium feel.

The memory wire is not too bad for me, I don't have any problems with comfort. Though I do find the 'star' nozzle tips are too hard and uncomfortable, so I'm using the other softer ones.

Improvements:
The sound is great for the price, I'm very happy in that department, where I think KZ really need to improve their game is in their attention to detail in the overall package. They could easily make these an absolute killer by doing the following: spend less on premium packaging, put that money into including the silver cable as default WITH microphone and controls (why can't I get the silver with controls!?). Forget about those star tips, they suck, include fake comply foam tips in addition to the silicone ones. And boom, just like that you've got an absolutely savage killer of an IEM.

 

[Slater]

Never mind - 20 other people mentioned the ZST vents.

Anyways, have a nice 4th, and a big thanks to those who fight and have fought to protect our freeedom.

 

[bjaardker]

Forget about those star tips, they suck, include fake comply foam tips in addition to the silicone ones.

You may not care for the starlines, but there are an awful lot of people who seek out the starline tips (myself included). They're not my first choice, but there are some IEMs that have worked really well with them and would be unusable for me with a different tip.

I personally dislike SpinFits and think they're garbage. Haven't worked for me on any IEM i've tried them on. Have yet to get a decent seal with them. But I don't fault a manufacturer for including them since I know some people like them.

 

[Slater]

You may not care for the starlines, but there are an awful lot of people who seek out the starline tips (myself included). They're not my first choice, but there are some IEMs that have worked really well with them and would be unusable for me with a different tip.

I personally dislike SpinFits and think they're garbage. Haven't worked for me on any IEM i've tried them on. Have yet to get a decent seal with them. But I don't fault a manufacturer for including them since I know some people like them.

+1. I love the Starlines, and use them on at least 50% of my IEMs.

 

[Holypal]

The memory cable is fking

I FINALLY received my ZS5 after waiting over 40 days, having ordered during the pre-order phase.

I will post a more thorough review after a bit more use, but my initial impressions are very positive, they do sounds pretty damn good, and I was lucky enough to get the "premium" box with magnetic lid and 6 pairs of tips. Nice.

Quick summary.

Sound:
Great sound overall, wide soundstage, high energy treble without sibilance, good instrument separation, nice tight bass, I'm not noticing bass bloat like others have reported. I have noticed a dip around the 6k range, which is where vocals are at, making them recede into the mix just a bit. I've pushed up this frequency with EQ quite significantly and it comes out sounding really great.

I've only tested with my Sony Z5, need to get it plugged into my AudioGD for some critical listening. But having used them for a couple days on my daily commute, they sound very very good.

Build quality:
The cable. Oh boy... why would they make a rubberized cable? It's predictably sticky, which means it will be more prone to tangling and snagging on clothing. It's not terrible, but it's a curious choice. I don't understand why they would use this material. I did order the silver cable additionally, which is very soft, comfortable and feels great.

That said, the microphone and control toggle feels fantastic, it's made of metal and the buttons have a nice tactile click. These are important factors for me since I listen when I cycle or commute and need to change tracks frequently. Very nice buttons with a premium feel.

The memory wire is not too bad for me, I don't have any problems with comfort. Though I do find the 'star' nozzle tips are too hard and uncomfortable, so I'm using the other softer ones.

Improvements:
The sound is great for the price, I'm very happy in that department, where I think KZ really need to improve their game is in their attention to detail in the overall package. They could easily make these an absolute killer by doing the following: spend less on premium packaging, put that money into including the silver cable as default WITH microphone and controls (why can't I get the silver with controls!?). Forget about those star tips, they suck, include fake comply foam tips in addition to the silicone ones. And boom, just like that you've got an absolutely savage killer of an IEM.

The "premium" box is really nice. I only got the small box, which only has three pairs of tips in total.

 

[Slater]

You may not care for the starlines, but there are an awful lot of people who seek out the starline tips (myself included). They're not my first choice, but there are some IEMs that have worked really well with them and would be unusable for me with a different tip.

I personally dislike SpinFits and think they're garbage. Haven't worked for me on any IEM i've tried them on. Have yet to get a decent seal with them. But I don't fault a manufacturer for including them since I know some people like them.

Some other good tip options:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Ori...earbuds-ear-tips-ear-pad-for/32736006455.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/5-P...buds-Headset-Eartips-Earplug/32552830443.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4-P...-Covers-Eartips-For-Earphone/32517890815.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/8pc...eadphone-earphone-earbud-top/32643318712.html

For the 1st ones (Sony Hybrids), you can also do the foam mod and take cheapy orange foam earplugs, trim off the tip, punch a hole in the center with a hole punch, and install them inside of the silicone tips. The best of both worlds between a foam and a silicone - a DIY hybrid similar to the true Sony Hybrids or the Symbios.

 

[mattpker]

I got the KZ ZS5 last week. Really loving it so far but the cable makes a lot of noise when it moves or is touched. I think you guys call this "microphonic"? Can anyone confirm if the upgraded silver cable does not have this issue? Also, my Sure SE215's have a sliding thing on the cable so that when you run the cable behind your back you can tighten it on the back of your head to help it from moving around/coming out (I use these for playing guitar live). Does anyone know of an upgraded cable that has this feature or a product I can get to add it to a cable?

 

[khighly]

You may not care for the starlines, but there are an awful lot of people who seek out the starline tips (myself included). They're not my first choice, but there are some IEMs that have worked really well with them and would be unusable for me with a different tip.

I personally dislike SpinFits and think they're garbage. Haven't worked for me on any IEM i've tried them on. Have yet to get a decent seal with them. But I don't fault a manufacturer for including them since I know some people like them.

I feel exactly the same. Starlines are my favorite all around while spinfits are hot garbage. They're too thin and have a very slippery texture that doesn't seal even with their largest size. I use a medium starline.

 

[ricemanhk]

I got the KZ ZS5 last week. Really loving it so far but the cable makes a lot of noise when it moves or is touched. I think you guys call this "microphonic"? Can anyone confirm if the upgraded silver cable does not have this issue? Also, my Sure SE215's have a sliding thing on the cable so that when you run the cable behind your back you can tighten it on the back of your head to help it from moving around/coming out (I use these for playing guitar live). Does anyone know of an upgraded cable that has this feature or a product I can get to add it to a cable?

Strange, I don't have THAT much microphonics with the stock cable. But indeed the silver or gold cable should be a bit better based on my experience with ZST/ZS3.

IIRC the silver cable has a slider but not the stock one? Though you could always just use a clip or even the wire tie that came with the cable, a free and effective solution.

 

[ezekiel77]

I got the KZ ZS5 last week. Really loving it so far but the cable makes a lot of noise when it moves or is touched. I think you guys call this "microphonic"? Can anyone confirm if the upgraded silver cable does not have this issue? Also, my Sure SE215's have a sliding thing on the cable so that when you run the cable behind your back you can tighten it on the back of your head to help it from moving around/coming out (I use these for playing guitar live). Does anyone know of an upgraded cable that has this feature or a product I can get to add it to a cable?

The upgrade silver cable does not have a chin slider. It bothers me too, but at $7 and with excellent ergonomics I can't complain. They're miles better than the rubbery stock cables.

And as riceman has said, you can use the wire twist included with the cable as a makeshift.

 

[CoiL]

Can You guys confirm that those KZ upgrade cables are actually silver coated or do they oxidize (turn greenish under PVC) after awhile?
So far I have gotten only one great silver coated cable from AE for relatively cheap price and it doesn`t oxidize and actually has low impedance as it should.
Not like Tennmak upgrade cable for example which has 1.2 Ohm impedance and oxidizes.