Review on Linsoul KZ ZAX Hybrid Driver HiFi In-Ear Earphones – 1DD+7BA, Zin Alloy Shell, Detachable 2 Pin 0.75mm OFC Cable (No Mic, Black) by Kevin Hole

I know the KZ brand firsthand. I already have an excellent ZS10 Pro with powerful bass. I've been impressed with them so far. Then I heard they have the next great KZ IEMs called ZSX Terminator which is supposed to be the terminator of all KZ IEMs. I saw the features and characteristics of ZSX and decided to give it a try. Does this name live up to the hype? DESIGN/FEATURES: The ZSX features 10mm dual magnet drivers, which is a large size for an IEM. The frequency response is 7-40,000 Hz, which is Hi-Res Audio. The sensitivity is above average at 111 dB into 24 ohms. Of course, for PS4 players, it's low enough to be controlled by the Sixaxis controller. During use I set the level to 20 which is high for most audio gear with slightly higher impedances like 30-32 ohms. The ZSX comes with 12 (6x2) hybrid drivers consisting of two DWEK BA (Balanced Armature) drivers for mid and high frequencies. Then two drivers 30095 for high frequencies and DD (dual driver) for low frequencies. The ZSX's body is made of zinc alloy. The body is made from a translucent resin, transparent enough to show the rider and innards. Includes four additional interchangeable ear tips. The ear pads are made of silicone. By default, IEMs come with medium-sized ear tips. The earbuds fit snugly in your ears, along with a plastic-coated oxygen-free copper cable that wraps around your ear. Don't worry about them slipping out. The OFC cable is high quality and detachable. It is a plastic Y-shaped splitter. There are also angled gold-plated IEM connectors with a diameter of 0.75 mm in transparent plastic. By default, the IEM ports are not connected to the headphones. Therefore they must be installed. It can be difficult. I learned it the hard way. However, I found out. First look at the clear resin of the IEM connectors for L and R. The letters may be a bit difficult to see as they are etched into the clear material. In any case, make sure that L or R is facing outwards. R is the cable with microphone. Then connect the speaker to the IEM connectors. The front panel should also face outwards. The tips of the ears should point down and towards the ear. Additionally, the sides are etched white on the inside of the resin cavity. Now they are ready to really listen. Bass/Mid-Bass/Sub-Bass: Like the ZS10 Pro, the ZSX has the same aggressive, clean, crisp, controlled, deep, fast, thunderous, tight and punchy sound. Bass. Bass punch is like listening to boxing gloves against a punching bag. Nevertheless, the bass remains clear and does not seep into the mids. I think the ZS10 Pro could have more punchy bass. The ZSX's bass is cleaner. Out of curiosity I tested some games. I tested ZSX's performance by playing various shooters on PS4 Pro. Test conducted while playing Call Of Duty WWIII, Black Ops 4, and Modern Warfare Remastered. The most impressive thing was hearing how loud and clear the explosions were nearby. Once a teammate used Artillery Barrage Killstreak. I was struck by how the explosions produced an amazingly clear, loud, and punchy sound. Then the Glide Bomb Kill Streak was used. All I could hear was a clear and thunderous roar. The aftermath of the explosion creates a pleasant thunderous rumble. In other words, the sound is similar to the sound of a subwoofer. The wind seems to be blowing around my ears after the explosion. Wow! HIGH: They sound warm and incredibly superior. Compared to the ZS10, the sound is finer. On the other hand, the highs are pleasant and easy to control even at high volumes. No discernible hissing S and T noises, no distortion. In fact, the sound is more compressed. Call of Duty Black Ops 4, for example, is a prime example with lots of hard S and T sounds. Shots are loud but clear. A loud "T" sound is heard each time a bullet hits a target, followed by a loud "Squish sound" when the target is killed. I found that the high volume when listening to the combination of these S and T sounds didn't irritate my ears, which is shocking. With other audio devices, I have to turn down the volume when I hear these noises. The voices heard through the ZXR are intimate and of high quality. It's best described as like someone speaking straight into your ear. It's one thing to hear the voices of WWII characters. Hearing them in Call Of Duty Black Ops 4 is a whole different matter. When I listen to my female character, Battery's lines sound great. "Cluster grenade, have fun!" "Splash!" "Fall!" "Okay, boom time!" "Everyone talk!" "Run!" These are a few my favorite replicas. One day the battery ran into an open compartment on the summit map. The battery said a voice line from outside the compartment. Then her voice grew louder as she entered the bay. There was also an echo of Battery's voice. The authenticity of the echo was unbelievable and almost frightening. This is a good example of a transition between mids and highs. PICTURE/SOUNDSTAGE: ZSX has a GREAT visualization of how they deal with directional noise. Excellent details. During matches, I could hear dialogue from nearby teammates calling out enemies' locations, and other random noises across the map, like explosions and gunfire to my left and right, with precision and clarity. I knew what was happening around me and where on the map the action was taking place. Sounds appear louder when sounds are heard from the other direction. For example, every time my character looks in a direction, the audio in the direction things are happening, like gunshots and explosions, amplifies more. Of course, where there was less action, I would hear less. When my character is looking straight ahead, all the sounds are heard the same way. The soundstage is very wide and airy. Very exciting. I played a match on a very open Gustav Cannon map. I could hear very distinct sounds from far away from anywhere on the map. Not to mention that sounds in the distance sounded a little closer than they really were. If it makes sense In Modern Warfare Remastered I did the mission "Charlie Doesn't Surf". Detailed sounds of heavy gunfire, the rumble of bullets penetrating bodies, the snake-like hiss of RPGs flying overhead, loud explosions and dialogue from Marines and OpFora. I could hear those sounds better than ever. The momentary sound of the booming sonic boom of three fighter jets flying overhead sounded divine. It was fun playing the War Pig mission. Of course, there were the same sounds I heard in the previous mission, Ala shooting, explosions, dialogue, etc. However, it was CRAZY to hear the tank shooting out of the turret and mini-guns on my left. I was completely immersed. LOWS: Low frequencies are great as they pick up subtle sounds with ease. Ridiculously more detailed as they're much clearer and a little louder to hear. I hear sounds that I could hardly hear with other audio devices, e.g. B. Glass breaking in the distance, broken pottery, or bullet casings falling to the ground. In Modern Warfare Remastered, I heard a cat meowing in an alley on the Swamp map. I've never heard that before. Black Ops 4 has detailed sounds like the crunch of my character stomping in deep snow, the crackling of ice, or the sounds of moving water while swimming in the Icebreaker map. Of course, I'm sure some are wondering about the steps. Well the ZSX is VERY good at capturing footsteps in Call Of Duty games. There were times when I could hear the footsteps of enemies following me just a few yards away. Then, as they closed in, I was able to put myself in a good position to attack them. MUSIC: Music sounds great on the ZSX. The voices are very clear. Not to mention that you can hear everything on the track: instruments, snare drums, bass, etc. Impressive. MIC/REMOTE: The speaker for the microphone is located under the plastic one-button remote control. The remote control has six functions. For phone calls, one touch of a button answers the phone. I press it twice, it freezes. Hold to reject a call. While listening to music, one press pauses. Press twice to skip to the next song. Press three times to skip to the previous song. The microphone is fully functional for gameplay. I ran a microphone setup test on PSN. I could hear my voice, crystal clear. My voice was clearly heard during the game. NOISE CANCELING: In addition, these headphones have excellent noise cancellation. I turned on the music while the TV was on and all I could hear was the music. VERDICT: I'm impressed by how great they sound. Considering it's Hi-Res, the price isn't that bad. Not to mention they can work with some of the best headphones out there. Great for music and surprisingly SUPER for gaming. If you already own a pair of KZ IEM headphones, they're still worth a look. This is an update.