Have to run, so combined posts.
You’re most welcome. The personal side of the listening experience together with the shared love and affection (and annoyance and exasperation) for the headphones and related audio products of this improbably successful Knowledge Zenith brand form a strong and interesting bond among us who frequent or are residents of this thread, that much I’ve perceived in the relatively short time I’ve been here, despite the differences of opinions present, and that by the way run the gamut from the very slight and tangential to contrarian to polar opposites.
It’s noticeable, too, when such bond is weak because the discussions take a turn towards silliness or the ludicrous. But I don’t mind silliness or irreverence—I enjoy it. What I mind is condescension, an attitude that I intensely hate. And which attitude, when you think about it is ironic, misplaced and ridiculous since how we listen to music is defined by subjective impressions, which are uniquely personal, to say the least.
As for the over-reliance on frequency response (FR) graphs, I can relate to how you feel since I was sideswiped with a snarky comment then was drawn into a preposterous running discussion with a fluid point of argument that was ultimately hinged on some graph. There’s nothing wrong with FR graphs; I believe they do have immense value if the measuring equipment used and methods are indicated; or if such graphs were part of a large enough database wherein identical, standardized and carefully calibrated equipment is used. There are at least 2 that I know here in head-fi: its very own slowly growing collection measured through its own SOTA
measurement lab and that of
crinacle. As for comparison overlays I find them useful where 2 or more of those in-ears measured are known to me, for at least they provide a
rough idea of how the one I’m interested in
might sound. A solitary FR graph could only give some
approximation of the magnitude of a headphone’s reproduction in the audible frequency range; but, if it’s presented by someone whom I trust and whose ears more or less coincide with my own hearing then it’s more than welcome. Ultimately what I hear is paramount. Anyhow here’s the complete quote from the Preface and Introduction to Peter Damaske’s
Acoustics and Hearing (Springer, 2008) that I’m currently trying to read and that I surprisingly could now understand, with some help:
“
However, powerful measuring techniques should not be allowed to mislead us to forget that acoustical quality is basically defined by subjective sound impressions.”
I almost forgot. You have the C10 coming, right? It’s very exciting to read that the enthusiasm for this KZ cousin is growing and that those who have it recognize its abilities, admit that it indeed is a superlative IEM and place it among their top list of favorites. For a while even after I posted my C10 impressions update I thought the AS06 betters it in the bass department but for the last couple of days, going through my music library and listening to my reference songs many, many times, I’ve changed my mind.
The CCA C10 is It.
Welcome aboard! Glad to have some nice company in this wonderful fast-moving sub-$30 realm.
Well… I could name a few in this thread, mostly transients but where KZ is concerned one very recently gave a valedictory comment and ironically it took someone who’s supposed to have already left to remind that person that what was delivered was an insult.
Lately I’ve been spending more time as a guest in the other threads and forums, including the so-called high-end threads in my quest for the perfect gift and frankly I was taken aback with the gradations of shade tossed about when “Chi-Fi” is mentioned. I won’t even talk about the ones my beloved KZ is receiving. I couldn’t help it; precision and the ability to discern nuances and submerged subtleties are crucial in my profession. It does seem that there are more of those stereotypes than are previously thought.
You are right, though; Chi-Fi should be taken to mean exactly as it should, nothing more, nothing less.
The best one for me is a pair of old, slow-rebound, medium-sized, wide-bore ball-shaped foam tips. The ones I've been using and through which my impressions in my C10 update were obtained. If the foam tips are not the right size and not wide-bore they'll definitely affect the sound for the worse. SpinFits didn't work. I believe BadReligionPunk uses JVC Spiral Dots on his, which I'd like to try but the right size (M or MS) is difficult to get in our part of the world.
Mine:
1. CCA C10
2. CCA C10
3. CCA C10
Also:
KZ ZSN - for those perk-me-up mornings
AS06 - exclusively for cellos, string chamber music and double bass sessions
+1 (Although I wouldn't put it in such terms)
. To me the sparkling trebles of the AS10 are a real joy. The zs7 is much more leveled and maybe the better choice for bass seeking listeners. But I probably will send back zs7 (bought it with Amazon prime).
