[ZAXon 7]

None whatsoever sonically, as far as I can tell. I just like the KBEar cable better visually and the increased thickness means it's less prone to tangling. The stock cable is the new silver kind, and it's somewhat better than the old nasty brown cable. I threw that one on my CA16.

thanks, some pages earlier someone wrote he found great benefits with a gold-silver cable, i'm quite curious about the effectiveness of cable switching

 

[unifutomaki]

thanks, some pages earlier someone wrote he found great benefits with a gold-silver cable, i'm quite curious about the effectiveness of cable switching

I switched from the silver plated stock cable to KZ's own pink copper cable on my ZAX. There was no perceptible change whatsoever.

 

[PhonoPhi]

thanks, some pages earlier someone wrote he found great benefits with a gold-silver cable, i'm quite curious about the effectiveness of cable switching

I've tried changing several cables on ZAX and CA16 - 16-cores, etc.
Tried pure silver (3 different ones) in a hope for a touch more treble - nope...

If to turn on the imagination - then blue cables all the way - sparkly, ethereal, engaging, surreal quasiholographic stage expansion and extension and a golden touch of extra resolution across the range!

Only my best IEMs get an honour to be coupled with blue cables

 

[ZAXon 7]

I switched from the silver plated stock cable to KZ's own pink copper cable on my ZAX. There was no perceptible change whatsoever.

I've tried changing several cables on ZAX and CA16 - 16-cores, etc.
Tried pure silver (3 different ones) in a hope for a touch more treble - nope...

If to turn on the imagination - then blue cables all the way - sparkly, ethereal, engaging, surreal quasiholographic stage expansion and extension and a golden touch of extra resolution across the range!

Only my best IEMs get an honour to be coupled with blue cables

thank you, guess i'll consider cable switching a dead end for now, except for 'blue cables' i've never heard of, going to do some research about them...

 

[unifutomaki]

thank you, guess i'll consider cable switching a dead end for now, except for 'blue cables' i've never heard of, going to do some research about them...

I think @PhonoPhi is joking

 

[ZAXon 7]

I think @PhonoPhi is joking

was ready to read every single google answer for 'audio blue cable'... i'll keep that for an eventual new lockdown...

 

[PhonoPhi]

I think @PhonoPhi is joking

Partially (an actual proportion of a joke is to be determined by the readers)

I did get about every blue cable out there under $25 and immensely enjoy them aesthetically, as well as train my imagination to "hear cables", the power of psychoacoustics is not to be underappreciated

Then, people talking about any acoustic difference with graphene(?), gold, palladium cables give me a good laugh, as a materials chemist.

 

[IEMusic]

Partially (an actual proportion of a joke is to be determined by the readers)

I did get about every blue cable out there under $25 and immensely enjoy them aesthetically, as well as train my imagination to "hear cables", the power of psychoacoustics is not to be underappreciated

Then, people talking about any acoustic difference with graphene(?), gold, palladium cables give me a good laugh, as a materials chemist.

I figure you were approx. 20% joking. Psychoacoustics certainly plays a huge role, and I’m happy to be a frugal participant. I find aesthetics and build quality to be very high on my cable priority list. I do think I hear a difference between some cables, and if it’s all my imagination, I don’t care, if I enjoy it. A thin, tangly cable always sounds terrible, even if it’s made out of silver, graphene, palladium, and plutonium.

 

[crabdog]

It's probably been covered a zillion times here but I finally got around to publishing my ZSN Pro X review for those interested. I'd say it's definitely better technically than the ZSN Pro but maybe not as fun.

 

[paulwasabii]

It's probably been covered a zillion times here but I finally got around to publishing my ZSN Pro X review for those interested. I'd say it's definitely better technically than the ZSN Pro but maybe not as fun.

Covered a zillion times maybe, but the two sides are interesting. Some said it was too close to the ZSN Pro, just a new faceplate. I agree with you, it is similar with some improvements. I am partial to their new dynamic driver also.

 

[xxAMAROKxx]

Hands up. Going now towards the extreme budget, more information about EDX?

EDX arrived today, so couple of hours with it and I'm happy
Nice, deep and quick Bass - clear, articulated Mids - forward, not fatiguing Treble
Every range is detailed (no burn-in yet)
Good imaging, smaller soundstage
V-shape sound
With 2,5 mm OCC cable EDX is very detailed, somehow a bit U-shaped
Detail-wise and even in tuning it is on similar level with iBasso it-00

(Source is Shanling M5s)

 

[Barusu Lamperouge]

I received my EDX last week and I must say after a long time I've thoroughly enjoyed something which didn't burn a hole in my wallet.

There aren't many IEMs in that price range which can give fun and clean sound. The bass is tight and clean with emphasis more on sub-bass than midbass. Mids are slightly recessed but have pleasant texture to it. Treble sort of still suffers from the vintage steeliness but it's less than ZSN. Their compact size gives superb isolation and fit.

The million dollar question, is it a budget killer like ZSN? Or iconic like ED9 or EDR1?

IMO it is probably the most refined sub $10 IEM especially when we see folks getting it for as low as $5. At that price, a good sounding IEM with detachable cable is extremely hard to beat.

Despite all it's goodness, it still falls a little short of ED9 probably because of tuning filters and modding which elevates them to their current status. I haven't modded them yet but might do in near future. And IMO, they're very close to EDR1. But they cost 2x more, and that probably tilts the balance in EDR1's favour.

For folks who are looking for an upgrade to their cellphone bundled earphones or a replacement, EDX are an excellent IEM which gives them the luxury of replaceable cables and sound quality way above of their current gear.

KZ has got a winner in the ultra budget category. When was the last time that happened? Probably ages ago.

This is one random guy's opinion in the vast world of WWW, please take it with a grain of salt and not the absolute truth. YMMV. I'll be glad if folks find this helpful.

 

[Viber]

AS16, C16 were pretty neutral before, the latter have one of the best mids that I've experienced.

AS12 had a nice bass BA implementation.

With one bass BA out of 10 overall, it is hard to expect ASX & ASF to offer more bass than AS16

I love AS16, bass is there when needed, treble is really engaging

P. S. Added ASX in the second last paragraph

You're right, i forgot about AS16. Maybe that's when they've shifted their focus.
Though, i gotta say, the marketing for the AS16 was....weird?

 

[fullmoon280]

So its been a long time since Ive bought a KZ iem and was curious as whats the current hotness for around $20-$30. Last pair of KZ iems I owned was the ZST Colorful and am curious how the newer iems within my price range compare to it.

 

[PhonoPhi]

So its been a long time since Ive bought a KZ iem and was curious as whats the current hotness for around $20-$30. Last pair of KZ iems I owned was the ZST Colorful and am curious how the newer iems within my price range compare to it.

The "hotness" will be ZS10 pro that gets closer to $30.
For the smooth treble in this range CCA C10 will work nicely at under $25 or so (CCA is the sister/twin brand of KZ).

At $50 or so, recent CCA CA16 and KZ ZAX are very competitive offerings for smoother and brighter, respectively.