KZ ZSN Pros about to give out and I'm bored with Blon BL03, any good upgrade / sidegrade under 3k?

K

kvn95ss

Galvanizer
Pretty much title. I have asked for opinions before as well, but thought I will make a fresh thread, here is the old thread for those interested -

Need to streamline my audio situation - budget 2-4k

I listen songs mainly on spotify, and podcasts on YouTube / spotify. Here is my current setup - Phone (~80% usage) - iPhone 14 (Bought the earphone dongle but man its anemic, build quality isn't assuring) DAC - Audient iD4, will be used with desktop / laptop IEMS - KZ ZSN Pro with a mismatched...
techenclave.com techenclave.com

And my upgrades are as follows -

  1. Fiio BTR5 (As mentioned in the post) - Paired well with Blon and KZ, but after I bought the IEMs, I haven't used them much. Inclined to sell this.
  2. ZSN Pro - became my daily after I got fed up with dealing with flimsy blon wire. The connector has developed cracks (Probably because I was switching between KZ cable and KZ AZ09), not sure when the connector will break.
  3. Blon BL03 - sounds good but holy hell the original cable sucks. Thought of modding the connector, but chickend out as I didn't want to destroy them. Should I replace the cables and call it a day?
  4. QCY T13 - Bought for ~1500 INR in Sweden. Surprisingly clear mics for an IEM, my brother was fairly surpised comparing them to Airpods Pro. Has pretty good sound stage, decent bass (But need a good seal to feel it) and the highs are not fatiguing. The battery is holding strong, however I have dropped the unit many times and there are cracks on the body now :c Looking for alternatives
  5. Sennheiser HD 380 Pro - bought from a second hand store for 800 INR lol. Didn't come with case. Decent bass, but mids sound recessed - could be due to age, idk. Good over the ear seal, but for me didn't sound great. My brother liked it though so I'll be giving it to him
  6. Sennheiser HD 4.40 BT - used during the Swedish winter as ear muffs lol. While I don't like the sound much, the bass justifies itself and kept my ears warm lol, so probably not willing to let go.
  7. Venture Monks - bought this on a whim, but my mom took a liking for them - she doesn't like IEMs, but is fine with earbuds. Just have to buy her a lighting to headphone connector so she can use them whenever she wants (She has an iPhone 7)
So, any suggestions for my streamlining?

I wanted to try out open-ear headphones, but they were always out of my budget.
 
I would say try the new KZ/CCA planars. they are pretty nice, and the BTR5 will make them sing.

PS; what are some decent options to buy hifi stuff online in sweden? Have relatives there so do let me know if there are any places i can get good deals :)
 
For used items you can look into Blocket.

You can try websites like https://www.prisjakt.nu/ and pricerunner.se to compare prices between different websites. Presence of Amazon is bit less here, mainly due to friction when it comes to delivery.
 
Definitely try KZ PR2, especially since you have btr5 because they are very powerful hungry. The sound signature is very different from DD or BA drivers (which is to be expected since it's a planar). I find it to be quite technical and I enjoy it alot when doing critical listening.
 
You can try out the Moondrop Chu II, I feel that they would pair very well with the use case that you have, and I especially like them since they come with a type C jack instead of a 3.5 mm jack. This would be especially beneficial for you since you are planning on selling your BTR5, leading you to have to carry lesser gear in your pocket.
 
I have an iPhone, so might need a lightning adapter or a 3.5mm cable for the Chu.

Debating about getting good cable for Blon, but would also need to upgrade the tips.
 
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