Audio KZ ZSN PRO X Dual Driver 1BA+1DD Hybrid Metal Earphones with detachable cable

Digigear

Disciple
I bought the KZ ZSN Pro X IEMs from AlieExpress pretty much as soon as it was released. Got if for $17 after a $3 discount during initial sale days. I got it to Chennai after a month. Honestly wasn't expecting it to reach me owing to the pandemic. But it was shipped from Malaysia and it got to me quickly and safely.

Initial impressions is definitely on par with my expectations. Everything is nice. But I would say I'm neither super blown away nor am I disappointed. I had super high expectations because people kept saying that you'll hear sounds that you wouldn't previously have heard, so I was expecting another dimension added to the audio quality but maybe that's a bit too much lol.

A friendly tip to anyone using IEMs with detachable earphones for the first time - Initially I had attached the earphones to the cable upside down and that's why the sound wasn't AS impressive as I was expecting. After inserting them properly, I got a proper seal and now I can hear the nuanced sounds and it sounds a lot better and feels a LOT more comfy.

One of the biggest pros of this is that it comes with the detachable cable. I mean look back and see all the earphones that have failed on you, it was almost always because the cable snapped or stopped working. With this, you no longer need to worry about that. You can basically replace the cable if it goes bad. And the quality is better than anything else I've tried, both build quality and audio quality.

I would highly recommend this as a first IEM. I might upgrade to one of those crazy 16 Driver setup in the future!
 
Huge drawback with these removable earphone cables. The silicone covering for the cable melts off after a few years and the replacement cables without mic cost a lot. Close to 800 rupees. It's not worth it when we can buy a new pair of earphones in that price range with a mic.
 
Huge drawback with these removable earphone cables. The silicone covering for the cable melts off after a few years and the replacement cables without mic cost a lot. Close to 800 rupees. It's not worth it when we can buy a new pair of earphones in that price range with a mic.

lol what? I haven't owned these for years so I can't confirm your statement about the silicone covering melting off. I can't even imagine how that would happen. Do you expose it to a fire? How does it "melt" off? But let's say that it actually does wear out in a few years. That's a helluva LOT better than my entire earphones becoming useless every few months, which is unfortunately what happens with these cheaper earphones (I mean Rs. 500 - Rs. 800 ones). Actually even expensive ones. I've never had a pair of earphones last more than 8 months. Something or the other stops working. Btw, these earphones in total cost me less than 1500. And the cable alone costs like Rs. 350 if you want to have it replaced. Spending Rs. 350 every few years vs spending Rs. 800 on new earphones every few months? I don't know about you, but my choice is clear.

That was for the price alone. Don't get me started about the quality. I am used to several different in-ear earphones available in the market and none of the quality even comes close to what I get out of these IEMs. This just blows everything out of the water in terms of quality, range (0 - 40000hz), fit, durability and every other factor. And plus these cables are high quality cables that come with copper core or silver or even gold core, available for us to choose. And those Rs. 350 cables are FAR superior to these flimsy tangly cables that you get with other earphones. I have no idea what you're talking about with your critique!!
 
I bought the KZ ZSN Pro X IEMs from AlieExpress pretty much as soon as it was released. Got if for $17 after a $3 discount during initial sale days. I got it to Chennai after a month. Honestly wasn't expecting it to reach me owing to the pandemic. But it was shipped from Malaysia and it got to me quickly and safely.

Initial impressions is definitely on par with my expectations. Everything is nice. But I would say I'm neither super blown away nor am I disappointed. I had super high expectations because people kept saying that you'll hear sounds that you wouldn't previously have heard, so I was expecting another dimension added to the audio quality but maybe that's a bit too much lol.

A friendly tip to anyone using IEMs with detachable earphones for the first time - Initially I had attached the earphones to the cable upside down and that's why the sound wasn't AS impressive as I was expecting. After inserting them properly, I got a proper seal and now I can hear the nuanced sounds and it sounds a lot better and feels a LOT more comfy.

One of the biggest pros of this is that it comes with the detachable cable. I mean look back and see all the earphones that have failed on you, it was almost always because the cable snapped or stopped working. With this, you no longer need to worry about that. You can basically replace the cable if it goes bad. And the quality is better than anything else I've tried, both build quality and audio quality.

I would highly recommend this as a first IEM. I might upgrade to one of those crazy 16 Driver setup in the future!
Hi.. Was the purchase from Aliexpress smooth? Did you pay any customs duty upon receiving? Am planning to buy ZS10 pro model from Ali express but wasn't sure. Am from Chennai too.
 
Hi.. Was the purchase from Aliexpress smooth? Did you pay any customs duty upon receiving? Am planning to buy ZS10 pro model from Ali express but wasn't sure. Am from Chennai too.
I got it without any issues. I got it from the AK Audio store. They use the YW Special line to ship stuff which gets shipped from Malaysia. It came exactly in a month. It's very quick imo. If I were you, I would get the TRN V90S for that price. It's currently on sale for Black Friday. I'm upgrading to that myself. Check it out.
 
I got it without any issues. I got it from the AK Audio store. They use the YW Special line to ship stuff which gets shipped from Malaysia. It came exactly in a month. It's very quick imo. If I were you, I would get the TRN V90S for that price. It's currently on sale for Black Friday. I'm upgrading to that myself. Check it out.
Great! thanks for your suggestion. Will check them out. Might sound lame but do we get warranty when we buy from Aliexpress. I asked the seller and he mentioned 15 days for defect product and incase it stops working in a year, he asked to contact him. But not sure how it works. TIA
 
Just so folks know, I had ordered mine via paytm. Not sure if they still have those though.

And like the OP, they didn't really blow me away. They weren't anything special. Note that I only have a phone as a source. I concluded that I don't have great ears to begin with. So any nuances are probably lost on me, :p .

Even the return on Paytm went smoothly. (I ordered for a version with the mic, but received the one without the mic).
 
Just so folks know, I had ordered mine via paytm. Not sure if they still have those though.

And like the OP, they didn't really blow me away. They weren't anything special. Note that I only have a phone as a source. I concluded that I don't have great ears to begin with. So any nuances are probably lost on me, :p .

Even the return on Paytm went smoothly. (I ordered for a version with the mic, but received the one without the mic).
Didn't realize you could do it on Paytm. How much did you pay? How long did it take to arrive? Which model exactly?

The reason I think mine didn't blow me away was that this is a 1DD + 1BA setup. I am upgrading to one that has 1DD + 5BA. I believe that should offer a fuller sound with much more nuanced auditory details. But like you I am not an audiophile. I am just exploring this scene. And also the number of drivers alone doesn't say much. It's also about tuning. And from what I've heard KZ has some of the worst tuning. That's why I'm going for TRN this time. The V90S seem to have gotten some good reviews.
 
Didn't realize you could do it on Paytm. How much did you pay? How long did it take to arrive? Which model exactly?

The reason I think mine didn't blow me away was that this is a 1DD + 1BA setup. I am upgrading to one that has 1DD + 5BA. I believe that should offer a fuller sound with much more nuanced auditory details. But like you I am not an audiophile. I am just exploring this scene. And also the number of drivers alone doesn't say much. It's also about tuning. And from what I've heard KZ has some of the worst tuning. That's why I'm going for TRN this time. The V90S seem to have gotten some good reviews.
Don't recall the exact price. But it was similar to what it was on Aliexpress after coupons. This was at least a year ago. Iirc, even Amazon had 'em. But it was more expensive there. Time it took to receive was about 10-15 days iirc.

Yeah, I got excited as well with that thread on head-fi. Seemed like it would be a step up the same way the Meelec M9 was for me eons ago. But after I received it (the KZ), I figured either my ears aren't good enough, or the basic iems these days are so good that any big change can only be felt on spending a whole lot more. So I just went back to buying sub-Rs.500 iems. (Expensive or cheap, they all break eventually. The detachable cable was actually the major reason that I stumbled upon the KZs)
 
Don't recall the exact price. But it was similar to what it was on Aliexpress after coupons. This was at least a year ago. Iirc, even Amazon had 'em. But it was more expensive there. Time it took to receive was about 10-15 days iirc.

Yeah, I got excited as well with that thread on head-fi. Seemed like it would be a step up the same way the Meelec M9 was for me eons ago. But after I received it (the KZ), I figured either my ears aren't good enough, or the basic iems these days are so good that any big change can only be felt on spending a whole lot more. So I just went back to buying sub-Rs.500 iems. (Expensive or cheap, they all break eventually. The detachable cable was actually the major reason that I stumbled upon the KZs)
Are you saying that even with your KZ, you're having to buy sub-Rs.500 earphones and have them replaced? I don't think my Kzs are going to break any time and neither are the cables having to be replaced. What are you doing to your earphones? lol
 
:)... You missed the part about me returning the KZs in the earlier post. I noticed I'd received the wrong version (without a mic) only after I gave it a listen. Since I was already feeling a bit underwhelmed, I decided to return it for a refund, :) .
 
I should seriously stop shilling for chi-fi. Yes, bl03/ T2 are good...the second one being very good.
But since I had got nothing to do this week, spent a lot of time with them and compared those with the real dinosaurs of audio world.. Sennheiser, IE40, HD598 ( their cheapest offerings for serious audio, not the crappy momentums)
And honestly, there is no competition...yes, IE40 is expensive ( around 70 EUR) and you can buy 2 pairs of T2, but IE40 is a far better IEM in every way.
I don't know how I missed this before, it's so obvious now....
Chi fi is cheap for a reason, they are definitely better than JBL, consumer Sony earphones, entry level AT or Sennheiser ( possibly called the CX series and the garbage momentum series) but the pro stuff from Beyer or Sennheiser ( even the entry level ones) are considerably better.
I'm bringing this here because KZ is one of the worst chi fi brand. Sure, they are dirt cheap, but they sound dirt cheap too.
Even established brands like FiiO ****s up multiple BA drivers, imagine what KZ does.
If possible, save up little more and buy real IEMs, not these fancy looking KZs ( they still try to copy big custom IEM manufacturers but sound like shit!! You are missing out at least 10-20 percent of your music with these...you don't have to be an audiophile to appreciate it)
 
I should seriously stop shilling for chi-fi. Yes, bl03/ T2 are good...the second one being very good.
But since I had got nothing to do this week, spent a lot of time with them and compared those with the real dinosaurs of audio world.. Sennheiser, IE40, HD598 ( their cheapest offerings for serious audio, not the crappy momentums)
And honestly, there is no competition...yes, IE40 is expensive ( around 70 EUR) and you can buy 2 pairs of T2, but IE40 is a far better IEM in every way.
I don't know how I missed this before, it's so obvious now....
Chi fi is cheap for a reason, they are definitely better than JBL, consumer Sony earphones, entry level AT or Sennheiser ( possibly called the CX series and the garbage momentum series) but the pro stuff from Beyer or Sennheiser ( even the entry level ones) are considerably better.
I'm bringing this here because KZ is one of the worst chi fi brand. Sure, they are dirt cheap, but they sound dirt cheap too.
Even established brands like FiiO ****s up multiple BA drivers, imagine what KZ does.
If possible, save up little more and buy real IEMs, not these fancy looking KZs ( they still try to copy big custom IEM manufacturers but sound like shit!! You are missing out at least 10-20 percent of your music with these...you don't have to be an audiophile to appreciate it)
Yeah, I can't agree more. I'm starting to figure this out.
If things settle down for me financially, this is what I would go for - https://campfireaudio.com/shop/solaris-2020/
 
Please don't get me wrong and honestly I've never seen or heard the Solaris. But have the Andromeda and few even more expensive IEMs. They do sound fantastic...but these are typically for audiophile experience, not for professional usage ( monitoring and on stage use), these IEMs tend to hide flaws in recordings.
Even a Muse song sound dynamic enough with Andromeda or Odin Audio IEMs.
And if I'm spending more than 500 EUR on IEM, I expect them to work for monitoring and some mixing.
If you only intend to enjoy music get them for sure, but if you want to learn about sound, mixing, mastering even as hobby, get professional IEMs ( 64 audio etc. if budget is not an issue, go custom...if want something within reasonable budget look into the new Sennheiser IE series)
I had a lengthy discussion with a Sennheiser engineer and he assured me that Sennheiser has learnt from their past mistakes and this present IE series will remain for the musicians/ mixing/ mastering engineers, and will never turn into the IE80/800, they finally have understood not everyone can afford custom IEMs, and the IE400 is a perfect example of what they can do with a single tiny DD...with good fit they sound almost like open back headphones with great isolation...they have finally lifted that infamous veil from their HD5XX 6XX series and the HD560S sounds better than 600, toned down the insane bass from the IE series, bumped up the treble slightly with the pre existing stellar midrange...personally for me, I don't know how can something sound more neutral...it took me 15 years to realise that I don't like audiophile sound, but the dry mildly treble forward sound with a small and precise soundstage)
 
I use KZ ZS10 Pro and can vouch my life on these. These are just so good for the price. But u do need a good signal to power them, they don't sound as good on my phone (S10E) as they do on my PC.
Is there even a point to spending over 500 on IEMs? actually don't even answer that, I cant afford to dig another hole to bury my cash. Now lemme go play some Muse coz I forgot them for such a long time. Cue Hysteria ~
 
S10E can't power them properly? Interesting..I do have ZS10 Pro at home but don't really remember the sound...but definitely one the better KZ.
 
The only thing that both your comments tell me is that this space is inundated with so many different people coming out with so many varied opinions, often each of them bearing so much confidence. I've seen other reviews which speak highly of some other chi-fi IEMs. I guess the market for the chi-fi IEMs are really all about the VFM. And not everyone is into professional stuff. Some of us just use it for listening to music that sounds good. It's a recreational thing rather than professional.

I'm going to take in each of your inputs and just see them as hints. I'll just have to dive in and figure it out for myself as to how everything sounds. Thanks for sharing your views. Cheers.
 
Imo the ChiFi BA IEM scene is overhyped. I have bought a bunch of sub $100 BA+DD IEM's and they all sound like crap.
some of the Pure BA ones are better, but in general, It's the monkeys on typewriters approach to IEM design. Out of the hundreds that get launched, one or two sound good and get to ride the hype train. It's the ZAX and ASX now, it was something else before, and something "better" will be along shortly.
Despite the "disclaimers about being provided IEM's for a fair price for a fair and unbalanced review" - I suspect the whole "review" scene is a huge payola that keeps the hype train chugging along because if they can get a few suckers to pay, it was worth it.

For me ultimately sony IEM's are still better than anything - MH755/ XB50 for daily use and EX800ST when I'm feeling like listening to something more fancy.
 
Imo the ChiFi BA IEM scene is overhyped. I have bought a bunch of sub $100 BA+DD IEM's and they all sound like crap.
some of the Pure BA ones are better, but in general, It's the monkeys on typewriters approach to IEM design. Out of the hundreds that get launched, one or two sound good and get to ride the hype train.
Despite the "disclaimers about being provided IEM's for a fair price for a fair and unbalanced review" - the whole "review" scene is a huge payola that keeps the hype train chugging along because if they can get a few suckers to pay, it was worth it.

For me ultimately sony IEM's are still better than anything - XB50 for daily use and EX800ST when I'm feeling like listening to something more fancy.
Aren't most of the hyped up IEMs like the 30-40 dollar range though? What were those that you bought that were sub $100 then?
 
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