[xxAMAROKxx]

I think I'll skip these asf/x this time. I'd rather buy a good single DD, like Moondrop SSP/Starfield.

 

[brianforever]

The negative is the fit which is really differ from person to person because the ASF body is larger than the ZAX and has custom shell type body which won't fit for some people. But, if the ASX fit your ears, it will fit much better than the ZAX. In term of sound, the ASF has better imaging and depth, instrument separation and more intimate vocal. I compared them extensively before and whenever I am going back to the ZAX, I can hear the overly tuned treble and prefer the treble on the ASF. Still love both, but the ZAX started to become bench warmer.

ICIC Thanks for the insight Bro

 

[richario]

Just got hold of my ASF and BT20s pro, really happy with both. Very early, but ASF seem like exactly what I was hoping for - an evolution of the AS10. These keep a similar signature - warm, deep but fast bass, and a rolled off treble. They are also similarly easy to drive and sound great with the BT20s & pro.

Fit was a bit weird at first, but once I was used to them they fit well. At first I ditched the included eartips thinking they looked like garbage and didn't fit well, switching to Starlines. I have now switched back though - the tips don't feel like they are sealing, but actually seal really well and give great bass extension.

Early days yet but this could dethrone the AS10 from being my favourite KZ to date!

 

[SomeGuyDude]

That what I was thinking......afraid to order another one with these strange opposing opinions.
He hates the lows. I don't notice anything wrong with them. In fact that was probably the first thing I liked when I listened to them.
He says female vocals are muffled. I say nope, not even close. They are quite clear and forward to me.
He says male vocals are nasal and wonky. I say nope, not hearing this at all.
He says Cymbal strikes and hi-hats are barely registered. I think maybe these sounds could be brighter...not sure.
Not experienced enough to comment on his other points.

There are many, many reviewers (even well respected ones) who end up with totally off-base reviews on IEMs because they don't take the time to get them with proper fit.

 

[Crandall]

I've had the chance to try out the burn in myth/fact when getting multiple pairs of the same iem and its a bit of both.

While brain burn-in is a very real and significant thing, there is real burn in as well but the effect is minor in most iems but can be major in some. Especially when drivers made of rigid materials are concerned. Its most noticeable when sibilance is concerned but that usually goes away in a few short hours, not hundreds of hours.

That said, i've heard some iems that sound vastly different after hundreds of hours of use compared to one with just several hours of use, namely my JVC FXH-30. I got a pair in 2016 and another as a spare in 2019 and they sounded very very different.

It's a lot more likely that your JVC FXH-30 differences were just unit variance, especially when sold 3 years apart. Were you able to test them blindly where you marked them New/Old, had someone mix them up, then tested them back and forth without being able to look at which was marked as New or Old?

The mental burn in thing is so very significant. When I first got my AS10, I thought they sounded great, and didn't notice any of the Steely/Grainy treble issues people talk about. I used them for about 8 hours a day while working for a few months. Then I got my ZSX and started listening to those for about a month because they sounded really great.

On a trip I went back to AS10 and at first they sounded horrible, like each crash cymbal hit was accompanied by rubbing sandpaper on it. After a day or two of sticking with it on that trip, the issues seemed to have subsided and I didn't really notice it as much any more. I started using the ZSX again at home and it was like switching from 720p to 1080p again on a monitor.

 

[seanwee]

It's a lot more likely that your JVC FXH-30 differences were just unit variance, especially when sold 3 years apart. Were you able to test them blindly where you marked them New/Old, had someone mix them up, then tested them back and forth without being able to look at which was marked as New or Old?

They new pair eventually settled in to have a similar sound to the old pair so that rules out unit variance.

And blind testing wasn't necessary as they sounded completely different.

The mental burn in thing is so very significant. When I first got my AS10, I thought they sounded great, and didn't notice any of the Steely/Grainy treble issues people talk about. I used them for about 8 hours a day while working for a few months. Then I got my ZSX and started listening to those for about a month because they sounded really great.

On a trip I went back to AS10 and at first they sounded horrible, like each crash cymbal hit was accompanied by rubbing sandpaper on it. After a day or two of sticking with it on that trip, the issues seemed to have subsided and I didn't really notice it as much any more. I started using the ZSX again at home and it was like switching from 720p to 1080p again on a monitor.

100% agree. I've had to reset several people's brain burn in by lending them a pair of my iems for a week. They couldn't believe they liked their old pair post reset.

 

[Keputs]

Just want to butt in here, but you can try the ASXs and ASFs of the world on this album in Dolby Atmos on Tidal. I'm enjoying the details - on my good 'ol ZSX!

 

[SomeGuyDude]

Just want to butt in here, but you can try the ASXs and ASFs of the world on this album in Dolby Atmos on Tidal. I'm enjoying the details - on my good 'ol ZSX!

The ZSX really continues to be a superstar in the IEM world, to me. I just picked up the Philips X3 as my desktop daily driver and the ZSX is a flawless companion.

 

[MacAttack7]

Anyone know of a budget upgrade cable for the ASF?
Would like 4-core or 8-core with minimal tangle and close-to-zero microphonics.
The one it came with is too tangly.

 

[Alpha Whale]

Good points. Eartips can make or break an IEM -> see case in point BLON BL-03 with the too short stock eartips, which necessitate a lot to use aftermarket longer tips/spacer mods due to the overly short nozzle. I think eartips have a much bigger effect on an IEM than burn in or cable changes. I always try a few pairs of aftermarket eartips on an IEM before giving up on a bad sounding IEM. Though, I think we are the minority that are quite hardcore about this hobby and have multiple eartips lying about and know about tip rolling. I can see that vast majority of lay consumers will probably not do eartip rolling and will just use whatever is OOTB.

Also as we all have different ear anatomies, an aftermarket eartip that fits one perfectly may sound or fit like crap for another, YMMV. I dunno if there's a good way around this, but I try to do A/B testing/reviews as far as possible with only the stock accessories, as that is probably what most people will be using when they open the box. And at least we will all be using a common baseline eartip for discussion purposes. After reviewing, just for casual music listening, I swap back my favourite ear tips and cables on the IEM.

The strange thing about the ASX and ASF is that the treble looks quite rolled off already on graphs. And if u guys are recommending foams with it, doesn't that tame the already tamed treble (in general foam tames upper frequencies)?





https://www.head-fi.org/threads/iba...-enjoy-the-music.934980/page-30#post-15775831

Actually looks like I was mistaken about the origination of the ASF eartips when I wrote...

I think that KZ actually spent a good amount of time designing the included eartips (with ASF/ASX) instead of just throwing in the standard eartips they've been including for the last three years. Their standard-issue eartips would negatively effect the fit and comfort of the ASF/ASX. KZ needed to design an eartip that is very soft with a narrow collar so it could slip in to the ear canal without negatively effecting the ASF/ASX glove-like fit. My ASF fits like a custom in-ear. It doesn't budge.

It looks like these eartips were also offered on the CA16. I'm guessing its probably for similar reasons that they've been offered on the ASF/ASX.

Can anyone comment as to whether or not the CA16 has a glove-like fit? Just curious.

Also, thus far my favorite eartips for the ASF are the eartips included on my Rock Zircon.

Listening to Federico Aubele's "Postales" on the ASF.

The bass has great body and weight but it's still very clean. It has slightly slower decay than typical BA bass. It's definitely not as dry as some BA bass can be. It's actually quite "meaty". Reminiscent of BA10-like bass with good sub-bass depth and the right amount of mid-bass punch. It appears that these BA drivers are aiming to further bridge the gap between BA and DD bass delivery. Consider me impressed.

Anyone know of a budget upgrade cable for the ASF?
Would like 4-core or 8-core with minimal tangle and close-to-zero microphonics.
The one it came with is too tangly.

This is what I am using. Good cable! It compliments the silver/blue ASF, aesthetically. $18 on Amazon and $15 on AliExpress.

https://www.amazon.com/Detachable-Upgrade-Earphone-Replacement-Standard/dp/B07S6SV5LS

 

[SomeGuyDude]

Anyone know of a budget upgrade cable for the ASF?
Would like 4-core or 8-core with minimal tangle and close-to-zero microphonics.
The one it came with is too tangly.

Tripowin has tons. I've been using their balanced for ages. Can recommend highly.

 

[astermk]

Actually looks like I was mistaken about the origination of the ASF eartips.



It looks like these eartips were also offered on the CA16. Im guessing its probably for similar reasons that they've been offered on the ASF/ASX.





Can anyone comment as to whether or not the CA16 has a glove-like fit? Just curious.

Also, thus far my favorite eartips for the ASF are the eartips included on my Rock Zircon.





Listening to Federico Aubele's "Postales" on the ASF.

The bass has great body and weight but it's still very clean. It has ever so slightly slower decay than typical BA bass. It's definitely not as dry as some BA bass can be. It's actually quite "meaty". Reminiscent of BA10-like bass with good sub-bass depth and the right amount of mid-bass punch. It appears that these BA drivers are aiming to further bridge the gap between BA and DD bass delivery. Consider me impressed.






This is what I am using. Good cable! It compliments the silver/blue ASF, aesthetically.




https://www.amazon.com/Detachable-Upgrade-Earphone-Replacement-Standard/dp/B07S6SV5LS

The CA16 do fit like a glove, they follow the contours of at least my ear extremely well. Incredibly comfortable IEM. The ear tips are absolute garbage though.

 

[MacAttack7]

This is what I am using. Good cable! It compliments the silver/blue ASF, aesthetically.




https://www.amazon.com/Detachable-Upgrade-Earphone-Replacement-Standard/dp/B07S6SV5LS

Does QDC automatically mean it's 0.75, not 0.78?
Also is C-type the same as QDC?

 

[PhonoPhi]

Does QDC automatically mean it's 0.75, not 0.78?
Also is C-type the same as QDC?

Original QDC connectors purportedly have a different polarity. Currently, QDC and C-type are synonymous.

I got recently a couple of couples (0.75 and 0.78) from TRN - I can't see any difference whatsoever in connectors and cable fit to different KZ and non-KZ.
Curiously, one of 0.78 cables had pins spread to be diverging rather than parallel, so they could fit 0.78 better
(I am quite sure that the guys who are producing and selling cables laugh at cable consumers and connoisseurs quite a bit )

 

[BubisUK]

Original QDC connectors purportedly have a different polarity. Currently, QDC and C-type are synonymous.

I got recently a couple of couples (0.75 and 0.78) from TRN - I can't see any difference whatsoever in connectors and cable fit to different KZ and non-KZ.
Curiously, one of 0.78 cables had pins spread to be diverging rather than parallel, so they could fit 0.78 better
(I am quite sure that the guys who are producing and selling cables laugh at cable consumers and connoisseurs quite a bit )

I use 0.78 on all my iem's, even if they need 0.75, never noticed any difference, they fit perfectly fine