KZ KS6 home user review

Disclaimer: This review is written based on a normal listener (a.k.a not audiophile) and I believe that everyone has a different listening experience. My listening preference is balanced sound and treble-happy (I enjoy clarity over bass). My listening setups are Flac file format, Samsung A7 smartphone with Poweramp, laptop with Dolby Advance sound plus foobar2000.

Short Summary

Cons

• Subpar construction quality.
• Screw-on housing has no purpose and doesn't enhance the aesthetic (personal opinion).
• Imbalance channel (The right side is louder than the left)
• Piercing treble if paired with a headphone amp.
• V shape sound characteristic. High treble and bass. Mid-range frequency is tad laid back.
• The bass is a little artificial, especially the bass drum. A bit more rumble and bloated.
• Sound leak and average isolation.
• Rubbery cable plus edgy housing causing discomfort.
• Large housing may not fit people with small ears. Not comfortable for long listening.
  

Pro

• Dual Balance Armature produces detailed sound characteristics. (if you don't mind the sibilance)
• Very good price-per-performance ratio. 4 drivers (dual BA + dual dynamic) with price less than $30.
• Easy to drive with a smartphone. A headphone amp is NOT recommended.
• Replaceable cable.
• Aluminium housing.

Long story

After reading the online reviews and most of them reported with a positive conclusion, I finally bite the bullet and order a pair (with android headset cable) from Gearbest with AUD $29.37 including shipping.

Afterall, 4 drivers in-ear-monitor with price less than $30, what could go wrong?

After 5 weeks of waiting (impatiently) and finally got my hands on the earphone, things start to go horribly wrong.

Quality Issue

The first thing I noticed is that the left earpiece cover is a bit loose. I thought this is a small issue as the screw on the housing was loosened. So I try to tighten up the screw but it has no end. It seems to me that there no internal thread and caused by manufacturing issue. Then I thought maybe I tried something else later to jam the screws but they are so loose that I ended up losing one of them. Disappointment plus frustration, instead of sending back to Gearbest for the repair (more waiting), I went to the nearby stationery shop and get a $3 superglue to end this frustration once and for all.

Both screws do not hold up the cover. One end up missing and the other I kept it in a safe place.

Aftermath after putting the superglue. A "scar" between the top cover and the housing. It's not perfectly aligned but the seal does not matter because there is a bass port on the cover.

Please be warned this earphone I got has a physical quality issue. Or perhaps it was just me who happens to be the unlucky one. 

Furthermore, the screw on the housing doesn't enhance the earphone aesthetic nor provide any advantage to the listener (e.g. bass/treble tuning). In my opinion, I don't think anyone would unscrew the cover and do something special about it. If you are a KZ engineer or designer, please throw away the screws design and have it clip-on on the housing.

Right earpiece has no issue.

Another quality issue is the cable connection gap is different between left and right earpiece. There is a slight gap in the right cable connector while there is none on the left (See screenshot below). I have tried to push in hard but it won't budge any further. Fortunately, the connector stays in place and does not fall out easily.

Left & right connector looks the same.

There is a gap on the right connector but there is none on the left.

Then, there is the rubbery cable that is easily picked up microphonic noise (e.g. cable rubbing on a shirt while moving) and the memory ear hook does not help to stop the noise much. Furthermore, the rubbery cable irritates my skin when I tucked the cable inside my t-shirt. In short, I don't really like the cable much. However, cable splitter, L shape 3.5mm plug, and the headset controller is well built.

The housing is made of aluminum and it's big compared with others similar earphone I have. It carries some weight and eventually caused some discomfort after long session of listening. People with small ears will definitely have difficulty on the fitting.

Sound

On my first listening, I noticed there is an audible channel imbalance where the right earphone is louder than the left. I used my smartphone to run a pink noise check with 80% volume and I can confirm that the imbalance is real. Adding more salt to my KS6 injury. Ouch. However, low volume listening might not able to notice the difference.

On the bright side, KS6 is my first pair Balance Armature (BA) earphone and it does really bring out the details in a song, up to a point where I can imagine the song environment (e.g. reverb, echo, guitar string picking, live concert ambient noise). With a headphone amp (Fiio E11 Kilimanjaro), KS6 shines until that the treble went overly bright and hot, resulted in some of the reviewers reported hissing/sibilance with this earphone, which is true.

Please be warned that sibilance effect on electronic genre song is the worst of all where high pitch electronic sounded annoyingly buzzing and piercing. Never in my life that I have experienced this before.

Luckily, to remedy this issue, I got a Samsung Galaxy Tab P1000 (with voodoo sound app), which has fall-off starting from the 20khz treble region. Without headphone amp, it pairs really well with KS6 without too much hissing/sibilance except it reduced sound imaging. Another workaround is low volume listening will help ease the sibilance issue. I have tried using comply foam tips for toning down the sibilance but it doesn't help much.

Next is the bass region which I find it a bit artificial, bloated and rumble. Some might even enjoy the coloration. After a long session of listening, I'm not compelled to tune down the bass so I guess it is acceptable.

Soundstage is above average but not spaciously wide.

Overall sound characteristic, in short, it's a V shape with high treble and bass. Mid-range frequency is a tab laid back but doesn't overrun by the bass or treble. Instrument separation is superb and surpass my other earphone collection (All non-BA).

I have tried equalizing it to my preference by tuning down the treble and bass for a better sound balance but I find it hard to control.

Isolation is average and the bass port on the housing will leak sound but not enough to annoy other people in public transport unless they sit really close.

Conclusion

So in the end, how's KS6 performed? In my opinion, this is the first earphone review that I put up a Not Recommended. To be honest, I had high hopes on KS6, as Chinese companies nowadays are producing high-quality products (e.g.XiaoMi, Huawei). However, this KS6 that I have gotten does not live up the hype from reviews I read on the Internet. Well, we can all argue if I get a replacement, my experience might change to a positive note. But I would rather move on than deal with the quality issue.

On top of that, here are some points to ponder:

Is channel imbalance a deal breaker? For me, yes.
Is potential sibilance presentation a deal breaker? I can work around it but not ideal.

The only joy that I can get out from my pair of KS6 is that the BA sound signature comes with lots of details and clarity, differentiating itself from my other earphones with its own unique listening experience. So, it's a keeper for now until I find another pair of BA earphone (perhaps KS6 version 2?) that can match up with KS6, then it will be stored away.

Update: After couple of week of listening, the bloated bass start to becoming a problem, sounded unnatural. It's affecting the sound quality when watching video or youtube and some of my favorite tracks. I even bought the silver cable just to see whether that help improve the sound quality and channel imbalance. Unfortunately, that didn't work either however, it is more comfortable for the skin and less microphobic issue.

 Gallery  

Android headset. One button mic controller. No volume control.

Cable splitter

L shape 3.5mm plug

Metal earguard. Ear tip falls out sometimes since there are is no hook around housing tip.

3 sizes ear tips

TIDAL High Fidelity sound test

I did the test yesterday and I got 3 out 5 correct. I did the test again (second try) today and also got the same result. 3 out of 5 correct. The third try I was confident with my result, without waiting for the song to finish and submit my choice except the Dixie Chicks track that I had to listen twice.

In the end, I got all 5 tracks ticked.

Go to here for sound-check your equipment or system to see whether you can hear the difference.

Have fun.

Reference:
http://test.tidalhifi.com/

My gear:
Cmoy amp with Shure SE215

Philips Golden Ears - How to beat frequency band challenge

You need 2 browser tabs for this challenge. Open 1 tab in training mode and the other in challenge mode.

First, is to identify the whether the modified music is a boost or cut by switching on and off the effect. A certain jumps in volume is a boost and vice versa.

After identifying boost or cut, then simplify the frequency band change into either bass, mid or high change (You will still need some listening skill for this). Example, a difference in bass can be easily spotted either boost or cut. Then I will be looking into the region of 65, 125 and 250.

Then, re-confirm the answer by switching to the other tab in training mode and confirm the sound is identical in the challenge. That's it.

After getting passed that, the rest will be quite easy. Have fun.

PS: I hope Philips won't strip off my title after reading this. :D

Philips Golden Ears Challenge

Bought an expensive headphone / hi-fi system recently? Why not put your listening to a test or have some challenge on your sound listening skill. Take on the Philips Golden Ears Challenge or have some fun with it.

I'm currently at the final stage and stuck at the frequency band part. This challenge requires me to identify the modified sound on which part of the band has changed. There are 18 answers to choose from and it's hard to differentiate between 2 close band (e.g. To choose either 8k or 16k which sound similar).

Seriously, I'm not a sound engineer and identify the frequency band does not really improve my day to day listening because I hate using the equalizer. Rather, having to modify the music listening experience using equalizer in the software/hardware, I am better using a good quality headphone or hi-fi system.

In the end, it's Silver Ears for me. I might come back another day to finish the challenge, but I won't probably spending too much time on it or cheat my way through just for the Golden Ears title.

PS: By the way, my blog wasn't all about headphone/earphone/hi-fi system, so taking the challenge is mainly just for fun. My tools for the challenge are Creative Aurvana Live, Cmoy amp and a laptop.

Update: I just received my Golder Ear title after beating frequency challenge with a "workaround" I have written below.
Philips Golden Ears - How to beat frequency band challenge

Ebay Cmoy Amp (rechargeble) home user review

The problem
I have been listening using my Galaxy Tab 7 plus Shure SE215 for more than 6 months now. Recently, I found out that Galaxy Tab 7 has overly high output impedance (25.73 ohm) which will affect the sound of my SE215, which only has impedance of 20 ohm. According to this article, headphone/earphone work best 1/8th of the source output impedance. In this case, SE215 should work best with 20/8 = 2.5 ohm output impedance.

The solution
Cmoy headphone amp has a reputation of working well along with headphone impedance from 16 ohm and above (depending on the amplifier chip and current). SE 215 has impedance above 16 ohm which fits well with this amp. From Ebay, I bought a Cmoy with OP2227 chip and powered by one 9v battery. Similar, to the famous JDSLab Cmoybb but a lot cheaper (plastic case and rechargeable battery setup).

The result (Pros)

1. Sound improve with more detail, less noise, quieter background and soundstage widen (music sound like injected with more air).
2. Analog volume control rather than digital from my Galaxy Tab, hence more fine control on the volume.
3. DIY amp allows swappable electronic component such as the amp IC chip. (However, I won't put my time on swapping the amp chip.)
4. Built in rechargeable battery circuit. Save time and money on getting a separate battery charger.

One problem solved, more problem pops up (Cons)

1. Battery life - max 6 hours. Recharge is required for every fourth day (2 hours used everyday).
2. Separate amp unit - not pocketable. (I put my player and amp into my backpack, not really a con for me.)
3. Battery not swappable due to enclosure is screwed tight. (I might want to switch to Lithium Ion battery for longer hour listening in future)
4. Plastic case - no radio frequency/EMI blocking. The amp is mean for a portable player, not for cellphone. My bad for not paying attention on this one.
5. Low build quality (depends on bad luck) - loose audio socket after 3 weeks of used. Popping sound and lost of volume with a slight movement on the cable. However, it still work well as a desktop amp. Update: I have sent the amp back to the seller for repair and hope the problem will be fixed permanently. The seller repaired and returned my amp back after a week and I'm happy with the result. The volume is much better now and there is no more loose audio socket.

The summary
I bought the Cmoy amp + shipping cost almost AUD 60 (same setup for JDSLab CmoyBB cost more than AUD100) and the bottom line question, is it worth it? Frankly, I would say NO based on the problem I listed above. For people who is getting a Cmoy Amp because of limited budget, I would recommend saving a little more and get a better quality amp (e.g. Fiio E11, Fiio E07K, CmoyBB).

Currently listening...

House Mix music and work best with DJ headphone.

UT Transmissions - 22/03/12 - Leigh Morgan by Urban Torque® on Mixcloud