[candycane]

Hello, I'm new to the IEM world (and the audiophile world in general) and I love my current (also my first) IEMs, the ZST X's. There's so much I like about these, the V shape is really pronounced, bass strong, punchy and rumbly, treble clear, detailed and shimmery, soundstaging is good, but I'm hoping to try out a different pair and there's some things that I think can be improved upon, and some things that bug me with some tracks.

For one, there's some bass bleed, and the lower mids (including deeper male vocals) lack clarity, get muddied and the separation isn't as good in that Hz range. The bass is beautiful, clear and rumbly on some tracks but on others it gets too boomy, and some guitars and male vocals get lost in the mix. Additionally, though the treble has a lot of clarity which is one of the shining aspects of this IEM for me, it can get peaky and fatiguing to listen to on louder volumes.

I'm hoping for something that gives the lower mids a bit more detail and separation without sacrificing too much bass, bass that is distinct, punchy and rumbly without being overly boomy or too much bleed, less fatiguing treble while still maintaining shimmer and clarity, and strong separation, soundstaging and imaging with good detail retrieval(this is very important to me; I don't want to sacrifice this). I also want it to be driveable from a decent modern mobile phone as I currently do not have a DAC/Amp and I don't have the budget for one right now (never actually really looked into DACs/amps much so I can't say whether I'd see any improvement with these, as they are already very easy to drive.) I'm willing to spend a little more, but I'd like it to stay under the 50 USD range. A slightly less pronounced v-shape but still in that range, because that's always been my favorite signature.

I was actually really interested in the KZ ZS7's. The reviews here looked very promising and like what I was looking for but I just cannot find them for sale on a site I trust. They don't even show up on KZ's own website, nor on Linsoul and I was hoping they weren't discontinued. It's sad because out of all of the ones I've researched, these looked the most promising.

I am also open to discussion on budget amps etc if others believe it will improve the sound quality, but I'm hoping for a pair that will work fine without them.

 

[msing539]

At this price point, I like the Truthear Zero. Haven't heard the Red, but it supposedly improved on an already great iem.

 

[candycane]

Thanks. It looks promising, but I am concerned at how people say the treble isn't enough. Treble is important to me as I like to hear the micro-details and the crash of cymbals, but I'll take it into consideration! I'm mostly looking into the KZ brand so far as most of their products have a v-shape to them.

 

[candycane]

Update: after careful deliberation, I've ordered the KZ DQ6 because it seems to be less bloaty, fuller mids & less fatiguing highs with good technical ability, based off of what I have read. I also got some foam tips to go with them as I've heard it can be quite sibilant at a certain frequency and I've heard the foam tips kind of dampen it. I also have the starline tips I can use from my ZST X pair as another option since the tips that come with the DQ6 aren't as good I've seen. Thanks for your reply! I may try a more mids-focused pair sometime in the future but my go-to tuning is a pretty strong v-shape. Still was willing to compromise on the bass and treble in exchange for better separation, clarity and soundstage, as well as decent vocals.

 

[candycane]

If you can find the DQ6s they would be a better choice

Thanks! I did order them yesterday. Though it will probably take a few weeks to arrive considering it's coming from Linsoul (China.) I'm looking forward to breaking them in. Also the KZs usually have a lower impedance and I shouldn't need a DAC with them, but I am curious if getting one sometime in the future when I have a bigger budget would improve the sound quality on a pair like these with low impedance. Also the one on my computer is kinda crap and noticeably affects the sound quality and the tuning so I have to EQ it for it to sound as good as it does on my phone.

 

[candycane]

If you can find the DQ6s they would be a better choice

Thanks! I did order them yesterday. Though it will probably take a few weeks to arrive considering it's coming from Linsoul (China.) I'm looking forward to breaking them in. Also the KZs usually have a lower impedance and I shouldn't need a DAC with them, but I am curious if getting one sometime in the future when I have a bigger budget would improve the sound quality on a pair like these with low impedance. Also the one on my computer is kinda crap and noticeably affects the sound quality and the tuning so I have to EQ it for it to sound as good as it does on my phone.

Oh, mb. I thought you meant DQ6's, not DQ6S. I ordered the regular DQ6, not the DQ6S (I swear, they need to come up with less confusing names for this stuff.) And based off of what I've seen, I think the treble may be rolled off too much for my liking on those (plus they were 5 extra bucks on linsoul and I dont have a huge budget rn) but I may order them in the future and see how they compare (if so, may post my own comparison review.)

 

[candycane]

I received them about two weeks ago and I have to say, I love the width and the tonality and the bass texture!!! I do really find myself missing the depth and layering of the ZST X as that was maybe my favorite part about them (just shy of holographic, all it needed was a bit more width and height) but it's nice to try something new, and I have to say the treble on these (even with foam tips) is actually less pleasant than my ZST X (peaky with rolloff) but there's pretty much no bass bleed on these which is one thing I was looking for. It's so hard to find a v-shape that tries not to sacrifice the mids and has the technicalities I'm after on such a budget, but these are nice and they're really good for acoustic, jazz or live performances. The imaging is wonderful, and I'm glad I picked them out, but I am left wanting more, haha.

These will be great for some late night bossa nova.