KZ ZST 0,75 mm 2-pins upgrade zilveren plaat vervangende oortelefoonkabel voor KZ oortelefoons (zilver)

My new 'Silver Upgraded Cables' for my ZST have arrived with my new 'Colorful ZST' and I'm over the moon because the whole package sounds soooooooo good!I purchased these upgraded cables for two reasons.1) I think these look much nicer than the excellent stock cables. It's just a way to accessorize my favorite IEMs.2) I wanted to determine for myself whether or not there is a difference in sound quality due to upgrading the cables. I tend to be quite skeptical when it comes to audio equipment upgrade claims because the world of mid-fi and hi-fi audio equipment is littered with unproven claims by manufacturers and willing victims or gullible consumers who take the bait for one reason or another. I could elaborate, but most of you reading this get my point so let's get to the review.If you've read my previous reviews you can skip over the next few paragraphs. For those of you that haven't read my previous reviews, please review the following:==========================About IEMs (in-ear monitors):Take note when you read IEM reviews that when the reviewer gives his/her opinion regarding the sound that there are many factors that shape the final sound an IEM delivers to one's ear.Those factors include:1 - Shape and size of the reviewer's ear canals. (shallow or deep, wide or narrow)2 - Shape and size of the eartips. [round or cone, single, double or triple flange (proper fit)]3 - Materials of the eartips (silicone/foam)4 - Shape of the IEM (and/or angle of the nozzle) can cause fitment issues for some.5 - Source (quality of smartphone, laptop, digital audio player) amplified/unamplified.6 - The IEM itself (driver flex possible due to trapping air in canal causing muffled sound.and finally7 - The Reviewers ability to hear all frequency ranges (age plays a factor).Most consumers are unaware of how much weight each of these factors hold in rendering a final verdict. This is why there is such a wide variance in not only ratings, but the description of an IEMs sound. An unaware consumer purchases a perfectly fine IEM but has difficulty keeping the IEM in the ear or does not satisfactorily seal the ear canal with the included silicone eartips (this has happened to me on numerous occasions) and summarily dismisses the IEM as sub par. Another consumer purchases the same IEM but experiences a perfect fit and seal and has nothing but praise for the same IEM. Sealing the ear canals and having the eartip firmly affixed to the IEM nozzle when using IEMs is the determining factor to render a valid verdict. I can think of no audio equipment that is subjected to such praise or ridicule as the in-ear monitor. There is no "one-size-fits-all" when it comes to IEM eartips.-Materials (silicone or foam) have different damping effects on the frequency ranges in the music.-The shape of the eartips (olive-shaped, cone-shaped or other-shaped) can have different damping effects on the music based on how much space is between the IEM nozzle and your eardrum and how well the eartip has sealed the ear canal.-The aperture of the eartip's opening (wide-bore or narrow-bore) will have damping effects on the frequency ranges of the music.The easiest way for you to experience the different effects I am discussing is to take your current on-ear earphones or over-ear earphones, pick a song full of energy, put the earphones on and let them sit naturally over/on your ears. Listen to them for two minutes. After two minutes, using your hands, slightly press the headphones closer to your eardrums. Notice the change in the sound. Is there more/less bass? Is there more/less treble? Did the vocals slightly slip forward/back?Consider that on-ear and over-ear headphones have a driver that sits approximately 1 1/2 inches to 2 inches from your eardrums and by pressing the headphones 1/4" closer to your eardrums the sound changed. Now consider that an IEM sits anywhere from 3/4" to 1/4" from your eardrums and the slightest changes (angle, depth, shape, material) can have up to three times the effect due to the proximity of the IEM to the eardrum.For this reason, I think it is wise to invest a nominal dollar amount on different eartips to get everything the earphone tuners intended. Personally, I think anything less is folly. Some IEM manufacturers supply multiple sizes (S,M & L) and materials (silicone & foam) of eartips to increase the odds that the consumer achieves a satisfactory seal, but even this is not foolproof. If this holds any interest for you some aftermarket brands to look into are "JVC Spiral Dots", "Spinfits", "Comply Foam Eartips" or "Znari Foam Eartips", "Creative Aurvana" and others.=========================It was necessary for me to preface my explanation with the section above on eartips so you can relate to how I reached my verdict regarding upgraded cables.How the test was done.Source: Fiio X3iSplitter: ADTRIP 3.5mm Male to 2 Female Audio Y Splitter CableIn-Ear Monitor: Knowledge Zenith ZSTTest tracks listed below.The only proper way to test for differences in sound was to:1) connect the splitter to the Fiio X3i2) connect the stock cable to one of the splitters 3.5mm sockets3) connect the upgrade cable to the second 3.5mm socket.This would make absolutely sure that the volume level is matched perfectly so there are no hidden variants in output from the source.Then:4) connect the right lead of the stock cable to the ZST right earpiece.5) connect the left lead of the upgrade cable to the ZST left earpiece.6) insert IEMs in ear7) load the test tracks and press playIn actuality, I first listened to the ZST with just the stock cable for approximately 30 minutes to familiarize myself with evenly (left/right) balanced sound. After 30 minutes I proceeded with steps 4 through 7.What I immediately noticed was that there was a slight imbalance in the sound. The sound was slightly off kilter. It wasn't by a huge amount but it was enough to make me check to see if the headphone jack was securely connected. After going back and forth swapping cables (stock & upgraded) for twenty minutes I finally figured why the sound was not balanced and the answer is, in part, explained in the previous section on eartips.The upgraded cable side had a nominal drop (perhaps 5%) in sub-bass while the rest of the frequency range remained in tact. A 5%+/- drop in sub-bass is not reason enough to spend more money for a cable, but the 5%+/- drop in a very narrow band (20 - 30hz) is not the whole story. The rest of the story is how the change in sub-bass effects the other frequencies trapped in the sealed ear canal.What do I mean?Because there is less sub-bass in my ear canals the decrease in rumbling has left more room for the mids and highs to fill the space. This is really basic physics of cause and effect. The driver itself is only outputting 5% less sub-bass, but the chamber the audio enters (your ear canal) has a finite amount of space to be filled with sound. The best picture I can paint for you is this. We have all heard cars drive by outfitted with subwoofers. When they drive by the frequency that stands out the most is the sub-bass. You may hear the mids and highs but more often than not the most distinctive thing you hear is the sub-bass. Sub-bass frequencies can dominate other frequencies to one degree or another based on its level in relation to other frequencies. In fact I'm sure most of you have heard those same frequencies roll across the landscape when lightning strikes. It's called "rolling thunder" because it fills the air and just carries until it dissipates. A less powerful sub-bass allows other frequencies (in the chamber) to fill that same space. There is no space in the ear canal that remains void. The entire chamber will fill with sound and the sub-bass when present will not be supplanted or forced into submission. However, it has become quite clear to me that less sub-bass in the chamber makes room in the chamber for other frequencies trapped in that chamber to be heard.So, to summarize my findings, while the driver connected to the upgraded cable is delivering the same exact frequencies (except sub-bass) you will hear, not only the drop in sub-bass, but the other frequencies will be heard more clearly.If you plan on picking these cables up I suggest you pick up a splitter ($2-3) so you can do this test for yourself. There is such a war going on between:1) the science end of the spectrum that deny any change in sound occurs, which I was inclined to believe before I did this test for myself.2) the headphone/earphone industry who seek to sell you more stuff, which I was inclined to disregard until I did this test for myself.If you do the test exactly as I have done it, please post your findings. My mind is made up because I heard the imbalance for myself, but it would be interesting to hear your findings as well. I think this experiment will produce similar results if you run this test through an amplified source because a power efficient DAP (20+ hrs of playback) will, more than likely, lack the low end that an amplified source will deliver, hence the difference. My guess is that if you use your smartphone or power efficient DAP to do the test there will be virtually no difference because there will be little to no change in sub-bass, which means the cables will offer only aesthetic benefits, if you do not use an amplified source. Be sure you have a proper seal with your chosen eartips as well.Years ago, I worked in a fine white tablecloth restaurant. Every day we had specials that where prepared with various herbs and spices (tarragon, cumin, rosemary, thyme, etc.) and after several weeks I could pick out every ingredient in a dish no matter which restaurant I frequented and likewise my palette was equally adept when tasting wine varietals. I think it is no different here (for ears). How many times have you read a review where the reviewer states that his Panasonic RP-HJE120 sounds as good as.....say a Philips SHE3580 or Klipsch X10. That's just pure rubbish, but the poor guy just can't tell the difference.If you use IEMs regularly and/or even have several pairs with different sound signatures then the change that I am discussing will not be lost on your ears. You will hear it. The sub-bass will nominally decrease and the mids and highs will nominally come forward giving a nominal increase in clarity. Keep in mind that an acceptable sound signature will not vary greatly from a neutral sound signature. Anything other than SLIGHT EQ ADJUSTMENTS (+/-) can produce awful results (boomy bass, shouty mids or sibilant highs), lkewise, the changes that occur with the upgraded silver cable are just further fine tuning.If you wish to fine tune your ZST to facilitate slightly more mids/highs and slightly less bass then pick up these cables.If you want to accessorize your ZST with a better looking cable then pick up these cables.If you want a microphone-free cable, then pick up these cables.You'll do fine with the stock cables but these upgrade cables will have your ZST 'LEANING MORE TOWARD' neutral with better clarity, detail and separation.I can say with certainty that the change was definitely not placebo effect because the imbalance was noticeable immediately.Test tracks were the following:Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong - "Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You"Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong - "Learnin' The Blues"Diana Krall - "Maybe, You'll BeThere"Diana Krall - "Baby, All The Time"Van Halen - "Hot For Teacher"Metallica - "Nothing Else Matters"Dream Theater - "Pull Me Under"Tourniquet - "The Hand Trember"Shania Twain - "No one needs to know"Tim McGraw - "She Was Mine For A Little While"Tears for Fears - "Woman In Chains"Morcheeba - "Blindfold"Massive Attack - "Teardrop"Portishead - "Roads"Beth Orton - "Central Reservation"Beth Orton - "Daybreaker"Schiller - "Under My Skin"Jackson 5 - "I Want You Back"Secession - "Magician (Pecky Plus Mix)"The Church - "Under The Milky Way"Otello - "Masterworks Collection: Rabbit Hole"Othello - "Masterworks Collection: BlowBack"Otello - "Masterworks Collection: Downtime"Antonio Vivaldi - "Concerti (Op. 11) [list is too long]I'll post photos at a later date!*** Update January 30, 2017 ***I didn't notice this earlier, but it turns out that a top reason to pick up these upgraded cables is because THERE ARE ZERO MICROPHONICS. The stock cables, while durable and made well, are highly microphonic. The upgraded cables are not microphonic. I didn't figure this out until I got these upgraded cables tangled with cables from an IEM I was switching from. When I decided to swap IEMs, the cable of the pair I was about to remove from my ears got tangled with these upgraded cables and the microphonics were very unpleasant while trying to undo the tangling. So much so, that I quickly removed the IEMs that were in my ears and put the ZSTs with the upgraded cables in. As I proceeded to untangle the two different cables, I noticed that THERE WAS ZERO NOISE COMING FROM THE CABLE MOVEMENT....ZERO!Could it be possible? IEM cables with zero microphonics? I then proceeded to rub these all over my clothes and everything else I could find.....and.....LORDY BE.....NO MICROPHONICS!This should be a runner or gym-goers dream.I think this $8 is money well pent for reasons I haven't even anticipated.Goodness gracious, it just keeps getting better! Thanks KZ!Hope this was helpful.

Maybe it's specific to each model of headphones, but the new cable doesn't provide durability of connection, as the headphones' original cable did. In the original cable, its pin outer plastic lays on top of the headphones, so the movement is limited. With the new cable, it doesn't have this cover, so while pins are in, it is easier to bend them, if used carelessly.

Good cable, but little short. A foot longer would have been better. But works well and sound excellent.

Basic cheap cable not the upgraded silver plated one.

I purchased one of these upgraded cables a while ago and have been happily using them. I've decided to finally leave a review because of the excellent customer service experience I had with Yinyoo Audio. The two pin head on my old cable broke while trying to unplug my headphone. I contacted Yinyoo by emailing the listed email on their website and got a fairly quick response. They verified my purchase and happily sent me a replacement cable at zero charge. I thought this was amazing since I had purchased these cables over a year ago. Great customer service!