[Slater]

Name a song and I'll do a comparison. As long as it's on Spotify or Tidal.

4'33" by John Cage

 

[rayliam80]

Just any song in blues rock where all the instruments sound separately (more or less).

Stevie Ray Vaughn - Little Wing (listening through Tidal - Non MQA recording - through the Tidal app)



Just a rough and quick comparison so here it goes:

ZS7 - Drier sounding. Bass guitar more recessed. Guitars a little more forward. Guitar timbre/imaging seems not as good compared to the ZS10 maybe due to it sounding "drier" - slight guitar effects like the touch of reverb are not as noticeable as on the ZS10 Pro. More reserved sounding.

ZS10 Pro - Better quality bass, between kick drum and bass guitar, better separation. Tom drums sound bigger too. Greater overall bass presence. Guitar feels more dynamic, digs deeper. Cymbals like the ride are more crisp. Wider soundstage. More detailed overall. I can hear the 60hz background hum in the recording track probably from the guitar amp, for example, more clearly. Overall, sounds more lively.

Ifi Nano BL -> Liquid Spark (low gain mode) -> ZS10 Pro / ZS7 -> Auvio Wide Bore M tips

 

[rayliam80]

4'33" by John Cage

The ZS10 Pro really shines when you put all your instruments down and do nothing!

 

[courierdriver]

They're amazing for the price. For budget up to $50, they are amazing of course. But if put aside the price say up until $3000, is KZ considered amazing? definitely no. And not everybody has chance to listen TOTL iems.

Not to mention, not everyone has the financial means to plop down 4 figures on an iem, that only provides a 20% or less improvement. Some of us still have rent/mortgages to pay, child rearing costs, insurance, vehicle payments, etc, etc. I just don't have the disposable income to warrant spending such huge amounts on an "audio toy". Never have...never will...even if I won big in a lottery. In the 40+ years of being an audiophile, I've always searched out the stuff that is the best bang for my buck, within my budget. The money I save can go towards other, more important things...like child expenses and child education. Income levels and priorities take precedence over material things above all for me. I don't spend much on myself, but once in a while, I do like to treat myself to something related to my greatest passion since I was a child...music, and the good reproduction of it. Nowadays, with technology and global trade, it's possible to obtain much better sound quality, than in the past, at a much more affordable price. I own the ZS10 PRO, and I think it's got all the right stuff. For $100 more, KPE gets you to a greater level. For an extra $250 you can get even better. But after that, I feel the law of diminishing returns kicks in. Spending $1000+ on a set if TOTL iems is just too extravagant to me. If you have the means...then, by all means. Me; I'll stick with my KPE and ZS10 PRO. Love the SQ from both, and don't feel the need to spend thousands more, on some overpriced bull. It's that expensive stuff, that actually drives me away from the hobby. Wish that companies like Campfire, JA Audio, 64 Audio, etc. would get their heads around this. Same goes for many other audio brands that sell headphones, dacs, amps, speakers, etc. that cost more than a months worth of wages. For me, it's the affordable stuff that sounds as good as the non affordable stuff, that will always get my attention.

 

[DynamicEars]

Not to mention, not everyone has the financial means to plop down 4 figures on an iem, that only provides a 20% or less improvement. Some of us still have rent/mortgages to pay, child rearing costs, insurance, vehicle payments, etc, etc. I just don't have the disposable income to warrant spending such huge amounts on an "audio toy". Never have...never will...even if I won big in a lottery. In the 40+ years of being an audiophile, I've always searched out the stuff that is the best bang for my buck, within my budget. The money I save can go towards other, more important things...like child expenses and child education. Income levels and priorities take precedence over material things above all for me. I don't spend much on myself, but once in a while, I do like to treat myself to something related to my greatest passion since I was a child...music, and the good reproduction of it. Nowadays, with technology and global trade, it's possible to obtain much better sound quality, than in the past, at a much more affordable price. I own the ZS10 PRO, and I think it's got all the right stuff. For $100 more, KPE gets you to a greater level. For an extra $250 you can get even better. But after that, I feel the law of diminishing returns kicks in. Spending $1000+ on a set if TOTL iems is just too extravagant to me. If you have the means...then, by all means. Me; I'll stick with my KPE and ZS10 PRO. Love the SQ from both, and don't feel the need to spend thousands more, on some overpriced bull****. It's that expensive stuff, that actually drives me away from the hobby. Wish that companies like Campfire, JA Audio, 64 Audio, etc. would get their heads around this. Same goes for many other audio brands that sell headphones, dacs, amps, speakers, etc. that cost more than a months worth of wages. For me, it's the affordable stuff that sounds as good as the non affordable stuff, that will always get my attention.

Yes Im aware of that my friend, even me, im not a rich person who can afford thousand dollar iems or audio stuff, or like you said willingly to, but yes correct I said for the price $50 KZ ZS10 Pro indeed one of the best for the price, like KP which i also own i consider one of the best around $150. Former conversation was about his opinion about ZS10 pro isnt that amazing, that why I've tried to explain ZS10 Pro is amazing for the price. But if you never consider price, they're not amazing. Thats the point.
For me myself I also never think of buying thousand dollars iem as I also living with those living cost to pay of course like most of us here. But like you have experience with ZS10 Pro and KP, you got nice improvement but more to the upper class, improvement isnt that big, but more refinement. But if you got the best value iems on upper class, they will be different experience also, like you have step up from ZS10 pro to KP, and you will never go back

 

[courierdriver]

Yes Im aware of that my friend, even me, im not a rich person who can afford thousand dollar iems or audio stuff, or like you said willingly to, but yes correct I said for the price $50 KZ ZS10 Pro indeed one of the best for the price, like KP which i also own i consider one of the best around $150. Former conversation was about his opinion about ZS10 pro isnt that amazing, that why I've tried to explain ZS10 Pro is amazing for the price. But if you never consider price, they're not amazing. Thats the point.
For me myself I also never think of buying thousand dollars iem as I also living with those living cost to pay of course like most of us here. But like you have experience with ZS10 Pro and KP, you got nice improvement but more to the upper class, improvement isnt that big, but more refinement. But if you got the best value iems on upper class, they will be different experience also, like you have step up from ZS10 pro to KP, and you will never go back

I think I kinda get what you're saying, but I still sometimes enjoy certain songs better on certain earphones. Like you, I have KPE and ZS10 PRO. Sometimes I prefer the presentation of certain songs better on KPE than ZS10 PRO...then again, other times I prefer them on the ZS10 PRO over KPE. I have no problem switching between the 2, and I often feel like I'm getting a better rendition on the cheaper KZ. It all depends on the music, and my mood at any given time. I can't say though, that listening to a more expensive set, makes me want to throw the cheaper set into a drawer and forget about em. At the moment though, I can't say the same for the TFZ NO.3. These, while more than double the cost of the ZS10 PRO, are NOT even in the same ballpark, imho. Cost don't amount to squat! It's all about the execution of the tuning.

 

[HungryPanda]

I can go back and do often. I have some expensive (to me) head gear but sometimes am amazed by good cheap audio products and so enjoy listening to them flaws and all

 

[courierdriver]

I can go back and do often. I have some expensive (to me) head gear but sometimes am amazed by good cheap audio products and so enjoy listening to them flaws and all

+1! Imho, ZS10 PRO won't be out of my ears for very long. No, they're not perfect, but they have qualities that make them very appealing for me. I think people sometimes do themselves a great injustice by discounting an earphone, just based on price. I used to think "more expensive= better"...but I grew up and experience has taught me that this isn't always the case. "Better" is based on personal preferences and the kinds of musical material you feed the transducer, as well as the tuning of that transducer. Sadly, there is no "one size fits all". The joy of less expensive gear, is that you can experiment and mod to your heart's content, and not have to be too concerned if you accidentally destroy something. If I accidentally break something that costs less than $50, I can replace it. If I break something $150+, I can't afford to easily replace that! And if it costs like $1000+...well, that will never happen. I bought my KZ ZS10 PRO as a cheap daily driver, because I was concerned about taking my KPE, with it's nice aftermarket ISN Audio C16 cable, on the bus. I never in my wildest dreams, ever expected the ZS10 PRO to sound as good as it does. And if I snap a 2 pin or some other accident happens where I can't save it, I can replace it easily enough. If that happened to my KPE or anything else more expensive, I'd be crying. KZ has some seriously good stuff (my only big gripe is that they sometimes make stuff that's too big to fit in my ears), but they offer alot of options to the standard stuff that comes with a smartphone for example. Seriously...Apple Airpods cost around $169...people buy them like crazy. SQ is subpar imho. OK, they are wireless, but they really don't sound great. For that kinda money, I can think of many more wired options (or even iems connected to a Bluetooth receiver) that sound much better, and for less $.

 

[alex5908]

ZS7 - Drier sounding. Bass guitar more recessed. More reserved sounding.

ZS10 Pro - Better quality bass, between kick drum and bass guitar, better separation. Tom drums sound bigger too. Greater overall bass presence. Guitar feels more dynamic, digs deeper. Cymbals like the ride are more crisp. Wider soundstage. More detailed overall. I can hear the 60hz background hum in the recording track probably from the guitar amp, for example, more clearly. Overall, sounds more lively.

Wow, thanks a lot for the comparison.
Definitely I should've bought ZS10Pro but not ZS7.

 

[Slater]

The ZS10 Pro really shines when you put all your instruments down and do nothing!

On that track, the ZS10 Pro are truly TOTL monster killers! I think anyone would agree.

Why spend $2500, when the ZS10 Pro handles that track just as well?

BTW, my favorite part is the third movement at 4:26. Especially when it’s been a stressful day, and everyone is all blah blah blah yapping in my ears. I just put my headphones on and that track is oh so sweet music to my ears

 

[Nimweth]

The ZS10 Pro really shines when you put all your instruments down and do nothing!

The ZS7 sounds great with this track as well!

 

[citral23]

Why spend $2500, when the ZS10 Pro handles that track just as well?

Did you actually compare or are you guessing it's just as good?

I see there's a blue plate version of zs10 pro out, it looks quite nice and this iem now ships for 35-37$ on Ali, add an 8 core cable and you have a pretty decent package for 45$.

At 50$ it had serious competition of the bqeyz kb100, but at 35 it's really good imo.

And you can establish a professional standard of listening sense!

 

[BadReligionPunk]

 

[BadReligionPunk]

My Marshall Modes kill that track better then any KZ.

 

[mbwilson111]

Did you actually compare or are you guessing it's just as good?

How familiar are you with that John Cale track? The man is a genius. One of my favorite tracks for clearing my mind.