[PhonoPhi]

KZ seem to be very confident about this new ZES though. They are sending it out to a lot of reviewers (including me).

I will have mine within a month and graphed at least, was sent with UPS.

In my limited opinion, their "EST/MST" is a very feeble attempt, so good luck to KZ and the "unbiased" reviewers of their samples

P. S. The only KZ I would now buy is some retuned all-BA.

 

[saldsald]

Upcoming KZ


12mm DD + "electrostatic" (probably MST)

No info on price yet.


Edit: Some pics.





I assume it wont be dirt cheap since the build quality actually looks quite good (and it seems that KZ has been working on it for a long time).

Their mid to top tier IEMs usually ship in black boxes with a metal name plate inside. Too bad this is likely another budget IEM from KZ.

 

[seanwee]

In my limited opinion, their "EST/MST" is a very feeble attempt, so good luck to KZ and the "unbiased" reviewers of their samples

P. S. The only KZ I would now buy is some retuned all-BA.

Their new CCA CRA dynamic driver has more extension than their EST/MST driver lol. Just upgrade the CRA and make a CRA PRO with a BA dedicated to the mid-uppermids.

 

[TheRealShinku]

Hopefully that ZES has the treble of their previous sets. One ZEX Pro is enough ZEX Pro's

 

[RikudouGoku]

Their new CCA CRA dynamic driver has more extension than their EST/MST driver lol. Just upgrade the CRA and make a CRA PRO with a BA dedicated to the mid-uppermids.

No need to use BAs and introduce incoherency and poor timbre for that, that DD is already very capable.

 

[PhonoPhi]

Getting a DD and overdampen the treble is surely an easier more universal solution to IEMs.
Reproducing a rich spectrum of frequencies/tones using a single membrane is a bit akin of playing orchestral music on a single drum

 

[seanwee]

Getting a DD and overdampen the treble is surely an easier more universal solution to IEMs.
Reproducing a rich spectrum of frequencies/tones using a single membrane is a bit akin of playing orchestral music on a single drum

Kind of a misleading statement. High end Headphones also use a single membrane and can play at the very top level.

 

[chinmie]

Getting a DD and overdampen the treble is surely an easier more universal solution to IEMs.
Reproducing a rich spectrum of frequencies/tones using a single membrane is a bit akin of playing orchestral music on a single drum

to be fair, our ears are also single membrane design, and it can translate full spectrum of frequencies just fine

 

[unifutomaki]

Kind of a misleading statement. High end Headphones also use a single membrane and can play at the very top level.

Yep. Never mind the TOTL- my single DD final A4K has a more extended treble than my 16 driver ZAX

 

[PhonoPhi]

to be fair, our ears are also single membrane design, and it can translate full spectrum of frequencies just fine

Not that simple!
Just one of the first sources in the search: https://www.hearinglink.org/your-hearing/about-hearing/how-the-ear-works/
...the ‘hair cells’ in the cochlea are tuned to respond to different sounds based on their pitch or frequency of sounds. High-pitched sounds will stimulate ‘hair cells’ in the lower part of the cochlea and low-pitched sounds in the upper part of the cochlea."

Kind of a misleading statement. High end Headphones also use a single membrane and can play at the very top level.

People are just typically accustomed to DDs as the most available speaker designs everywhere. "Top levels" are very arbitrary, and single DDs are not the only design - planars, electrostats, etc. were designed for a reason.

 

[chinmie]

Not that simple!
Just one of the first sources in the search: https://www.hearinglink.org/your-hearing/about-hearing/how-the-ear-works/
...the ‘hair cells’ in the cochlea are tuned to respond to different sounds based on their pitch or frequency of sounds. High-pitched sounds will stimulate ‘hair cells’ in the lower part of the cochlea and low-pitched sounds in the upper part of the cochlea."

People are just typically accustomed to DDs as the most available speaker designs everywhere. "Top levels" are very arbitrary, and single DDs are not the only design - planars, electrostats, etc. were designed for a reason.

yup, not to mention that we also "hear" through vibrations of the body.

but @seanwee and @unifutomaki also have a point, that single DD have no problem reproducing higher freqs..even on the subject of speed/decay which people often compare it to BAs, planars, estat, etc, on some instances it can achieve short decay like BAs (and vice versa)..for example, my Sony M9 sounds like it's using DD drivers rather than BAs.

and from what i gather in this forum is that people have different views on what the ideal attack and decay for a headphone to be called "natural".. heck, my personal preference earphones would be typical BA-short decay bass and DD-bloomier treble.

nowadays i rather not caring about what driver tech/config an earphone is using, it sounds good if it sounds good

 

[voicemaster]

Getting a DD and overdampen the treble is surely an easier more universal solution to IEMs.
Reproducing a rich spectrum of frequencies/tones using a single membrane is a bit akin of playing orchestral music on a single drum

Planar: Hold my beer...

 

[PhonoPhi]

Th

yup, not to mention that we also "hear" through vibrations of the body.

but @seanwee and @unifutomaki also have a point, that single DD have no problem reproducing higher freqs..even on the subject of speed/decay which people often compare it to BAs, planars, estat, etc, on some instances it can achieve short decay like BAs (and vice versa)..for example, my Sony M9 sounds like it's using DD drivers rather than BAs.

and from what i gather in this forum is that people have different views on what the ideal attack and decay for a headphone to be called "natural".. heck, my personal preference earphones would be typical BA-short decay bass and DD-bloomier treble.

nowadays i rather not caring about what driver tech/config an earphone is using, it sounds good if it sounds good

The main limitation of a single membrane is not the spectral range, it can be broad indeed, but the coupling/interference when several frequencies are reproduced at once - there are physical limits, e.g. inevitable interference of different vibrational modes.

 

[IEMbiker]

Th

The main limitation of a single membrane is not the spectral range, it can be broad indeed, but the coupling/interference when several frequencies are reproduced at once - there are physical limits, e.g. inevitable interference of different vibrational modes.

Sound guide to overcome limitation of single membrane in TOTL iem. Single membrane is the most extensively research speaker unit till now. This is just the front portion, the back chamber also play important role for low and mid tuning.

 

[1clearhead]

My ZEX Pro apparently arrived in the US on Dec 11th. Tracking hasn't changed since.
I orderered something else well after that date and received it long ago. Not sure what the deal is.
I don't really want the ZEX Pro now anyways....doesn't sound all that special. It was an impulse purchase I guess. The hype train got me.

I bought the ZEX PRO and the CCA CRA when they first came out here in China. But, I must say that the CRA are much better on a technical level while maintaining as much of the natural sounding coherency as possible. The ZEX PRO can be more mid-centric for those that want a neutral signature, but at the cost of sounding harsh or sibilant at times. That's why I personally choose the CRA over the ZEX PRO, IMHO.

-Clear