I like Etymotic Research, which I’ve been using for 23 years, but I also have some cheap, blue Sonys with too much bass, not enough highs, and nowhere near the isolation or fidelity but that still sound clearer than a lot of headphones and do block some sound.
Related to your interest in IEMs and headphone-only mixing generally for DJing:
Yes, there are even cheaper models than the two I bought. And also if you have the patience to wait a month, you can buy them in the official KZ store (aliexpress.com) at a lower price.
ZEX-PRO is slightly more “fat” as a thickness, that is the part that goes into the pavilion of the ear. It has a kind of tongue that looks like a small wing, which rests on the cartilage of your ear and helps it stay in place. If your ear has that cartilage, then you’re fine with it. Otherwise you find that kind of wing that leans against the pavilion and maybe bothers you.
Yes, a little bigger. But it fits comfortably in the ear.
Maybe if you are looking for pictures on the internet, then it becomes clearer what I mean by “inner wing” in the ZEX Pro. Otherwise if you are patient until tomorrow, I will send you a picture for comparison.
As I promised, here are the images of the two models, the black one is the ZEX-PRO, while the blue/aluminum one is the ZX10-PRO. I have highlighted the small inner wing of ZEX-PRO, and you can see both models being worn to evaluate the size.
The ZX10-PRO’s are great, I believe the ZEX will be very good too. I’ll come back in about a month, as the delivery from china to Brazil takes a long time
Bear in mind, my ears are knackered. I’ve DJ’d for 40 years, & definitely have some hearing damage in my left ear. So i’m probably not best qualified to comment subjectively on sound quality/frequency response etc.
To my ears though, these offer a very full sound. Possibly a little bass heavy, but not overbearing at all. I’ve been playing through lots of my favourite tunes, & they’ve kept me engaged, & wanting more. I have changed from the standard tips to Comply 500’s, so that’s probably helped the seal & improved the bass response
I’m DJing on a corporate event on Friday, so will make the effort to DJ at least part of the night with them. But i’m quietly confident they’ll be up to the job.
I confirm, I too have been using the ZEX-PRO for about a month and I feel really good, both in terms of comfort and acoustic performance. Very nice your special cable, how much does it cost?
The cable is about US$ 11,00 delivered to Brazil, from KZ official store from aliexpress.
It’s called ‘KZ Earphones Gold Silver Copper Mixed Plated Upgrade cable’
Tried to send the direct link but due to geolocation I can only share the Brazilian Portuguese link
It’s a nice, very well made cable. It’s thick but soft and doesn’t fell heavy in use.
Can you make a listening comparison between the original cable that was certainly included in the ZEX PRO package, compared to when you use the special cable?
I believe the cable sound a light bit “clearer” when connected to my XONE DB2 mixer, and I can’t find any sound difference when connected to my phone.
I wanted a more robust cable, as I will use it for djsets. Really liked it, it looks cooler, well made, and sound good. The carbon fiber connector is a bonus, being a mountain biker, I have a passion for carbon fiber parts/components
Buy it if you want a more refined cable - don’t expect a big change in sound quality.
It’s growing to a small collection
Got 2 new IEMs:
CCA CRA: Wanted a cheap IEM for running/mountain biking - what a nice surprise. They are really really good, almost to the same level as the ZEX PRO and ZX10-PRO’S. Slightly less refined mids but almost unbelievably good fornthe price.
Tiandirenhe TD08 2-pin connector version: My new favorite …it is a “bass head” IEM but they sound sooooo good. Bass is heavy but clean and punchy, mids and highs are clear and precise. A bit more expensive than the ZEX PRO, but worth it.
Very high quality build, interchangeable mouth filters to fine tune the sound characteristics.
Highly recommended!!!
Both KZ upgrade cables “gold-copper-silver” and “silver-blue” are 120cm / 47.25" with straight conector
Tiandirenhe stock gold cable is the shortest at 110cm / 43.30"
Upgrade cables look/feel very good but you can feel the weight difference playing djsets. It doesn’t bother me at all.
I play with Xone mixers/top mount headphones jack and L bend 1/4 to 1/8 adapter, so if I “forget” and walk away from the mixer the straight conector will smoothly disconnect from the L bend adapter
I’ve read this thread as i’ve been thinking of going with in ears so have purchased two pairs from the kz-audio on their ali ba ba web site. The only in ear headphones that i’ve ever used previous to this are samsung bluetooth so that is what i’m comparing them too!
I’ve just received the KZ ZAR and the KZ ZS10 Pro X, they took just over a week getting to me which is really impressive. Plugged them into my phone, first impressions are…
First up - KZ ZS10 Pro X - Really good sound, decent base, and a nice spectrum of sound. They are also very loud if turned up to max volume!! They have a better sound than what i am used too with the Samsung, these were £32.15 so for the money i am over the moon.
Now for the KZ ZAR - Wow…different gravy. Deeper and richer sound with a wider palette. Every detail in the sound spectrum is better and clearer. These cost around £68.00. Very very impressed with these.
Looking forward to plugging both of these into the Prime 4!
…it is a “bass head” IEM but they sound sooooo good. Bass is heavy but clean and punchy, mids and highs are clear and precise. A bit more expensive than the ZEX PRO, but worth it.
