Knowledge Zenith (KZ) impressions thread
May 20, 2019 at 10:39 PM Post #44,296 of 63,834
Thanks for the info, Slater! I might check into those Brainwavz pads and see if there is something available for the cans I own. Only set of closed back I have is the Takstar Pro82, and funny enough, those I have the least problem with. The pads are super comfy and I can wear them for hours. My 2 open back (Grado SR225 and Massdrop Hifiman 4XX) are the ones that get the warmest for me. The foam pads on the Grado gets itchy fast and I have the new A-pads (I think that's what they call them) on the 4xx that have a velour part that sits against your head over your ear and the rest of the pad is like a pleather memory foam like material which I find gets really hot and uncomfortable after less than 30 minutes of wearing them.

Well if you do try the BW gel pads be sure to let us know how you like them. Because I’ve seen others asking about them, and it would be nice to provide them some real world impressions!

Heres the link if you wanna check them out:

https://www.brainwavzaudio.com/blogs/news/new-gel-gaming-earpads

They have 2 different sizes, so maybe 1 of the 2 sizes will fit your cans.

They definitely sound nice - besides the gel the pad surface is micro suede (I guess maybe like an Alcantara material).
 
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May 20, 2019 at 10:56 PM Post #44,297 of 63,834
Well if you do try the BW gel pads be sure to let us know how you like them. Because I’ve seen others asking about them, and it would be nice to provide them some real world impressions!

Heres the link if you wanna check them out:

https://www.brainwavzaudio.com/blogs/news/new-gel-gaming-earpads

They have 2 different sizes, so maybe 1 of the 2 sizes will fit your cans.

They definitely sound nice - besides the gel the pad surface is micro suede (I guess maybe like an Alcantara material).
Thanks for the link. My cans aren't listed but maybe I'll try to contact them this week to see if there's anything they can do to hook me up with a set that will fit the cans I own. Thanks again!
 
May 20, 2019 at 10:59 PM Post #44,298 of 63,834
Thanks for the info, Slater! I might check into those Brainwavz pads and see if there is something available for the cans I own. Only set of closed back I have is the Takstar Pro82, and funny enough, those I have the least problem with. The pads are super comfy and I can wear them for hours. My 2 open back (Grado SR225 and Massdrop Hifiman 4XX) are the ones that get the warmest for me. The foam pads on the Grado gets itchy fast and I have the new A-pads (I think that's what they call them) on the 4xx that have a velour part that sits against your head over your ear and the rest of the pad is like a pleather memory foam like material which I find gets really hot and uncomfortable after less than 30 minutes of wearing them.
lol. you and I are like yin and yang.

I was just going to write that in terms of comfort, my Grado SR80s are tops. So lightweight and open, so my ears don't get too warm. Now, I just moved back Texas, and it gets real hot here, so i may be relying more on my IEM's during the summer months. I had been living in NYC, and needed IEM's for the subway, to block out all the noise from other passengers.

Ironically, I just ordered the Takstar Pro82's a few days ago to replace my Alessandro MS1's, which have developed a short in the cable. As much as I love the sound and comfort of Grados/Allessandros, those cheap cables are TERRIBLE. That's why I'm reluctantly trying the Takstars.

I'm going to put my KZ ZS5s on now, inspired by this thread.
 
May 20, 2019 at 11:09 PM Post #44,299 of 63,834
Thanks for the link. My cans aren't listed but maybe I'll try to contact them this week to see if there's anything they can do to hook me up with a set that will fit the cans I own. Thanks again!

If you have a ruler, just measure your existing pads in millimeters before calling them.

Also, be aware that you can usually put round pads on an oval headphone, and oval pads on a round headphone.

To calculate the fit in those cases, I kinda go by the average size. For example, an 80mm x 100mm oval pad should fit on a 90mm round headphone.

Sometimes it’s trial and error, and you just have to try the pad for yourself. Just keep in mind that just because Brainwavz says it won’t fit (or they don’t know), it may fit after all once you actually try the pad out.
 
May 20, 2019 at 11:20 PM Post #44,300 of 63,834
lol. you and I are like yin and yang.

I was just going to write that in terms of comfort, my Grado SR80s are tops. So lightweight and open, so my ears don't get too warm. Now, I just moved back Texas, and it gets real hot here, so i may be relying more on my IEM's during the summer months. I had been living in NYC, and needed IEM's for the subway, to block out all the noise from other passengers.

Ironically, I just ordered the Takstar Pro82's a few days ago to replace my Alessandro MS1's, which have developed a short in the cable. As much as I love the sound and comfort of Grados/Allessandros, those cheap cables are TERRIBLE. That's why I'm reluctantly trying the Takstars.

I'm going to put my KZ ZS5s on now, inspired by this thread.
Haha! Yeah, I guess we are kinda total opposites. One thing that we have in common is we both like the Grados as far as sound quality is concerned. Personally, I always wished for a bit more bass in my 225's though. I find that the Takstar fits the bill without sacrificing the good stuff like the mids and highs you get in the Grados. Currently, the Pro82 is my favourite headphone of the 3 that I own.
 
May 21, 2019 at 12:30 AM Post #44,301 of 63,834
Haha! Yeah, I guess we are kinda total opposites. One thing that we have in common is we both like the Grados as far as sound quality is concerned. Personally, I always wished for a bit more bass in my 225's though. I find that the Takstar fits the bill without sacrificing the good stuff like the mids and highs you get in the Grados. Currently, the Pro82 is my favourite headphone of the 3 that I own.
I'm VERY glad to hear you like the Pro82's! I was also considering the Monoprice HR-5 open headphones. The're on sale for $49.99.

And yeah, the Grado sound is probably my all-time favorite. Just wish their construction was robust. I've gone through three pairs. That $250 would have bought me a set of Beyerdynamic DT 880's.
 
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May 21, 2019 at 12:36 AM Post #44,302 of 63,834
I generally prefer over ear headphones over IEMs but agree that IEMs have come a long way now and are pretty competitive up to a point. I still prefer over ears most of the time, but when it gets warmer, like now, I tend to go with IEMs.
 
May 21, 2019 at 12:40 AM Post #44,303 of 63,834
just compared my ZS5's with Rock Zircons....listening to Yes "Siberian Khatru"....and I prefer the Zircons. The treble is a bit more harsh, but overall there's just more punch than the KZs. The ZS5's sound anemic in comparison.

To me, the Rock Zircons are like the Grado SR80s of the IEM world. I should order another pair!.


[edit] ok, i did the comparison using a Bach vocal piece...and for that music, the ZS5 is better. Creamier sounding in the mids and highs.

So, for rock or other bass heavy music, I'll use the Zircons. For classical, the ZS5s.
 
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May 21, 2019 at 12:50 AM Post #44,304 of 63,834
And Zircon tips are very popular and well respected. A lot of people buy the Zircons just to get the tips. Even though the Zircon is meh, the tips are awesome.

The Zircon tips are the best I've received on IEMs. I also love the Zircon sound. It's a little harsh in the treble, but I can live with that because the overall sound is so muscular and fun. When I listen to rock music, i wanna be rocked, and Zircons do that.
 
May 21, 2019 at 2:35 AM Post #44,305 of 63,834
Bass heavy is a subjective term and means different things for different people. I consider myself a extreme basshead. KZ ES4 are legit basshead. They also take EQ boost and Amp rather well and can go to a level that most cant. They should be around $12.
Legit basshead sounds good to me!
I'll go with the KZ ES4 unless someone talks me out of it.
 
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May 21, 2019 at 5:28 AM Post #44,307 of 63,834
added cable 066 to my list of cables measurements (check my signature): jcally, silver plated 5n ofc copper, 8 cores, zsn (c-type) termination. and measurements of zsn version of cable 065 (4 thicker cores).
also found in other colors and terminations.

66_jcally_tpc_8c_furutCheap_black.jpg


nice conductivity (equivalent to ~24AWG thickness, around 128mΩ/signal). good enough for most kzs.

found two issues:

1- jack (furutech cheap styled) is low quality (like in cables 065 -jcally- and 056 -trn-). found a core (L+ in this case) unsoldered or not well soldered. it's the second jcally cable (and all 056 trn cables) where i've found this issue. maybe there is very small space to solder, who knows.

2- this zsn version has got inverted polarization respect KZs norm (both sides); i.e., sign signal should go down (hole at the extreme of the shell), but it goes up (interior hole) in both sides. found same issue at cable 065 (jcally), zsn version, as well.
as both sides have same polarization, they won't be out of phase, and sound won't be affected. but being purist, i'd prefer right polarization, not inverted.
if you get curved 2pins plug, like these zsn type plugs, there is no way to set the right polarization without re-soldering the plugs.
 
May 21, 2019 at 8:10 AM Post #44,309 of 63,834
IMO ZSN is not quite bass heavy. But you can equalize down frequencies around 4khz to 10khz to makes it sound smoother and fun basshead IEM.
Yea, I am trying real hard to think of a KZ iem that has less bass then the ZSN. I consider it quite light on bass. But honestly with EQ(if that's an option for you)then you can definitely improve the bass of it to decent enough levels.
 
May 21, 2019 at 8:19 AM Post #44,310 of 63,834
Yes, ES4 is very good, very bassy with the stock cable, and if you change the cable for the
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/New...5mm-For-KZ-Earphones-ZST-ZS5/32833311374.html
you get a better & more balanced sound

I use mine with TRN BT20 and couldnt be happier. Great for working out/yard work duties where I just wanna listen to some bass heavy music with no wires attached. I also use the TRN 8 core cable to good extent. If I need to listen to more midcentric stuff I have an EQ preset that sculpts the low end down and gets rid of the bleed. It amazes me how good they sound with the bass lowered. Stage is vastly improved and placement is more coherant.

Its a shame they dont get talked about more. ES4 was a nice release.

IMG_20190329_172601.jpg
 
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