[irsan]

So I made a post on the sub $100 Chinese IEM thread with short one line reviews of all the earphones I've received so far. Most of them are KZ ones so I decided to quote that reply here in its entirety. Feel free to ask me any questions but if they're not related to KZ earphones please ask them in the other forum thread. I will leave a link to it after the quote.


Original thread: http://www.head-fi.org/t/805930/best-sub-100-chinese-brands-earphones-thread-hidden-gems-personal-favorite-best-deals-and-impressions-sharing-for-audiophile-on-budget-include-best-chinese-headphones-dap-section/1860#post_13122530

I have zst and zs3 and my impressions is same with you

Zs3: warm, smooth, balance.
Zst: lil bit bright, more engaging, more clarity and special in treble.

 

[dudinacas]

   

BY THE POWER OF GRAYSKULL, YOU SHALL HAVE YOUR ANSWER (mostly)​

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ZST is the most grandiose sounding of the bunch. Lots of energy, big bass, bright treble, aggressive midrange. ZS3 is imo warmer, darker, more natural sounding, and more mid-bass focused. Less fatiguing too. Soundstage is similar in size but ZST is a step up in terms of raw detail and accuracy, imaging quality, and instrument separation. Those are it's best qualities I feel.
 
ATR and ZS3 are pretty similar overall but with some key differences that I covered a while back. Post 1 / Post 2 Hopefully those help.
 
My ZS1 isn't the same as the model you can buy right now but I have spent some time with the current revision. It sounded identical to my ZN1 Mini so I'll be using that. ZS3's lower treble is more prominent while the ZN1 has better extension. They both have a lovely, smooth midrange though I'd give the ZS3 the edge. The ZN1 comes across a bit veiled in direct comparison. The ZN1 is a touch grainy top to bottom lacking the refinement of the ZS3. ZS3's bass is slightly less prominent and better controlled.I find the ZN1's bass to be a little hollow and heavy. Speaking of weight, the ZS3 has a thinner, more nimble and distant presentation. If you want a fun, bassy signature that doesn't sacrifice much in the way of treble/mid quality, the ZN1/ZS1 is a good pick. If you want something that's a bit more balanced, the ZS3 would be the better option.
 
I'm not going to compare to the ED9 since I have such a love/hate relationship with that earphone. At times it sounds amazing, at others the treble is too wild and splashy. I'll leave that to another.
 
The original ZS1 has a crossover covering the rear of the treble driver and a brass ring in the nozzle instead of the standard mesh you find on most earphones. You can sort of see the crossover in the image below. You can't buy this one anymore. Talking to KZ back in the day through their AliExpress store, it seems this was a limited release.
 

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This thing is a super smooth, highly refined bass cannon. Much warmer and bassier than the current version imo. Personally I think the current model is technically the better of the two, but I like the original more. Way too much fun to listen to. The bass is unnecessary and it's awesome. Very unique.

This is just hypothetical, but what if they didn't remove the crossover or brass ring in the ZS2? I know the ZS2 was originally the same as the ZS1.

 

[B9Scrambler]

This is just hypothetical, but what if they didn't remove the crossover or brass ring in the ZS2? I know the ZS2 was originally the same as the ZS1.

The only person I know of that had the ZS2 wasn't very forthcoming when I asked about it. If the ZS2 is the same as the original ZS1, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

Edit: Darn, no crossover

 Same setup as the newer ZS1 I tried and the ZN1 Mini. Booooo!
 

 

[dudinacas]

 
The only person I know of that had the ZS2 wasn't very forthcoming when I asked about it. If the ZS2 is the same as the original ZS1, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

Edit: Darn, no crossover

 Same setup as the newer ZS1 I tried and the ZN1 Mini. Booooo!
 

That sucks :/

 

[B9Scrambler]

That sucks :/

Agreed

 

[BWAS1000]

Somehow the EDR2 I ordered December 20th has cleared customs, but the Redmi Note 3 Pro i ordered the 11th and HDS3 I also ordered the 20th still say China. Hmm....

 

[KcLKcL]

Just bought the ZS3

Oh.My.God.

I am amazed, this is amazing. Best $10 ever spent.

Full of energy and it picks so much details. Damn.

Will getting the silver cable improves the mid though? I feel like it's a bit recessed and the bass takes over the mid a LITTLE bit..

But this is.. AMAZING!

At first I wanted to get a ZST but all I see here is mixed reviews of them, some said it's sibilance, some said it'a not, I see the ZS3 has more positive reviews so I bought this and I can say this is one of the best $10 I ever spend.

 

[Shawn71]

Just bought the ZS3

Oh.My.God.

I am amazed, this is amazing. Best $10 ever spent.

Full of energy and it picks so much details. Damn.

Will getting the silver cable improves the mid though? I feel like it's a bit recessed and the bass takes over the mid a LITTLE bit..

But this is.. AMAZING!

At first I wanted to get a ZST but all I see here is mixed reviews of them, some said it's sibilance, some said it'a not, I see the ZS3 has more positive reviews so I bought this and I can say this is one of the best $10 I ever spend.

You will love the upper registry too same as low end,it sparkle on some tracks,reminiscent of my tf10.......enjoy your new zs3!

 

[CoiL]

  I'll leave further thoughts into how I think the KZ ZST sound until the honeymoon period dies off and I've tried out more music with them, possibly also try to burn them for a few hours to see if that has any noticeable impact but I'd like to point out some things to people considering purchasing them.
 
If you own and like the KZ ATR or the KZ ZS3 and have heard that the ZST is an upgrade, it's not. The KZ ZST is as much of an upgrade to those earphones as sports car is an upgrade to a family sedan. They are very different sounding types of earphones. The ZST has a broader soundstage, less prominent bass and generally brighter sound signature. If you want an upgrade or something else within the same type of sound as the ATR or ZS3, consider getting the KZ ED9 or the ZS1. I'm particularly fond of the ZS1 as a very unique sounding warm and bassy earphone.
 
If you own the KZ ATE and you'd like something that sounds better then get the ZST. The ZST as not as neutral sounding as the ATE, they're far too bright for that, but out of all the KZ earphones I have they sound the most similar to the ATE. What you can expect is a similar soundstage and instrument separation, lush vocals that are, in my opinion, a clear improvement over the ATE and brighter highs. Female voices on the ZST are particularly fantastic and have a great presence to them. If you enjoy the ATE but wished you had something that sounded less dry than they do with some music the ZST are what you want.

Quote:

  I got my KZ ZST today after about a month. These are the best KZ set available IMO, and I've nearly heard them all.
 
Yes, these need EQ to fix some high end splash, but otherwise they are very capable. The first run was probably a bad batch.
 
Thumbs up.

Thanks for impressions. Now I have little more hope for ZST sound fit for my taste when they finally arrive. But seems like ZST have "same problem" as ED9, for me - "splashy" and somewhat unnatural highs? I`ll hear soon  

 

[wgrish7]

So my Ostry KC06's gave in to the second law of thermodynamics, and I am looking for a replacement. Do any of the KZ earphones match or exceed the sound quality of the Ostry's? I am looking for tough build quality, which is what broke down on the Ostry's.

 

[Ruben123]

So my Ostry KC06's gave in to the second law of thermodynamics, and I am looking for a replacement. Do any of the KZ earphones match or exceed the sound quality of the Ostry's? I am looking for tough build quality, which is what broke down on the Ostry's.

No KZ will be as good as the ostry. You might give the edr2 and ed9 a try, but looking at other brands, you might find the Monoprice 8320, vivo xe800 and urbanfuns excellent too.

 

[khighly]

Tennmak Pro's are much better than the ATR. ATR's sound tinny and low quality.

ZST is still my top.

 

[pashhtk27]

  Tennmak Pro's are much better than the ATR. ATR's sound tinny and low quality.

ZST is still my top.

It's just the opposite for me! ATR are my top while ZST and tennmak pro sound 'tinnier' and splashy. To each his own I guess.
And it's not that I don't like bright earphones; love my **** 4in1 and Vivo Xe800 a lot!!

 

 
The only person I know of that had the ZS2 wasn't very forthcoming when I asked about it. If the ZS2 is the same as the original ZS1, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

Edit: Darn, no crossover

 Same setup as the newer ZS1 I tried and the ZN1 Mini. Booooo!
 

I also have the ZS2, didn't like them much. It just sounds weird to me: warm but hollow and croppy. Not a good match with my music, I guess.

 

[Deenlikestea]

Guys, am a newbie here. I am a basshead, will the ed11 suit me.ps i already have a zs3 and it is not 'bassy' enought

 

[ayao]

Guys, am a newbie here. I am a basshead, will the ed11 suit me.ps i already have a zs3 and it is not 'bassy' enought

If the ED11 is the same as the ED10, I can tell you that while the sub-bass is present, there isn't enough midbass for me to classify them as "basshead". If I increase the volume, the high-mid/low-treble peak becomes slightly unbearable for me.
I'd highly recommend the ZS1; it's one of the bassiest IEMs I've heard (I haven't heard the Sony XB90EX but I do own the Aurisonics ASG-2). My ZS1 is "old" with the brass rings and crossover, but I did own the ZN1 and ZN1 mini, and from what I remember they all had similar amounts of bass.