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Knowledge Zenith (KZ) impressions thread
Mar 13, 2022 at 6:50 AM Post #58,846 of 63,889
AS12 coming soon, $29 from Luck LZ store at Ali Express!
 
Mar 13, 2022 at 4:31 PM Post #58,848 of 63,889
LaughMoreDaily said:
The E1DA has a vinyl EQ preset? I've never heard about this in reviews. Does it sound like actual vinyl?
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PowerDAC version, not the ESS variant. It warms up the mids, rolls the treble extension a bit, and adds a few dB of gain across the range. Works well for the Mirrors.

I EQ everything so I bought the PowerDAC specifically to have access to the HPToy mobile app that provides all this tweaky goodness. The PEQ in there is legit and the PWM design lays down solid power (580mW at 16ohms). Its clean, super detailed, and I like it a lot. My only nitpick would be that the noise floor is a bit high and that it only has one 2.5mm port out, which is balanced. E1DA provide an adapter for single ended 3.5mm output, which requires a setting change in the app. For the price to sound quality ratio it gives I don't mind in the least. Works fine off mobile or my laptop, if not a bit clumsy for mobile. For $100 tho it's a screaming deal.

Fwiw
 
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Mar 14, 2022 at 4:09 AM Post #58,849 of 63,889
lushmelody said:
My mistake indeed, sorry for misinformation about the tips. Any tips costing more than $5 is expensive, IMO (for stuff that are cents to manufacture).

And I agree, source matching can be difficult (and expensive). EQ is way more rational for controlling the result with basically no or very low cost to acquire the software.
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I actually have the tips and they are about $8 for 3 pairs here which are consideribly cheaper than any Spinfit tips. I am using M size and find them to have slight bass boost.
 
Mar 14, 2022 at 6:10 AM Post #58,850 of 63,889
LaughMoreDaily said:
The E1DA has a vinyl EQ preset? I've never heard about this in reviews. Does it sound like actual vinyl?
Click to expand...

Yeah there is a tube mode for the E1DA 9038D, obtain the firmware from here: https://e1dashz.wixsite.com/index/9038d

The tube mode apparently increases 2nd order harmonics and indeed on doing A/B testing of the tube mode versus the stock mode, the tube mode is subtly a bit more euphonic and musical (though maybe there is a loss of clarity/edge definition). Worth a try for 9038D owners, but don't touch the device when flashing, else there's a chance of bricking it!!!
 
Mar 14, 2022 at 6:41 AM Post #58,851 of 63,889
PSA:

KZ Official Store is offering refunds for the KZ DQ6S:
https://www.facebook.com/KZEarphones/posts/1388795091551593

275791319_1388794984884937_2931903448674381374_n.png



No mention about the CRN though. And for those that bought KZ pokemons from third party sellers, I think you guys are out of luck.
 
Mar 14, 2022 at 10:31 AM Post #58,852 of 63,889
Mar 14, 2022 at 3:01 PM Post #58,853 of 63,889
Despite the recent scandal with ZEX Pro and DQ6S, my favorite KZ IEM is still ZEX Pro. I dusted off all my old KZ items (ZST 1 & 2, ZSN, ZSN Pro, ZSN Pro X, ED16/ZS7, ES4, ZSR, ZS10, ZS10 Pro, AS10, ZSX Terminator, ZAX), and after all, the ZEX Pro remains the most enjoyable for me. It is hard to believe that the magnetodriver and the BA aren't functional, but if that's true for my item as well, then the dynamic driver in the ZEX Pro is damn good! KZ became tricky befooling the buyers, so I'll buy a KZ item again only after 6-8 months from the launching and IF the reviews will strengthen that the drivers are not from paper or simply drawn... :relaxed:
 
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Mar 14, 2022 at 3:23 PM Post #58,854 of 63,889
Podster said:
Damage Control, but at least they are communicating!
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The big question is: will this be enough to save their butt? I'm surprised that there aren't more posts about how KZ flat out LIED about the fact that their recent multiple driver earphones were either covered in glue or non functional. I feel extremely bad for the guys who went out on a limb to help the company ( ie. Crinacle and HBB/BGGAR), by giving them advice and graghs to help them tune their iems...only to produce gear that is flawed. In other words, what was promised and presented/advertised; was NOT what was delivered. NOT the tuners fault...KZ’S fault for not properly manufacturing the products with FULLY FUNCTIONAL drivers.
 
Mar 14, 2022 at 9:02 PM Post #58,855 of 63,889
I just got my KZ CRN.

Well, they are pretty damn good. If the sound comes from a "high-end" branded IEM I might be willing to pay at least $200 for it. This is such an unfortunate event for such a well-performing product.

Another thing I don't get is why KZ is obsessed with this "electrostatic driver" marketing. It's clearly marked on every showcase ad, and even on the IEM packaging. Yeah it is technically correct to some degree but surely this isn't the STAX or KSE1500 technology.
 
Mar 14, 2022 at 9:04 PM Post #58,856 of 63,889
courierdriver said:
The big question is: will this be enough to save their butt? I'm surprised that there aren't more posts about how KZ flat out LIED about the fact that their recent multiple driver earphones were either covered in glue or non functional. I feel extremely bad for the guys who went out on a limb to help the company ( ie. Crinacle and HBB/BGGAR), by giving them advice and graghs to help them tune their iems...only to produce gear that is flawed. In other words, what was promised and presented/advertised; was NOT what was delivered. NOT the tuners fault...KZ’S fault for not properly manufacturing the products with FULLY FUNCTIONAL drivers.
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Yeah I can't imagine how Crinacle and HBB kept promoting scientific, value based reviews for years and then ended up collaborating with such scandal.
 
Mar 15, 2022 at 12:23 AM Post #58,857 of 63,889
I just got my AS12. After messing around with dampening its three bores and a bit a EQ, these are the results I got:
1647317796925.png

It graphs similar to the AS16 that I've seen online, and quite a bit different from the AS12 graphs that I've seen. Perhaps KZ made a stealth revision with these. IIRC the AS12 uses the same crossover board as the AS16

My initial impressions are that they sound quite good, although a bit harsh in their stock form. The mods I made tames the treble and makes it a more comfortable listen. EQ makes it even less fatiguing.

I'll have to spend some more time with them to evaluate their technical performance. :)
 
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Mar 15, 2022 at 1:01 AM Post #58,858 of 63,889
Also, I dampened the individual bores with foam in the nozzle and confirmed that all the drivers are functional and have significant contributions to the sound:
1647320391942.png
 
Mar 15, 2022 at 2:16 AM Post #58,859 of 63,889
nicksson said:
Despite the recent scandal with ZEX Pro and DQ6S, my favorite KZ IEM is still ZEX Pro. I dusted off all my old KZ items (ZST 1 & 2, ZSN, ZSN Pro, ZSN Pro X, ED16/ZS7, ES4, ZSR, ZS10, ZS10 Pro, AS10, ZSX Terminator, ZAX), and after all, the ZEX Pro remains the most enjoyable for me. It is hard to believe that the magnetodriver and the BA aren't functional, but if that's true for my item as well, then the dynamic driver in the ZEX Pro is damn good! KZ became tricky befooling the buyers, so I'll buy a KZ item again only after 6-8 months from the launching and IF the reviews will strengthen that the drivers are not from paper or simply drawn... :relaxed:
Click to expand...
I'm not sure why you care about the scandal since you say the Zex Pro is your favourite out of all your KZ earphones.

You should be mad about buying too many.
 
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