[SomeTechNoob]

Thanks. I may do that, but it has not been that important. Keeping things this way will probably save me some money on purchases anyhow! I am American, but am doing volunteer work in Paraguay. That may have something to do with not being able to get the CC to register right. It is a U.S. card.

The ZS3 silver cable has always been a wee bit more expensive than the ZST cable for some reason.

I did find a ZST cable for a smidgen under $5: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Upgrade-Ear...-3-pole-Jack-for-KZ-ZST-Silver-/382134094663?

Honestly the difference in price is so small - 0.50 or so - that I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[colgateam]

Only reason I changed the cable was so I could remove the stupid stiff one, modify a 'silver' one and heatgun it to mold to the shape I wanted. So much more comfortable

 

[ricemanhk]

I tried using UHU glue to stick the tips onto the ZS5 nozzle but it's not sticking that well...or perhaps I need to use more glue or even super glue? But yeah I concur the tips have fallen off at least 10 times for me by now and that's the worse for me by far. Before I think I've only lost the tips once or twice at most.

 

[CYoung234]

The ZS3 silver cable has always been a wee bit more expensive than the ZST cable for some reason.

I did find a ZST cable for a smidgen under $5: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Upgrade-Ear...-3-pole-Jack-for-KZ-ZST-Silver-/382134094663?

Honestly the difference in price is so small - 0.50 or so - that I wouldn't worry about it.

I agree. I already ordered one from eBay. The ZST cables do not really fit for the ZS5 due to the right angle connector and the connector housing not docking far enough into the ZS5 housing. It will work, sort of, but the cables would fall off. How do I know this? Because I bought one by mistake! Haha...

 

[eaglesgift]

Does anyone know if it is possible to buy the silicone tips that come with the ED9 separately? I've found the large ones to be the best fit for me with the ZS5 and would really like to get hold of some more.

 

[Griffith]

has anyone done a clear comparison of the ZS5 with the normal cable, silver cable and BT cable ?

not sure why but the bluetooth cable sounds like the sound is a bit more artificial and has some artifacting compared to when its wired.

Well of course it would, the Bluetooth receiver applies some heavy compression to the audio signal. You can't compare the Bluetooth receiver directly with the wired cable because inherently it will be worse.

As for the normal/silver cable, there have been some heated debates on this thread about whether or not there is any difference. I have two pairs of ZST and I own both the normal and the silver cable so I was able to test them back to back. In my experience, the silver cable slightly attenuated the ZST's high frequencies but also seems to require slightly more power to drive. It is a better constructed cable and is more comfortable to wear than the default cable, and most of the cable's benefits come from that, not from any sound quality improvement.

Again, some people will say you get no benefit at all in terms of sound quality. In my experience, there will be a very small variation from the standard cable but it is very hard to tell unless you're able to quickly exchange between two units with the two cables back to back. If you find the default cable uncomfortable then it might be a worthwhile investment but if not, feel free to just stick with the default one.

 

[Griffith]

Does anyone know if it is possible to buy the silicone tips that come with the ED9 separately? I've found the large ones to be the best fit for me with the ZS5 and would really like to get hold of some more.

Do you mean these ones? KZ tips

 

[eaglesgift]

Do you mean these ones? KZ tips

Yes, thanks very much. Those look like the ones.

 

[groucho69]

Only reason I changed the cable was so I could remove the stupid stiff one, modify a 'silver' one and heatgun it to mold to the shape I wanted. So much more comfortable

Or just remove the wire from the standard cable.

 

[snip3r77]

Do you mean these ones? KZ tips

Take note the inner diameter , it's one mm larger ( kz5 )

 

[Griffith]

Take note the inner diameter , it's one mm larger ( kz5 )

I'm fairly certain they would fit the ZS5.

Only reason I changed the cable was so I could remove the stupid stiff one, modify a 'silver' one and heatgun it to mold to the shape I wanted. So much more comfortable

That cable looks pretty sweet in that color. Where did you get it, or how did you make it that color?

 

[Damikiller37]

Hey I've received my KZ ZS5 the other and I couldn't thank this thread enough! I've been using my Betron YSM1000 (which appear to be a rebrand/clone of the KZ ED) for over a year now until the microphone part started to fall apart on me and resulted in a constant low volume hiss. I've ordered the KZ ZS5 from GearBest during one of their deals for £14.67 (I paid £16.46 with Priority Line shipping) and they arrived 10 days after the order. I also ordered the KZ Storage box on Ebay along with some memory foam eartips (both took about a week to arrive). First time owning an over-ear IEM and I'm so glad I got these.

I've always had an issue with having earbuds stay in my ears especially when walking no matter what eartips I had and these solve that. I read that a fair amount of people don't think the ZS5s are particularly comfortable but for me they are a perfect fit and I can barely feel them on my ears. I guess it might take some to get used to wearing over-ear IEMs if it's your first time, however I've been wearing glasses pretty much all my life so I'm used to having something on my ears. So if anyone that wears glasses and is looking to pick these up, your experience may vary, but for me the ZS5s don't really get in the way of the glasses once you get the wire nice and snug behind your ear so that your glasses' arms can still rest in their usual position.

When it comes to the eartips, I think the stock ones are pretty garbage. They'll do if you don't want to buy better ones right away but I'd say it's worth getting something nicer. I'm currently trying the silicone eartips that I had on my Betron's which feel nicer than the stock and sit nice and snug on ZS5s; definitely not worried about them falling off. I'll link them below since they seem to be the same ones that are on the KZ EDs and are available on AliExpress. I also got a pair of cheap T400 memory foam eartips which are surprisingly nice quality and sit very strongly on the ZS5s, it takes some force and wiggle to get them off but they go on just as easily as the stock tips. From what I have read most recommend T500 for ZS5s but these T400 seem perfect; the inner wall is wider than what's on the stock eartips and pretty much the same diameter as the driver port. They also isolate a lot of outside noise which is why I haven't tried them outside yet; the KZ ED eartips seem to give me the best results so I can still hear enough of my surroundings. For £2.24 they are great and they came with a small clear plastic container for them but I've found that it can fit about 3 pairs of eartips just fine.

I haven't seen many posts talking about the KZ storage box so I'll share my experience. Firstly the price is £1.34 so you can't go wrong with grabbing one if you travel with your earbuds. Sure it's not as nice as something like the Pelican 1010 mini but if you need something to keep your earbuds safe in your bag or pocket it's more than sufficient. The seal is alright, definitely not waterproof but no lint or other crap should be able to make it's way in. The clips close with a distinct click and require you to pop them open with your nails but it's ok. The inside is padded with 5mm ish pad on both sides which is glued down but they didn't do the best job with the glue. Nothing you can't fix if it bothers you although they stay in place fine. Refer to the images for the size of the box. I can fit the ZS5s and the eartips container inside it no problem.

I use the ZS5s with my phone HTC One M8 and I use Viper4Android FX on it. Still trying out various settings but I'd say they sound fantastic out the box so tweaking them with an EQ and other Viper settings just gets them perfect for you and will be subjective.

Here are a couple of photos to support all I wrote. Didn't want to spam the entire post with them so here is a link to a gallery: http://imgur.com/a/senR4

Finally I have a question, does anyone own this replacement cable for the ZS5s LINK I'm looking to pick up the silver one since the stock wire is a bit meh. The cable itself remembers it's position too well and when you take it out of a storage box it takes a while to straighten out. Also want this silver cable since I like the look of it and it seems to be higher quality compared to the official silver cable. I would appreciate any feedback if you own it. I think it's the same cable that @colgateam owns and showed a few posts back.

Sorry for a lengthy write up but just wanted to share my experience and findings. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask

Links I used to order all the things mentioned:
KZ ZS5
KZ ED/Betron YSM1000 silicone eartips
Betron YSM1000
KZ Storage Box
T400 Memory Foam eartips

 

[groucho69]

Hey I've received my KZ ZS5 the other and I couldn't thank this thread enough! I've been using my Betron YSM1000 (which appear to be a rebrand/clone of the KZ ED) for over a year now until the microphone part started to fall apart on me and resulted in a constant low volume hiss. I've ordered the KZ ZS5 from GearBest during one of their deals for £14.67 (I paid £16.46 with Priority Line shipping) and they arrived 10 days after the order. I also ordered the KZ Storage box on Ebay along with some memory foam eartips (both took about a week to arrive). First time owning an over-ear IEM and I'm so glad I got these.

I've always had an issue with having earbuds stay in my ears especially when walking no matter what eartips I had and these solve that. I read that a fair amount of people don't think the ZS5s are particularly comfortable but for me they are a perfect fit and I can barely feel them on my ears. I guess it might take some to get used to wearing over-ear IEMs if it's your first time, however I've been wearing glasses pretty much all my life so I'm used to having something on my ears. So if anyone that wears glasses and is looking to pick these up, your experience may vary, but for me the ZS5s don't really get in the way of the glasses once you get the wire nice and snug behind your ear so that your glasses' arms can still rest in their usual position.

When it comes to the eartips, I think the stock ones are pretty garbage. They'll do if you don't want to buy better ones right away but I'd say it's worth getting something nicer. I'm currently trying the silicone eartips that I had on my Betron's which feel nicer than the stock and sit nice and snug on ZS5s; definitely not worried about them falling off. I'll link them below since they seem to be the same ones that are on the KZ EDs and are available on AliExpress. I also got a pair of cheap T400 memory foam eartips which are surprisingly nice quality and sit very strongly on the ZS5s, it takes some force and wiggle to get them off but they go on just as easily as the stock tips. From what I have read most recommend T500 for ZS5s but these T400 seem perfect; the inner wall is wider than what's on the stock eartips and pretty much the same diameter as the driver port. They also isolate a lot of outside noise which is why I haven't tried them outside yet; the KZ ED eartips seem to give me the best results so I can still hear enough of my surroundings. For £2.24 they are great and they came with a small clear plastic container for them but I've found that it can fit about 3 pairs of eartips just fine.

I haven't seen many posts talking about the KZ storage box so I'll share my experience. Firstly the price is £1.34 so you can't go wrong with grabbing one if you travel with your earbuds. Sure it's not as nice as something like the Pelican 1010 mini but if you need something to keep your earbuds safe in your bag or pocket it's more than sufficient. The seal is alright, definitely not waterproof but no lint or other crap should be able to make it's way in. The clips close with a distinct click and require you to pop them open with your nails but it's ok. The inside is padded with 5mm ish pad on both sides which is glued down but they didn't do the best job with the glue. Nothing you can't fix if it bothers you although they stay in place fine. Refer to the images for the size of the box. I can fit the ZS5s and the eartips container inside it no problem.

I use the ZS5s with my phone HTC One M8 and I use Viper4Android FX on it. Still trying out various settings but I'd say they sound fantastic out the box so tweaking them with an EQ and other Viper settings just gets them perfect for you and will be subjective.

Here are a couple of photos to support all I wrote. Didn't want to spam the entire post with them so here is a link to a gallery: http://imgur.com/a/senR4

Finally I have a question, does anyone own this replacement cable for the ZS5s LINK I'm looking to pick up the silver one since the stock wire is a bit meh. The cable itself remembers it's position too well and when you take it out of a storage box it takes a while to straighten out. Also want this silver cable since I like the look of it and it seems to be higher quality compared to the official silver cable. I would appreciate any feedback if you own it. I think it's the same cable that @colgateam owns and showed a few posts back.

Sorry for a lengthy write up but just wanted to share my experience and findings. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask

Links I used to order all the things mentioned:
KZ ZS5
KZ ED/Betron YSM1000 silicone eartips
Betron YSM1000
KZ Storage Box
T400 Memory Foam eartips

Never apologize for providing your honest impressions and providing knowledge and links. Thanks!

 

[Slater]

Does anyone know if it is possible to buy the silicone tips that come with the ED9 separately? I've found the large ones to be the best fit for me with the ZS5 and would really like to get hold of some more.

Hit me up in PM or something. I'll send you some for free, as I don't use the large.

 

[nplateau]

Interesting review of the ZS5. I don't necessarily agree with it, but something to note I suppose: