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Looking to pick up a pair of KZ ZST IEMs soon, but having never bought something with a replaceable cord, I've a few questions. First off, it seems there's only two main types of replacement cords for IEMs, the two-pin type used by the ZST(and a number of other brands), and the round MMCX connectors that appear to be more popular. I would assume that, aside from odd choices in mold design, almost all two-pin cords should work with the ZSTs, or is this too far off the mark? Also, is there a name/standard for the two-pin connector that makes the cords easier to search for, or is it mostly down to check each product and zoom in to see if it has pins? Am I screwing myself going with two-pin over MMCX, or is there, as I'm guessing, minimal difference aside from somewhat more(and potentially cheaper) choices available in one over the other? And are there any other recommended hybrid(BA+DD) IEMs in this price range(around $15-$35 USD) that also feature replaceable cords? While I'm an unrepentant bass-head, and love my KZ ATE-S for their lows and fantastic isolation, I'd like to try some new things, and just maybe expand my tastes a little. If it makes any difference at this price range, I'll be driving them off my phone, will be using them mostly while commuting/at work, and I can always improve isolation by poping some foam tips on backwards if need be.
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Jan 26, 2017 02:52
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Dr. Fishopolis posted:The ZST does not use any kind of standard cable. KZ's removable cables aren't even compatible across different KZ models. Wow. I mean, I expected this was a possibility, but still. grack posted:As for another hybrid in your price range, the Urbanfun Hifi's immediately spring to mind. As far as I know they're bassier than the ZST but I wouldn't call them basshead 'phones by a long shot. I have the Urbanfun's but not the ZST to compare. Thanks, I think I'll get those for now, and move the ZSTs to "If I've still got some cash". Shame, was really willing to give 'em a shot with how much I love my current set of KZ buds, but them's the breaks when ya go for the Chi-Fi option.
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Jan 27, 2017 10:02
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Since I ended up buying the Urbanfun HiFi's and the KZ ZSTs, here's a quick review and comparison: The Urbanfuns... Got lost in the loving mail!  Literally the first time I've had that happen with any purchase I've ever made. The seller was cool about it though and straight refunded me, so I might try again later.I say "might" because the ZSTs, for all their quirks, boil down to ATE's with better upper mids and highs. I'll post some more detail once I've had more than a couple work shifts with them, but I don't regret taking the chance with KZ again.
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Mar 4, 2017 23:03
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So I've had my KZ ZST IEMs for about a week, and as I said before, the TL;DR is really just "Better ATEs with replaceable cables", but there's some quirks to them to beware of. So if you've never tried KZs ATE IEMs, there's a quick review of them here, or you can google some of the many others. The short version is that these are somewhat bass heavy IEMs that hit well above their budget price. Solid lows, clear mids and as nice of highs as you'll see in a single dynamic driver IEM made these my daily phones for a year, and they were further complimented by their light weight and superbly comfortable, and isolating, foam tips. If the cord hadn't started shorting internally I'd still be using them with little inclination to even look at anything else. But, the cord did start to break, which left me wishing for something with a replaceable cord, and while the highs of the ATE were perfectly adequate, I occasionally wondered if adding some balanced armatures wouldn't improve an already excellent product. And lo and behold, someone at KZ had a damned similar train of thought when they designed the ZST. The whole reason I started off this ZST review with gushing over my old ATEs is because, near as I can tell, the ZSTs seem to use the exact same dynamic driver, and any alterations to the sound chamber have been only what was necessary to incorporate the BAs. Everything below the upper mids is indistinguishable from the ATEs without testing equipment I just don't have access to, and to my spoiled and possibly childish bass-head rear end it's fantastic! And from the upper mids on? It's, for me, a simultaneously subtle and yet omnipresent difference. I should own up to my prior bias in saying that I've never really seen the highs as anything but a "nice counterpoint" to the bass, an ancillary detail to improve what I like, but of little inherent consequence. Said bias isn't dead, yet, but it's already on it's way out, and the detail the BAs in the ZSTs* are the cause. From simply helping distinguish individual instruments, to bringing out the their individual nuances, being able to hear the faint rasp of the singer's breath, I, for the first time, can actually understand why so many self proclaimed 'audiophiles' get their tits in a twist about the high end response. They're still often self-deluded, zealous fools of a hilarious order, but hosed dead, dry and sideways if I don't finally get what they've been going on about all this time. I honestly wish at this point I'd had the money or idiocy to buy some ~$150USD+ IEMs, if only so I'd have some experience to compare the ZSTs against that wasn't KOSS SparkPlugs or JVC Marshmallows, so I could properly put into perspective not just how awesome the ZSTs are for their price, but also where they may be lacking or could have done better. As is, I can't find anything from an acoustic standpoint that can't be handled by a functioning EQ. As for comfort? Well the ZSTs don't include any foam tips, but using some replacements I bought for my ATEs before they started dying, I got through a nearly 11 hour work shift, another hour of travel time and would have been good to leave them in till I sacked out. Literally the only reason I took them out was because I figured I needed to, not because I was uncomfortable. Moreover, the isolation is actually improved over the ATEs, meaning I can run them at a lower volume without loosing detail or having to listen to other people. That wall of text out of the way, I paid about $17USD for my pair, and while that bought way more than it should have, you don't get what you don't pay for, and holy poo poo does this make me wonder what kind of ritualistic blood magic KZ uses to get their awesome sound profile, because the fit and finish of these is just... Ugh. To start with the purple "backplates" that attach to the blue main housing(Yeah, I went for the candy colored ones, because loving synthwave, and I have a gods damned pony avatar how sensible do you really think I am?) are, well, they're attached, seemingly solidly, but with only nominal tactile or visual symmetry. The cables are not attached during shipping, and while I did get them in quite solidly, it took a fair bit of force. Not "Am I going to break them?" force, but that I have to clarify that should indicate how much is needed. Additionally, while the right cable gave a nice, tactile 'click' when it slid home, the left was just "shove it till it don't move no more". I can't help but think the "cables fall out" problem some people have with the ZSTs isn't them "not shoving it hard enough" but more a "poorly made parts can't fit" problem. Would also explain the reports of "replacement KZ cables are incompatible across different KZ lines", and it may even extend to different production runs within the same line. And holy poo poo, burn-in is loving mandatory with these IEMs. I don't know about the ATEs, I gave them a few days burn in before I listened to them, but I skipped that with the ZSTs, both because the shorting cable on the ATE wasn't going to last much longer, and I figured "Eh, it's probably all placebo". Two hours into my second shift with the ZSTs and the bass, mid song that I knew drat well didn't spike the bass there, suddenly went from "adequate, but a let down from the ATEs" to "KooAid Man just thundered in and slammed my old buds in my music holes". It wasn't unpleasant, or unwelcome, and it didn't distort anything else, it just plowed the gently caress in outta nowhere. This is also the main reason I wanted to wait to review the ZSTs, in case they decided to change their poo poo again. Just to be sure, I've been letting them burn in on my old minidisc player when I'm not using them, but at this point I think they've changed as much as they're going to. And that's about all I can say about the KZ ZSTs. They're cheap, they're Chinese, and they have exactly some of the problems that come with that combo. But, they scratch my bass-head itch while also showing me I might be a bit too narrow in what I like, they're cheap, and when the time comes, I will have no problem at all paying more for the replacement cable that I did for the IEMs if it'll keep them working. I may never own the perfect IEMs, but for now, these are my perfect IEMs. *=Gods drat this
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Mar 18, 2017 17:50
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