[Slater]

I love this the thread. To summarize - it sounds like I need a ZS5, zse, and possibly a ZST to cover the bases.

Honestly, if I was in the market for an IEM right now I would skip the ZST and get the ZS5 instead. The ZST and ZS5 are similar, but the ZS5 is superior. The ZST has sibilance and sharp treble that can be piercing at times. The ZS5 is much better in this regard.

The ZST is more comfortable though, I'll give it that. It's also VERY forgiving with regards to sources. It even sounds great with the Bluetooth cable

Also, what 'bases' are you trying to cover? Because you may not even need the ZSE as well. My question would be why are you looking at more than 1? If you want a 2nd pair for the gym/work, or if you're getting them for the sake of collecting, that's fine. But there are other IEMs you may like more than the ZSE.

You could also take the money you would have spent on the ZSE/ZST and instead put it towards a silver plated upgrade cable (and/or the KZ Bluetooth cable) for the ZS5. Then you'd have a very solid and well-rounded setup, with a ton of flexibility to boot.

I'm with you on this thread though - KZ is like crack!

 

[Fox2twenty]

Honestly, if I was in the market for an IEM right now I would skip the ZST and get the ZS5 instead. The ZST and ZS5 are similar, but the ZS5 is superior. The ZST has sibilance and sharp treble that can be piercing at times. The ZS5 is much better in this regard.

The ZST is more comfortable though, I'll give it that. It's also VERY forgiving with regards to sources. It even sounds great with the Bluetooth cable

Also, what 'bases' are you trying to cover? Because you may not even need the ZSE as well. My question would be why are you looking at more than 1? If you want a 2nd pair for the gym/work, or if you're getting them for the sake of collecting, that's fine. But there are other IEMs you may like more than the ZSE.

You could also take the money you would have spent on the ZSE/ZST and instead put it towards a silver plated upgrade cable (and/or the KZ Bluetooth cable) for the ZS5. Then you'd have a very solid and well-rounded setup, with a ton of flexibility to boot.

I want the best over ear fit and one stop shop for running. The zse would be for collection and night time purposes.

If I can get ZS5 with memory wire /bt that would be the best.

 

[peskypesky]

the KZ's are so cheap, why not get them ALL!!!!

 

[Slater]

I want the best over ear fit and one stop shop for running. The zse would be for collection and night time purposes.

If I can get ZS5 with memory wire /bt that would be the best.

Night time as in sleeping? The ZSE are gigantic, and for laying in bed you generally want something tiny for falling asleep or laying on a pillow. For bedtime/sleeping, the MEMT X5 is great and is a bargain to boot.

Since you want behind the ear+memory wire and bluetooth option, you'll need a KZ with a removable cable. That means the ZS3, ZST, and ZS5.

Man, if it were me the ZS5 + KZ Bluetooth cable is hard to beat. You can get the ZS5 on sale for $15-$18, and the bluetooth cable as cheap as $7-$9.

 

[ryokun]

I find the Comply T400 pairs the best with my ZS5.

I ordered one from a local online shop. I think it's not genuine since it's so cheap but I couldn't find a genuine small size T400 here and I can't justify ordering it from the comply website as it cost as much as the zs5 with shipping.

Is this ok? I think those are the same one sold on aliexpress. They sell the comply tips so cheap there.

 

[kirkftl]

Anyone found a cable for the zs5 without the piece of metal in the wire? Tried removing the one from the silver cable and ended up destroying it.

 

[ricemanhk]

Anyone found a cable for the zs5 without the piece of metal in the wire? Tried removing the one from the silver cable and ended up destroying it.

All the current cables come with the metal wire. There are ways to strip it out without damaging the cable itself, I did it for all mine (stock, silver/gold, BT cable)

 

[vladstef]

Removing the "memory" wire (although this stiff joke of a metal is far from what memory wire should be) can be done to look clean in the end, at least I think mine does, but as you can see, cable likes to bend there because connectors are way too long. Has anyone with removed wire figured out a way to make a sort of a strain relief, I imagine this could be difficult because you can't make it go past the plastic where it bends, unless you go over it. As far as I know there are no cables that come without memory wire for ZS5. Perhaps someone should make a DIY thread specifically for KZ cables as it's one very popular topic.

 

[ricemanhk]

Removing the "memory" wire (although this stiff joke of a metal is far from what memory wire should be) can be done to look clean in the end, at least I think mine does, but as you can see, cable likes to bend there because connectors are way too long. Has anyone with removed wire figured out a way to make a sort of a strain relief, I imagine this could be difficult because you can't make it go past the plastic where it bends, unless you go over it. As far as I know there are no cables that come without memory wire for ZS5. Perhaps someone should make a DIY thread specifically for KZ cables as it's one very popular topic.

I think the usual heat shrink tube or some sugru could work. But while it does bend at the edge of the connector, there's not alot of strain on it so I'm hopeful it shouldn't be too bad.
Worse case get the silver/gold upgrade cable as a back up....altho my ZS5 is the early batch with the 3 button remote and there's no replacement for that for now (new shipments are all back to single button mic control)

Of course, with the frequent new releases of KZ, your cable might still be fine well after the next model comes out

 

[1clearhead]

ZSE just arrived and only have about 5 minutes on them, so take this with a lump of salt. They resolve well and sound more U-shaped than V-shaped, with nice slam and though not the tightest low end, are without much offensive bloat. They don't have ZS5 or ZST sparkle, but on first blush, have more clarity than the ZS3. They are smooth operators with a bit of flourish in the detail. I'm hoping as they break in they will get better, but for the $6.50 I paid, I'm quite pleased.

+1 Yup!...same here!

 

[1clearhead]

LOL! Nah, I wouldn't got that far. Especially with only about an hour of listening on them. They are definitely their own animal though, and to my ears they do present a surprising amount of balance and refinement. These aren't world beaters by any stretch, but they are really very nice for the price. I would say that what the ZSE presents is a very nice complimentary piece to the ZS5. Just like the ZS5 was an improvement over the ZST in some ways, so is the ZSE to the ZS3. So the proper analogy to describe the relationship would be the ZSE is to the ZS5 what the ZS3 is the the ZST.

+1 Yup! I definitely agree to this as well.

 

[maxxevv]

Just had my ZSE's delivered a few hours ago.

First impressions : Really awesome for pop music ! As in really, really awesome ...!!!

There's plenty of bass in these, but not the booming, lumpy/ thumpy kind you often get out of many earphones. These have an effortless smooth ease in the bass delivery.
I could probably call it 'clean' but really full-bodied bass, if that's the correct way to describe the bass delivery.

Instrument separation is there but not quite the level of detail you would get from hybrids with a good BA driver on top of the Dynamic driver. In that aspect, the Urbanfun Hi-fi is better. But it sure loses out in the bass part of the delivery. I was comparing them back to back.
If individual instrument separation and detail are not critical, these are simply awesome. Not that they are bad,they are pretty good already and for most pop music that has a heavy beat, its already very good.

In short, I just had the best delivery of U2's classic "Where the Streets Have No Name" in years.

I'm not sure how another 12~24 hours burn in may help as there was that murkiness when it came to some vocals delivered at certain wavelengths/frequencies. Shall have to wait that out to know.

Edit:
Play source: LG G6,

 

[HungryPanda]

I agree, the ZSE is a fun earphone to listen to

 

[Francisk]

I ordered one from a local online shop. I think it's not genuine since it's so cheap but I couldn't find a genuine small size T400 here and I can't justify ordering it from the comply website as it cost as much as the zs5 with shipping.

Is this ok? I think those are the same one sold on aliexpress. They sell the comply tips so cheap there.

I'm not so sure about the foam tips that you bought because I haven't tried them myself. Even different model of Comply tips sound different but in the end the T400 sound the sweetest to me...YMMV.

 

[Slater]

I ordered one from a local online shop. I think it's not genuine since it's so cheap but I couldn't find a genuine small size T400 here and I can't justify ordering it from the comply website as it cost as much as the zs5 with shipping.

Is this ok? I think those are the same one sold on aliexpress. They sell the comply tips so cheap there.

I've ordered genuine Comply tips from Amazon in the past. Have you tried there?

Lately I just get the Comply style foam tips from Aliexpress - they are great quality yet are significantly cheaper. You can find them in the proper sizes (SML), as well as multiple nozzle sizes (including the T400 you're looking for).