Slater
Headphoneus Supremus
The ED16 is my best KZ right now. What is the next step up in their offering?
For me it would be the ZSN.
I just got my purple/silver ZSN.
I have to say, I am beside myself. The ZSN is the best KZ I have heard to date.
The build quality is impressive, the cable is excellent (the best stock cable I’ve seen from them hands down).
Wow has KZ come a long way. And for $11. THIS is KZ in a nutshell; a culmination of their years of tiny refinements. Simply amazing.
Granted, I don’t have their fancy pants flagships (ZS10, BA10, AS10), but with the ZSN I have absolutely no desire to get any of those. I can’t imagine spending $60, $70, or $80 on a KZ when $11 will get you an IEM of this caliber. And all this with a basic TWO driver hybrid. Not 4, 5, 6, 7 blah blah peeing contest.
The sound is so clean. Deep bass that is super tight and fast, without being boosted. Crisp clear mids, that are more forward and balanced than their more V shaped IEMs like the ZS4. Treble is just right IMO. Not piercing, not sibilant, not too bright, not too forward/boosted.
The comfort is excellent, even more comfortable than the ZS3/ZS4.
I did swap the stock tips with Starline tips right OOTB though (my go to). I will try the included stock tips later.
Unfortunately I couldn’t remove the back and take a peek inside. They are using the smallest Torx crews I’ve ever seen. My current set goes to T4 (which is ridiculously tiny), and these are even smaller than that haha. I’ll have to get a kit with even smaller bits.
Anyways, if you want to introduce someone to ChiFi, and specifically to the KZ brand, the ZSN is the IEM to do it. It’s super affordable, very premium, and the sound is not offensive.
It is an all-rounder, and an ideal daily driver. It will satisfy most bassheads, without being a ‘basshead’ IEM. It will satisfy most treble heads, without being a ‘treblehead’ IEM. It will satisfy most people looking for a neutral IEM, without being perfectly flat and neutral. It’s got plenty of detail that would satisfy most people, without being so micro-detailed and analytical that it doesn’t let you enjoy the music.
It lives in that “just right” Goldilocks position. It’s not warm nor cold sounding - it’s just a pure, uncolored musical output.
And no, this isn’t flavor of the month hype or a honeymoon phase. I just went thought my extensive KZ collection last night, so it’s all fresh in my mind. The ZSN is the real deal (for a KZ).
I do have a black/black one on the way, which I’ll compare to the purple/silver one.
Also, I am using it with my xduoo X3 and FiiO amps (A5 and also E12A). I will try it out later with my iPhone and just X3 (without amp) to see if there’s any difference.
My only complaint is there’s no L/R markings on the shells. There is on the cable though. That’s so minor that it’s hardly worth mentioning. But nothing is perfect
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