[Torment]

My ZSA are in the country just gone through customs so should be any day hopefully

 

[DocHoliday]

About hearing perception... I think no. I`m well referenced with other head-fi members and have many KZ`s and some other good IEMs.
Also my source gear(s) is pretty great (imho very good after modifications) and I never use EQ btw.
I think it is mainly about KZ changing tuning/driver of ZS3 + well known VERY BAD QC with heat-shrink sound tubes (crushed, uneven shrinking, cracked).
But heck, I love ZS3 shells and fit. Will get back finishing modding them after IT01 & ZS5v1 mods.

Crushed tube:

I was one of the few to receive the very first ZS3's pre-recall. The recall took place within 48 hours of the ZS3's release. Mine were shipped just hours before the recall took place. My ZS3 had no foam in the nozzle and they were fitted with the 0.78mm 2-pin receptacle. It's still a very good IEM. I have removed the red nylon mesh screen and the only drawback is the occasional strident upper midrange. I've found that the bass and the isolation work well for outdoor use but the ZS3 is not as refined as the newer crop of KZ's (ZSR, ES3, ZS6, ZS5(i) etc.) but I can still enjoy them.

Anyone have info on the UiiSii CM5 driver? ZS4 or no ZS4, I'm considering transplanting the UiiSii CM5 driver into a new ZS3 housing. ZS3 fits like a custom in-ear monitor for me.

BTW, thanks for responding to my ATE/ATR question, Coil.

 

[Makahl]

Crushed tube:


I was one of the few to receive the very first ZS3's pre-recall. The recall took place within 48 hours of the ZS3's release. Mine were shipped just hours before the recall took place. My ZS3 had no foam in the nozzle and they were fitted with the 0.78mm 2-pin receptacle. It's still a very good IEM. I have removed the red nylon mesh screen and the only drawback is the occasional strident upper midrange. I've found that the bass and the isolation work well for outdoor use but the ZS3 is not as refined as the newer crop of KZ's (ZSR, ES3, ZS6, ZS5(i) etc.) but I can still enjoy them.

Anyone have info on the UiiSii CM5 driver? ZS4 or no ZS4, I'm considering transplanting the UiiSii CM5 driver into a new ZS3 housing. ZS3 fits like a custom in-ear monitor for me.

BTW, thanks for responding to my ATE/ATR question, Coil.

I've opened the Blitzwolf BW-ES1 with this idea to move the driver into the ZS3's housing, although this DD is like an earbud driver differently than ZS3's driver which you attach a tube. Something like that:

So you'll get only mid/highs frequencies without a good seal. I was trying to mod ZS3 into a hybrid but I ended up just using 1 full-range BA like RAB-32257(3x2mm tube 20mm + knowles green damper) since it's just plug and play, however, that's amazingly good for its price. IEMs like Etymotic, FI-BA-SS,QDC Neptune, CA Orion/Comet only use 1 full-range BA and you can see a lot of people like them.

Edit: CM5's driver is like the ES1 so that'll be really hard to get a good seal inside. So I think the best option is wait for ZS4 haha.

 

[Podster]

I'm so weak Triggered yet another cart, ED15, ES4, ZSA, Red Benjie S5, two more Bronze SP cables and finished off with the T2's just cause they will look so sweet with that red Benjie Still scrubbing the SUCKA off my forehead

 

[MyPants]

Please edit your post and remove name for the sake of this thread

I've gotta ask, I understand why we're not supposed to endorse products from the banned sellers, link to them, or discuss their prices, but why in the world do we have to be so uptight about the mere mention of their names? What harm would be done by saying "-banned seller's actual name- is banned so don't discuss them" rather than having to hint at it like frickin Voldemort? And it seems like some fascist thought policing to be disallowed from discussing the mere existence of products from these sellers in a neutral way. I mean, just because someone says a product exists and may be competent doesn't mean you should purchase it from a disreputable seller. Am I off base here, because I feel like a group of adults can handle this matter with a little more nuance.

 

[HungryPanda]

Because the threads keep getting locked or shut down, then the mods have to spend hours of their own time cleaning up. I buy from them and so do many others. I also do not agree but rules are rules

 

[MyPants]

Because the threads keep getting locked or shut down, then the mods have to spend hours of their own time cleaning up. I buy from them and so do many others. I also do not agree but rules are rules

But that's the question I'm asking. I don't blame you for stating the rules, I'm asking why they're so draconian to begin with.

 

[Wiljen]

Ouch, KZ QC strikes again!

My guess is 1 or both of the midrange BAs are dead or there’s a wiring problem.

I’d contact the seller and see if you can get them swapped out. Not sure how you’d ‘prove’ that just the midrange is wonky though, as sites like Aliexpress and Gearbest ask for video proof of the problem. It would show up on FR measurements, assuming you could get access to a measurement setup.

No more callers please we have a winner. After breaking them open, we found that both of the mid BAs on the left ear were wired in reverse polarity when compared to the right. In dissecting one of the other pairs, we confirmed the left to be wired backward in the pair I had. So now we know, at least one pair escaped mis-wired and there likely are others so if you get a pair that has a distinct hollow in the middle range you may want to check the wiring.

 

[Zerohour88]

But that's the question I'm asking. I don't blame you for stating the rules, I'm asking why they're so draconian to begin with.

check @Slater 's signature for info on the sellers. Judging from how they've operated, its likely just a zero-tolerance policy.

 

[MyPants]

No more callers please we have a winner. After breaking them open, we found that both of the mid BAs on the left ear were wired in reverse polarity when compared to the right. In dissecting one of the other pairs, we confirmed the left to be wired backward in the pair I had. So now we know, at least one pair escaped mis-wired and there likely are others so if you get a pair that has a distinct hollow in the middle range you may want to check the wiring.

Do I understand correctly that this would result in the midrange being out of phase while the rest of the range is in phase?

 

[MyPants]

check @Slater 's signature for info on the sellers. Judging from how they've operated, its likely just a zero-tolerance policy.

-sigh- I've read it and agree fundamentally with the ban, and I know it's a zero-tolerance policy, but I guess I've always thought those are a poorly tailored solution to most problems. Seems like it's just accepted 'round these parts though and it's not like I desperately wanna talk about those guys or their stuff so I guess it's whatever.

 

[vladstef]

No more callers please we have a winner. After breaking them open, we found that both of the mid BAs on the left ear were wired in reverse polarity when compared to the right. In dissecting one of the other pairs, we confirmed the left to be wired backward in the pair I had. So now we know, at least one pair escaped mis-wired and there likely are others so if you get a pair that has a distinct hollow in the middle range you may want to check the wiring.

Oh.. this might be what I'm hearing with ZS10. It's not exactly a standard reveresed polarity sound, but this could be less noticeable on ZS10 due to driver count. You don't often get a 5 driver IEM where some drivers are not properly soldered given that they mostly cost like 1K$.

 

[Slater]

No more callers please we have a winner. After breaking them open, we found that both of the mid BAs on the left ear were wired in reverse polarity when compared to the right. In dissecting one of the other pairs, we confirmed the left to be wired backward in the pair I had. So now we know, at least one pair escaped mis-wired and there likely are others so if you get a pair that has a distinct hollow in the middle range you may want to check the wiring.

Nice job!

Yup, and this is the problem with the "BA driver wars" (with everyone, not just KZ). It's one thing to make sure to solder the wires properly on ONE driver. But when we start having 4, 5, 6, 8 drivers per side, this is going to become a bigger and bigger problem as time goes on.

As I've said in the past, how is the average Joe supposed to know if 1 or 2 out of their 12 drivers either dies at some point a month after receiving, or is miswired/DOA right out of the box? You could say "Oh, but I'm sure I will hear something wrong". But I contend that is just wishful thinking, based on the fact that an individual BA may only be contributing ~1dB over a very small frequency range for example.

 

[fluteloop]

I think most people who did not respond well to the ZS10 bought on the pre-formed notion that it would have an energetic, bright signature similar to the ZS5 and ZS6 that came before as KZ's TOTL models.

I was hoping it was not going to follow the same path as those, I think they'd done well with the previous models,

Do I understand correctly that this would result in the midrange being out of phase while the rest of the range is in phase?

Correct it sounds like someone scoops the body from the sound out... it's there it's just hollow and almost lifeless, it's a horrible sensation even on phones you're unfamiliar with something very wrong is apparent. they might even still sound clean and crisp just completely nauseating.

 

[Wiljen]

Nice job!

Yup, and this is the problem with the "BA driver wars" (with everyone, not just KZ). It's one thing to make sure to solder the wires properly on ONE driver. But when we start having 4, 5, 6, 8 drivers per side, this is going to become a bigger and bigger problem as time goes on.

As I've said in the past, how is the average Joe supposed to know if 1 or 2 out of their 12 drivers either dies at some point a month after receiving, or is miswired/DOA right out of the box? You could say "Oh, but I'm sure I will hear something wrong". But I contend that is just wishful thinking, based on the fact that an individual BA may only be contributing ~1dB over a very small frequency range for example.

You could hear it without a doubt in this case, but it would be interesting to know how much difference it would make to repair only one of the two and see what you hear with 1 driver out of phase. That might well be very difficult to identify by sound alone. I suspect it wont sound right, but possibly not wrong enough to be identifiable for what it was. I might just try this as I re-wire them just to see.