[Lohb]

the second track Out foxed gives me a look as its decay and it isn't as natural sounding as the CT-6E The track I'm listening to now Behind the Wall gives an excellent sense of pacing rhythm and imaging.
   
edited for crappy spelling and continuity 

Low-end extension and decays are a good check for proper seal with these A3/S.
They must be shipping with a different cable.Mine was clear. Was that HCKex or EE you got them from ?

 

[Libertad]

Low end extension was fine as was the fit just CT6Es can just reach deeper and have a very natural holophonic sounding decay to them. I cant recall who i ordered mine from but ill check and post back been burning them in for the last 8Hrs and its turning out nicely indeed.

 

[Lohb]

  Low end extension was fine as was the fit just CT6Es can just reach deeper and have a very natural holophonic sounding decay to them.

Just looked up those IEMs online...on a 10x multiplier in price I'd hope so !

I'd be worried I'd leave such an expensive IEM somewhere by accident or crush them. 

 

[Libertad]

 
Just looked up those IEMs online...on a 10x multiplier in price I'd hope so !

I'd be worried I'd leave such an expensive IEM somewhere by accident or crush them. 

 
That is why it isn't exactly an apples to apples comparison hehe but I find budget iems to be very fun a refreshing from time to time. I'm not an elitist snob and always keep a open ear (haha!) to new gear and sound presentation.This is after all a hobby with us as enthusiasts traveling along on a journey of sound. So was tired of chasing a end game iem so i said "F^&* It!" and went all the way with a full blown custom iem  some time ago on the CT6E and have no regrets 

 
Been burning in the LZ- A3Ss as you know and listening as i type (as always)
They have a very fun yet hi-fi friendly tuning very smooth presentation very easy on the ears.
 
Now as to how i find them different/similar
The CT6E so far have better treble and depth (by are large margin) however in detail and sound stage width they are much more similar than you'd think given the price
 
The CT6E have a very love it/hate it tuning to the Mids that may or may not be your cup of tea. The Mids have a purposely done scope in the middle at around @3-5khz that give an impression of recessed Mids but also gives a very odd holophonic like depth to the stage. I am a fan of this tuning but it is definitely not for everyone. The sound is definitely broken into 4 distinct areas of sound where most everything else I've listened to falls in the normal 3 low Mids high. The CT6E to the best of my ability to describe what I'm hearing, have its sound broken down to Lows Low-Mids High-Mids and Highs with less than your used to in the way of Mid Mids if that makes sense.(trippy right

)
 
In stark contrast the Mids of the LZ-A3S much like my JVC studio monitors are much more fleshed out and it does competently well in the lows and highs as well. The biggest gulf in performance lays to my ears in the natural timbre of the sound and the treble. The CT6E sound very natural to me with a more dynamic like decay than most dynamics I've heard and the treble reached much higher with an effortless almost vibrant speed and detail that the LZ-A3S just cant do. Also the width of the CT6E is almost enveloping sound stage more like a sound sphere giving the impressions of both vertical and depth separation to the sound where the LZ-AS3 presents the music and a more traditional "in front of you" type of sound stage. To this end the LZ-AS3 do to me sound noticeably wider and have a much better horizontal separation to the sound that with the fuller Mids gives an addicting sound that i just love.
 
Its hard to compare these two as were they are different and were they are very different at like treble timbre and speed CT6E overall are much more refined but for $150ish ( i know these can be found cheaper? if so please feel free to chime in so others can get in on this goodness) the sonic quality's that they share are on a much more even playing field than you would thing and i have absolutely no doubt in my mind a better cable will open them up. Well there goes my wallet as id definitely want a new cable for the CT6E (haven't seen any compelling 2pin after market cable but again feel free to chime in)
 
So far though i have to say these A3S's are a screaming deal for the price period and in complete honest I'm very happy with having both and don't find at all the LZ-A3S sounding out of place in my set up and will be keeping them 

 
 
edited for better spelling

 

[Lohb]

   
(haven't seen any compelling 2pin after market cable but again feel free to chime in)

I went straight for the 8-line Sterling silver for my A3S.
aka..via google...
 
' High Quality Sterling Silver Earphone Upgrade Cable 8 Cell '
 
The thickness of the cable actually makes them sit better over-ear and the single-core lines are better than multi-strand in theory if you don't have litz copper to stop signal cross-talk.

 

[Libertad]

Just a update for anyone following the thread.
 
These things have been getting all of my ear time lately

 very addicting smooth and clear presentation.
 
The fit on my customs is really holding things back as with more burn in (be it physical or mental)these absolutely  do to me have the overall performance edge being completely honest(not easy to admit as my customs although loved by me aren't cheap at all

)
The refinement isn't as huge as you think and the CT-6E walk on it for treble (still king for me) in everything else the LZ-A3S have just sounded better.
 
I listen to mostly now progressive trance/psytrance atm and i have no idea where folks get the LZ-A3S having not so great bass from because i find it to be outstanding.
 
Not super tight but its crisp with texture and extension and progressive/psytrance an iem MUST be able to deliver detailed rhythmic bass and these excel. To anyone who maybe reading this teetering on the edge of "i dunno if its really worth it" don't try it i can almost assuredly guarantee your going to smile. This iem truly is a wonderful gem and just does so much very well and i haven't even gotten a new cable or the spiral dot ear tips in yet!

 

 

[talan7]

I thought the A3's bass was weak until I put a balanced cable on it. All of a sudden they became basshead. Everything else got better too, much better earphone balanced.

 

[Libertad]

cant say anything about the Original A3s as i dont have them but the A3S to my ears sounds awesome id love to try it balanced

 

[talan7]

cant say anything about the Original A3s as i dont have them but the A3S to my ears sounds awesome id love to try it balanced

I'm talking about the A3S as well. Forgot about regular A3.

 

[High-End-Addict]

I thought the A3's bass was weak until I put a balanced cable on it. All of a sudden they became basshead. Everything else got better too, much better earphone balanced.

totally agreeing with you : I use a Fidue balanced cable with 2,5mm plug for Astell & kern. A3 Bass are extremely good in that configuration.

 

[Lohb]

I think my bad experience going balanced with A3S was more to do with the amp I was using.....(losing depth but gaining width , things sounding dis-jointed)
I note another multi-driver IEM not doing well across-the-board in this review out my balanced amp....
 
http://www.headfonia.com/ibasso-pb-2-first-impression/
 
QUOTE <<<With custom IEMs like the JH16Pro, the balanced drive gives an instant boost in soundstage size and bass quantity and you get a much bigger sound than you do when driving in single ended. However, I do think that while very impressive in short listening sessions, the balanced drive only increases the phase inaccuracy already inherent in the multi-driver IEM design. The balanced drive also didn’t improve things like articulation, detail extraction, imaging precision, or bass control out of the JH16 >>>

 

[Libertad]

Ugh you guys are the worst now i got a itch to try the A3S balanced! 

 So besides AK Daps are there any desktop solutions for balanced output, as my mojo is my only amp/dac atm?

 

[Lohb]

Anyone get some head time with A3/S and Cayin C5 amplifier ? Was it a good pairing ?
I'm looking at other amping options once the A4 gets released...

 

[pangji]

can anyone tell me what different between lz a3 and lz a3s,and which one is better?

 

[Ahmad313]

can anyone tell me what different between lz a3 and lz a3s,and which one is better?

A3S is more refined and upgraded version of A3 so definitely A3S is better.