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Knowledge Zenith (KZ) impressions thread
Dec 13, 2016 at 10:06 AM Post #14,357 of 63,916
Well, my Colorful ZST has arrived, and on initial impressions one thing is clear.  A cheap hybrid can actually be enjoyable.  So for the 4 hybrids I've owned so far, the most and least expensive are the two I've liked.  I'd certainly pick this over my Astrotec AX35, just found it horribly boring.
 
...nevermind, make that 5 hybrids, I totally forgot about the TK11.  I like that one too.
 
Dec 13, 2016 at 10:12 AM Post #14,358 of 63,916
isn't the trick to buy from the cheapest seller that's enough reliable, and with the money saved buy more stuff, and always have something on the way?
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my aliexpress order from 11.11 containing the urbanfun hybrid, **** 4in1 and some misc stuff supposedly left for sweden 2 weeks ago according to the tracking info from 17track.net, but doesn't seem to have arrived in sweden according to local postal service.
 
So i might hope that my gearbest order from last week with KZ ZST and remax s1 will arrive early next year (if i receive the 11.11 order before christmas) then, so i get some time playing with my first order
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in some ways the chi-fi thing is about value, and i'm not too concerned about waiting a month for delivery with the prices we pay. But after 6 weeks i usually get a bit annoyed by the delivery time...
 
Dec 13, 2016 at 3:05 PM Post #14,362 of 63,916
i've seen a number of initially hyped iems get critically downgraded after release (the shozy zero come to mind) but until the kzt i haven't seen an iem which was widely dissed on release garner so much subsequent praise. ergo, i succumbed to curiosity and sprang for the $11 to get my own. again, i'm not sure if there's some cult behavior going on, but the kzt now seems to be the most venerated kz ever.
 
Dec 13, 2016 at 3:09 PM Post #14,363 of 63,916
loomisjohnson said:
  i've seen a number of initially hyped iems get critically downgraded after release (the shozy zero come to mind) but until the kzt i haven't seen an iem which was widely dissed on release garner so much subsequent praise. ergo, i succumbed to curiosity and sprang for the $11 to get my own. again, i'm not sure if there's some cult behavior going on, but the kzt now seems to be the most venerated kz ever.
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That is quite the thing isn't it? I like the ZST and think they're really good, but worthy of "OMG THE BEST THING EVA BUY BUY BUY!!"? No. You go in with that mindset you're going to be disappointed. *shrug*
 
Dec 13, 2016 at 4:59 PM Post #14,366 of 63,916
Hey just pulled the trigger on the ZS3 and the ZST in the sale.
I read a lot of pages here but I didn't find anything on how they compare with my current main IEMs, the Shure SE215?
 
I read that the zst don´t change much after 100hrs break in, is there something happening after more time?
 
Dec 13, 2016 at 5:27 PM Post #14,367 of 63,916
Quote:
sabaden said:
  Woah!!!  That's a loooong time to take ...
 
Usually I ordered my stuff from AE and most of the time, it'll take 9-14days or so to reah me....record time 4 days and that's on free shipping.
 
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Quote:
dudinacas said:
 
4 days! 
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 Most of my stuff takes 14 days from Aliexpress, my record is 7 days though.
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My record from AliExpress is 10 days (to Australia), and that was from the recent 11.11 sale 
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Quote:
drachen1 said:
  Hey just pulled the trigger on the ZS3 and the ZST in the sale.
I read a lot of pages here but I didn't find anything on how they compare with my current main IEMs, the Shure SE215?
 
I read that the zst don´t change much after 100hrs break in, is there something happening after more time?
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Can't say for the ZS3 since I don't have one, but the SE215 is very different to the ZST. The SE215 (I listened to the light blue version, if it's any different), is much warmer sounding (due to a convex curve in the mid-bass to low-mid region). The ZST has a concave dip in that region, but whether you want to call the SE215 muddy, or the ZST too thin is up to you. The dip in the midbass does give the ZST's sub-bass a tighter feel imo
 
The SE215 also has a little bump in the high mids, while the ZST has quite a dip there. I would personally put the SE215 in the "warm and smooth" category, and the ZST in the "fun and W-shaped" category.
 
Break-in is up for you to decide. I didn't "break-in" my ZST, but I did blast pink noise through my XE800 at 4x my acceptable listening volume for 77 hours (with around five 1min gaps), and the measurements (Vibro Veritas -> ARTA) were still identical.
 
Dec 13, 2016 at 6:19 PM Post #14,369 of 63,916
to.m said:
Well, the best not, but what else can you get for less than 11usd (at GB) with a better SQ?
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Not best, but different. A basshead may prefer the ZS1, a neutralhead may prefer the ED9, and I think the Superlux HD381F is way more balanced than the ZST. I really like the ZST for what it is (fun but not V-shaped imo), so it's definitely a keeper.
 
Dec 13, 2016 at 7:52 PM Post #14,370 of 63,916
to.m said:
Well, the best not, but what else can you get for less than 12usd (at GB) with a better SQ?
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@ayao Kinda nailed it. Preferences play a big part. My original ZS1 (not the current version) puts a much larger smile on my face than the ZST. The EDR2 is technically close, but way more balanced. I can't think of anything with better sq off-hand, but I can think of a number of others that I would rather listen to.
 
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