KZ ZS6 Custom-built Hybrid HiFi In-ear Earphones

The ZS6 from KZ is essentially a ZS5 with a finished casing and porting on the side to allow for a slightly wider soundstage, therefore, if you already have the ZS5's, DO NOT buy these. For anyone who has not yet purchased a pair ZS5's or ZS6's yet, the 6's are the way to go. Here's Why:

-DESIGN-

To settle the score,...yes, these are (unfortunately) a shameless copy of the Campfire Audio Andromeda IEMs, which retail for over 1,000 USD. That being said, however, this means that the chassis on which these IEMs are built on is very good.

-FIT & BUILD-

The ergonomics of these earphones is very good. I do not think these IEMs were fatiguing at all to wear, despite their odd shape. Because the casing is based on the Andromedas, these ZS6s are actually quite enjoyable to wear when commuting or listening at home. The all-metal build does not add onto the perceived "weight" of these IEMs and actually assures the wearer that if they do drop them, they'll still keep going long after their unfortunate accident.

-SOUND-

Sound quality is very decent for a budget-Fi IEM. Bass and Sub-bass levels are spot-on, with the bass being more aggressive and punchy. Mids are a bit recessed, but not too pushed back that you can't hear male/female vocals with good detail. Here is the caveat with these IEMs...You MUST get Comply foam Eartips. The level of sibilance that occurs within the high frequencies is just too much, and even after about two or three hours, these IEMs become unbearable to listen to. That being said however, KZ should be proud with the improvement on their already well-performing ZS5's and the ZS6's are a great IEM to collect, if you are collector of Knowledge Zenith audio earphones.

-VERDICT-

For the price, the Knowledge Zenith ZS6 IEMs are a great pair of budget-Fi earphones, IF you can replace the stock eartips with Comply eartips. With ZS6's being even lower than the price I bought them for, they really are a no-brainer for college students or just anyone looking for good-sounding IEMs on a budget.

EQUIPMENT USED FOR THIS TESTING IS AS FOLLOWS--- (All music files used will be in either MP3 320-kbps or FLAC files)

PORTABLE/PHONE: LG V20, HTC One M9, LG V30

DESKTOP SETUP: Foobar2000 on Windows 10 PC w/ Micca Origen G2+ DAC/Amp

Music Files Used: Final Fantasy X (HD Remaster) Soundtrack, Plastic Memories Soundtrack, 311- Transistor Album, Frederic Chopin- Noctourne No. 9, Beethoven "Rage over a Lost Penny", Cowboy Bebop Original Soundtrack Vol. I/Vitamin-less

Nov 13,2018

Los ordene el 19 de diciembre y llegaron el 5 de enero, 16 días después, muy rápido.
Tengo hace una semana los kz zs6 y solo los puedo comparar con mis shure se215 que tengo hace 4 años, estas son mis conclusiones:

Shure 215 vs kz zs6

Shure 215
Sonido más bajo, más oscuro, no se sienten casi los platillos, pérdida general de detalle Instrumental, menos bajo, voces presentes y cálidas.

Kz zs6
Sonido más alto, separación y gran presencia Instrumental, muchísima más claridad, tridimensionalidad, platillos se escuchan clarísimos, más bajo pero sin opacar el resto de frecuencias, las voces más presentes pero cálidas, un poco más agudo pero nada fatigante para mi gusto, igual se puede disminuir con el ecualizador. En general muchísima más precisión.

Las olivas de serie no me gustan, compre las de espuma con memoria de forma KZ pero no se quedan en ancladas en los auriculares y se salen con facilidad muchas veces quedando dentro de mi oído, las cambie por unas olivas que vienen con los auriculares Sony hybrid in-ear que traen el núcleo de colores según la talla y una espuma o foam entre el núcleo y el capullo plástico creando una mayor aislación y éstas no se salen fácilmente.

Relación calidad precio:
shure se215 ~100 US, construcción plástico.
KZ ZS6 ~30 US, construcción aluminio.

Los KZ ZS6 suenan y se ven como auriculares de 200 dólares o más, me atrevo a decir que superan fácilmente a los shure se315 que rondan los 200 dólares y traen solo un driver dinámico.

Ha sido algo muy grato y revelador redescubrir mi librería musical, estoy escuchando cosas que antes no sabia que estaban hay, en la canción, e escuchado sonido de truenos en una canción de radical face que no había escuchado antes, en una de las canciones de miwa la cantante japonesa a alguien se le olvidó apagar su celular y alcanzó a timbrar 4 veces por un breve momento durante la grabación, ese es un sonido que aunque lo avía escuchado antes no sabía que era de un celular y con estos audífonos lo pude notar con tanta claridad que hasta pude contar cuantas veces timbró.

La comparación la hice usando mi reproductor fiio x1 II Generación y mi amplificador fiio A3, use sólo archivos de audio en formato FlaC a 24 bits.

Suggestion

Ningúno

Jan 09,2018

Everyone says this pair is the bomb. It's not. Not without a tip change anyways (You have no idea how much of a difference it made. Went from unusable to nearly perfect in an instant).

Build:
The look and feel of the quality is great. The cable could be better. I got the silver cable upgrade with them so I can't comment on that. But that's not really the main point of headphones; music is.

Comfort:
My ears are a bit small, so pain was an issue after about 20 minutes of wearing the earphones.

Sound:
The bass is pretty deep and punchy, not muddy at all.
The treble is the main weakness of these earphones. They are way too high. As soon as you press play, you realize how high. Hi-Hats made my eyes squint from being uncomfortable. Cymbal sounds started being annoying to the point of anger within minutes. Even the artists themselves singing was hard to listen to. The sound might seem like it's amazingly "Clean", but it's just way over the top to the point of being unhealthy to the ears. My ears couldn't handle it for long, and I'm not into equalizing every second.
After I tried everything I could, I swapped the silicone tips from another pair of earphones I have. These tips have a wider opening. It blew my away instantly. The highs are still too high, but not to the point of making me too uncomfortable. The cymbals/Hi Hats are significantly less noticeable. The music as a whole sounded more warm and easier to listen to.

I'm gonna keep looking until I find the perfect pair of tips to bring perfection out of these earphones.

Still, even after the tip change, I prefer my $20 Blitzwolf earphones, and that's entirely because of the high treble. Sad.

Nov 30,2018

Возможно, стоило б поэксплуатировать данные наушники в течении, хотя бы, пары недели, прежде чем писать отзыв. Но, так уж вышло.

В первую очередь хочется отметить, что денег своих они однозначно стоят. Звучание приятное, как по мне "ровное".
Присутствует так называемая "сцена". Особенно в звучании порадовали вч, сч с их "детальностью".
Приятное впечатление о себе оставила эргономика этой модели. Совершенно никакого дискомфорта с постоянным поправлением наушников. Вопреки многим другим отзывам привыкать мне не пришлось, одел и насладился сразу.
Следует заметить, что и провод также оказался весьма неплохим, мягкий, гибкий, с г-образным джеком. Коннекторы в самих наушниках сидят очень плотно, не вываливаются.
Не заметил, также довольно часто упоминаемой, проблемы с задранными высокими частотами.
Здесь следует сразу оговориться: Слушаю я музыку преимущественно электронную, на классических композициях (с живыми инструментами) не тестировал.

По общему впечатлению вау-эффекта они, конечно, не вызывают, но звучание вкупе с добротной сборкой и неплохими материалами внушают доверие.

Suggestion

Говоря о недостатках, лично мне слегка не хватило низких частот. Возможно, проблема исключится после полноценного "прогрева". В остальном же - время покажет.

Jan 06,2018

Before coming to pros I lil background..
I am an audiophile and have upto $200 earphones in my arsenal. My source is a entry level dap,Sony Walkman and a hi res certified mobile. The soundstage on these is outrageously wide. these are louder than most. The instrument separation is great and sound is very detailed. The clarity can be better with a silver upgraded cable but is adequate with the provided cable. The sound signature is slightly treble oriented while the lows and mids are a spot on. Overall the sound is energetic and warm. The treble although is piercing sometimes but is nothing that a little piece of cotton cannot fix. I have been using them foam tips which is definitely recommended. Fit is good and I felt no fatigue wearing them for long. To sum up, these earphones blow all the other earphones out of water even in $200 range and are probably the best I've tested. Given a good source with less thd, low jitter and a good channel separation these are great earphones to pair em up with.

Suggestion

The design can be a bit better, it takes some time to set them in ear, but it maybe just a beginner's thing.

Dec 08,2017

Got these in today and I have to say I am thoroughly impressed with KZ. The packaging feels like a step up for them, it's a small white box with an computer line rendition of the ZS6. You box is like a sleeve so you have to slide the top case off the actual container, sorry if that's confusing. Inside youll find the standard extras like the tips and information booklet along with the headphones and the cable. Once I opened the box I tried on the monitors with the included tips and the fit was nice and cozy, although a bit heavier than the ZS5 (obviously). The shell feels like a quality metal shell. After installing the cable I plugged them into my player and put on some music. I am blown away by the detail of these monitors, bass is strong but not in your face, treble is bright and clear although it can be a bit bright at times, soudstage is nice and wide, almost 3d like. Overall I am glad I picked these up and am sure you will be too.

Suggestion

Treble can be a bit bright at times depending on songs. Red part where cable pins go can come loose the pins are being stubborn but nothing a little krazy glue can't fix :)

Sep 26,2017

Before coming to pros I lil background..
I am an audiophile and have upto $200 earphones in my arsenal. My source is a entry level dap,Sony Walkman and a hi res certified mobile. The soundstage on these is outrageously wide. these are louder than most. The instrument separation is great and sound is very detailed. The clarity can be better with a silver upgraded cable but is adequate with the provided cable. The sound signature is slightly treble oriented while the lows and mids are a spot on. Overall the sound is energetic and warm. The treble although is piercing sometimes but is nothing that a little piece of cotton cannot fix. I have been using them foam tips which is definitely recommended. Fit is good and I felt no fatigue wearing them for long. To sum up, these earphones blow all the other earphones out of water even in $200 range and are probably the best I've tested. Given a good source with less thd, low jitter and a good channel separation these are great earphones to pair em up with.

Suggestion

Non

Aug 13,2018

I must admit before I heard them I was totally open minded and wasn't expecting much. Ok the ZS5 has received pretty favourable reviews and the 6 was going to expand on that. By all accounts it has been a success. I went for the green finish as I thought it looked great and from a distance Campfire Audio esque in looks.

In some cases at low volume it can be really enjoyable, it's a breath of fresh air with it's energetic feel. However at high to mid volume it can become unbearable and also the fit isn't great they move about a bit in your ear. If you're looking for best in class sound insulation again you're going to be disappointed here. But above all I didn't think you could get this kind of quality for this price it's amazing for the money. Huge soundstage and infinite detail even on the most demanding of tracks are all attributes that the KZ ZS6 has in abundance. Just buy a pair.

Suggestion

Ok just to get the one negative out of the way. There is a nasty harsh treble Spike, it's there but look it cost $25 usd (when I bought them).

Jan 15,2018

1. GREAT PRICE
2. 4 DRIVERS
3. REALLY GOOD SOUND
4. LOUD AND AMAZINGLY CLEAR TO EVERY BITS AND TONE
5. GREAT WELL BALANCED BASS
6. LOOKS WISE IT KILLS... LOOKS LIKE A MINI WAR MACHINE LIKE IRON MANS ARMOUR
7. THE HARD ENDS AT THE END OF CONNECTOR WIRE TOO HOLDS UP THE EAR CANAL NICELY
8. DETACHABLE CORDS MEANS FREEDOM TO USE BLUETOOTH OR SILVER PLATED CABLE
9. TRUE NOISE CANCELLATION... YOU CAN GET KILLED IF U JUST WEAR IT AND LOSE YOURSELF TO THE
MUSIC... SO STAY FOCUSED... TRY NOT TO LOSE YOURSELF WITH IT... BUT YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE
CONTROL YOUR SELF AFTER WEARING IT
10. THE SINGLE PIECE BUTTON AND THE MIC ARE IN ITSELF A FEATHER ON THE HAT
11. JUST BUY IT IF U R INTO HEADPHONES

Suggestion

THE WIRES ARE NOT TANGLE FREE...BUT THEY DON'T GET TANGLED TOO MUCH
DESPITE THE WEIGHT OF EAR PIECES ITS STILL COMFORTABLE IN FIT AND TO WEAR FOR LONG HOURS

Dec 18,2017

In-eary s více měniči, jsem ještě nemněl možnost slyšel. Po přečtení pár recenzí a diskuzí na netu, jsem objednal v podstatě zajíce v pytli (KZ-ZS6). Byl jsem velice zvědav, jak budou ZS6 hrát… První dojem po rozbalení, pecka! Vynikající zpracování! Po usazení do uší jsem jen žasl, jak pohodlně sedí a hlavně perfektně hrají!!
ZS6 mají perfektní lokalizaci nástrojů s výborným podáním prostoru. Basy a středy jsou skutečně vynikající! Výšky jsou perfektní. Co se týče sykavek, které jsou v diskuzích hodně řešeny, ty tam jsou, ale jen v určitém typu skladby… Mně osobně vůbec nevadí nebo spíš nejsou nepříjemné. Pokud by měl někdo problém, na netu jsou různé modifikace ZS6, které sykavky utlumí.
KZ-ZS6 jednoznačně doporučuji, pokud někdo hledá in-eary s více měniči, ideální volba.

Sep 21,2018