[oyobass]

So many valid points here. The V-shaped tuning is most popular. If you want something different you'll have to really do your research. Most headphones I like have lukewarm reviews, only because any deviation from the V-shaped sound norm is a con. "Too boring", "Not enough sparkle in the treble". That's what I typically read. I am the tiniest minority for not liking boosted bass and treble. It really sucks. Because whenever I want to jump on the hype train I get very very disappointed.

Coming back to KZ, I just don't see the point of owning multiple earphones like the ATE, ZS5, ZS6, ED9, ES3 etc...because they all have the same kind of tuning. I think it would be most advantageous to own several earphones with completely different tunings. Kz kinda did that with the ED7 and ZSE which are closer to my preferences. So that's that. I just wish there was a more "premium" option in that category. Oh yeah, there is. And it's anything but another KZ. It starts with an M...

Hearing the KZ ZS5 V2 and ATE was a revelation that KZ wasn't for me. I just hate how the treble and mids are handled. Just NOPE! This sounds bad...

It also kinda feels bad buying lots of highly praised earphones, spending a decent chunk of change and waiting 2 months only to be super let down. I feel like I flushed $60 down the toilet.

BTW, I never said that the Marshall was neutral.

Another point for me is that I tend to listen at much lower volumes due to concern over protecting my hearing. The V shape makes up for the lower sensitivity of human hearing to bass and treble at lower volume ( Google Fletcher-Munson). Viola! A more neutral sounding earphone for the way I actually use them.

 

[CoiL]

It was he that stated those qualities on mode, i can"t say because i've never heard, but i said the tip he was gaving was valid, the mode seems different the the v-shape with huge spikes tha'ts so usual these days. The Fr graph that i see on Marshall mode indicates a l-shaped with no huge spike v on mid to high frequencies. Very different than latest kzs, that not only has a bass boost, but a recess in mids, and huge spikes in high frequencies

Once again, ppl tend to generalize too much. Stock ATE and ZS5v1 neither have recessed mids or huge spikes in highs with my gear&ear. And let me remind all - I`m treble sensitive, especially around 6.2-7,5kHz.
The guy had probably some misfortune with faulty unit(s) or mismatching gear and now bashes ALL KZ`s - that`s not right. True, majority of KZ are V-shaped and near-neutral/recessed mids but not all. I will take deeper look into this Marshall Mode if I have time but fast search shows them nothing special.

 

[Slater]

So many valid points here. The V-shaped tuning is most popular. If you want something different you'll have to really do your research. Most headphones I like have lukewarm reviews, only because any deviation from the V-shaped sound norm is a con. "Too boring", "Not enough sparkle in the treble". That's what I typically read. I am the tiniest minority for not liking boosted bass and treble. It really sucks. Because whenever I want to jump on the hype train I get very very disappointed.

Coming back to KZ, I just don't see the point of owning multiple earphones like the ATE, ZS5, ZS6, ED9, ES3 etc...because they all have the same kind of tuning. I think it would be most advantageous to own several earphones with completely different tunings. Kz kinda did that with the ED7 and ZSE which are closer to my preferences. So that's that. I just wish there was a more "premium" option in that category. Oh yeah, there is. And it's anything but another KZ. It starts with an M...

Hearing the KZ ZS5 V2 and ATE was a revelation that KZ wasn't for me. I just hate how the treble and mids are handled. Just NOPE! This sounds bad...

It also kinda feels bad buying lots of highly praised earphones, spending a decent chunk of change and waiting 2 months only to be super let down. I feel like I flushed $60 down the toilet.

BTW, I never said that the Marshall was neutral.

I totally see your points. It's kind of redundant when numerous IEMs sound "basically the same". I get that.

You gotta remember, some of it is collecting for the sake of collecting. Some of it is form factor (the HDS3 is different form factor/size/etc to the ATE which is different to the EDR1, even though all 3 sound "basically similar".

One of the big draws to KZ that makes people not mind buying more than 1 model is the ridiculous price. For example, when on sale one could get a ZS3, ATE, EDR1, and ZS5 all for about what (1) Marshall Mode costs. Are all of those KZ models perfect? Definitely not (no product from any manufacturer is). Do many of them sound similar? Sure, with minor nuances. Part of the fun is the journey,a nd discovering what you like and what you don't like. Think about if you had never stumbled upon and decided to try the Marshall Mode - you would never have known you liked it as much as you do. That's all a lot of us are doing, only with other ChiFi brands. It just so happens that this thread is dominated with KZ related talk because it's (no surprise) a dedicated KZ thread.

And my bad; you're right that wasn't you that mentioned the Marshall Mode being neutral. It's late and everything is all starting to run together like a pile of mush LOL.

 

[Slater]

Hey, I'm kinda new to KZ world and this question probably has been answered few times but too many pages to find it now and I'm not lucky with the new head-fi's search tool...

So, are there differences between the ZST black and the colored one? The only reply which I've found it's saying the colored has more treble extension but idk if it's true at all. And For i've been reading the ZST looks a good fit for me (realistic cymbals, hi-hats, and good punch) but if the dark one is "darker" should I go to the colored?

Both sound 100% exactly the same. Just pick which one you like the look of better.

Assuming all 3 of these points:

1. the same tips on both
2. the same cables on both (ie both silver plated or both stock)
3. both either mic or non-mic cables

...then any differences heard are due to normal (and very minor) QC variations that you'll find between any 2 IEMs (ie 2 different ZS5, 2 different HDSE, etc). Other than that, it's a placebo effect.

BTW, sometimes you'll see the colorful version titled as "ZST Pro" on Aliexpress and elsewhere. Again, this can be ignored. All current selling ZST models and colors are the same sound. Pick the color that you fancy and enjoy.

 

[kokakolia]

Another point for me is that I tend to listen at much lower volumes due to concern over protecting my hearing. The V shape makes up for the lower sensitivity of human hearing to bass and treble at lower volume ( Google Fletcher-Munson). Viola! A more neutral sounding earphone for the way I actually use them.

Except that...some lower frequencies only show up at higher volumes. And that won't fix the recessed mids either. In the end you'll just get more treble that way.

Once again, ppl tend to generalize too much. Stock ATE and ZS5v1 neither have recessed mids or huge spikes in highs with my gear&ear. And let me remind all - I`m treble sensitive, especially around 6.2-7,5kHz.
The guy had probably some misfortune with faulty unit(s) or mismatching gear and now bashes ALL KZ`s - that`s not right. True, majority of KZ are V-shaped and near-neutral/recessed mids but not all. I will take deeper look into this Marshall Mode if I have time but fast search shows them nothing special.

I totally see your points. It's kind of redundant when numerous IEMs sound "basically the same". I get that.

You gotta remember, some of it is collecting for the sake of collecting. Some of it is form factor (the HDS3 is different form factor/size/etc to the ATE which is different to the EDR1, even though all 3 sound "basically similar".

One of the big draws to KZ that makes people not mind buying more than 1 model is the ridiculous price. For example, when on sale one could get a ZS3, ATE, EDR1, and ZS5 all for about what (1) Marshall Mode costs. Are all of those KZ models perfect? Definitely not (no product from any manufacturer is). Do many of them sound similar? Sure, with minor nuances. Part of the fun is the journey,a nd discovering what you like and what you don't like. Think about if you had never stumbled upon and decided to try the Marshall Mode - you would never have known you liked it as much as you do. That's all a lot of us are doing, only with other ChiFi brands. It just so happens that this thread is dominated with KZ related talk because it's (no surprise) a dedicated KZ thread.

And my bad; you're right that wasn't you that mentioned the Marshall Mode being neutral. It's late and everything is all starting to run together like a pile of mush LOL.

Yup! I'm kind of a mister poopy pants here. I'm not having it with KZ. I'm sorta glad that I got to try a chunk of the KZ lineup to form my own opinion.

Personally, I don't think you can blindly recommend KZ to everybody. They're a bit harsh sounding compared to the usual fare from Sennheiser, Shure, Beats or AKG. But they're so cheap anyways. And that's how you end up with 3 or 5 different pairs.

 

[Slater]

Personally, I don't think you can blindly recommend KZ to everybody.

That's why I don't.

No more than 30 minutes ago I just recommended BossHifi B3 to a member who was looking for specific things.

And when it's appropriate, I've recommended just about every non-KZ IEM I own at one point or another, including Rock Zircon, MEMT X5, Einsear T2, VSonic GR07, Vsonic vsd5s, Magaosi K3 Pro, Pioneer CH9T, UiiSii CM5, MoreBlue DM8, VJJB K4, SoundMAGIC E10c, Xiaomi Pro HD, Fonge T01, etc etc

 

[jaydm99]

So the ZSR will be a 22 ohm, triple driver (2BA + 1DD in a dedicated crossover network) IEM. Expected price is around the same as the ZS5 when it was launched.





And it's not the ZS3 hybrid, as @Slater already stated a few posts before.

And the ZS3 hybrid/ZS4 will use the same shell as the original ZS3

 

[Dariusdd]

Hi again, I'm the previous unlucky guy with the broken ZS6s, ZS5s and zircons. It seems like GearBest is willing to refund me, but compared to last time (when I refunded the ZS5s after they broke in 11 days) they added this new line to their message:
"Please note that these are all exceptional solutions and will be recorded in our system. Such solutions will not apply to future orders. "
Guess I won't make any more risky purchases off GB any time soon.

 

[larry piencenaves]

hey guys new to this thread, just bought the zs3 and i liked it, so i also bought the silver cable for it, the only problem is that i ordered the silver cable version for the zst (those angled one)..my question is that will this cable still works on my zs3? does it have the same pin connectors?

 

[vector84]

Except that...some lower frequencies only show up at higher volumes. And that won't fix the recessed mids either. In the end you'll just get more treble that way.

That seems like it might be a quirk of your personal hearing... since yes, as per equal loudness research, lowering the volume will fix recessed mids for most of the population, and they end up with less treble, not more...

 

[nkramer]

hey guys new to this thread, just bought the zs3 and i liked it, so i also bought the silver cable for it, the only problem is that i ordered the silver cable version for the zst (those angled one)..my question is that will this cable still works on my zs3? does it have the same pin connectors?

shouldn't be a problem. believe the only difference is the angle.

just make sure you have plugged in the right way. (see the link in slaters signature)

Click to verify that your KZ 2-pin cable isn't plugged in backwards: https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/k...essions-thread.698148/page-1194#post-13516067​

 

[larry piencenaves]

shouldn't be a problem. believe the only difference is the angle.

just make sure you have plugged in the right way. (see the link in slaters signature)

Click to verify that your KZ 2-pin cable isn't plugged in backwards: https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/k...essions-thread.698148/page-1194#post-13516067​

phew, what a relief thanks man, cause ive been noticing the angled version are somewhat wider than the straight ones, im afraid it might not fit the zs3, waste of money if that happens

 

[Mr. Rattlehead]

Where?
Did you get the black version?

From Gearbest. I got the red version. Though black was also available at $20.
Keep a regular check on this thread by George from Gearbest. https://www.head-fi.org/threads/11-...eceiver-12-99-xiaomi-mi-lyej02lm-7-99.832367/
He posts good discount coupons on varied audio stuff on a daily basis.

 

[RomStar]

A good comprehensive review. Thanks for sharing. Cheers!

Thanks a lot for the kind words

I initially had no expectations of the Swings, and got them after digging around another thread (Best sub $100 chinese earphones). I thought they looked nice, and i couldn't find any reviews of them online. I took the jump and it was very well worth it (Note: These are not the same as Tingo Ie800, no clue how they compare)

I tried being as objective and unbiased as i could and i must say, this truly is an amazing time to be a chifi/audio fan. So so many great things around and being announced, such as the ZSR to the rumored ZST Pro/Zs7 (10 driver). So far having a blast, learning and experimenting with new gear and the people here

 

[CoiL]

That's why I don't.

No more than 30 minutes ago I just recommended BossHifi B3 to a member who was looking for specific things.

And when it's appropriate, I've recommended just about every non-KZ IEM I own at one point or another, including Rock Zircon, MEMT X5, Einsear T2, VSonic GR07, Vsonic vsd5s, Magaosi K3 Pro, Pioneer CH9T, UiiSii CM5, MoreBlue DM8, VJJB K4, SoundMAGIC E10c, Xiaomi Pro HD, Fonge T01, etc etc

So, what would You recommend to me as upgrade to ZS5v1&ATE FF-mod with similar imaging/soundstage? I`ve been curious about 100-150$ price bracket IEMs long time now but many of them fall out after reading some impressions/reviews from trusted reviwers I follow. So far there has been only few left on my radar - TK 9tail, AAW Nebula 2 and maybe few other candidates that I still need to research more. AAW N2 seems very interesting but its price is little high compared to LZ A4, IT03 etc. and I don`t know if they justify itself. CH9T seems interesting too but I prefer over-ear wearing and rather overear-shells.