[B9Scrambler]

Bought them the moment they appeared on AliExpress. Hope to review them soon.

Mine are on the way as well but I'll be one of the last to get them I'm sure. Shipping to Canada is slow as @$$. Haha

 

[ajaxender]

Most of my 11/11 haul is here - the stuff I bought from Shenzhen HCkexin. Just as my last purchase from them, it took 8 days for delivery. They're not only good, they're consistent. (@gustav29 they have the ED9 - http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/2015-Brand-New-Original-KZ-ED9-3-5mm-In-Ear-Headset-Heavy-Bass-HIFI-DJ-Earphones/1825606_32371911927.html - so unless you can find it cheaper, I'd recommend this seller)
 
From KZ, I got HDS1 and ED3 Youth. HDS2 is on the way, from a different seller (so it will likely be a while).
 
KZ must have heard we like boxes, so these each came stored in a box within a box, so you can box while you... sorry. Still, its a little odd; the outer box is the same as what my ZS1 came in except uncoloured (the ZS1 box is dark grey), with extended sides and rounded corners, and then theres a normal box that fits snugly inside. More protection? Who knows. 
 
Alas! My ED3's right earpiece is missing the filter. It noticeably changes the sound between channels, so I will reserve judgement. I think I actually preferred the sound without the filter so if I can remove the other one I might be in luck, but if not it was $8 US. I think I'll survive.
 
The HDS1... first, its pretty small, and I can't imagine many people will struggle with the fit. Cute looking little things, they are. Love the green colour. Standard KZ cable which is made slightly more annoying just because the ear pieces are so small and light. Isolation is not incredible, what with the vents at the back. Fits deep enough in the ear that wind noise is not much of a problem, though. 
 
The sound is mid-focussed, and its pretty damn good at that. Very clear without being flat. Bass is lighter, but while the mid-bass will be too reserved for some, the sub-bass is not lacking. I'm not good yet at judging treble extension but I think its pretty good, and the sound is crisp... but sharp.
 
Thats the one issue I have; I find the sound can be quite piercing. I'm not sure if its sibilance - s sounds are not extended - rather its the sharp sound you get at the beginning of some letters/words. Most noticeable with male vocals, which I also notice more often in real life for that matter, so this is something I don't have a high tolerance for.
Not surprisingly, its also not the most forgiving sound for harsher recordings - although I don't think it sounds naturally harsh, just that harshness tends to be found in this area of the treble too, so it doesn't get any better. 
I'm hoping some burn-in will help this, if its anything like the FXH-30 (also a microdriver, but different brands/builds/materials of course) it may reduce the treble in that area a little. Otherwise, tip-rolling. 
 
Otherwise, its great sound for female or softer vocals, and quieter listening because its so clear. The overall signature is one I quite enjoy, focussed on mids and vocals with good extension in both directions for atmosphere. Soundstage is not large, but the layering and imaging of the HDS1 is flat out good - great for this price. 

 

[chavez]

Lol!! Well, between high resistance full sized phones and these low resistance iem's (which i find ultimately comfortable when playing PS4 for hours on end).. Just not enough juice without an inline headphone amp. When (if) I get HD598's I'll get a nice dedicated headphone amp or a nice amp/dac with line in, I'll use those babies nonstop.

Get Superlux HD681 EVO's in the meantime. I payed only 27 euros for them, best purchase in years.

 

[joemama]

Anyone bought the hds2 yet? I'm on the fence about it. Seems rather pricey for a KZ

Ordered it when it was on sale 11.11 for $9.99, That's about average. If it's too much, wait til after the 1st of the year when prices drop.

 

[DaveLT]

 
Ordered it when it was on sale 11.11 for $9.99, That's about average. If it's too much, wait til after the 1st of the year when prices drop.

Yea. I'm seeing it for 14$ these days. 

 

[B9Scrambler]

Physical differences between the ED3 "Perfection" (original) and ED3 "The Acme" (2015 update).
 
- Cable on The Acme is greatly improved. Best KZ cable since the EDse. Not sticky, very little memory.
 
- Housing on The Acme is significantly lighter. They definitely do not have that premium feel of the original, especially given the back plates aren't raised, nor are they aligned correctly. They feel low budget in comparison, but not fragile. 
 
- The pinhole vent where the strain relief enters the housing is slightly larger on the Perfection.
 
- The nozzle on The Acme is longer than the original. That plus the weight loss should help improve fit.
 
- Some crappy pictures!
 


 
 
Sound Update!
 
Letting The Acme burn overnight for around 8 hours was a great idea. They sound way more comprehensive than they did ootb. Treble has lost all graininess and the bass has tightened up. They do not offer up the balance, audiophile sound of the original, instead aiming for a crowd-pleasing bass-heavy sound. We'll see how they've shaped up by next Friday.
 
The ZS1...I love these things. I was unsure of what to expect from other's opinions, but am very glad they ended up on my purchase list. Fit is a bit of a pain but once you've set the memory wire and chosen the right tips they are extremely comfortable. Small ears need not apply though. I think I've got pretty average sized ears and these edge the limits due to a bulky housing and extremely wide nozzle. 
 
 
 
Big bass and spacious sound are what define them for me. Pending you are listening to have fun and not nitpick every detail, these should be a great buy for bassheads. They remind me of my old Creative 2.1 desktop speakers. Super smooth mids and treble, and massive thundering bass. These are extremely entertaining to my ears. Perfect for my favorite genre, liquid drum and bass.
 
My current favorites, the JVC HA-FXH30, offer up a completely different sound and are a much more technically proficient earphone, but the ZS1 easily rivals them in the fun-factor department purely due to that brutal bass 

. I'm sure I'll tire of it after the honeymoon period is over, but for now I'm supremely happy with them. 

 

[Podster]

Unfortunately KZ ED9's cable snapped.I even get twice ED9. It broke in two. I suppose the poor quality cables.
What do you think about ZS1?

Hate to hear this as I've had no cable issues with any of my KZ and as far as I can tell KZ uses two types of cables on all my pairs, the solid bronze color like on these ED9's and the striped ones like on these ED11's (think I've mentioned it several times KZ must have 6 million linear feet of both)

 

 
I never got either of the 3's B9 but I'm in 100% agreement on the ZS1's, for their price they are awesome and a Bass Heads dream. I think when you say Bass Head you scare a lot of potential buyers off but like you the ZS1's have good mids and highs but their bass does take the lead signature

 

[chavez]

Geez, ED3 look so good, I just want to buy them for their appearance :O

 

[Podster]

Geez, ED3 look so good, I just want to buy them for their appearance :O

 
For me the ED3 looks about the same as the HDS1's without the rear vents

 
 
 
 

 

[chavez]

On another note, I suggested Ed10's to my friend, in the end he had to buy 3 pairs, for him, his sister and his father lol. His father was blown away by the sound quality, he worked on a televisio ln before and is an avid jazz fan.And another friend bought ED9. Damn dem KZ are so good .Hopefully soon I will gather some money to get HDS1 or ZS1 or ED3, so many choices.

 

[B9Scrambler]

 
Hate to hear this as I've had no cable issues with any of my KZ and as far as I can tell KZ uses two types of cables on all my pairs, the solid bronze color like on these ED9's and the striped ones like on these ED11's (think I've mentioned it several times KZ must have 6 million linear feet of both)

 
 
 
I never got either of the 3's B9 but I'm in 100% agreement on the ZS1's, for their price they are awesome and a Bass Heads dream. I think when you say Bass Head you scare a lot of potential buyers off but like you the ZS1's have good mids and highs but their bass does take the lead signature

 
I've had no issues with my KZ's cables either. My original ANV had a side die out, but that was a failed driver and not the cable. That cable was donated to bringing my Marley Revolution back to life, lol.
 
I definitely recommend picking up at least the original ED3. It's a good sounding KZ, and probably the most balanced of the bunch. Still undecided on "The Acme" (love that name), but I am warming up to it. 
 
True, labeling the ZS1 as a basshead iem may ward of some potential buyers. That said, unless you are okay eqing them they'll probably have way too much bass for the average Head-fi'er. The general public would love em though. I can't wait to introduce these to people in my workplace. For a bassy iem they do have pretty good mids and treble. Messing around with the EQ you can make them more balanced, but then they're not as fun. 

 

 

[Podster]

   
I've had no issues with my KZ's cables either. My original ANV had a side die out, but that was a failed driver and not the cable. That cable was donated to bringing my Marley Revolution back to life, lol.
 
I definitely recommend picking up at least the original ED3. It's a good sounding KZ, and probably the most balanced of the bunch. Still undecided on "The Acme" (love that name), but I am warming up to it. 
 
True, labeling the ZS1 as a basshead iem may ward of some potential buyers. That said, unless you are okay eqing them they'll probably have way too much bass for the average Head-fi'er. The general public would love em though. I can't wait to introduce these to people in my workplace. For a bassy iem they do have pretty good mids and treble. Messing around with the EQ you can make them more balanced, but then they're not as fun. 

e
 

Well the ZS1 can keep up maybe surpass any of Dr. Dre's Beats bass not to mention at 100 times less his prices

I think you have talked me into trying the original ED3's now and since I'm getting a pair of the new HDS2's because I can't let that Igor get the jump on me

LOL
 
By the way I like the ACME name but I'm an old fart and the Roadrunner/Coyote cartoons were one of my faves

 

[DaveLT]

  Physical differences between the ED3 "Perfection" (original) and ED3 "The Acme" (2015 update).
 
- Cable on The Acme is greatly improved. Best KZ cable since the EDse. Not sticky, very little memory.
 
- Housing on The Acme is significantly lighter. They definitely do not have that premium feel of the original, especially given the back plates aren't raised, nor are they aligned correctly. They feel low budget in comparison, but not fragile. 
 
- The pinhole vent where the strain relief enters the housing is slightly larger on the Perfection.
 
- The nozzle on The Acme is longer than the original. That plus the weight loss should help improve fit.
 
- Some crappy pictures!
 


 
 
Sound Update!
 
Letting The Acme burn overnight for around 8 hours was a great idea. They sound way more comprehensive than they did ootb. Treble has lost all graininess and the bass has tightened up. They do not offer up the balance, audiophile sound of the original, instead aiming for a crowd-pleasing bass-heavy sound. We'll see how they've shaped up by next Friday.
 
The ZS1...I love these things. I was unsure of what to expect from other's opinions, but am very glad they ended up on my purchase list. Fit is a bit of a pain but once you've set the memory wire and chosen the right tips they are extremely comfortable. Small ears need not apply though. I think I've got pretty average sized ears and these edge the limits due to a bulky housing and extremely wide nozzle. 
 
 
 
Big bass and spacious sound are what define them for me. Pending you are listening to have fun and not nitpick every detail, these should be a great buy for bassheads. They remind me of my old Creative 2.1 desktop speakers. Super smooth mids and treble, and massive thundering bass. These are extremely entertaining to my ears. Perfect for my favorite genre, liquid drum and bass.
 
My current favorites, the JVC HA-FXH30, offer up a completely different sound and are a much more technically proficient earphone, but the ZS1 easily rivals them in the fun-factor department purely due to that brutal bass 

. I'm sure I'll tire of it after the honeymoon period is over, but for now I'm supremely happy with them. 

 
The Acme is actually the ED3 "youth edition" it seems. Not bad for something almost half the price. lol. (From KZ's pricing)

 

[sgl54]

Physical differences between the ED3 "Perfection" (original) and ED3 "The Acme" (2015 update).

- Cable on The Acme is greatly improved. Best KZ cable since the EDse. Not sticky, very little memory.

- Housing on The Acme is significantly lighter. They definitely do not have that premium feel of the original, especially given the back plates aren't raised, nor are they aligned correctly. They feel low budget in comparison, but not fragile. 

- The pinhole vent where the strain relief enters the housing is slightly larger on the Perfection.

- The nozzle on The Acme is longer than the original. That plus the weight loss should help improve fit.

- Some crappy pictures!










Sound Update!

Letting The Acme burn overnight for around 8 hours was a great idea. They sound way more comprehensive than they did ootb. Treble has lost all graininess and the bass has tightened up. They do not offer up the balance, audiophile sound of the original, instead aiming for a crowd-pleasing bass-heavy sound. We'll see how they've shaped up by next Friday.

The ZS1...I love these things. I was unsure of what to expect from other's opinions, but am very glad they ended up on my purchase list. Fit is a bit of a pain but once you've set the memory wire and chosen the right tips they are extremely comfortable. Small ears need not apply though. I think I've got pretty average sized ears and these edge the limits due to a bulky housing and extremely wide nozzle. 



Big bass and spacious sound are what define them for me. Pending you are listening to have fun and not nitpick every detail, these should be a great buy for bassheads. They remind me of my old Creative 2.1 desktop speakers. Super smooth mids and treble, and massive thundering bass. These are extremely entertaining to my ears. Perfect for my favorite genre, liquid drum and bass.

My current favorites, the JVC HA-FXH30, offer up a completely different sound and are a much more technically proficient earphone, but the ZS1 easily rivals them in the fun-factor department purely due to that brutal bass :basshead: . I'm sure I'll tire of it after the honeymoon period is over, but for now I'm supremely happy with them. 

Nice review and feedback thanks. I'm glad your still liking your Zs1's. I'm still mixed on them. Probably because they dropped out of the rotation and I'm doing more indoor stuff lately so using phones I typcally don't use outside. My Ed3's ( original ) never got much use ( came at the same time as my first Ed9's) maybe 8 hours total. Probably should give them to someone on the forum.

 

[sgl54]

  Well the ZS1 can keep up maybe surpass any of Dr. Dre's Beats bass not to mention at 100 times less his prices

I think you have talked me into trying the original ED3's now and since I'm getting a pair of the new HDS2's because I can't let that Igor get the jump on me

LOL
 
By the way I like the ACME name but I'm an old fart and the Roadrunner/Coyote cartoons were one of my faves

Podster,
I have the original Ed3 ( sorry non Acme) If you'd like them PM an address and I'll shoot them off.