KZ ZS6 review – quad driver earphones for £20

KZ ZS6 quad hybrid-driver earphones

£18.15

7.9

Build quality

7.5/10

Design

7.5/10

Comfort

8.0/10

Sound quality

8.0/10

Value

8.5/10

Pros

• Hybrid drivers at less than £20
• Replaceable cable
• Clear, defined audio
• In line mic/control
• That price

Cons

• Average fit and finish
• Lack of treble finess

Get the KZ ZS6 quad-driver earphones for £18.15 using code ZS6LM!

Knowledge Zenith, or KZ, seem to be able to produce earphones at ridiculous prices. I was so intrigued that I have taken delivery of their ZS6 quad-driver earphones. Surely they can’t be true?

GadgetyNews gets quite a range of earphones and headphones to review. Some prove to be amazing value. Others, however, fall short of the mark.

Being of Yorkshire lineage, I still believe you can bargains. Now, when a website claims that they have quad-driver earphones available for less than 4 pints (in London) then I had to hear them.

KZ ZS6 design

The housings of the KZ ZS6 are made of aluminium and have a metal grid on the outer side of them which suggests an open-back design.

Their angular casements house 8 drivers in total (4 drivers in each earpiece).

This is meted out in a hybrid configuration of 2 balanced armatures and 2 dynamic drivers per side.

The dynamic drivers have a diameter of 10mm and 6mm.

This complex quad driver configuration is something usually expected in very expensive, premium in ear monitors.

Also usually the reserve of higher-end earphones, the KZ ZS6 sport a two-pin connector for the cables. The detachable cables are handy so that you can either replace or upgrade them at a later date.

The pair of earphones, without cables, weigh just under 13 grams. You will know you’re wearing them but not uncomfortably so. Part of the reason for that is the supplied cable has memory wire at the connection end. This can be formed to fit and go over your ear so you are not solely relying on the tip holding the earphones in.

Regarding those tips, you get three pairs of differing sizes in the little bundle.

The cable features an inline “HD” microphone and single button remote control as well as a chunky 3.5mm jack on the end.

KZ ZS6 performance

These earphones are certainly packing plenty of kit for the money. However, the fit and finish appears to be where costs have been cut.

The ZS6 has a lot of jagged corners on them. These have not caused me any issue but, should you have tiny ears, then they might cause discomfort.

I have been pleasantly surprised by the amount of isolation provided by them. Especially when taking those open vents in to consideration.

Sound Quality

To start off with these struck me as very bright, and harsh-sounding earphones.

However, this was also combined with how impressive they managed to sound. It was basically a matter of avoiding tracks with plenty of cymbal crashes and the like. Not ideal, but I stuck with them with regular breaks as they did prove to be a tad fatiguing at times.

The mids of the KZ ZS6 possess a nice warmth. This produces very clear vocals despite a slight mid-bass bleed into lower mids.

Higher mids are neither rolled off nor harsh at all.

Treble eventually smoothed out a little although it is still pronounced. This is partly due to the hybrid configuration of the KZ ZS6 and the lack of finess in tuning.

Those bright highs produced by the artmature drivers pack stacks of detail. However, sibilance can arise in sibilant-prone songs. I do not use any EQ device but I am sure you might be able to dial in/out something more palatable, should it be required.

The bass is pushed up just a touch. Occassionally there can be a lack of detail or texture in more intricate compositions you do get a solid amount of quantity oomph for electronic music. There’s no issue with bass response speed.

The low-end produced by the KZ ZS6 makes them a fun and energetic listen. Moreover,  I couldn’t say that the KZ ZS6 ever under-delivered bass during my testing. Additionally, it never got boomy, out of hand or muddied.

KZ ZS6 review conclusion

[amazon_link asins=’B077JZW2HD’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’gadgnews-21′ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=”]These are excellent value at the price. No, they are not giant killers and they do lack some finess.
 
However, for around £20, they perform great and pack the kind of driver technology I have only seen in much more expensive earphones.
 
Also, at this price point, getting some better cables might actually hand you something very impressive whilst staying under £50.
 
Apparently, this offering from Yinyoo is worth checking out, for instance.
 

KZ ZS6 price and availability

Currently Gearbest has them at £21.93.

Great news though – use coupon code: zs6lm and they’re yours for £18.15!

Specifications at a glance