We’re talking about the same tech but different applications of it.

The app feels mostly useless

My first thought was underwear where you’ll never have to sweat again… my fashion friend’s first thought was mattress cooling.

Maybe it’s perfect when you’re on a plane with the none stop ambient noise

Solid state everything… solid state cooling is blowing my mind currently

Have you used any other IEM driver type?

You may need to up the power settings on your amp to hear all the details.

Planar drivers need more power than DD & BA drivers to get the same emotional impact, and possibly detail retrieval.

There’s an energy efficiency problem still being solved for mini Planar drivers.

Ex: Same music, hardware (except IEM set), same volume/gain settings… different amount of audible detail/emotional impact… just because not enough energy is going through the planar driver to fully energize the entire surface.

KZ seems to be pretty good at balanced armature & dynamic driver tuning and setup.

I don’t think anyone has solved the energy efficiency problem with planar magnetic drivers

Since all the IEM producers have figured out 3d printing sound channels from the driver to the output canal… it becomes a question of tuning (which you can edit a bit with your DAC), & quality/design of the shell encasing drivers & board.

Value?

The non-KZ brands mostly have nicer packaging and accessories. KZ accessories aren’t great… but a decent cable upgrade is $15-$30, & good ear tips for $5-$20. Choose at will from other brands.

I really don’t think there is much sound improvement gained when spending over $150. Accessories and packaging sure does get better, but you don’t need everything to come in one box together, from 1 company. (Almost an anti-Apple statement.)

My friends compared hardware with me, who have high end UE custom IEMs, Etymotic ear penetrators, and other $400+ setups. They were all blown away by how a $50, $80, and $120 IEM sounded so good & satisfying compared to their more expensive setups.

The CIEM owner was the only who stayed with his brand… because they were custom fit.

With KZ the real problem becomes the shape of the IEMs. Some have a bump opposite the ear canal insert, some are smooth.

Example: AS16Pro & AST are both balanced armature setups. AS16Pro - $50ish 8 BA per ear No bump Wide ear nozzle (part you put the tips on)

AST - $120-140ish 12 BA per ear Has bump Standard ear nozzle

I love the sound of both. They are almost identical in terms of sound out put.

I’d love to use the AS16Pro. It looks better to me, it weighs less, but the ear nozzle is so wide I can’t wear them & be comfortable. I have narrow ear canal.

My friend who went from a $400 setup to AS16Pro loves the sound of the AST more, but the bump makes them not fit his ear. He has a giant ear canal by comparison. I use the smallest possible ear tips, he uses some triple flange giant tip that looks like an ear dildo. We are all different…

Oddly enough the bump seems mostly cosmetic in the AST. Straight up empty space in the bump (I love clear setups).

*I’m into detailed transparent sound output most of the time, so I prefer balanced armature setups from KZ most of the time. Sometimes I listen to the ZAS. It’s the nicest looking KZ IEM I have, so I’ll use those when I’m going places in the evening.

You need to adjust, just like with the almost buttonless cell phones.

This issue goes away once voice control software understands you

Then how do farts get through?

Sir, you have no need to keep up. You have a need to enjoy your music and whatever working hardware you have.

Sell it & get a Qudelix 5K. You can charge while in DAC mode even with iPhone.

Oddly most TWS users I know are actually using them to block out the daily sounds of city living or their job site’s noise.

If the game’s audio is designed for Atmos or some sort of 3D sound it’ll sound oddly spaced out on audiophile hardware.

Check the game audio settings. Make sure it’s set to stereo.

JBL

Planar IEMs currently need more power than your CCA CRA. So you’d need more gain/volume at the same power level to make your planar IEM sound as emotionally impactful as the CRA.

Honestly… makes the planar a bit safer for your longterm hearing prospects.

Your phone’s 3.5 jack has 24bit/192kHz audio output.

This is as good as it gets for current digital audio.

You need no other DAC to enjoy lossless audio.

KZ accessories are not good. They are ok. All of their ear tips made my ears produce more ear wax than usual. That’s an immune system response.

Your ears maybe happier trying something from another brand. There are silicone tips with foam underneath. Might be the comfort and fit you’d like.

Why’d you bother with getting 2 different DQ6’s? I have a pair myself.

Balanced Armature (BA) and Planar drivers have provided me the most clear, rich audio detail experience. I believe these type of setups will need the least EQ tinkering.

BA drivers require less energy so they sound more vibrant/powerful than a planar at the same EQ/gain settings. You need at least 5-6 BA’s per ear (personal opinion).

I have some hybrid Dynamic driver/ BA setups. The bass is more powerful on those.

I have yet to experience a reason to spend over $150 on a set unless they are gift for a woman and need to be pretty on top of sounding good.

Has anyone eaten the paint chips?

Thank you. That was interesting.

I look at headphones/speakers/IEMs as technology/hardware. So when I hear technicalities I expect something about part of the hardware, and it’s effects on all the stuff listed in the linked article.

Like different material filters = x resulting sound

Or driver arrangements in hybrid setups positioned differently = y result

Sorry if my perspective is off.

It’s funny to me after 18 months of paying attention to the “professional” reviewers… none of them have tried to start a wiki or something like to build a common vocabulary/jargon list which is clear.

I have yet to cross paths with a clear definition of what “technicalities” are.

Is this like the physical properties of what the hardware is made of?

If you get stuff wet with salty liquid

I wonder what “too much air” means. Some Atmos tracks I listened to sounded like things were far apart or had too much space between the sounds… but I think those are artifacts of the way those tracks were mixed/designed.

You can really hear bad studio mixing on the PR1. A lot of new hip-hop/rap sounded like crap audio design/mixing.

I’m going to get in a studio with another music producer or two soon. Hopefully once my PR1 Pros arrive we’ll go do a full demo to explore.

The short answer is it varies. Everyone’s hearing damage is a bit different.

I met some guy a year ago who’s EQ settings are the complete opposite of mine… we both have hearing damage and some sort of tinnitus.

I lower the bass 6 or more db over all on bass heavy headsets, and an additional 3db down the my left ear. That is more sensitive for some reason.

I’ve had the PR1 for a day now… they are wonderful in terms of detail, and separation.

Because these things need more power than DD/BA drivers I run it 6db higher to feel the music the same way.

I think the bass is fine. I haven’t heard any problems with vocals at all.

I was able to make out specific kinds of distortion effects used in a track that I like for the first time with IEMs.

Atmos stuff sounds weird on them… too much separation maybe 🤷🏻‍♂️

Pri1 Pros are in the mail.