[Podster]

Always hated the feeling of triple flanges although I did manage to get a decent seal with them on problem IEMs. On a positive note, I like my pair of black KZ ED9. Almost as nice for napping or sleeping as the ED2.

Let the Pod tell you an old story on those triple flanges, many years back I had a pair of iem's that the only good seal I got with them were these triple flanges so I'm thinking I need to get a few back up pairs. Hit some AliEx seller up for what I thought at $10 was going to be a dozen pair, package comes (obviously by Chinese Junk) a month later and I have one of those 5 X 7 white and clear zip-locks with what must be 1000 triple flanges I have probably shipped 10 -12 pairs to guys over the years now and that bag still looks like it has 1000 tips in it

Here's a KZ I liked but I'm thinking I was in a minority Original amped ZN1 strapped to my Shanling M2

Did you mean black like these black ones

 

[Podster]

I'm not going to go into the deal where someone may have copied CA but what do you think Shure did when YHC released these "Little Stinkers" Believe it or not for $3.96 I was very impressed with these especially the bass output

 

[Lord Rexter]

@Podster love the KZ ZN1 amp version, wish KZ re-release them so I can add them to my KZ (crazy) collection

 

[C2thew]

does anyone know if this supports bluetooth aptx hd? i'm not sure if bluetooth 4.1 automatically correlates to aptx hd or does it just send the battery percentage to the phone that supports bluetooth 4.1 and above?

 

[Podster]

@Podster love the KZ ZN1 amp version, wish KZ re-release them so I can add them to my KZ (crazy) collection

Yeah, that is one I won't ever let go of since I knew it was a one run effort! I also prefer my ZN1 mini to all the others in that shell, plus the mega thick garden hose just makes people go WOW when they see them

I even came up with this wicked way to wear my ZN1's

About to cut out for the day but I'm sure these will bring back some memories plus make a few Jelli (Not mentioning any names Doc) LOL

 

[Slater]

Let the Pod tell you an old story on those triple flanges, many years back I had a pair of iem's that the only good seal I got with them were these triple flanges so I'm thinking I need to get a few back up pairs. Hit some AliEx seller up for what I thought at $10 was going to be a dozen pair, package comes (obviously by Chinese Junk) a month later and I have one of those 5 X 7 white and clear zip-locks with what must be 1000 triple flanges I have probably shipped 10 -12 pairs to guys over the years now and that bag still looks like it has 1000 tips in it

Here's a KZ I liked but I'm thinking I was in a minority Original amped ZN1 strapped to my Shanling M2



Did you mean black like these black ones

So jealous bro - my ZN1 died about a few months after I got it. I totally enjoyed them for those brief few months though.

I took the amp apart and tried to fix it, but it literally fell apart. The soldering of the SMD components and wiring as well as the quality of the circuit board was atrocious - if you did as much as breathe on the wires (which were as thin as a hair aka like 90 gauge), they lifted off the board (soldering pad and all) with no way to reattach. I finally gave up, salvaged the wire and shells, and junked the box. I rewired them and turned them into a ZN1 Mini LOL

 

[durwood]

The UiiSii CM5's look ilke they are only single driver IEM's, much like the KZ ZS3's. I'm kind of finding it weird how it is being compared to the ZS6 since it has 4 drivers. I'm guessing it's giving the ZS6 a run for the money since it sounds clearer, but would the difference be as similar if one were to do the ZS6 foam "slaters" mod of putting foam into both high frequency BA's of the ZS6?

It looks like the CM5's would be more comfortable compared to the ZS6 since it is smaller and lighter, but the ZS3 still seems (at least for me) to be the winner in terms of fit and passive noise isolation.

Took a bite on that amazon deal on the CM5, I would not compare them to ZS6 at all if the ZS5v2 are close (I don't have a ZS6 to compare with yet). A lot less treble than the ZS5v2 and a slightly more subbassy (just a touch) version of a ZS3, that is my initial first impression. They fit me really well and I decided just to throw the ZS3 tips on them. I always have to fight with ZS3 to get them positioned right in my ear canal with either not enough seal or too much using the included tips, these popped right in with the same ZS3 tips no problem for me. They have a non-fatiguing dark sound quality to them, meaning they are tilted to the bass end of the spectrum.

 

[Slater]

Took a bite on that amazon deal on the CM5, I would not compare them to ZS6 at all if the ZS5v2 are close (I don't have a ZS6 to compare with yet). A lot less treble than the ZS5v2 and a slightly more subbassy (just a touch) version of a ZS3, that is my initial first impression. They fit me really well and I decided just to throw the ZS3 tips on them. I always have to fight with ZS3 to get them positioned right in my ear canal with either not enough seal or too much using the included tips, these popped right in with the same ZS3 tips no problem for me. They have a non-fatiguing dark sound quality to them, meaning they are tilted to the bass end of the spectrum.

Try them with the KZ Starline tips (ie ZS5, ZS6 tips). They are an improvement over the ZS3 tips (at least with me).

Also, if you swap the stock mesh with standard stainless mesh, it makes an improvement to the treble and will decrease the boomy subbass.

As far as the amount of treble, they definitely don't have the 10k spike that the ZS5v3 and ZS6 do - those have 2 ultra-high frequency BA drivers blasting into your eardrum like laser beams. But the CM5 has a decent amount of bright sparkly treble that I think is balanced compared to the rest of the frequencies.

 

[DocHoliday]

Yeah, that is one I won't ever let go of since I knew it was a one run effort! I also prefer my ZN1 mini to all the others in that shell, plus the mega thick garden hose just makes people go WOW when they see them

I even came up with this wicked way to wear my ZN1's



About to cut out for the day but I'm sure these will bring back some memories plus make a few Jelli (Not mentioning any names Doc) LOL

Definitely jealous! Always wanted the ZN1 with the amp just for the novelty of them.

......and what have we here? An old skool KZ that is STILL UNOPENED in the plastic.

Talk about a treasure chest!

...and those ED11s......talk about rare! I think those are my favorite of the bunch.

If you say you have the ANV and the Micro-Rings then I'll get my binky and blanky .........and sulk.

I've always said that if you see one really beautiful woman at some point in your day then you can consider that a good day,

......but those KZ's sure are headturners.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane, Pod! Much appreciated! Much!

Speaking of memory lane...... pick a KZ....... plug them in....... and enjoy.....

 

[khighly]

Color me surprised. This will serve as a reminder to me not to assume things.

"IT03 is close to what I remember the ZS6 signature to be, except it doesn't have the ringing sibilance that takes forever to get used to. I still remember the ZS6 having a larger soundstage that flowed around you. I wish I still had my ZS6's — all I have is one side now."

Your description of the IT03, thus far is welcome news. Hopefully, the IT03 presents a lot of micro-detail. It looks like the configuration for the ZS6 has recently been revised so we'll have to see how those changes effect the treble. Apparently, Knowledge Zenith has done away with the "two ultra-high frequency BAs" in the ZS6 and is now equipping them with "one treble BA" and "one midrange BA". I suppose the new configuration will be dubbed the ZS6(ii) or something equivalent moving forward, so, unfortunately for you, a comparison to the ZS6(i) seems less likely at this point unless someone on this thread for one reason or another gifts you the missing ZS6 earpiece. Just a suggestion, but don't toss that one ZS6 earpiece just yet. I'll bet that in the ensuing months someone will experience loss or failure of one of their ZS6 earpieces and that may hold some possibilities, so with a great community, a little time and a little luck......

"This is tough though They have somewhat different sound signatures."

"IT03's are more bright, but a pleasant bright that isn't overwhelming."

"When I put my ZS5's in, they sound very dark compared."

This doesn't surprise me. I always found the ZS5(i) to be a bit darker/warmer.
The ZS5(i) always sounded like a smooth laid back presentation to me that comes alive when I give them more volume. They actually remind me of the ATE(ii) but with more width and depth. My preferred sound signature requires a little more energy with a healthy dose of micro-detail so the ATE(ii) and ZS5(i) get less ear time than my ZS6, ES3 and ZST, but again, that comes down to personal preference. It sounds like you're enjoying the IT03's brighter presentation, but missing the ZS6's soundstage.

"ZS5 has more lows and mid bass, IT03's bass sounds very neutral and in line everything else. Soundstage is larger in the ZS5's. You get more depth to the sound."

"Neutral bass" sounds quite different from what I was expecting from the IT03. I was thinking that the IT03 would have more lift in the lower frequencies, not necessarily more than the ZS5(i), just in general.

"EDM is better on the ZS5's."

This part definitely surprised me considering their darker nature.

Looking forward to more input.

Thanks

BTW, a little something to test the timbre in the midrange?

I may buy another ZS6 in a few weeks when everyone blows through some current stock so I can get the new ones.

IMO, IT03's have the better sound signature, but the IT03's don't have the low extension and don't have the bass response to really carry EDM. Sub bass is definitely up 3-5dB on the ZS5's which makes for a good amount of lows while not really overpowering anything. I also find the soundstage surprisingly narrow and lackluster compared to the ZS5's. I also notice everything in the soundstage is backwards and I've noticed this on serveral KZ IEM's. Things that flow to the left in the ZS5's, flow to the right in the IT03's. The IT03's have what seems to be the more accurate 3D placement due to my previous sentence, but it's just not as wide or big as the ZS5's. IT03's have finer details, but most of what you hear is compression artifacts on absolutely everything except lossless formats.

Fit: Keep in mind I'm a female, so YMMV. IT03 is poor with fit, providing really poor quality tips that are simply unacceptable for $259. I had one slip off the nozzle and get stuck in my ear earlier. I had to get a friend to pull it out with tweezers at work. They don't fit on the nozzle and they aren't great in the ear.

Value on these IT03's is absolutely embarrassing. KZ can give me a better quality cable and tips for $27, including the IEM's. I wouldn't pay more than $79.99 for them and I feel like that's a steep asking when KZ can provide similar IEM's made of metal with an extra DD for $45. If this is what the audiophile world looks like - subpar sound that's only made good by marketing and class status, I'm going to keep buying the cheap chi-fi IEM's that sound just as good.

I bet the big [predatory marketing] companies feel really threatened by KZ.

*Disclaimer: I am not paid by KZ or iBasso, I have never received any IEM's for free or for review. All were bought with personal money and these are the opinions of myself.

Still finishing my final review on my website, will have it up by Monday/Tuesday.

 

[MyPants]

I gotta say y'all, the New Bee and other knockoff foams kinda do the job, but real Complys are the absolute t*ts. I was 100% on team, "I'm not paying $5 a pair for eartips," BUT a set came with one of my recent IEM purchases and they're so good that I picked some up for my ZS6s and my A4s (which both conveniently take T400s). The upgrade is personally completely worth the price premium. SO so much longer rebound for a better, more comfortable seal with deeper insertion.

Now I'm letting them both simmer with some old Zero 7 albums.

 

[Willber]

As far as the amount of treble, they definitely don't have the 10k spike that the ZS5v3 and ZS6 do - those have 2 ultra-high frequency BA drivers blasting into your eardrum like laser beams. But the CM5 has a decent amount of bright sparkly treble that I think is balanced compared to the rest of the frequencies.

That's my impression, too. And although the CM5 is slightly warmer that the ZS6, I don't find them dark.

 

[nkramer]

I gotta say y'all, the New Bee and other knockoff foams kinda do the job, but real Complys are the absolute t*ts. I was 100% on team, "I'm not paying $5 a pair for eartips," BUT a set came with one of my recent IEM purchases and they're so good that I picked some up for my ZS6s and my A4s (which both conveniently take T400s). The upgrade is personally completely worth the price premium. SO so much longer rebound for a better, more comfortable seal with deeper insertion.

Now I'm letting them both simmer with some old Zero 7 albums.

i've been a comply user for years, love them, swear by them. i use them on the couple pair of iems i have, most of the silicone ones make my ears itch if wearing for an extended period of time. You can tell when the foams are just about ready for the bin when the color is no where like original (faded) and they pretty much rebound instantly. (and or tear)

although i'm excited to try the new bee & other ones, now that i know about them.

 

[MyPants]

i've been a comply user for years, love them, swear by them. i use them on the couple pair of iems i have, most of the silicone ones make my ears itch if wearing for an extended period of time. You can tell when the foams are just about ready for the bin when the color is no where like original (faded) and they pretty much rebound instantly. (and or tear)

although i'm excited to try the new bee & other ones, now that i know about them.

Oh definitely give the new bees a try. At $7 for 6 pairs on AMAZON and even cheaper on Ali, I really can't complain. They definitely get the job done in some applications, the performance just scales with the price pretty dramatically.

 

[riffrafff]

i've been a comply user for years, love them, swear by them. i use them on the couple pair of iems i have, most of the silicone ones make my ears itch if wearing for an extended period of time. You can tell when the foams are just about ready for the bin when the color is no where like original (faded) and they pretty much rebound instantly. (and or tear)

although i'm excited to try the new bee & other ones, now that i know about them.

After my first set of Comply foams, I said "never again." I will not pay that kind of money for ten cents worth of foam. Not when they arrive looking this (right side of pic).