Knowledge Zenith (KZ) impressions thread
- Thread starter bhazard
- Start date
The ATE cable is non-removable, it looks like it should be but no pair I have had was.
Podster
Headphoneus Supremus
oh eff. I saw an offer. anyways it was 4$ so i should be fine
I'd say for $4 you are OK, most of the oldskool KZ's had non-removable cables but ask next time before you pull that trigger
Podster
Headphoneus Supremus
Sure want to know your take @B9Scrambler , Pods honest opinion is best KZ to date
Got the Red pair for $24 to go with my black ones. I personally think they give a lot of <$100 iem's a serious run for the money! Enjoy buddy
B9Scrambler
Headphoneus Supremus
Sure want to know your take @B9Scrambler , Pods honest opinion is best KZ to date
Thanks Pod! I only flipped through a few specific sections on some of my test songs so I'm not going to say anything definitive about them right now. It was enough to get me on board though. Felt like a notable step up from the ZS5 v1 which I think competes just fine with ~100 USD stuff. Also listened to the Auglamor RT-1 (way too mid-bassy for me), Audiofly Clublife Adagio CL7 (not the bass cannon I was expecting...really quite nice), and a budget dual driver (forget the brand, but it was decent for 10 bucks) the same night. ZS6 was easily my favorite of the bunch, hence being the only one I bought.
Podster
Headphoneus Supremus
Sure many in this thread don't feel the same (nothing personal to you guys especially you DIY'ers) but from my early days with all the ED models the Z models are a giant step for KZ and for sure the ZS lineup. IMHO the ZS6 is even a leap from the other ZS models but as I always say we for sure hear them differently as well as having preferred signatures. Moving into the Aluminum shell has really moved KZ into the next echelon, just the Pods thoughts so take them with a grain of salt
Total Package
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oyobass
100+ Head-Fier
Black and gold makes for a very classy looking IEM. Nicely thought out combo.Sure many in this thread don't feel the same (nothing personal to you guys especially you DIY'ers) but from my early days with all the ED models the Z models are a giant step for KZ and for sure the ZS lineup. IMHO the ZS6 is even a leap from the other ZS models but as I always say we for sure hear them differently as well as having preferred signatures. Moving into the Aluminum shell has really moved KZ into the next echelon, just the Pods thoughts so take them with a grain of salt
Total Package
Podster
Headphoneus Supremus
THX @oyobass , think this cable was in the second run of KZ upgrade cable for it but if I'm wrong I'll be called out
Just waiting on the silver tri-braid to get here, ZS6 really looks sweet with that one and even more substantial with it's size (bonus is how good that cable sounds)
stryed
100+ Head-Fier
Any new thoughts on the ZS6 vs ZS5 v2? The metal body is sexy, but according to some soundstage is diminished on the zs6 ?
Slater
Headphoneus Supremus
LOL, I'm taking it there was no 2.5 at the DAP end
If you trim off the translucent white plastic plastic with an xacto knife, it plugs securely into the ZS5/6 and looks flush.
You just have to mark the 2-pin metal ends so you remember the proper orientation. I scratch a "U" in the side where the rounded end of the 2-pin connector was located (using a sewing needle). That way, I know the proper orientation.
Skyyyeman
100+ Head-Fier
THX @oyobass , think this cable was in the second run of KZ upgrade cable for it but if I'm wrong I'll be called out
Silver tri-braid cable?
Pardon my ignorance but it would be a great help if someone could enlighten on the best cables for the ZS5 and ZS6. It's pretty confusing if you haven't read all the posts in this long thread.
FWIW, I've got the ZS5 and am using the KZ $7-10 silver plated upgrade cable. It seems pretty good. But I've got the ZS6 on order but want to get the best cable. So are there two silver upgrade cables? And which one is the gold upgrade? I see one that seems to be the silver with a gold color. And now the silver tri-braid cable??
Thanks so much.
bsoplinger
1000+ Head-Fier
I purchased this cable, not for a KZ brand IEM but something else, and it isn't the first time I've seen this style (like the braided KZ cable we've been talking about but with MMCX connectors) with KZ as part of the description. Some were those crazy stupid $100+ cables. So perhaps there's some other reason that some of these Chinese vendors use KZ in the description?
Here's the cable I purchased:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/201...-Shure-SE535-SE846-UE900-DZ7/32819357709.html
Slater
Headphoneus Supremus
Maybe KZ is making those MMCX cables? The cable and the 3.5mm end looks the same as the 6-braided cable.
They certainly seemed to have ramped up production of cables, and we know they already ODM IEMs for other companies (so why not cables too)?
It could also be a possibility that they are going to be coming out with a MMCX IEM at some point.
Slater
Headphoneus Supremus
So I've had a need for a small earphone for sleeping, and one of the smallest IEMs I already own is the KZ HDS2.
They aren't in my listening rotation that often, because I've never really liked how they sounded. They were just too neutral and lacked bass, which just made them boring and narrow sounding. The nozzles are odd-sized and shaped, and not many tips fit other than the stock tips (goofy dual flange tips that are uncomfortable and don't seal well at all). I always felt like the tips had to be the cause of the gutless bass.
Well, I decided to play around with them and see if there were any improvements lurking inside.
The 1st thing I did was swap the rubbish stock tips for some other options. Foams sounded worse, robbing them of even more bass. The story was the same with wide bore tips (shouty trebe and no bass at all). Then I struck pay dirt. Using a small screwdriver, I was able to gently stretch some KZ Starlines on the massive tip. WOW, what a difference! These things were completely transformed. There's now gobs of bass/sub-bass (when called upon - not overpowering). And thanks to the Starline tips, they're very comfy and stay in the ears with kung-fu grip. With the Starline tips, they sound like the u-shaped HDS3 (an excellent IEM).
Realize that the HDS2 are a TINY IEM. However, for sleeping they just barely stuck out of my ears just enough to rub when side sleeping. The trusty Dremel to the rescue - 5 minutes later and I had the rear section of the housing buzzed off. This made them short enough to completely disappear deep inside of the ear. They're sooo comfy when sleeping now.
After cutting the end off, the rear of the housing becomes "open" (exposing a small 1/8" hole in the rear of the housing). I used them like this for a few days, and I loved the much wider soundstage from the open back. But the open back also made the mids too forward, which just didn't sound right to me. So as a temporary measure, I took a hole punch, cut 2 pieces of vinyl graphics film I had laying around, and slapped them over the hole (in other words, fancy tape). The sound was back the way I liked it (ie the same as they were before I cut the housing down). I ordered some tiny 7mmx1mm neodymium magnets, which I'll epoxy onto the back in place of the vinyl as a permanent solution once they arrive. I'll be able to 'stick' them together when not in use (a popular feature now on IEMs, especially bluetooth IEMs).
Anyways, the bottom line is if you have this IEM and have never been happy with the sound, ditch the stock tips and get some KZ Starlines on there. You'll seriously love the way they sound. You'll have to be really patient to get them all of the way on the nozzles, but the results are well worth it. And if you're looking for some really nice sleeping IEMs (which is already a market with extremely limited choices), consider trying the HDS2 (regardless of whether you cut the end off like I did or not).
Here's some photos of the modded vs stock HDS2 (click for larger views):
Stock HDS2 - look at how tiny these are!
Modded HDS2 - even SMALLER now!
Stock vs modded HDS2 - Side by side
Closeup of the temporary vinyl piece on the back (to be permanently replaced by 7mmx1mm magnet). Sorry, I didn't take a photo of the open hole.
They aren't in my listening rotation that often, because I've never really liked how they sounded. They were just too neutral and lacked bass, which just made them boring and narrow sounding. The nozzles are odd-sized and shaped, and not many tips fit other than the stock tips (goofy dual flange tips that are uncomfortable and don't seal well at all). I always felt like the tips had to be the cause of the gutless bass.
Well, I decided to play around with them and see if there were any improvements lurking inside.
The 1st thing I did was swap the rubbish stock tips for some other options. Foams sounded worse, robbing them of even more bass. The story was the same with wide bore tips (shouty trebe and no bass at all). Then I struck pay dirt. Using a small screwdriver, I was able to gently stretch some KZ Starlines on the massive tip. WOW, what a difference! These things were completely transformed. There's now gobs of bass/sub-bass (when called upon - not overpowering). And thanks to the Starline tips, they're very comfy and stay in the ears with kung-fu grip. With the Starline tips, they sound like the u-shaped HDS3 (an excellent IEM).
Realize that the HDS2 are a TINY IEM. However, for sleeping they just barely stuck out of my ears just enough to rub when side sleeping. The trusty Dremel to the rescue - 5 minutes later and I had the rear section of the housing buzzed off. This made them short enough to completely disappear deep inside of the ear. They're sooo comfy when sleeping now.
After cutting the end off, the rear of the housing becomes "open" (exposing a small 1/8" hole in the rear of the housing). I used them like this for a few days, and I loved the much wider soundstage from the open back. But the open back also made the mids too forward, which just didn't sound right to me. So as a temporary measure, I took a hole punch, cut 2 pieces of vinyl graphics film I had laying around, and slapped them over the hole (in other words, fancy tape). The sound was back the way I liked it (ie the same as they were before I cut the housing down). I ordered some tiny 7mmx1mm neodymium magnets, which I'll epoxy onto the back in place of the vinyl as a permanent solution once they arrive. I'll be able to 'stick' them together when not in use (a popular feature now on IEMs, especially bluetooth IEMs).
Anyways, the bottom line is if you have this IEM and have never been happy with the sound, ditch the stock tips and get some KZ Starlines on there. You'll seriously love the way they sound. You'll have to be really patient to get them all of the way on the nozzles, but the results are well worth it. And if you're looking for some really nice sleeping IEMs (which is already a market with extremely limited choices), consider trying the HDS2 (regardless of whether you cut the end off like I did or not).
Here's some photos of the modded vs stock HDS2 (click for larger views):
Stock HDS2 - look at how tiny these are!
Modded HDS2 - even SMALLER now!
Stock vs modded HDS2 - Side by side
Closeup of the temporary vinyl piece on the back (to be permanently replaced by 7mmx1mm magnet). Sorry, I didn't take a photo of the open hole.
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