[Ira Delphic]

 

ZS3, left earphone is weak / tinny?

Just got my ZS3's I ordered from eBay seller "simplenature" back on Sept 01 (darn shipping). The packaging, fit & finish were all very impressive for the price.  Unfortunately, the left earphone can't keep up with the right - I messed around with all the available tips (including some of my own that fit me well), but it still sounds unsealed. Very hollow, weak, and doesn't isolate nearly as well.

I'd think this was due to a bad fit with my ear, but even reversing the phones and jamming them in the opposite ears to test doesn't change the output - the right phone sounds great, left not so much.

Guess I should to return these and do a fresh order from gearbest?

It could be the size of your ear canal. This happend with my ed7 i thought the left side was weaker then right but with the right tip it fixed the problem.

 
I would use foam tips you have lying around just for testing purposes. Use a player and switch to MONO then change the balance L to R and back and see if a difference. Or switch the IEM - left and write - put the right in the left ear... Could be defective.

 

[Mellowship]

ED12 first impressions:
 
Just got them, and already loathing them...
I think they could be the worst KZs ever.
The most excruciating driver flex I've ever heard.
The build quality is awful: the casing lids seem badly attached and leave a open space that lets air pass.
The "blue" right unit is actually purple. What??? 
The bass is just toooooo much.
The voices are tiny.
 
Only good thing about them are the new KZ tips. And maybe the soundstage, which appears wide and deep. 

 

[astralmind]

Well well! After reading no less than a couple hundred pages of this thread I bit the bullet and bought the zs3, ate and zst. Just received the zs3 and ate from gearbest through DHL having no patience... Paid more in duties and taxes than the kz price but whatever.

Some background - my current goto iem are the RHA 750 which I love. Before I had the re400, re0, re zero, Phonak k112, shure e310 to name a few.

Impressions so far are positive. I found the zs3 amazingly comfortable and they provided me a near perfect seal. Great sound stage fun fun sub bass however dark overly warm sound while still maintaining good mid and high. For 8$ a massive wow.

The ate were less comfortable while still being ok but provided a much more balanced signature... They truly are close to awesomeness. Unfortunately to my personal taste they are still too bass oriented.

Comfort of the zs3 and a less bassy ate ish sound at sub 10$ would be spectacular! What should I try next?

I also have the rock zircon on backorder.

Thanks!

 

[bendrexl]

It could be the size of your ear canal. This happend with my ed7 i thought the left side was weaker then right but with the right tip it fixed the problem.

 
I would use foam tips you have lying around just for testing purposes. Use a player and switch to MONO then change the balance L to R and back and see if a difference. Or switch the IEM - left and write - put the right in the left ear... Could be defective.

 
All good advice, though I tried everything from different tips to switching players and ears with no change - the left driver just sounds unsealed.

 

[1clearhead]

Will write up one once they're both burned in. Since I purchased 2 of each kind; ZST, ATR and ZS3. I'll also make comparisons on how they changed after burn-in before I give them away. :]

 
Great! Looking forward to your review! ....Now, you did mention "give them away". To who? 

  ZS3, left earphone is weak / tinny?
 
Just got my ZS3's I ordered from eBay seller "simplenature" back on Sept 01 (darn shipping). The packaging, fit & finish were all very impressive for the price.  Unfortunately, the left earphone can't keep up with the right - I messed around with all the available tips (including some of my own that fit me well), but it still sounds unsealed. Very hollow, weak, and doesn't isolate nearly as well.
 
I'd think this was due to a bad fit with my ear, but even reversing the phones and jamming them in the opposite ears to test doesn't change the output - the right phone sounds great, left not so much.
 
Guess I should to return these and do a fresh order from gearbest?

   Quote:

   
All good advice, though I tried everything from different tips to switching players and ears with no change - the left driver just sounds unsealed.

 
This sounds like the same QC issue I first experienced and reported several months ago on the ZS3 where the "inner tuning port" is bent, or out of place.
 
YES!!! --> Exchange them!
 

 

[maxwelled]

   
Great! Looking forward to your review! ....Now, you did mention "give them away". To who? 

 

 
Haha, will definitely write one up! At the moment I am burning all 3 of them and trying to get 120+ hours on the ZST, ATR and ZS3. It is to make sure that if there are any changes in burning them in, I'd be able to achieve that. I will be testing them out by doing a blind test (will get my girlfriend to mark one of them discreetly without me knowing) then putting them on a splitter and unburned on one ear and burned on the other then switching them out, also switching the sides just in case one side of the splitter is better than the other. Will be using my usual test by listening to a wide array of lossless music at my disposal, and as well as Yosi Horikawa's Vapor album. - I LOVE THIS ALBUM! If you don't know of it, go on Spotify and listen to it! Definitely one of the best ways for me to check for sound stage, imaging and the separation of the details.

 
As for giving away, I'll be giving them away to anyone really. Maybe some of them on here.

 
 
 
Edit: And just to add, I have done this same test before; to my collection of IEM's, earbuds and full size headphones and have come to a conclusion that IEM's and earbuds do benefit from burning them in but full size headphones only at times benefit from them, and or have little to no effect. I tend to always buy 2 of everything and then do this and then end up either keeping a spare (if I LOVE them), reselling the newer one or giving them away as gifts. At the moment I'm still researching for an end-game headphones and IEM's as I won't be able to buy 2 each LOL.

 

[Ruben123]

Be sure to test them too before burn in. There might be small differences ootb already

 

[maxwelled]

Be sure to test them too before burn in. There might be small differences ootb already

Yeah, I've checked them for defects by plugging them in and having a quick listen but not the 2nd ZS3 - will definitely check now that you've reminded me!

 

 

[Vidal]

I got my first pair of ZSTs today and having read Clearhead's review I feared the worst. I have to say I'm quite enjoying them, I think it's the thumping bass that's doing it.

 

[B9Scrambler]

And that's why we wait for more than one opinion...

 

[Majin]

And that's why we wait for more than one opinion...

 
In this case it's an affordable IEM but the more expensive ones are hard to judge by multiple people.

 

[B9Scrambler]

   
In this case it's an affordable IEM but the more expensive ones are hard to judge by multiple people.

 
Not sure what you mean. Could you elaborate?

 

[Majin]

   
Not sure what you mean. Could you elaborate?

 
That a lot of people are buying the ZST cause of the low price so we will get a lot of reviews while the DT86 was quite expensive and we only got 2 reviews out of it. One saying the DT86 is utterly crap and not worth the price while the other says it has a clear sound and good value.

 

[B9Scrambler]

   
That a lot of people are buying the ZST cause of the low price so we will get a lot of reviews while the DT86 was quite expensive and we only got 2 reviews out of it. One saying the DT86 is utterly crap and not worth the price while the other says it has a clear sound and good value.

 
Thank you. 

 

[Aida]

   
I would use foam tips you have lying around just for testing purposes. Use a player and switch to MONO then change the balance L to R and back and see if a difference. Or switch the IEM - left and write - put the right in the left ear... Could be defective.

Checking my source like this helped me with a similar problem. I felt stupid but it was that the balance on the sound output on my mac was skewed to the right. Just something to check.