Shocked to discover my KZ IEMs are rubbish

[kiat]

Out of curiosity I've just tried the basic looking headphones that came with the used "the t.bone IEM 75" system and I'm shocked how much better they are than the multi-driver, cool looking and ergonomically better KZs that I've been using, with upgraded cables too. I've been getting a lot of hiss recently, assumed it was probably a combination of the wireless bass and wireless IEMs, so was troubleshooting with AB testing out different kit, hence the IEM 75s out of curiosity really, as I had no intention of using them before. Not not though - I've got to figure out a way that they can stay in my ears.

 

I'd not been happy with the tinny sound of the KZs either and had upgraded both the cables and the tips trying various types, memory foam etc.

Even with the stock flimsy silicone tips that came with the IEM 75, the sound is much better, louder, clearer with actual bass. I'm stunned, really. With all the positive reviews and no previous experience of any IEMs, let alone high end IEMs, I'd assumed that KZs were good and it was a matter of finding the"right" pair, cable and tips for your needs and desires. Not so sure now....

 

* KZ ZS10 PRO X
* KZ EDX Pro X

 

[acidbass]

The ZS10s have a pronounced hump in the upper mids for sure.  I find it's a nice frequency for vocals but probably not best suited for bass guitar.  I use both the ZAR and AS16 Pro X and the bottom end is much more present.

[kiat]

3 minutes ago, acidbass said:

The ZS10s have a pronounced hump in the upper mids for sure.  I find it's a nice frequency for vocals but probably not best suited for bass guitar.  I use both the ZAR and AS16 Pro X and the bottom end is much more present.

 

For bass playing in a band setting, how do you find they compare with studio headphones or other IEM brands @acidbass ?

 

These, presumably, inexpensive IEM 75 headphones, for me, are far closer to studio headphones than they are to the KZs.

 

[acidbass]

3 hours ago, kiat said:

For bass playing in a band setting, how do you find they compare with studio headphones or other IEM brands @acidbass ?

My main set of IEMs are moulded UE Lives which I keep for larger gigs.  They are good but I'm not a huge fan of them actually.  I moved from JH Audio Roxannes to UE a year or so ago, mainly due to poor aftersales service from JH (but that's another story!)

 

For pub/club work I am happy with the KZs.  There is of course a difference between them and the moulds (with seal and fit), but IMO the KZs punch well above their weight in terms of tone per £.  The AS16 Pro X come with foam tips but I also have a supply of Comply which I change every 10 or so gigs.  The ZAR is the most similar to the UE phones design-wise, as they have a dynamic driver as well as the usual bass/mid/treble armatures.  The dynamic driver has a fairly significant impact on what the bass guitar sounds like, and not always in a positive way.  I have learned that I prefer the sound of a more traditionally designed IEM without a dynamic driver.  The AS16 Pro X fit this bill.  A great sounding earphone for around the £50 mark on eBay.  The first thing I did was upgrade the cable to one of those 8 core replacements, which cost around £20 in itself but certainly worth it.

Edited 6 hours ago by acidbass

[JPJ]

I had a similar experience when I went from the KZ’s to the Sennheiser IE100’s. The sound is just ‘better’ all round to my tired old ears, and as they as less bulky they are easier to wear.