
Running these analyses costs money. Buy through my links to help keep lights on! I may get a small commission.
Top Pros
Top Cons
Reddit Reviews
i'd consider kz am16 balanced. high value set, nicely detailed and technical set nice for pinpointing footsets but has a nice amount of bass for immersive games and your music genres which tend to like some bass boost if those are out of budget tripowin vivace are a nice set for fps and should do everything else pretty well too
if you want v-shape (actual v-shape not mild v-shape) then juzear clear are very good. excellent bass extension + quality and you get alot of it. bonus points for the very good included cable if you want something fun but still technical then kz am16 bass version
I got the AM16 Bass edition, however I like my T10 Pro a lot better. Voices sound "unnatural" on the AM16 and the treble sometimes hurts. with some EQ though its sounds reasonably good for the price point.
I listen to all those genres. Xenns Mangird Tea Pros are my daily drivers (and they play those genres and anything else I've thrown at them really well) and are highly recommended by others for gaming too. If you want to do it on a shoe string, I'd recommend the KZ AM16 Balanced, although I don't find them very comfortable. Don't expect the sort of bass from either of them that you'd find in a pair of Soundcore buds, but you can always learn how to EQ bass in if you need more. Sound stage is adequate with both those models (IEMs aren't really about soundstage, compared to a set of open-back over ears (I have a set of Hififman HE400se and the soundstage on them is miles better than any IEM I've tried), imaging much better with the Tea Pros. What headphones do you use at the moment?
So what's ur use scenario? My suggestion in general for whoever enter this hobby (it they care about gaming) is getting the Tripowin Vivace+ Azla asmr max tips (obbligatory with this iem) cus i think even up to 500 there is nothing (in game) that outperform by a huge margin this. So if u care about gaming u can choose this combo first and then also buy an iem where u can focus only on ur music preferences (+ having the Asmr max automatically open u the doors for every harsh treble iem, cus this can tame anything). And with 120 u can do something like: Vivace combo+ Kz Am16 bass (best Kz with Ba rn and pretty cheap on Ali, meanwhile the best DD from Kz is in their Kz Zenith that i put way above the Zero Red if the qc is good). Anyway my favorite iem under 50 are the Cadenza, i read someone above saying that the Zero red is overall better, but for me the Cadenza is way better than the Zero red (not in game) the timbre is of the Cadenza is better (Cadenza Berillium timbre is my favorite timbre even up to 300) and the bass hit more satisfing and that bump in the high give u an impression of high technicality and is pretty berable + they are way more comfortable (worst than the Red in gaming if u use the adapter and obv they have a worst final extension in the trebble as u can see in graphs) some people prefer the Kefine klean in this price range and overall can do more things (especially in gaming) but music wise i prefer Cadenza. So i covered the combos...now let's talk about the best all rounder/sets under 120 (sometimes with discount) Kiwi ears Airoso (incredible iem for music,for me the best, a direct upgrade from Cadenza, not the best in game but still usable) Kefine Delci Ae (great valuable iem) Simgot Ew300 (not great in game, but 🔥 music) Juzear Defiant (if the qc is good, pretty close level wise to the Airoso if not better for someone) Arti t10/t10 pro if u want to try planar Truthears Hexa (neutral and all rounder, exquisite, better than the Red, but can be boring) Simgot Em6L (great allrounder) Aful explorer (if u want to raise the volume, this is great, in game they kinda 🙃😅) Tanchjim Fission (best 1DD at this price) Idk if i forgot something but this should be pretty 😏. This is kinda it i think.
Glad I could help! All BA sets are usually pricey. You could try the tuning with the KZ AM 16 which are a heck cheaper than any all BA set out there. Depending on your preference you'll choose between the bass and balanced versions. I own the bass versions and I like them. If you are still set on the SLT6 caliber of iems you could do your research on the EPZ 530. This one is mentioned in almost the same vein without the pressure build up and hbb praises it for having named drivers. These are the value picks for me. Other than these, you are probably looking at a higher price range for other sets.
I have the Moondrop Arias as well and they were the best sounding IEMs I've ever had right up until one side randomly decided to be one-fifth of the volume of the other lmao. I've been using KZ AM16s I bought recently which certainly has great wub wub and oonse oonse, at least when I can get them to fit in my stupid asymmetric ear holes 😤 However all my opinions are worthless because my hearing has the sensitivity of a boomer comedian; 20-20,000Hz? Brother I can't hear anything above 14,000Hz 😅
KZ ZS12 Pro X is competent. Not a bass monster. Put some Tang Sancai Noble tips for better bass over stock tips. KZ AM16 is really good, fun set. My current favorite that I have.
KZ AM16 is a fun set.
I own both and they basically sound the same. You can barely tell them apart unless you check the screw color on the side. Really good sets, nice detail and that satisfying DD like bass
I’ve got the Vader Pro Bass, the PR2, and the AM16. I love the AM16 and the PR2 is on my daily rotation, but the Vader… I tried, man. just can’t handle it
Rankings by Use Case
Top recommendations from others in the same boat
Best for Competitive FPS gaming

Top pick
Kiwi Ears - Astral
Best for Console controller gaming

Top pick
KEFINE - Klean
Best for High-noise environment isolation

Top pick
Shure - SE215 Pro
Best for Immersive cinematic gaming

Top pick
ARTTI - T10
Best for Live bass performance

Top pick
KZ - Castor Pro (Harman Target with Improved Bass Version)
Best for Live vocal performance

Top pick
Sennheiser - IE 200





