[baskingshark]

Just checked aliexpress and the AS16 are less than $70 in a few places, should be around $60 during the next sale if you get your coupons right. Worth a look maybe? Probably not for me, got too many similar ones already (C16, CA16, ZAX) but a heads up for anyone looking.

Well KZ AS16 didn't have the best reviews TBH. It was their first foray into the $100ish territory and it didn't do too well compared to the tough competition against the other big boys. I think KZ are trying to clear old unsold stock of AS16, now that the new $100 set ASX is released.

 

[PhonoPhi]

Well KZ AS16 didn't have the best reviews TBH. It was their first foray into the $100ish territory and it didn't do too well compared to the tough competition against the other big boys. I think KZ are trying to clear old unsold stock of AS16, now that the new $100 set ASX is released.

AS16 are one of my favourite IEMs.

The bass (of two BAs) is there, but only when called for - so it is not for bassheads.

The pinna gain is high (not as prominent as in A10/KB10 though), so it is not for treble-shy and all genres of music, e.g. electronic.

AS16 complement more treble shy mid-centric C16 well for me.

I hope ASX will do better at least in some aspects

 

[whitete]

Holy molly... now this is crazy. I compared this song using the ZAX and ASX.
With the ZAX, you get a pretty nice openness, separation and all, but its mostly 2 dimensionals. Doug's voice is moving in and out, left and right, forward and back, but in the ZAX its only moving left and right.
Now with the ASX, damn... I can feel I am in the room and when his voice move, it move in 3D like inside the head. It is freaking unbelievable.

I love Doug Macleod! I’ve seen him a couple of times.

 

[voicemaster]

AS16 are one of my favourite IEMs.

The bass (of two BAs) is there, but only when called for - so it is not for bassheads.

The pinna gain is high (not as prominent as in A10/KB10 though), so it is not for treble-shy and all genres of music, e.g. electronic.

AS16 complement more treble shy mid-centric C16 well for me.

I hope ASX will do better at least in some aspects

The ASX has smoothen out quite a bit after 20+ hours of playing. It is not as edgy as before but still has that slam on the treble (snare) but its not as harsh as before. The bass also tightened up and pretty well balance as well. Not for basshead at all tho. It has that BA driver clicky bass and also a nice rumble of DD, but not as airy as DD yet but quite close. Also, if the mix from the song is not good, the ASX will sound really bad.

 

[rainbowneggs]

what would be the best cable(s) for ASX? low key thinking about ordering them soon after seeing some of the discounts on aliexpress

 

[hmscott]

what would be the best cable(s) for ASX? low key thinking about ordering them soon after seeing some of the discounts on aliexpress

There is a great thread here on affordable IEM cables:

Low end. Cheap. Generic. Otherwise bang for buck cable thread!
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/low...ng-for-buck-cable-thread.891911/post-14560327

For me I like the availability, price, build quality, and variety of connectors on both ends of the KB EAR (KBEAR) cables. Originally priced from $29-39 on Amazon - cheaper now, they are available on AliExpress and Hifigo.com for less, and during sales even less - I recently bought the 99.99% pure 4N Silver KB EAR cables for $17!

Copper is good for too bright cables, that's why KZ ships with them - and they are less expensive material than Silver plated or Pure Silver, and other high end materials - Cryogenically Cooled, single draw crystal OCC, etc.

The new ZAX's sound great on Copper, Silver Plated, and even Pure Silver - where other out of the box IEM's would be shrill the ZAX remains smooth - at least for my ears.

Here's some links to cables I've purchased and enjoy:

KBEAR 16 Core Pure Copper cable with metal 2pin Connector 4.4mm
https://hifigo.com/products/kb-ear-...pin-mmcx-qdc-connector?variant=31122971033649
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33039619405.html

KB EAR 16 Core Silver Earphone IEM Cable with Metal 2pin/MMCX/QDC 4.4mm
https://hifigo.com/products/kb-ear-...th-metal-2pin-mmcx-qdc?variant=31605483536433
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33045414046.html

KBEAR 4 Core 4N 99.99% Purity Silver Earphone Cable with 2Pin/QDC/MMC/TFZ 4.4mm
https://hifigo.com/products/kbear-4...-with-2pin-qdc-mmc-tfz?variant=32250235387953

These days I usually get 4.4mm ends because my current amps have a 4.4mm balanced port available - and those ports have more power than the 3.5mm output port.

KB EAR has 3.5mm, 2.5mm, 4.4mm and I've seen 3.5Pro cables out there too but not sure if KB EAR has them - the new Cayin Tube Amp N3Pro has the new standard 3.5Pro hybrid balanced / single-ended compatible cable.

I also have some 2.5mm balanced cables for my BTR5 / BTR3k, but I prefer the heftier 4.4mm if I can use them.

KBEAR 8 Core Upgrade 2 Pin Earphone Cable, HiFi in Ear Monitor Replacement TRS Cable Silver Plated Copper Extension Cable with 0.78mm 2 Pin for AS10 ZS10 ZST ZS6 CCA C10 TRN V80 X6 (2 PIN 3.5mm)
https://www.amazon.com/Upgrade-Earphone-Detachable-Replacement-Monitor/dp/B07RZY5C8D
https://www.amazon.com/Detachable-Earphone-Upgrade-Braided-Replacement/dp/B07S2VQDD8

KB EAR's Official Store on AliExpress:
https://www.aliexpress.com/store/5017064?spm=a2g0o.detail.1000002.2.276c4c02Opv5ZK
KB EAR 2,4,8,16 core cables:
https://www.aliexpress.com/store/gr...51795de6kJlmgr&origin=n&SortType=new_desc&g=y

I don't have the ASX's yet, it would be safe to have Copper, Silver Plated, and Pure Silver cables with the ASX connection (2-pin?), and whatever end's your AMP needs that provide the best output - 3.5mm single ended vs 2.5mm balanced, vs 4.4mm balanced. That way as the ASX (and ZSX!) burn-in you can progressively test the response to each cable as time progresses.

The 11.11 sale is coming up soon, and KB EAR already has some great discounts on their cables. Also, if you check in the KB EAR cables area on AliExpress you'll see even cheaper model cables using OCC copper and silver plating, as well as $40+ cables too.

Please let us know which cable(s) work for you with the new ASX and ZSX!

 

[astermk]

Holy molly... now this is crazy. I compared this song using the ZAX and ASX.
With the ZAX, you get a pretty nice openness, separation and all, but its mostly 2 dimensionals. Doug's voice is moving in and out, left and right, forward and back, but in the ZAX its only moving left and right.
Now with the ASX, damn... I can feel I am in the room and when his voice move, it move in 3D like inside the head. It is freaking unbelievable.


Another favorite song for my IEM testing. On the ASX, I can hear clearly the timpani drum skin vibrated on the right side, whereas the ZAX just mostly sound bum bum bum. Also there is a sk sk sk sk sound (maracas?) on the right side where in the ASX it sounds natural and not bright while on the ZAX it is very thin and bright.

The ASX has a better soundstage even though the ZAX is semi-open and the ASX only has a few small vent holes? I wonder how that works.

I freaked a little when I saw the FR graph from Crinacle:

Would you say it sounds like it graphs? Because this looks v e r y odd with the huge slope beginning at 800Hz and it seems to lack upper treble. And the V shape looks pretty extreme so I was worried about the mids (well, the lower mids really) being too recessed.

 

[xxAMAROKxx]

The ASX has smoothen out quite a bit after 20+ hours of playing. It is not as edgy as before but still has that slam on the treble (snare) but its not as harsh as before. The bass also tightened up and pretty well balance as well. Not for basshead at all tho. It has that BA driver clicky bass and also a nice rumble of DD, but not as airy as DD yet but quite close. Also, if the mix from the song is not good, the ASX will sound really bad.

Hmm, so the ASF with already smoothened mid/treble (according to the graph) and bigger bass can be more universal. And after the burn-in .... looking forward to some impressions.

 

[xxAMAROKxx]

CA16 are similarly treble-dampened.

Actually, if the treble filters are removed in AS12, it becomes really treble mighty (a treble beast).
A10/KB10 sound gentle in comparison.

Those treble drivers in AS12 are really powerful and quite rough, KZ used them only in AS12, stuck heavy treble filters, and returned to gentler 30095.

My optimistic thinking is that customizing treble dampening in AS12 to one's preference can deliver a nice IEM under $55 - those two bass BAs give really the best BA bass I've heard, and mids are quite nice.

On a sad note, there are problems with my ASX shipping, that was the first time I ordered from "KZ official store"

What is great about AS12, it has little to no BA timbre in treble area with no peaks. I'm curious about ASF/X timbre.
And the AS12's bass? Better than Moondrop S8, TSMR-4 and others. Almost DD like.
KZ really knows how to reproduce Bass.

 

[voicemaster]

The ASX has a better soundstage even though the ZAX is semi-open and the ASX only has a few small vent holes? I wonder how that works.

I freaked a little when I saw the FR graph from Crinacle:

Would you say it sounds like it graphs? Because this looks v e r y odd with the huge slope beginning at 800Hz and it seems to lack upper treble. And the V shape looks pretty extreme so I was worried about the mids (well, the lower mids really) being too recessed.

No the ASX lose in the openess against ZAX, but it beat it with "3D" like having a Dolby Atmos inside your head. It is hard to explain because at first I was confused too, like the sound is too focus on the inside of my head and it can become fuzzy, but the sound definitely change as you keep listening with it.
I go back and forth between ASX and ZAX, I can hear the ZAX sometimes sounds "fake"?? And overly thin vocal. I don't know why because when I compared the ZAX against all the other KZ, it sounded open, natural and detailed, but against the ASX, the vocal sounds thin, while the treble extension can sound like if you have EQ and you boosted around 10-15khz by 1-2dB too much. The ASX while not having the "openness", it sounds more natural especially the vocal, the graph might show a dip in the 700-800Hz but no the vocal has that warmth, female vocal especially I can hear the low notes better on the ASX (well not when they are belting). I am having "What" moment every time I hear Doug Macleod "There's a Time" album, its like you are in the room with the musicians and Doug's doing ASMR with the mic lol.


Listen to minute 3:45 and listen to the cymbals on the left side, on the ZAX, it is just on your left side, but on the ASX it is also on your left, but its position is lower close to your shoulder.

 

[voicemaster]

Hmm, so the ASF with already smoothened mid/treble (according to the graph) and bigger bass can be more universal. And after the burn-in .... looking forward to some impressions.

It is something that I have never experienced myself in an IEM. I am also looking forward to the ASF (its coming soon hopefully...).

 

[voicemaster]

Classic binaural audio. Very good spatial, when he uses the razor, I can hear it not on my ears but a little bit above the ear as it should be.

 

[ZAXon 7]

Holy molly... now this is crazy. I compared this song using the ZAX and ASX.
With the ZAX, you get a pretty nice openness, separation and all, but its mostly 2 dimensionals. Doug's voice is moving in and out, left and right, forward and back, but in the ZAX its only moving left and right.
Now with the ASX, damn... I can feel I am in the room and when his voice move, it move in 3D like inside the head. It is freaking unbelievable.

didn't know him, great artist, thanks!

now i would like to compare ZAX and ASX... this is the rabbit's hole door, ain't it?

Luckily i'm too busy enjoying my ZAX, i've always known that Ben Harper records has an 'audiophile dimension' i've never been able to reproduce, now with ZAX, dolby atmos and viper i've found that deep, punchy, spacey, dynamic and detailed sound i love.
Event 12 Little Spells by Esperanza Spalding, an album at the very limit of my taste and ability to understand, now has a new life, i've been able to appreciate the details, the musicality and her genius.

 

[voicemaster]

didn't know him, great artist, thanks!

now i would like to compare ZAX and ASX... this is the rabbit's hole door, ain't it?

Luckily i'm too busy enjoying my ZAX, i've always known that Ben Harper records has an 'audiophile dimension' i've never been able to reproduce, now with ZAX, dolby atmos and viper i've found that deep, punchy, spacey, dynamic and detailed sound i love.
Event 12 Little Spells by Esperanza Spalding, an album at the very limit of my taste and ability to understand, now has a new life, i've been able to appreciate the details, the musicality and her genius.

You should try the ASX if you can get them where you can return them easily. I haven't heard an IEM to be able to present height yet, I know headphones can because of their massive driver, but IEM... this is first time.

 

[ZAXon 7]

You should try the ASX if you can get them where you can return them easily. I haven't heard an IEM to be able to present height yet, I know headphones can because of their massive driver, but IEM... this is first time.

i'll wait for your review of the ASF and see what happens on 11/11, wife wants the ZAX too, let's see...