KBEAR Lark 1BA+1DD HiFi IEM Headphones for Musicians & Church Performances

Pros: Good build quality and great sound quality. Addresses all the issues of its predecessor, the ZS6, and improves in nearly all areas.Con: Some minor driver flex on the right side unit.The KZ ZS7 is a five driver per side hybrid IEM. The ZS7 has one 10mm dynamic driver handling the low frequencies, one 29689 BA driver handling the mid frequency, one 31005 BA driver handling the mid-high frequencies, and two 30095 BA drivers handling the high frequencies.Accessories:The ZS7 comes in a black box that opens up in a booklet style. The IEMs are secured and protected by dense foam and also includes a small metal name plate. The included cable is a bronze colored, 4 core, copper braided, 0.75mm 2-pin cable. The cable has memory wire for adjusting the ear hook. The advantage to a removable cable is the option to upgrade to better cable or replace a failing cable instead of replacing the whole ear phone. Included are three different sizes of KZ's starline tips. The packaging and presentation is a big improvement from the plain white box and plastic packaging that past KZs came in.Build Quality and Appearance:The physical appearance and build of the ZS7 is very similar to the ZS6. The aluminum shells are high quality and exudes a premium feel. The face plate is held together by torx T5 screws; only two screws are actually functional while the screw closest to the nozzle is a false screw for looks only. An improvement on the ZS7 is the addition of a lip on the nozzle which was not always present on ZS6s; the nozzle lip helps secure tips more tightly and prevents tips from slipping or falling off. The outer grills on the face plate of the ZS7s are now slanted as opposed to the upright slits of the ZS6. The metal mesh covering the nozzle has circular openings on the ZS7 while the ZS6 has a different pattern consisting of rectangular slits. The bass vent hole also seems to be positioned a little bit further from the nozzle on the ZS7 compared to the ZS6. Despite its metal shell and angular shape, the ZS7 fit comfortably and securely in my ears over long periods without fatigue. Of course, the fit will depend on your ear shape and size. If you enjoy the fit of the ZS6, or similar shaped IEMs, you'll likely have no problems with the ZS7.Sound Quality:The first thing you notice about the ZS7 is the bass. The bass hits harder and sub bass extends much further without being muddy and keeps bass bleed to a minimum. The mids are also an improvement from the ZS6. The mids have a more forward presentation and have more body and detail. One of the biggest complaints about the ZS6 is the piercing treble and sibilance, so if you found the ZS6's highs too harsh, then the ZS7 addresses them with much tamer highs and no sibilance. The highs still have good clarity and detail without being fatiguing. However, the treble roll off does lead to a warmer presentation, so those that enjoy really bright signatures or are looking for more energy or sparkle in the upper region may be left wanting more. Soundstage is quite good and I found them to be slightly larger than the ZS6. Instrument separation is also excellent allowing complex passages to sound natural and not congested. Sound isolation is average but with music on, most of the environmental sound is drowned out. The ZS7 do leak a little bit more sound than closed ear phones due to their more open design but you can't really notice the difference unless you place your ear next to the face plate.In conclusion, the ZS7 offer incredible sound quality for the price and are a worthwhile upgrade to the previous model. The ZS7 seem to have combined the strengths of various popular KZ models; The dynamic driver of the ZS10, the balance armature drivers found in the AS10, and the aluminum shells of the ZS6. The only negative is I have some driver flex on my right unit but it doesn't affect the sound quality or interfere when in use.