[VinceHill24]

Concise thoughts on the KZ ZS5

1. Nice tight bass presentation, not loose / uncontrolled like the ZS3. This bass is tight and well done. It doesn't overpower the lower mids like many cheap IEMs in this price range.
2. Good vocal clarity, but separation between lower mids and upper mids is a bit vague at times (feels confused)
3. Upper midrange can sometimes sound frail or tinny making the overall female vocal presentation a bit nasally
4. Nice texture to the lower midrange.
5. Treble is excellent, not overly harsh and collects a lot of detail. Not extremely sparkly.
6. Overall a balanced sound signature without being heavily v-shaped, great bass tuning for $30. I was expecting garbage from the previous KZ I tried but this was a nice surprise -- I think in terms of technicalities it performs on the level of something like the Pinnacle P1.
8. In terms of 3d imaging, I find the imaging of the TFZ Exclusive King to be more impressive in spacial placement

Well worth the $30 -- you probably won't find a tuning this mature at this price elsewhere.0

FYI These shells are larger than the actual Campfire shells. I wish they had an original design for this IEM because it sounds very damn good for $30. But I can only reluctantly recommend it for its blatantly ripped-off design, IMO it's pretty hideous compared to the actual Campfire shells. The plastic groove between the two pressed pieces is uneven and gluey, plus the appeal of the original Campfires was largely due to the CNC metal. I find the fit on the Andromeda to be more comfortable due to the heftier weight.

Nice impression ! Eager to find out about it soon. Performing at the level of Pinnacle P1 @ just a mere 30$ or even less i guess for those preordered, that's just unbelievable.

 

[groucho69]

I got a message from the seller saying everything is the same, same number of tips and whatnot, and I said thats fine please ship them

Yup I got the same later.

 

[trollin863]

So some good news regarding my 1st order of KZ headphones from GearBest.

I recieved my order yesterday! Much earlier than expected as well. Matter of fact took exactly 11 days from the date I ordered from GB for them to get to me in Florida. Thats some good service.

The 1.50 I paid for shipping was more than worth it. I decided to use USA Priority. Though there was another option for slightly over 2 dollars called USA Express I considered going with. After my experience, think the USA Priority option is likely the fastest. Interestingly enough with this option(USA Priority)GB uses a shipper called SF Express and they seem very quick at least for me. Basically my package went from China to the US(Los Angeles) in about a week. Then about 4 days from Los Angeles to get to me in Florida. You do need to use 17track.net or aftership.com to be able to track the package though.

My order contained 2 ed4s, 1 atr, and 1 kz3.

So far just tried the ed4s and they are better than I was lead to believe. The stock tips are sucky though. Put some Sony hybrids(mediums) on the ed4s last night and they sound so much better. Next ill try some foams on the ed4s.

For rap music the ed4s arent great but they are decent. (rock music so far doesnt sound good in particular electric guitars) The highs for rap music is ok... quite loud but not terrible quality. Not great but tolerable. The mids and the bass kind of hits hard which is cool

Once I find the right eartip and play around with the EQ these ed4s I think will sound above average for an iem.

Great value for 4 dollars.

 

[blazinblazin]

After comparing ZS5 default cable with mic and gold cable.

IMO no difference in sound.

Source setup... X5II + E12A amp.

 

[ustinj]

After comparing ZS5 default cable with mic and gold cable.

IMO no difference in sound.

Source setup... X5II + E12A amp.

Yep, also found no difference in sound. However, the original cable is grippy / sticky rubber and gets a bit annoying.

 

[WilliamCruz]

probably just a gold coloured cable

 

[bhazard]

When I started this thread I was hoping KZ would catch on. They've really matured to the point that they could be picked up by a major audio company or make semi-mainstream strides on their own. I wished for a hybrid from them awhile ago, and now they have a 4 driver for $30.

I have the ZS5 incoming as well, so I'll take measurements asap.

 

[chinmie]

after finding that my ZS3 doesn't have the black tuning foam inside, i decided to try and reverse the @slaterlovesspam mod by inserting thin VE monk foams inside the red nozzle, and also a little bit to cover the top (replacing the original red mesh). From what i found, i like it better this way. the mid and treble quantity are reduced but maintaining details. without foams, the treble is harsh and shouty. the bass also increased. it adds bloom to the bass, but still managed not to interfere with the mid bass frequency. it still good enough to listen to fast metal music

 

[trollin863]

after finding that my ZS3 doesn't have the black tuning foam inside, i decided to try and reverse the @slaterlovesspam mod by inserting thin VE monk foams inside the red nozzle, and also a little bit to cover the top (replacing the original red mesh). From what i found, i like it better this way. the mid and treble quantity are reduced but maintaining details. without foams, the treble is harsh and shouty. the bass also increased. it adds bloom to the bass, but still managed not to interfere with the mid bass frequency. it still good enough to listen to fast metal music

Interesting observations. I have yet to open my box of zs3s I received on Thursday. Correct me if I'm wrong but if the zs3s are glossy on the outside, that's a newer batch without the tuning foam?

I was actually thinking of not removing the foam just cause I don't want to screw anything up (even though it seems easy the hardest part from what I gather is removing the screen)

Also I like the low end of the spectrum, sub bass the most. Being that I listen to rap well over 90% of the time, being able to hit the low notes is of vital importance to my listening experience.

And according to you the bass hits harder with the foam in the nozzles? I don't like punchy bass, I'm talking more along the lines of Earth shattering quake bass. Which when you said boomier bass assumed you meant less punchy and more like the bass I enjoy. Because again correct me if I'm wrong but removing the foam increases the mids and treble whilst at the same time lessening the bass. Seems like the opposite of what I'm looking for. But it makes sense why it's popular to do with guys here because they're looking for a more balanced neutral sounding earphone that represents the full spectrum accurately.

Well one things for sure if I like the ed4s then I can't wait to listen to the atrs and the zs3s which are supposed to be much better sounding earphones.

 

[chinmie]

Interesting observations. I have yet to open my box of zs3s I received on Thursday. Correct me if I'm wrong but if the zs3s are glossy on the outside, that's a newer batch without the tuning foam?

I was actually thinking of not removing the foam just cause I don't want to screw anything up (even though it seems easy the hardest part from what I gather is removing the screen)

Also I like the low end of the spectrum, sub bass the most. Being that I listen to rap well over 90% of the time, being able to hit the low notes is of vital importance to my listening experience.

And according to you the bass hits harder with the foam in the nozzles? I don't like punchy bass, I'm talking more along the lines of Earth shattering quake bass. Which when you said boomier bass assumed you meant less punchy and more like the bass I enjoy. Because again correct me if I'm wrong but removing the foam increases the mids and treble whilst at the same time lessening the bass. Seems like the opposite of what I'm looking for. But it makes sense why it's popular to do with guys here because they're looking for a more balanced neutral sounding earphone that represents the full spectrum accurately.

Well one things for sure if I like the ed4s then I can't wait to listen to the atrs and the zs3s which are supposed to be much better sounding earphones.

mine is the glossy one, but from what others have found, the ones without foams are the older batch.

with foams, the bass is more boom than thump/thud. it increase the sub bass, and also soften the mids and treble part.

the slatermod indeed makes the ZS3 more neutral, but to me the end result is still an inferior sounding compared to the ATR's neutral sound (but the ZS3 still wins in soundstage). the ZS3 without foams to my ears have a little harsh and peaky high mid and treble

to my personal taste, i like it better to have the ZS3 really bass heavy, so i prefer to have foams inside. using the VE monk foams really soften the mids and treble but not to the point of muting or veiling the frequency.

 

[Cya|\|]

Concise thoughts on the KZ ZS5

1. Nice tight bass presentation, not loose / uncontrolled like the ZS3. This bass is tight and well done. It doesn't overpower the lower mids like many cheap IEMs in this price range.
2. Good vocal clarity, but separation between lower mids and upper mids is a bit vague at times (feels confused)
3. Upper midrange can sometimes sound frail or tinny making the overall female vocal presentation a bit nasally
4. Nice texture to the lower midrange.
5. Treble is excellent, not overly harsh and collects a lot of detail. Not extremely sparkly.
6. Overall a balanced sound signature without being heavily v-shaped, great bass tuning for $30. I was expecting garbage from the previous KZ I tried but this was a nice surprise -- I think in terms of technicalities it performs on the level of something like the Pinnacle P1.
8. In terms of 3d imaging, I find the imaging of the TFZ Exclusive King to be more impressive in spacial placement

Well worth the $30 -- you probably won't find a tuning this mature at this price elsewhere.0

FYI These shells are larger than the actual Campfire shells. I wish they had an original design for this IEM because it sounds very damn good for $30. But I can only reluctantly recommend it for its blatantly ripped-off design, IMO it's pretty hideous compared to the actual Campfire shells. The plastic groove between the two pressed pieces is uneven and gluey, plus the appeal of the original Campfires was largely due to the CNC metal. I find the fit on the Andromeda to be more comfortable due to the heftier weight.

Nice. Thx for the critical and honest stance.

 

[Pankaj135]

Someone's uploaded unboxing on YouTube

 

[CoiL]

Hi guys, today I received a message from AliExpress seller from the "Tendway Electronic Store". They told me that the original packaging of the KZ ZS5 is sold only to their local Chinese customers. As I am a foregner they can only send me the other packaging( check the image below ).
Do I accept the deal? I'm affraid they might be fake but giving the fact that I payed only $22 I might accept the deal...

What do you think guys?

I ordered also from same place but since I`m going to re-shell them anyway with wood, then I don`t care about packaging etc.
Will confirm if anything is fake when I receive them.

 

[Skullophile]

So if there's no crossover in the ZS5 dividing frequencies does it make for a thick warm sound? Do the twin armatures in the nozzle have some kind of crossover or are they both doing the same job?

 

[jant71]

So if there's no crossover in the ZS5 dividing frequencies does it make for a thick warm sound? Do the twin armatures in the nozzle have some kind of crossover or are they both doing the same job?

Twin armatures in the nozzle??