[CoiL]

2nd gen ATE sounds more smooth in highs, has slightly larger soundstage, not so controlled bass, better mids and less details.

Welp, mids were the reason I fell in love with ATE.
Hope ATRs won't let me searching for the 2nd gen ATE.

ATR mids are very good also but the more refined signature (brighter highs, better controlled bass and details) make them littlebit more "neutral" sounding in mids.

 

[Griffith]

CoiL what are the characteristics of uneven bass that you mentioned with the ATE? To my ears the ATE sound balanced though the Bass seems refrained, but I don't notice any Bass emphasis on any particular frequency range. I hope you don't mistake this for criticism, I just want to understand how to characterise what I hear better.

 

[Kerkyboi]

The 400 should be fine for the ATR (assuming it has the same tips as the ATE), they should also work on the HDSE but the ZS3 has smaller tips, about a millimeter thinner tip so I think the 300 or perhaps even the 200. I suggest the 200 because unlike other tips they don't have some edge that the tips can latch on to with their pressure, the tip is straight.

As for the HDSE, I'll be honest, I haven't used them immensely yet and I don't have an APTX phone so keep that in mind. I think they sound similar to the ZS3 but unlike the ZS3 they don't resolve as much details during those moments in a track when they get busy. At those times, the sound gets a bit grainy, at least in terms of the background details. The bass in the lows is nice but not overwhelming or too imposing, but they do make the highs seem less imposed at times, male vocals sound mostly smooth and clear (outside of those moments when the tracks get busy with too many details at the same time). Female vocals are nice and smooth as well and the highs when the track doesn't have imposing low frequencies can get high without being strident or too aggressive. I think they're a typical V-shaped earphone with decent bass, a slightly lesser version of the ZS3.

Compared to other Bluetooth earphones I've owned/used or tried I'd say they are not as warm as the Sony SBH80 which had a pleasant warm sound signature with good bass but they seem to be able to resolve slightly more detail than them. Compared to the Plantronics Backbeat Go 2 they are immensely better. Those Plantronics are the only recommendation I followed on Head-fi that disappointed me immensely, I really don't understand why so many people recommend them or hold them in such high regard, they have a very cold airy sound, the details are all muddy, they're bulky and uncomfortable and because of those two things don't stay in your ears very well which is terrible for any type of physical exercise.

The other bluetooth earphone I have, the Brainwavz Blu-100 are colder sounding, the bass isn't as imposing but seem to have smoother highs and clearer vocals. They don't seem to choke up as much and get grainy as the HDSE, but outside of the weaker bass I'd say they're more or less the same in terms of detail. The HDSE's signature though I'd consider more appropriate for working out. The good things about the Brainwavz are the construction quality, the features (come with comply tips in the box, rubberized wings which help keep them in place, and very comfortable to wear during exercise, packaging)

In terms of fit the earpieces are a bit big but they stay cupped in my ears and seem secure enough, but I'm not exercising with them... I have no idea how good they'd be while running but from a quick "shaking head test" I'd wager they would stay in my ears better than the Plantronics. For their price (around 10 euros on Non-referral link - Referral link ) I know of no better alternative for Bluetooth earphones and would easily recommend them.

I'm sorry the review isn't more detailed, but to be fair I think I gave you a decent amount of free information in a single post, I hope it helps you out. Happy listening!

This is actually more than enough information I need! Thanks! Im sold! I'll just wait for some good deals before ordering one.

Jeez, bought the ATR now too. Halp, I can't stop - I now have ZS3, ZST and ART on my way as well as the silver cable and foam tips... Let's see if any of these can beat my Shure SE215 I just recently lost...

lol! I feel yah mate. This brand is a discovery that will rape your curiosity and will make you try them all!

Problem right now is they're having stockung/fulfilment issues with some KZ headphones due to their popularity... Both the ZS3's and ZST's are apparently in limited supply, or so says customer service.

I'm still waiting on my ZST's to ship and it's been 18 days now for a product that had a 2-4 business day window for shipping.

Got the same message from GB customer support. Still waiting for my ATR and ZST orders to be shipped. Told me to wait around Nov 28 - Dec 2 before they can ship my items.

Just a heads-up for those who I told to expect ZST impressions soon, I only just noticed that Gearbest has not shipped my order yet, even though I placed it over a week ago on the 19th. My colorful ZST order shipped on the 28th but I'm expecting them to arrive, at best around Christmas, at worst in early January, so it might be a long time before I can share my impressions. My next KZ headphone deliveries will probably be the ED9 followed by the ATR.

The good news though is that I'll be able to test the ZST with the upgraded silver-coated cable straight away instead of having suspend final judgement on them for a few weeks.

I think we're all on the same boat here with our ZST's from Gearbest. Spoke to one of their reps and was told to wait til Dec. 2 before they can ship my items. Ordered mine about the same time as you. So now I'm expecting to receive them prolly after the holidays (next year) judging by how slow their shipping is. I tracked my ED12's and the ZS3's which I ordered before 11.11 sales and found out my Ed12's are already with the customs since the 12th but still haven't been shipped out to my address, the Zs3's however arrived in the customs just 3 days ago (waited almost 2 weeks before GB shipped it out). This sucks a bit but all we can do is wait.

 

[loomisjohnson]

  I ordered the ZST during 11/11 sale from the Ali store that I can not name.  Surprised to find them in the mail yesterday.  I have found that my deliveries to Canada are usually in the 6-7 week time frame.  I now own the ZST and **** 4in1, two earphones that have had very mixed reviews.  I must note that from what I have heard from these earphones I can not reconcile many of the negative reviews purely on personal preference.  I believe that there must be an actual difference in the sound between some units.  It does seem though that the ZST started off with a few negative comments but lately they have tended to be more positive. When listening to the ZSTs last night and today I used a Fiio X5 with Fiio E12a headphone amp.  My preference for music genres is rock, symphonic metal and electronic.  My music is a combination of hd flac (96/24), regular flac and 320kbps MP3.  My preferred sound signature is toward neutral mids and treble with some boost to the bass. I found the ZST to be very clear and detailed.  The treble is well extended and detailed.  The treble is very revealing and with poorer quality recordings can on occasion be harsh.  The mids are a little forward and show off female vocals very well.  The bass is full but well controlled.  When listening to Jewel, Who Will Save Your Soul (flac) I actually got a shiver down my spine from the clarity of her vocals.  Fleetwood Mac, Gold Dust Woman (flac 96/24 from DVD-A), Schiller, Under My Skin (flac), Genesis, A Trick of the Tail (flac), Roger Hodgson, London (flac) and Delerium, Blue Fires (MP3)  all sounded great with the ZST. I hope that if you have a ZST on order or decide to purchase one that it performs as well as the one I received.  ​

i suspect your take on the zst is accurate--i've noticed the abrupt shift in sentiment from uniformly negative to mostly positive in recent weeks. there could be some mass hysteria effect going on, but it does seem likely that early batches were substandard and recent ones correctly built. not that i need anymore iems, but it got me vaguery curious if the zst is a real upgrade from the zs3, which i quite like.

 

[Griffith]

This is actually more than enough information I need! Thanks! Im sold! I'll just wait for some good deals before ordering one.

 
Btw just a quick update I did a 30ish minutes run with the KZ HDSE and they stayed put in my ears without many issues. They were actually less bothersome than the Brainwavz, despite those having the winged tips and Comply foam tips which I find to seal excellently in my ears.
 
I'd still advise getting some earphone tips for the HDSE because they may not sit or seal in your ears as well as they do in mine.

 

[Lorspeaker]

zephyr11 I guess ZS3 are single-driver earphones? ZS1/2 were DD.

Lorspeaker
You got your first KZ phones?

Ya...from gearbest 11.11 ..
Keeping the ed9...this is a beau.
Reminds me of the Crystal by hifiman or hisoundaudio..brainfog
Gifting away the ed2 n AtR ..they are all excellent for the coins asked for.

 

[hoerlurar]

   
Btw just a quick update I did a 30ish minutes run with the KZ HDSE and they stayed put in my ears without many issues. They were actually less bothersome than the Brainwavz, despite those having the winged tips and Comply foam tips which I find to seal excellently in my ears.
 
I'd still advise getting some earphone tips for the HDSE because they may not sit or seal in your ears as well as they do in mine.

i tried mine with kz starline tips, and that seemed like a good match!
i would recommend qcy qy19 instead of of kz hdse though: http://www.gearbest.com/sports-fitness-headphones/pp_368033.html
less bloated bass, more balanced sound, better clarity on qy19

 

[Toulouse]

Still awaiting shipment from KZ Official Store, but my ED12s arrived today from a different Ali seller. I was surprised to find the right earpiece is blue and the left one red. Are all the ED12s this way?
Also, the highs seem very extreme. Is this typical of this model?

 

[gemmoglock]

Still awaiting shipment from KZ Official Store, but my ED12s arrived today from a different Ali seller. I was surprised to find the right earpiece is blue and the left one red. Are all the ED12s this way?
Also, the highs seem very extreme. Is this typical of this model?

Yes the ED12s have this colour combo.
 
You may need to burn in and mix with tips, if not you will need to EQ the ED12. I can't remember who did it off hand but you can search this thread and the sub-$100 Chinese Brands thread
 
As some others mentioned already, KZ starline tips are a decent option to try too.

 

[Griffith]

 
i tried mine with kz starline tips, and that seemed like a good match!
i would recommend qcy qy19 instead of of kz hdse though: http://www.gearbest.com/sports-fitness-headphones/pp_368033.html
less bloated bass, more balanced sound, better clarity on qy19

 
I don't mind a bit of bloatiness for working out. I already have the Brainwavz Blu-100 which have much more clarity and detail, well, as much detail as you can get on a Bluetooth signal, so I'm good for now, but I'll keep your recommendation in mind for the future. Btw, isn't QCY an off-brand of KZ?

 

[RvTrav]

@loomisjohnson I have the ZS3 and in my opinion the ZST is a real upgrade.  Like you I enjoy the clarity of the XE800, the ZST certainly isn't balanced like the XE800 but has great clarity and detail in the treble.  I think we both consider the XE800 to be balanced and in that case the Bass, Mids and Treble are all elevated on the ZST (W sound signature?).  This results in a forward and engaging presentation.  The sound field of the ZST is not as wide as the XE800 and the instrument separation is not as good. (but these are strong points of the XE800)   Someone else mentioned that they were hearing things in known songs that they hadn't heard before and I have to agree with this.    As these are a little bright I listened to some songs where I have noted other earphones becoming sibilant and I found that as long as the recording was of a good quality then the ZSTs were not prone to harshness or sibilance.   Be aware that these do not tolerate poor recordings.  The XE800s might not be the best earphone to compare the ZST to but it is one we are both familiar with so I hope that the comparison will assist you to have a better idea of what to expect from the ZST.  I did not have high expectations for the ZST when I ordered it during the 11/11 sale however I was presently surprised by them.  I have the Urban fun earphones on order and I hope to have them in the next week of two.  If you like I will let you know how they compare to the ZSTs when they arrive.  If you are like me and like variety in your earphone collection then I think you will find this a great addition.

 

[zephyr11]

@zephyr11 I guess ZS3 are single-driver earphones? ZS1/2 were DD.

@Lorspeaker
You got your first KZ phones?

 
 
I'm quite sure they are.
 
 
 
 
Quote:

  More mist on the ZST field, like completely opposite reactions on same tracks and stuff xD.
Some people on the Chinese thread claimed that you can have opposite polarity with the cables and reversing it can fix some issues.
Did any of you ZST owners notice something like this?
 
 
 
I did give the opp cable insertion a try, and they did sound a tad weird. echoy type of weird.
 
 
 
@devleon 
 
I'm not sure if I did the right thing but I sure think I did the slightly cleverer thing, I bought them all at once, and slowly trying them.

 

 

[SomeTechNoob]

Now that the honeymoon phase is over with my ATRs, here are some more concluding thoughts.
 
I think I prefer these over my Xiaomi Pistons when it comes to sound.  Both the colorful and Piston 3.  They seem to have a soundstage which is a little bit wider than the Piston 3.  I'm really enjoying how punchy the upper and mid bass are when compared to both the 3 and the colorful.  They can sparkle when they need to and vocals sound great.  These are probably my go to $5 IEM for best sound at the moment now.  The nozzle is a bit big for my ear canals even with the smallest stock tips, but they're not uncomfortable.  I think my pistons edge out the ATRs in comfort by a tiny bit.
 
I still like the easy insert that the Piston design has though.  It's easier to put on and take off than these over the ear designs.  Since the ATR has no sort of memory wire, the cable can be a bit troublesome especially if I have it tucked under my shirt/jacket.  Durability seems okay so far, but only time will tell.
 
So overall, if you are fine with an over-the-ear iem and the drawbacks it comes with, you really can't go wrong with the ATR.  Less microphonics when walking if you can manage the wire to stay behind your ear.  Sound is really great after some burn in.  Whether that be physical or psychological burn-in, I don't know.  But they sound damn good and I can't wait for my ED9 and ATR to come in.  Also looking at the ZST Pro + silver cable.  I'm not usually a believer in cables but I'll do it for the hot looks.

 

[Viber]

ATR's and plextones i ordered on sunday just left GB, let the hype begin!

 

[devleon]

I have to say, after I had such a bad experience with the ZS3 ootb, I do like them much better now. They completely changed their sound in 2-3 hours of me trying them out. 
On top of that I also let them burn in over-night with the app mentioned earlier.
 
Still, none of the included tips give me a good seal - like at all. I tried some other tips I had lying around, which did definitely help, but since they were a bit larger than the 5mm, I lost one of them while biking
 
I already have some foam tips on my way from aliexpress, but I don't want to wait a month... Thinking of buying a couple foam tips off amazon - but they are like 8€ for a 5 pack (when they're only 2€ on ali) :/