Bought the silver faceplate version and decided against the cyan one in the last minute.
I like the shiny silver faceplate finish.
Would have been even cooler if a version with see-through faceplates with visible crossover and drivers were offered.
Would have been even cooler if a version with see-through faceplates with visible crossover and drivers were offered.
Comes in a small package with three pairs of silicone ear tips - that's it, but quite standard for the price and most of Knowledge Zenith's models. I bought a matching (Knowledge Zenith) carrying case for it separately.
Pretty great cable for the price - twisted quad conductors, nice appearance. Little less flexible than more expensive industry standard twisted cables, but not a big difference.
No chin-slider. Low sitting y-splitter.
Ear guides without memory wire.
Thankfully (recessed) 2-pin connectors and no stupid MMCX.
Very high comfort in my ears.
Three BA drivers per side, three-way configuration.
Sound:
Largest included silicone tips.
Low impedance sources.
Tonality:
Wide v-shape.
Strong bass elevation of around 12.5 dB compared to what would be flat neutral (Etymotic ER-4S and ER4SR). Starts to climb around 750 Hz and reaches its climax around 85 Hz. Keeps this quantity without any roll-off down to 20 Hz.
Therefore deep extending, impactful, thumpy bass. On the warm side and with somewhat warm lower mids, but without overshadowing the central midrange.
Mids mostly flat and accurate from the central midrange to about 2.8 kHz (actually the upper mids are even slightly in the background).
Midrange timbre correct most of the times (with a mild dose of added lower midrange warmth).
Above 2.8 kHz, the level is elevated from 3 kHz to 14 kHz. No peaks, just bright. It's actually two broad elevations, one around 5 kHz and one around 9 kHz.
Thanks to no actual peaks being present, the treble isn't sharp or sibilant (clearly milder and way broader elevations than the ZS6's narrow and intense upper treble elevation), however it's not the most natural treble presentation and has got a somewhat artificial timbre (violins, high piano notes, crash cymbals), which is my only criticism when it comes to the high frequencies (crash cymbals more spread than splashy and straight to the point).
It's not like the treble were super unnatural, however the timbral accuracy is sometimes off when several high note instruments are present at the same time. Removing the middle treble elevation along with making the upper treble lift narrower would solve this.
Then again, the AS06's highs lack the AS10's treble metallicness while being brighter.
Then again, the AS06's highs lack the AS10's treble metallicness while being brighter.
Super treble extension past 10 kHz good up to about 14.5 kHz.
So the focus in terms of tuning quality is definitely bass (lots of fun, sub-bass and rumble) > midrange >> treble.
Resolution:
Good.
Mostly coherent sound.
Bass never muddy despite the strong elevation for BA standards. Surprisingly tight and clean while missing out on the last bit of definition.
Decent midrange resolution with just a bit of a veil. Really good speech intelligibility, though.
Treble response on the somewhat softer side; not the cleanest high note separation but not bad either.
Mostly coherent sound.
Bass never muddy despite the strong elevation for BA standards. Surprisingly tight and clean while missing out on the last bit of definition.
Decent midrange resolution with just a bit of a veil. Really good speech intelligibility, though.
Treble response on the somewhat softer side; not the cleanest high note separation but not bad either.
Soundstage:
Fairly wide and leaves the base of my head.
Front projection present, but clearly to a lesser degree compared to the spatial width; ultimately much more oval/wide than circular.
Front projection present, but clearly to a lesser degree compared to the spatial width; ultimately much more oval/wide than circular.
Decent imaging, although a bit blurrier compared to the AS10.
- - - - - - -
Compared to my Knowledge Zenith AS10:
AS06 bit warmer lower mids; similar bass quantity with a smidgen stronger sub-bass.
AS10 bit leaner upper mids.
AS10 more forward around 5 kHz; more narrow. Therefore more metallic. AS06 softer treble attacks here (because the elevation is clearly wider than narrow).
AS06 brighter upper treble. More spread cymbals. AS10 cymbals more straight to the point, but more metallic due to its narrower and stronger middle treble lift.
Neither has got perfect treble timbre - the AS10 is somewhat metallic whereas the AS06 is somewhat spread and soft while brighter; personally, I prefer about my AS06's highs that they are more even and less metallic, whereas I prefer about my AS10's that they are overall less forward.
AS10 somewhat cleaner instrument separation and a tad superior bass tightness plus control.
Not by a large amount, but I'd place the AS10 a bit above the AS06 in terms of technical performance.
A06 somewhat wider but less deep soundstage than AS10. AS10 somewhat cleaner imaging (instrument placement and separation).
AS10 bit leaner upper mids.
AS10 more forward around 5 kHz; more narrow. Therefore more metallic. AS06 softer treble attacks here (because the elevation is clearly wider than narrow).
AS06 brighter upper treble. More spread cymbals. AS10 cymbals more straight to the point, but more metallic due to its narrower and stronger middle treble lift.
Neither has got perfect treble timbre - the AS10 is somewhat metallic whereas the AS06 is somewhat spread and soft while brighter; personally, I prefer about my AS06's highs that they are more even and less metallic, whereas I prefer about my AS10's that they are overall less forward.
AS10 somewhat cleaner instrument separation and a tad superior bass tightness plus control.
Not by a large amount, but I'd place the AS10 a bit above the AS06 in terms of technical performance.
A06 somewhat wider but less deep soundstage than AS10. AS10 somewhat cleaner imaging (instrument placement and separation).
Conclusion:
Good in-ear, even more so for the low price, but lacks a bit of naturalness in its treble timbre.