Anyone having both ZS7 & C10 able to share the comparison between those two? I'm itching to get one of them while waiting for my to C16 arrive...
I have both, and have used them to a fair degree.
While they might share similar internals [I think the CA4 might use the same ones as the ZS7, I can't remember], they are tuned very differently.
Starting from the outside, C10 is partially transparent, and comes in decent colours. I think that the aquamarine colour is better than the standard blue colour for the C10. It has a nice, tasteful contoured metal backplate that goes well with the aquamarine. It's surprisingly tasteful and attractive, overall. A little bit, but comfort is
supreme for me. Only the BA5 beats it.
ZS-7 is much more awkward in shape, with strange angles and formations. It's 'heavily inspired' by the Campfire Andromeda design, which I am not sure is the most ergonomic. For me, anyway, the housing is huge, and it protrudes. I don't like using it mobile. It is also hard for me to get a great fit with the stock tips, and I had to use huge foams. The ZS-7 comes in cool colours, I got deep blue, it's pretty slick. It's metal and basically feels premium even if the fit is less-than-ideal.
They both have standard boring CCA/KZ tangle cables that have fine sound but are otherwise generic.
Now to talk about the sound: C10 is warm, thick, analog, somewhat acoustic, and somewhat relaxed. The ZS-7 is colourful, supercharged, expansive, detailed, and V-shaped.
They are very different, despite being relatives. Let me elaborate:
CCA C10
C10 is a rare bird in KZ/CCA tunings. It is midcentric, instead of large V-shape. The general sound of the mids comes through very strong, and vocals are even stronger. In fact, vocals are elevated and distinctly clear. C10 is one of the clearest IEMs for vocals in all of cheap Chi-Fi.
C10 has respectable bass, although it is not a bass monster. But it delivers the slam sometimes, and might surprise you.
It doesn't have supercharged treble, there isn't as much sound at the extremes, and there are no piercing highs. It's kind of rolled-off. It's more of a thick, 'medium' sound.
KZ ZS-7
The ZS-7 is much more 'colourful' at the high and low-end. Kind of a bass and treble cannon. First off, it's V-shaped, so the mids actually are recessed. People argue about how V-shaped it is, but it definitely is to a degree. This means that not only are mids recessed, but so are many vocals. Fortunately, mids are still clear, so you can still hear them okay.
Meanwhile, the treble is up there, and maybe sugary. It feels like the highs are boosted, without being too piercing. I know the ZS-6 had some highs that some thought were too much, and the ZS-7 was supposed to tone it down a bit.
The lows are great. There's a lot of punch and weight behind them. I think the sub-bass is pretty boosted. So it's going to deliver you a supercharged sound overall. The strong treble and bass interact well, although at the cost of the mids.
People have said it's like 'technicolour for sound,' and that's what I use it for. Some of the albums I like just don't come across as exciting enough on my IEMs, so I use the ZS-7. You use it to 'colour' your music, I think.
And the soundstage is surprisingly effective. Not with every song, but things that are supposed to sound like they are in a big area often do.
So they're very different IMHO. It depends what you are looking-for. All-rounder for long-term relaxed listening and clear vocals? Then you want the C10. Some find the C10's sound to be boring, and it kind of is, especially if you are used to the adrenalized IEMs. But I think it renders things like vocals and acoustic instruments more pleasantly than typical KZs in the sub-50 range.
And if you're looking for something maybe 'larger than life' to bring out the 'colour' in some of your albums, you can turn to the ZS-7.