[voicemaster]

I think KZ just overpromised and using "look I have XX drivers" to lure people while they are lazy and take a shortcut by using dummy drivers (the drivers are not fake).

 

[voicemaster]

From KZ official response, It seems the train of thought is,
"People have complaining about our sharp metallic BA and some complain a bit about incoherence in the multi driver setup. Should we get better driver and multi driver tuning?"
"No, its expensive. Let's just put crossover and resistor to make that BA and supporting driver barely audible so it won't be a problem"

Which possibly the reason why, despite shitloads of BA, KZ still somehow get rolled off treble.
It kinda works, since i doesn't particularly fond of KZ old Multi driver as it seems every driver screeching on their own indisregard on song harmony. The newer setup is somewhat better, well through wrong method which also cost them the actual treble details.
Depending on the unit, the multi driver sound layering still there, like in ZEX Pro which still outmatch Aria in separation and layering. Aria still outperform it in every other factor but still.

Again, if they basically choose to put 1 DD and 5 cheap BA only to choke that 5BA, why don't they get 1 DD and good 1 BA?
TRN TA1 have works wonders and on that end and it seems its the way to go for Fiio and the like.

Because we as customer also kinda demand this multi drivers stuff.

 

[baskingshark]

Again, if they basically choose to put 1 DD and 5 cheap BA only to choke that 5BA, why don't they get 1 DD and good 1 BA?
TRN TA1 have works wonders and on that end and it seems its the way to go for Fiio and the like.

The lay consumer is tricked when they see multi driver behemoths from TRN and KZ's ilk. They equate moooooooooore drivers = better sound, which is a fallacy.

It is all about the tuning and implementation (or lack thereof, in KZ's case). I've tried some single DD sets that have better coherency, technicalities and timbre than these multidriver behemoths.

The budget segment is so competitive, that these manufacturers need something to stand out from the fierce competition, so usual marketing ploys like more driver count, novel materials (eg beryllium), exotic drivers (eg planar/"EST" aka electret/magnetostat) and waifu anime packaging are employed.

The other business model (which companies like KZ and BLON are infamous for), is to throw out multiple sidegrades every few weeks, in the hope that something finally sticks on the wall.

 

[lushmelody]

It was fun hyping for KZ/CCA because their promise seemed genuine

 

[InvisibleInk]

It was fun hyping for KZ/CCA because their promise seemed genuine

Yeah, I'm real upset, too. Thinking about un-watching this thread and calling it a day on KZ.

 

[saldsald]

I wonder if Crinacle or anybody here is going to open up those kilo-bucks IEMs and measure the SPL, and then find out they all have those "dummy" drivers inisde.

 

[MacAttack7]

 

[SpaceOperaVillain]

DD is still the king and for me $10 ED9 from KZ is amazing value and I don't need any crazy multi driver IEM with their own crossover distortion and associated problems.

I'll see your ED9 and raise you a KBEAR ST1 for $1 more. Those are every bit as good for me as the CRA, but they've got a fixed wire and 1/8" plug.

Re:tech yes and no. Driver tech is indeed basically the same but manufacturing tech's capabilities in miniaturization and precision s radically improved, which made all of this IEM madness possible.

I've never spent more than about $250 for a pair of headphones over 30+ years in the audio hobby. Car, home, vinyl, pc, even boat.... If y'all want to lose money fast and be pi$$ed off all the time, buy a boat :^)

 

[jananan78]

From KZ official response, It seems the train of thought is,
"People have complaining about our sharp metallic BA and some complain a bit about incoherence in the multi driver setup. Should we get better driver and multi driver tuning?"
"No, its expensive. Let's just put crossover and resistor to make that BA and supporting driver barely audible so it won't be a problem"

Which possibly the reason why, despite shitloads of BA, KZ still somehow get rolled off treble.
It kinda works, since i doesn't particularly fond of KZ old Multi driver as it seems every driver screeching on their own indisregard on song harmony. The newer setup is somewhat better, well through wrong method which also cost them the actual treble details.
Depending on the unit, the multi driver sound layering still there, like in ZEX Pro which still outmatch Aria in separation and layering. Aria still outperform it in every other factor but still.

Again, if they basically choose to put 1 DD and 5 cheap BA only to choke that 5BA, why don't they get 1 DD and good 1 BA?
TRN TA1 have works wonders and on that end and it seems its the way to go for Fiio and the like.

exactly... agree on the treble roll off part.

 

[JEHL]

I'd actually hope their... actual single driver IEMs like the CCA CRA don't get any flak for all of this. We should boycott what companies do wrong, but still reward what is done right.

 

[ExTubeGamer]

I can actually prove that the BAs in my KZ AST work. When using EQ you can hear coherency issues and crossover across the entire frequency range.

 

[PROblemdetected]

According to my experience, many multi driver IEMs suffer from bad tuning compared to single driver IEMs.

Single DD IEMs can be detected by their precise tuning.

DD could be more natural than hybrid
But the detail, imaging and layering of the tribirds I thin they are a few over a single dynamic.

Anyways, u can get both kind of iems, they could be compatible.

Im more on the ecualization than the technology used on the capsule

 

[PROblemdetected]

this is just my personal opinion,i am not sure if anyone hears this but I feel with kz their high frequencies are always either too much being harsh and sibilant or too less that it's inaudible because it's tuned with too less treble extension. they just can't tune it right when it comes to BAs. they have come a long way with DD though. that's why i think they should pair their DD with a well tuned BA, surely a winner. again just my personal opinion...

Used the KZ with ba (for example ZS6) with a foam tips and enjoy one of the best hybrids under 25€.

 

[rayliam80]

I think the KZ thread is one of the greatest threads on Head-Fi. I'm still waiting for some random person to pop in and say that they've just finished reading all 3919 pages or whatever the latest page count is...

And with that, I'm still enjoying my umm...single (?) dynamic DQ6 (modded) that fits my ears like a glove. And the CRA, and other assorted IEMs lurking in a desk drawer that's full of IEMs and related paraphernalia (tips, dongles, cables) now.

 

[r31ya]

I think the KZ thread is one of the greatest threads on Head-Fi. I'm still waiting for some random person to pop in and say that they've just finished reading all 3919 pages or whatever the latest page count is...

And with that, I'm still enjoying my umm...single (?) dynamic DQ6 (modded) that fits my ears like a glove. And the CRA, and other assorted IEMs lurking in a desk drawer that's full of IEMs and related paraphernalia (tips, dongles, cables) now.

Well, i never bought expensive kz ($50~120+) as to me, there are many better option from "upper budget" brand in that territory. so i can't speak on those things.
For sub $40? eh, good sound is good sound (they need to fix the QC and misleading design for future products tough)

QC issues, crap design, and barely functional (or even non functional) driver is crap thing to have.
however, i rarely bought kz/iem because of the driver count or driver type. (learnt my lesson from s*nfer D*6 pro)
I bought KZ/iem mostly based on, audition result (tough its difficult now), several youtuber reviewer that i follow and the response in head-fi.
I have rather tin can ears, so i tend rely on my more experienced friends and chosen reviewers ears as i learn on whats what.

And so far its pretty damn interesting. ZS5, ZST, ZSN, CST, DQ6, ZEX Pro, and CRA is still pretty damn good.
Some that i bought before pandemic which i could audition it against its peer, from TRN, soundmagic, and the like and it still stands tall.

KZ need to sort this crap out and remember, its the sound-quality/value that draw people in.
And people actually bitch when they start to do more expensive 10+ driver that didn't quite stands against the upper budget peers.