October 17th, 2018

KZ ZS5 Review: Jawdropping.

Introduction

When I heard that there was a new hybrid 4-driver IEM for the price of 40 bucks, I was stoked. And to think that my 3-driver XBA-A3 costed me 250 bucks…

Well, we can’t always take things at face value, not here we can’t. You get what you pay for in the world of audio gear most of the time (cough cough Beats cough). But boy, the KZ ZS5 is simply one of the most compelling deals I’ve ever seen. Why is it that? You will see soon...

Unboxing

The IEMs come in a big cardboard box, which i really dig simply because I’m just fond of excessive packaging and this is a perfect example of such practices (there’s also a smaller box version which is cheaper but I bought this version just because it has the bigger box). There’s a cool looking chrome-colored KZ logo printed on the top. You open the box by lifting up the flap with magnets embedded inside, it opens and closes neatly and the magnet is sufficiently strong. However, the cardboard quality is average, with a rough and cheap feeling texture to it.

Accesories

Inside, you will find an instruction manual with english and chinese versions available, I don’t know Chinese but from what I see, the english translation is pretty accurate and I have yet to spot any grammatical errors. Also in the box is a tip holding frame thingy? I don’t know how to call it but it’s basically a rectangular piece of metal that holds your tips and feels pretty premium.

Speaking of tips, you get two types: the normal silicone tips and KZ’s special tips with the ridges on their top lips, each set comes with their S,M,L counterparts respectively. I for one recommend using the special tips as firstly, they look cool and those ridges actually help to keep your ears from being too congested and humid having this giant thing jammed inside.

And… that’s it. Yeah… that’s all you get. No carrying case or pouch, no shirt clip. Needless to say, I was a bit disappointed. For such a big box, I’d expected they’d sweeten the pot a little bit, but I guess it’s just the same as the small box version. The extra money was spent on that piece of metal from before I imagine?

Appearance

Here’s the ZS5, in the flesh. Or rather, in the cheap feeling plastic… I’m also not too impressed with this IEM’s build quality, it’s below average even compared to dirt cheap earphones I see sold in the streets of Vietnam. While the coral bluish color is nice, Even from a mile away I can still see the partially sealed seems around the two plastic parts that are assembled together, which is just embarrassing.

The cable isn’t anything to talk about either, with the ear hooking portion being really stiff and flimsy and the wiring being sticky and pretty microphonic, it also is very tangle-prone. There will be times where I would roll it up nicely and put it in a carrying case, only to open it out and seeing the thing tie the most sophisticated knots ever seen. I doubt this cable’s longevity and although you will lose the mic and control clump, the silver cable is a must buy for I do not like the ZS5’s stock cable one bit.

The ZS5’s design is a pretty close imitation of Campfire Audio’s products, namely the Andromeda and Orion but without the three bolts fastened to the front plate. That and some designs printed on its body, proudly showing off the amount of drivers it holds with “dynamic x2; armature x2”. Despite its angular looks, the ZS5 fit into my ears comfortably with relative ease, and it’s low-profile enough that you can wear it to sleep, though this is where the sharpened corners bite into your ears and create a pretty uncomfortable feeling, you will get use to it eventually so fear not.

Now, for the part that you all came for: the sound quality.

My taste in music is pretty messy, but the majority of my collection is EDM so the songs I pick to benchmark this IEM will reflect that fervently. I will also listen to some more mainstream songs just to see if it can be an all-rounder IEM. My setup is simple, just a Galaxy Note 8 and some Viper4android tweaks.

Sound

Embrace - NGHTMRE & Carmada (ft. Xavier Dunn)

Let’s start out with something dirty, and Embrace is just the song I need. It is here that you can see how the ZS5 makes all frequencies play well with each other. With other IEMs I’ve tried, they always seem to struggle to make all details clean and well separated, well this is not the case with the ZS5. It puts Xavier Dunn’s vocals out in the front when he sings, never hiding it away or making it unintelligible. And when the drop hits, my oh my, it perfectly separates the dirty sounding synth and the basslines yet somehow also make them work with eachother to hit my ears with the perfect amount of viscosity and strength that I expect from such a song.

Nurture - Glacier (ft. Brenna Myers)

Once again, I am amazed by the ZS5’s ability to make vocals shine, especially Brenna Myer’s inspiring voice. Vocals were never drowned out during the song and the crispy treble that this IEM provides makes the oriental instrument at the start really natural with lots of timbre and clearness. The ZS5 also excels at imaging, making synths and various instruments harmonize without quelling any specific one, even with some chaotic parts in the drop.

Happy - Pharrell Williams

Time for something more mainstream, this time the ZS5 demonstrates its power taking on the details and sound effects of Happy. Claps and drums were very tactile and fast, with the rhythm going along adding layers and complexness. What really surprised me was when the chorus appeared, they had a moment where their voices had a little echo to reflect the environment they were in, something that I didn’t hear or at least didn’t hear clearly before in any other earphones.

Of course, the ZS5 isn’t without shortcomings. Their interpretation of treble sounds very nice in many songs but it might be a bit too sibilant and seems to have a high pitch screech in a lot of songs which is giving me early onset tinnitus. Ahh, chinese products, you pay with your money and your health. And the build quality, once again, is abysmal, I wouldn’t dare take this outside fearing that the cable will just break if I flex it too hard.

Conclusion

"In conclusion. Let’s just say I’m blown away by the performance of these IEMs. They have now become my daily drivers, replacing my Sony XBA-A3 thanks to its superior imaging, separation and comfort. Believe the hype. This IEM has debunked my old opinion that you won’t find anything worthwhile below 150 bucks. Not only is the ZS5 really good compared to other products in its price range, it also earned a place on my ears and that to me, speaks volumes about its performance. If you can ignore the sub par build quality, the KZ ZS5 will definitely not disappoint and is a must buy. You will also benefit a ton from this thing's audio coming from earphones that came with your phone."