[nihontoman]

That's a line of thinking that makes absolutely no sense. Why wire in two additional, functioning (i.e. not fake) drivers, if they do nothing? And if they are actually "walled off" there's nothing preventing that from being a way of tuning since certain frequencies can still bleed through. Earphones are small and sound leakage is a thing that exists. Seems like a stretch, but it's more realistic than deliberately adding in and not utilizing a bunch of extra drivers which would be a waste of time and money.

I would also like to see a disassembled ZS5 that hasn't been mangled beyond recognition. Considering more seriously the prospect of trying to take my sample apart (not the one I paid ~50 CAD for) in a way that everything still functions. If possible.

Yeah, I'm being kinda sarcastic, but at the same time I'm genuinely interested in the positioning and the ways each driver contributes to the sound and if some of those are actually sealed off or not...

Can't risk disassembling mine because it is a present from my girlfriend and frankly it is my current best sounding phone ( I prefer these to the hd598 - just me preference mind you) and don't want to end up destroying it

 

[Griffith]

Just wanted to make a note about Soulsik's review. Again, I'm not defending, nor have the technical knowledge to evaluate whether or not the engineering flaws he pointed out are true or not but he did say he was looking for a reference earphone at a certain price range.

From what I've heard described about the ZS5 it seems to be a slightly more refined sound than the ZST with less harsh highs and improvements in the rest of the frequency range. With that said, the ZS5 are anything but neutral sounding, which is what you would look for in a reference earphone. If I bought a ZS5 with the hopes of using it as a reference earphone, I think I would also be disappointed. The KZ ATE, in my opinion, would be much better for that purpose.

 

[ricemanhk]

Just wanted to make a note about Soulsik's review. Again, I'm not defending, nor have the technical knowledge to evaluate whether or not the engineering flaws he pointed out are true or not but he did say he was looking for a reference earphone at a certain price range.

From what I've heard described about the ZS5 it seems to be a slightly more refined sound than the ZST with less harsh highs and improvements in the rest of the frequency range. With that said, the ZS5 are anything but neutral sounding, which is what you would look for in a reference earphone. If I bought a ZS5 with the hopes of using it as a reference earphone, I think I would also be disappointed. The KZ ATE, in my opinion, would be much better for that purpose.

Nah, his wording of reference is more as "reference point", and not as a neutral sounding reference headphone. His point (at least how I understood it) was to have the "best" headphone at difference price points to act as benchmark (which would be a better term to use). Of course, "best" also differs by person...

Just another data point that the guy is not the best reviewer.

 

[Viber]

That's a rather close-minded opinion and a dangerous line of thought. Arguments are only as strong as either their veracity or as how compelling they are. Although I'm far from being an audio engineer, I saw a lot of showcasing but very little evidence that things he actually stated are true. I don't know if they are or not, and I doubt his opinion will change how much I appreciate the ZS5 because that depends entirely on my own personal biases and other equipment.

It's close minded to say that my opinion is close minded just because it's different from yours.
Cheap earphones are more likely to be bad than good and the "flavor of the month" epidemic is around for years on Head-Fi and Reddit.

My personal experience with earphones and headphones has taught me that pessimist reviewers should not be taken lightly even if it's more comfortable to dismiss their opinion.

 

[Griffith]

It's close minded to say that my opinion is close minded just because it's different from yours.
Cheap earphones are more likely to be bad than good and the "flavor of the month" epidemic is around for years on Head-Fi and Reddit.

My personal experience with earphones and headphones has taught me that pessimist reviewers should not be taken lightly even if it's more comfortable to dismiss their opinion.

I only trust reviews that are either from a highly reputable source or that present proper evidence. The reviewer in question is neither reputable nor does he present proper evidence. He presented an opinion without any verifiable sources or anything to back up his claims. If for you that is evidence enough, that is your own prerogative. If holding a $20ish earphone up to the same standards as a $100+ one is a reasonable thing, that's your prerogative. If claiming the ZS5 is a hoax because you open up an earphone, confirm it has specs that the device claims to have, but they don't match a specific criteria you created is a reasonable thing, that's your own prerogative.

In my opinion, regardless of his personal taste in audio equipment, most of what he presented to justify his opinion was unfounded and unjustified. "These are bad because someone that knows better than me but wants to remain anonymous said so" is not a justification. It's bull.

The fact of the matter is most people who received their ZS5 appreciate it and while yes, there will be a bias towards KZ in this thread there have been heated discussion against specific KZ models in this thread by people that didn't appreciate them, particularly the ATE/ATR series and even the ZST. Tastes will vary and as such opinions about any given earphone will vary in equal measure. The same is true for that reviewer. When Tyll from Inner Fidelity opens up an earphone he has the technical knowledge and data to explain how it functions and shows data to back up his claims. That's what an analytical reviewer does, that is what Soulsik does not.

Trusting a review just because of its tone is misguided and ingenuous.

 

[crabdog]

That's a line of thinking that makes absolutely no sense. Why wire in two additional, functioning (i.e. not fake) drivers, if they do nothing? And if they are actually "walled off" there's nothing preventing that from being a way of tuning since certain frequencies can still bleed through. Earphones are small and sound leakage is a thing that exists. Seems like a stretch, but it's more realistic than deliberately adding in and not utilizing a bunch of extra drivers which would be a waste of time and money.

I would also like to see a disassembled ZS5 that hasn't been mangled beyond recognition. Considering more seriously the prospect of trying to take my sample apart (not the one I paid ~50 CAD for) in a way that everything still functions. If possible.

I agree with this. Even if the drivers are walled off that doesn't mean they aren't contributing to the overall sound. The dynamic driver in particular would still vibrate the shell and possibly bleed through. Maybe that's why people say the sub-bass is so satisfying. I'm also with the others who don't care about the configuration as long as they enjoy the sound.

 

[Damikiller37]

I caved in and ordered this silver cable for ZS5 from AliExpress since it's on a sale for £9.22. Might take a while since I just went with the free post (20 - 40 days apparently). I'll report back once I get it with a bit of a comparison to the stock cable.

 

[loomisjohnson]

I only trust reviews that are either from a highly reputable source or that present proper evidence. The reviewer in question is neither reputable nor does he present proper evidence. He presented an opinion without any verifiable sources or anything to back up his claims. If for you that is evidence enough, that is your own prerogative. If holding a $20ish earphone up to the same standards as a $100+ one is a reasonable thing, that's your prerogative. If claiming the ZS5 is a hoax because you open up an earphone, confirm it has specs that the device claims to have, but they don't match a specific criteria you created is a reasonable thing, that's your own prerogative.

In my opinion, regardless of his personal taste in audio equipment, most of what he presented to justify his opinion was unfounded and unjustified. "These are bad because someone that knows better than me but wants to remain anonymous said so" is not a justification. It's bull****.

The fact of the matter is most people who received their ZS5 appreciate it and while yes, there will be a bias towards KZ in this thread there have been heated discussion against specific KZ models in this thread by people that didn't appreciate them, particularly the ATE/ATR series and even the ZST. Tastes will vary and as such opinions about any given earphone will vary in equal measure. The same is true for that reviewer. When Tyll from Inner Fidelity opens up an earphone he has the technical knowledge and data to explain how it functions and shows data to back up his claims. That's what an analytical reviewer does, that is what Soulsik does not.

Trusting a review just because of its tone is misguided and ingenuous.

two phenomena that we should remain conscious of:
1. chifi has evolved at such warp-speed that price is no longer an indicator of value--there really are $10-20 cheapos that can credibly be held up to much pricier models.
2. many of us fall prey to "bargain bias," which is to say that we tend to subjectively over-praise an iem because it's so cheap.
i'm currently leaning to believing that the zs5 is prone to this latter phenomenon--it's a very good-sounding piece, but query whether it would garner the same acclaim if it cost >$50.

 

[Griffith]

two phenomena that we should remain conscious of:
1. chifi has evolved at such warp-speed that price is no longer an indicator of value--there really are $10-20 cheapos that can credibly be held up to much pricier models.
2. many of us fall prey to "bargain bias," which is to say that we tend to subjectively over-praise an iem because it's so cheap.
i'm currently leaning to believing that the zs5 is prone to this latter phenomenon--it's a very good-sounding piece, but query whether it would garner the same acclaim if it cost >$50.

I don't necessarily disagree with your opinion, which is why I prefer to hear about the experience that different people had and actual descriptions of the product itself rather than baseless speculation. What is currently being discussed right now is mostly baseless.

It may or not be true that the ZS5 is "overrated" or subject to "bargain bias" but just like any bias or rating, they are both subject to subjective perspectives and opinions and discussing what we think about those things is as fruitful as discussing the color of the sky.

This should be a thread to discuss KZ products, not speculation about KZ products.

 

[Francisk]

3) He keeps saying phasing issues....I don't think that means what he thinks it means.

He obviously had an out of phase connection on the ZS5 and didn't realise it, that's why he's mouthing about phase issues....how silly...lol. I won't even bother with reviewers like soulsik who doesn't even realise what is an out of phase issue, let alone solve it.

 

[HungryPanda]

Well my aliexpress account is back online so my order for the KZ ZSE's has went through

 

[peskypesky]

two phenomena that we should remain conscious of:
1. chifi has evolved at such warp-speed that price is no longer an indicator of value--there really are $10-20 cheapos that can credibly be held up to much pricier models.
2. many of us fall prey to "bargain bias," which is to say that we tend to subjectively over-praise an iem because it's so cheap.
i'm currently leaning to believing that the zs5 is prone to this latter phenomenon--it's a very good-sounding piece, but query whether it would garner the same acclaim if it cost >$50.

confirmation bias happens at EVERY price point.

 

[bjaardker]

Not that I'm defending his opinion but he does mention in the video that he is not an expert and states that he is giving his opinion regarding things that he values and appreciates and, supposedly, according to the opinion of unnamed people who know more than he does. Of course that could all be hogwash, but still, he never claimed to be an expert and I believe he only classified his knowledge as "okay".

He says that he's "not an expert" and only talking about what he likes. But then he dives into how you "can't tune a BA without a tube" and the sound chamber design causes "phasing" issues.

No matter how he prefaced it at the start, he's making some pretty bold statements on how headphones "should" be constructed from a sound design standpoint. So I feel my criticism of his statements stands.

 

[Ynot1]

Someone mentioned KZ went from 0.75 2 pin to 0.78 2 pin on the zs3/zs5. So does this mean VE 0.78 2pin balance cable is compatible?

I'm trying to get the most affordable, but good value balance sound earphone and cable.
ZS3 plus VE balance 2 pin cable or Ty Hi-Z balance earbud?
Unless there are more balance earphone coming the down the pipeline.

 

[B9Scrambler]

He says that he's "not an expert" and only talking about what he likes. But then he dives into how you "can't tune a BA without a tube" and the sound chamber design causes "phasing" issues.

No matter how he prefaced it at the start, he's making some pretty bold statements on how headphones "should" be constructed from a sound design standpoint. So I feel my criticism of his statements stands.

There is this (in bold above), plus he's gone into a number of other youtube videos covering the ZS5 and in the comments section is actively pursuing others to watch his video and avoid the product. That's stepping over the line and displaying a very focused agenda imo. Not cool, my boy.