[mrmoto050]

I don't recall. You'll have to search tor hakuzen's original post for more detail.

Also, Otto, I will quote one of hakuzen's earlier posts in order to paint a clearer picture.

Will do, ha, noticed that you live in Babylon also.

 

[Long Vu]

Bought kz zs5 for 20 bucks. The only nice thing I can say is they have good bass. But I guess you get what you paid.

 

[Slater]

My washers arrived and I did Slater's sub bass increase mod. I did notice a difference. I like it.

I'm so glad that you were able to perform the mod, and that you like the results!

To help others considering this mod, how difficult would you say it was to perform (once you had the required materials ie washers and Lazer Bond glue)?

Really cool! Is the seal tight enough or you need to put some glue around the nozzle?

I use the laser bond glue as mentioned by Slater. It really comes in handy! I deposited a little of the glue elsewhere and dip the tip of a safety pin in it. I then use it to apply a tiny amount around the inside edge of the nozzle and the rim of the washer. Harden it with the UV light and done.

Yup, Lazer Bond is amazing stuff. So easy to work with due to it's syringe-like applicator, instant drying, and dirt cheap cost.

It's the glue I use about 97% of the time when modding IEMs.

The important thing you have to remember about it is that it can ONLY be used where the UV light can "reach" the glue to cure it. For example, if you tried to glue a coin to a piece of wood using a blob of Lazer Bond in the center of the coin, it wouldn't work. The UV light can't reach it after you stick the coin to the wood. If you tried to glue 2 pieces of clear glass together, it WOULD work because the UV light CAN reach the glue.

So with regards to IEM mods, Lazer Bond works great for things like filling IEM vent holes, because you can do it all from the outside of the IEM - just put a small drop on the vent hole and cure it with the UV light.

For the washer mod on the ZS6, you have to use the Lazer Bond on the "outside" of the washer - the perfect place is where the edge of the ZS6 nozzle lip meets the washer. I drew a few very crude illustrations to show what I mean:

This method WILL work because the curing light CAN reach the glue (click for larger view):


This method will NOT work, because the curing light can NOT reach the glue through the opaque surfaces (click for larger view):

 

[MDH12AX7]

Just found the ZSR in other colors on Ali.
2018 Newest KZ ZSR Earphone 6 units Driver Hifi Hybird Headphones In Ear Monitors Sport Detachable Headset for iphone se airpods
http://s.aliexpress.com/aiaeM3IZ?fromSns=Copy to clipboard

 

[paulindss]

Just found the ZSR in other colors on Ali.
2018 Newest KZ ZSR Earphone 6 units Driver Hifi Hybird Headphones In Ear Monitors Sport Detachable Headset for iphone se airpods
http://s.aliexpress.com/aiaeM3IZ?fromSns=Copy to clipboard

I Would love to have the White.

 

[Saoshyant]

Purple like https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Ros...achable-In-Ear-Earphone-IEMs/32776710619.html would have been lovely.

 

[Strat Rider]

My take on the KZ ES3:

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/knowledge-zenith-es3.22976/reviews

Glad to see someone else's take on the ES3. I have been fortunate enough to dodge the QC issues. I originally bought the ES3 when they first came out, in the same order, I purchased the ZST pro, ok...ZST.
My first A/B with them after some regular use, I found the bass was certainly what I was looking for after tasting the ZST for classic rock, and I like the ES3 for old school blues. Not sure if the BA is the same between the two, but kicker for me was to find that the DD is a bit larger.
I saw your picture shows accompaniment of foam tips. Have you had an opportunity to tip roll ?
I don't have comfort foamies in my bag o tricks yet, but I am really liking the ES3 with the wide bore whirlwinds.

Again for a good review.

 

[charlescc2]

So eBay has a pre-DST sale going on until 11 PM EST. 20% off site-wide. This is a good time to grab... whatever honestly. But specifically if you've been waiting on a lower price for something like the ZSRs or ZS6s.

Promo code is: PSPRING20

Someone is selling ZSRs for $21.99 (stock running low, like 7 left total between the two colors), 20% off = $17.59 (free shipping).
ZS6s can be found easily enough for $34.95, 20% off = $27.96 (free shipping).

Got me two pairs of ZSRs, one pair of ZS6s. Hopefully this is able to help anybody who has been stubbornly waiting for a sale, like myself, to grab other pairs for friends/family.

 

[DocHoliday]

Glad to see someone else's take on the ES3. I have been fortunate enough to dodge the QC issues. I originally bought the ES3 when they first came out, in the same order, I purchased the ZST pro, ok...ZST.
My first A/B with them after some regular use, I found the bass was certainly what I was looking for after tasting the ZST for classic rock, and I like the ES3 for old school blues. Not sure if the BA is the same between the two, but kicker for me was to find that the DD is a bit larger.
I saw your picture shows accompaniment of foam tips. Have you had an opportunity to tip roll ?
I don't have comfort foamies in my bag o tricks yet, but I am really liking the ES3 with the wide bore whirlwinds.

Again for a good review.

Thanks for the thumbs up.

I'm not fond of foamies by any means. The only foamies I actually like are the round ones you see attached to the ES3, but I use the wide-bore silicone eartips you see in a different photo. I took a photo with the foamies so others could see that they would fit.

My first A/B with them after some regular use, I found the bass was certainly what I was looking for after tasting the ZST for classic rock, and I like the ES3 for old school blues. Not sure if the BA is the same between the two, but kicker for me was to find that the DD is a bit larger.
I saw your picture shows accompaniment of foam tips. Have you had an opportunity to tip roll ?
I don't have comfort foamies in my bag o tricks yet, but I am really liking the ES3 with the wide bore whirlwinds.

The ES3 does have a different and larger (10mm) dynamic driver than the ZST.

I don't know if it was poor timing for KZ to release the ES3 just as they teased that the ZSR was arriving or if it was the truth about the abysmal QC at KZ that put these on the backburner for a lot of folks, but it seemed like the ES3 was about to slip through the cracks, which is unfortunate because it's quite good if you get a good pair. In cases such as this my recommendation would be for folks to order two pairs but that's just rewarding KZ's negligent behavior toward their products.

It just sends the wrong message; "don't worry about quality control, we'll pay you anyway."

Like I said in the review "Love/errr......dislike relationship.

BTW, in light of KZ offering customized color combinations to sellers, the white ZSR with gold lettering would be just about perfect with a decent upgrade cable.

 

[bsoplinger]

Just found the ZSR in other colors on Ali.
2018 Newest KZ ZSR Earphone 6 units Driver Hifi Hybird Headphones In Ear Monitors Sport Detachable Headset for iphone se airpods
http://s.aliexpress.com/aiaeM3IZ?fromSns=Copy to clipboard

Interesting. So only the green is translucent and the other colors are opaque huh? Don't think I'll be getting another color for the looks.

 

[F4yze]

I'm so glad that you were able to perform the mod, and that you like the results!

To help others considering this mod, how difficult would you say it was to perform (once you had the required materials ie washers and Lazer Bond glue)?






Yup, Lazer Bond is amazing stuff. So easy to work with due to it's syringe-like applicator, instant drying, and dirt cheap cost.

It's the glue I use about 97% of the time when modding IEMs.

The important thing you have to remember about it is that it can ONLY be used where the UV light can "reach" the glue to cure it. For example, if you tried to glue a coin to a piece of wood using a blob of Lazer Bond in the center of the coin, it wouldn't work. The UV light can't reach it after you stick the coin to the wood. If you tried to glue 2 pieces of clear glass together, it WOULD work because the UV light CAN reach the glue.

So with regards to IEM mods, Lazer Bond works great for things like filling IEM vent holes, because you can do it all from the outside of the IEM - just put a small drop on the vent hole and cure it with the UV light.

For the washer mod on the ZS6, you have to use the Lazer Bond on the "outside" of the washer - the perfect place is where the edge of the ZS6 nozzle lip meets the washer. I drew a few very crude illustrations to show what I mean:

This method WILL work because the curing light CAN reach the glue (click for larger view):


This method will NOT work, because the curing light can NOT reach the glue through the opaque surfaces (click for larger view):

It's really easy to perform. Took me less than 10min. However, make sure enough glue is applied as one of the washers came off when I was changing the eartips.

 

[Balazar]

I usually just lurk around here. My main squeeze is t50rp mods. I purchased the zs6 and zst in late December and have given them my full attention since. I was so impressed that I had to put my impressions here.

zs6 - black @qq version w/ kz silver cable and starline tips.
Source: foobar2000 > WASAPI Fiio e18k
Tracks > 24/96 flac albums: Rodrigo y Gabriella: Foc, Tool: Lateralus, Rodriguez: Cold Fact, The Beatles: White Album, ELO: Alone in the Universe, Hans Zimmer: various motion picture soundtracks, Deadmau5: various tracks, The Afghan Whigs: In Spades, Jimmy Page & The Black Crowes: Live at the Greek. John Mayer: The Search for Everything, King Crimson: THRAK, Lindsey Sterling: Shatter Me.
Impression: The stock cable had bad microphoneics. I used it for 20 minutes to test and then discarded it in favor of the silver one. I like the memory wire. It feels comfortable to me. Good tight bass, sub bass is kinda thin though. Lots of detail. Like on par with plainar cans detail. Recessed mids. Vocals sound distant. And oh God treble cannons! But the beautiful detail! Sibulence was awful, almost unbearable with female vocals. (Lindsay Sterling/Lizzy Hale: Shatter Me). I let them burn in on playlists for 48 hrs. Then 24hrs of headphones burn in sweeps and such. That helped a little. New Bee foam tips were the next step and they brought the sizzle down to an enjoyable level. Sound stage is fantastic for IEM's. There were times that I had to take them out to verify that sound wasn't also coming from my laptop's built in speakers. Imaging is pretty good too. Yoshi Horikawa: Letter - even and smooth left to right transition. I can game on my laptop with these. The only drawback for me is the lack of sub bass and recessed mids resulting in distant vocals. I am going to try the tripple seal tips and maybe the washer mod. Overall, I think these achieve a sq level far above their price tag. I'm eager to see what kz's new lineup will bring. On a side note I did try some different sources such as phones, laptops, and a Sony 5 disc CD player. They all had dramatic effects on sq. Pairing these with the right source can make or break them. On a Dell Latitude e7270 w/ Realtek who know what chipset, they had no bass and piercing highs on 16/44. I changed the output in the control panel to 24/96 and they warmed right up. 24/192 made them sound veiled. Every output setting had a noticeable difference in sq.

As for the ZST Pro, I listened to them for 20 minutes, then while trying the ZS6's my wife picked them up off my desk, tried them out for 5 minutes and then exclaimed "these are mine now!". I haven't seen them since.

 

[nkramer]

then while trying the ZS6's my wife picked them up off my desk, tried them out for 5 minutes and then exclaimed "these are mine now!". I haven't seen them since.

too true & too funny.

... and welcome to the thread.

 

[HungryPanda]

Sounds like my wife too

 

[Otto Motor]

Comparison EDR2 Red and Silver Filters

1. The difference in the bass between L and R of the silver-filter pair is likely real; it persisted with different tips and with multiple attempts at insertion.

2. The red-filtered pair (purple & green) are identical there, and split the difference between the silver. The filters it seems do make a slight difference: the red-filtered pair are up to ~2.5 db lower through the upper mids-lower treble (both pairs measured with the same tips).

3. Nothing in the measurement explains the 'mushy' nature of the treble I heard on the silver pair, but that's about dynamics/speed/detail than frequency response. I didn't try the red pair.

Disclaimer:
A) The measurements performed by a guy who is active on another discussion list which is not allowed to be mentioned here. Lives one block away from me.

B) Comparing different earphones with different tips can lead to differences, particularly in the bass and lower mids, but in all cases I used the tips that worked well in my ears with that particular pair.