[khighly]

Believe it or not, some folks preferred the warmer/fuller sound of that "brick" Zune over the ZuneHD's brighter presentation and those Creative DAPs actually sound great. This was my first Creative but it was lost long before I got into KZ. Alas, I was never able to pair any of my KZ's to it.

I don't like any of them, sound wise. The middle Zune 120 is OK, but OG Zune requires the "acoustic" preset, and the Zune HD is hollow.

 

[1clearhead]

I’m getting a second ZSN Monday, this time silver/purple, so I can a/b test my black ones with the silver ones. I bought the white cable for the black ones so they should be alike except for the shell cover material. Today some BQ3’s are due and tomorrow the Hidiz AP60 PRO should arrive.....sent back M7 to Fiio, first Fiio product I’ve had problems with.
Saved me money though..M7 was $200 and AP60 was $89......I’m hoping its a good purchase, Amazon already sent refund, they are fast!

Do you guys think or know if there is a distinct sound difference between the ZSN’s....Black vs Silver??

Podster thats the M0 correct?

All three ZSN's sounds the same, but the cable that comes with the Silver/Purple does alter the sound signature to sound even more accurate and balanced with better overall details. Plus, the cable is a clear-copper and it's also thicker than the one that comes with the other two, which are thinner dark brown cables.

 

[khighly]

All three ZSN's sounds the same, but the cable that comes with the Silver/Purple does alter the sound signature to sound even more accurate and balanced with better overall details. Plus, the cable is a clear-copper and it's also thicker than the one that comes with the other two, which are thinner dark brown cables.

You say they sound the same, but then the Silver/Purple alters the sound signature? Which one is it?

Different cables do absolutely nothing unless you're buying extremely long shielded runs for high power transmission. I think what you're experiencing is known as the Placebo Effect.
https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/headphone-cable-measurements-part-one

 

[CthulhuNinja]

Hello
After years of reading here is a pic of my listening/commuting rigs

Must say es4 is definitely satisfying when in traffic, where ZSN is a delight to listen to while sipping a glass of single malt with a good book in hand

 

[1clearhead]

You say they sound the same, but then the Silver/Purple alters the sound signature? Which one is it?

Different cables do absolutely nothing unless you're buying extremely long shielded runs for high power transmission.
https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/headphone-cable-measurements-part-one

No, your quote is not exactly what I wrote...

All three ZSN's sounds the same, but the cable that comes with the Silver/Purple does alter the sound signature to sound even more accurate and balanced with better overall details. Plus, the cable is a clear-copper and it's also thicker than the one that comes with the other two, which are thinner dark brown cables.

That's your personal opinion if you believe what they say. But, just to remind you, if you know the different value of metals out there? Gold is the best conductor for longtivity, but eventually they'll be too expensive to make as replaceable IEM cables.

Anyone that studied the value of different metals would know that "GOLD" maintains a steady premium flow of electricity due to the properties that it doesn't oxidize while other metals corrode in time. So, the audio signal travelling through cheap cables IS NOT THE SAME as audio signal going through expensive quality cables.

So, I stand true to my word...

 

[randomnin]

KZ should now concentrate all their effort in refining their BA used in ZSN. [..]

Have they not been refining that 30095 BA over numerous models for who-knows how long?

 

[randomnin]

Also, have any of you tried testing crosstalk of IEMs by playing a track that should make sound only in one of the channels while having the opposite side in your ear, and then listening to how much you can still hear, and how bad it is in comparison to other gear? I hear differences in loudness of crosstalk between IEMs, but I haven't yet grasped whether it's because of cables, IEM design differences, or because of my source... What say you?

 

[LaughMoreDaily]

You say they sound the same, but then the Silver/Purple alters the sound signature? Which one is it?

Different cables do absolutely nothing unless you're buying extremely long shielded runs for high power transmission. I think what you're experiencing is known as the Placebo Effect.
https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/headphone-cable-measurements-part-one

Lol. That's not true. Placebo effect of what? A sexier cable different to the original? With wire that looks as sexy as a pair of woman's legs?

 

[LaughMoreDaily]

is there a way to delete our posts?​

 

[Slater]

So my black ZSN came today.

And guess what? The purple has different vents on the body vs the black pair.

Therefore, I think the difference sound is not due to the cable, but rather the different vent.

I will post photos in a little bit.

 

[mbwilson111]

is there a way to delete our posts?​

you can edit it and remove the content or write something different.

edited to add... you can fix typos, add to your post or anything using the edit feature. It perfect for when you forgot to add something... rather than write a new post. We are discouraged from writing several posts in a row... in fact, I believe if you read the posting guidelines it technically says we should not write multiple posts in a row.

edit 2 : @Slater when you post your photos of the ZSN vents I will check my Cyan pair.

 

[nicksson]

... And guess what? The purple has different vents on the body vs the black pair.
Therefore, I think the difference sound is not due to the cable, but rather the different vent.

A explanation with very good common sense, 100% credible! I have tried more than 4 kind of cables (thinner, thicker, silver or copper) and never observed noticeable sound difference between them.
So, I always guessed some constructional differences between black and purple versions of ZSN. My purple ZSN is on his way (I own already the black version, witch is very good), but until it arrives your photos will answer the question.

 

[voicemaster]

So my black ZSN came today.

And guess what? The purple has different vents on the body vs the black pair.

Therefore, I think the difference sound is not due to the cable, but rather the different vent.

I will post photos in a little bit.

Yes I just checked mine and the silver/purple has bigger holes vent on the face plate.

 

[Slater]

So my black ZSN came today.

And guess what? The purple has different vents on the body vs the black pair.

Therefore, I think the difference sound is not due to the cable, but rather the different vent.

I will post photos in a little bit.

Once my black ZSN burn in, I will A/B them, swapping the cables between the models. I am not generally a believer that cables do anything sound-wise (at least cables with the sorts of impedance values that all of these KZs have). However, I have NOT done any cable swapping yet.

But instead of arguing about cables, I will point out that vents this big DO make a noticeable tuning difference. When I tune IEMs, even a vent that is 0.1mm or 0.2mm will make a noticeable difference. The vent on the purple model measures 0.9mm. I am certain this is why the purple model sounds different.

So maybe the sound difference is X% due to vents and Y% due to cable. We won't know for sure until more tests are done.

The cool thing is that you can see on the black ZSN body exactly where the vent should go, and how large it should be. So technically, this would be incredibly easy to DIY.

Also, I don't own the cyan version, so I do not know what that model has (as far as vents). We will need someone who owns the cyan to chime in and let us know.

Here are photos. Click for larger views.




Also, the 3 vents on the purple faceplate are ~50% larger vs the black faceplate!

 

[DocHoliday]

This looks like a great upcoming event.....BA-??

I tend to reign in enthusiasm until I get the new model in my hands. Expectations and impressions are CONSISTENTLY all across the board on almost every KZ released. Feel free to pour through the early pages of this thread to find the feedback on all of these earlier models:

ATE (bassy, mid-centric, muffled, clear, great treble, awful treble)
ATR (awful IEM, great IEM, hollow sounding, rich sounding)
ED3 "Perfection" (too bright/sibilant, too much bass, not enough bass).
ED3 "Acme" (too warm, midrange too recessed, not enough treble, too much bass)
ED4 (too much bass, too k ugh treble, too much midrange, lots of fun, party animal)
ED7 (too warm, not enough bass, too much bass, not enough treble, mid-centric, buried midrange)
ED8 (too much bass, too much treble, not enough treble, buried midrange)
ED9 (great treble, splashy treble, great bass, woolly bass, buried midrange, airy midrange, natural timbre, tinny)
ED10 (too much bass, too little bass, too much treble, midrange too forward, recessed midrange intimate soundstage, wide soundstage)
ED16 (well-tuned, unbalanced sound signature, too much bass, not enough bass, sibilant)
ZS2 (too much bass, not enough bass, buried midrange, forward sibilant midrange)
ZS3 (a muffled mess, too bassy, clear midrange, buried midrange, centered midrange)
ZS5 (great IEM, awful IEM, great midrange, awful midrange)
ZS6 (sibilant, sibilant, sibilant, sibilant, sibi......)
ZS10 (awful IEM, great IEM)
ZSR (great IEM, woolly bass, hollow bass, recessed midrange, midrange presence, sibilant, rolled-off)
ZSA (hollow bass, full-bodied bass, good IEM, awful IEM)
BA10 (awful IEM, great IEM,

A lot of people hate the ZS10. A lot of people love the ZS10.

Every new model from KZ will garner the same blessings and cursings. The only way to determine if a particular model is something you'd like is to
1) rely on a trusted members impressions and/or recommendations if said member has similar tastes to your own.
2) purchase it and experience the IEM for yourself. KZ's are relatively inexpensive.

I don't like any of them, sound wise. The middle Zune 120 is OK, but OG Zune requires the "acoustic" preset, and the Zune HD is hollow.

If you ever decide to let any of those go then give me a holler and shoot me a price

OR

because you have a trance/EDM addiction (like me) then ship one of them to me and I will load 40 two-hour Masterworks Collection mixes of classic trance, progressive trance, progressive house and breakbeat. I still have Zune software loaded on my PC.

The typical fare for an Otello Masterworks Collection mix:

Spoiler

BREAKBEAT:





CLASSIC TRANCE:
Opening track to Las Vegas 2-hour mix




One of the closing tracks to the Las Vegas mix






Progressive House:
She's missing a friend who'spassed away








with a lot of forgotten, out of print and hard to find stuff like

Best mixer and best kept secret for classic style EDM (2000 - 2014) on the planet!