[CT007]

Hello !

Would be interested to see a comparison between AST vs ZAS. From what I have seen, both are like bass-canons. But the most interesting part is that the AST is a full BA. A full BA almost "basshead" ?

ZAS bass is certainly not AST level(or Penon Fan level). AST is a monster IEM. ZAS is "simply" an improved ZAX, more typical of traditional KZ tuning, with a cleaner, lighter sound signature similar to L2/Oracle. Bass of both are fine, but AST is over the top(if you want that). AST sounds amazing, with lots of wow factor and fantastic space & separation/imaging, etc, and is currently my #1 fav IEM ever since getting it. Tri Starsea is #2, and ZAS is #3, with clearly the poorest tonal character(shiny) of the 3, though still very very good sounding(makes ZAX obsolete). If you can only afford ZAS, and not AST or Starsea, I 100% rec it.

 

[SpaceOperaVillain]

I just happened to be listening to Souvlaki yesterday. One of my favourite albums.

Nice! This album is a big classic for sure.

As for the Blons, I did find them rather boring in their stock form. They get a bit more interesting after removing the filter in the nozzles but their bass still feels slow. The DQ6 feels much more textured in the bass. Stock DQ6 does get a little fatiguing at times to my young ears due to some treble peaks, but those can be tamed using some earbud foam on the nozzle. Right now they are perfect.

One thing I didn't have on hand at the time for the BL03 was another cable or a proper supply of tips. At the time I scavenged some silicone tips from a freebie OEM pair and had to use them with the stock cable. Maybe I'd have thought better of 'em with that fancy balanced silver coated blah blah cable I have stuck to the ZAX

Agree with you on the bass. I haven't managed to trip them up yet. Running through some of my indie catalog today. I use spotify mostly but will YT the links which, for our purposes of budget glory is just fine. This banger from SF's Film School starts out with a great drum and bass groove and then around 48 seconds, unleashes a stereo fury of guitar that dissipates leaving the drum kit and ethereal, errant notes lingering in the negative space. Play it loud.

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The other album I spent time with today on the DQ6 is Ferment, from one of my old favorites Catherine Wheel. Especially the title track. If you know ... you know. Because !@#$ your ears, give it a healthy volume and then ask why everything you know about rock makes zero sense after 2:48 has occurred. A lot of cheap headphones at this point will just play some kind of over amplified noise for the last minute of the track. The DQ6 are holding their own here - when you're not sure just listen for the cymbal crashes and that will give you an idea of how over juiced everything else is during the mayhem. Like Jimmy Hoffa's whereabouts or a valid explanation for Kim Kardashian's fame, we will never know how many cymbals were destroyed during the recording of this song.

 

[lushmelody]

AST impressions update:

- proper amplification "tightens" the sound, shows the iem "real resolution" (best way i can describe...)

- tested EQ boosting the recessed regions (3500khz and 8000khz... i did +1.5 and +3.5 respectively) and it responds pretty well. yeah, cymbals get + impact and cadence, but i went back to the stock tuning because it gets tiring (can be a preset though if you want to listen something like jazz or a more critical listening - no need to change iems)

- the treble is very well managed, it is just presented with a bit less volume. AST shines reproducing busy tracks (when amped)

- amped you can try bassier presentation eartips (my current favorite is bgvp a07)

it´s a very similar experience i had with NF Audio NA2: hated it in the beginning and then i was always coming back to it. it isn't tuned for critical listening but for pure music enjoyment. AST is a full BA set, though (+ lots of transducers) so there are big pros bc most iems with similar tuning are only 1 dd or way less driver count

 

[SpaceOperaVillain]

ZAS is "simply" an improved ZAX

Did KZ actually change the tuning, though? I dug hard for any info on the ZAS before ordering the ZAX, which had a few favorable reviews out. Yours is the first post I've seen to claim this so I'm curious how it improved on the ZAX for you? At the time I was making my order It looked to me like the ZAS was just a shell refresh to fit KZ's updated branding and product range updates on the wireless side with no attention to tuning, so I chickened out and saved a few bucks. After living with them for a few weeks, I'm not at all disappointed, but I'm curious how the ZAS stacks up in your notes.

 

[SpaceOperaVillain]

AST shines reproducing busy tracks (when amped)

As much as I've ditched on the stock tuning, there's nothing else close to their price point in an all BA design. ThieAudio's Voyager 14 is retailing for $1000. As an unashamed EQ shill it's darned tempting but I'm going to wait for more news on this EST unit. Also trying really hard to resist an impulse buy of Spring 2s. I'm not sure if I'll succeed.

 

[CT007]

how it improved on the ZAX for you?

Easy. No real treble peaks, better fit, better cable, and new, better bass. ZAS and ZAX share the same tonality/tuning, you could probably say. (I would)

Listening to ZAS vs AST now. Both are keepers. The only reasons I would choose ZAS over AST is 1) price limitation, 2) if you prefer a cleaner, clearer, colder sound(AKA have bass shyness). Instrument notes coming out of AST have so much more life, meat, vividness to them, not to mention the T-Rex bass that provides highly satisfying warmth and body to all the mids, as well. I like all of ZAS's bass, but it seems to pronounce the regular bass range more than the sub-bass, which I feel may be a little unbalanced. It's that colder, clearer, thinner presentation in the mids, and to a much lesser extent the shiny tonal character, that I find out of my preference and not very engaging/enjoyable(same story with Oracle, A7, several others). AST is IEM of The Year for me so far. Haven't heard anything quite like it. AST is worth buying for the bass alone; it can be both thunderously intense and smooth & dreamy like a literal eardrum massage. Imagine professional musicians playing the treble and mids, and Zeus/Hercules playing the bass = AST. But there's a lot more to like about AST than that bass. I don't notice any glaring BA tonality issues with AST, like I did with L3.

 

[mndless]

I really want to see KZ or CCA make more things with the shell and general sound signature of the CKX. They're super comfortable and I just can't get over how lovely the bass from these things can be. I have modded mine a bit (find the link in my signature), but they're shockingly good for the money and the fit is hard to beat because of how tiny they are. I do think I'll try swapping the filter for the nozzle BA again since it can still get a teeny bit hot for my preferences, but they're still a lovely set. I'd be thrilled to see them use that set as a jumping-off point for any upcoming electret-equipped set that they intend to launch. I just hope they learn from Shuoer and BGVP and remember that they need to layer some BA low and mid treble into the electret's crossover point, otherwise they end up needing to overdrive the poor thing to try to fill in the shallow-sounding lower treble from the electret, and you get harmonic weirdness like in the Tape and Tape Pro. Given they have plenty of experience with multi-BA sets, I hope they're up to the task.

 

[riodgarp]

I'm also happy with my DQ6 but the isolation is sometime worrying me, either is the dq6 has narrow nozzle so it's doesn't isolated like the one that come inside your ears very deep (you know what brand is it ) or the vent make outer sound leaked

 

[InvisibleInk]

I'm also happy with my DQ6 but the isolation is sometime worrying me, either is the dq6 has narrow nozzle so it's doesn't isolated like the one that come inside your ears very deep (you know what brand is it ) or the vent make outer sound leaked

Spinfit CP240 and problem solved

 

[lushmelody]

I don't notice any glaring BA tonality issues with AST, like I did with L3.

truly pleasant and smooth, i only remember that these are BAs because of the amazing separation

 

[SpaceOperaVillain]

Easy. No real treble peaks, better fit, better cable, and new, better bass. ZAS and ZAX share the same tonality/tuning, you could probably say. (I would)

Better for you mebbe ... I like my treble peaks!

I see in your sig that you have a Starsea in your collection - how does that stack up against the ZAS/ZAX? I've been tempted by it before given the adjustable tuning. Seemed like a more neutral set approaching the fun side of a reference sound signature. would you say that's accurate?

 

[SpaceOperaVillain]

I'm also happy with my DQ6 but the isolation is sometime worrying me, either is the dq6 has narrow nozzle so it's doesn't isolated like the one that come inside your ears very deep (you know what brand is it ) or the vent make outer sound leaked

I had a similar problem at first. None of the new style shallow white tips that came with the DQ6 worked for me. I ended up using large starlines since the nozzle can't go deep enough for my usual choice of medium sized foams. I've never tried spiral dots before so this seems like a good excuse to try 'em.

former ety user, here - yah I know what you mean

 

[CT007]

Starsea - how does that stack up against the ZAS/ZAX? Seemed like a more neutral set approaching the fun side of a reference sound signature. would you say that's accurate?

I'd say ZAS sounds more neutral than Starsea, as Starsea feels overly bassy and rolled off on the low end for neutral territory.

I love the resolution of Starsea. I think it's pretty much as good as it gets at the price. Mids, spaciousness, imaging are all fine, but not impressive like AST. Some of the sub-bass sounds great, but most of the time the bass feels rather big, bland & depthless, like it's mono. Fit and quality is great. The tuning does a little, but nothing huge.

I think ZAS offers a more complete sound/range and balance, but Starsea sounds more engaging(=enjoyable?), not being as clear & cold sounding, with nicer, superior treble in extension, detail and tone. I find Starsea to be slightly bright on lower end sources, also, which will go away with upgrades or possibly foam tips.

For ZAX, I don't really think it competes with ZAS, unless you prefer the extra treble peaks/brightness it has, or its specific flavor of bass & balance(which I do think is quite enjoyable, but still a little peaky). Consider ZAX retired, and ZAS as the remastered/2.0 successor.

 

[Caipirina]

I have lost overview (and possibly interest) in KZ's TWS offerings ... I was there in the beginning with the KZ T1 and then the super charged and awkward E10 (which is nice when it works, but cumbersome in many other ways) and I think I got 2 or 3 more which by now already fell off the radar (lemme check S1, Z1 and S2) and pretty sure one of them has a weird battery problem.
Now I am seeing more and more new ones but they all seem to be another hybrid version with pretty much the same shell design, some questionable case choices and so far no ANC ... what gives? Which one is 'good' I know, we all love all our children equally. but seriously ... anyone still got an overview?

Last KZ I ordered are the AZ09 dongles with the ZAX (or brother, just seeing there's now a ZAS) ... and they have arrived in my future destination, but I am still 5 weeks out ...

 

[Plumbus the Wise]

I wish Wavelet would work on my R5, just so I could try it out. Unfortunately it doesn't.

Power EQ is a really sod alternative for Android.