[BadReligionPunk]

I wish you posted a link to the E-bay seller during the 15% off sale cause I couldn't find the C10 for $24CAN? I saw it for $29USD though but that isn't much cheaper than Gearbest.

$28 - 15% = $24 and some change. Too good of a deal to pass up(if these are actually good iems). Ebay usually has a 15% flash deal once a month.

 

[dondonut]

After the MASSIVE hype the KZ ZSN got, I had to pull the trigger.

I do find the KZ ZSN very clear, and engaging, with "in your face" sound, but alas also very fatiguing and can't stand it more than 30 minutes.

For me the best price/performance ratio of 2018 is : EZ AUDIO D4 - Just incredible sound (after 10h burnin the sound opened a lot as It seems to happen on titanium drivers).

For me as well. The BQ3, ZSN and Ezaudio D4 were among my purchases @ 11/11 this year around. While the BQ3 is currently my daily driver (awesome signature), price/performance-wise the D4 impressed me the most. I had my honeymoon with the BQ3 and after a week or two listening to the D4 amazed me..again. It even made me post about them..again. Their sound sig is so pleasing to me; the clarity/detail is great and not fatiguing at all. I do miss the sub-bass sometimes and isolation is sub-par. Furthermore I'm not fond of the the flimsy cable and mic/control unit after the Y-split. They have somewhat of a budget feel to them, especially next to the BQ3 and ZSN. On the other side, with the D4 being so light and small they're so frigging comfortable. And this sound, from a single-driver iem which only cost me $7.99, with the case, what a deal. I did do some tiprolling and bassvent tweaking.

Edit: isolation is sub-par. To enjoy these give them a listen when you're in an environment with low to no background noise. But I guess that goes for every iem lol.

As for the BQ3 and ZSN, they perform great but i have a hard time comparing them. Earlier I started a post about the (for me) fine line between my craving for clarity/details and listening fatigue but couldn't quite put my thoughts down so that's for another day.
Then, undermining everything I write about these earphones, underlining my issues with rating these earphones, is the good ol' bias; my inability to listen to and compare these IEMs without considering what I paid for them. It makes judging this stuff all the more confusing. Price/performance ratio was what initially got me into chifi with the KZ ATR so now I'm having a hard time justifying purchasing new gear. I'm thinking of starting a little research project into the best price/performance portable dac/amp or DAP.

 

[dhruvmeena96]

Thanks for bringing these up. I've never heard much about them. So an ohm adapter would do a similar thing but at a much lower price point, just take away hiss etc and make the sound a little better/cleaner? Maybe these companies are just re-branding an ohm adapter to create a business model?

Attenuation Circuit removes hiss it lower volume and helps in channel balance as some amps have channel balance at low volume. Impedance adapter fills impedance so the peak in impedance graph is more linear, but hybrid iem suffer as drivers have different graphs. Impedance adapter is like foam dampers in Pro IEM, or it is like restricting pressure where attenuation is like restricting volume.

In both, you need to crack volume high up to get up-to specified volume. Impedance adapter generally takes mid bass away and roll of treble in general(not always)

KZ ED9 - 20ohm always(this is legend with stock neutral filter)
KZ ES4- 20ohm on weak device otherwise 75ohm
KZ ZS6 - above 75ohm and below 150ohm, if want to go above, then get 300ohm
KZ AS10- 20ohm
Tinaudio T2pro - 20ohm(No need with T2)
KZ ZS5v1- drive on lower volume, no need iFi Match
8mm XWB driver- 65ohm
Senn IE80S- No need

For me as well. The BQ3, ZSN and Ezaudio D4 were among my purchases @ 11/11 this year around. While the BQ3 is currently my daily driver (awesome signature), price/performance-wise the D4 impressed me the most. I had my honeymoon with the BQ3 and after a week or two listening to the D4 amazed me..again. It even made me post about them..again. Their sound sig is so pleasing to me; the clarity/detail is great and not fatiguing at all. I do miss the sub-bass sometimes and isolation is sub-par. Furthermore I'm not fond of the the flimsy cable and mic/control unit after the Y-split. They have somewhat of a budget feel to them, especially next to the BQ3 and ZSN. On the other side, with the D4 being so light and small they're so frigging comfortable. And this sound, from a single-driver iem which only cost me $7.99, with the case, what a deal. I did do some tiprolling and bassvent tweaking.

Edit: isolation is sub-par. To enjoy these give them a listen when you're in an environment with low to no background noise. But I guess that goes for every iem lol.

As for the BQ3 and ZSN, they perform great but i have a hard time comparing them. Earlier I started a post about the (for me) fine line between my craving for clarity and details and listening fatigue but couldn't quite put my thoughts down so that's for another day.
Then, undermining everything I write about these earphones, underlining my issues with rating these earphones, is the good ol' bias; my inability to listen to and compare these IEMs without considering what I paid for them. It makes judging this stuff all the more confusing. Price/performance ratio was what initially got me into chifi with the KZ ATR so now I'm having a hard time justifying purchasing new gear. I'm thinking of starting a little research project into the best price/performance portable dac/amp or DAP.

Hold your nose and gently breathe out through them, this sorta clear the pressure build up to eardrum, but dont do often

then compare the IEM, you would be able to hear more details

and it is confusing to compare, but it will take time...

Get Fiio Q1mk2 and agdr cmoy linear

 

[mbwilson111]

I feel no need to get an impedance adapter for any of my iems, KZ or otherwise. Why over complicate everything.

 

[dondonut]

Attenuation Circuit removes hiss it lower volume and helps in channel balance as some amps have channel balance at low volume. Impedance adapter fills impedance so the peak in impedance graph is more linear, but hybrid iem suffer as drivers have different graphs. Impedance adapter is like foam dampers in Pro IEM, or it is like restricting pressure where attenuation is like restricting volume.

In both, you need to crack volume high up to get up-to specified volume. Impedance adapter generally takes mid bass away and roll of treble in general(not always)

KZ ED9 - 20ohm always(this is legend with stock neutral filter)
KZ ES4- 20ohm on weak device otherwise 75ohm
KZ ZS6 - above 75ohm and below 150ohm, if want to go above, then get 300ohm
KZ AS10- 20ohm
Tinaudio T2pro - 20ohm(No need with T2)
KZ ZS5v1- drive on lower volume, no need iFi Match
8mm XWB driver- 65ohm
Senn IE80S- No need



Hold your nose and gently breathe out through them, this sorta clear the pressure build up to eardrum, but dont do often

then compare the IEM, you would be able to hear more details

and it is confusing to compare, but it will take time...

Get Fiio Q1mk2 and agdr cmoy linear

Thanks for the tip. I'm having no issues with pressure buildup or driver flex though. I do that thingy (depressurize?) without holding my nose, by flexing some muscles behind my ear and lower throat I would say? Something I remember learning when I used to swim and ”dive" a lot as a kid.

 

[BadReligionPunk]

ZSN sounds fire y'all.

 

[dhruvmeena96]

I feel no need to get an impedance adapter for any of my iems, KZ or otherwise. Why over complicate everything.

it was for those who want different sound, more relaxed and mature

if you like aggressive detail, it is good as it is if you don't drive it loud

but i can report two things for you

1.Bass overall quality improves tremendously
2.Mids move little down and distant
3.treble gets less aggressive and smoother finish with good roll off
4.You have to drive them loud, so not for weak sources
5. it protects my ear fatigue significantly

that is the conclusion

KZ iem reacts very good compared to other hybrid

for example Kinera H3 gets bad
and some others

it is up-to you, your choice, but upgrade is significant but you will loose the KZ sound

now its up-to you

 

[PhonoPhi]

I feel no need to get an impedance adapter for any of my iems, KZ or otherwise. Why over complicate everything.

It is similar to using several IEMs - impedance adapters may bring different flavours of sound, especially with multidriver IEMs.
Also impedance matchers may help bring better qualities of your source, especially DAPs (at the expense of some power loss).

 

[SybilLance]

like I mentioned previously, a headphone impedance adapter is a different thing compared to a headphone attenuator (iFi Ear Buddy and iEMatch, for example).

you can find the more technical details here:
https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/headphone-attenuation-adapter/

you can make the attenuator yourself for cheap, iFi just packs it up in a convenient package (along with the changeable switch and more accurate resistors value, I assume)

for more info, you can also ask amir over on the ASR forums, the info there might be helpful if you want to also learn about outputs and whatnot:

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...asurements-of-ifi-ear-buddy-and-iematch.4707/

ifi iEMatch, a headphone attenuator you can use to reduce hissing for sensitive IEMs or if you want to jack up volume to play with a higher output on your amp (certain amps can have channel imbalance or distortions at lower levels)

https://ifi-audio.com/products/iematch/

You know I do have an impedance adapter that I bought from a Lazada store in December of last year. It was intended for the red ZS6 i already had at the time.

Long story short, i didn't like it.

When I connected it to the ZS6 and then to my iPhone 6+ (EQ Off) the result was an attenuation in volume approximately equivalent to 3 clicks on the side volume buttons of the iPhone (~about -10.5 dB). It also made everything so much warmer and extremely smooth all the way up. No textures whatsoever. Yes the initial harshness and over-brilliance of the ZS6 did disappear but the smoothness was quite disconcerting. It's like listening to a vinyl tube-amp 2-channel stereo system with the treble turned down. Or, as the thought jumped into my head at the time, like diving into a pool filled with depilatory lotion; the entire skin surface became smooth with all the hair gone, including eyelashes and nose hairs.

So, I read instead the posts of hakuzen (as a lurker here) about his research as regards taming the ZS5 v1 and ZS6, first using EQ, then ball foam tips and that last was the solution for me.

Anyway I dug the adapter up and here it is... a "Shenzhen Audio ZY-031 HiFi Nüwa Copper Top 10cm Impedance Cable" with a Canare F12 plug. All the other details are in the photos. Price then was the equivalent amount of $21.62 US. Now it's $57.98 on Shenzhenaudio.com. Seriously heavy, evidently built like it's part of an armored tank and looks like it could survive a nuclear explosion, much more any random peak bursts (sorry, couldn't resist).

Here are screenshots of its Shenzhenaudio.com page (as soon as I read the product description, the same in the Lazada store as it is below, I ordered it right away—guess I was a bit excited):

I just kept it in a drawer and never thought about taking it out till now. Will try it out with the Cayin N3-Topping NX4 and ZSN sometime.

 

[dhruvmeena96]

You know I do have an impedance adapter that I bought from a Lazada store in December of last year. It was intended for the red ZS6 i already had at the time.

Long story short, i didn't like it.

When I connected it to the ZS6 and then to my iPhone 6+ (EQ Off) the result was an attenuation in volume approximately equivalent to 3 clicks on the side volume buttons of the iPhone (~about -10.5 dB). It also made everything so much warmer and extremely smooth all the way up. No textures whatsoever. Yes the initial harshness and over-brilliance of the ZS6 did disappear but the smoothness was quite disconcerting. It's like listening to a vinyl tube-amp 2-channel stereo system with the treble turned down. Or, as the thought jumped into my head at the time, like diving into a pool filled with depilatory lotion; the entire skin surface became smooth with all the hair gone, including eyelashes and nose hairs.

So, I read instead the posts of hakuzen (as a lurker here) about his research as regards taming the ZS5 v1 and ZS6, first using EQ, then ball foam tips and that last was the solution for me.

Anyway I dug the adapter up and here it is... a "Shenzhen Audio ZY-031 HiFi Nüwa Copper Top 10cm Impedance Cable" with a Canare F12 plug. All the other details are in the photos. Price then was the equivalent amount of $21.62 US. Now it's $57.98 on Shenzhenaudio.com. Seriously heavy, evidently built like it's part of an armored tank and looks like it could survive a nuclear explosion, much more any random peak bursts (sorry, couldn't resist).







Here are screenshots of its Shenzhenaudio.com page (as soon as I read the product description, the same in the Lazada store as it is below, I ordered it right away—guess I was a bit excited):





I just kept it in a drawer and never thought about taking it out till now. Will try it out with the Cayin N3-Topping NX4 and ZSN sometime.

1. Rewire the two balanced armature in series.
2. Replace the 0402 cap with Panasonic ECPU (use 470n).
3. Remove the 0402 resistor and rewire with a 7.5R Beysclag MELF.

this will solve your KZ ZS6 forever and you can resell me or anyone here these for 500$. i can guarantee you that

this is the mod i was talking earlier

 

[Zerohour88]

You know I do have an impedance adapter that I bought from a Lazada store in December of last year. It was intended for the red ZS6 i already had at the time.

Long story short, i didn't like it.

When I connected it to the ZS6 and then to my iPhone 6+ (EQ Off) the result was an attenuation in volume approximately equivalent to 3 clicks on the side volume buttons of the iPhone (~about -10.5 dB). It also made everything so much warmer and extremely smooth all the way up. No textures whatsoever. Yes the initial harshness and over-brilliance of the ZS6 did disappear but the smoothness was quite disconcerting. It's like listening to a vinyl tube-amp 2-channel stereo system with the treble turned down. Or, as the thought jumped into my head at the time, like diving into a pool filled with depilatory lotion; the entire skin surface became smooth with all the hair gone, including eyelashes and nose hairs.

So, I read instead the posts of hakuzen (as a lurker here) about his research as regards taming the ZS5 v1 and ZS6, first using EQ, then ball foam tips and that last was the solution for me.

Anyway I dug the adapter up and here it is... a "Shenzhen Audio ZY-031 HiFi Nüwa Copper Top 10cm Impedance Cable" with a Canare F12 plug. All the other details are in the photos. Price then was the equivalent amount of $21.62 US. Now it's $57.98 on Shenzhenaudio.com. Seriously heavy, evidently built like it's part of an armored tank and looks like it could survive a nuclear explosion, much more any random peak bursts (sorry, couldn't resist).







Here are screenshots of its Shenzhenaudio.com page (as soon as I read the product description, the same in the Lazada store as it is below, I ordered it right away—guess I was a bit excited):





I just kept it in a drawer and never thought about taking it out till now. Will try it out with the Cayin N3-Topping NX4 and ZSN sometime.

I'm actually quite wary whether that's an actual headphone attenuator or an headphone impedance adapter (they're not the same thing). One is wired in series, one is wired in parallel. (you can measure it with a multimeter if you have one, the resistance should show different values depending on the points you read from)

Hence my reservations on talking about it here, I don't think any KZ actually needs such an item. In fact, I made the DIY one simply for the CA Andromeda, since that definitely needs an attenuator if your source have either high output impedance or noise floor. I can tell you that the Topping NX4 DSD can run any sensitive IEMs just fine since the Andro also works fine with no hiss on it.

Things can get all jumbled up with all these random info and unclear impressions based on some pseudo-science.

 

[PhonoPhi]

I'm actually quite wary whether that's an actual headphone attenuator or an headphone impedance adapter (they're not the same thing). One is wired in series, one is wired in parallel. (you can measure it with a multimeter if you have one, the resistance should show different values depending on the points you read from)

Hence my reservations on talking about it here, I don't think any KZ actually needs such an item. In fact, I made the DIY one simply for the CA Andromeda, since that definitely needs an attenuator if your source have either high output impedance or noise floor. I can tell you that the Topping NX4 DSD can run any sensitive IEMs just fine since the Andro also works fine with no hiss on it.

Things can get all jumbled up with all these random info and unclear impressions based on some pseudo-science.

Any KZ may be a strong statement.
KS AS10 with its low impedance tends to incur quite a bit of noise from non-ideal sources.

 

[Conest]

Definitely gonna buy AS06 and CCA C10 (love my zsn and it would be awesome to see some improvements)... Just waiting for some zs7 reviews..
if they turn out to be good too, I'm golden..
Hey @1clearhead .. how well does c10 hold up against AS10 in soundstage and separation ?

 

[Zerohour88]

Any KZ may be a strong statement.
KS AS10 with its low impedance tends to incur quite a bit of noise from non-ideal sources.

ZS5v1 is also regarded to have low impedance, but I had no issues with any of my sources (unlike the Andromeda). To be fair, I try to remove any weak link in my chain before trying stuff out, so I can't say the same for everyone.

I'd take a very hard look at the actual source/DAP before getting something like the iEMatch for a KZ.

Regardless, YMMV. Carry on with the impedance talk.

 

[Conest]

I feel no need to get an impedance adapter for any of my iems, KZ or otherwise. Why over complicate everything.

Agreed..
IEM +Good Source + Right eartips (that fit in your ears really well) + nice cable ( if you're into that )..
I think thats just enough...
(dont really want a mess honestly)..