[Zerohour88]

Antdroid's review of the KZ ZSX (among the few reviewers I trust):

https://www.antdroid.net/2019/09/kz-zsx-review.html

and regarding the recent "steely sounding" meme going around, do take note that BA vs DD timbre issues do exist. Some might not like it, some might not even notice it. Fact is, both transducers have specific advantages and disadvantages. Making fun of people asking about it is not really conducive to discussions.

 

[antdroid]

Thanks for the plug

If anyone has questions, feel free to ask. My biggest complaint with this was the large size + large nozzle diameter and length. That combination did not make this iem fit well. I do like how it sounds for the most part. It's lacks definition, but i like the overall tonality of it -- warm, rich, with some upper air.

 

[Nimweth]

All that talk about the ZSX made me look again ... has anyone ordered the cyan version and can confirm if indeed it has a darker grey face plate? I was a bit bummed out when the first teaser pics made the zsx look all black ... but there is no black now ... the cyan at least looks darker ...

They are a kind of charcoal grey colour. I included a picture of the earpieces in my review.

 

[Zerohour88]

Thanks for the plug

If anyone has questions, feel free to ask. My biggest complaint with this was the large size + large nozzle diameter and length. That combination did not make this iem fit well. I do like how it sounds for the most part. It's lacks definition, but i like the overall tonality of it -- warm, rich, with some upper air.

doing my part plugging one of the best reviewer on r/headphones

I'm actually quite curious about the supposed "TOTL tuning" part, since I've been partial to people liking a headphone more if they like the tuning even if the overall "sound quality" part is a bit lower. But at some point, its hard to ignore the overall lo-res feeling of it all. Even on casual listening. Its hard being an old stubborn pedant

 

[antdroid]

doing my part plugging one of the best reviewer on r/headphones

I'm actually quite curious about the supposed "TOTL tuning" part, since I've been partial to people liking a headphone more if they like the tuning even if the overall "sound quality" part is a bit lower. But at some point, its hard to ignore the overall lo-res feeling of it all. Even on casual listening. Its hard being an old stubborn pedant

TOTL tuning can be a lot of different tunings. I was trying to emphasize that it is tuned similarly to how my personal favorite TOTL iems sound (i.e. the Z1R, VX, and Solaris, and to a certain degree the Andromeda Gold). These all feature a warm, balanced sound signature with a gentle v-shape - i.e. a slight boost in the bass and lower mids, and a boost in the upper mids and lower treble -- but not as a big as the harman/diffuse field targets -- and extended treble that isnt overly bright and harsh. The ZSX has that type of frequency response. This is actually a classic example of why FR graphs dont tell the whole story. It has generally a similar look to some of those, but it has no where the same type of resolution and speed. Like I mentioned, the dynamic driver is a little slow and doesnt have have any type of detail textures/layers that the Z1R spits out, which is really nice. And it doesnt have all the microdetails that you'll hear from something at a bigger price point. But, the overall sound from afar sounds similar.

 

[Crandall]

Just got the ZSX about an hour ago. Sounds fantastic and is a definite upgrade overall from the ZS7 and AS10 i used before. It takes both of their strengths (Bass for the ZS7 and Mids for the AS10) and none of the weaknesses (Treble peaks) and adds some nice upper treble to it. One thing I did notice, is that there's no way that the sensitivity is really 111db at 24ohm, as it's overall a bit quieter than the 105db and 24ohm that the zs7 is rated at.

 

[thebigredpolos]

Can anyone translate the arrow where it says "PCB"? It almost looks like a standard (non-C) set of plugs.

According to the google translate app (where you can point your phone at the text and have it auto-translate), it says "Warm and golden PCB component main control board" which isn't exactly helpful.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

doing my part plugging one of the best reviewer on r/headphones

I'm actually quite curious about the supposed "TOTL tuning" part, since I've been partial to people liking a headphone more if they like the tuning even if the overall "sound quality" part is a bit lower. But at some point, its hard to ignore the overall lo-res feeling of it all. Even on casual listening. Its hard being an old stubborn pedant

I forget who said it, but a wise observation was that frequency response matters the most, everything else is bonus. I do not care how great the separation, clarity, imaging, and resolution are. If the FR is wrong, I'm not gonna enjoy the headphone, and I would wager most of us are the same way, despite arguments to the contrary.

If I gave you a headphone with a wonky curve, like it had the midsection sucked out and a huge treble spike, you wouldn't care how great the technicalities are, it's gonna sound like a hollow ear-piercing mess. Similarly, if I give you one that's exactly how you like it, you're probably not gonna be too bothered if the treble is a bit smeared or the bass could be tighter. That's why the ZSX works so damn well for me.

 

[Seazer]

Wow I just got the BLON 03 and I'm pretty impressed it sounds great. Comfort is definitely superior to the ZSX. Sound is smooth. Bass is different than the ZSX. I can't quite put my finger on what's different, the ZSX bass has a bit more rumble and feels a bit fuller. I think the ZSX has more upper bass while the BLON bass dips harder and faster after 80hz, so the sub bass feels less supported and full. Sub bass sounds different between the two as well. The bass sounds more similar between the two if you bump bass on the BLON at 125hz up about 2.5-3db. The ZSX has more forward details while the BLON is laid back in the treble. Separation and soundstage are also better on the ZSX. I like the BLON more than the TFZ no 3 for sure though. Somewhere around 5-8k is a bit edgier than the ZSX but is less offensive than the Guideray GR-i. My favorite thing about the BLON is the comfort for sure, they fit well and are smooth to the touch, I feel like I could sleep in them, which is something I definitely couldn't do with the ZSX.

When playing Suite-Pee by System of a Down on the ZSX, you can make out the cymbal crashes on that sides of the headspace that sound separate from the extremely heavy riffing going on slightly closer to your head. On the BLON the cymbals sound less separated from the riffs and feel like they are on the same plane. The sound is more smoothed out and easier to listen to though, while detail is better retrieved on the ZSX

 

[dcime]

TOTL tuning can be a lot of different tunings. I was trying to emphasize that it is tuned similarly to how my personal favorite TOTL iems sound (i.e. the Z1R, VX, and Solaris, and to a certain degree the Andromeda Gold). These all feature a warm, balanced sound signature with a gentle v-shape - i.e. a slight boost in the bass and lower mids, and a boost in the upper mids and lower treble -- but not as a big as the harman/diffuse field targets -- and extended treble that isnt overly bright and harsh. The ZSX has that type of frequency response. This is actually a classic example of why FR graphs dont tell the whole story. It has generally a similar look to some of those, but it has no where the same type of resolution and speed. Like I mentioned, the dynamic driver is a little slow and doesnt have have any type of detail textures/layers that the Z1R spits out, which is really nice. And it doesnt have all the microdetails that you'll hear from something at a bigger price point. But, the overall sound for afar sounds similar.

Hi
So if you are not too keen on the ZSX would you recommend the CCA version?
Thanks

 

[dcime]

Received my ZSX today... From the first minute falling in love.
These are some fine IEM's that sub bass rumbles you eardrums out very nice.

Highs are clear if it's fatiguing I can't say for now. But I like it.

They are really that good maybe the best you’ve heard to date?

 

[Aparker2005]

Got my Ultimate Ear ue5 customs so I'm gonna keep my frequently used Zs10 pros for backup. Almost pains me to sell them as I haven't used them much, but I'm gonna let my AS16s go if anyone in the US would like to buy them!

Looks like I'm ending my kz journey for a good while. These UEs are something else, but they don't take anything away from the kz except for fit.

 

[Caipirina]

Wonder if this color combo (black silver) will become available eventually...

 

[SomeGuyDude]

Got my Ultimate Ear ue5 customs so I'm gonna keep my frequently used Zs10 pros for backup. Almost pains me to sell them as I haven't used them much, but I'm gonna let my AS16s go if anyone in the US would like to buy them!

Looks like I'm ending my kz journey for a good while. These UEs are something else, but they don't take anything away from the kz except for fit.

Quick rundown on the AS16 sound? I was intrigued by them for being 8BA per side but wasn't ready to drop full price.

 

[Aparker2005]

Quick rundown on the AS16 sound? I was intrigued by them for being 8BA per side but wasn't ready to drop full price.

To me they're extremely detailed, some of the best separation I've heard. Bass is present but not overwhelming. Highs and mids to me are excellent. Huge sound stage. Hope this helps!