[Superluc]

YOu can start by switching to foam tips, the t400's comply foam.

I want to use the new OFC cable on it, try foam tips for start, than custom EQ, some damping materials but out of the nozzle and an impedance adapter from Penon, when it comes. I think of try to find my balance without do something inside it.

 

[c4rb0n]

I want to use the new OFC cable on it, try foam tips for start, than custom EQ, some damping materials but out of the nozzle and an impedance adapter from Penon, when it comes. I think of try to find my balance without do something inside it.

It sounds better with the OFC cable for me, i have the smoky colored one haha, it gives more detail to the sound compared with the stock cable IMHO.

 

[mono-type]

Just ordered some imitation T400 foam tips from a local online store, to be used on a ZS6. I ordered the black ones. They look like this. I presume these are the same T400 knockoffs that could be bought on AliExpress. Are these any good? On what I've backread on this thread, someone said that the darker the color of those knockoff T400's, the faster the rebound time. I already ordered the black ones...

@Slater and @xrk971 : Sorry to bother, but I see you guys talking about foam tips on page 1595, so might as well I may ask. Are those black tips any good, or should've went on to the red/blue ones? Thanks in advance!

 

[SomeGuyDude]

What I'm saying is that graphs don't lie as long as comparative measurement of 2 IEMs are done by the same equipment and environment by the same person.

And those measurements don't mean **** all compared to the inner workings of that person's ears.

 

[mbwilson111]

And those measurements don't mean **** all compared to the inner workings of that person's ears.

I might have tried to put it more diplomatically but... yeah...

 

[groucho69]

Wow that is a lot of abuse for your poor ears. I have taken pretty good care of mine. I have always liked to have some quiet time and have never listened at very high volumes. I did go to a few arena concerts in the 80s that were too loud but most of my live music has been in smaller more intimate venues. I do remember one night when the guitars were too loud for the room. Quite a few people actually walked out.

I am not sure if iems themselves could be worse for the the ears than headphones or speakers. I actually have listened with speakers for many more years than headphones. I have only been using iems for a few months.

Johnny Winter at a 200 seat theater made say "what" for almost a week. I swear he had his stadium gear in use. Only time I've seen the walls vibrate enough to be visible.

 

[Francisk]

Here's a test.

Using the exact same IEM, glue a 1" long hard plastic or copper tube to the nozzle of an IEM, and attach the eartip on the end of the extended nozzle. Take a listen, and compare it to the stock IEM without the extension tube.

Does it sound the same? No you say? But how is that possible? They both have identical frequency graphs - it's the same identical IEM!

There's more to what we hear than a FR graph.

Maybe it's 1 specific frequency or reflected wave that is different between the ZST and ZS6 that I was interpreting as sharp? Like 9.8kHz? Maybe it's a difference with impedance/voltage/current matching between the ZST and ZS6. None of those things show up on a FR graph either.

I think doing some research about the basics of audio measurement benefits will definitely help you understand audio much better. I'm not here to argue nor debate with anyone but I do understand that sometimes the truth is hard to swallow for some.

 

[xrk971]

For the folks questioning measurements and are they valid etc. Sure, our ears are all different. But not that different. It's mostly the length of the ear canal from driver tip to eardrum distance that determines the resonant peaks/dips according to TL theory (1/2-wave resonator). The average adult ear canal distance is 2.55cm+/-0.3cm. That will tell you the variations possible and it does vary with how deep you stuff the IEM in your ear. But the data showing peaks and dips is relevant, only slight shift up or down in frequency occurs for different ears, Adding foam tips will change acoustic impedance at IEM nozzle to ear canal interface and that helps smooth things. But adding a 1in long tube to the IEM is not something very reasonable as no adult human has 5cm deep ear canals, and if they do - they are used to the sound it produces and the characteristically lower frequency peaks/dips it produces.

 

[djmakemynight]

While I really enjoy looking at the graphs (appreciate the hard work from the graph guys) and see what are treble canons/nukes, I also find fun and joy in hearing it for myself.

Afterall, we are here to hear what others share about a particular gear and decide if that is something we want to try to hear what others hear.

 

[xrk971]

Just ordered some imitation T400 foam tips from a local online store, to be used on a ZS6. I ordered the black ones. They look like this. I presume these are the same T400 knockoffs that could be bought on AliExpress. Are these any good? On what I've backread on this thread, someone said that the darker the color of those knockoff T400's, the faster the rebound time. I already ordered the black ones...

@Slater and @xrk971 : Sorry to bother, but I see you guys talking about foam tips on page 1595, so might as well I may ask. Are those black tips any good, or should've went on to the red/blue ones? Thanks in advance!

I have the black ones too and they work fine. There's is a good fit with the T400 Ali clones no matter what color. I prefer the red and blue combo as it lets me find right and left quickly, plus looks cool asymmetric. I like how they look with the silver cables, here they are connected to my Class A amp. These little velvet drawstring bags from Ali make a nice case for the ZS5's.

Here is a look at the silver vs gold cable side by side:

 

[mono-type]

I have the black ones too and they work fine. There's is a good fit with the T400 Ali clones no matter what color. I prefer the red and blue combo as it lets me find right and left quickly, plus looks cool asymmetric. I like how they look with the silver cables, here they are connected to my Class A amp. These little velvet drawstring bags from Ali make a nice case for the ZS5's.



Here is a look at the silver vs gold cable side by side:

Nice to see the actual gold cable there, in which isn't available on my local stores. I only have the SPC v1 (that recently oxidized and turned green ), SPC v2, and the recent smoke-colored OFC cable. It's also nice to see your silver cables are still silver, unlike mine. And yeah, it looks cool when it's asymmetrical. Regarding the foams, how is the rebound time? Do they go back very quickly to its original shape after rolling?

 

[Mellowship]

Nice to see the actual gold cable there, in which isn't available on my local stores. I only have the SPC v1 (that recently oxidized and turned green ), SPC v2, and the recent smoke-colored OFC cable. It's also nice to see your silver cables are still silver, unlike mine. And yeah, it looks cool when it's asymmetrical. Regarding the foams, how is the rebound time? Do they go back very quickly to its original shape after rolling?

Concerning the rebound time, it's marginally different. We're talking about less than 2 seconds difference between the black and other colours. Don't worry about it. You'll have enough time to fit them in your ears.

 

[xrk971]

Concerning the rebound time, it's marginally different. We're talking about less than 2 seconds difference between the black and other colours. Don't worry about it. You'll have enough time to fit them in your ears.

The rebound time is of order 5 seconds, so plenty of time to put in ear after rolling.

 

[mono-type]

Concerning the rebound time, it's marginally different. We're talking about less than 2 seconds difference between the black and other colours. Don't worry about it. You'll have enough time to fit them in your ears.

The rebound time is of order 5 seconds, so plenty of time to put in ear after rolling.

Thank you for clearing up, guys. The rebound time is my main concern on those black AliEx T400 knockoffs. Now, to wait for a week or two on the T400 knockoffs that I ordered to be delivered...

 

[bsoplinger]

Thank you for clearing up, guys. The rebound time is my main concern on those black AliEx T400 knockoffs. Now, to wait for a week or two on the T400 knockoffs that I ordered to be delivered...

Just for reference... The rebound time does change between 'brands' with the actual Comply taking the longest to return to shape. The New Bee brand (which you can get via Amazon for USA types and some from Gearbest for anyone although I've not seen all sizes and colors) have the next longest working time. The time for the Comply is long enough that I find myself having to wait for a noticeable amount before I can let it go without having to worry the IEM will fall out. I find the time to return to shape for the no name Chinese ones almost too short to get a good fit. I'd guess about every other time I put them in I'll have to redo one (so that'd be 25% failure rate.) There is a trade-off for that very slow rebound time in exchange for longevity. I don't think I've gotten 20 uses out of Comply tips before one of them is torn or tearing or slipping from the nozzle. At least for me the Comply are also most likely to not seal well enough that I don't have a noticeable loss of bass. But they are the most comfortable.