[BadReligionPunk]

TDK BA100 is only single BA phone I have experience with. Discontinued, but was available for awhile at TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Ross stores for like $10. Can find them on ebay every once in awhile.

Also set my alarm for 2am so I could buy a pair of those T6 headphones. Got a pair of them and the Bluetooth ANC earphones for 38 shipped. Pretty unbelievable. It will be interesting to compare the T6 at $30 to Sony 1000XM2 at $300. The Sonys have the best ANC going right now imo.

 

[CardigdanWalk]

Also set my alarm for 2am so I could buy a pair of those T6 headphones. Got a pair of them and the Bluetooth ANC earphones for 38 shipped. Pretty unbelievable. It will be interesting to compare the T6 at $30 to Sony 1000XM2 at $300. The Sonys have the best ANC going right now imo.

Also went ahead and bought the T6 after they confirmed it supported AAC so should be useable with iPhone etc.

Also decided to buy the BS-6 Bluetooth speaker as someone here mentioned it wasn’t too bad and was looking to try out a Bluetooth speaker. No idea if that supports AAC but fingers crossed!

This thread is not good for my wallet!

 

[Zlivan]

I'm still trying to resist the urge to order those t6
Knowing Bluedio, they are probably way too bassy, but the price is tempting. Also, ANC probably doesn't work well, but that doesn't concern me too much.

Remax RM-600M are supposed to have a single BA: http://s.aliexpress.com/yQVvIVje

I think I saw even cheaper models on Ali, but I can't remember which ones.

 

[Slater]

I'm still trying to resist the urge to order those t6
Knowing Bluedio, they are probably way too bassy, but the price is tempting. Also, ANC probably doesn't work well, but that doesn't concern me too much.

Yes, and yes.

Bluedio was started by ex-Beats engineers, and it shows. The 57mm titanium driver they developed in-house, and use in most of their full size headphones, is very colored. The low end can be easily tuned though. All Bluedios I’ve ever seen are easily disassembled. Then you have access to the driver, and can tune it accordingly. It’s what I do to all of my Bluedios. You can also swap out the drivers for something different, using the Bluedio as a low cost donor shell.

They’re good for the price, and most of them are built solid. Perfect for teenagers that abuse and destroy gear. They are no certainty no Sennheiser HDxxx however. Think of them as an alternative to Beats, but with a more durable build.

As far as Bluedio’s ANC, it is very minimal. Bose has it pretty much perfected. Bluedio is slowly improving. Integrity T4S, they only used a single mic. It cuts more of the environmental noise, but also cuts a large portion of the low end frequency. The T5, T6, and the T energy uses a dual mic design and a different ANC algorithm. I haven’t heard the one on the T5 or T6 yet, but I can say that the T energy IEM is improved vs the T4S. It has virtually no detectable effect on the music (in my testing), but it is less effective on the environmental noise itself than the previous iteration. If I had my choice between 1) more impact on the music but more cutdown of the environment vs 2) less impact on the music but less cutdown of the environment, I’d take #2.

 

[BadReligionPunk]

Im a flippin basshead so I am hopeful they bring the feels. 57mm drivers and 50mw amp. Its possible. Tried just about every bluetooth headphone and Nothing really brings the pain. Sony Xb950 is best bass energy transfer to head bt phones ive tried, but not close to jvc sz2000 or yamaha pro500.

 

[dhruvmeena96]

The thing to remember with any driver whether BA or dynamic is that efficiency is diametrically opposed to extension. The only way to create a full range driver with good extension at both ends is to sacrifice efficiency. The fact that the Astrotec shows really good efficiency numbers suggests its extension will be lacking. The Campfire Comet on the other hand has an efficiency in the low 90s and an impedance of 48 Ohms as they were shooting for more extension at the expense of efficiency.

That seems to be the case but not always, it is how you implement it. Spiral ears put a horn infront of the BA(acapella horn) to get the low end done.

All BA are compression driver to be exact. Just miniaturized(even though compression driver working is very different, the sound waves are created in same pattern just with way better impulse on compression driver). Compression driver are narrow bands and mostly equipped with horn or semi band pass impedance to boost bass.

Warbler are 32ohm and way better than comet.
Final audio FI BA SS is 16ohm and 116dB but is from my point of view, more extended if not more tuned than comet is also a single BA due to Molex made proprietary driver with balanced air movement topology and non foam mechanical damping

 

[Wiljen]

That seems to be the case but not always, it is how you implement it. Spiral ears put a horn infront of the BA(acapella horn) to get the low end done.

All BA are compression driver to be exact. Just miniaturized(even though compression driver working is very different, the sound waves are created in same pattern just with way better impulse on compression driver). Compression driver are narrow bands and mostly equipped with horn or semi band pass impedance to boost bass.

Warbler are 32ohm and way better than comet.
Final audio FI BA SS is 16ohm and 116dB but is from my point of view, more extended if not more tuned than comet is also a single BA due to Molex made proprietary driver with balanced air movement topology and non foam mechanical damping

Oh I agree that the higher end outfits find ways to modify the sound (The FA is vented), and warbler you only posted impedance which without knowing the sensitivity really does nothing to tell us how efficient the driver is. Technically the Fostex planer driver is only 50 Ohm but nobody is going to argue it is an efficient driver. You are comparing models that cost over $1k with a $15 Astrotec and a $200 Campfire. I'd hope the difference in spend was buying you something.

The FA is also capable of being really harsh and wasn't a favorite for me. The Warbler was nice though, I'll concede that much.

As for the statement, efficiency is always in direct opposition to extension - no way around it. It takes more energy to move more air.

 

[Slater]

Im a flippin basshead so I am hopeful they bring the feels. 57mm drivers and 50mw amp. Its possible. Tried just about every bluetooth headphone and Nothing really brings the pain. Sony Xb950 is best bass energy transfer to head bt phones ive tried, but not close to jvc sz2000 or yamaha pro500.

A basshead level is a fine line to walk. Too much and it’s tubby and bloated. It’s gotta be done just right. Bluedio hasn’t done it yet (at least on the models I own). Maybe they’ll get it right on the T6.

One of my biggest beefs with Bluedio are the proprietary pads. You’re stuck with them, and the pads influence both the sound and the fit/comfort.

Some of the models seal too much, causing an uncomfortable suction effect. And the pads they almost always use are too small, being right at that annoying size of in-between an on-ear and an over-ear (causing hot spots).

They finally got some sense and went with a larger round pad starting with the T5. I’m also glad to see they went with a large oval pad on the T6, and I am curious to hear it’s impact on the sound (and whether the pads can be changed out or not).

I think the Bluedios would sound great with a velour pad, but there’s been no way to try one so far.

 

[dhruvmeena96]

Oh I agree that the higher end outfits find ways to modify the sound (The FA is vented), and warbler you only posted impedance which without knowing the sensitivity really does nothing to tell us how efficient the driver is. Technically the Fostex planer driver is only 50 Ohm but nobody is going to argue it is an efficient driver. You are comparing models that cost over $1k with a $15 Astrotec and a $200 Campfire. I'd hope the difference in spend was buying you something.

The FA is also capable of being really harsh and wasn't a favorite for me. The Warbler was nice though, I'll concede that much.

As for the statement, efficiency is always in direct opposition to extension - no way around it. It takes more energy to move more air.

In layman terms, yes

In science terms, a complete no

The more power you feed to a driver, makes the excursion more, hence longer travels of diaphragm makes the small treble movement harder to achieve.
So its true, the less overall movement of driver makes the driver transient response and movement from one spectrum to another spectrum very smooth and efficient.

But old engineers in old era used different baffle construction, tuning technique to fight against it. Sometimes lowther did their driver with silver coil just to get the near same output(a little less) with more extension. Silver turns out to be stronger electromagnet but also a little heavy than aluminium coils.

Proprietary drivers, if no price barred scenario can make single BA very efficient and dynamic to the top of line level(hifiman re1000 and 2000)

 

[Wiljen]

In layman terms, yes

In science terms, a complete no

The more power you feed to a driver, makes the excursion more, hence longer travels of diaphragm makes the small treble movement harder to achieve.
So its true, the less overall movement of driver makes the driver transient response and movement from one spectrum to another spectrum very smooth and efficient.

But old engineers in old era used different baffle construction, tuning technique to fight against it. Sometimes lowther did their driver with silver coil just to get the near same output(a little less) with more extension. Silver turns out to be stronger electromagnet but also a little heavy than aluminium coils.

Proprietary drivers, if no price barred scenario can make single BA very efficient and dynamic to the top of line level(hifiman re1000 and 2000)

Your examples seem to lean toward increasing the upper end extension which to me isn't the biggest weakness of the BA. How do you increase low end extension without venting, using the housing as a ported housing, or decreasing efficiency to move more air?

 

[gemmoglock]

Hi everyone, I haven't gotten new KZs after my ATR and ZS3 so would like some advice what to get.

I'm looking for something with a moderate v signature not too strong, something like the ZS3. Would I be better off with the ZS6, ZS10 or ZSR? I read that ZS10 has tonality issues and ZSR has some sibilance/boomy bass comments so not sure what to get. I enjoy both the ATR and ZS3 so that's the kind of sound that works for me.

Also, if anyone has ideas on whether to order KZ upgrade cables or stick with stock, let me know too

Cheers!

Anyone can point me to whether to get the ZS6/ZS10/ZSR?

Coming from ZS3 and sometimes ATR. I appreciate a natural tonality and was worried how skewed tonality for the newer KZs are after reading https://www.headfonia.com/review-kz-zs10/

Thanks!

 

[Wiljen]

Anyone can point me to whether to get the ZS6/10/R?

Coming from ZS3 and sometimes ATR.

Thanks!

Will really depend on what you are after.
Zsr is probably best compromise of the 3.
Zs10 is most resolving but big and fit may be an issue and a bit veiled and distant at times.
Zs6 is lively but shell leaves something to be desired for comfort and spike in the middle of treble range bothers some.

Have you considered the ES4? To me, with you coming from the Zs3 that was renouned for its low end, the ES4 is a step toward a more balanced signature while still retaining that extra bass energy that made the Zs3 fun.

 

[gemmoglock]

Will really depend on what you are after.
Zsr is probably best compromise of the 3.
Zs10 is most resolving but big and fit may be an issue and a bit veiled and distant at times.
Zs6 is lively but shell leaves something to be desired for comfort and spike in the middle of treble range bothers some.

Have you considered the ES4? To me, with you coming from the Zs3 that was renouned for its low end, the ES4 is a step toward a more balanced signature while still retaining that extra bass energy that made the Zs3 fun.

Thanks for replying - I just edited my post with context: I am looking for natural tonality that ATR/ZS3 kinda had, and was worried when ZS10 was criticised at https://www.headfonia.com/review-kz-zs10/

I will check out ES4 - does it have incoherence like the similar ZST hardware? Actually I have heard both the B400 and Comet, which new KZ do you think strikes a similar balance in terms of relatively natural tonality, resolving just enough detail and sounding fun (there's a ZSA too?!)?

Thanks for the help! Shoutout to the DP-S1 too haha.

 

[eaglearrow]

Anyone can point me to whether to get the ZS6/ZS10/ZSR?

Coming from ZS3 and sometimes ATR. I appreciate a natural tonality and was worried how skewed tonality for the newer KZs are after reading https://www.headfonia.com/review-kz-zs10/

Thanks!

Well, i wont be able to tell you what to go for as i don't really own the recent KZ's, but i can surely tell you what not to go for if you are looking for something similar to zs3. Of the 3, skip the ZS6. I have had the Ate and now own both Zs3 and Zs6 and the sound sig is totally dfferent. The treble..nope the 'Supertreble' is too much to take in compared to the Zs3. However the IEM by itself is tuned pretty good if not for those ear piercing treble. If you can live with it, go for it. Else look somewhere else. I for one, i am not really a fan of Zs6.

 

[Cronnie]

Any recommendations for some of the smaller KZ IEMs for me to check out? Main reason being I'd like one I can use while in bed. Just looking for some model names which I can then further research on their sound profiles etc.