[RolledOff]

The ZS5(i) is not universally loved.

Some like it.

Some love it.

Some don't care for it.


Only KZ can answer that question. I don't have the ZS10 yet but I'm wondering if this was KZ's attempt to offer something similar to the ZS5(i) sound signature in a new model.
KZ watches this thread and they know that the faithful are unhappy, for the most part, that the ZS5 was retuned.

Well, many in this thread are waiting for someone to sell his/her ZS5v1
KZ knows how to create ZS5v1, but all we have now is ZS5v2... are the drivers different ? or just the placement of BAs in the nozzle that made the difference?
I don't have the ZS10 yet, but from what i read of the early reviews, it doesn't have the same praise as ZS5v1

Because people complained about it when it 1st came out.

I think the reasons were as follows:

1. There was confusion on the orientation of the plugs, so some people inadvertently had then plugged in out-of-phase (and thus sounding like crap). This is one of the main things that prompted me to add the How2 in my signature.
2. Some "reviewers" claimed some of the drivers inside were "fake" and not connected (falsely based on what I believe was a disassembly photo where the wires had actually ripped off of the BA driver). This was totally false, and these self-proclaimed exoerts were speaking out of total ignorance.
3. Many complained that they sounded poor, likely because they ran them from their cell phone. ZS5 v1 are very low impedance, and have source matching issues. When they have good synergy with a source, they sound awesome. When paired with a poor source, they sound poor.

As a knee-jerk reaction, KZ overreacted, and gave us the ZS5 v2. They rewired them with a higher impedance, and also moved both BAs into the nozzle. The result was a step backwards in most people's opinion (ie the REAL people that mattered; not the stupid YouTube reviewers).

If I missed anything anyone, feel free to add your $0,02

if KZ was so quick to react to the 'fake' youtube and give us the ZS5v2 as the result, I hope they react just as quickly to real people reactions and give us the ZS5v1 back

 

[phower]

And that's why....

To be pedantic, flat impedance is not necessarily due to single driver. It is due to several factors including the driver and the enclosure. For example, Sennheiser HD650(300-500 ohms), Koss KSC75(60-140 ohms) are single driver, but their impedance varies a lot and it is mostly due to resonance inside the enclosure.

In general, when the output impedance goes up, the resonance at particular frequencies inside the earphone enclosure gets sustained or amplified and the resonance is usually below 100Hz which results in boomy bass.

 

[maxxevv]

Delete

 

[Slater]

Don't want to hate circlejerk, but according to a guy on reddit, he also hosted a giveaway, and hasn't been heard from since. The last trace of activity from him was trying to sell some cans on canuck audio

I don’t want to sound like a tin-foil hat conspiracy theorist, but marketing sabotage by competitors happens a lot more than people are aware.

Fiverr, the site that caused the huge Amazon fake review crackdown, would pay “for hire reviewers” on Amazon, YouTube, Google, Yelp, and many other review sites. They were hired and paid by sellers/companies wanting to boost their positive reviews, as well as by competitors to bad mouth their competition by paying for negative reviews.

Many companies and shady practices were exposed by the scandal that resulted from Fiverr.

The headphone market is very cut throat. I personally know of specific cases where individual reviewers were paid hundreds of dollars (and more) for very specific reviews (positive and negative). So it does happen; that’s a fact. Whether that happened in the case of the ZS5, is unknown.

I know of 1 company in particular that had a lot to gain by bad mouthing the ZS5. And there were some very suspect and shady clues surrounding that particular negative YouTube ZS5 review, which (interestingly) pointed right back at the exact same company that had a lot to gain by the ZS5 being bad mouthed. Coincidence?

The whole thing stunk of rotten apples, and it does not surprise me in the least bit that the guy has fallen off the face of the planet, back into the woodwork never to be heard from again.

If only Scooby and the gang were around to solve the mystery and expose who was really behind it...

 

[Slater]

Well, many in this thread are waiting for someone to sell his/her ZS5v1
KZ knows how to create ZS5v1, but all we have now is ZS5v2... are the drivers different ? or just the placement of BAs in the nozzle that made the difference?

• Different BA driver placement.
• 1 different BA driver model.
• Different internal wiring.
• Different impedance.
• Different sound tuning.

 

[FastAndClean]

how is the bass quality of the KZ ZS10?

 

[notamethlab]

I was very tempted to buy the ZS10 but, I settled on the ZSR and ZS6. I've read great things about the ZSR so I'm excited to give it a listen. The ZS6 does worry me though because some have said that the treble is peaky.

For those that have the ZS6, do you find it sibilant or is it a small peak? I listen to Travis Scott quite often and his music can get really sibilant.

 

[maxxevv]

On heavily processed vocals, the ZS6 sibilance is quite evident. But on some recordings, its non-existent.

So recording/mastering dependent in my experience.

 

[Bartig]

First impressions with the ZS10:

I'm quite satisfied with the bass on the ZS-10. I suppose bass heads would want more, but for my tastes they are fine.


The treble on the other hand, was a little disappointing. Seems like KZ can't find a healthy medium between too much and too little treble. Because of the treble rolloff starting at 4k, things like female vocals and cymbals sounded a bit off.


While some seem to really dislike it, I EQ my IEMs and headphones. Boosting 4-5k and ~10k helped alot and added a more "airy" feeling. A touch at ~600 added a little more body to the somewhat recessed vocals. Mind you, my sound signature leans toward forward mids. I will continue messing around with EQ APO to find my perfect balance.


The cable it came with is nice. Almost no microphonics, feels nice, and looks great. It would be great if KZ could make this the default cable. I have yet to use them in a very noisy environment, but I have a feeling these will isolate very well. Can't wait to use them on my next bus ride!

I mainly use the Spotify EQ on my iPhone. What would it look like to adjust it to your settings, to get an airy sound?

how is the bass quality of the KZ ZS10?

It’s ever present, not too overpowered and not very fast but a bit quicker than the ZSR. I feel that the bass of the ZSR can get thicker and deeper - but at least it doesn’t get set aside when the treble kicks in, like it does on the ZS5 v2.

 

[toddy0191]

I've just given my ZS10 the "Tusk" test.

Fleetwood Mac's Tusk for those who aren't familiar with it is a beautifully recorded and produced album with a lot of focus on vocals, acoustic and electric guitars coupled with layered male and female backing vocals, all with a sense of air.

One of the stand out tracks for me is Stevie Nicks' "Beautiful Child" It's a mid lovers dream with a lovely vocal from Stevie Nicks, piano, guitar (acoustic and electric) a lovely deep bass line and fabulously placed and layered backing vocals from Stevie herself and Lyndsey Buckingham and Christine McVie.

IMO the ZS10 handles this song brilliantly. They resolve the vocals and instruments really well and the imaging and separation is on point. Every instrument and vocal inhabits it's own space with zero congestion.

Lovely!

 

[notamethlab]

On heavily processed vocals, the ZS6 sibilance is quite evident. But on some recordings, its non-existent.

So recording/mastering dependent in my experience.

Going by what you said, it's going to be quite sibilant. He uses A LOT of auto-tune in his music.

Have you heard anything by Pink Floyd or Muse with ZS6?

 

[toddy0191]

Going by what you said, it's going to be quite sibilant. He uses A LOT of auto-tune in his music.

Have you heard anything by Pink Floyd or Muse with ZS6?

Floyd sound great on the Zs6 so don't worry

 

[notamethlab]

Floyd sound great on the Zs6 so don't worry

Awesome I'm excited to give them a listen, I haven't used KZ iems in quite some time.

 

[toddy0191]

Awesome I'm excited to give them a listen, I haven't used KZ iems in quite some time.

I don't know how old you are but I'm not bothered by the piercing highs at 41. I find them super resolving for the price. They also have quite nice timbre to the mids.

If you find them harsh at first, stick with them as I came from something darker (can't remember what exactly) and once my brain adjusted they sounded fine to me.

 

[Fargeg]

I was very tempted to buy the ZS10 but, I settled on the ZSR and ZS6. I've read great things about the ZSR so I'm excited to give it a listen. The ZS6 does worry me though because some have said that the treble is peaky.

For those that have the ZS6, do you find it sibilant or is it a small peak? I listen to Travis Scott quite often and his music can get really sibilant.

The ZS6 exists to be used with foam tips or Ostry tuning tips. The Ostry OS300 tips I use practically nullify the peak and make the bass hit hard. Modding it to block or muffle one pair of the BA drivers can also tame the treble, but I personally haven't had luck with that. Listening to it stock is inadvisable.