KZ zs6 vs Tin Audio T2 or sth budget like Rock Zircon? Upgrade from Piston v2.1

[VytasLTU]

I was pretty happy with my pistons but one of the earphone wires broke. Though they're a bit bassy, I enjoyed that, so I'd prefer sth similar, just more refined. I've narrowed down to KZ zs6 and Tin Audio T2, and I was basically waiting for a good deal for either of these (I like the design of zs6 though).

Do you think I should wait for more zs10 reviews? Or should I just go with a traditional chifi approach and get sth cheap like Rock Zircon? audiobudget and earphoneking have great reviews about them while on thephonograph they fall a bit behind on sound quality

 

[Fargeg]

I like the KZ ZS6, but there are some caveats when it comes to owning one. The design is based on the CA Andromeda v1, so it can get uncomfortable after a while depending on your ears. In particular, if you have small ears, these are not recommended. The stock cable is mediocre at best, so you might want an upgrade cable.

The treble will murder most people's ears with the stock tips, so you'll want to get either foam tips or Ostry tuning tips, either the OS200 or OS300 depending on how treble-sensitive you are. That said, the treble is nicely detailed. The bass is kind of one-note, but it does hit fairly hard, especially with the OS300s, and is still good for a $30 IEM. If you're okay with all of that, like a V-shaped sound signature, and want the look, then sure, order the ZS6.

I haven't heard the Tin Audio T2, so someone else will have to tell you whether that would be a better option. As for cheaper stuff, the Rock Zircon is only good for the price point, and it also suffers from reliability issues. It might still be worth purchasing to tide you over while waiting for ZS10 reviews to come in if you'd rather go that route.

Since you mentioned that your earphone cable broke, it's worth mentioning that getting an earphone case is very important if you want to keep any IEMs of value from failing. I'd suggest the FiiO HB1, which is a pocketable Pelican-style hard case.