[gbrgbr]

In that case, I would rank them:

1. ZS1 v1
2. ZSN
3. ZSN Pro
4. ZS4
5. ED9

But keep in mind that >$20 used to be KZs bread and butter. There’s a lot of great budget choices in that price range that didn’t make the list - ZSR, ZS5 v1, HDS3, ATR, ATE, EDR1, etc

Thanks.
If a certain IEM with a piezoelectric driver were made by KZ, would it make the list ? I'm thinking of getting one.
Wish KZ would release a IEM with a piezoelectric driver. Reading about the other one seems to suggest there are QC issues.

 

[HungryPanda]

My top 5:

ZS10 Pro
ZS7
ZSN
AS10
AS06

 

[KimChee]

IMHO you’ll need a high end iem to go with the sp1000. In my experience the AKs do not usually sound good without a top end iem/headphone

I'm wondering about spending on high end iems to go with sp1000 dap. I like the idea of the Solaris but was wondering if any kzs give close to that sound?

 

[gazzington]

IMHO you’ll need a high end iem to go with the sp1000. In my experience the AKs do not usually sound good without a top end iem/headphone

Fair enough. I'm thinking Solaris

 

[KimChee]

I like having a Grado around particularly a Grado 60 or 325. I always mod them then sell them, then rebuy them. It’s a vicious cycle.

I'd be fine with my Fiio X1 and a set of sub-$100 headphones: (Grado SR80, Grado SR60, Sony MDR-V6).
But I could't be happy with IEM's. They just don't give me anywhere near the sound I need.

 

[antdroid]

Thanks for the reply. Maybe the zs10pro will be a good way to see if i like a Solaris (no where to try one near me).

The Solaris isn't something I would recommend to blindly buy without the ability to return it or demo first. It has a unique design and is larger shape and has a larger nozzle size that can be difficult to wear. I spent a few weeks with a loaner set and struggled with fit until I finally found the right ones, and then decided to buy it. Many people have decided not to buy it due to fit.

 

[DynamicEars]

I just wowed by almost everyone's charts here are invaded by ZS10 Pro on top, stroke all the way to the top beating all KZ models. I believe they're that good considering I lik e the ZSN pro too for their price range. I have to resist. Have to..

 

[hakuzen]

Dang, you folks are really making me regret not having the AS10. Maybe I’ll knab a pair of they have good prices during 11.11.

I do have the C16, which I assume is somewhat similar perhaps?

Also, the ZS6 has been a bargain lately. During the Aliexpress anniversary sale a few months ago, I ran a across 1 seller that was asking $20. And that included an additional KZ 8-wire flat braided SPC cable! That cable alone runs $7-$9, so that was a crazy good deal! No coupons or hoops to jump through either. Just $20 and that’s it. They only had 1 color though, but I didn’t care.

i don't own C16, but judging by others' impressions, sound "tubing" and fr graphs, and my impressions about my 2 AS10 units, i'd suggest to pass on AS10

 

[khighly]

but switched back to Kanas Pro.. ohh that clarity, details, etc like eating fine steak after a month of hamburgers.

I've never noticed any difference in "details" or "clarity" on higher IEM's. My IT03's don't do anything different than the ZS10 Pro's besides sound signature and isolation. I only really notice a change going from DD to BA where things are much less crowded because each BA is tuned to a frequency its good at producing and its not all coming from one speaker. No audible difference heard to me between KZ and Knowles BA's. As someone else above said, it's definitely needle in a haystack type stuff.

If KZ put the ZS10 Pro's in a NiceHCK style shell, made a fancy american english marketing website thick with targeted audiophile marketing propaganda, pictures of yachts and golf courses, elon musk, rockets, etc, raise the price to $800, you'd start getting the connoisseurs commenting positively in this thread, sipping imported Seattle coffee they made in their limited edition aeropress after waking up on their luxury Beneteau sail boat next to their perfect 10 partner in the Bahamas.

Remember, this is all subjective.

 

[DynamicEars]

I've never noticed any difference in "details" or "clarity" on higher IEM's. My IT03's don't do anything different than the ZS10 Pro's besides sound signature and isolation. I only really notice a change going from DD to BA where things are much less crowded because each BA is tuned to a frequency its good at producing and its not all coming from one speaker. No audible difference heard to me between KZ and Knowles BA's. As someone else above said, it's definitely needle in a haystack type stuff.

If KZ put the ZS10 Pro's in a NiceHCK style shell, made a fancy american english marketing website thick with targeted audiophile marketing propaganda, pictures of yachts and golf courses, elon musk, rockets, etc, raise the price to $800, you'd start getting the connoisseurs commenting positively in this thread, sipping imported Seattle coffee they made in their limited edition aeropress after waking up on their luxury Beneteau sail boat next to their perfect 10 partner in the Bahamas.

Remember, this is all subjective.

Of course i respect your own perspective, but for me, the different is quite big. I got sony EX1000 and that is different league, not only in price. But the increment of the sonic isn't as far as the price on higher tier iems like I said. Kanas Pro clarity is far above KZs, this one i can confirm myself, you can ask several user here. Of course everything is subjective, nobody is right or wrong here. If you heard it as the same, I consider it as an advantage, you don't have to spend so much money to please your ears.
KZ did their job great, make a $50 iems can fight $100 iems but don't forget that a lot of great chifi companies also did great, selling $150 iems sounds like $300 iems, and some selling $300 iems sounds like $500 iems and so on. Not only gimmicky here, they use better materials and technologies, that isn't as cheap as KZ, but they do sounds better. Take a look at ikko OH1, moondrop kanas pro, tanchjim oxygen, bgvp dm7, etc.

 

[BadReligionPunk]

Please post your KZ faves less than $20 +- a $ or two.

ED9
ZSN
ES4
EDR1

talking about no 3.5mm audio jack remind me something to ask about, How is TRN BT20 module works with KZ para C connector? I know it will stick out longer but is it safe / strong (edit : and comfortable ) enough for gym using? I'm talking about normal BT20 0.78mm to para C connector like ZSN or ZS10 pro. Thanks in advance Slater

Works fine. No real problems. Sounds great to me.

 

[maxxevv]

Dang, you folks are really making me regret not having the AS10. Maybe I’ll knab a pair of they have good prices during 11.11.

I do have the C16, which I assume is somewhat similar perhaps?

Also, the ZS6 has been a bargain lately. During the Aliexpress anniversary sale a few months ago, I ran a across 1 seller that was asking $20. And that included an additional KZ 8-wire flat braided SPC cable! That cable alone runs $7-$9, so that was a crazy good deal! No coupons or hoops to jump through either. Just $20 and that’s it. They only had 1 color though, but I didn’t care.

Having both the C16 and AS10, not really much is missed if you have the C16 already.
Its "flatter" sounding comparatively and less lush overall. As the C16 has a tremendous amount of detail output. Sound stage wise, although generally similar, the AS10 can sound a little airier and the effect of which is a bigger stage. But due to the detail retrieval of the C16, it does provide the effect of a "deeper" sounding stage.

But I have to add, due to the light weight and shape, the AS10 is an excellent pairing with the BT20 modules. I use them a lot on commutes as they isolate very well for me and are very comfy on the ears both because of the shape and the weight. The C16's though very similar in shape are a little thicker and also obviously heavier.

The AS10 is extremely easy to drive and very sensitive. If the source is noisy in anyway, you will pick it up quite easily in high gain and low volume setting. The C16 is marginally harder to drive. Usually its about 10~15% more volume on my LG G6. On the JDS Atom, the digital volume for the KTB is set at 50% and the Atom at 8 o'clock for the AS10

These are just my impressions of using the 2 earphones on a variety of sources :
i) Foobar 2k > Sabaj Da3 > Balanced and Single Ended
ii) Foobar 2K > Khadas Tone Board > JDS Atom
iii) Foobar 2K > Khadas Tone Board > Matrix HPA-3B
iv) LG G6 Quad DAC
iv) LG G6 Quad DAC > TRN BT20

 

[requal]

Can somebody compare CCA C16 and ZS10 Pro for me?

 

[Slater]

talking about no 3.5mm audio jack remind me something to ask about, How is TRN BT20 module works with KZ para C connector? I know it will stick out longer but is it safe / strong (edit : and comfortable ) enough for gym using? I'm talking about normal BT20 0.78mm to para C connector like ZSN or ZS10 pro. Thanks in advance Slater

I just tried the ZS10 and BT20 yesterday, and wasn’t that impressed with the sound. I haven’t spent a lot of time with that combination though, so I’m not sure if it was just the stuff I was listening to with Pandora or if it’s inherent to the pairing of the ZS10 and BT20 itself.

I have used the BT20 with the ZSN and ZSN Pro with good results though.

As far as how stable it is, as long as you’re careful it is fine. If you had it in your gym bag and it got smooshed, or your shorts pocket and it got sat on or something like that, I would be concerned that the 2-pin plug would bend.

 

[Folly]

Nicely put, this has been my experience as well. When analyzing sound quality, we have to always keep in mind the notion of relative vs absolute peformance, and that people will always have different hearing ability. I think most of us can agree that KZ iems in general, and especially the ZS10, have a high price/quality ratio i.e. excellent relative performance. Whether this performance is adequate will depend on the individual's ears, and if your current iem makes you happy then there why pay more?

To my ears, the ZS10 Pro is a great iem, what you get from what you pay is just a real bargain, its value is off the charts. It is good enough for me as a backup pair or traveling set, but for serious listening it cannot satisfy me because I can hear its faults when compared to my more expensive sets, so I reach for the KPE instead. Sure, the KPE is much more pricey, and I dare say it has a lower price/performance ratio than the ZS10, but no doubt its absolute sonic performance is higher. But that is why we are all so lucky, with all the different options to choose from to fit our needs and budget.

Of course i respect your own perspective, but for me, the different is quite big. I got sony EX1000 and that is different league, not only in price. But the increment of the sonic isn't as far as the price on higher tier iems like I said. Kanas Pro clarity is far above KZs, this one i can confirm myself, you can ask several user here. Of course everything is subjective, nobody is right or wrong here. If you heard it as the same, I consider it as an advantage, you don't have to spend so much money to please your ears.
KZ did their job great, make a $50 iems can fight $100 iems but don't forget that a lot of great chifi companies also did great, selling $150 iems sounds like $300 iems, and some selling $300 iems sounds like $500 iems and so on. Not only gimmicky here, they use better materials and technologies, that isn't as cheap as KZ, but they do sounds better. Take a look at ikko OH1, moondrop kanas pro, tanchjim oxygen, bgvp dm7, etc.