[hydroid]

I am a kinda basshead. Thus, I am looking for IEMs with good subbass and bass. Recently I have purchased Ostry KC06A. They say they are bassy but I am not satisfied with them. Not enough bass for me in UrbanFun either.

If you have a spare mmcx cable..you might wanna consider the tennmak piano. One of the deepest subbass iem that I've heard which only cost $11 ear head, extra nozzle mesh cover and several tips only.. Including the cable will cost around $28 though. The cable in the photo is my spare balanced mmcx from penon. I'm not a basshead but I was pleasently surpised by the depth of it's subbass that rumbles like crazy.. You can search the tennmak piano at aliexpress..

 

[DocHoliday]

Firstly, thank you for taking the time to reply.

Yes I read B9's blog posts, its really informative and detailed. Hopefully it will continue with Part-5

Today I was free and dedicated most of my time into determining what I want. Turns out, I dont know what I want.

On my father's payroll, I had the chance to listen to many high-end (not soo high) earphones like shure 215,535, etymotics, ath's, beyer dynamics etc. Not anymore..

The last one I had was Yamaha EPH-100 that I loved dearly. I thought what I wanted is something like my old Yamaha EPH-100. ZS6 confused me. I was sitting still thinking I cant reach to the price range where an earphone could impress me.

I know I need an earphone that sounds something like Yamaha EPH-100 where I can pump the volume up a little more to have a motivational boost during my runs but I cannot leave ZS6 just for this purpose. I still hope I can make it work one way or another! Because of the ZS6 now I want both :/

Currently, my thoughts on both are

- ATE-S good all around with a little EQ tweak it is good for any kind of music. A little less treble would allow me to pump the volume up a little more though.
- ZS6 jaw-dropping in some songs, ear-hurting in others as of now but I feel like It slightly improved (dont know if its psychological as I really want to keep it). I know its not going to come to the point where the treble is similar to ATE-S with just burn-in but there is something with this earphone, I just cant seem to put it away, even with the faulty cable and crazy sibilance. Its too good to just eliminate. I will wait another day or two for the burn-in and the comply tips to arrive. Even if that doesn't help, I will try the 3M Micropore tape! I really want to make this work!

I would love to hear your opinion! Also I wonder other than KZ, what kind of sub 50$ brands, IEM's you could suggest for me.

Thanks a lot !!

Edit: Changed sub 100$ to sub 50$ as I want to compare with KZ

Sorry, double post.

 

[DocHoliday]

Firstly, thank you for taking the time to reply.

Yes I read B9's blog posts, its really informative and detailed. Hopefully it will continue with Part-5

Today I was free and dedicated most of my time into determining what I want. Turns out, I dont know what I want.

On my father's payroll, I had the chance to listen to many high-end (not soo high) earphones like shure 215,535, etymotics, ath's, beyer dynamics etc. Not anymore..

The last one I had was Yamaha EPH-100 that I loved dearly. I thought what I wanted is something like my old Yamaha EPH-100. ZS6 confused me. I was sitting still thinking I cant reach to the price range where an earphone could impress me.

I know I need an earphone that sounds something like Yamaha EPH-100 where I can pump the volume up a little more to have a motivational boost during my runs but I cannot leave ZS6 just for this purpose. I still hope I can make it work one way or another! Because of the ZS6 now I want both :/

Currently, my thoughts on both are

- ATE-S good all around with a little EQ tweak it is good for any kind of music. A little less treble would allow me to pump the volume up a little more though.
- ZS6 jaw-dropping in some songs, ear-hurting in others as of now but I feel like It slightly improved (dont know if its psychological as I really want to keep it). I know its not going to come to the point where the treble is similar to ATE-S with just burn-in but there is something with this earphone, I just cant seem to put it away, even with the faulty cable and crazy sibilance. Its too good to just eliminate. I will wait another day or two for the burn-in and the comply tips to arrive. Even if that doesn't help, I will try the 3M Micropore tape! I really want to make this work!

I would love to hear your opinion! Also I wonder other than KZ, what kind of sub 50$ brands, IEM's you could suggest for me.

Thanks a lot !!

Edit: Changed sub 100$ to sub 50$ as I want to compare with KZ

In light of your dilemma, let me make a few suggestions.

1) I and others can make some suggestions. However, spending someone else's money simply comes with an enormous sense responsibility if one gets it wrong. I will make some suggestions but your best bet is to do a bit of research here.

https://www.aproear.co.uk/

The site reviews many IEMs that are under $50. It also uses a scale to illustrate the sound of the particular IEM.

For instance:

You can see that this IEM has more sub-bass(8) than midrange(6). It has more treble(7) than midrange(6) and so on.

You can review many inexpensive, but great sounding IEMs on this site

2) Some researchers find this site useful, also.

https://audiobudget.com/product/MEMT/X5

If I were in your shoes I would take $60 - $75 and discover my own preferences.

A good starter list for $60+/- is as follows:
KZ ATR ($10) great middle of the road IEM
KZ ZS3 ($10) most comfortable IEM if it fits your ears
MEMT X5 ($20) tiny sized energetic sound
BossHiFi S1 ($20) focused warm clarity
Grand total $60+/-.

KZ ATR

KZ ZS3

MEMT X5

BossHiFi S1

All four IEMs sound good but they are very different from each other.

When all else fails, just ask yourself "What would Archer do?"

 

[TLDRonin]

As far as repairing your cut wire, since the insulation is the only thing cut (and not the copper conducting wire strands), I would just paint it with a few coats of "liquid electrical tape". You can purchase this at most "big box" hardware stores (Home Depot, Lowes) in the electrical section, or on Amazon/ebay. It's a flexible rubberized coating, that will be far superior to trying to wrap it with tape (it will look better too).

The strange thing is that nothing really sounds off.... Is it possible I was lucky and didnt actually **** up anything important?


I'm currently using some sports tape (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kindmax-Kinesiology-Tape-Roll/dp/B071Z248VH) since I have spare rolls from when I did track and martial arts.


Its flexible, and has a nice fabric feel to it so it doesn't bother me at all

 

[SomeTechNoob]

If you only cut the insulation, it'll probably be fine aside from extra wear and tear. Most wires are still covered by a thin layer of enamel which will continue to insulate it even if the rubber insulation is removed.

And anyway KZ stuff is cheap enough that you can probably afford a second pair to do correctly if you wanted.

 

[TLDRonin]

If you only cut the insulation, it'll probably be fine aside from extra wear and tear. Most wires are still covered by a thin layer of enamel which will continue to insulate it even if the rubber insulation is removed.

And anyway KZ stuff is cheap enough that you can probably afford a second pair to do correctly if you wanted.

If I actually cut the wire I wouldn't be able to hear anything/it would sound obviously strange right?


Price isn't as much of a concern as shipping time :/

 

[SomeTechNoob]

If I actually cut the wire I wouldn't be able to hear anything/it would sound obviously strange right?


Price isn't as much of a concern as shipping time :/

If there's sound and it isn't intermittent at all it should be fine

 

[Mellowship]

Wow, I was searching for this stainless mesh. Would you mind to share a link to buy it? Thank you!

I got it from here:

https://pt.aliexpress.com/item/Dust...32800734441.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.CuvFk7

But I don't really quite remember the diameter. Maybe someone else can help you.

 

[barocka]

Test completed here's what I have uncovered on the Grey one (to my ears):
1. The bass is little bit stronger
2. The sound stage was a little wider
3. The bass is bleeding into the mids, but not too much though

Test Bed:

IEMs:
KZ ZS6 Grey (around 30hrs of burn in) vs KZ ZS6 black color (around 100hrs of burn in)

Test Track: Starboy by The Weeknd

Source:
FiiO X5 2nd Gen (with Firmware version 2.1) with FiiO L26 (3.5mm single ended to 2.5mm balanced adopter cable)

FiiO X5 3rd Gen with Firmware version 1.1.9 (balanced output) using HiByMusic v3.0.0 player

Common cable and tips:
OKCSC 0.78mm 2 Pin 2.5mm balanced cable
With 5mm Memory foam oval tips

Do we now know that the gray version is the new version? KZ ZS6 v2 & KZ ZS6ii

Did KZ solve the problem of "cymbal splashiness/sibilance" ?

 

[bsoplinger]

I got it from here:

https://pt.aliexpress.com/item/Dust...32800734441.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.CuvFk7

But I don't really quite remember the diameter. Maybe someone else can help you.

That seller offers a mix of sizes as one of the options. So you'd get fewer of whatever size you actually need. But you wouldn't need to know the size. And since not all nozzles are created equal, you'd be prepared for other sized nozzles too

 

[AKMW44]

Hi, can anyone recommend cheap foam tips for kz zs6 same size as comply T400 in large or medium. I've bought 3 lots of crap either to small or very very small.

 

[TLDRonin]

Hi, can anyone recommend cheap foam tips for kz zs6 same size as comply T400 in large or medium. I've bought 3 lots of crap either to small or very very small.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2-p...Ear-Pads-cap-memory-ear-foam/32839552465.html


These are listed as t400/t500 so they should fit

 

[DocHoliday]

******* ALERT *******

*******A G A I N *******
Could it be that KZ has been listening to us and has heeded our calls to re-release the ZS5 in it's original format? Hmmmmmmm........

mrmoto050, I think you may be on to something here and we shouldn't dismiss it. I still have the images (exploded views) of the original ZS5(i) and the subsequent ZS5(ii). When KZ changed the layout of the ZS5(i) drivers they issued new images of what we now call the ZS5(ii). It appears that the image has changed once again so mrmoto050 may be correct. We may actually be seeing the images of the ZS5(iii).

Follow along and try to keep up.

This is the original image of the ZS5(i) and note the two separate locations of the BA receivers


This is a better image of the ZS5(i).


Now note in this image the location of both BA receivers in the nozzle of the ZS5(ii).

This is another image of the ZS5(ii).

.

Now look at the new images of the ZS5 and make no mistake, these are newly issued images. Compare the actual image that was initially published to this one and you can see that this is different.



If KZ has done what we all have been hoping they would do, which is go back to the original design, then there will be much to celebrate.

First, for those of you that are unaware, although the ZS5(i) does have 2BAs and 2DDs and the driver housings have a similar shape to the ZS6, the ZS5 is in fact an IEM with different tuning.

The vents on the ZS5 were designed to be between the faceplate and the main body of the IEM. If you look at the very first image you will notice that the blue ZS5 seems to have an unusual gap between the faceplate and the main body of the housing. This gap is actually the ZS5's hidden vent designed right into the driver housing. The ZS6 has the vents directly on the faceplates.

Note the labeling of the DDs in the image above. Note which DD is responsible for low frequencies and which DD is responsible for bass and lower midrange frequencies. This was not so in the original ZS5(i) [see very last image for confirmation]. However, it is how the ZS6 was designed. In the ZS6 the 6mm DD is responsible for the sub-bass and the larger DD is responsible for the midrange and upper bass. This is why the ZS6 bass section is so tight and clean for such a full-bodied bass. There was a clear difference in the texture and control of the lower frequencies between the ZS5(i) and ZS6. The ZS5(i) bass is soft and broad while the ZS6 bass is tighter with clear delineation between the sub-bass and mid-bass. It looks like KZ is tuning the ZS5(iii) to inherit the ZS6's more focused bass. In addition, because the micro-driver (6mm) will now focus on sub-bass this means the larger driver focusing on midrange will not be forced into submission. I thought the midrange on the ZS5(i) was not as vivid as one would expect considering the midrange had a dedicated driver. In hindsight, it makes sense that the midrange was just overshadowed by the bass of the larger driver. This new configuration should give the vocals more presence.

I will definitely be buying a new ZS5(iii) because it will sound different than the ZS5(i).
The ZS5(iii) will likely contain a crossover resulting in the sound signature having an even more focused presentation.

KZ is certainly keeping us on our toes, though I wish they would offer the new configuration in two new colors (ZS2 blue resin and ZS1 coffee resin) or better yet aluminum housings that keep the ZS5's hidden side vents. If they do go with aluminum housings for the ZS5(iii)
then they can offer it to us in dark chocolate with brass screws and deep purple with brass screws. Can you imagine both of those colors with a satin sheen. Good GOD in heaven! I'll take both, please.

GIMME, GIMME, GIMME......PLEASE.

This is the configuration of the original ZS5(i)

The word from George at GearBest is as follows:

"about The ZS5, we asked the supplier,
they do not have any new release version of ZS5"

Thanks George for answering this question.

In the meantime, anyone receiving a ZS5 in the next few weeks, please share your findings with the community.

It may be that there are no changes

or

There may be a lack of communication from KZ.

I just find it odd that the imagery would change for no apparent reason.

Maybe it's just me. We'll see.

 

[CoiL]

Less than an hour ago, I had some thoughts - what if the people at KZ applied the ZS6's harsh and overdone upper treble spike on purpose? It's only strident on a source with close to 0 Ohm output impedance, but due to the in-ear's impedance characteristic, it gets reduced as the output impedance climbs. Most casual listeners don't (intentionally) use high-end gear (DAPs, Amps, smartphones) with very low output impedance but smartphones or laptops with a typically rather high output resistance. So they probably did that on purpose, since adding in-line resistors (that would reduce the nasty spike) wouldn't have been a problem.

I have also thought about this. As I have low output impedance source gear and use only redbook flac, then my results with IEMs differ to some extent from many users here.

After reading many reviews in here I went ahead and purchased both ATE S and ZS6.
I am impressed with both but the overstated treble is really annoying. I read few reviews mentioning the over-stated treble (sibilance?) decreases over time but I am not so hopeful of that, to be honest.
Currently ATE has an annoying sibilance on some tracks and ZS6 treble is unbearable in most tracks with vocals (even at the medium volume on mac). I heard the treble complaint many times but this does not sound like it could be improved with time or different cable to the point it will be comfortable to listen. Is there really a huge difference in treble between these two or there is something wrong with the unit I got?
Is there a comparison of sound signatures between KZ earphones here somewhere? I wonder which model sounds like ATE and also have replaceable cable. Any help would be appreciated!

Current 5th gen regular ATE should not have any spikes in highs. ATE-S might sound different.

ZSR in the house. 1st impressions, all of which are just my opinion and subject to change as I spend more time with them;

- Like the other KZ hybrids she's got some sizzle in the treble; more than the ZST but less than the ZS6
- Bass is more restrained than I was expecting; decent extension that's not quite as good as the ZS6; more textured and dynamic than the ZST, and about on par with the ZS6
- Mids are physically more forward but not really any more prominent than they are on the ZS6 or ZST; has a bit of added warmth/weight which makes them really quite nice
- What is this space? These sound even larger than the ZS6 though not quite as accurate with imaging, or with quite as good of layering or separation; ZST is completely outclassed here
- ZS6 is still better with picking up micro-details, esp. in the mids
- This housing is butt ugly imo (got it in black) and really thick, like, fully wireless iem style bulk
- I can see the two vents on the bottom being blocked by some ears depending on how they sit; doing so seems to lead to less overall bass quantity but I need to test that more
- Personally I like the ZS3's housing a lot more

Overall? So far so good. As long as you're okay with a bit more treble than what the ZST offers, this feels like a decent step up from that model. Also feels like a good alternative to the ZS6 due to the lessened treble energy, though it's not so much less that the treble sensitive out there will be okay. Still too agro for you methinks. If you want something less treble-heavy, ZS3 or ZST are probably still the way to go.

Glad I didn`t get ZSR for shells or sound. Got extra ZS3 instead and holding money for IT01.

But I`m interested if pewter grey ZS6 is different sounding than ZS6(1&2) and without treble peaks?!?

 

[TLDRonin]

The word from George at GearBest is as follows:

"about The ZS5, we asked the supplier,
they do not have any new release version of ZS5"

Thanks George for answering this question.

In the meantime, anyone receiving a ZS5 in the next few weeks, please share your findings with the community.

It may be that there are no changes

or

There may be a lack of communication from KZ.

I just find it odd that the imagery would change for no apparent reason.

Maybe it's just me. We'll see.

Has KZ ever addressed the zs5 v1 and v2 issue?