[paulindss]

Can't go wrong with ZSR man. I'd put it in the top 3 IEMs KZ has made to date.

Thx, i Will keep that in mind then.

Edit: my cm5 Will reach home in 2 or 3 days

 

[Otto Motor]

From this page https://www.kenrockwell.com/apple/iphone-5s-audio-quality.htm the output impedance is around 1 ohm which might be high since multi-driver IEMs have widely swinging impedance and will affect the sound. Try some other players with < 1 ohm output impedance.

The resonance of an headphone/IEM is usually in the bass region. The energy in the driver has to flow back into the amplifier and that can happen only if the source impedance is low. Then the bass will be tight and well controlled.

Will use my audioquest dragonfly with 0.3 ohm output. Hey, you are right, sounds much tighter in the hips now.

 

[Otto Motor]

They certainly look ginormous enough.

Could you take a photo of the ZS10 next to a micro driver, such as the HDS1, HDS2, HDS3, MEMT X5?

Bittesehr!

 

[Otto Motor]

I have a zs10 on the way. And a ZSR in dispute process on gearbest. The zs10 can substitute the ZSR ? Minding that i need a fun iem in my collection. I wanna know If i will miss something If i ask for refund instead of re-sending the package of the zsr. Having a zs10.

Just with the iPhone, I prefer the image of the ZSR, although the ZS10 resolves better. Adding the external dragonfly dac/amp shows better resolution in the ZS10 compared to the ZSR. Overall, the ZSR may be more fun.

 

[antdroid]

After listening more to the KZ ZS6, I dont know. It sounds terrible stock. I'm probably at 50+ hours of burn/listening time now. The highs are piercing and way too much, even with foam. Now, that said, I eq'd it on my EarStudio and on my PC and it sounds actually pretty good. It's not as good as my iSine 10 or the MD+ but it can hang on it's own pretty well with some eq.

 

[Freetrademan]

I just got my ZS10 today. My first impression: it's probably the best earphone I've ever heard.

And I have had a lot. My favorite had been the ZS5 (more than the ZS6, which I find harsh at the high end). Better than my OneMore Triple, Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 Pro, FiiO EX-1, Shures, Klipsch, and many others I've paid a lot more for.

The most immediately noticeable difference compared to the ZS5 is the midrange. The ZS5's weakest area (as much as I love it) is the midrange. The ZS10 remedies that, with a better midrange and overall fuller sound. I'm looking forward to many hours with the ZS10.

 

[lmfboy01]

I just got my ZS10 today. My first impression: it's probably the best earphone I've ever heard.

And I have had a lot. My favorite had been the ZS5 (more than the ZS6, which I find harsh at the high end). Better than my OneMore Triple, Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 Pro, FiiO EX-1, Shures, Klipsch, and many others I've paid a lot more for.

The most immediately noticeable difference compared to the ZS5 is the midrange. The ZS5's weakest area (as much as I love it) is the midrange. The ZS10 remedies that, with a better midrange and overall fuller sound. I'm looking forward to many hours with the ZS10.

 

[lmfboy01]

I prefer ZS6 sound much more than the ZS10 by a far amount too.

 

[toddy0191]

My ED15s will be delivered today. Hopefully £9 well spent!

 

[Otto Motor]

Will use my audioquest dragonfly with 0.3 ohm output. Hey, you are right, sounds much tighter in the hips now.

I prefer ZS6 sound much more than the ZS10 by a far amount too.

I just put the ZS6 in: they produce music more natural and more homogenous than the ZS10, despite their 10K peak.

 

[Bartig]

I think I was one of the few people that found the fit of the zs3 great but the sound bad enough that I never really got much use out of them. I would have preferred to see them go a beryllium, carbon nanotube, titanium or some other premium dynamic as adding a Balanced Armature is not going to clean up the Dynamic in it which is still going to leave the mid-bass bleed and muddy bass. The most I think we can hope for is better mids and treble with the same bass issues as before if they didnt do come cleanup.

No no, I’m all with you.

KZ ZS10 have arrived in Calgary - first impressions

I knew they were coming today and warmed my ears up with the ZSR and the Fidue A65. The A65 are a good price-point reference ($59 list). They are excellent earphones that would have deserved some hype - but are obviously not flashy enough. The A65 are presently my favs even above the basso IT-01 (they are not better but easier to handle, cable wise and earpiece wise).

Here reviews of the A65 - which will live on in the audiophile community forever (or not):
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/fi...dynamic-driver-iem.20798/reviews#review-13473

As I had pointed out yesterday...
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/kno...essions-thread.698148/page-2047#post-14176420

...one has to spend some time with any iem in order to be able to get an objective, unbiased view. But I also find the first impression important. In analogy, a first handshake can determine whether the other person will be your future wife/husband. For example, when first plugging the HDS3 and the ZSR into my ears, I went spontaneously "wow". But after the first impression with the ZS10, I will shut up for some time. And I'll leave the detailed reviews to others, more experienced head-fiers while still learning the trade.


ZS10 - first impressions and some quick answers to non-existing questions.

Fancy stock cable included: yes!

Fit: no problem here, but all KZ models have fit my ears well.

Haptic: similar to ZSR but not as swanky as the ZS6!

Wow or not wow upon the very first listening (yes or no only): No...but I didn't use the audioquest dragonfly.

Is there anything obviously really wrong: No! Makes for a fatigue-free listening.

What is the tonal balance: iPhone 5S (1 ohm output impedance) only...treble ok, mids recessed, the prominent bass is muddy, smudges into the mids and removes fluidity and coherence from the presentation, image could be more transparent. Well resolving, though. Adding the audioquest dragonfly (0.3 ohm output impedance) tightens the bass substantially, brings the voices out and makes the image sleaker and more transparent. Tony Vivaldi sounds much more accurate and natural with the dragonfly.

How do they compare to other recent KZ models (ZS6, ZSR), sound wise: warmish, darkish, sound like a better rendering ZSR with a wider soundstage (without dragonfly, brighter with). Not much similarity to the ZS6.

Are they a huge step up for KZ: No! Just one step farther. The ZS6 may be still technically better [just checked it: yes, they are way more natural and coherent sounding].

What is the value for money. Is the hype justified: Value for money (I paid $33) is great. Hype is not justified imo.

Do they sound like $999 earphones as claimed by someone else, or are they at least as well resolving as the UE900S ($399 list; $179 sale): Absolutely not! The single-dynamic driver Fidue A65 has a better resolution and a more fluid, cleaner, more transparent and a more natural presentation.

Early verdict (after 3 hrs of listening): Good, worth the money but still not the miracle earphone, not even when amped. You need to add some technology added to the iPhone for the ZS10 bring out their best. The ZS6 are the better earphone and the ZSR may be more fun.

Will listen more tomorrow!

Gear: iPhone 5S with and without audioquest dragonfly.
Break-in: 1 hr after some defrosting...we have had 3 inches of wet snow today going towards 7 inches later this afternoon.
Large stock tips used.

EDIT: amping with the FiiO E12 Montblanc (like the phonograph), the image smoothens even more than with the audioquest dragonfly.

When playing with Macbook Air, the ZS10 sound slimmer than with the iPhone.


Music used:

Café Zimmerman - Tony Vivaldi (Concerto pour deux violons...)

The New Mastersounds - Renewable Energy (album)

The Housemartins - Build (remastered)

The Beautiful South - Song For Whoever (remastered)

Diana Krall - All For You (album)

Matt Bianco - Gravity (album)

Toto - Greatest Hits (2017 version)

Hildegard Knef: Herr Kalecke an der Ecke

Brix & The Extricated - LA

Coco Schumann - Stripper Blues

Eric Clapton - Unplugged (album)

Sade - Diamond Life (Japanese remastered album)

Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms (25th anniversary edition album)

Excellent first impressions. Hope to receive mine today.

 

[CoiL]

I'm not that talented a surgeon on these things and honestly there are enough other choices out there that is isnt worth it to me to try. I put them in drawer and moved on. We are all different that way. I have a set of Zs5V1 that sit in a drawer too as they just were not a favorite for me. Not that they were bad, just that they didn't displace my daily drivers so they don't get much time. The Zs6 got more listening time than most and still gets used outdoors where I don't want to risk a more expensive pair of iems.

Please send me You ZS5v1, I luv them soo much with my gear and preferences ;P

 

[themindfreak]

Received my ZS10 today. First impressions tonality and sound wise they really do sound good. Wide stage, slightly dark sound but treble is still clean and can be heard perfectly well with a thumpy tight bass. I think this is KZ's best attempt at vocals to date, no sibilance or unnecessary peaks unlike the ZSR but to me the vocals are still too thin. All good so far until the sound stage. Its so messed up.. The staging and instrument placement don't even sound right at all like what the hell? The bass kick drums sound as if its in my head and behind me and the vocalist also sound inside my head while the instruments are out of my head..? I really want to believe my unit has a internal wiring issue tbh but I don't think it is.. And yes i know how to put the cables polarity correctly. Its the same feeling I had with the ZS5V1 staging issue.. Can anyone confirm if their ZS10 have such vocal and instrument placement issues?

Edit: Btw fit was good for me, no sharp edges hitting my ear and it stays put in my ear even when i move my head about

EDIT 2: WHAT IT WAS THE CABLES THAT HAD POLARITY REVERSED, JUST TRIED MY ZST CABLE AND IT WORKED WOW

 

[Slater]

Received my ZS10 today. First impressions tonality and sound wise they really do sound good. Wide stage, slightly dark sound but treble is still clean and can be heard perfectly well with a thumpy tight bass. I think this is KZ's best attempt at vocals to date, no sibilance or unnecessary peaks unlike the ZSR but to me the vocals are still too thin. All good so far until the sound stage. Its so messed up.. The staging and instrument placement don't even sound right at all like what the hell? The bass kick drums sound as if its in my head and behind me and the vocalist also sound inside my head while the instruments are out of my head..? I really want to believe my unit has a internal wiring issue tbh but I don't think it is.. And yes i know how to put the cables polarity correctly. Its the same feeling I had with the ZS5V1 staging issue.. Can anyone confirm if their ZS10 have such vocal and instrument placement issues?

Edit: Btw fit was good for me, no sharp edges hitting my ear and it stays put in my ear even when i move my head about

Assuming the track isn’t recorded that way, and the drums sound “normal” on a different set of earphones or headphones, the drums “behind you” is a classic symptom of out-of-phase speakers.

Did you try the phase test tracks on audiocheck.net? There’s also a really good one I like on YouTube:

So try reversing the wire on 1 side, and if that doesn’t clear it up, my money is on 2 or more drivers wired up wrong internally. With (10) drivers that all need to be wired up perfectly, (8) of them being microscopic BA drivers, it would not surprise me in the least bit if we hear about more of this happening.

 

[themindfreak]

I tried reversing the ZS10 cable and it still doesnt seem to sound correct. (Meaning i put the left cable on the left earphone but in the reverse way). It seems I'll stick to my ZST cables and hopefully exchange my faulty one for from Nicehck