[mbwilson111]

Go for @Slater number 3 choice; foam tips. Works for me every time I get driver flex.

I wasn't bothered by the treble spike either, but foams do attenuate the highs a little and make the ZS6s sound even better IMO.

There are people who cannot stand foams... like me. I can't even stand to touch them. Hate the feel. Plus I cannot keep them squished long enough to actually put them in. I have to have silicone tips.

 

[toddy0191]

There are people who cannot stand foams... like me. I can't even stand to touch them. Hate the feel. Plus I cannot keep them squished long enough to actually put them in. I have to have silicone tips.

I quite like squishing them and watching them slowly expand. There's something quite satisfying about it!

They have a habit of collecting wax, which I'm not too fond of though.

 

[Slater]

There are people who cannot stand foams... like me. I can't even stand to touch them. Hate the feel. Plus I cannot keep them squished long enough to actually put them in. I have to have silicone tips.

I know, I hate foams too. But if it’s the only way you can enjoy or use a particular IEM, then you gotta do what you gotta do.

There are members that have ear canals so large that they can ONLY use foam (and even have to flip them around backwards on top of that).

Just like anything, it just boils down to personal preference, individual fit, etc.

 

[mbwilson111]

I quite like squishing them and watching them slowly expand. There's something quite satisfying about it!

You are weird... lol.

They have a habit of collecting wax, which I'm not too fond of though.

That is the other thing... disgusting!

I know, I hate foams too. But if it’s the only way you can enjoy or use a particular IEM, then you gotta do what you gotta do.

Of course... just pointing out that there are also people who just cannot use them.

There are members that have ear canals so large that they can ONLY use foam (and even have to flip them around backwards on top of that).

I know, I think there is a market for XL and XXL size silicone tips.

 

[Lunar Eclipse]

Hi all! First post in this thread, long time listener. Figured it was time to share this for a bit of a laugh since the conversation has circled back to foams. Composed months ago as a practical/absurd writing exercise. Shelved till now. I haven't measured but suspect I have large ear canals..

A few months ago I lost one of the large starline tips from my zs6's. Bummer, maybe it was time to try something different. Foam tips perhaps? I already use the industry style for hearing protection at concerts and dance parties. They are a hassle! Disposables that get filthy all too quickly AND I would have to compress every time I reinserted!?! Hrumphf fine..Ordered
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07C2XT4JH/ref=pe_3034960_236394800_TE_3p_dp_1

From a very slow boat they arrived. In the packaging were 5 pairs of grey tips. Wide bore, stubby and soft. Aesthetically like something out of THX 1138, and to my taste, perfectly compliment the cold black space of the zs6. I installed them on the stems with little hassle, bonus. Then a thought occurred to me. I'll just tuck them snug up to my ear canal sans compression/deep insertion and see what happens..

To quantify, 3 bushels worth of aural happiness! Instruments tone, dynamics, imaging etc. all stepped in, stepped up and greeted me with a handshake and hello. Albums I love and adore, many recorded in the 80's, tend to have this thin, edgy sound signature(Gang of Four, Cocteau Twins, Malaria!..) Or so I thought. This simple retrofit helped considerably in filling them out with a more textured and whole sonic landscape.

The big surprise waiting was comfort. The much maligned kz memory wire, of which I am a fan, in conjunction with the foam tips keeps the kz's stable and the foam tips locked under the tragus(i learned a word!). With only the occasional soft push when walking to reinstate optimal bass response. The uncomfortable insertion of traditional tips that worm or pop their way out while walking is over and done. I'm now sporting the softest of sound pillows that can be worn pretty much indefinitely.

I will keep one of the balanced armature's blocked for now. I'm quite content with where the balance of the treble sits. But who knows, I may unleash the cannons in the future. In summary, traditional tips have this invasive, 'HERE LISTEN TO THIS!!!!', shoved in mah brain sound and feel, I thought was just part for parcel. While these little foamies saunter up and say, 'Hey handsome, wanna cuddle and share some cinnamon toast?'.

Yes please. No longer shall I suffer the tyranny of silicone!!

 

[randomnin]

I know, I hate foams too. But if it’s the only way you can enjoy or use a particular IEM, then you gotta do what you gotta do.

There are members that have ear canals so large that they can ONLY use foam (and even have to flip them around backwards on top of that).

Just like anything, it just boils down to personal preference, individual fit, etc.

Yep, wax, breaking, price, poor quality in Aliexpress (the ones that come with big brands are usually much better). Though, isolation and comfort are pluses, but the negatives crowd out the positives of foam for me.
So I use triple flange. Has most of foam's benefits without the drawbacks, except comfort. But another minus of triple flange is the change of sound signature. Here are graphs of change of signature for every flange added:

Spoiler: Etymotic ER-4 and flanges

Usual

Double flange

Triple flange

 

[randomnin]

I think some of the problem is in the ambiguity of the language used. What one person says is "better" may not have any commonality with what someone else defines as "better". In this instance, I interpretted the term better to mean "more technically capable" while the original poster may have intended the term better to mean more musically pleasing. We all know that what pleases an individual is all over the map and thus no two people are pleased to the same degree by the same thing. If we substitute the words "I am more pleased with", for the words, "I find this better", we may avoid a lot of argument due to this disambiguation.

Then I suggest we drop everything that is connected to personal preference of sound (not physical factors like comfort and isolation) from reviews as a community, because sound preference is basically the frequency response graph, which anyone can change to their wishes with equalizers. If good reviewers are capable of judging technical capability by ear, then that should be what they emphasize and give marks for. This "everyone has their own preference" and "musically pleasing" seems like an excellent way to spend a lot of money unnecessarily (which is undeniably happening, I just bought four IEMs, for Christ's sake), when you could just buy the most technically capable (as reached by reviewer consensus or technical measurements, if that's possible - if not, then this whole audiophile thing is a (ha ha) charade(you are; sorry, Pink Floyd messed this up)) and physically comfortable gear in a given price range, and fix the rest with software. Sadly, reviews usually don't have a lot of measurements and get very wordy, making it hard to extrapolate the exact (or at least the opinion of the reviewer) technical capability.

 

[LaughMoreDaily]

I got my KZ EDR1's in the mail but there is no way to tell L from R and they are both angled the same way (to the right) so I think they made them wrong too?

 

[mbwilson111]

I got my KZ EDR1's in the mail but there is no way to tell L from R and they are both angled the same way (to the right) so I think they made them wrong too?

Don't you have a red band on one and a blue on the other like this:

 

[randomnin]

Red and blue still doesn't unequivocally translate to left and right, you know
Use the channel checker here - https://www.audiocheck.net/soundtests_headphones.php

 

[mbwilson111]

Red and blue still doesn't unequivocally translate to left and right, you know
Use the channel checker here - https://www.audiocheck.net/soundtests_headphones.php

Yes, but I thought he was saying they looked the same with no difference in any markings.

 

[dhruvmeena96]

I own the RE-400, but the model with a fixed cable. For that price, I think you'd be better off going with the single-DD unit that Noble put out on Massdrop. Build quality on the RE-400 is abysmal (I use them gently and still have insulation constantly pulling back from the Y and each earpiece. Knowing they've moved to a MMCX connection only gives me more worries.

Sound-wise, I also find them very analytical and there's a decent sense of space (though I wouldn't call it exceptionally wide, deep, nor high), which is the only reason I still have them in the collection. Just don't think you're going to get much bass information out of them; they definitely favor the upper mids and treble.

That's a mod

 

[Slater]

I got my KZ EDR1's in the mail but there is no way to tell L from R and they are both angled the same way (to the right) so I think they made them wrong too?

Hmmm, none of my EDR1 have angled nozzles. The nozzles come straight out of the body.

Also, the way to tell them apart is the colored stripe. Red = right and blue = left.

 

[Phantomize]

I don't know if this is off-topic but can anyone recommend me a cheap portable DAP for the ZS5 V1 and ZS10? I just want to try one and see if one could be handy in the future.

 

[mathi8vadhanan]

I don't know if this is off-topic but can anyone recommend me a cheap portable DAP for the ZS5 V1 and ZS10? I just want to try one and see if one could be handy in the future.

@Podster likes the benjie S5 with his ZS6 and looks like a great VFM. If you can spend a bit more, I would recommend getting the Shanling M0. It's feature packed and performs brilliantly considering the size and price ($109).