[jeromeaparis]

Zsr has better mids as Zs6 is more V shaped. Better is subjective in the overall question and louder is a function of amping and neither is markedly more sensitive than the other so both should be about the same.

Did you invert ?
My ZSR has slightly recessed voices (= V shaped), while they are much more present on my ZS6 (flater)
ZSR seems more bassy and ZS6 slightly more trebly, but maybe it is mainly a question of medium due to the second dynamic driver of the ZS6

 

[Viber]

So zs6 are better after all..

It's not so easy...
As i wrote in my review;
ZS6 sounds better.
ZSR fits in your ear better,seals better = better portable set.


Removing the memory wire from the ZSR is a must, it should be in the manual!

 

[CoiL]

I luv mem wire

 

[Wiljen]

Did you invert ?
My ZSR has slightly recessed voices (= V shaped), while they are much more present on my ZS6 (flater)
ZSR seems more bassy and ZS6 slightly more trebly, but maybe it is mainly a question of medium due to the second dynamic driver of the ZS6

No, I don't think I did. To my ear even though the Zs6 does have that dedicated mid driver it is a predominantly V shape and the mids are a bit recessed and especially the upper mids are a bit hollow and sucked out. The presence range on the Zsr is better and the upper mids are a bit truer to reality. With all the comments about a Zs6 v2, I wonder if KZ hasnt tweaked the Zs6 a bit as my three samples were all from the first couple weeks of availability so entirely possible that mine would all be V1 prior to any driver or crossover updates that may have transpired.

I don't mean to imply that I don't like the 6, just that on balance the Zsr is a bit more present in the upper mids and perhaps better suited for classical or orchestral pieces than the Zs6. For rock and pop the zs6 has a great signature, for EDM the Zsr wins with that built in subwoofer it seems to have.

I just pulled both my Zsr and my newest (red) Zs6 and had a listen again. Try The Black Crowes - Share the ride off Croweology on both the Zs6 and The ZsR and listen for the vocal and guitar. To me, that song does a good job of showing the differences in the presence region of the Zsr and Zs6.

 

[jeromeaparis]

the Zsr is a bit more present in the upper mids

Yes, with my red ZS6 (+90h burnin) I can hear this, voices can be rather cold, a bit hollow, and this is better On my ZSR (50h burnin)
On the ZS6 the burn in with pink noise & sin log sound did not realy improve the sound, but maybe it did on the ZSR
With the ZS6 the consonant and mouth noises seem closer than the voice itself, high medium peak ?

 

[jaydm99]

After going through 4 pairs of foam tips in just 2 weeks, I decided to make my own "Symbio" using the stock Starlines tips

Spoiler: Spoiler

 

[Otto Motor]

I luv mem wire

I second this.

 

[Otto Motor]

I think $8 is money well spent for reasons I haven't even anticipated.

The next question: how much money extra on cables makes price wise sense for each earphone? The sky is the limit it appears. Coincidentally, I went your route a while ago and have three of the $8 cables in my drawer: 2 for ZS3/5/6/ and one for ZST. Will play with them over the weekend...but I remember having impedance problems with one of the earphone/cable combinations.

Thanks for reminding me/us of the cables, Doc. An interesting weekend is guaranteed!

 

[B9Scrambler]

I luv mem wire

I like it when it's done well. KZ chooses wire that actually holds the shape you set it. More than I can say for the crap you find on some much more expensive iems that is little more than a preshaped wire with minimal memory. That sort of wire is terrible. Campfire Polaris suffers from it. Original FLC8S cable is another. LZ A5 to a lesser extent. The fabric cable is more the issue with that one. My fav memory wire is still that on the original ZS1. Perfect!

 

[Wiljen]

I really liked the setup on The Fiio F9 and Pro - no wire to speak of but the plastic coating on the cable will shape to your ear and with a little heat from a hair dryer you can mold it to your liking.

 

[paulindss]

The more black Zsr pairs I see the less I like the looks of my green ones

The more Green ones i see the less i'm satisfied in ordering the Black ones

 

[DocHoliday]

The next question: how much money extra on cables makes price wise sense for each earphone? The sky is the limit it appears. Coincidentally, I went your route a while ago and have three of the $8 cables in my drawer: 2 for ZS3/5/6/ and one for ZST. Will play with them over the weekend...but I remember having impedance problems with one of the earphone/cable combinations.

Thanks for reminding me/us of the cables, Doc. An interesting weekend is guaranteed!

This is, in effect, a two part question.

Part 1:

how much money extra on cables makes price wise sense for each earphone? The sky is the limit it appears.

This depends on your priority: aesthetics (including discoloration issues) and/or comfort.

Personally, I've been looking at some aftermarket cables for my ZS6 simply because I want to find a cable that is proportionate in quality to the build and the design of the IEM itself. The stock cables work fine, but I have stated before that KZ should have spent more effort on designing a cable specifically for the ZS6 instead of just throwing the ZS3 cable at it. I am actually dumbfounded that not one other person brought this up. Look at the 2-pin housing on your stock cable. The reason it looks like it wasn't designed for the ZS6 is because it wasn't. That "out of place" angle you see was designed for the cable to sit flush with the ZS3's housing.

Why would a company be this lazy. Unfortunately, I have no satisfactory answer and if I were to ask KZ directly I imagine they would hang their head in shame, as well they should. It's a pitiful way to vaunt your flagship IEM. My search for a cable of equal build and design is a personal choice.

You're point that the "sky is the limit" is well stated, but I've found several in the $20-$30 price range that will suit my needs adequately. With the ZS6 at $35+/- and a well designed upgrade cable at somewhere between $8 - $35 means I have little to complain about. I know all too well how cost-prohibitive things can get, but $50 - $75 is a pittance considering the end result.

(I do not own this photo)

....but this is one of my ZS6's [third ZS6(i) is en route and a ZS6(ii) will shortly follow]

BTW, this five-month old tri-braid cable (second image with blue eartips) has suffered from oxidation. It is, currently, a deep green from the connectors to the y-split and a pale green from the y-split to the 3.5mm jack.

At any rate, these are two 0.75mm 2-pin cables, but there are quite a few available from several sellers on Aliexpress if you do your due diligence.

Part 2:

...but I remember having impedance problems with one of the earphone/cable combinations.

For this part of your question I think it's best that I defer to hakuzen because he is well versed regarding impedance/resistance, etc. and what he brings to this thread is beyond appraisable value.

Hope this was helpful.

 

[Wiljen]

The more Green ones i see the less i'm satisfied in ordering the Black ones

we might just be able to work something out then

 

[C2thew]

Yay my KZ zs6 finally arrived! (ordered the black one just fyi)

kz zs6 ordered on 12-1-2017 from gearbest. shipped out on 1-13-18. arrived on 2-22-2018. (ouch)

As expected upon initial impressions of the kz zs6, the minute i put it in my ear, it sounded absolutely terrible, but i understand that it needs time to burn in. The first thing i did was pop the metal screen off on both sides and put a 5mm x 3mm piece of 3m pore tape across both BA drivers to neutralize the sibilance completely. It did kill the treble almost completely....and I will begin experimenting with the 3m pore tape by perhaps poking a hole in the tape to let some of the treble through. As it stands, the sibilance from the headphones right out of the box was terrible and it gave me a headache. Covering the 2 BA drivers with 3m pore tape at least made the headphones bearable to listen to. There is potential for these headphones for sure I just need to figure out the best mod for them for those high pitched BA drivers.

For some reason the rubber tips are dust magnets and collected dust and lint from my pocket. The flip side is that the headphones stay in my ear even if i try to shake my head vigorously. Noise isolation is present but is slightly below the KZ ZS3's which are my daily drivers for running at the moment.

 

[mbwilson111]

The more Green ones i see the less i'm satisfied in ordering the Black ones

I like the green. It was the main reason that I bought the ZSR as I certainly did not NEED another iem

Anyway, my husband has a black one and I don't like us to have the same color if we do have the same model iem.