just because something cheap is good, doesnt mean something more expensive cant be better
dollar for dollar you cannot beat the kz edx pro. and the as16 is a terrific beater iem
neither come close to my uerr that i bought second hand, and would sell in a heartbeat if someone made something cheaper and as good.
and the uerr doesnt come close to the summit fi set i have my eyes on(but cant financially justify right now, having tried over usd$200k worth of iems
that said cost tells you nothing about quality. there are some kilobuck-summit fi iems that get beat by some $100 sets. dont talk about money. dont even talk about brands. talk about specific iems
KZ makes so many different models. Too many maybe. I've tried three of them and if I'm honest with myself, I feel like they were all just as good albeit slightly different in focus. So since you tried the hybrid designs, maybe go for 100% balanced armature like the AS series or planar magnetic like the PR. You won't get much better value for money no matter which model honestly. First time I've hear of KZ I almost couldn't believe how cheap they were.
I would agree that the vader & AM are standouts.
I don't find them to perform particularly exceptionally, but they are certainly "fun and different" if you approach them with the understanding that they're not high end or high performance.
Not great, not the worst.
They have the classic KZ issues with peakiness and "missing" certain portions of the sound.
They're probably a high C tier overall. I don't have zero reds to compare to, but I'd say they don't really compare to my pures or daybreak.
Not great, not the worst. Would not recommend either way.
They are tuned more aggressively than the base castor. I found them more cluttered sounding than just the castor.
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.
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
I have these too, they're really great for the price (30usd) and they are very versatile when EQ'ing. Not hard to drive and in stock configuration despite having some recessed mids to my liking, is still a very fun sounding iem.
I EQed mine like this
https://preview.redd.it/3eg5u9ytw4ef1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=834e27c38c0bae55229f70204577cee0b04c6dd6
Mostly by ear. Reduced it's bass, brought the mids back just a bit and gave it just enough air to my likings. To this day I feel it to be the best eq I've made. It took more eq than the PRX but nowhere near what the hexa needed to be perfect, just 1 filter.
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7Hz
7Hz x Crinacle Zero:2
76% positive of 493 users
Budget gaming pick, but poor cables and polarizing bass.
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