KZ ZS10 Pro Review – Another Step Forward

KZ (Knowledge Zenith) ZS10 Pro— I actually had no urge to review these until I read some rich old guys on an audiophile site gushing about how well these compared to their pricy Campfires and Shures. Welcome to Chifi, suckas.

In any event, the Pro is the updated version of the polarizing ZS10 [review HERE], albeit with a sleeker design and much better comfort. Visually almost identical to the ZSN, but with a shiny stainless metal fascia which looks more upscale, at least until time and fingerprints take their toll. Stock cable is flexible and ergonomic, and isolation is extremely good. 

The Pro is L-shaped, with a pronounced bias towards a well-extended sparkly treble; like the ZS7 these are very energetic, loud and efficient.  These seem optimized for more intimate, nearfield listening than their more expansive-sounding KZ stablemates like the ZS6 or ZS10—the Pro’s soundstage is fairly narrow and inside-your head, but nicely rounded (think movie theater rather than concert hall). Stereo imaging and instrument placement are impressive, although the aforesaid models present more space between the performers and, as noted below, the Pro can sound congested on certain bass-heavy fare. Tonally, these are bright but not strident and sound significantly more accurate and “expensive” than their cheaper stablemates like the ZSN, though the warmer ZS7 and original ZS10 sounds truer to the source.

The treble emphasis notwithstanding, low end (particularly subbass) is voluminous and visceral; however like the ZSR and ZS5 there’s a distinct tubbiness to the bass, and attack is a step slow, which causes a little smearing on some material; the ZS7 by comparison has less slam but better lowend speed and control. (EQ and/or tiprolling can mitigate the bloom, but KZ would have been better served by dialing down the subbass a notch). 

Where some have opined that the mids on the originals ZS10 were peaky and/or undercooked, the mids on the Pro are nicely forward, full-bodied and articulate—male voices and electric guitars sound rich and clear. High end is the definite focus here—very detailed and transparent compared to the ZS5/ZS7, albeit with a little bit of added shimmer. Low level details are captured impressively and sibilance is mild; they also avoid the somewhat clinical, dry quality of treble-oriented peers like the T2. These excel with acoustic material—every string, high hat and cymbal is reproduced very accurately—although I would opt for the ZS7 or ZS5 for heavier stuff.

Within the crowded $50 price class, the BQEYZ BQ3 is more coherent overall, with tighter bass and a tubier timbre, thought the Pro is more revealing at the high end and a livelier listen. The TRN V80 likewise has a more refined low end and presents an equivalent amount of high-end detail, but is more strident/digital sounding and consequently more fatiguing. The ZS7 has less extension at both ends and is less revealing but has a larger stage, better bass control and a more balanced, smoother presentation; your preference between them may be very material-dependent. Moving up to the $100 class, something like the Simgot EM2 or ToneKing 9T are significantly bigger sounding, with a less-digital, more natural tonality, although the Pro actually shows more microdetail than either and acquits itself pretty well in comparison. 

Not groundbreaking, or perfect, but the Pro represents a positive step towards a more refined signature and (perhaps needless to say for a KZ) is a lot of earphone for the money.

SPECIFICATIONS

Brand: KZ Acoustics
Model: ZS10 Pro
Driver/Transducer: 4 Balanced Armatures + 1 Dynamic Driver
Sensitivity: 111 dB/mw
DC resistance: 24 ohms
Connection: 2-Pin 0.75mm diameter
Frequency response range: 7hz – 40KHz
Wire length: 1.2m (approx. 3.9 feet)
Plug diameter: 3.5mm
Price: $49.99 (at the time of this review)
Purchase Link: Yinyoo amazon store

Disclaimer: I got these unsolicited and free from Yinyoo via Amazon. The photos were provided by Slater.

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