Knowledge Zenith (KZ) impressions thread
Oct 11, 2018 at 12:04 AM Post #36,916 of 63,672
ohh well,,,,

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Oct 11, 2018 at 12:57 AM Post #36,919 of 63,672
My guess is it's 3 BAs per side although they did plan a 8 BAs per side sometime this year. Wonder if it fell through or what?

http://www.thephonograph.net/kz-announces-a-16-driver-headphone-news/

I can say that the AS10 and BA10 are their best sounding models to date and their all BAs. Seems like KZ is becoming quite capable with their BA construction. I just wish they tune the treble down slightly and go with a U shape instead of their classic V shaped. They can be fatiguing even with the foam tips. Looking forward to what they have planned for the future. Their TOTL models can almost compete with some of the more medium line iems these days. I know some may say I'm exaggerating a bit but I'm been playing around with some models that run for a couple hundred dollars and the BA10s & AS10s can definitely hold their own mostly in comparison. The only thing the KZs are lacking is a bit in tuning and sometimes the seal of the iem. Otherwise, they are quite amazing! Really can't wait to see what they come up with next!
 
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Oct 11, 2018 at 5:12 AM Post #36,923 of 63,672
Oct 11, 2018 at 5:51 AM Post #36,924 of 63,672
Oct 11, 2018 at 9:29 AM Post #36,926 of 63,672
They release more headphones a month than most companies in a year. Are they going to oversaturate the lineup at some point? Or maybe they are cheap enough that people don’t care and will buy them regardless?

While I think the AS10 is the best KZ and is overall a pleasant choice, I find other IEMs in the same price or lower overall better — like the V80. I know its against KZ’s current profiles but I still am hoping they release a good u-shape one as well. The AS10 is pretty good but something even less recessed would be very nice potentially.
 
Oct 11, 2018 at 12:04 PM Post #36,928 of 63,672
I just realized they got the spelling wrong - aDmature? Talk about KZ QC...
Those are probably not real images, might be a 3d render. Still kz needs to get their crap together lol. Wish its a triple driver KZ which uses all of their 3 BAs, with proper tubing, dampening and a nice tuning. Would be a nice successor to the ZSR
 
Oct 11, 2018 at 12:25 PM Post #36,929 of 63,672
So, good news and great news.

Good news:

Yesterday I had errands to run from noon until well after sundown and I spent the entire day with my ZSR.



I have to say that the ZSR was an excellent companion. My fatigue-free session was more than nine hours and I absolutely loved every minute of it.

There was more than enough micro-detail on tracks that I am thoroughly familiar with. Serving up all the micro-detail one can handle on the go with zero fatigue is impressive enough but to simultaneously deliver a rich midrange with defined and authoritative bass in equal measure is what makes the ZSR so special to me. I had an excellent seal throughout the day using the eartips that came with my BGVP DM5. The isolation wasn't as impressive as the ZS3's isolation but few IEMs isolate that well. I'd say the ZSR has about 85% of the ZS3's isolation for my ears.

The ZS6 has been my favorite IEM for the last year but my ZS6 will never be led outdoors because while they are a ton of fun they are also a more analytical listen due to the voluminous amount of detail across the frequency spectrum.

All in all, I stand by my original review of the ZSR. It's a very, very good IEM at it's ridiculously low $28 price tag. Just do yourself a favor and move past the stock cables.

These should suffice at $11 (disregard the MMCX portion of the picture)




Bottom line:

The ZSR is my go-to IEM for the great outdoors.


The great news:

The BA10 is in the house!




I spent three hours with them and I'll be spending the next few days pouring over different genres to report back as accurate as is humanly possible (for my ears). My ears are on the larger size so I had zero discomfort......after three hours with a rectangular shaped IEM. I haven't even pulled out the memory wire so I can install my silicone earhooks yet. That's a good sign for those of you that like the memory wire or for those of you with large ears.

First impressions are as follows:

If you liked the sound signature of the original matte black ZS3 and you have larger ears then you will like the BA10. Initial impressions are that it sounds like a more refined "original" ZS3.

Indeed, I pulled out my matte ZS3 for comparison purposes (though this is a photo of the glossy ZS3). Be aware that the original ZS3 was shipped with "NO" foam in the nozzle. The foam makes the ZS3 boomy and muffled.




Took me about two hours of playtime to place the sound signature. Then I pulled out my ZS3's and boom......there it was. Then I searched for FR graphs and.....voila!


I'm not necessarily a big follower of "The Phonograph.net", but their graphs coincide with what I am hearing.






The midrange and bass are on equal footing. Bass is full-on and midrange is rich.
Note that the treble trails off in similar fashion to the ZS3. This is also how I hear it.


This next FR graph is AntDroid's and it is close to what I am hearing, although, to my ears the red line should be where the green line is because, again, the bass and midrange are on equal footing. That would also mean that the AS10 midrange would still climb higher (all things being equal) and the AS10 midrange would have slightly more presence than the BA10 midrange (B9 can probably confirm or deny my hypothesis since he owns both IEMs).





For me, wide-bore shallow depth silicone eartips worked best. The wide-bore may assist in the bass having a more diffuse presentation allowing the midrange to come slightly more forward than you see in the above graph. Again, to my ears, the bass and midrange are on equal footing. With narrow-bore silicone eartips the upper-midrange was borderline strident on occasion.

My matte black ZS3 sounds clear; the midrange is just as prominent and clean as the slammin' bass. The BA10 sounds like a cleaner, smoother ZS3 a few tiers up in timbre while displaying much higher resolution.

And that bass......
thus far, it sounds like a very clean dynamic driver that takes no prisoners.
Again, this is with wide-bore silicone eartips and the BA10 coupled to my bright-leaning ZuneHD. Next I'll use the more powerful Fiio X3(i) and note any nuances that may or may not exist.


I'm still not a fan of the red and gold. I'll wait until the price drops then I'll pick up the BA10 in black and red. I'll swap the faceplates and the end result will be one all red BA10 that I can use white or copper cables with and one black BA10 with a gold faceplate that I can use a black cable with.

If anyone has a link to the black KZ cable with the 90°+/- angle please share it. They seemed to have disappeared almost as quickly as they appeared.








https://www.google.com/amp/s/m.aliexpress.com/item/32899379734.html


I know about Kinboofi and other black cables but the round connector head coupled to a box-like receptacle will bug me to no end......even if said cables are superior.


In the end I'll likely use the BA10's laid back sound signature for chillout sessions.

Zero 7 - Home


Lilac Wine (Album Leaf Remix)


Tiesto - Close To You


Try (Sweet Westy mix)


Nice write up. The ZSR is one of my favorite KZs. Very easy to listen to yet detailed, but i suspect it is due to a drop in the 4k treble. The BA10 FR graph with the 5k bump looks painful. Honestly, I think crinacle's graphs are more accurate to what I hear than that site.
 
Oct 11, 2018 at 1:11 PM Post #36,930 of 63,672
Nice write up. The ZSR is one of my favorite KZs. Very easy to listen to yet detailed, but i suspect it is due to a drop in the 4k treble. The BA10 FR graph with the 5k bump looks painful. Honestly, I think crinacle's graphs are more accurate to what I hear than that site.

You are absolutely correct about the 4khz drop that makes the sound signature more palatable on the ZSR (and apparently the ED16). No big surprise that those two are among KZ's best sounding IEMs. The 5khz region is precisely where things can be strident on occasion for both the BA10 and the ZS3, though again, it only occurs on occasion.

10077757-1.jpg



I should mention that I typically listen at moderate levels, rarely exceeding 30-40% of volume on all DAPs. On my "day out" with the ZSR, a few days ago, I had my ZuneHD at only 30% volume and I could hear everything with absolute clarity and plenty of grunt.

Great IEM!

10077759.jpg



I've narrowed down the BA10's strengths and weaknesses and should have a full review up in the next few days.
 
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