HeaDphone Discussions. (Audiophile and Gaming)

[ThatGuyJD]

Evening all
So my daily driver at work is the KZ ZSN Pro X IEM's and for the 25USD (about R799 now at Takealot) I paid for them I think their great.
What would be a worthwhile upgrade to them in the sort of +-R2k price range? And would it be worthwhile in that price range?

I have to work with glasses at my PC so a nice pair of comfy proper headphones is out, just a ballache with the spectacles and its too uncomfortable.
Alternatively I've seen some on-ear B&W P5's hanging around here for good money, probably around +-R2k. That might fix the glasses problem but not 100% sure on their sound?
Cheers for any input!

Don't have significant first hand experience but spend too much time on Youtube. It's going to depend wildly on what sound you like. Moondrop Starfield and the Etymotic ER2 are well reviewed. The galaxy buds and their derivatives are also quite good for wireless.

 

[CptGopher]

Evening all
So my daily driver at work is the KZ ZSN Pro X IEM's and for the 25USD (about R799 now at Takealot) I paid for them I think their great.
What would be a worthwhile upgrade to them in the sort of +-R2k price range? And would it be worthwhile in that price range?

I have to work with glasses at my PC so a nice pair of comfy proper headphones is out, just a ballache with the spectacles and its too uncomfortable.
Alternatively I've seen some on-ear B&W P5's hanging around here for good money, probably around +-R2k. That might fix the glasses problem but not 100% sure on their sound?
Cheers for any input!

Can confirm @ThatGuyJD 's statement. The starfields are a more pleasing listening experience than the ZSN Pro X. Just so happens I have both of these

Some others to consider (if you're OK with importing from China) is the TinHifi T3 Plus, KZ ZEX Pro and Moondrop Aria (slightly cheaper Starfield).

ShenzenAudio, Linsoul and Hifigo are the go-to shops for buying from China. I've done 2 decently large orders from Hifigo with little to no hassle.

 

[brakpanpolisie]

Cool thanks guys, was looking at the Moondrops’s.
I don’t have a listening preference yet so in that sense it makes it “easier”? @CptGopher , exactly, looking for a better listening experience, whatever the style. Will check out the sites thanks man.

So no love for the B&W’s?

 

[CptGopher]

I personally dont like forming opinions on headphone's sound without hearing them myself, so not gonna try and judge the b&w. Probably they're allright.

 

[dash09]

Alternatively I've seen some on-ear B&W P5's hanging around here for good money, probably around +-R2k. That might fix the glasses problem but not 100% sure on their sound?
Cheers for any input!

Have you tried on ears with glasses on before though? For me its very uncomfortable as the cups push my ears onto the arms of the glasses, like at the back of the ear. Some over ears with good cups work just fine, either velour or soft leather memory foam.
My B&W px, despite the cup design, is just fine. It looks like it wouldnt be comfy but it actually is.
Daily for work is galaxy buds +, these are in my ears pretty much the whole day

 

[brakpanpolisie]

Have you tried on ears with glasses on before though? For me its very uncomfortable as the cups push my ears onto the arms of the glasses, like at the back of the ear. Some over ears with good cups work just fine, either velour or soft leather memory foam.
My B&W px, despite the cup design, is just fine. It looks like it wouldnt be comfy but it actually is.
Daily for work is galaxy buds +, these are in my ears pretty much the whole day

No not yet, in theory I thought they would be more comfy as they just sit on your ears but I see your point.
Every set of over ears I've had has been annoying to wear with glasses, don't know if its a coincidence or I'm just a wimp lol

How is the battery life on those? I've not considered wireless for work but I can see the appeal

 

[5hadow17]

No not yet, in theory I thought they would be more comfy as they just sit on your ears but I see your point.
Every set of over ears I've had has been annoying to wear with glasses, don't know if its a coincidence or I'm just a wimp lol

How is the battery life on those? I've not considered wireless for work but I can see the appeal

I've generally found on-ears to be much more uncomfortable than over-ears.

When I use on or over ears, I rest my glasses frames above the earcups rather than inside. The angle might seem weird at first, but I got used to it. I daily a G Pro X headset like this for work.

My Buds + can last around 10 hrs on a single charge, but if used daily, that life span would quickly degrade as the cycles rack up.

 

[dash09]

No not yet, in theory I thought they would be more comfy as they just sit on your ears but I see your point.
Every set of over ears I've had has been annoying to wear with glasses, don't know if its a coincidence or I'm just a wimp lol

How is the battery life on those? I've not considered wireless for work but I can see the appeal

Buds or px?
Px is good for 20 odd hours maybe.
Buds is around 10. I'm not always playing music though, sometimes I just use the noise isolation (not nc)

 

[brakpanpolisie]

I've generally found on-ears to be much more uncomfortable than over-ears.

When I use on or over ears, I rest my glasses frames above the earcups rather than inside. The angle might seem weird at first, but I got used to it. I daily a G Pro X headset like this for work.

My Buds + can last around 10 hrs on a single charge, but if used daily, that life span would quickly degrade as the cycles rack up.

Thanks for the reply man, thats so weird though the on ears would be way more comfortable.
Lol Ive also done the glasses balancing act but it just annoys the hell out of me.

Those Moondrop Aria's are looking better by the moment....

 

[neilh]

Moondrop Starfields were a step up from the ZSN Pro's

Also recently got a pair of Thieaudio Leagacy 3's and they are all i'm using at the moment

IMO On-ears are the most uncomfortable design. Way prefer over ears. Even better if the pads are memory foam with leather/PU leather. And that's with glasses and headies for 12-14 hours a day

 

[Shab00]

Hi all, apologies if this has been asked before but the thread is a bit long.

Looking for good wired / wireless headphones that are water resistant and wont fall out while doing jumps on mtb bike. I'm a heavy sweater, like sweat dripping off me after a workout / cycle.

Can anyone suggest earphones that will survive my wetness but also stay in my ears while training or doing jumps etc. I'm scared to fork out money for a good quality item that breaks by falling out. (if wired it mustn't give feedback by the cable bouncing around)

I recently used the Huawei wireless earphones that have a cable connecting them, they worked well as if the earphone popped out the cable would be threaded through the helmet chin strap and wouldn't actually fall to the ground and take damage. They unfortunately succumbed to my sweat and make rather weird noises these days when they work.

Looking for something to replace them now. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you

 

[L-Dog]

These look really good wana get new workout headphones

 

[naughty]

These look really good wana get new workout headphones

interesting - i have a few friends looking for exactly something like this

 

[Toy Machine]

While I am too lazy to search this thread for EQ profiles recommmendations, a bit of digging has turned up nothing for the KZ ZEX (not pro). Does anyone have a set & had time to tinker with it?

I got mine from Andrew_Smith this week & I'm used to the stock profile now. I want to bring the treble down & the bass a bit more to the front while maintaining the clarity of the treble as it's quite nice stock. Not opposed to changing it completely either as I want to see what they produce. Then find a fucken PSU for my DAC as mine died & pair them with that

@Random_Sheep I believe you & someone else got a pair of these (Unless it was Andrew @ the time) - How are you finding them & any have you done any tuning?

 

[Bearman]

I'm looking at getting the freaken Appel Dongle usb c to 3.5mm, apparently it's a small DAC / AMP that costs R200 and doesn't suck? Just not much oomph for high impedance, which I don't need anyway.

 

[CptGopher]

While I am too lazy to search this thread for EQ profiles recommmendations, a bit of digging has turned up nothing for the KZ ZEX (not pro). Does anyone have a set & had time to tinker with it?

I got mine from Andrew_Smith this week & I'm used to the stock profile now. I want to bring the treble down & the bass a bit more to the front while maintaining the clarity of the treble as it's quite nice stock. Not opposed to changing it completely either as I want to see what they produce. Then find a fucken PSU for my DAC as mine died & pair them with that

@Random_Sheep I believe you & someone else got a pair of these (Unless it was Andrew @ the time) - How are you finding them & any have you done any tuning?

Got a pair myself, but haven't tinkered with EQ too much.

The AutoEQ profile for it looks like this

 

[ThatGuyJD]

I'm looking at getting the freaken Appel Dongle usb c to 3.5mm, apparently it's a small DAC / AMP that costs R200 and doesn't suck? Just not much oomph for high impedance, which I don't need anyway.

The Venture Electronics Odyssey HD Type-C to 3.5mm DAC dongle isn't a bad option but obviously at R200 buck the apple one would probably be easier.

 

[goldfritter]

I'm looking at getting the freaken Appel Dongle usb c to 3.5mm, apparently it's a small DAC / AMP that costs R200 and doesn't suck? Just not much oomph for high impedance, which I don't need anyway.

I use this at work. It's pretty good. Definitely better than the headphone jack on my laptop. Nice, cheap, easy little upgrade if your device supports audio out via USB-C.

 

[Toy Machine]

@CptGopher thank you will give that a go

 

[Bearman]

I use this at work. It's pretty good. Definitely better than the headphone jack on my laptop. Nice, cheap, easy little upgrade if your device supports audio out via USB-C.

Do I need to use a USB A to type C adapter, or is power delivery (USB C having "too much") not an issue?

 

[Toy Machine]

Got a pair myself, but haven't tinkered with EQ too much.

The AutoEQ profile for it looks like this
View attachment 61236

Ok lol these things are very base heavy stock/without an EQ, but the EQ definitely brings out the mid/treble clarity a lot more & dampens the base & vocals. I assume a DAC will bring some of the base & punchiness back in somewhat but it does feel more balanced overall.

Going to let this settle in for a day or two, I like the crispness of it

 

[CptGopher]

Ok lol these things are very base heavy stock/without an EQ, but the EQ definitely brings out the mid/treble clarity a lot more & dampens the base & vocals. I assume a DAC will bring some of the base & punchiness back in somewhat but it does feel more balanced overall.

Going to let this settle in for a day or two, I like the crispness of it

A/B testing EQ is always a bit strange for me, but I've basically decided to always use the ZEX with that EQ profile.

Qudelix 5K just makes it so easy to apply.

 

[goldfritter]

Do I need to use a USB A to type C adapter, or is power delivery (USB C having "too much") not an issue?

I just stick it straight in the USB-C port on my laptop, no idea if there are any power delivery issues. It just worked straight out the box and I haven't thought about it since. Didn't even need to download drivers or anything.

 

[Toy Machine]

A/B testing EQ is always a bit strange for me, but I've basically decided to always use the ZEX with that EQ profile.

Qudelix 5K just makes it so easy to apply.

Literally feels like I stepped off a cliff switching EQ off. was looking at the Qudelix for a moment & will look into it more later properly, see how it compares/values against my FX-audio-x6.

Either way, a lot muddier without the EQ.

 

[neilh]

So anyone see the drama with KZ and Crin pulling his affiliation with KZ?

Quite a few of their IEM's are shipping with drivers/BA's that don't actually do anything

 

[ThatGuyJD]

So anyone see the drama with KZ and Crin pulling his affiliation with KZ?

Quite a few of their IEM's are shipping with drivers/BA's that don't actually do anything

Not the actual issue with the CRNs but yeah those and was mainly the DD doing the work so similar enough. Some of the others yeah has multiple issues the result in no sound from BAs.

 

[dash09]

So I done f'd up. Back at the office today and I open my galaxy buds + case and find just 1 bud in there, the missing bud is either in a shirt pocket which I used 2 weeks back and has been in the wash, or it dropped somewhere. Either way I'm doubtful of finding it or if its in a working condition.
What can I replace these with? I need:
- Wireless
- 7+ hours on a single charge
- Noise cancelling is a nice to have but not a must
- THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR, SOUND PROFILE. MUST BE AS CLOSE TO THE BUDS+ AS POSSIBLE OR CLOSE TO NEUTRAL
- COMFORT IS THE 2ND MOST IMPORTANT THING, THE BUDS+ FIT GOOD

I really dont want some bass heavy set, as close to neutral as possible will be perfect. I dont listen to any doef doef that the kids like. The buds 2/pro are good options but they dont have the wing tips from the buds+, without them the buds just dont fit comfortably. I dont mind paying up to a couple grand but nothing excessive like 4k and over. Before anyone recommends sony wf yes they are great functionally but the sound profile is not for me, they are not as great as youtubers make them out to be. KZ is not wireless afaik
Local or import I dont mind, can order from amazon

 

[ThatGuyJD]

So I done f'd up. Back at the office today and I open my galaxy buds + case and find just 1 bud in there, the missing bud is either in a shirt pocket which I used 2 weeks back and has been in the wash, or it dropped somewhere. Either way I'm doubtful of finding it or if its in a working condition.
What can I replace these with? I need:
- Wireless
- 7+ hours on a single charge
- Noise cancelling is a nice to have but not a must
- THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR, SOUND PROFILE. MUST BE AS CLOSE TO THE BUDS+ AS POSSIBLE OR CLOSE TO NEUTRAL
- COMFORT IS THE 2ND MOST IMPORTANT THING, THE BUDS+ FIT GOOD

I really dont want some bass heavy set, as close to neutral as possible will be perfect. I dont listen to any doef doef that the kids like. The buds 2/pro are good options but they dont have the wing tips from the buds+, without them the buds just dont fit comfortably. I dont mind paying up to a couple grand but nothing excessive like 4k and over. Before anyone recommends sony wf yes they are great functionally but the sound profile is not for me, they are not as great as youtubers make them out to be. KZ is not wireless afaik
Local or import I dont mind, can order from amazon

So what you're saying you want to get another pair of buds.

 

[dash09]

So what you're saying you want to get another pair of buds.

Yes I came to that realization immediately after posting. I have also judged the sony wf incorrectly, its the wh which I think is not really all that good. Before ordering another set of buds the alternate options I'm considering are cambridge melomania (if stock can be found) or lypertek pureplay z5, just need to do more research

 

[FrankNStine]

So anyone see the drama with KZ and Crin pulling his affiliation with KZ?

Quite a few of their IEM's are shipping with drivers/BA's that don't actually do anything

I saw some people complaining about this, and I just picked up a set of ZSX's 🤦‍♂️ How could I tell if that's the issue with the pair I'll get? This is first step into IEM's so I'm still quite the noob