[PhonoPhi]

Yeah, I also plan to test my ASF's low impedance source playing with an IFI dac.
I feel like Richard Dreyfuss getting all the equipment ready to go slay a great white shark!

AS06 is not bad for the price (must be less than $20 by now), but at $90(?) for the ASX, it's quite a gamble.

AS06 is still close to $30, I believe. AS10 and AS06 hold their values the best - a testament to their value and being appreciated.
(To me AS06 are beautifully austere IEM, Bach solo cello (!!))

ASX are really at $72-80, coupons are out there, and that reflects reasonably their value, IMHO; as well as ASF at ~$45.

 

[purplesun]

AS06 is still close to $30, I believe. AS10 and AS06 hold their values the best - a testament to their value and being appreciated.
(To me AS06 are beautifully austere IEM, Bach solo cello (!!))
ASX are really at $72-80, coupons are out there, and that reflects reasonably their value, IMHO; as well as ASF at ~$45.

Not for trebleheads though, AS10 and AS06. But I know what you mean by "beautiful" with this pair. I still get pleasantly surprised by the way AS10 presents intimate vocals. And, of course, their amazingly speedy bass really gets the party going when I am listening to electropop or rock songs. Hoping that my ASF will have some (or more) of these qualities.

 

[Gummybuns]

Hoping that my ASF will have some (or more) of these qualities.

ASF/ASX sounds alike with AS10 minus some details. I think the ASF/ASX is like AS10 on roids. Lol.

 

[JazzVinyl]

AS06 is not bad for the price (must be less than $20 by now), but at $90(?) for the ASX, it's quite a gamble.

AS06 is a heck of a bargain! The ASX will also be cheap as chips....when it is not "current". I personally love the AS06 (with an upgraded cord).

 

[Slater]

Correct me if I'm wrong. But zst was first released in the black shell, right? Then they re-issue the purple one. From what I read it was modified. Then recently the released Zst X.

That whole ZST “Pro” thing is an urban myth. Sure, they the purple and blue shell, but the tuning is 100% identical to the black and carbon one. No difference whatsoever.

 

[Gummybuns]

That whole ZST “Pro” thing is an urban myth. Sure, they the purple and blue shell, but the tuning is 100% identical to the black and carbon one. No difference whatsoever.

That makes sense. So it was just a variant.

 

[voicemaster]

Sounds good with the ASX. The bass in this song will clean up your ears real good lol.

 

[Slater]

That makes sense. So it was just a variant.

Yeah, just it at a different color shell. Some sellers advertised the purple/blue one as the “ZST Pro”, which is what started the untrue rumor that it was tuned differently (which it is not). KZ officially calls it the “ZST Colorful”.

This was years before KZ ever used the word “Pro” in an official model name (starting with the ZSN Pro as the first model that I’m aware of).

 

[Alpha Whale]

Mini update on ASX: crazy source dependence (so many BAs compete for their share of power), and I can't make it to sound best KZ so far, but I will try more

Agreed, ASF is not the best sounding KZ.

AS12 is, in my opinion, but I do like the ASF.

My impressions of ASX in four words so far "KZ can do better".

At the same time, IEmatch made the most positive difference that I've ever seen, so I continue to explore it, and want to make sure that it is at 50+ hours to put together my comparisons.

The very least, ASX are decent (horrible are the source matches or the minds...)

I settled the "source" issue a while ago by going with Cowon. That is to say output impedance issues. The Cowon Plenue offerings are designed well when it comes to low output impedance specifications.

The UI takes some getting used to but if it's fantastic sound you're after I highly recommend a Cowon. I should mention that I typically go single-ended (3.5mm).

Usually, Cowon output impedance is well under 1Ω and in my opinion they rival most of the trendy spendy DAPs when it comes to great sound delivery.

• DXD : Up to 352.8/384kHz (1/2 Sampling)
• DSD Native : Up to DSD128
• SNR : 123dB Unbalance / 123dB Balance
• THD+N : 0.0005% Unbalance / 0.0005% Balance (24bit, 48kHz)
• Stereo Crosstalk : -139dB Unbalance / -143dB Balance
• Output : 2.0Vrms Unbalance / 3.24Vrms Balance
• Output Impedance : 1.3Ω Unbalance / 2.6Ω Balance
• Playback Time : Approximately 10.5 hours (MP3, 128kbps)

In other news, I'll be ordering the new CCA CST but I'm also looking forward to see what sister offering KZ may have on the drawing board.

In the meantime I figure I'll finally start on the project that I've been meaning to get to for a while which is to rewire another earphone that slipped under the radar. It didn't get much fanfare but it was quite good with its 12.5mm single dynamic driver. Well worth the $37 I paid for the Tin Audio T1.

You can tell that the $37 Tin Audio T1 was "inspired" by the $649 "Dita: The Answer"

I'll be repurposing either one of these cables. Haven't decided yet.

 

[baskingshark]

Agreed, ASF is not the best sounding KZ.

AS12 is, in my opinion, but I do like the ASF.




I settled the "source" issue a while ago by going with Cowon. That is to say output impedance issues. The Cowon Plenue offerings are designed well when it comes to low output impedance specifications.

The UI takes some getting used to but if it's fantastic sound you're after I highly recommend a Cowon. I should mention that I typically go single-ended (3.5mm).

Usually, Cowon output impedance is well under 1Ω and in my opinion they rival most of the trendy spendy DAPs when it comes to great sound delivery.

• DXD : Up to 352.8/384kHz (1/2 Sampling)
• DSD Native : Up to DSD128
• SNR : 123dB Unbalance / 123dB Balance
• THD+N : 0.0005% Unbalance / 0.0005% Balance (24bit, 48kHz)
• Stereo Crosstalk : -139dB Unbalance / -143dB Balance
• Output : 2.0Vrms Unbalance / 3.24Vrms Balance
• Output Impedance : 1.3Ω Unbalance / 2.6Ω Balance
• Playback Time : Approximately 10.5 hours (MP3, 128kbps)

In other news, I'll be ordering the new CCA CST but I'm also looking forward to see what sister offering KZ may have on the drawing board.




In the meantime I figure I'll finally start on the project that I've been meaning to get to for a while which is to rewire another earphone that slipped under the radar. It didn't get much fanfare but it was quite good with its 12.5mm single dynamic driver. Well worth the $37 I paid for the Tin Audio T1.





You can tell that the $37 Tin Audio T1 was "inspired" by the $649 "Dita: The Answer"


I'll be repurposing either one of these cables. Haven't decided yet.

Which COWON DAP would u recommend? I almost snagged a COWON Plenue V on 11/11, but it had no BT or streaming/WIFI, but had a purported 40+ hour battery life. But decided to give it a miss in the end.

 

[Mr.HiAudio]

V90s better? OMG so ASX that bad?

I reviewed V90s, so bad, ZAX and CA16 blew past this one

but ASX/ASF is even worse, even other reviews on the network began to appear, which confirm that ASX/ASF are bad in sound, and this is damn it not because of their presentation, but because of the tuning curve. The sound is the same as if you took a file and turned it on on YouTube with a resolution of 144p lol

 

[Mr.HiAudio]

Do not buy V90s...

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/trn-v90s.24749/reviews#item-review-24671

" poor fitting"
perhaps because of this you did not like the sound

 

[BubisUK]

but ASX/ASF is even worse, even other reviews on the network began to appear, which confirm that ASX/ASF are bad in sound, and this is damn it not because of their presentation, but because of the tuning curve. The sound is the same as if you took a file and turned it on on YouTube with a resolution of 144p lol

Maybe some reviewers needs to clean their ears properly by doctors or get them checked Honestly, I love my trebble, but ASX is amazing to my liking as well, not everyone suppose to like the same things universally. The way I see it if they flop, I will be able to get a set of ASX/ASF in silver for cheap

 

[Alpha Whale]

Which COWON DAP would u recommend? I almost snagged a COWON Plenue V on 11/11, but it had no BT or streaming/WIFI, but had a purported 40+ hour battery life. But decided to give it a miss in the end.

Glad to be of assistance. Before pulling the trigger I would read through the Twister6 Cowon reviews here on Head-Fi or at Twister6.com. Twister6's was the first KZ review (ATE, HDS1 and ED9) I ever read. That is where my KZ journey began. Twister6 reviews the pros and cons of several Cowon models but not all models. He also compares said models with some of the more popular and well regarded DAPs (iBasso, Opus, L&P, etc.). It's definitely worth taking the time to go through the reviews to get your bearings on which models fit your needs.

For example:

I use in-ears more often than not so I needn't focus on the most powerful models.

I don't do Bluetooth, mainly due to research regarding proximity to the brain, so Bluetooth capability is unimportant to me. Cowon is known mostly for focusing on standalone/offline DAPs but they do offer Bluetooth models that have phone call notification so consider your Bluetooth needs when narrowing down an appropriate model.

My unit is loaded with M4A and MP3-320kbps files. I do have some FLAC and WAV files loaded but 95% of the files loaded are M4A and 320kbps. 128gb of internal storage and 256gb of microSD storage means that my entire music collection is at my fingertips. I have a ridiculously large music collection (1930s to present ripped directly from CD to wav format then ripped to M4A and MP3-320kbps for portable use). Consider your storage needs.

Consider your preferences regarding USB-C vs micro-USB charging connectors.

Consider your preferences regarding single-ended (3.5mm) vs balanced (2.5mm) output.

Plenue models are equipped with Sabre, AKM or Cirrus Logic DACs in case you have a preference. IIRC, one of the early Plenue models has a Burr Brown DAC while a mid-level model carries another T.I. DAC.

I do think it's a good idea to pick up a Cowon Plenue V, which is $135 ($150 - $15 coupon) on Amazon right now, to familiarize yourself with the UI and DSP. After doing so you will likely decide that you simply must have one of the higher end models. You can put your 64gb "V" up for sale here on Head-Fi and then pick up the model that suits your needs best.

Cowons played straight sound amazing but their DSP is probably the most natural tweaking I've heard. I don't know enough about the science behind their DSP but I'm speechless regarding how close to natural vocal and instrument tones remain when fiddling with the EQ.

It would be great to hear about your experience even if you pick up an entry level Plenue (V, J or D2). Also, I wouldn't skimp on the case with the V, J or D2. Get the case.
The P2, P2 mkii and PL come with the case.

 

[Turbulance]

Well I wonder if I’m going a bit crazy with all these radically different opinions relating to the ASXs.

I really enjoy my ASXs. But I found that when using non-KZ tips, foams, SpinFits, and some other generic tips, I felt the tuning had gone south and had become less enjoyable and more intolerable.

Returning to the supplied KZ tips, which have no extension to the nozzles at all, with the nozzles’ grills being almost flush with these tips when fitted. I found the sound improved again.

So I’m wondering what tips the current set of reviewers where using?

I know I enjoy bass, in the old times I always turned up the bass and switched on loudness setting. That being said I find I’m mostly agnostic to the various tuning of my IEMs so maybe I’m more tolerant and forgiving of these KZs because of that.

I have been listening to a few Master playlists on Tidal, using my iPhone and my Dragonfly Black and each track I’ve played sounds great to my ears.

If anything I think these reviews mostly prove that human ears and our perception of what we hear can be quite varied. Therefore ‘safely’ tuned IEMs get wide agreement from owners and reviewers but ‘non-standard’ tuning creates polarisation.

In the end, for me, I am happy to have these in my collection, and for me that’s all that really matters.

That being said, if your not happy to experiment with tuning avoid these. Plus their fit can cause discomfort.