Knowledge Zenith (KZ) impressions thread
Jul 23, 2018 at 5:26 AM Post #34,906 of 63,917
should the stock es4 cable fit the zs3?

Just got the es4 and put my trn bluetooth on it, but the cable from the es4 does not seem to fit the zs3. Too short pins and the plastic housing is in the way
 
Jul 23, 2018 at 8:46 AM Post #34,907 of 63,917
Hey guys, today I ordered spinfit cp240 and KZ ES4 again(I damaged the old one)

Thanks @audionab for paying through paypal

Good news is that spinfit cp240 is not a tapered horn, but a straight bore with flexing joint, something like Final audio eartips but with larger bore and dual flange design.

So I think it will cure the 8kHz small peak(deeper insertion), bass bleed(wide bore) and can get me more mids and bass(dual flange isolation)
 
Jul 23, 2018 at 9:37 AM Post #34,908 of 63,917
Just got my ES4 in. Initial impressions is that looks are good, cable is really nice compared to my KZ Ate. I guess it depends on who you ask, but I like the memory cable more than the free dangling cable with weights from the Ate.

They are bigger than my Ate and stick out a bit. The stock tips suck, changed them with the ones I had on my Ate (not memory foam, the silicone tips)

Sound wise, they’re a bit clearer than the Ate, but not by a whole lot. I can pick up a bit more details and it sounds a bit less muddy. Bass is great, not overpowering, makes music really fun to listen to.

Game changer? No not really. I liked the detail and “airiness” of the Piston 2.0 more, but the fact that I can replace the cable on these and maybe add a Bluetooth module is nice. And for the price of €15 it’s hard to beat. These definitely sound and feel a lot better than anything <€50 in retail stores.
 
Jul 23, 2018 at 11:23 AM Post #34,909 of 63,917
Just got my ES4 in. Initial impressions is that looks are good, cable is really nice compared to my KZ Ate. I guess it depends on who you ask, but I like the memory cable more than the free dangling cable with weights from the Ate.

They are bigger than my Ate and stick out a bit. The stock tips suck, changed them with the ones I had on my Ate (not memory foam, the silicone tips)

Sound wise, they’re a bit clearer than the Ate, but not by a whole lot. I can pick up a bit more details and it sounds a bit less muddy. Bass is great, not overpowering, makes music really fun to listen to.

Game changer? No not really. I liked the detail and “airiness” of the Piston 2.0 more, but the fact that I can replace the cable on these and maybe add a Bluetooth module is nice. And for the price of €15 it’s hard to beat. These definitely sound and feel a lot better than anything <€50 in retail stores.
Use wide bores and listen to Drake's Nonstop. End game for me. Actually better than ED16 on this specific track.

Try and then tell

KZ ate stock tips were long normal bore which is little wider than star lines tip.

Try KZ/tenmak whirlwinds
 
Jul 23, 2018 at 11:29 AM Post #34,910 of 63,917
I had a difficult time with finding the right tips... usually the stock Starlines work for me for everything. This time after trying several tips I ended up with Spinfits on my ED16.

I have mainly used it with my Cayin N3, my Hidizs AP200 or my desktop system... PC playing Flac thru Foobar 2000 to my Firestone Audio Dac/Amp

I used the ones that came with the Tenore because the stock ones seemed a bit flimsy IMO. But yeah, I wanted to try more tips but the design of the noozle just "spits" out most tips I put in due to being wide and plain.

this matches exactly how i feel ED16. extended lows, boosted sub-bass, mids forwarder than other kz, good separation, but highs.. "Some cymbals or hi hats sounds rather off" and some sounds and vocals show "annoying sibilance"; i thought this exactly.

in order to try to change highs/resonances, before trying eq, i've pushed the starline tips all way long, leaving only 2mm from the nozzle mesh to the top of the tip. but ED16's nozzles are not long, and the result is very shallow in my ears: so i've put some foam into the starline silicon tips (DIY symbios), to provide a shallow but tight plug. highs have been improved, but still testing them this way to check if it is enough.

ED16 has low impedance (<8ohms) and 2 BAs. i've not measured their impedance curve yet, nor sensitivity, but guess low output impedance sources (<1ohm), with decent current capabilities, will be recommendable.

Ah, good to know I'm not crazy then. It's been a bit frustrating because I'm starting to really like the sound it has but it's like...nice lows, smooth mids, soft but detailed highs...and huge nasty mid-high peak that appears here and there. I've tried to fix it with EQ but it's rather impossible to get it out without destroying all the highs. And yeah, the low impedance is noticeable, they sound REALLY loud even on my cellphone.
 
Jul 23, 2018 at 2:08 PM Post #34,911 of 63,917
glad I didn`t get ED16... just for... no reason...

...and please, listen to @dhruvmeena96 advice about ES4 tips - they need wide (more balanced and detailed sound) & long bore (deep insertion and removing "spikes", improving punch/tightness) tips.
 
Jul 23, 2018 at 2:59 PM Post #34,912 of 63,917
glad I didn`t get ED16... just for... no reason...

...and please, listen to @dhruvmeena96 advice about ES4 tips - they need wide (more balanced and detailed sound) & long bore (deep insertion and removing "spikes", improving punch/tightness) tips.

I wouldn't say they are bad but definitely flawed. Vocals seem to be recessed too, but the things that are panned to the sides feel wide, loud and detailed. It's a kinda weird experience.
I'm gonna try new tips if I can but seems like I'm gonna have to buy some or something. None of the ones I currently have do the job.

Whirlwind tips he said? I'm gonna get some from Aliexpress and well, in two months we will see about it.
 
Jul 23, 2018 at 3:14 PM Post #34,913 of 63,917
I used the ones that came with the Tenore because the stock ones seemed a bit flimsy IMO. But yeah, I wanted to try more tips but the design of the noozle just "spits" out most tips I put in due to being wide and plain.



Ah, good to know I'm not crazy then. It's been a bit frustrating because I'm starting to really like the sound it has but it's like...nice lows, smooth mids, soft but detailed highs...and huge nasty mid-high peak that appears here and there. I've tried to fix it with EQ but it's rather impossible to get it out without destroying all the highs. And yeah, the low impedance is noticeable, they sound REALLY loud even on my cellphone.
I experienced a bit of this as well. I use Symbio Mandarins with wide bore and shove the tip down onto the nozzle as far as possible. I compress the foam inside the tip and hold them in place while they expand. They are expensive but they work for me. Hope that helps someone... .
 
Jul 23, 2018 at 3:20 PM Post #34,914 of 63,917
Whirlwind tips he said? I'm gonna get some from Aliexpress and well, in two months we will see about it.

Consider getting the Tennmak not the KZ version. They are built much better. And you can specify only the size you want (so all L or all M). With the KZ Whirlwinds, they fall apart easily, and you are forced to only buy SML sets, giving you 2 out of 3 useless pairs.
 
Jul 23, 2018 at 3:44 PM Post #34,915 of 63,917
glad I didn`t get ED16... just for... no reason...

...and please, listen to @dhruvmeena96 advice about ES4 tips - they need wide (more balanced and detailed sound) & long bore (deep insertion and removing "spikes", improving punch/tightness) tips.

On ES4, very short tips with very large opening (as the "whirl") do sound the best for me: more trebles clear & detailed, bass reduced and more tight
long & large tips increase the bass and reduce the clarity of the trebles

On ED16, the long & large tips (as triple flange) sound better than stock starline providing deeper bass & more balanced sound. Whirl reduce too much the bass on ED16
 
Jul 23, 2018 at 3:50 PM Post #34,916 of 63,917
I have had a devil of a time getting the ED16 to fit and sound good but have managed by going to XL sized tips, one size bigger than I normally use. Now I'm happy with them
 
Jul 23, 2018 at 4:43 PM Post #34,917 of 63,917
long & large tips increase the bass and reduce the clarity of the trebles
Do not agree with that one a bit. But as we made clear previously - our ears use totally different size tips and thus have different experience :wink:
I find long stem and wide bore S size tips to be perfect for ES4 - more balanced, clear, tighter and detailed sound.
 
Jul 23, 2018 at 5:21 PM Post #34,918 of 63,917
On ES4, very short tips with very large opening (as the "whirl") do sound the best for me: more trebles clear & detailed, bass reduced and more tight
long & large tips increase the bass and reduce the clarity of the trebles

On ED16, the long & large tips (as triple flange) sound better than stock starline providing deeper bass & more balanced sound. Whirl reduce too much the bass on ED16

I realized this as well. Deeper insertion led to clearer sound. Luckily I found my old tips from the ATE which are wide bore, and small, so I can get the earphones into my ears really deep and it works well for my purposes.
 
Jul 23, 2018 at 8:58 PM Post #34,920 of 63,917
I experienced a bit of this as well. I use Symbio Mandarins with wide bore and shove the tip down onto the nozzle as far as possible. I compress the foam inside the tip and hold them in place while they expand. They are expensive but they work for me. Hope that helps someone... .

They look quite fancy and nice but they cost as much the ED16 themselves! Oh well, I will keep them in mind, I haven't found a proper place to buy them but I like the concept.

Consider getting the Tennmak not the KZ version. They are built much better. And you can specify only the size you want (so all L or all M). With the KZ Whirlwinds, they fall apart easily, and you are forced to only buy SML sets, giving you 2 out of 3 useless pairs.

I can't find them in only one size. Do you have a link or anything? I found a 18 piece pack (SML) with a case that looks nice but it's not exactly what you are saying. They look nice nonetheless.

I have had a devil of a time getting the ED16 to fit and sound good but have managed by going to XL sized tips, one size bigger than I normally use. Now I'm happy with them

They do seem to like bigger tips, even if I tend to use small ones. We will see if they can get even better if I get 'em proper tips.
 

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