[Cruelhand Luke]

[/QUOTE] When I first looked at this thread just a couple of months ago it was ZS5 now its ZS6 and people are salivating about the new/improved xxx that was supposed to be released 'any day now.'[/QUOTE]
As it always was, so shall it always be, make way for the new boos, same as the old boss!
Electronics in general are on a linear path of constant change and improvement, and KZ in particular seems to maintain a fairly frenetic pace. I mean, between the time I decided a few months ago that this years christmas present to myself was going to be some IEMs and when 11/11 finally rolled around the ZS6 went from being more than I wanted to spend, to a toss up between the ZS5 and ZS6 because it had a $20.00 coupon.

 

[Slater]

Thanks Slater.

Once back is popped of, a precision micro drill press like Dremel could be used to perforate the back panel with say a two dozen or more 0.7mm holes and it would be like an open back.

Yes, that would work fine, and requires no extra materials. I used the same method on my QKZ W1 Pro.

On my ATE, I used the dremel to grind out a large hole, and then glued in the stainless mesh screens f/broken v1 Apple earbuds to the inside of the ATE cover.

I bought it looked a little bit cooler than just drilling a bunch of holes in the cover (but achieved the same basic thing).

I REALLY wanted to do what @CoiL did though - use the gold mesh covers from the inside of the ATE. I was just too lazy to do all of the soldering work (and honestly I try to only de/resolder IEM drivers when absolutely necessary because it takes so little heat to screw them up).

Here's info/pics of what CoiL did to his (ie FF-mod): https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chi...iems-amps-dacs.684159/page-2150#post-12763658

Here’s a photo of mine (can't hold a candle to CoiL's "FF-mod" version, but I basically did everything he did minus the Frankenstien ED9 nozzle retrofit): https://www.head-fi.org/threads/kno...essions-thread.698148/page-1106#post-13350513

 

[Mr. Rattlehead]

Look forward to giving a companion to my newly bought Fiio F3 earphones after my beloved Piston 2 went kaput few weeks back. After liking F3 for the first two days to absolutely hating them afterward (the sibilance/brightness caused ringing in my Piston accustomed ears) for like 5-6 days, they did show their true potential finally and are really amazing now.
Did they become better due to burn in (just played normal music) or was it brain/ears burn in? Definitely a step above my Xiaomi Piston 2.

Back to the original question, the budget is around $50. My mind more or less is set on KZ ZS6. But I'm worried about the reliability, sibilance and the overall mixed opinions of them. Are there any other iems which have got a unanimous stamp of approval as regards overall quality as Xiaomi Piston 2 enjoyed back in those days?

 

[j0p3Y]

Hi,
I am looking for a KZ upgrade cable for my ZS6. I have a few other KZ as well, as many of you probably too
I found at least four different upgrade cables, of which the first three are in my price range. I like to hear your advice on which one of them I should choose, since there's not much info on the differences, at least not as far as I can find.
I'll describe the cables by their appearance :
1) silver cable, white straight plastic plugs to earpiece, white angled plastic plug to source.
2) silver cable, black angled plastic plugs to earpiece, black angled plastic plug to source.
3) silver cable, silver metal straight plugs to earpiece, silver metal straight plug to source. <-- my favorite.
4) gold cable, white straight plastic plugs to earpiece, white angled plastic plug to source. <-- above my budget.

I read about not exactly fit of plug 3 to the kz6, but I'm quite handy and have no problem cutting things to a perfect fit, at least if sound quality is on or over par with the others.

 

[Vytautas]

Thank you for all nice recommendations! After more reading I am thinking how much I will miss (if anything) without hybrid Urbanfun Hi-Fi and KZ ZS5 v2.

It seems that Einsear T2 (balanced), Boarsemen KR25D (audiophile) and Swing ie800 (complex music) are some really nice options on a budget. On www.aproear.co.uk they are rated respectably higher in mids quality, bass and sound stage and fun categories than their hybrid siblings.

Could you say that Urbanfun Hi-Fi and KZ ZS5 v2 (both or one of them) are head above, more natural and lively, than those 3 different most tuned dynamic driver headphones and I should go with these in place of 3 more "specialized" ones?

Also check out this site.
http://www.aproear.co.uk/my-top-5-and-recommendations/

I like the Swing for its comfort and easy listening, and zs5 for soundstage. I'd suggest looking for real pair of Vivo XE800 (could be difficult) as they're cheap and will give you another sound entirely which focuses on the mids/treble detail. There's also the urban hifi (which version?) which could be interesting.

With those preferences I'd put the UrbanFun hybrid near the top of the list.
Also consider the EMI CI880

 

[vector84]

This just showed up on AK Audio, appears to be the anticipated Type A tri-braid cable?
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/KZ-...Cable-Earphone-Upgrade-Cable/32842791429.html
(oops, these have been up on NiceHCK for a couple weeks now and I missed it? but AK is cheaper )

Hi,
I am looking for a KZ upgrade cable for my ZS6. I have a few other KZ as well, as many of you probably too
I found at least four different upgrade cables, of which the first three are in my price range. I like to hear your advice on which one of them I should choose, since there's not much info on the differences, at least not as far as I can find.
I'll describe the cables by their appearance :
1) silver cable, white straight plastic plugs to earpiece, white angled plastic plug to source.
2) silver cable, black angled plastic plugs to earpiece, black angled plastic plug to source.
3) silver cable, silver metal straight plugs to earpiece, silver metal straight plug to source. <-- my favorite.
4) gold cable, white straight plastic plugs to earpiece, white angled plastic plug to source. <-- above my budget.

I read about not exactly fit of plug 3 to the kz6, but I'm quite handy and have no problem cutting things to a perfect fit, at least if sound quality is on or over par with the others.

There are two plug to the earpiece types, type A (ZS3/ZS5/ZS6) and type B (ZST/ES3/ED12). Type B connectors need to be trimmed down slightly to fit into type A housings.

There are a few different cable types:
silver (SPC) 4-wire with white plastic connectors, angled plug
also available covered in gold colored foil with black connectors, angled plug
grey OFC SPC 4-wire with black connectors, angled plug
silver SPC tri-braid with metallic looking connectors and larger metal straight plug

Most type A connectors are straight, most type B are angled, but the tri-braid cables have short straight connectors and have only been available in type B until just recently.

For the most part the tri-braids tend towards the lowest resistance (expected given additional material). The other upgrade cables are mostly relatively similar (with some old outliers). All the upgrade cables appear to have separated ground runs.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/kno...essions-thread.698148/page-1525#post-13765885

 

[nappiguan]

My green Kz6 has had 40+ hours. With the tri-braid cable and foam tips they are sounding better than my Westone 3. I highly recommend a slight eq to soften the highs and bring up the lows.

 

[skajohyros]

Thank you for all nice recommendations! After more reading I am thinking how much I will miss (if anything) without hybrid Urbanfun Hi-Fi and KZ ZS5 v2.

It seems that Einsear T2 (balanced), Boarsemen KR25D (audiophile) and Swing ie800 (complex music) are some really nice options on a budget. On www.aproear.co.uk they are rated respectably higher in mids quality, bass and sound stage and fun categories than their hybrid siblings.

Could you say that Urbanfun Hi-Fi and KZ ZS5 v2 (both or one of them) are head above, more natural and lively, than those 3 different most tuned dynamic driver headphones and I should go with these in place of 3 more "specialized" ones?

They are all decent. It comes down to personal taste. Just pick one and then another. It'll be fun to get a new toy each month.

 

[Superluc]

My green Kz6 has had 40+ hours. With the tri-braid cable and foam tips they are sounding better than my Westone 3. I highly recommend a slight eq to soften the highs and bring up the lows.

I agree

 

[wastan]

Do you have a link for the hybrid? I've seen this one mentioned a few times and went looking for for it but the listings all seemed to have the single beryllium driver mixed in with the hybrid and when I go to choose the hybrid it isn't available. Similarly I've had troubles finding the Ci880. Looks like the lifespan of these inexpensive Chi-Fi IEMs is about 2 months.

When I first looked at this thread just a couple of months ago it was ZS5 now its ZS6 and people are salivating about the new/improved xxx that was supposed to be released 'any day now.'

Sorry, I got both of them from US Amazon. The UrbanFun was some time ago. The EMI was sold under the Blumuze name.

 

[kokakolia]

Look forward to giving a companion to my newly bought Fiio F3 earphones after my beloved Piston 2 went kaput few weeks back. After liking F3 for the first two days to absolutely hating them afterward (the sibilance/brightness caused ringing in my Piston accustomed ears) for like 5-6 days, they did show their true potential finally and are really amazing now.
Did they become better due to burn in (just played normal music) or was it brain/ears burn in? Definitely a step above my Xiaomi Piston 2.

Back to the original question, the budget is around $50. My mind more or less is set on KZ ZS6. But I'm worried about the reliability, sibilance and the overall mixed opinions of them. Are there any other iems which have got a unanimous stamp of approval as regards overall quality as Xiaomi Piston 2 enjoyed back in those days?

Ehhhh...Do you like having loads of treble and bass? Do you mind having muffled vocals? Because that's what the KZ sound seems to be all about.

You could certainly find a more balanced earphone, like the Marshall Mode. But you won't get the "raw detail" that KZs with loads of sharp treble have.

Personally, I like having a somewhat mellow immersive sound without aggressive treble that immediately reminds me that I have earphones jammed into my ear holes. I don't care if I can't hear the most minute details in my music. I just want to relax and enjoy the music.

But if you want to hear sounds you never heard before and don't mind the occasional "zing!" then go for the ZS6!

 

[vector84]

Ehhhh...Do you like having loads of treble and bass? Do you mind having muffled vocals? Because that's what the KZ sound seems to be all about.

You could certainly find a more balanced earphone, like the Marshall Mode. But you won't get the "raw detail" that KZs with loads of sharp treble have.

Personally, I like having a somewhat mellow immersive sound without aggressive treble that immediately reminds me that I have earphones jammed into my ear holes. I don't care if I can't hear the most minute details in my music. I just want to relax and enjoy the music.

But if you want to hear sounds you never heard before and don't mind the occasional "zing!" then go for the ZS6!

Marshall Modes ... balanced? I dunno about that chief, that doesn't seem to be what anyone else says about them, and it's certainly not what measurements show on them.

Similar to Piston 2s though? Sure, that seems more accurate and reasonable. (somewhat V-shaped tending towards L-shaped?)

Not trying to be a jerk or start anything... and that actually looks like a pretty nice sound sig, but let's call a duck a duck, not a swan.

 

[Vytautas]

Do you have a link for the hybrid? I've seen this one mentioned a few times and went looking for for it but the listings all seemed to have the single beryllium driver mixed in with the hybrid and when I go to choose the hybrid it isn't available. Similarly I've had troubles finding the Ci880. Looks like the lifespan of these inexpensive Chi-Fi IEMs is about 2 months.

When I first looked at this thread just a couple of months ago it was ZS5 now its ZS6 and people are salivating about the new/improved xxx that was supposed to be released 'any day now.'

There are at least two versions of Urbanfun Hi-fi on the ALi now:
dynamic drive (Berylium)
new hybrid (Berylium DD + BA)

If there are no original hybrids (DD + BA) for sale anymore it is interesting whenever Urban fun new Hydrid version is even better than the 1st was.

 

[EISENbricher]

Burning in my ZS5 with 1More Assistant and it's almost end of 2nd phase in it. Pretty sure there is a very noticeable change. ZS5 is sounding much better than before to me.
Experiencing the feeling that makes you go back and listen to songs in collection again, just to listen to small bits you couldn't listen to before. This didn't happen in initial hours of ZS5 but now I worship these pretty much : )

 

[vector84]

There are at least two versions of Urbanfun Hi-fi on the ALi now:
dynamic drive (Berylium)
new hybrid (Berylium DD + BA)

If there are no original hybrids (DD + BA) for sale anymore it is interesting whenever Urban fun new Hydrid version is even better than the 1st was.

FWIW according to Urbanfun's website the Urbanfun Colorfun (red, orange, yellow, white) are a different model than the Urbanfun HiFi (black cable = beryllium, grey = hybrid v2, braided = original).
Like the HiFi, the Colorfun comes in both single Beryllium DD and hybrid models: http://www.urbanfunlife.com/

There's more info on Urbanfun stuff over in the other ChiFi threads (but still limited).