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KZ ZS6 – a Custom-built Hybrid HiFi In-ear Earphones Review

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Samuel .A

Getting quality In-ear earphones can be a more difficult task than you think. Tell me how many times have you bought cheap earphones that have lasted more than a month or have good quality sound? If you’re like me, then you’ve probably spent more money than you could remember on countless earphones that were not worth it. But with the KZ ZS6 Custom-built Hybrid HiFi in-ear earphones is a different story; Today we will take a look at this elegantly designed earphones manufactured by Knowledge Zenith (KZ), a Chinese company specialized in producing ear aids which stand out for their premium quality and impeccable aesthetics, surprises us for their reliability and decent quality.

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General Specification

Brand – KZ
Model – ZS6
Type – In-Ear
Plug type – 3.5mm
Wearing type – In-Ear
Function – Answering Phone, HiFi, Microphone, Song Switching, Voice control
Weight:25 grams
Cable length:2 meters.
Frequency range:7-40KHz.
Impedance:15Ω
Sensitivity – 105dB/mW.
Language – No
Material – Aluminum Alloy

The KZ ZS6 Custom-built Hybrid HiFi earphones are a pair of simply wired headphones that offer us an excellent value for the price. While they are not loaded with striking features or functions, they fulfill their purpose very well and come with the seal of quality of KZ. They are not the like the standard earphones that we see around. The KZ ZS6 earphones can be detached from its wire to be packed back into its container. It supports 3.5mm audio jack and includes pairs of replaceable ear pads in the packaging.

KZ ZS6 – The package and its contents

Dimension and Weight

Product weight – 0.0250 kg
Package weight – 0.0950 kg
Package size (L x W x H) – 8.20 x 11.20 x 4.20 cm / 3.23 x 4.41 x 1.65 inches

The KZ ZS6 earphones are packed in a small white cardboard box, very simple and with the picture of the KZ ZS6 earphones with their connector on the front. While on the back of the pack, we have the specs of the earphones. The first thing we notice when opening the package and removing the packaging is the headphones are accompanied by two pairs of replaceable earbuds or pads, which come in different sizes to suit all user of varying ear structure.

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The first impression they give us is that it is a product designed with the different preferences of the user if the pads that came with the earphones does not work for you, and then maybe one of the other two extra pairs of pads will. Even the smallest one decently insulated the outside noise. Although that could vary from user to user.

KZ ZS6 – Design and features

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The design of the KZ ZS6 is elegant and neat; it comes in just one color presentation – black, red, green and grey. The cable has a bi-pin connector to that can be plugged into the earbuds and makes it possible to get a replaceable one when it breaks or if you want to buy the KZ Bluetooth cable, KZ Silver plated cable, KZ gold plated cable or any of the upgraded bi-pin connector cables available on the market. The cables have a grayish color and very rubberized finish that makes it last longer without breaking.

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It is obvious that the ZS6 looks nearly identical to the earlier ZS5 earphones, but with just minor changes here and there, that excitement quickly died out. I thought at first that the ZS6 was just a marketing gimmick and that it was nothing more than just a slight upgraded version of the ZS5. But I was wrong.

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When the ear pads are removed, we found the sound chambers covered with metal grills which can be removed if you like.

On the sides of the earphones, we found some text printed on it that reads “ZS6 Four drivers Hybrid technology Aluminum alloy”. And also, we fount two pin socket for connecting the earphones to any kinds of cables designed to fit in.

The length of the cable is 1.25 meters, enough to be comfortable to use with your phone, laptop, desktop PC and other devices using the 3.5mm audio jack.

Apparently, this also depends on the arrangement of your devices, if you are one of those who keeps the PC below the desk, the distance of the cable is a limitation.

As mentioned earlier, the KZ ZS6 earphones include two additional pairs of pads of different sizes; without counting those that came with the ZS6 earphones. We can replace them or remove them completely; although without the pads it is uncomfortable to use.

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There is a small control piece located on the right side of the cable; it has just one button and a microphone (although there are other versions without microphones). This button allows you to pause, resume playback, next song, and switch to the previous song. But, unfortunately, there is no volume up and down buttons or switch to increase or decrease volume. The button is not very hard so that you can press them comfortably. Its effectiveness depends on the device to which it is connected, although in our experience it responded well when we tested it with a laptop and several Smartphones.

However, when connecting to a laptop or PC, you can not use the microphone; As you can guess this requires an adapter. If you are interested to know what type, it is a female adapter to 2 males, which you can get for a minuscule amount of money. If you need one, you can buy it by following this link.

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Build Quality and Comfort

Just as mentioned earlier, the KZ ZS6 has the nearly identical build quality and comfort to the ZS5. The only difference when it comes to this field is the construction of the earphones which are constructed using CNC-machined aluminum (the ZS5 is made out of plastic) that makes the earphones feel relatively premium. The ZS6 also uses the same over-the-ear wires that help secure the earphones stay comfortably in ears.

KZ ZS6 – Sound quality

The sound is different and superior to the other models in its series; It is balanced and detailed. However, at higher volume levels, some quality is lost, although it is a minuscule difference. Even listening to heavy music, like heavy metal, the sound is clear. It is difficult to describe in words the quality of the sound since each person can perceive it differently, but in the writing team, we reached the consensus that most of them are listened to well.

However, the soundstage and instrument separations are very good on these earphones. But here comes the problem of the earphones when it comes to “I,” it sounds too high and over pronounced in my opinion. For example, when listening to music with a lot of details between the low and the midrange frequencies then comes to the high frequencies that completely overpower everything else. Also, when there is an “S” in the sound, the earphones make it sound like “ssSSSssss” – over exaggerating it a bit while the ZS5 sounds a little bit warmer. The bass and the sub-bass is a lot better than the previous ZS5 version.

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When it comes to using the hands-free the experience is satisfactory, no noise outside the call is perceived. The microphone works decently, does not transmit annoying noises at all. Honestly, you cannot complain about the price. I used them while attending other tasks, (since I find it difficult to concentrate without music) and I did not find any significant flaws, at least not for now since about two days of using the earphones.

The KZ ZS6 features 8 drivers in total (4 drivers in each earpiece) in a premium hybrid configuration of 2 balanced armatures and 2 dynamic drivers per side. The dynamic drivers have a diameter of 10mm and 6mm. This complex quad driver configuration is something that can be found in very expensive and premium in ear monitors that cost up to 50 times more than the KZ ZS6.

KZ ZS6 – Conclusions

There is nothing new to say about it, except that KZ has really taken pains to offer the best possible quality for the lowest possible price. Honestly, to see earphones that cost less than $ 30 is natural to be skeptical, many personal experiences can assume that it is a disposable product, but strangely it is not so. On the contrary, the KZ ZS6 hearing aids show an excellent quality-price ratio.

Pros

Best audio quality of any KZ IEM to date
Offers quality and performance of much more expensive IEMs from big name brands
Detachable cables
Affordable price with excellent value

Cons

No volume buttons
Somewhat dull aesthetics
Comfort is not exactly impressive

Where to buy the KZ ZS6 earphones?

The KZ ZS6 compatibility presents no issues with Apple and Android devices being 100% compatible with either. You can buy online the KZ ZS6 with or without an inline microphone and 1-button control, often choosing the mic-less option will cost a bit less. You can purchase them at Gearbest.com for a discount fee.

Buy KZ ZS6 on Gearbest.com for $ 37.99 Dollars

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