KZ ZS10 vs Etymotic Research HF5: Which Headphones Are Better?

Tested using Methodology v1.3.1

Updated Apr 10, 2024 06:09 PM

See Etymotic Research HF5 Review

TypeIn-ear

EnclosureClosed-Back

Noise CancellingNo

WirelessNo

TransducerBalanced Armature

MicNo

TypeIn-ear

EnclosureClosed-Back

Noise CancellingNo

WirelessNo

TransducerBalanced Armature

MicNo

Our Verdict

KZ ZS10

Etymotic Research HF5

The KZ ZS10 are slightly better critical listening than the Etymotic Research HF5. They have a more comfortable fit despite their larger than average earbuds. The KZ also have a better-balanced sound quality with a stronger bass, a better mid-range, and a more balanced treble. They also have a more durable and eye-catching design with a detachable audio cable. On the other hand, the Etymotic isolate passively a lot better than the KZ. They're also more portable and come with a case and more accessories than the KZ.

Variants

ZS10 (Black, mic)
ZS10 (Black, no mic)
ZS10 (Blue, no mic)
ZS10 (Red, no mic)

HF5 (Black)
HF5 (Blue)

Review

See KZ ZS10 Review

Check Price

Black, mic

ZS10

Black

HF5

Black, no mic

ZS10

Blue

HF5

Blue, no mic

ZS10

Red, no mic

ZS10

Main Differences for

Mixed Usage

Threshold

0.10

Mixed Usage

6.5

6.4

Noise Isolation

6.3

8.9

Full Comparison

Mixed Usage

6.5

6.4

Neutral Sound

7.2

6.2

Commute/Travel

6.6

6.9

Sports/Fitness

6.9

6.6

Office

6.5

6.7

Wireless Gaming

4.5

4.0

Wired Gaming

6.2

5.8

Phone Call

2.4

2.5

Design

Style

Design Picture 2

Type

In-ear

Enclosure

Closed-Back

Wireless

Transducer

Balanced Armature

Show Text

Comfort

7.0

6.5

Comfort Picture

Weight

0.05 lbs

0.04 lbs

Clamping Force

0 lbs

Show Text

Controls

0.0

Controls Picture

OS Compatibility

Not OS specific

Ease Of Use

N/A

Feedback

N/A

Call/Music Control

Volume Control

Microphone Control

N/A

Channel Mixing

N/A

Noise Cancelling Control

N/A

Talk-Through

N/A

Additional Buttons

N/A

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Breathability

8.8

9.2

Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference

1.2 °C

0.8 °C

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Portability

9.0

8.5

Portability Picture

L

2.5"

W

2.8"

H

Volume

4 in³

7 in³

Transmitter Required

N/A

Show Text

Case

0.0

7.0

Case Picture

Type

No case

Soft case

L

N/A

W

N/A

2.2"

H

N/A

1.2"

Volume

N/A

Show Text

Build Quality

8.0

7.0

Build Quality Picture

Show Text

Stability

7.5

Stability Picture

Show Text

Headshots 1

Angled Picture

Side Picture

Headshots 2

Front Picture

Rear Picture

Top

Top Picture

In The Box

In the box Picture

Show Text

Sound

Sound Profile

Frequency Response

Bass Amount

-0.93 dB

-7.2 dB

Treble Amount

-0.75 dB

-3.9 dB

Frequency Response Consistency

9.2

9.8

Consistency L

Consistency R

Avg. Std. Deviation

0.16 dB

0.05 dB

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Raw Frequency Response

Raw FR L

Raw FR R

Bass Accuracy

8.6

6.7

Bass

Std. Err.

1.98 dB

4.11 dB

Low-Frequency Extension

12.07 Hz

88.51 Hz

Low-Bass

-1.8 dB

-7.13 dB

Mid-Bass

0.08 dB

-3.21 dB

High-Bass

3.01 dB

2.26 dB

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Mid Accuracy

8.3

6.6

Mid

Std. Err.

2.3 dB

4.49 dB

Low-Mid

1.32 dB

3.9 dB

Mid-Mid

-2.65 dB

3.08 dB

High-Mid

0.35 dB

5.85 dB

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Treble Accuracy

7.8

6.7

Treble

Std. Err.

3.62 dB

4.56 dB

Low-Treble

2.52 dB

5.29 dB

Mid-Treble

-2.16 dB

-0.65 dB

High-Treble

-0.54 dB

-6.94 dB

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Peaks/Dips

7.0

7.5

Peaks/Dips Graph

Peaks

1.86 dB

1.59 dB

Dips

1.79 dB

1.38 dB

Imaging

8.8

8.5

Group Delay

Phase Response

Weighted Group Delay

0.14

0.1

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch

0.58

2.08

Weighted Frequency Mismatch

1.91

1.15

Weighted Phase Mismatch

3.29

0.71

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Soundstage

1.0

0.2

PRTF

PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)

N/A

PRTF Size (Avg.)

N/A

PRTF Distance

N/A

Openness

3.6

1.1

Acoustic Space Excitation

1.6

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Weighted Harmonic Distortion

8.6

7.5

Weighted Harmonic Distortion

WHD @ 90

0.139

0.313

WHD @ 100

0.053

0.162

Isolation

Noise Isolation

6.3

8.9

Noise Isolation

Isolation Audio

Overall Attenuation

-16.45 dB

-29.99 dB

Noise Cancelling

Bass

-2.13 dB

-16.84 dB

Mid

-16.77 dB

-21.81 dB

Treble

-31.89 dB

-51.42 dB

Show Text

Leakage

8.7

Leakage

Leakage Audio

Overall Leakage @ 1ft

29.33 dB

20.47 dB

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Microphone

Microphone Style

Integrated

N/A

In-line

N/A

Boom

N/A

Detachable Boom

N/A

Mic

Show Text

Recording Quality

0.0

Microphone Frequency Response

Recorded Speech

N/A

LFE

N/A

FR Std. Dev.

N/A

HFE

N/A

Weighted THD

N/A

Gain

N/A

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Noise Handling

0.0

SpNR

Speech + Pink Noise

N/A

Speech + Subway Noise

N/A

SpNR

N/A

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Active Features

Battery

0.0

Battery Type

N/A

Continuous Battery Life

N/A

Additional Charges

N/A

Total Battery Life

N/A

Charge Time

N/A

Power Saving Feature

N/A

Audio While Charging

N/A

Passive Playback

N/A

Charging Port

N/A

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App Support

0.0

App Picture

App Name

N/A

iOS

N/A

Android

N/A

macOS

N/A

Windows

N/A

Equalizer

N/A

ANC Control

N/A

Mic Control

N/A

Room effects

N/A

Playback Control

N/A

Button Mapping

N/A

Surround Sound

N/A

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Connectivity

Bluetooth

0.0

Bluetooth Version

N/A

Multi-Device Pairing

N/A

NFC Pairing

N/A

Line of Sight Range

N/A

Default Latency

N/A

aptX Latency

N/A

aptX(LL) Latency

N/A

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Non-Bluetooth Wireless

0.0

Non-BT Line of Sight Range

N/A

Non-BT Latency

N/A

Wired

9.5

9.0

Cable Picture

Analog Audio

Yes

USB Audio

Detachable

Yes

Length

5 ft

4.1 ft

Connection

1/8" TRS

Wired Latency

0 ms

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PC / PS4 Compatibility

PC / PS4 Analog

Audio Only

PC / PS4 Wired USB

PC / PS4 Non-BT Wireless

Xbox One Compatibility

Xbox One Analog

Audio Only

Xbox One Wired USB

Xbox One Wireless

Base/Dock

0.0

Type

N/A

USB Input

N/A

Line In

N/A

Line Out

N/A

Optical Input

N/A

RCA Input

N/A

Dock Charging

N/A

Power Supply

N/A

Show Text

Check Price

Black, mic

ZS10

Black

HF5

Black, no mic

ZS10

Blue

HF5

Blue, no mic

ZS10

Red, no mic

ZS10