[sino8r]

I believe I see what you're saying.

If I pause a song, there is a very faint white noise sound for ~5 seconds and then the white noise sound cuts off and is dead silent (maybe a battery saving feature).

This is not all that uncommon with Bluetooth gear. It is very faint, and I don't really notice it (probably because I have mild tinnitus).

From what you're describing with the BT3, I would say we are talking about the same thing (ie a faint white noise sound).

However, since your BT10 white noise is much louder compared to the BT3, then I would say something is wrong. Because that faint sound is the same on my BT3 and BT10.

I can confirm both my BT3 and bt10 sound the same as far as white noise goes. Extremely minimal, not noticeable at all. I might hear it between a song playing or call or video for half a second but then it goes away. Definitely, not normal.

 

[sino8r]

Ok, but still why "about half" of AS10 owners report sibilance? Different hearing, source gear etc. ? Smartphone not powering up bass-mids BAs enough that highs BA becomes more prominent? IDK. Will wait for more reports about AS10 and do more reading before I even start to think about getting AS10.
I would be ok with V-shape if it is done well and knowing that AS10 has separate midrange BA makes me think it is tuneable(modable) to more balanced sounding with better mids presence.

Anyway, my bet is atm @ ZS7. Hopefully it will adopt also midrange BA.

Either AS10 or ZS7 ...I want to mod those BA`s into ZS4 shells ;P

I could buy into this. Power source could totally be an issue. Many of us use the TRN bluetooths. I almost exclusively use mine. When I do use wired, I don't use an amp. Could be that the larger BAs are underpowered. I don't really seem to have that issue with the dynamic drivers. I wonder if a larger BA requires more juice? I'm definitely no expert in audio but have been an end-user of early bluetooth, larger home stereos, and custom car audio for many years. I'm still fairly new to iems though.

Oh! One other thing... What do y'all think of TFZ? Are they similar to ibasso or something? Single large graphine drivers. I just grabbed the TFZ Queen and the KZ BA10. Gonna try and compare those the AS10 and return the rest. My iems are starting to pile up and have gotten to the point where I'm going to have to give some away to friends and family. Too many of my KZs sound similar and it's getting rather redundant.

 

[baxuz]

Tonight, I finally managed to debug the darn thing. I unsoldered and desoldered all cables to see if there was any bridging present. None.

I then connected the earphone pins to a female 3-pole 3.5 mm adapter (combined L/R ground) and procedeed to debug multiple headphones and inputs.

Here's what I found out:
Compared to the BT3s, the BT10s have a higher pitched noise which has a rhythmical/periodical component to it, making it more noticable, but it's not really louder.
The V80s pick up that noise like mad and seem to amp it up The Tin Audio T2s and Superlux HD381s manage just fine, almost the same as the BT3s.
The Mic-in/Line-in inputs on my PC and amp don't give a rat's ass about the noise and seem to cancel it out somehow.

Of course, connecting the V80s via a 3.5mm jack directly to my phone / PC / amp result in absolutely no noise present and much higher quality audio.

Another thing I noticed is that the pattern/frequency of the BT10s changes a bit depending on if I have both or a single headphone plugged in. Maybe a voltage drop happens or something. Maybe the V80s "dirty" up the signal when they return to ground causing some sort of feedback.

Sadly I don't understand all the HI-FI electronic lingo like impedance, ohms, balanced/unbalanced, etc so that I could pinpoint the cause.

Seems to me that all these chi-fi bluetooth headsets have some inherent flaw in the electronics which may or may not manifest depending on your component combinations.

 

[Devodonaldson]

I always felt like the problem with ZS10s were the vocals felt recessed. The mids and bass sounded good to me. They sound alot like the AS10s except the treble is cranked up like most KZ models lately. I will admit since using darker sets lately, the ZS10s sound alot better than in the past. They are really great for TV, movies, & videos. Music, not as much. I guess it's just what you're used to...

Interesting impressions. I am an iSine 20, Nighthawk, and Nightowl user, so the ZS10 sounds great to me. Using Symbio tips

 

[antdroid]

I don't think I ever posted these photos, but here's a look at how the two new KZ's look on a fake ear (BA10, ZSA, AS10)

 

[Slater]

I don't think I ever posted these photos, but here's a look at how the two new KZ's look on a fake ear (BA10, ZSA, AS10)

That BA10 looks uncomfortable as heck. What was KZ thinking??

 

[antdroid]

That BA10 looks uncomfortable as heck. What was KZ thinking??

Yea. Opinions may differ because everyone has different ear sizes and shapes, but even though the AS10 is slightly larger, it is more comfortable to me than the BA10. If you click to enlarge the BA10 photo, you'll see why I complain about the square edges and it's contact point to my ears. If you're an engineer, you'll understand what a point load (BA10) is vs a distributed load (AS10) but even if you're not, it's pretty easy to see that for some people who are smaller, the BA10's corners may jab you.

 

[SHAMuuu]

Chinese ebay seller sent replacement zs10 since first pair was DOA.

Pleasantly surprised even after 10 days of use (couple of hours per day). Even slept in them!
More balanced than i expected, and i guess this is due to their separated bores of the dynamic driver and dual BA/bore for the other two bores. Anyway this was shown by TechmanZ on youtube who took it apart.
Chi-fi miracle? In a way for its sub 50 bones msrp, yep.

Problems? Yessir. The thing is fat as hell; and , this combined with a short nozzle is a big no no.

Silicone or rubber tips provided once warmed up in the ear become slippery and slip out easier compared to foam tips. So foam tips is the way to go i thought.

Tried 4 diff types: Comply. KingYou, misodiko, and super bee

The winners were comply and KingYou. KingYou is pricey but i find them best with ZS10. They keep the iem from popping out.

YMMV

 

[carltonh]

The ES4 is quite good. There is a peak at 12.5Khz that can be fatiguing, but I EQ it down and so I still find it great. But to compare, the Uiisii CM5 is still cheaper (in America on Amazon) and iks still better and a flatter, more natural response. Not that I'm complaining, as I don't think you can find any hybrid or otherwise earphone better than the CM5 for the price... But double up to $30 on a slowboat plus an EQ down at 3Khz for the ZS10, and you have a whole different ball game.

 

[Joong]

As10 and Ba10 are the cream of the crop in the KZs?

 

[Slater]

Yea. Opinions may differ because everyone has different ear sizes and shapes, but even though the AS10 is slightly larger, it is more comfortable to me than the BA10. If you click to enlarge the BA10 photo, you'll see why I complain about the square edges and it's contact point to my ears. If you're an engineer, you'll understand what a point load (BA10) is vs a distributed load (AS10) but even if you're not, it's pretty easy to see that for some people who are smaller, the BA10's corners may jab you.

Agreed. I mean, my ear hurts just looking at the photo. Obviously, it will fit some people OK and others not OK. But I just figured KZ learned their lesson with the ZS5, as they smoothed out the sharp angles for the ZS6.

 

[Slater]

As10 and Ba10 are the cream of the crop in the KZs?

Depends on what you want.

Each KZ has their strengths and weaknesses. Their flagships aren't always the "best", depending on what you are interested in.

Some people want the "best KZ" for soundstage, or for a certain budget. Others want the "best KZ" for low-fi sources, or use with a bluetooth cable. Still others want the "best KZ" for comfortable fit, or a model that is worn down vs up.

So maybe give us a little more information about what you want, and then we can tell you what may be "the best"

 

[Joong]

Depends on what you want.

Each KZ has their strengths and weaknesses. Their flagships aren't always the "best", depending on what you are interested in.

Some people want the "best KZ" for soundstage, or for a certain budget. Others want the "best KZ" for low-fi sources, or use with a bluetooth cable. Still others want the "best KZ" for comfortable fit, or a model that is worn down vs up.

So maybe give us a little more information about what you want, and then we can tell you what may be "the best"

This thread is the best place, due to the cost difference being small enough among phones, for showing that "generally there are no good or bad phones but different phones".
Correctly, There are no good or bad phones but expensive or inexpensive phones.
Thanks for your insight.

 

[Aparker2005]

Just saw kz post the ZSN hybrid. Any idea on what that is?

 

[Makahl]

Just saw kz post the ZSN hybrid. Any idea on what that is?

Looks like a fancy ZST with metal nozzle and faceplate. I couldn't find the driver configuration but I'd expect new drivers too.