[KainHighwind]

Do thousands headphones sounds good even from a crappy source? I mostly hear on my Xiaomi Mi5 phone, I don't know if those high end headphones can sound significant better than those cheap headphones, I think the source is just as important as hearphones, right?

 

[HungryPanda]

A good source goes a long way to getting a good sound

 

[Zerohour88]

Do thousands headphones sounds good even from a ****ty source? I mostly hear on my Xiaomi Mi5 phone, I don't know if those high end headphones can sound significant better than those cheap headphones, I think the source is just as important as hearphones, right?

well, technically yes, they still sound good, but you still need a good source to bring out their full potential. I tested the UERM and Aeon Flow using my crap S5 phone, they still sound sublime.

To simplify it, if you have $500 to spend on portable hi-fi, I'd go $350 IEM/headphone and $150 source (the recently released Topping NX4 DSD comes to mind).

 

[nxnje]

I have to conifirm what @HungryPand says.
Since i had bad headphones i've just noticed a few stuff that didn't satisfy my tastes.
Then i started listening to different headphones and stopped on my memt x5. I mean, this is not a top notch headphone, and u can see by searching his name, many kzs are even better than my memt x5 costing less. But it introduced me into chi-fi and i discovered the DAPs world.
To get into that i bought an AGPTEK m20/Benjie s5, a cheap DAP that performs really well.. it's a no brainer for the price.
I have to say, i was listening to my humble memt x5 with my Samsung Galaxy s7, and i liked them.
But since when my girl gifted me the m20/s5 i discovered another way to listen to them. That DAP costs like a t-shirt but its value is crazy. It's an awesome source and i've tried it even with hd600 and so on. You will not catch all the potentialities of these kind of headphones that are hard to drive but they sound well, and it's crazy how a 20$ DAP can do this job.
Since when i have it, i noticed a different level of detail, basses have more extension and they go even deeper. Sound quality had a big improvement overall, i would say the experience is more immersive.
If u wanna start going around the DAP world i can tip you to buy a BENJIE S5/AGPTEK m20 or a Ruizu A50, that are both great sources to start.
If you don't care about the screen (for me is really important to choose the tracks) u can watch for the Walnut v2, which can even be used as an amplifiere as far as i know and it's a great cheap source for "bigger" headphones, and it's well made and feels so vintage.

Do thousands headphones sounds good even from a ****ty source? I mostly hear on my Xiaomi Mi5 phone, I don't know if those high end headphones can sound significant better than those cheap headphones, I think the source is just as important as hearphones, right?

A good source goes a long way to getting a good sound

 

[CoiL]

i was going to buy the es4 but i think u stopped me, watching online it seems it would have been a step-up from my memt x5, but still not a big step up like i wanted.
i have small ears and i don't wanna waste my money buying an iem that will maybe be uncomfortable to wear.

ES4 is better in SQ than X5 I guess (depends on preference) but I would go for ZSA if I were You.

 

[KainHighwind]

I have to conifirm what @HungryPand says.
Since i had bad headphones i've just noticed a few stuff that didn't satisfy my tastes.
Then i started listening to different headphones and stopped on my memt x5. I mean, this is not a top notch headphone, and u can see by searching his name, many kzs are even better than my memt x5 costing less. But it introduced me into chi-fi and i discovered the DAPs world.
To get into that i bought an AGPTEK m20/Benjie s5, a cheap DAP that performs really well.. it's a no brainer for the price.
I have to say, i was listening to my humble memt x5 with my Samsung Galaxy s7, and i liked them.
But since when my girl gifted me the m20/s5 i discovered another way to listen to them. That DAP costs like a t-shirt but its value is crazy. It's an awesome source and i've tried it even with hd600 and so on. You will not catch all the potentialities of these kind of headphones that are hard to drive but they sound well, and it's crazy how a 20$ DAP can do this job.
Since when i have it, i noticed a different level of detail, basses have more extension and they go even deeper. Sound quality had a big improvement overall, i would say the experience is more immersive.
If u wanna start going around the DAP world i can tip you to buy a BENJIE S5/AGPTEK m20 or a Ruizu A50, that are both great sources to start.
If you don't care about the screen (for me is really important to choose the tracks) u can watch for the Walnut v2, which can even be used as an amplifiere as far as i know and it's a great cheap source for "bigger" headphones, and it's well made and feels so vintage.

What do you think about that Benjie S5, is it better than your phone? I want to buy it but wonder if a cheap DAP can sound better than today smartphones.

 

[Bartig]

I'm currently testing the ZSR, ES4, ZST, ZSA, ZS3, ED16 and the second generation ZS5 in a big show off.

It's near impossible to do so. They're so much alike! I bet quite a few of us wouldn't succeed in a blind test.

The good thing is they're all pretty great. You can't go wrong with anyone of them.

 

[mbwilson111]

I'm currently testing the ZSR, ES4, ZST, ZSA, ZS3, ED16 and the second generation ZS5 in a big show off.

It's near impossible to do so. They're so much alike! I bet quite a few of us wouldn't succeed in a blind test.

The good thing is they're all pretty great. You can't go wrong with anyone of them.

Are your ears sore from taking so many in and out? I cannot even do that to compare two or three without hurting my ears.

Thanks for taking one for the team... lol.

Seems like people can just choose according to size, fit, style, color. Whatever appeals to you. Or, just get them all

Actually though I personally find differences among them.

My ZST probably needs a Slater mod because it is a bit harsh to my ears. I have a black TRN cable on my carbon ZST. I really want to like it.

Love the ZSR and ED16 - both fit and sound...and looks. Green ZSR, translucent black ED16. I have changed the cables on both.

I had problems with the fit of the ES4 even though its bigger brother the ZS10 fits me just fine (I don't mind that the ZS10 protrudes because somehow it balances well in MY ear). I did not listen to the ES4 long enough to form an opintion on the sound, I just knew I liked the ED16 more. The ES4 belongs to my husband and I have no plan to buy my own. If I ever do it will be the cyan color.

I only tried the ZSA when it was out of phase so no comment on the sound...pretty little thing but it was an awkward fit for me. No one else has seemed to have a problem. Because of my fit issue, I did not bother to try it after the phase problem was corrected. If any of these KZs truly sound horrible be sure to check if it is out of phase... either because the cable is in wrong or it is truly wired out of phase as my husband's one was.

Everyone seems to love the fit of the ZS3 but some corner of it pressed on the wrong part of MY ear. Sounded good though. Maybe different tips would have helped it sit better. Because of my fit issue I traded it to my husband for his Rock Zircon.

I do not have a ZS5 (either generation) but I love my green ZS6.

So pick one... or two... or all... or none...

 

[nxnje]

I've heard by many people zsa lacks much details on the mids and the treble and the imaging and soundstage are not impressive as other headphones. I know that form factor would be perfect for the fitting as it's small af.

ES4 is better in SQ than X5 I guess (depends on preference) but I would go for ZSA if I were You.

Then, answering to you @KainHighwind , my AGPTEK m20 (equal to the benjie s5) is a better source than my s7 edge. I can assure you quality-wise it's superior, it has a good chip in.
In the smartphone range there are few smartphones that have a good audio chip, like LTE Axon 7, LG with some quad dac devices and so on.
In any other case, a cheap dac like the benjie s5/agptek m20 will always be a better choice, imho it's the best cheap DAP under 50$. In that price range the only one that can be better than the s5 is the ruizu a50, which is a must have for 50 bucks as it has a good colored screen and it's small and light, providing an excellent sound.
Though, i love my s5, it's like 7 cm long and 3 cm large but it provides excellent sound quality if u have a good headphone. I love its practicity and how it makes my headphones sound. I wouldn't call it an analitic DAP, sound has a little boost in the frequencies, but it has a little eq presets which can maybe help finding the right sound, even though i love the standard one which has a vshape EQ that sounds fantastic.

 

[nxnje]

Are your ears sore from taking so many in and out? I cannot even do that to compare two or three without hurting my ears.

Thanks for taking one for the team... lol.

Seems like people can just choose according to size, fit, style, color. Whatever appeals to you. Or, just get them all

Actually though I personally find differences among them.

My ZST probably needs a Slater mod because it is a bit harsh to my ears. I have a black TRN cable on my carbon ZST. I really want to like it.

Love the ZSR and ED16 - both fit and sound...and looks. Green ZSR, translucent black ED16. I have changed the cables on both.

I had problems with the fit of the ES4 even though its bigger brother the ZS10 fits me just fine (I don't mind that the ZS10 protrudes because somehow it balances well in MY ear). I did not listen to the ES4 long enough to form an opintion on the sound, I just knew I liked the ED16 more. The ES4 belongs to my husband and I have no plan to buy my own. If I ever do it will be the cyan color.

I only tried the ZSA when it was out of phase so no comment on the sound...pretty little thing but it was an awkward fit for me. No one else has seemed to have a problem. Because of my fit issue, I did not bother to try it after the phase problem was corrected. If any of these KZs truly sound horrible be sure to check if it is out of phase... either because the cable is in wrong or it is truly wired out of phase as my husband's one was.

Everyone seems to love the fit of the ZS3 but some corner of it pressed on the wrong part of MY ear. Sounded good though. Maybe different tips would have helped it sit better. Because of my fit issue I traded it to my husband for his Rock Zircon.

I do not have a ZS5 (either generation) but I love my green ZS6.

So pick one... or two... or all... or none...

I didn't understand if your experience with the ZSA was positive. If it was, how would u compare them to the zs6?
can i ask you other 2 questions?
1. How do the zsr compare to zs6 and zsa? Is the zsr really big for small ears and uncomfortable?
2. How would u define the ed16? Which is its sound signature and how do u compare it to zsr, zs6 and zsa?


Thanks for the patience if you're gonna give me any answer, you would be very gentle!

 

[mbwilson111]

I didn't understand if your experience with the ZSA was positive. If it was, how would u compare them to the zs6?

As I said, it was out of phase when I listened so that made it horrible. It belongs to my husband. He has fixed the problem but I did not listen after because they do not fit comfortably for me. I prefer smaller iems to be worn cable down so I have no wish to try them again.

can i ask you other 2 questions?
1. How do the zsr compare to zs6 and zsa? Is the zsr really big for small ears and uncomfortable?
2. How would u define the ed16? Which is its sound signature and how do u compare it to zsr, zs6 and zsa?

Others have done reviews. As I said, I cannot take multiple iems in and out of my ears to do comparisons like that. It hurts my ears and then I have to take a break from iems for a few days.

Some people have complained about the ZSR and the ZS6 being too big or uncomfortable. I have no problem with them. I have no way to know how they feel in someone elses ears

That makes me think of a funny comment someone made in another thread the other day. We should all take photos of our ears and make that our profile picture... lol.

 

[Bartig]

I didn't understand if your experience with the ZSA was positive. If it was, how would u compare them to the zs6?
can i ask you other 2 questions?
1. How do the zsr compare to zs6 and zsa? Is the zsr really big for small ears and uncomfortable?
2. How would u define the ed16? Which is its sound signature and how do u compare it to zsr, zs6 and zsa?


Thanks for the patience if you're gonna give me any answer, you would be very gentle!

1. The ZSR is very big, but not so much more different from the size of the ZS6. I had to get used to them for a couple of days.

2. The ED16 has a sound signature in the middle of the ZSR and ZSA. It has more mid bass and emphasis on the mids than the ZSA but less than ZSR.

 

[CoiL]

I'm currently testing the ZSR, ES4, ZST, ZSA, ZS3, ED16 and the second generation ZS5 in a big show off.
It's near impossible to do so. They're so much alike! I bet quite a few of us wouldn't succeed in a blind test.

IMHO they are different sounding and I could identify them blindly.

 

[mbwilson111]

I've heard by many people zsa lacks much details on the mids and the treble and the imaging and soundstage are not impressive as other headphones. I know that form factor would be perfect for the fitting as it's small

I tried to look at your profile page to see what you already have but it is not filled out. So, maybe you already have this but the KZ ED9 is small and comfortable and sounds great. It even comes with two filters to choose from. I use the duller colored one not the shiny one. Comfortable, cable down... very easy on the ears.

 

[nxnje]

As I said, it was out of phase when I listened so that made it horrible. It belongs to my husband. He has fixed the problem but I did not listen after because they do not fit comfortably for me. I prefer smaller iems to be worn cable down so I have no wish to try them again.



Others have done reviews. As I said, I cannot take multiple iems in and out of my ears to do comparisons like that. It hurts my ears and then I have to take a break from iems for a few days.

Some people have complained about the ZSR and the ZS6 being too big or uncomfortable. I have no problem with them. I have no way to know how they feel in someone elses ears

That makes me think of a funny comment someone made in another thread the other day. We should all take photos of our ears and make that our profile picture... lol.

I understand what you say. Do u have small ears? I have small ears and my only doubt for zsr was the big shape. My question wasn't like "do u know how would it fit to my ears?", it was just a way to ask you if you have small ears, and if it fits ok even if it's big, but i think u answered me.

Now i'm really confused, much more than i was before posting here.
ES4 is nothing special, as i've read it sounds between a good single driver and good multidriver iem.
ZSA has a good shape but i lacks much details and can't handle complex tracks.
ED16 is a mystere, a mix between a technical monstor and the zsa.
KZ ZS6 is one of the best even if it has high pierce on the trebles, but ZSR and ZS6 share a big shape as they are made different than other kz iems (better soundstage, better driver tuning and positioning in the shell and so on).

chi-fi is making me mad and crazy at the same time