Youâre right in all youâve said. You will be fine
I have both. There is some superficial similarity in that both are V-shaped but the Timeless is much more coherent. The Timeless has plenty of treble, itâs sparkly there but also manages to much less harsh than the ZS10 Pro, where the treble is extremely wonky, itâs full of peaks and dips. Timeless timbre is much better. Bass is extremely well extended but better controlled and less boomy, less overpowering the mids.
I have the Dusks as well, for me personally I think itâs better overall than the Timeless. Itâs more neutral, the Timeless is more coloured, with more of a bass and treble emphasis. Itâs not harsh though, and I think this may be a bit of a planar thing, I find the Ananda bright and sparkly in a somewhat similar way- but never harsh.
If you are specifically looking for something that is a bit V or U shaped though, Timeless is closer to that than the Dusk. Timeless does do electronic music very well.
They are also smaller and lighter and fit will be way better for most people. The Timeless is absolutely competing at the Blessing/Dusk sort of level, it is well above the likes of the Starfield. Good choice I think.
Thanks for the input. Iâll really just need to wait and see if it scratches the same itch. I definitely want a V/U shaped signature, but Iâve had plenty of V shaped buds that never gave me the same experience. So theres something else there that I just donât have the experience to pinpoint. Sounds like its hard for me to go wrong with these at any rate.
Iâve just stumbled on the FD5s, these really look like the ZS10 analogues I was looking for. Harsh chifi V shaped sound done well, haha. Decisions, decisions.
Thanks for the reassurance nymz! While weâre at it, is it worth picking up a qudelix 5k for the timeless over my current iPhone dongle? I was kinda set on sticking with my current set up, but your review has me on the fence again
Yes. At least a qudelix5k. Im getting mine this week (I hope) and Iâll folks know. Apple dongle isnt enough, imo.
If you are interested in the FD5, and your interest in V shape is mostly about the bass, Crinacle has a forthcoming retuning of the FH3, the Eclipse, which may also be of interest to you. More bass, and the treble is reigned in a bit. Cheaper than the FD5 too, itâs $149.
I have the Qudelix, itâs definitely more than enough. Run it balanced if you can, not so much for the power which Iâm nowhere near exhausting but the balanced output measures better (lower noise, distortion and crosstalk) on both the Qudelix and BTR5. I got the 2.5mm for this reason. You do also get 3x the power out of the balanced output (240mW vs 80mW), if you think you need it.
Different tastes and all but⊠(in case of ZS10 the high end is probably less âmuffledâ but considering itâs a peak itâs not better imo). By the way, when I say muffled or bloated it doesnât mean you canât hear that but tonal emphasis is wrong so it causes problems with separation.
On Timeless, you basically EQ 200 and 2k down and itâs much better.
I slimmed it down to 6 filters (6th is there only because itâs where I hear sibilance). Sounds just as good.
So what youâre saying is I can just flip this around, plug it into an EQ and I have my ZS10 signature back
Thanks for the comparison. They look really similar in the graph up to the 4k divergence, which I like. But Iâm new to reading EQs. The bass gains are way larger as dB values than they look on that graph.The treble definitely looks smoothed out.
I just did some AB testing with my DT 990s, and while they are on the brighter side themselves, they can pick out the details Iâm looking for without (as much) unevenness. I think that maybe what the ZS10s are doing for me is emulating a greater amount of detail and openness by âunmufflingâ the upper endâŠbut in a raw and uneven way. So if that theory is true, I should love the timeless even if they arenât hurting my ears. All I know is I low key hate the blons, which is odd because they are maybe the single most loved and inoffensive pair of earbuds. Everything just feels hidden behind the bass/mids and congested to me.
So what youâre saying is I can just flip this around, plug it into an EQ and I have my ZS10 signature back
No, this is an EQ that corrects Timeless to Harman Target but you can easily make one that corrects it to ZS10 Pro. Note that idk how much difference there is between ZS10 and Pro as Crinacle doesnât seem to have the non-pro in his graph database.
And Timeless shouldnât be hurting your ears but it will sound uneven.
Hereâs ZS10 + Pro + Timeless. Have you tried EQ-ing ZS10?
Here, you flip this upside down and you reduce what is below and boost what is above and you make Timeless (at least tonality wise) like ZS10).
Have you tried EQ-ing ZS10?
Ah I was just saying ZS10 as shorthand, I have only had the Pro version of them. From what I remember, they are about as similar as any two random KZs, much darker. At any rate, Iâve found that I prefer to let headphones have their quirks and qualities rather than EQ them out. And just have variety of buds for whatever sound Iâm in the mood for. Iâve tried taming the wildness out of the DT 990s and the ZS10 Pros and it just kills them. Iâll probably leave the timeless alone as well, whatever unevenness they have wonât be in the same realm as those two banshees
Here, you flip this upside down and you reduce what is below and boost what is above and you make Timeless (at least tonality wise) like ZS10).
That was just a bad attempt at a joke But I would like to see what that graph looks like between the ZS10 Pro and the timeless
Raw
Harman Compensated
Timeless compensated for ZS10
ZS10 compensated for Timeless
And hey, whatever works for you
I view myself as a âreally like the ZS10 Pro, not lovedâ. It got a touch sibilant for classic rock and prog rock, but I still use it for metal ( Iron Maiden sounds great on it ), and it is my go to IEM for Movies or TV with the Roku remote. That was my first IEM, so I have a soft spot for it, and it still holds up well.
The Timeless does everything I mentioned above well, it has some treble energy but isnât harsh, and I tend to be sensitive to sibilance, and will wear an IEM all day. The Timeless doesnât have that weird frequency spike, or you just donât experience it the same.
There is a fast and smooth thing with planar headphones that is hard to explain, but they are different, and most people have a clear love or hate thing with it. I really like it, but I would also keep a DD around for when you want that sound. I have been doing Timeless and Mele on my desk, and they are a nice pairing.
What is hps ?
headphones.
Does anyone know where to purchase, or if itâs possible to purchase the largest of the provided white (or black from what Iâve seen) cylindrical silicone tips? My freakish ear canals seem to be most compatible with these tips, and they work like a dream on my LZ A7 and XENNS UP sound-wise. (Oddly enough, not that great for the Timeless itself )
@comfylife If youâre in the UK? Iâm happy to send you FOC my Timeless tips all totally unused and still in their plastic bags
Put some Symbio W tips on your Timeless if you can get them. The treble gets much less sharper. My Timeless now sound like studio monitors. If youâre interested in super flat sound, try it.
Quite a bass killer in my experience, which some may be looking for.