+100 (maybe more) for what Tamal just said!
Rubber rims or covers make the sound just explode right out of Zen 2.0. Simply and amazing listen!!!
Alright.. well... this is officially my favourite Zen 2.0 setup. I tried both the commando and just ear hooks and I don't like the way the bass is portrayed. With the foams you get a much smoother bass response that sounds more natural to me. Stay tuned; my review is coming this week.
Got my Zen 2.0 a few days ago, so here's a quick comparison with the Zen 1.
Other
- The shell is different indeed. It's still some MX500 lookalike, but I think it's a tiny bit slimmer. I like it.
- Better build quality but cable is still pretty microphonic.
- Shorter cable and the chin slider is gone
- Easier to drive but not by much. I only had to turn the volume down slightly and it still nearly maxes out my S5.
- Harder to tell apart L/R on these new shells
- Much better foams than before. These new foams feel high quality and are cut consistently now. The doughnuts are nearly identical to the Heigi foams.
Sound
My impressions will probably be a bit different from most, since I find earbuds unlistenable without foams and the Zen 2 is no exception. Bass is too important for me. I think the graphs (http://www.head-fi.org/t/759219/ve-a-new-and-impressive-earbuds-brand/2115#post_12073858) from Brooko tell most of the story. It's a pretty significant change in sound signature for a version 2.0. Upper mids toned down a bit and the mid bass is now really prominent. Maybe some will like this, but I do prefer the more linear (yet still warm) bass of the Zen 1. Looks like most people feel the same as everyone seems to be going foamless or trying thin rubber Senn covers/franken-earhoox. I usually use full foams for overly bassy earbuds, and that's what I found to work best here too. The doughnuts suppress the mid bass, but at the cost of too much sub bass extension.
- Zen 1 seems to have better bass extension, but that's probably only because of the emphasized mid bass on the Zen 2
- But ignoring frequency response differences, Zen 2 has tighter, more accurate bass, and makes Zen 1's bass sound muddier/mushier
- Zen 2 is more resolving and has much better separation, better soundstage, and clearer mids
- Zen 2 has more detailed highs and even less sibilance
Okay so this might seem kinda negative overall with the mid bass, but don't get me wrong - the Zen 2.0 sounds technically better in every way and I'm seriously impressed. I didn't expect that it'd get this much better. And I've been playing around with EQ to flatten the bass a bit, with decent results. I still can't get ultimate head shaking sub bass like on the Zen 1, but there's more than enough that makes up for it. I'll be primarily using the Zen 2.0 from now on, but I am glad I kept the OG Zen. Both of these earbuds represent some of the highest value you'll find in audio imo.
Got my Zen 2.0 a few days ago, so here's a quick comparison with the Zen 1.
Other
- The shell is different indeed. It's still some MX500 lookalike, but I think it's a tiny bit slimmer. I like it.
- Better build quality but cable is still pretty microphonic.
- Shorter cable and the chin slider is gone
- Easier to drive but not by much. I only had to turn the volume down slightly and it still nearly maxes out my S5.
- Harder to tell apart L/R on these new shells
- Much better foams than before. These new foams feel high quality and are cut consistently now. The doughnuts are nearly identical to the Heigi foams.
Sound
My impressions will probably be a bit different from most, since I find earbuds unlistenable without foams and the Zen 2 is no exception. Bass is too important for me. I think the graphs (http://www.head-fi.org/t/759219/ve-a-new-and-impressive-earbuds-brand/2115#post_12073858) from Brooko tell most of the story. It's a pretty significant change in sound signature for a version 2.0. Upper mids toned down a bit and the mid bass is now really prominent. Maybe some will like this, but I do prefer the more linear (yet still warm) bass of the Zen 1. Looks like most people feel the same as everyone seems to be going foamless or trying thin rubber Senn covers/franken-earhoox. I usually use full foams for overly bassy earbuds, and that's what I found to work best here too. The doughnuts suppress the mid bass, but at the cost of too much sub bass extension.
- Zen 1 seems to have better bass extension, but that's probably only because of the emphasized mid bass on the Zen 2
- But ignoring frequency response differences, Zen 2 has tighter, more accurate bass, and makes Zen 1's bass sound muddier/mushier
- Zen 2 is more resolving and has much better separation, better soundstage, and clearer mids
- Zen 2 has more detailed highs and even less sibilance
Okay so this might seem kinda negative overall with the mid bass, but don't get me wrong - the Zen 2.0 sounds technically better in every way and I'm seriously impressed. I didn't expect that it'd get this much better. And I've been playing around with EQ to flatten the bass a bit, with decent results. I still can't get ultimate head shaking sub bass like on the Zen 1, but there's more than enough that makes up for it. I'll be primarily using the Zen 2.0 from now on, but I am glad I kept the OG Zen. Both of these earbuds represent some of the highest value you'll find in audio imo.
