[Cruelhand Luke]

Damn, looks nice

You also posted nicer pic of you're Zs3's a while back

On a more serious note, what's the benefit of putting on the Ear tips backwards? Is it just for looks or does it provide better seal/another benefit?

Definitely not for looks, it's a trick I picked up here in the thread from @oyobass. I was having trouble getting a good fit on my right ear, no matter what type of tip I used, even when the same tip fit fine in my left ear. I tried reversing it and it works for me, I don't know if it's the shape or the angle, but something is kinda off about my right ear hole.

 

[oyobass]

Damn, looks nice

You also posted nicer pic of you're Zs3's a while back

On a more serious note, what's the benefit of putting on the Ear tips backwards? Is it just for looks or does it provide better seal/another benefit?

Purely practical. I think they look stupid with the tip on backwards...
I have pretty large ear holes, so turning the tip around gives a better seal.
Whether it is because of the change in the volume of air inside my ears or the neoprene tube going all the way to the end of the back side of the tip, it gives me a little bit more treble as well.
It feels slightly itchy in my ear, but the alternative is having even large tips lose seal and eventually fall out without a lot of messing about and jamming them back in my ear.

 

[CoiL]

Before I comment latter posts about ZS3 sound, I would like to comment ZS3 INNER build quality - which is IMHO - quite rubbish!
Let me clear myself - sound tube is absolutely WORST "nozzle" tubbing I have ever seen! I mean, it is done with SHRINK TUBE, used for cables, connectors and such! How can KZ quarantee that all those tubes are shrunk in same size? Not to mention about crushed tubes ppl have been reporting and uneven placement between L/R shells? Add a lot of glue with uneven placement and result is meh?

Sound: Kind of an L shape- great bass, detailed present mids and clear but somewhat subdued treble, especially compared to the 5 and 6. I especially liked the way the vocals stood out vs. the later phones.

IMHO, bass is worst thing about ZS3 - it is boomy/soft, missing details and overpowered compared to other FR. Mids are clear-sided but rather recessed compared to whole FR.
And treble is nowhere subdued imho, it is boosted on my unit, sounding unnatural on some traks, probably around 5-6kHz (not sure by ear).

Bass is the highlight, with good mids. The highs do sound unnatural on a few tracks.

Same opinion I just wrote above.

Now, this is all probably because of BQ differences and added foam pieces.

Only thing good about ZS3 for me personally is shells. Otherwise, quite mediocre chi-fi IEM.

 

[RomStar]

Before I comment latter posts about ZS3 sound, I would like to comment ZS3 INNER build quality - which is IMHO - quite rubbish!
Let me clear myself - sound tube is absolutely WORST "nozzle" tubbing I have ever seen! I mean, it is done with SHRINK TUBE, used for cables, connectors and such! How can KZ quarantee that all those tubes are shrunk in same size? Not to mention about crushed tubes ppl have been reporting and uneven placement between L/R shells? Add a lot of glue with uneven placement and result is meh?


IMHO, bass is worst thing about ZS3 - it is boomy/soft, missing details and overpowered compared to other FR. Mids are clear-sided but rather recessed compared to whole FR.
And treble is nowhere subdued imho, it is boosted on my unit, sounding unnatural on some traks, probably around 5-6kHz (not sure by ear).


Same opinion I just wrote above.

Now, this is all probably because of BQ differences and added foam pieces.

Only thing good about ZS3 for me personally is shells. Otherwise, quite mediocre chi-fi IEM.

Actually, very interesting

I did do the slater mods, where I poked the bass hole and got rid of the foam near the nozzles. Did you try the foam tips tho?

When I said the bass is the "highlight" I mean it's the main prowess or draw of the iem. I honestly wouldn't say the treble was boosted tho, I find it lacking (Halsey Colors-Audizen Remix). In fact, I would only agree with the recessed mids, but I think it's decent overall.

For $3. 99 I can't complain, hence I didn't make a direct comparison with my beloved Zs5. In fact, I have nothing to compare these with in that price range, hence you will see 0 reviews or mentions of the Zs3 from me, before this

All in all, it's dirt cheap and gets the job done I guess, I'll have to wait for my ATE if George is kind enough to provide a code soon. But yea, they're not great but not the worst I've heard as well (dark sounding and does feel congested at times, but more than good for $3)

Edit: At this rate I think it could be QC if you found the treble to be boosted. In no way am I doubting you're claims... But I still feel like they don't emphasize treble after listening again

 

[TheVortex]

Looks like KZ are releasing a new storage pouch and the IE80 with a 5-way tuning dial !

https://shopee.com.my/KZ-Premium-PU-Leather-Storage-Pouch-i.6548893.726661081

https://shopee.com.my/KZ-IE80-Hifi-Sound-Tuning-Earphone-i.6548893.715173341

 

[oyobass]

Before I comment latter posts about ZS3 sound, I would like to comment ZS3 INNER build quality - which is IMHO - quite rubbish!
Let me clear myself - sound tube is absolutely WORST "nozzle" tubbing I have ever seen! I mean, it is done with SHRINK TUBE, used for cables, connectors and such! How can KZ quarantee that all those tubes are shrunk in same size? Not to mention about crushed tubes ppl have been reporting and uneven placement between L/R shells? Add a lot of glue with uneven placement and result is meh?


IMHO, bass is worst thing about ZS3 - it is boomy/soft, missing details and overpowered compared to other FR. Mids are clear-sided but rather recessed compared to whole FR.
And treble is nowhere subdued imho, it is boosted on my unit, sounding unnatural on some traks, probably around 5-6kHz (not sure by ear).


Same opinion I just wrote above.

Now, this is all probably because of BQ differences and added foam pieces.

Only thing good about ZS3 for me personally is shells. Otherwise, quite mediocre chi-fi IEM.

Sometimes I wonder if we are listening to the same earphones in this thread.
It must come down to ear shape and/or bad QC.
I must have got lucky in either case, since I'm really liking my set.

 

[nadezhda 6004]

As you can see from the photo of the bass vent (ie the little round hole by the nozzle), the vent hole on the left (the ZS5v1 and ZS5v2) is twice the size of the one on the right (the ZS6).
Make sense?

Yes, it does. Thank you so much for the clarification.

 

[groucho69]

Yeah, that's the kind of stuff IP lawyers dream about at night LOL

I'm not sure that changes made after the fact are allowed as evidence.

 

[Cruelhand Luke]

Sometimes I wonder if we are listening to the same earphones in this thread.
It must come down to ear shape and/or bad QC.
I must have got lucky in either case, since I'm really liking my set.

I think it's ear shape, QC issues, type of music people are using them for, their preferences/biases etc in sound signature, source equipment....
on and on, right?
And a BIG one in this thread is, it seems like a lot of first impressions or quick impressions are being posted as definitive opinions.
I know I have been on the fence with how I like my ZS5, so I haven't been on the board complaining about it, because I didn't know yet the cause of my issue with them. For example, my right ear couldn't get anything that felt right until I landed on: a red New Bee medium foam installed backwards....and a totally different t400 blue foam on the left side. The sound going into either ear is the same that way, but with matching tips installed 'correctly' the sound was 'off' and my ears were hearing them differently and it was making the whole thing sound off....good thing I didn't come on here and rant and rave about how awful the sound is, right?

 

[oyobass]

I think that is what makes the line "Welcome to Head-Fi, sorry about your wallet" so funny and so accurate.
What is on man or woman's total sonic nirvana is another's total pile of steaming poo.
If you buy based on user reviews, you increase your chances of buying something that works for you, but there are no guarantees...

 

[oyobass]

I think that is what makes the line "Welcome to Head-Fi, sorry about your wallet" so funny and so accurate.
What is on man or woman's total sonic nirvana is another's total pile of steaming poo.
If you buy based on user reviews, you increase your chances of buying something that works for you, but there are no guarantees...

That is one thing that makes Chi-fi so appealing- our blunders into piles of poo don't end up costing hundreds a pop.

 

[Cruelhand Luke]

I think that is what makes the line "Welcome to Head-Fi, sorry about your wallet" so funny and so accurate.
What is on man or woman's total sonic nirvana is another's total pile of steaming poo.
If you buy based on user reviews, you increase your chances of buying something that works for you, but there are no guarantees...

I get why people say that line "sorry about your wallet" but for me I have used Headfi to make MUCH better choices in headphones than I otherwise would have.
I mean, several years ago, before I knew very much about headphones I got a set of Klipsch IEMs for like $60 and they were supposed really punch above their weight in terms of SQ...they did sound pretty damn good and I really liked them right up until their fragile wires broke, twice...now they sit in a box somewhere and every once in a while I give them dirty looks for only lasting 18 months or whatever it was. For me that was way too much money to not last at least 2-3 years.
Fast forward to today,I got a single driver IEM ZS3, dual driver ES3 and a quad driver ZS5, an extra bluetooth cable, and foam eartips for all of them.They fit better, sound better and if the cable breaks I throw it away and put on another one for $5. I paid less than $50.00 for the whole thing. I definitely got way more value for my money and the forum was essential to that

 

[CoiL]

Actually, very interesting

I did do the slater mods, where I poked the bass hole and got rid of the foam near the nozzles. Did you try the foam tips tho?

When I said the bass is the "highlight" I mean it's the main prowess or draw of the iem. I honestly wouldn't say the treble was boosted tho, I find it lacking (Halsey Colors-Audizen Remix). In fact, I would only agree with the recessed mids, but I think it's decent overall.

For $3. 99 I can't complain, hence I didn't make a direct comparison with my beloved Zs5. In fact, I have nothing to compare these with in that price range, hence you will see 0 reviews or mentions of the Zs3 from me, before this

All in all, it's dirt cheap and gets the job done I guess, I'll have to wait for my ATE if George is kind enough to provide a code soon. But yea, they're not great but not the worst I've heard as well (dark sounding and does feel congested at times, but more than good for $3)

Edit: At this rate I think it could be QC if you found the treble to be boosted. In no way am I doubting you're claims... But I still feel like they don't emphasize treble after listening again

Yes, I did slater mod - removed foams, that`s why I said treble is boosted in sense of typical V-shaped sound (it is not harsh or sibilant, but sometimes unnatural). Sorry, forgot to mention it.
I left them play in loop for about 40h (without listening meanwhile) with pink noise and some music, nothing changed in very noticeable way, if anything.

That is my point I wanted to make with bad tube material and construction - ZS3 may have VERY different results from different ppl. Add source gear, music and personal hearing differences - You may get totally opposite opinions.

 

[CoiL]

Looks like KZ are releasing a new storage pouch and the IE80 with a 5-way tuning dial !

https://shopee.com.my/KZ-Premium-PU-Leather-Storage-Pouch-i.6548893.726661081

https://shopee.com.my/KZ-IE80-Hifi-Sound-Tuning-Earphone-i.6548893.715173341

I think that Senny IE80 copy was done by KZ long time ago. I doubt this is new release, just some old stock left for some sellers probably.
And why would they do it if ZS4 and ZSR are coming? Doesn`t make sense.

 

[bsoplinger]

I think that Senny IE80 copy was done by KZ long time ago. I doubt this is new release, just some old stock left for some sellers probably.
And why would they do it if ZS4 and ZSR are coming? Doesn`t make sense.

I found reviews on Gearbest for these when the first post caught my attention. They were dated early 2015. So I figured pretty much the same thing. New old stock. Someone must have found boxes of these things in the corner of some warehouse