The memory wire can be slipped out without cutting it on KZ's upgrade cables, but thus far I've had to just cut/break away the stock cable ones. (though personally, I've taken to actually leaving about 1/4 inch of wire and shrink tubing to give some strain relief)

SPC = Silver plated copper ;)

At a quick glance: UE Buffer Jack ~4 ohms output impedance (and I can't find its attenuation factor) iFi Ear Buddy ~1.5 ohms output impedance (~15dB attenuation) (and iEMatch is ~1.0/2.5 ohms OI, ~12/24 dB attenuation)

Also I love graphs and I'm a huge fan of that site, but you need to know what you're working with. For example, "cold" versus "bright" - as in warm/cold, dark/bright are typically considered interchangeable, but as that site does a decent job of explaining, they choose to use "cold" for a treble...

Not to nitpick, but audiobudget appears to use an uncalibrated mic (with what appears to be a huge amount of bass roll off), so actually the graph can't help but lie ;) :shrug:

That's some pretty selective quoting out of some quite positive reviews... therefore I feel like your conclusion is a bit hyperbolic in nature. Strikes me though that you've learned something about how to interpret a few reviewers in the context of what you'll enjoy though - like bright and...

Yeah, there were a number of people reporting problems with the ES3 with driver flex and considerable channel imbalance around that time too :wink: Yup, on my pair that piece of foam was around the nozzle of one BA, and along the side of the other... obviously that created a pretty weird...

No idea, but maybe something to do with being a GearBest exclusive initially? :shrug: I really want to love the ES3 - the amount it can be altered by some simple mods really makes me feel like there's a gem to be had there somewhere that I just haven't discovered yet... but it just didn't...

I get the feeling a wealth of reports in this thread of QC issues with the ES3 early on probably has something to do with the lack of enthusiasm. I feel like those QC problems contributed to some seriously wide swinging initial impressions that really just didn't paint a cohesive picture of why...

Going to try avoiding too much derailment, but thanks - you're right, I did misunderstand, and that makes a lot more sense to me. ;) I'd toss this out there though: ZS5 are the victim of an unfortunately placed front volume vent that can cause bass response to vary widely from wearer to wearer...

You rag on the ZS5 for being intensely colored with recessed mids and those are your picks for good mids and neutrality... interesting. What was it Skullophile was just saying to me... I'm glad you've found something you can enjoy. :wink: EDIT: I feel like the above comes off as rather glib...

Personally I'd call the ZS5v1 U-shaped... But if you're going to make claims like that, you should at least back them up... so let's have a bit of fun: ER-4S Harman target compensated (source): And here's a rough one of the ZS5v1: PS: Those are from different standards compliant couplers...

I think they're more just poking fun at you for the way you asked your question. :shrug: Anyway, how to put this delicately :thinking: ... it kind of sounds like you're expecting the cable to do too much heavy lifting. :shrug: But my views on the matter seem to ruffle feathers on both sides...

Most of the posts have been taken down unfortunately, but many people have opened them up and confirmed that they are KZ branded BAs. There's probably still a few lingering pics back about 400 pages ago in this thread. As I said, KZ does not claim to be using any Knowles products, though they...

Nope... they are clearly KZ branded BAs. KZ certainly doesn't claim to be using any Knowles products, though some resellers might be less than honest about the situation.