[c4rb0n]

Vidal has both and has said on more than 1 occasion that they are 100% the same with zero difference in sound. Just depends on which look you like better.

Thanks sir Slater. Im planing to buy the ZSTs but i saw the ES3s, both have 1DD+1BA, would love to hear your thoughts sir on which is better between the two

 

[maxxevv]

Just got the ZSEs right now.

First impressions are "yeahhhh! Meh! Yeahhhh! Huh? These are pretty good? Wait a second, no! Eh? Yeah!?"

I am so divided.

First off, the fit is fantastic. And they stay in my ear unlike typical earphones that eventually fall out. I don't have to mess around with this complicated over-ear design (like on the ATE).

The positives:
- I like how the vocals are forward. It's like the singer is whispering in my ear.
- The bass is delightfully boomy with a fun "kick".
- It's pretty warm sounding, like an old set of speakers from the 1980s. That's the kind of sound signature I like.

The negatives:
- Similar to the ATE, the treble is kinda splashy, kinda sibilant at times but not pain inducing like the ED9s (IMO, the worst treble I ever witnessed on an earphone is the ED9). That's the dead give away of cheap earphones: wishy washy treble that sounds kinda weird.
- The sound overall is kinda weird. Some sounds like bass guitar, vocals and cymbals are completely in your face. Other sounds are kinda muffled.
- The boosted mid-bass kinda bleeds into the music.
- I don't really feel like there's any soundstage. Everything kinda mashes up together.

Am I expecting too much from $7 earphones!?

I dunno...I couldn't find anything wrong with the KZ ED7. And they're also around $7. Compared to the ATE and the ZSE, the ED7 is a glorious earphone if I do say so myself. The ED7 doesn't have any of the kinks that these two earphones have.

1st thing, did you give the earphones a little burn-in time ? The ZSE's need little a slight burn-in to sound their best. Maybe in the order of 2~5 hours in my experience with them. The bass does sound a little 'muddied' OOTB but will tighten up after a suitable burn-in. As with almost all my earphones, I give them a 10~15 minute listen then leave them to burn-in either overnight or for the day while I'm working. And listen to them proper after that.

2nd thing, they are source sensitive. They sound pretty crappy on my laptop jack, a fair bit like your other descriptions here but are really as I have described them a few times on this thread on my LG G6 Quad DAC.

3rd thing, the overall sound despite being (on a neutral, slightly bright DAC of my G6 Quad, is) warmish. Very comfortable for long sessions.

Give it a few hours of proper burn-in and listen to them again. Your opinion might change.

 

[chinmie]

This is the simple tutorial for the Kz Zs6 Slater/HerrWallen Variation

Spoiler

Materials Needed:

1. Ruler
2. Scisors
3. Toothpick
4. Acoustic Foam (i have used the foam from the KZ Hard Case BTW)

Steps:

1. Cut out 2 rectangular acoustic foam pieces. One for each ear piece haha (Measurements: 4 mm = width X 10 mm Length) The thickness of the acoustic foam is also 4 mm from the KZ hard case

This is how it looks like

1. I Have removed the Metal Grill that protects the BA's on the Zs6, the foam we cut will replace that since we will wrap them around the BAs and it will dampen the sibilance at an optimal level (for me at least haha)
2. Place the center of the foam just on the center of the BAs

1. Tuck one end with the toothpick, do the same with the other end, making a wrap along the Nozzle of the BAs

Thats it folks, i would like to thank sir @Slater for the mod and sir @HerrWallen for the variation. This mod, for me, at least tamed the sibilance down and i dont know if its psychological but it widened the soundstage a bit haha but thats just me. Hope this helps everyone

Ok. I still think that it may be better to try less invasive options before venturing inside the nozzle, but it's an interesting one

for a more non-intrusive option, you might be able to try this mod that tried using earbud foams, and shoving it down the tips or pinching it between the nozzle and the tube

 

[mono-type]

Do you have a photo of the bottom side of the tips? I can't tell if those are the kind used on the ATE that are coreless, and are made of gel foam. That type splits easily (because there's no rubber sleeve/core), are hard as a rock, and just flat out suck in general.

Anyways, as far as genuine vs generics (ball type and tapered type), I have both as well as all colors of the generics (white, grey, black, blue, red, yellow). Just get what color you like best. There is a very slight difference in the rebound of some colors of the foam, but not enough to make any real difference. If the seller specifically lists slow rebound as an option, opt for that. Otherwise, don't worry about it too much.

I personally like using red & blue combo, so it's easy to tell which side is R and L. But I've also done plenty of black. The white seems to show dirt the most. I also like the ball type a little better, but I use both the balls and the tapered type

I much prefer the generic foams over the genuine complys, strictly from a long-term cost standpoint. Foams need to be changed out regularly, and if I was using only genuine complys it would be like this:

Thank you for the insightful reply as always, @Slater! I don't have a photo from my own tips, since they are yet to arrive at my doorstep, although the seller do have a photo that shows it has a plastic/rubber sleeve:

I'm hoping that the seller would send me the foam tips as they are advertised. And yeah, I have to agree that using the knockoffs over the genuine Complys is the more practical choice. The knockoff T400s are almost 2-3x cheaper than the Complys (at least here in my country). I bought 5 pairs of those generic foamies for around 9 USD, while 3 pairs of Complys here cost around 24 USD.

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.

Thank you for the insights! I could also get those New Bee tips at my local online store, but ended up choosing those generic black T400 knockoffs instead, since all pairs could be bought at my preferred size, which is medium. The New Bee tips sold on the store I mentioned only sells 1 pair for each of the 3 sizes,

 

[maxxevv]

Bought this case on a whim on Aliexpress as they were like US$1/each.

 

[c4rb0n]

Bought this case on a whim on Aliexpress as they were like US$1/each.

That case is good. Also the KZ Hard Case, as it contains the acoustic foam/padding too bro.

 

[tvou88]

Hi!

This was ''tested'' on KZ ZS5, ES3, ZSE, Moxpad X3, old Creative EP630, Memt X5.. Same ''efect'' on all of these inears.

 

[young59]

Bought this case on a whim on Aliexpress as they were like US$1/each.

Would mind providing the link to those the only one I found at that price were the carbon fiber one and I don't want that one.

 

[gazzington]

Would the kz z6 be good for all types of metal?

 

[Sebilion]

Would the kz z6 be good for all types of metal?

I have the kz zs6 and I am very happy with them, they have great bass but, you will need to have Equalizer to change the sound signature a bit, because the treble is too much. After playing with the equalizer I love them!

 

[Superluc]

for a more non-intrusive option, you might be able to try this mod that tried using earbud foams, and shoving it down the tips or pinching it between the nozzle and the tube

I was thinking about cover the nozzle, blocking the material with the tips, like it seem on your second photo. Shoving something down on the tips is not a secure solution

It all depends on how that affect sound, but the benefit of a non-intrusive mod is the easier change of material you can do.
Slater's mod on the BAs might be the ideal solution for the ZS6, anyway, but it seem more difficult to accomplish balancing the material thickness on all the 4 BAs and i don't want to risk damaging the mesh

We'll see. I think i need to wait another week or so

 

[chinmie]

I was thinking about cover the nozzle, blocking the material with the tips, like it seem on your second photo. Shoving something down on the tips is not a secure solution

It all depends on how that affect sound, but the benefit of a non-intrusive mod is the easier change of material you can do.
Slater's mod on the BAs might be the ideal solution for the ZS6, anyway, but it seem more difficult to accomplish balancing the material thickness on all the 4 BAs and i don't want to risk damaging the mesh

We'll see. I think i need to wait another week or so

yes, the benefit of this mod is it is reversible and non intrusive, as we don't have to open the grill at all.

what you see in the first photo is not shoving it through the grill, but the foams are just resting inside the rubber tips (right above the grill). it works on smaller bore eartips (like the spinfits on my first photo), they won't move around. but doing it on a large bore, we have to pinch them in between rubber tips and nozzle to get them secure in place

 

[Slater]

Thanks sir Slater. Im planing to buy the ZSTs but i saw the ES3s, both have 1DD+1BA, would love to hear your thoughts sir on which is better between the two

I don't have the ES3 unfortunately.

You could search in this thread, as many others do own the ES3. The overwhelming majority of ES3 comments I've read in this thread have been positive.

 

[mono-type]

for a more non-intrusive option, you might be able to try this mod that tried using earbud foams, and shoving it down the tips or pinching it between the nozzle and the tube

Just tried this mod right now, and I definitely hear improvements; the sibilance and the shrill treble are tamed, and the bass is enhanced, just what I wanted for the ZS6. As I prefer silicone tips over foams (foams are kinda a hassle for me, with all those pinching and rolling before you insert them into your ear), this is a big help, and it's also non-intrusive (I don't have enough guts to try Slater's mod, and also I'm kinda OC, as I don't want to ruin the mesh of my ZS6 ).

I was thinking about cover the nozzle, blocking the material with the tips, like it seem on your second photo. Shoving something down on the tips is not a secure solution

That's also my concern, too. I'm worrying that the foam might fall off on my ear canal. XD Is there any way for the foams to be stuck above the mesh of the ZS6?

 

[Superluc]

Is there any way for the foams to be stuck above the mesh of the ZS6?

Just do a bigger circle of material. If the tips grip tight the nozzle, the material don't move.