[Ira Delphic]

  Totally agree Ira Delphic.  Objectivity is hard to get when the emotions are high and most people's wallet's invovled...
 
DT3 is quite impressive yes.  I praised it before, and I keep thinking that for me, it's the most hard hitting and surprising of the KZ that I have (EDSE, ES, GR).  Still, I will receive ED8 next week...  DT3 is a steal at 10-15 bucks.

 
My ED8 (and R1) was marked "Sent to Airline" on Jan 3 by China Post tracking. That's 13 days! 
 
Back to reviewing, what also makes reviewing so unscientific is - different sound setups (player, amd, smartphone...), different genres of music, etc. It would be nice to at least a core set of sound audio samples in FLAC or 320k that reviewers should use, in addition to what they like to listen to. I am thankful that many reviewers can at least separate the wheat from the chaff.

 

[crow1994]

I want to say that I listen to KZ ED8 without filters. There is a similar situation like with Xiaomi Pistons 2. And the instruction to modify is common. ED8 have better highs with big quantity of air, bigger stage (yeah, bigger than Micro) and more detailes. Micro are excellent too, but IMHO they are more simple.

 

[jelt2359]

   
My ED8 (and R1) was marked "Sent to Airline" on Jan 3 by China Post tracking. That's 13 days! 
 
Back to reviewing, what also makes reviewing so unscientific is - different sound setups (player, amd, smartphone...), different genres of music, etc. It would be nice to at least a core set of sound audio samples in FLAC or 320k that reviewers should use, in addition to what they like to listen to. I am thankful that many reviewers can at least separate the wheat from the chaff.

I'm not sure that would help so much, actually. I believe the most important thing is to use music you enjoy and that you know, and to be very consistent about using it. Same for setups. I use the same songs and same player and amp/dac for all my critical listening. Sometimes I come across some new gear that I prefer and would love to swap in, but it stays out for consistency's sake across all reviews. As for the music, if it was not something I enjoyed and liked very well, it wouldn't be able to move me. Then you lose a lot of the whole point of this hobby in the first place- enjoying the music.
 
I will say this, though. Listening critically to the same tracks on the same gear so many times gets tiring. I emphasise "critically" because listening for fun is just not the same. When I listen for fun, I try to ignore the technical aspects and just enjoy the music. If I were in that mode, I wouldn't give you impressions even if my life depended on it

 

[1clearhead]

  I want to say that I listen to KZ ED8 without filters. There is a similar situation like with Xiaomi Pistons 2. And the instruction to modify is common. ED8 have better highs with big quantity of air, bigger stage (yeah, bigger than Micro) and more detailes. Micro are excellent too, but IMHO they are more simple.

 
Didn't know you can mod these.
 
Thanks for the update!

 

[Ira Delphic]

 

   
My ED8 (and R1) was marked "Sent to Airline" on Jan 3 by China Post tracking. That's 13 days! 
 
Back to reviewing, what also makes reviewing so unscientific is - different sound setups (player, amd, smartphone...), different genres of music, etc. It would be nice to at least a core set of sound audio samples in FLAC or 320k that reviewers should use, in addition to what they like to listen to. I am thankful that many reviewers can at least separate the wheat from the chaff.

I'm not sure that would help so much, actually. I believe the most important thing is to use music you enjoy and that you know, and to be very consistent about using it. Same for setups. I use the same songs and same player and amp/dac for all my critical listening. Sometimes I come across some new gear that I prefer and would love to swap in, but it stays out for consistency's sake across all reviews. As for the music, if it was not something I enjoyed and liked very well, it wouldn't be able to move me. Then you lose a lot of the whole point of this hobby in the first place- enjoying the music.
 
I will say this, though. Listening critically to the same tracks on the same gear so many times gets tiring. I emphasise "critically" because listening for fun is just not the same. When I listen for fun, I try to ignore the technical aspects and just enjoy the music. If I were in that mode, I wouldn't give you impressions even if my life depended on it

 
Please note I wrote - "core set of sound audio samples in FLAC or 320k that reviewers should use, in addition to what they like to listen to."
 
I wasn't suggesting that reviewers be limited to the samples. But the commonality would be very useful. 

 

[Ira Delphic]

 

  I want to say that I listen to KZ ED8 without filters. There is a similar situation like with Xiaomi Pistons 2. And the instruction to modify is common. ED8 have better highs with big quantity of air, bigger stage (yeah, bigger than Micro) and more detailes. Micro are excellent too, but IMHO they are more simple.

 
Didn't know you can mod these.
 
Thanks for the update!

 
I hate to think that they need to be modded at this point 

 

[jelt2359]

Please note I wrote - "core set of sound audio samples in FLAC or 320k that reviewers should use, in addition to what they like to listen to."

I wasn't suggesting that reviewers be limited to the samples. But the commonality would be very useful. 

Oh. Then I agree! That's what you get for speed reading.

 

[ilikeiem]

I found this graph on KZ store (taobao).  Songs from Joe Hisaishi and Seiji Yokoyama are playing in the store. Really Cool!

 

[Dasbo]

  I found this graph on KZ store (taobao).  Songs from Joe Hisaishi and Seiji Yokoyama are playing in the store. Really Cool!

I don't know how to read this kind of graphics, could somebody translate it into newbie?

 

[ilikeiem]

  I don't know how to read this kind of graphics, could somebody translate it into newbie?

Oh.. it's quite a long topic but you can read this http://www.centerpointaudio.com/HowToUnderstandSoundFrequencyResponseGraph.aspx

 

[Breezy]

I never said EDSE weren't good for the money. They certainly are, especially for $7. They'd be a good gift to yourself and others. They've got a sound signature that a lot of people would like, it's forward yet not fatiguing, it's got a fair amount of details even though it's a bit dark. And they're pretty darn sturdy and look cool/unique. I just don't like that they're... Congested and it's like there's no space for every instrument but some people like a more intimate, closer feeling. All in all, they're a great step up from bad earphones.

But some people are making EDSE out to practically be a giant killer. Now if this is your preferred sound signature compared to a "giant" perhaps. And it's great that you found your (almost, headfiers never done updating) perfect sound signature early on. It certainly punches above its weight, but not to astronomical levels.

Mostly I wanted to be grueling so people are informed about what a KZ sounds like other than all the good parts of it. There's too many KZ to just try them all, but trying some of them to get a feel for what you like would be a pretty good idea. A lot of people have a basic idea of what they like but a part of this hobby is discovering what moves you and finding something that will provide that for you.

Guide:
If you know you're sensitive to treble, like bass and don't want to be "tired" from an IEM= EDSE. These are darker. (Warmer). They're akin to Apple EarPods but clearer and less muddy.
If you know you dislike a large quantity of bass, and like details and aren't adverse to a decent amount of treble= ED3. These are brighter. (Colder). They're like that earphone you got that didn't have much bass but you could hear details in the music you didn't hear before.
These two and a neutral KZ would be good to beginner headfiers who really don't know what they like yet.
I have yet to hear ED8 or Micro Ring or Soundsoul so I can't rate them, but I sincerely doubt they'd be bad for the money.

FYI: Darker signatures tend to be more popular. And while I actually don't like bright signatures I like really... Euphoric treble (ED3 is somewhat too bright). Keep in mind certain sources can impart their own sound, so combining a bright IEM with a very warm source can be pleasing.

 

[Breezy]

All this ED8, K1, TTPOD T2, VSD5, Soundsoul hype is crazy. It's like an explosion of good sound right now and I don't know where to throw my dollars.

 

[dilidani]

TTPOD T2 doesn't meet previous expectations based on early opinions, but we need more feedback ofc. K1 received mixed feelings here, but as @Hisoundfi said, it's a slight update from Sidy DM2 (~$45 IEM) so can't be that bad for 8 bucks.

 Soundsoul can be good for more airy music (like gr07, not my cup of tea), dt8 is a new bassy KZ, but I guess more to come soon from them. VSD5 is a mistery for me yet, waiting for reviews on it. 

 

 

[Dasbo]

  TTPOD T2 doesn't meet previous expectations based on early opinions, but we need more feedback ofc. K1 received mixed feelings here, but as @Hisoundfi said, it's a slight update from Sidy DM2 (~$45 IEM) so can't be that bad for 8 bucks.

 Soundsoul can be good for more airy music (like gr07, not my cup of tea), dt8 is a new bassy KZ, but I guess more to come soon from them. VSD5 is a mistery for me yet, waiting for reviews on it. 

 

dt8? what? you mean ed8? if that so, are you sure they're bassy? im kinda tired of bassy earphones...

 

[ilikeiem]

All this ED8, K1, TTPOD T2, VSD5, Soundsoul hype is crazy. It's like an explosion of good sound right now and I don't know where to throw my dollars.

Look like I'm crazy coz I have them all.