[eaglesgift]

I find female vocals very prominents with ZS5s so I really don't understand why other people are saying the mids are recessed? What should I be listening out for?

 

[SomeTechNoob]

I find female vocals very prominents with ZS5s so I really don't understand why other people are saying the mids are recessed? What should I be listening out for?

I've been listening to female vocals all night and they seem just right. I love my midrange too. Guess it's all subjective.

 

[1clearhead]

Im loving the sound of my zse when properly amped and a little burn in...like almost as much as zs5...almost...

+1 Yup, they come mighty close for such a hugh price difference.

 

[mrjimmybob]

Their prices are low enough to get people to bite. Release the new hotness every two months and people bite again and again before they realize they've spent $100+ on entry level earphones. This is KZ's design.

True, but you say, 'entry level earphones', as if they were not good. To my ears the KZ models I have (ZS3, ZST and ATE) are just as good as much more expensive ones. I prefer them to say my Audio technica IM50 that cost me over $80 or the Kinera H3 that were $99 or my Kef M200 (mainly due to the fit).

But in any case, I am constantly going back to the cheap 'entry level' KZ earphones when I have much more expensive models. It is rather hard to keep up, but as long as they sound good and are cheap I will probably keep buying them. As soon as they start churning out rubish they will go on my "don't go there list".

If someone makes an earphone for $10 that is as good as one that some other company is selling for $200 it only goes to show that one company is overpricing and selling not based on quality or specs but on other issues like brand or just because they can. And saying that you cannot compare a $10 earphone to a $500 one, because they are different leagues is giving power to the overpricing companies and denying reality, after all, we all want a good sounding earphone, the price is just a limiting factor that some of us have and others don't. If they sound the same, are as comfortable and come with similar accesories then they are comparable. If one is $10 and the other is $700 and they are comparable then shame on the company that is selling for $800. Shame. On. You. Sorry for the rant. Keep it up!

 

[cirodts]

Help me connect the cable to sz5, how do i put the left and right of the wire to match that of the drivers? Or otherwise-

 

[vector84]

True, but you say, 'entry level earphones', as if they were not good. To my ears the KZ models I have (ZS3, ZST and ATE) are just as good as much more expensive ones. I prefer them to say my Audio technica IM50 that cost me over $80 or the Kinera H3 that were $99 or my Kef M200 (mainly due to the fit).

But in any case, I am constantly going back to the cheap 'entry level' KZ earphones when I have much more expensive models. It is rather hard to keep up, but as long as they sound good and are cheap I will probably keep buying them. As soon as they start churning out rubish they will go on my "don't go there list".

If someone makes an earphone for $10 that is as good as one that some other company is selling for $200 it only goes to show that one company is overpricing and selling not based on quality or specs but on other issues like brand or just because they can. And saying that you cannot compare a $10 earphone to a $500 one, because they are different leagues is giving power to the overpricing companies and denying reality, after all, we all want a good sounding earphone, the price is just a limiting factor that some of us have and others don't. If they sound the same, are as comfortable and come with similar accesories then they are comparable. If one is $10 and the other is $700 and they are comparable then shame on the company that is selling for $800. Shame. On. You. Sorry for the rant. Keep it up!

Economies of scale - without those $800 products to continue to pave the way, those $10 products would never have existed either.
They also wouldn't exist if we didn't keep buying ...

 

[vector84]

Help me connect the cable to sz5, how do i put the left and right of the wire to match that of the drivers? Or otherwise-

Both those pictures show them inserted the same way (the correct way) ... ?

But the lettering should face outside, the socket and plug are keyed too:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/kno...essions-thread.698148/page-1194#post-13516067

 

[cirodts]

Both those pictures show them inserted the same way (the correct way) ... ?

But the lettering should face outside, the socket and plug are keyed too:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/kno...essions-thread.698148/page-1194#post-13516067

An image shows the L on the wire and not the driver, the other image shows the L on wire and driver, what is the correct way?

 

[vector84]

An image shows the L on the wire and not the driver, the other image shows the L on wire and driver, what is the correct way?

Both show the cables inserted the same way...?

If you mean which is accurate - the one with the lettering on the shell (second image). The first is a CGI render.

 

[cirodts]

Are there any sound differences in the 2 ways to connect?

 

[CYoung234]

I used to boost the gain too, as I'm running ElementalX and EXKM as well, but that increases the background noise as well, so I decided to roll back to +0 dB. As for other mods, I flashed ViPER4Arise, but I don't even use it. ElementalX has this "Audio high performance mode" that should enhance the DAC's working mode and I keep it activated. I stumbled upon that Ainur mod a few months ago, but I didn't bother trying it. Is it worth it?
Now, back on topic (well, not really)... I'm about to pull the trigger on the EMI CI880. Should I? You decide!

Well, given your observations on your Urbanfuns versus mine, I am not sure you should trust my recommendation, but yes, they are very nice. I just find my ZS5 and Urbanfun to have larger soundstages with more air and more lifelike sound for classical music. Still evaluating though, so my opinion will probably change. Vidal seems to prefer the EMI, for example, saying it is somewhere in between the ZS5, which he feels is less neutral and the Urbanfun, which he describes as neutral.

 

[mrjimmybob]

Help me con

nect the cable to sz5, how do i put the left and right of the wire to match that of the drivers? Or otherwise-

To connect the ear piece to the cable check that the cable form factor aligns that of the ear piece.

See this image:



The cable has a similar shape. Also the cable has the marking L and R on the side of each connector.

Sorry for the crappy drawing.

Hope it helps.

 

[Holypal]

Are there any sound differences in the 2 ways to connect?

From: http://www.audiocheck.net/audiotests_polaritycheck.php
When using two (or more) speakers, polarity defines how these speakers interact with each other. Speaker polarity then becomes a very important parameter to check.

 

[-sandro-]

Just got Sony MH1c (around 18USD) and the first thing I did was compare it to ZS5. I can finally say that ZS5 is not an untouchable king in this price range. So, ZS5 has massively better sub and more details in the highs, but MH1 has more detailed and just better mids, more natural highs. Sound stage wider on ZS5. MH1 sounds much more pleasant with focus on the lush mids.
I can definitely see people preferring one or the other in terms of sound. Comfort is miles better on MH1 due to small size, but the cable has to go, and this is not just a small problem. Similar to memory wire in ZS5, except this is much harder to do. Build quality is just not comparable, small metal body vs big plastic one.

Glad to see ZS6 already dropping in price, that was quick. If ZS6 improves mids compared to ZS5 it will be a must buy for practically anyone.

Finally a comparison with the MH1C which is my favourite of all time. Not sure if to ger more ZSes if the MH1C still competes. Maybe something similar to those but with better details? Einsear T2 maybe?

 

[Holypal]

Can anyone confirm this cable can be used on ZS5/ZS6? It looks very nice. 4 shares each side and twisted, for $8.