Knowledge Zenith (KZ) impressions thread
Dec 20, 2016 at 10:27 PM Post #14,641 of 63,671
You got it turned the rong way the ATE is the one with the more prominent Bass.


Not to my ears, but I'm talking about the 5th generation KZ ATE. I don't know how the previous generations fared in terms of bass but from the way people talk they sounded different to the current version.
 
Dec 21, 2016 at 12:23 AM Post #14,643 of 63,671
Hello all, i'm french and i wanted to know what heardphone have the best sound quality (i like all style of music) between the KZ ZST, the KZ ZS3 and the Rock Zircon Nano.
Thanks you so much for yours answers and sorry if i don't speak english very well. 
 
Dec 21, 2016 at 12:42 AM Post #14,644 of 63,671
  Hello all, i'm french and i wanted to know what heardphone have the best sound quality (i like all style of music) between the KZ ZST, the KZ ZS3 and the Rock Zircon Nano.
Thanks you so much for yours answers and sorry if i don't speak english very well. 

I haven't tried the Zircon.  Between the ZST and ZS3, for a broad variety of music I would choose ZST.  ZS3 works better with bass heavy tracks. 
 
Dec 21, 2016 at 12:51 AM Post #14,645 of 63,671
My ZST's and ED12's finally came in, after touring through the Uk for a while...

Once I swapped over to the included small starline tips (as the mediums would actually slowly work themselves out of my ears!) man are they comfy... And really nice for listening to Harsh EBM as well as DnB... Not to mention rock. Here's hoping they'll be the magical pair that gets me to actually like IEM's ^_^


Oh, the ED12's? They're still wrapped in the box, had too much fun with the ZST's.
 
Dec 21, 2016 at 1:35 AM Post #14,647 of 63,671
  Which comply tips fits ZST? OR should I stick with the Starline tips?

 
Starline tips work perfectly for me, the seal is really good.  The KZ foam tips are useless, there's no plastic insert inside the bore, so the tips tend to just slip right off the earbud, and can stay dangerously stuck in your ear canal.
 
I believe the T400 comply tips will work, I've ordered some myself to try anyway.
 
Dec 21, 2016 at 1:56 AM Post #14,648 of 63,671
Hi, I've been reading good things about the KZ ZST's and the Superlux 381F IEM's. 
I already have a pair of Xiaomi Piston 3's and would like to upgrade. Are either of these a great improvement, or should I raise my Budget? 
Thanks. (If not, I have some DAPs on my radar. I need to save some money. 
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Dec 21, 2016 at 2:40 AM Post #14,649 of 63,671
  Hi, I've been reading good things about the KZ ZST's and the Superlux 381F IEM's. 
I already have a pair of Xiaomi Piston 3's and would like to upgrade. Are either of these a great improvement, or should I raise my Budget? 
Thanks. (If not, I have some DAPs on my radar. I need to save some money. 
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)

 
Buying directly, the ZST is actually similar price to the Piston 3 and 4 (launch prices) and cheaper than the Piston 5.  I love the ZST over my Piston 5.
Piston 3 is a relatively neutral IEM, it's been a while since I've listened to them but I do remember I prefer the 5 over the 3, ergo the ZST beats the 3.
Only downside to ZST is the single button mic on the stock cable (and none on the silver cable), so no volume controls on your Android phone.  They are also the overear cable kind, which is more difficult to put in and take out of your ear compared to the Pistons, so if you do that alot then get "normal" earbud shaped IEMs like pistons or superlux.
 
Haven't heard the superlux, but others here say good things.
 
These IEMs are all relatively efficient, so will work well with most smartphones already.  IMO if you are going to carry something extra like a DAP, might as well get a portable DAC+AMP which can deliver even more power and help drive bigger headphones as well.  
 
Dec 21, 2016 at 6:09 AM Post #14,650 of 63,671
  So, two things, I received one of my orders from Gearbest for three earphones, two of which were KZ ones, the KZ ATR and the KZ ZS1.
 
First things first, they both are good sounding earphones that rival the ZS3. The ZS1 feels like you are wrapped in a blanked of warm bass but it doesn't muddy up details, it just makes everything sound fuller whereas the ATR provides a more intimate but still warm-sounding listening experience.
 
Having listened to the KZ ATE and the ATR for a few hours, and recalling the comments some people made here about the ATR being a natural upgrade over the ATE I'd like to say I respectfully disagree. I think the ATE's sound signature is significantly different from the ATR's and they provide some sound features that are better than the ATR's, specifically their soundstage and imaging. Also because the sub bass is not as pronounced as on the ATR, it's easier to discern smaller details on songs, particularly noticeable on live recordings.
 
I think that for the money the ATR is a better purchase than the ATE in terms of value, but I don't think they are a superior earphone to the KZ ATE, they offer a different type of sound but I can understand why a lot of people would prefer them over the ATE as they have a warmer signature.

Agree.
 
 
You got it turned the rong way the ATE is the one with the more prominent Bass.

No! He is correct. ATR has more prominent bass. 
 
Dec 21, 2016 at 6:47 AM Post #14,651 of 63,671
Hi, I've been reading good things about the KZ ZST's and the Superlux 381F IEM's. 
I already have a pair of Xiaomi Piston 3's and would like to upgrade. Are either of these a great improvement, or should I raise my Budget? 
Thanks. (If not, I have some DAPs on my radar. I need to save some money. :xf_eek: )


I don't have any Pistons so can't comment on them. Between ZST and HD381F I prefer the latter. ZST has got a valley at 5k and a peak at 10k which make them sound not bright but sibilant which I find unnatural sounding, I don't like them. HD381F is the flatest sounding IEM I have with perhaps a very mild linear lift in the highs. It is very detailed across the whole spectrum (without becoming analytical however), I absolutely love it and I think it's incredible value for the less than £10 it goes for on Gearbest.
 
Dec 21, 2016 at 7:37 AM Post #14,653 of 63,671
Yeah, I also have yet to hear ANY sibilant notes in the ZST.  Sound on the bright side yes (but less bright than xiaomi pistons gen 5), but no sibilance in any of my songs.  Indeed the almost sparkling highs is one reason why I love them.  It's a fun sound but still fairly well controlled so you don't feel it's a strong V.  There was a curve posted here earlier, it's W shaped really but still relatively flat.  I'm not a big fan of comparing freq curves for IEMs though, as your ear canal is part of the sound chamber and everyone's ears are different.
 
Dec 21, 2016 at 8:35 AM Post #14,655 of 63,671
   
ZS3 stock and upgraded silver cable both have memory wire.  IIRC someone on this thread said they managed to take it out, but I asked and still no answer to how.
 
ZST stock and upgraded silver cable no memory wire.  The shop did send me silicone-ish ear guides for free though, which works well but I rather just use the plain wires, better aesthetics 
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I removed the memory wire from my ZS3, but because the wire connectors sticks too much (far from the ear) the behind the ear design does not the job very well keeping the earpiece in the ear. Carefully with scissors I managed to remove the sheath.
 

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