[Podster]

no way i'm giving my little stronz anything as nice as the techne--he gets the ones i can't abide, like the hds2 or the rock zircon (and even those with great reluctance, since i should give 'em to the homeless or whomever). otoh, my dogs take meticulous care of their chew toys...

LOL, my dog treats his chew toys as the 17 year old does his iem's but my 15 year old has a much higher respect for his ZS6's and music in general. However he's been hooked on his wireless pods of late!

 

[Slater]

no way i'm giving my little stronz anything as nice as the techne--he gets the ones i can't abide, like the hds2 or the rock zircon (and even those with great reluctance, since i should give 'em to the homeless or whomever). otoh, my dogs take meticulous care of their chew toys...

HDS2 are too fragile - they likely wouldn't last 2 weeks if abused by a teenager. The wire strain coming out of the shell is a joke. And if the tips are messed with too much, there's a good chance the 2 halves of the shell will separate.

If it was me, I'd give the kid the Zircon and the HDS2 to the family cat lol

 

[Mybutthurts]

Nice to see your son has the same pet name as mine...had it for at least 23 years.

no way i'm giving my little stronz anything as nice as the techne--he gets the ones i can't abide, like the hds2 or the rock zircon (and even those with great reluctance, since i should give 'em to the homeless or whomever). otoh, my dogs take meticulous care of their chew toys...

 

[Dobrescu George]

So I got the BA 10 thingy (?)

This is the most cubic IEM I have ever seen in my entire life

 

[HungryPanda]

So I got the BA 10 thingy (?)

This is the most cubic IEM I have ever seen in my entire life

But it does sound good

 

[sino8r]

So I got the BA 10 thingy (?)

This is the most cubic IEM I have ever seen in my entire life

Welcome the world of robot ears, human. Aka Iron Man ears, Mr. Robot, etc. I really wanted to love mine as they sounded nice but the shape was painful... Might as well try the AS10s if comfort is an issue.

Nice to see your son has the same pet name as mine...had it for at least 23 years.

That's a pet name? In bast@rdized Italian here in US, it refers to a turd lol! Needless to say, it was my nickname and my grandfathers

 

[Slater]

Welcome the world of robot ears, human. Aka Iron Man ears, Mr. Robot, etc. I really wanted to love mine as they sounded nice but the shape was painful...

Perhaps the fit could be adjusted using thermoplastic, like this:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/custom-ear-molds-for-iems.830823/page-3#post-14560804

 

[sino8r]

Perhaps the fit could be adjusted using thermoplastic, like this:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/custom-ear-molds-for-iems.830823/page-3#post-14560804

Not a bad idea although I sent my back along with the AS10. They sounded really good but was on the hunt for some iems with great mids and settled on the Fiio FH5 after trying all some of TFZs as well. Really digging the IMR R1s right now. All the filter options are great and they have some of the greatest bass I've ever heard for iems. I did experiment with the filters some and did find out a few things that are related to the KZs though. And you'd especially appreciate it, Slater. The BAs mods can really be improved with foam instead of cotton. The foam that is used for cases is about the same density they use in sound isolation and works really well. I'm gonna try that with some of my KZS6s. I wish I still had the BA10 and AS10 to try this on. Might be worth a shot for those trying to tame the treble and add additional bass. Looking forward to what KZ comes up with next because the AS10s and BA10s are really polished. They can hang with the high end TFZs at this point and that's quite the complement!

 

[xinn47]

Got an ED16 to replace my ES4, fitted them with KZ foam tips and damn, they sound really good and quite dangerous for walking around outside with these because of the isolation. The problem is that the foam tips won't stay on the IEM and stays in my ears when I remove them. Got any solution for those?

 

[Slater]

The problem is that the foam tips won't stay on the IEM and stays in my ears when I remove them. Got any solution for those?

You can buy foam tips that fit a variety of nozzles. Sounds like you simply need a proper fitting foam tip (ie T100, T200, T400, T500, T600).

What is the nozzle diameter of the ED16?

 

[Slater]

Not a bad idea although I sent my back along with the AS10. They sounded really good but was on the hunt for some iems with great mids and settled on the Fiio FH5 after trying all some of TFZs as well. Really digging the IMR R1s right now. All the filter options are great and they have some of the greatest bass I've ever heard for iems. I did experiment with the filters some and did find out a few things that are related to the KZs though. And you'd especially appreciate it, Slater. The BAs mods can really be improved with foam instead of cotton. The foam that is used for cases is about the same density they use in sound isolation and works really well. I'm gonna try that with some of my KZS6s. I wish I still had the BA10 and AS10 to try this on. Might be worth a shot for those trying to tame the treble and add additional bass. Looking forward to what KZ comes up with next because the AS10s and BA10s are really polished. They can hang with the high end TFZs at this point and that's quite the complement!

Nice job friend! It's always rewarding to experiment with your audio gear and find improvements

You're right - the foam from some cases works great for dampening and tuning headphones and earphones.

I used the foam from a KZ case to dampen the BA on the ZST. It worked great, and the same idea can be adapter to most IEMs.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/kno...essions-thread.698148/page-1167#post-13480650

 

[rayliam80]

The ZSN arrived today. It took less than 10 days to arrive from Gearbest. I'm happy that they have pretty much the same shell shape as the ZST which fits my ears really well. I think they look better in person than most of the pics that are out there. I really like them with Auvio tips but the included Starline tips aren't bad either, I'm just getting a better fit is all. These are more comfortable for me compared to my personal current KZ favorite, the ZS10. Lots has already been said on this thread about the SQ of the ZSN. For me, it's rather bright, punchy with lots of clarity and details and also, @DocHoliday I agree with your sentiments about these forever retiring the ZST - it's a major step up.

I'll compare the ZSN to the ZSA first by using my Liquid Spark in low gain mode and both with Auvio tips. I find the ZSA to be less energetic and less sensitive compared to the ZSN. The timbre is very close, with maybe a slight edge to the ZSN. Soundstage and instrument separation sounds similar too but I do wonder if the ZSN's brightness is deceiving me a little bit so I'm just going to say they are even.

When plugging the ZSN into iEmatch port of my iFi Nano BL, the brightness goes down significantly and becomes less fatiguing similar to what I find with the ZS6. The ZSN becomes a more enjoyable IEM in this particular setup. The ZSA sounds more even with relatively no change in its sound signature between a typical amp (Liquid Spark) and the iEmatch port. If I didn't have iEmatch, I'd would choose the ZSA. If I had iEmatch, I'd go with the ZSN. If you happen to already own an iEmatch adapter or have an iFi device with it, I think for $15 - $20 USD these would be pretty good for a beater IEM.

 

[maxdurak]

Hello, everyone. Really looking forward to try ZSN, but is there any bluetooth adapter for it? Judging by the pictures its connector is rounded on both sides unlike any other KZ 2-pin connector, or am i wrong?

 

[Mellowship]

Hello, everyone. Really looking forward to try ZSN, but is there any bluetooth adapter for it?

Some thread pages ago, I ranted about the ever-changing nature of KZ regarding plug systems on cables. There was the now called A-type, used by ZS3,4,5,6,A. Then, the B-type, by the ZST, ED12, ES4, AS10, BA10 and some more. I'm not even talking about some 2-pin cables with 0,78mm pins that were sent with some 0.75mm earphones... If we look way behind, the KZ IE80 used the... Sennheiser plug (of course it did, it was a copy)! And now - the protruded female jack in the ZSN!
So, the answer is... yes and no. Any 2-pin 0.75mm will work with the ZSN but will hang out awkwardly instead of being snuggly connected to the shell. Until KZ makes a ZSN compatible BT module...
I don't believe other brands, like TRN, will make something like that. BT modules by TRN seem to be better than those of KZ, but the plugs on offer are different.

TLDR: The main difference here is that prior KZ designs regarding the female jacks were recessed in the shells, but ZSN's protruded, so every 0.75 mm plug will fit but will become a huge connection!

 

[drawun]

Got an ED16 to replace my ES4, fitted them with KZ foam tips and damn, they sound really good and quite dangerous for walking around outside with these because of the isolation. The problem is that the foam tips won't stay on the IEM and stays in my ears when I remove them. Got any solution for those?

Mine never had that problem with this. Ordered wrong size though. Getting the correct size this coming 11.11.
Edit: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/cCe3FPMc