KZ - Castor (Harman Target Version)

I had just the OG with Bass , very good The pro with bass is a different beast. If you want relaxed smooth thick bass , the OG is better , the pro has somewhat coloured enhanced mids and all cymbals sound the same . Imagine the old one note bass of cheap speakers , now flip this into treble . I prefer the OG bass than the pro bass

There appears to be a massive dip in the upper mids low treble on the castor pro bass . Also when there’s a lot of badly constructed treble in the track, the OG sounds better Another thing, at low volumes the OG carries the bass better I have both and like them both , but the OG version plays better on most tracks except where there is too much bass

I like how Castor Black sounds but seems to missing some details. I'd like to pick Artti T10 next. Appreciate if you have some wisdom on how these compare.

Hello. I am no means an audiophile and do not have a lot of IEMS tested. Currently owning only KZ castor Harman (Silver) And the improved bass (Black color). If in case i make any mistakes other could correct me. And im only sharing personal experience as a nooby and personal opinion. So since i have switched to the IEMS going to be honest in my personal experience i personally prefer using the IEMS over the gaming headsets. (Only experience before iems was gaming headsets like Corsair virtuoso se, Razer kraken v2, Hyperx cloud 2, and Sony headphones like Sony wh-1000xm3, Sony linkbuds s, Sony wh h910n aka h.earon and some other Sony XB headphones) Reason i wanted to switch to the IEMS was i needed a descent headphones/iems to use with my PC since because of the over ear headphones i had migraines and a lot of of them i had. To the point that i could not play games or even watch the contact im consuming for more then 30 min a day. After switching to IEMS i noticed the sound stage felt a little bigger then the Corsairs i still have and sounded much better with out even using any EQ app on my pc. If being honest i personally doubt that IEMS are leagues a head against higher end Headphones that considered good in audiophile community. Since the IEMS are small there will be limitations. I would even say it would be compering Desktop pc spec against laptop. Similar but not quite. And from what i have read in this group my personal opinion is that the IEMS over 100 maybe even over then 150 have the diminishing returns. If i look at them as a regular consumer then 80% of people might not even feel a big of a difference between iems that cost 150 euros/dollars against any other wireless headphones that consumers buy. But this is only my opinion. So personally since im on a budget i do not see a point buying iems that more then 70 euros (Since im from EU) Becasue a lot of them are definably providing me all i need for musing and playing video games. (Only now considering buying some other options to get a little bit better experience then my KZ castor Harman tuning version) Apologies if i wrote in a mishmash tried to share some experience from a nooby side. And apologies if i have offended anyone.

https://preview.redd.it/9vn2rdkh3n1e1.jpg?width=872&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a1dbead2f7930e6cf4dbde1b42fcfd4ff9daef44 Hello everyone. I would like to share my experience with the KZ castor that i own my self right now as a casual gamer. (Further in the info i will reefer Harman tuned- Silver and improved bass - Bass) But note that this my personal experience and opinion. This is my first time writing and small informative review for others. But hope this could help other people of choosing for there needs. As i stated in my original post that i bought IEM for replacing my gaming headset since i had Migraines using them. [https://www.reddit.com/r/iems/comments/1fehzds/i\_have\_finally\_bought\_my\_first\_iems/](https://www.reddit.com/r/iems/comments/1fehzds/i_have_finally_bought_my_first_iems/) Over all I'm quite happy with my purchase of the Silver and Bass Castors. But to explain which one is better for gaming would be quite hard. Since I'm not audiophile. But i will try my best to explain my experience. Maybe this information will be useful to other buyers. (Note that there is already released a KZ cast or pro versions for both earbuds at the time writing this post.) Games i have tested them in: 1. Destiny 2 2. Lethal company 3. Hogwarts Legacy 4. God of War Ragnarök I do not play much competitive games so i have not tested them there. The Silver Castor. (Switches setting used Originally UUDD now UDUD) If to explain how they sound then they would be quite fun for there tuning. They would be lightly warm sounding. That allowed me to enjoy playing games with these IEMs. If we are talking about position in games it was actually quite easy understand where everything is and distinguish it. I was quite surprised how these earbuds performed for the games. Knowing that the bass is not that strong (BASS heads would love these) it made the game more immersive for me. I would not say that these would be 100% for everyone. But considering there current price they are really decent for the everything. Especially with there switches that are build in. Since you can adjust them on the fly. The Bass castors (Switches settings UDUD) Well regarding the Improved Bass model is quite popular in the community (Referring to the posts that often pops up of new IEM users). And now i understand why. The tuning actually is considered similar to the Silver version but increased bass. For music listening they are my favorites even compared to my Sony Linkbuds S earbuds. And i often love listening music with increased bass. (I'm kind of bass head). To be fair I'm using them more often then the Silver version. Since i prefer them to watching the content and even for the gaming. I love how the base improves the impressiveness in the games especially for the Single player games. With the settings i have sett i still able to understand where everything is located in the games. Of course other might not be able to enjoy them with the switches settings im using but they give me the bass and the clarity in everything. Conclusion To conclude i would say the following. If you are looking for IEMS for gaming the consider the following : Silvers for Competitive gaming. Since these would have much better clarity and sound stage because of the less bass. Considering that the awareness is the most important in competitive gaming then these would be best choice in my opinion. The improved bass for casual gaming and sometimes Competitive gaming. But of course if the Bass that is what you want then this is your choice. When it comes to the music it Depends what music genre you are listening. On these regard i will not be the best one would explain since i mostly listen to Rock, Metal, Pop, Hip-hop and country music (I know a bit strange combination). But for these genres i preferred much more the Improved Bass version over the Silver ones. For more detailed info about the settings i was using this info [https://www.reddit.com/r/iems/comments/1f4sgg4/whats\_the\_right\_settings\_for\_kz\_castor\_harman/](https://www.reddit.com/r/iems/comments/1f4sgg4/whats_the_right_settings_for_kz_castor_harman/) So the credit goes to the person from this post.

It really depends on what kind of sound profile you are looking for. Castor is a more capable iem in my opinion. You should check out frequency response graphs of the iems. It may give you an idea of how they sound. It's explained on the headphonezone website. There are two versions of the Castor, bass (black) and harman (silver). If you want to experience a bass head tuning this can do it well. The bass version is a fun set, not particularly correct sounding. The harman might do a better job of that ( I haven't tried the harman). The stock tips on castors are just okay. I highly recommend latex liquid silicone tips from conceptkart. Polaris is a balanced sound, still a v shaped tuning but not as pronounced as the others. It is easy to listen to but in the end is not as resolving as the castor bass. It can bring out some details but there are better iems that do it well. It is still a great beginner set if you are tight on budget. It has decent levels of bass and fairly smooth treble presentation. Widebore tips are recommended with Polaris. I have not tried the zex, partly because of some reviews mentioning harsh treble. I am a bit sensitive to treble, but overall it should give you an energetic sound. With good amounts of bass and treble. The driver combinations and features are different for these iems.

if you want cheap bassy ones just get KZ Castors ..nothing can beat them at this price in bass..if you want more technicalities and gaming wise get simgot ew200 or ew300 ..

I've been using budget IEMs: Ziigaat Nuo - great sound for $25ish KZ Castor (black) - around $10 on Aliexpress, sounds great

It's good if you can get it around $10 bucks. The bass is nice, I thought it would be overwhelming but its not. I am currently using DDUU. The mid's seem pretty recessed but I've also heard new stuff in music I'm listening to. I've mostly been using single DD $20 sets so it was nice to try the Castor.

**Castor:** Has punchy mid bass. The slam hits hard, but with a compromise on thin mids. Treble is sharp. Sub bass is sub par. If you only care about the mid bass slam, go for it. Keep in mind, Castor can have distortion on the treble. It's not as EQ friendly, at least for my standard. And I don't even make drastic changes. **Castor Pro:** Has lesser mid bass as compared to Castor, but the strong sub bass presence makes it overall good. The mids are not thin, it's neutral-ish but definitely not as warm as Chu 2. It's just fine. Treble is well done here. Can be sibilant for some people, but not as much. The upgrades here are definitely the balance in tonality and resolution. This has good sound imaging too. It's bassy yet balanced due to not lacking in treble. Compared to Pro, castor sounds horrible to me.

The OG Castor secondary driver is trash. It was different from the Pro. I'm pretty sure, one driver is decent and the secondary one is sub par on Pro but it's way better than OG Castor. The upgrade was 8mm secondary dynamic driver to both 10mm.

**KZ Saga Bass Edition:** If you want bass, alongwith no compromises on Mids and Treble. KZ Saga is overall the best due to its superior tonality. You can listen to various genres unlike the others. **QKZ x HBB & Rosefinch:** Strong Sub bass, warm vocals, lacks details in treble. This is great for Hip Hop, but might not enjoy other genres. The same goes for Roseflinch. **KZ Castor/Castor Pro:** Castor has more Mid bass, punchy bass. Decent rubble. Thin mids, shouty treble. Castor Pro is more balanced, it's the best of both worlds, KZ Saga has better tonality, but Castor Pro has slightly better technicalities. It's very EQ friendly. https://preview.redd.it/0vpgb08z7r8e1.png?width=2400&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2d12b0acf442af8984f685492e0f7fe1c82a41e8 KZ Saga is overall best imo, due to how it's tuned.

The only KZ IEMs I can vouch for are the Castor and D-FI. Both are good for the price point. Castor black are bass heavy. Castor silver are a pretty typical balanced thing. D-FI are more neutral.

The only KZ IEMs I can vouch for are the Castor and D-FI. Both are good for the price point. Castor black are bass heavy. Castor silver are a pretty typical balanced thing. D-FI are more neutral.

I mean your comparing a multidriver iem though. Ive had kz edc pro and castor. Even though the castor is kinda worse tuning than edc pro. Theres more details because castor have 2 drivers and i thinks thats helping it out

The best are the KZ Castors in this price category. In this pic Tangzu wankers are preferable.

I'm not sure I'd call the Cadenza a basshead tuning, but they certainly have plenty of bass. It gets deep and rumbly, with some punch but not as much as the Castor Bass (not sure about the Pro: apparently that's not as hard-hitting as the OG, which I have). The also have very smooth treble that's a touch darker than some similarly-tuned IEMs like the Chu 2, which adds to the overall warmth/bassiness, while they sill have good clarity, imaging, etc. Sometimes someone will complain that these have little or no bass and without fail it's because they aren't getting a proper seal. Make sure you try out all the tip sizes if you aren't hearing enough bass.

I doubt it. The only one I ever recommend is the Castor and it's extremely bassy, but with not-great treble. That's the opposite of what you want I think. There are a lot of KZ IEMs though, they bring out a new one like once or twice a week. Most of them aren't good, but you can probably find reviews on Youtube.

Worth picking up especially from AliEx cheap and really good bass

He’s absolutely right. Great vocals, great clarity, but it’s hard to distinguish details in the AirPod pro 2nd gen. They literally are incapable of delivering frequencies that will lead to a fuller, more dynamic sound. All of my decent iems kick the shit out of them (salnotes dioko, moondrop aria, truthear hexa). I own all the iems you mentioned aside from the blon so I understand where you’re coming from, because those iems aren’t that great. There’s a huge jump in quality around the $100 mark. The kz castors have MUCH better bass than AirPod pro 2 and they’re 25 bucks.

So I finally got my Zero 2 and I'm impressed by its tuning. I'm rocking a KZ Castor Silver before buying this and Zero 2 is definitely an upgrade for me in terms of bass and sound quality. Since I want a variety of iems to experience eargasm, what IEMs do sound like Zero 2 or even better under $50?

KZ is definitely good but I have an experience of quality issue with them. The plastic in my KZ Castor Silver's pin port got chipped off after 6 months. I don't even remove the cable or do anything. Back to this reco, is it fine for Jpop or Kpop listening?

https://preview.redd.it/3io9j1qducnd1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=38a7920a9a244541e290f46c7d3a80c6ddbdf7cc I would like to recommend the WimLim Do for Dac to you. I have both Black and Grey Castors. They work well with the WimLim Dac. It adds warmth and some dynamics to the overall listening experience. Like the other person said, a pair of wide bore ear tips are a good investment. I’d recommend the Whizzer SS20.

Wyvern is better for smoother, more relaxed listening. Balanced leaning barely bright. It’s a great set. Castors (both) are better for that analytical listening. Bass version is better for that more bassy kind of listen while Silver is better for that more detail oriented listening. If your looking for a warm super bassy listen, consider the KZ Dawn Silver.

Out of the 3? Wyvern. It’s a great set but it has smooth details so it’s not the most analytical set. Castor Silver has less sub bass than the Wyvern. Castor silver is also more bright leaning with sharper details. If you want a smooth relaxing set, the Wyvern and IgniteX Beast are great sets for that. The Castor Silver is more bright and analytical. I personally would pick the Wyvern for a relaxed and smooth listen. I have all the IEM’s mentioned above.

I have the Zero 2 (~$25), Zero 1 (~$15), TRN Orca (~$15), TRN Conch (~$20), KZ Castor’s (~$13), Waner (~$15) and some more not worth mentioning under $25. If you can get the TRN Conch under $20 it’s a great deal for a bright mid focused set with great accessories. Other than that the TRN Orca is a smoother less energetic mid focused set. Zero 2 is decent but the plastic sound it has throws me off. Not bad just different. The Castors are both good but I would choose the Grey over the black because the extra bass that the Black has get annoying after a few songs. Waner has that same issue as the Zero 2. Strange plastic sound. I’m 100 percent sure it’s because of the driver orientation and driver quality BUT some EQ will fix it!

Something like the tripowin olina og or se. The isn or penon entry level models. KZ ZS10 Pro x, kZ castor normal edition. Simgot ea500 LM.

I own all of these except the chu. the only one that sort of fits everything you want is the wan’er. the zero:2 is really good at all those things except imaging, but I think they make up for it with really good clarity IF you can get a good seal (I struggle to keep a seal with them). castor is terrible and i’m convinced people that recommend it probably only own them so they don’t realize how bad they are. none of these will blow you away at everything you want (this is the $20 range btw). the wan’er is the winner in the technicality department in this group, although zero2 is better sounding if they fit your ear their imaging is just not good (only really important if gaming imo.

clarity and castor don’t belong in the same sentence. castor is muddy across the board, imaging is terrible and soundstage is average.

KZ Castor. But I would suggest to stretch your budget and get the Simgot EW200.

Yup, just bought a EW200 based on reviews expecting it to outperform $100+ IEMs only to be disappointed. It barely outperforms my Castor Silver which is less than half the price.

I own the OG castor and really want something that's lighter and slimmer. KZ went backward with the pros in terms of size and fit.

oh that's worrying as I use KZ castors for my daily use like office calls, fps games, music but the volume is always around 50-70%, I hope you recover from the damage take care

I own the Castor Harman (original version) and heard the Chu2. The Castor trashes the Chu2. Also, the Gate is said to be "not for everyone" and the build is not on par with the Chu or Castor.

And the answer gonna be pretty subjective. If you have a limited budget, then it's kinda redundant. Personally, I prefer the Pro over the original, but not by much.

I would say try a 1+1 first, something basic like a ZSN pro 2, it will give you an idea of the sound separation and a taste of how BA drivers differ, since most hybrid IEMs use BA drivers. If you like it and want more, then you can start looking at different kinds of configurations. Another good one to try is KZ Castor or CCA Trio, which use 2 and 3 DDs respectively and also don't cost much.

In that case you're pretty much limited to KZ, or just "ok" sounding 1DDs like the Chu 2 or Zero 2. Castor is $12 and ZSN Pro 2 is $14, those both hit well above their price. You can get D-fi for that much but it's not really any better than a Chu or Zero. If you want a very cheap 1DD I would still get the Tanya or ipviq q-100 which is basically a Cadenza in a nicer shell, you can find that for <$20 on sale. You could probably find a CCA Trio or ZS10 Pro 2 on sale for <$30 too, or get a cheap PR2 and try to EQ it.

I really like my zero 2s. And the kz castors are good too.

Interesting. I have the zero 2s and just picked up the kz castor with improved bass. They both sound very nice )bout the same price)

you should look at their detailed description in yt so you can get the one which is better for your use. i think generally castor are better

My 2nd IEM(After Kz Castor) and my favourite one among the 2❤️

Yes, to my taste Zero 2s are better than Kz Castor. Good layered seperated music experience, good balanced bass, not too overpowering or fatiguing the ears, good vocals.

Agree. Zs10 pro 2 ( uppose to be upgrade ) are crap.Too bright and harsh heights. Vocals sound weird to me. Also overhiped to me are Castor Bass,HBB ''gaming'' collab. I have KZ Castor,QKZ x HBB ( these 2 are the crappiest ) Vader,Zs10 pro,PRX,and CCA Rhapsody. Rhapsody are the only ones that are good for me as a bass head.NIce sub bass rumble,punchy mid bass,present vocals,no harsh or piercing heights ( like zs10 pro 2),Decent wide soundstage.THey just sound good. Took me a while to make them comfortable,was about to give up on them. Definitely i recomend them for a basshead They need short steam eartips ( i shorten the stock ones ) to make them usable for 6,7-10 hours.Otherwise they push too much in your ear canal and cause pain due big nozzle. I ordered some eartips that suppose to work with them ( **Zhulinniao Zhu Rythme** ) but they are in transit and i didn't try them yet. I'd give them a try if u are a basshead.THey are good.

[Kz castor](https://s.shopee.ph/2B1Rl1Sztn) if looking for something affordable. [Pr2](https://s.shopee.ph/5puk88IXCi) naman if maluwag budget for the IEM.

I ordered both Castor hamman, bass. The Og version was so good, just feeling a little upgrade, would be very happy. I'm going to write a review compared to Kz saga, ziigaat nuo.

Scandals and haters aside, I genuinely believe that most KZ IEMs are at least impressive, if not great. IMO the Castor and Castor Pro are probably the best for the price. That said, the ZS 12 Pro, shoots way above its weight.

Kz castor user here, while i must agree they sound nice, mine's developed this problem where the right iem decreases its volume after some use

Castor and it's not even close

DUDE HASHDAJDASJDHA WE ARE SHARING ALMOST THE SAME ROUTE LMAOOO My first IEM's were some cheap random brand ones, but they got exactly the SAME design as those QKZ of yours, idk they were like 2USD from ali, then got my KZ Castor (Silver) tho using them UUDD, and just got the Wan'er, they were slightly more expensive for me than the Castor (with mic cable), but the sound feels extreeeeemely dull to me, they having a lot of eartips add a plus but it's just wasn't for me I guess (the cable was also kinda worse in comparison ngl). I was wondering which tips you prefered, apparently one set are the "bass" ones and the others the balanced ones, not sure which one them as I thought they were the same, I'm using the black ones myself.

Don’t know about all the KZ models but, the Castors are too large for my ears no matter which type/brand of tips. Can’t get a decent seal & always reseating in my ears. No problem with 500LM, EW200, Artii R1, or Chu 2

This one with dunu candy tips and a nicer cable became my daily, I felt that it sacrificed some timbre for better technical performance compared to the other budget iems. Shame it's unofficially discontinued, I opened one up and one of the drivers was changed. So was the sound.

Kz Castor, D-fi, Tangzu Wan'er, Kiwiears Cadenza, Tripowin Léa

I might be little biased in this because I use Wan'er longer than my Castor so I will pick Wan'er because of how comfortable it is with long time gaming and also Wan'er is much more fun to be EQ. Actually 7hz Zero2 might be a better choice if you comfortable with their design. If you have more budget for IEM, Sennheiser IE 200 can do better but with that price might just go for Simgot Supermix 4

KZ Castor (silver) is my first budget IEM and very new about it. I wonder if I had made the right choice? It's Dynamic Drivers like any other generic earphones I used to own but much much better! Now I'm starting to get curious what those Balance Armatures or Planars would sound like. Convince me if I shouldn't dig deeper into this rabbit hole. It might decide if this KZ Castor is going to be my first and last.

I would say iems but depends upon one's use case. I am using OnePlus buds and kz castors. I like castors more for gaming and media consumption on pc but I use buds in the gym and in public places.

I love the castor blacks. I don’t need another iem.

Buy a KZ Castor. Make sure it’s the black version. It has more bass.

To keep it simple, yes the other version is clearer with less bass. It is not expensive. To plug them into your phone get an Apple dongle dac. It is very cheap as well. Hope you like them.

Kz castor has great bass in the UUDD and UUUD settings Ps: just tried the kz Vader balanced and the bass is tighter on this. Not as much as castor, but definitely cleaner. Kinda sounds like a budget less refined variations.

moondrop chu ll or kz castor (wait for kz castor pro) i bought it from headphonezone

[**https://www.headphonezone.in/products/kz-castor**](https://www.headphonezone.in/products/kz-castor)

it has mid bass no sub bass but enjoyable get herman bass edition for bass

If those are your choices, I'd go with Castor over EDX Pro X. It sounds at least $7 better.

Any chance you could post a pic of the shell thickness? My only KZ set are Castors but the thick shell makes it hard to get a good fit. Curious if these are similar

Following this thread. I started out with KZ Castor, Truthear Hola, and 7hz Zero:2. Trying to consider what might be a good next. OP what made you settle on those two?

I’m new too, so I’ll lay out what I’ve learned in the early stages of my journey so far. Hopefully it helps a little. Part of the problem of reading reviews is that what one person calls “good bass” for one IEM, another person might call “bad bass” for the same IEM because it depends entirely on the reviewer’s personal tastes. This is where the frequency charts become useful (even though I’m not so good at reading them). If you load two at the same time (check out squig.link) you can look at the lines and see where they differ. Which one has more bass, for example. There’s more to it than just quantity of bass, but I don’t want to write a whole essay on it because I’m not really qualified to. I’ll leave that to others :) My approach is to just buy some cheap sets and figure out what tuning I like before going up to even the $50 (usd) range. So far I have KZ Castor (regular version), Truthear Hola, 7hz Zero:2, and Moondrop Chu 2. All under $30. I listen to indie rock/pop/folk, rock/metal, and hip hop primarily. I’ve determined that I like at least a little thump in my bass. Obviously it’s good for hip hop, but it’s also nice in songs where the kick drum has a hand in adding intensity. Truthfully I like all of the IEMs I’ve gotten so far, but I’m still working through comparing them. One thing that I think is incredibly important but often overlooked is the fit. If your IEM doesn’t fit properly, you won’t get a good seal, or the tips will move around, or they’ll get uncomfortable after a while, or they just won’t sound right. My KZ Castors are easily the largest of my IEMs and it can be a hassle to get a good fit and seal with them, so I tend to use them the least.

If you are a bass guy, KZ castor, if you want not only the bass but every other thing, tangzu wan'er, Do not buy from Amazon/Flipkart those are a rip off. I had a pretty bad experience with conceptkart, so I would recommend The headphone zone but the choice is yours to make.

Bruv you don't need a specific style of earphones to hear footsteps in bgmi. Anything that gives stereo audio is all that you need. For music? Hell Yea, the castors sound amazimg

Been loving my castor bass too. Mind sharing you hardware EQ for me to try too? (Mine currently has 1,2,3 turned on)

After some research and a being bit tired of using wired headphones,I decided to buy my first pair of iems (Sennheiser ie200), and found them to be a significant improvement in sound quality of both airpods pro (2nd gen) and Sony WF1000xm4 (though I think the latter is still pretty good). Out of curiosity, I also purchased a pair of KZ Castors, just to see the difference between a pair of 100$s and a pair of 10$s. While I wouldn’t exactly call it ‘night and day’, the difference is still fairly obvious, even for a complete layman. The ie200s sound quite a bit richer, fuller, and, well, ‘closer’(sorry again for the lay description, haha). The comfort of the ie200 is really outstanding, as they are positively tiny and fit snugly in my ears. The sound quality is excellent, too, at least to me. Quite well balanced, good bass, clear trebles, and just overall very ‘smooth’ and enjoyable to listen to. I find myself pulling them out, ignoring the inconvenience of chords, just to listen to my favourite songs with them, whereas with the bluetooth buds I only want to wear them when I’m commuting or working out. That said, I think the KZs are also quite good indeed, both in terms of sound and build quality(the metal part on the Castors actually feel a bit premium), especially when you consider the price, and I would have no problem recommending them to anyone who doesn’t want to spend more than 20 bucks on earphones. (At least until they break or stop working, as I heard can be a problem for inexpensive chi-fi iems. But yeah, still good value.)

terms of vocals, nothing really beats the Tangzu Wan'er SG or the Wan'er 2. Maybe abit of treble, sparkles, and soundstage, that would be KZ Castor Silver. But vocals is still better for the Wan'er SG/Wan'er 2.

I am doing the reverse from you, I came from bassy IEMs to neutral or neutral-ish. My old daily driver was the QKZ AK6 Pro (left most, too boomy for my ears now) Then switched to the KZ Castor Bass (Very very V-shaped, big bass and big treble) -> Tested Tangzu Wan'er SG (Neutral Warm on my ears) -> KZ EDC Pro (U-shaped) -> Tested then switched to the KZ Castor Silver (Neutral Bright IEM) https://preview.redd.it/7fb6i40ommve1.png?width=8100&format=png&auto=webp&s=5639f5828253e1796037c4592d784a93bd3eb8b3

https://preview.redd.it/eamschpzsdte1.png?width=8100&format=png&auto=webp&s=64a34d73de9ac20e910cd7c60c1059ab51e04e8d I haven't noped out on any IEMs yet so far haha, lets see as I slowly grow my collection and future IEMs and upgrades. Maybe because I prefer mild or slightly coloured v-shaped/u-shaped either bright or warm. Maybe if I get the QKZ x HBB Hades I would nope out because of lack of treble and too much bass. **(from left to right, list is based on when I bought it)** 1. QKZ AK6 Pro (Original daily driver, memories) 2. KZ Castor Improved Bass (Current daily driver, may change to the KZ Castor Silver) 3. Tangzu x Headphone Zone Wan'er SG (tested and satisfied, collected) 4. KZ EDC Pro (tested and satisfied, collected) 5. KZ Castor Silver (currently testing, collected)

ah the Castor Silver or the Castor Pro Silver might really not sound as good as the Bass version direct being its tuned for more neutral signature (less bass) Than the bass version which is more into giving more bass, more immersion for games plus yeah you are using it directly to a device than via a separate DAC I use mine for the most part music listening and the Castor Silver for music production, I rarely play games nowadays. For the most part single player games on PC/Laptop or games with Co-op and lots of story.

Personally, at 2k INR. None will have the clarity and details for some and many audiophiles. It kinda starts at least at the 4k-5k INR or above. If you want some details in this price range, go with a bright sound signature or V-shaped with prominent bright or trebles. Neutral Warm * Tangzu Wan'er SG \*\* * Tangzu Wan'er 2 \* Neutral Bright * 7Hz Salnotes Zero * KZ Castor Silver (Harman tuning, DDUU switches) \*\* * KZ Castor Pro Silver (Harman tuning, DDUU switches) \*\* * KZ x Angelears Libra X V-shaped * 7Hz x Crinacle Salnotes Zero 2 \* * Tanchjim Bunny 3.5mm \* * Tanchjim One 3.5mm * KZ Castor Silver (Harman tuning, UUDD switches) \*\* * KZ Castor Pro Silver (Harman tuning, UUDD switches) \*\* U-shaped * Tanchjim Bunny DSP \* * Tanchjim One DSP * DUNU Titan S2 \* (\* recommend | \*\* personally owned)

KZ Castor Silver (Harman, personally best of both worlds, closest to the sound of EDC Pro with better general sound feel) PROS * Neutral sounding (Bright or warm, depends on the tuning) * Very versatile with tuning and EQ * Same with the Bass, better high clarity and details, technicallity better than the Wan'er SG * Closer to the Harman tuning than the two, so it sounds very harman tuning (Subjective, some dont like harman) * Its like your in between the Castor Bass and Wan'er SG, but without the cons of the Wan'er SG CONS * Treble bright, might be fatiguing for some * Accessories lack abit * Might be heavy feeling in the ears for some * Nozzle size might be abit larger than Wan'er (Personally they feel the same for me, needed to go for a smaller eartip on both) * SUBJECTIVE: Personally I don't like the stock eartips

And for your question, IEMs for gaming maybe at or under $20 or less. Tangzu Wan'er 2 * New and will improve the original Wan'er SG, 2-pin 0.78mm (better than QDC) * Pre-order and no reviews yet so far. Tangzu Wan'er SG * Mellow and easy to daily drive both physically and sound comfort wise, one of the best stock eartips I experienced. Best low sub-bass I experienced. * Might sound a tad muddy footsteps especially Valorant, uses QDC connector. Moondrop Chu 2 * Great all rounder for competitive gaming, light and small, metal case and 2-pin 0.78mm. * Bass might be lacking for some, and especially single-player games, might be abit treble harsh sounding for some. KZ EDC Pro * General all rounder, punchy bass with good clarity and highs. Great for general single-player games and maybe some online games as well. 2-pin 0.78mm and light to wear. Mellow and not treble harsh sounding. * Might muddies out footsteps especially Valorant KZ Castor * Silver version - A more versatile version of the EDC Pro, has the better soundstage a bit, can change sound feel from a neutral bright, neutral, and abit bassy. uses QDC and might be a tad heavier in the ears, treble harsh especially at its treble and mid focused tunings. * Bass version - Best avoid with competitive games, especially Valorant. But great with single-player games that are cinematic and has alot of cutscenes and environmental stuffs. QDC and heavy as well. KZ Castor Pro * Silver and Bass versions - same with the OG Castor, but a tad bit physically heavier. There are definitely better IEMs on slightly higher price range of $50-80, but they might be expensive for you. You can wait and save some more money for a more pricey set.

Ah oh, you could try vent blocking the ThieAudio though the sound feel will change. I don't know how pricy is this but, Audiosense DT600, unvented and bassy IEM Or maybe your ears will adjust to the Orchestra Lite, just like how my ears adjusted from the QKZ AK6 Pro (bassy boomy set) to a KZ Castor Silver (harman tuned)

tbh in the end, it boils down to 1. Tuning 2. Looks/Visuals 3. Accessories 4. And your music library or genres you listen 5. Treble sensitivity = sensitive, go to Safe tuning Kiwi Ears Cadenza is the safest tuning out in the two, but the tuning might not work with some music genres especially if you want a tad bit more analytical or technical. 7Hz Salnotes Zero 2 is a bit more technical-ish than Cadenza and with a tad bit more treble. The safe tuning is also up there with the Tangzu Wa'ner SG/2, which is fine for me but I still ended up with KZ Castor Silver because of abit more technical sound experience and generally abit more brighter feel. In the end its hard to say one is better or the other until you hear the difference between the two or atleast if you have a headphone then EQ it to either, or test your treble sensitivity via speakers or headphones. Personal experience based on my collection https://preview.redd.it/u014mhatspue1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8fba3241ae9d71167d526093ed0d263afe39ad07

https://preview.redd.it/snok346uz5we1.png?width=8100&format=png&auto=webp&s=75fafb1987a5ab7a8175735702e898f4e399a116 I have the Wan'er SG 1 (center), and these other IEMs on my collection Personally I still prefer the sound of the KZ Castor Silver or Bass. I don't know much about the ZS10 Pro, but basing on the squiglink. Wan'er 2 is more of a neutral warm, safe tuning (minimal treble) IEM Zero 2 is a mild V-shaped IEM, while not causing issues with the midrange that much ZS10 Pro is more V-shaped than the Castor Silver, and is treble brighter-ish and has abit more bass than the Silver but lacks bass vs the Bass version. In the end it really depends on your sound preference, music genres you listen in general, and comfort level on an IEM. I would definitely suggest to buy the Wan'er SG and the 7hz x Crinacle Salnotes Zero 2 as well being those two are also cheap IEMs under $20. But if you cannot buy another one, if you have friends or people who can let you try their Wan'er or Zero 2. Same with u/Mrs_Doyles_Teabags, the IEM world is a journey to enjoy, and good luck on your IEM paths you take!

KZ Castor Silver can be bright and very technical, separation of bass and midrange is decent, not mudding each other than the Bass version. While still giving clarity and sparkles with some ok technicalities and soundstage. But it definitely follows harman tuning. The Aurora Ultra is more technical than KZ Castor Silver because of its hybrid planar+DD setup, so it can handle faster transients and changes in the music than DD only. Only issue is unsure if it would be all good with direct to device than using a USB-C DAC, being a planar set it might need some power

1500 INR? * KZ Castor/Castor Pro Silver * KZ EDC Pro If you can at least push it at 2k INR, I would suggest * Tangzu Wan'er SG 2 * Tangzu Wan'er SG * Truthear Gate * 7Hz x Crinacle Zero 2 * Kiwi Ears Dolce * Moondrop Chu 2 Prices are HeadphoneZone, Audio Store, and Concept Cart If Amazon * KZ EDC Pro above 1.5k INR * Tangzu Wan'er SG 2 * Tangzu Wan'er SG * Truthear Gate * 7Hz x Crinacle Zero 2 * Kiwi Ears Dolce * Moondrop Chu 2 * KZ Castor/Castor Pro Silver

yeah as long as you buy the Silver, not the bass. The silver is more all-rounder than the Black bass version which is more into EDM/Pop

- KZ Castor/Castor Pro Silver - KZ EDC Pro - Tangzu Wa'ner SG/Wan'er SG 2 - 7Hz Salnotes Zero/Crinacle Zero 2 - Truthear Gate - Tanchjim Bunny

tbh all budget ChiFi has meh QC or some of its quality reduced, especially under the 3-4k INR. As long as you take good care of your IEM, they will last long, cheap or expensive. [Here is my beginner's guide for IEMs,](https://www.reddit.com/user/NinjaSiren/comments/1jil8re/beginners_intro_guide_to_iems/) including how to protect these little stuffs This QKZ AK6 Pro that is below or above 1k INR lasted with me for 3 years and still running, QKZ is one of those IEM manufacturers that is known to have iffy issues. (Btw KZ not same as QKZ, different companies) https://preview.redd.it/tz0tlx4e49te1.jpeg?width=4272&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=584f698dcd0a4488307e52f7e48f599ff7e0c052

All under 3k INR (based on ConceptKart website) Neutral (including warm and bright) * Tangzu Wan'er SG (neutral warm) \*\* * Tangzu Wan'er 2 (neutral warm) \* * Tanchjim Bunny DSP (neutral bright) \* * Tanchjim One DSP (neutral warm) * Moondrop Chu 2 DSP (neutral bright) * 7Hz Salnotes Zero (neutral bright) * Truthear Gate (neutral balanced) \* * Kinera Celest Wyvern Qing (neutral balanced) \* * KZ Castor/Castor Pro Silver (v-warm-ish to neutral bright) \*\* V/U-shaped (including warm and bright) * Tanchjim Bunny 3.5mm * Tanchjim One 3.5mm * 7Hz x Crinacle Salnotes Zero 2 (mild v-balanced) \* * ND Planet (v-warm) * Rose Technics (Roseselsa) Aurora Ultra (v-warm-ish) \* * Moondrop Chu 2 3.5mm (mild v) * DUNU Titan S2 (v-balanced) \* * BLON BL-03 (v-warm) * BLON BL-03 II (v-warm) * Kiwi Ears Dolce (u-bright) * TRN Conch (mild v-bright) * Moondrop Chu 2 3.5mm (mild v-balanced) \* * Kinera Celest Wyvern Abyss (mild v-warm) * Tangzu Shimin Li (mild-v bright) * KZ Castor/Castor Pro Silver (mild v-warm-ish to neutral bright) \*\* * KZ Castor/Castor Pro Black Improved Bass (v-bass to v-bright-ish) \*\* * KZ EDC Pro (u-warm) \*\* * KZ EDX Pro (v-bright) (\* recommend | \*\* personally I own)

Chu 2 is ok, just that it might sound abit less fun with single-player games because of lack of enough bass. As well as recent issues with broken 2-pins and them getting stuck within the IEM. (very fixable and cable replacement) Tangzu Wan'er SG is a safer for the ears set, less treble crazy, but personally it sounded abit low mid muddy (but generally its all fine) KZ Castor, I am still waiting for my Silver version (but I liked the EDC Pro, similar-ish to the Silver Castor). I have the Bass, which is better for me vs the Wan'er SG, better sparkle and technicalities.

1. **are you treble sensitive?** *if yes* then I cannot fully approve KZ Castor either Bass or Silver (as its tad bit treble crazy in some of its tuning) If not treble sensitive, yeah KZ Castor Silver Harman you can go for neutral bright to neutral warm (bassy, like Wan'er SG with abit more technicality) with the tuning switches. KZ Castor Bass is abit more bassy than the Harman, its also low mid muddy and abit mid recessed, but I get more technicalities and sparkle with it. But Tangzu Wan'er SG or Wan'er 2 is a more mellow IEM, great for long duration listening with no issues with treble, decent mid clarity and vocals. Bass is also decent with good sub-bass, but personally I find it abit low mid muddy and less technical and sparkle. KZ EDC Pro is my middle of the road between the Castor and Wan'er, it has enough sound sparkle and brightness while maintaining some clarity in the mids and still a bassy and punchy bass. While not making too much harsh trebles. This would be subjective, as you might have a different sound experience.

If you are going for the Castor or Castor Pro for general use, do not go for the Improved Bass version (even if its being advertised by many YouTubers) The Silver Harman is the way better Castor for general use, I have the OG Bass version as well. Its great for music but with gaming it gets muddied. Castor/Castor Pro Silver > Castor/Castor Pro Bass Terms of the Wan'er 2, from the people I ask and comparing vs the original Wan'er SG. Seems its a minor upgrade, better bass and mid separation (less muddy mids), and better cable with the inclusion of their Sanchai eartips. But the tuning is still the original Wan'er SG with its slighty anemic treble and sparkles (personally)

They are for the most part similar in general sound experience and tuning. Just that Castor Pro has abit more clarity and minor details vs the original. Though the Pro is abit more larger in size and abit heavier. Like a little bit. Both are good tbh, though I personally go for the og version. If you want less treble with them, then you go for UUDD switches.

In your list, I vote for the Wan'er S.G. To me it's the most balanced and sounds the best. The Castor is definitely more bassy, and the Zero is pretty similar to the SG. If you can wait, I'd hold out for the Wan'er 2 and it's reviews.

Enjoy your iem! You can set the 1 and 3 switch to up so that the bass improved.I have one of these and really love it.

2 recomendations, if you havent use the tuning switches, play around with those, and tye spinfit CP155, they will help a lot with fit, im rocking the OG Castor bass with those.

While DACs help, they usually help More when your IEMs sneed amplification, castor afaik doesnt need much amplification to work as It Best, so you ate already getting most of their performance if not all, if you want better technicalities, you probably should go for and upgrade You see, most people, because of the recent hype, think that a $20 iem with a basic dac will make your flac files sound like, idk real Life maybe?, but there Is just so much that a $20 IEM + your source can really give. Granted, a fair amount of people cant really tell the difference between lossy and lossless, and even people who can, most of them can just barely tell the difference, and thats normal, you dont need to tryhard flacs, DACs, sources (daps, sound cards, desktops amps), the point of this hobby Is to enjoy music the way you like. Now, Again, if you want to hear an upgrade in sound, you should really go first for and upgrade in IEM, i know you dont have much Money to spend, but getting a cheap planar could be a great option (Artti t10) to check better sound quality on a budget. There are also other options to pick from, but take in mind that the amount of driver an IEM have doesnt mean its going to be better, there are various single driver IEMs, specially planars, that compete or even beat multi driver IEMs and so on, so, dont but just because something has more drivers. That said, if you liked castor silver, probably your Next Step could be CCA Hydro, More expensive, but very close to what castor silver Is, but with a very noticeable jump in sound quality. But, if you have like one specific kind of tuning in mind already considered, you can also get some help here and go for a $70-$80 IEM that will still be an upgrade, but for another brand. Anyway, hope you enjoy your journey, just dont buy More expensive things for your castor expecting tons of extra performance because you are still using a budget pick, which Is great by all means, but Its still the starting point.

Castor Og (talking about the bass versions tho) has more focus on mid bass punch and less on sub-bass rumble, being also a more energetic, kind of V-shaped, clean sound, but that makes the mid range sound thin and/or on the background, the Pro kinda fixes most of this adding more sub-bass rumble and reducing a bit of mid bass punch, and also reduces a bit the v-shaped sound so mid-range is not so pushed to the back, but it also increases the size of the nozzle (the part of the iem that goes into your ear canal) when the OG castor was already on ther big side of nozzles, so yeah, wound should be an overall upgrade, although not by much, but the comfort took a hit for some people.

Not waner Man, the sound direction Is pretty basic, It might work for some games with audio help (i believe games like valorant have that) but anything else just wouldn't work that great. Your Best option if you dont care about bass Is the Salnotes Zero 1/OG, if you want some bass you will have to go up to the Zero 2, or either settle with something a bit less accurate like Chu2. I also believe that cheap IEMs like KZ Castor (i guess the gray/Harman version should work better for gaming, but Black/Bass version might also do the trick if you use the switches to boost the treble a bit) are fine-ish, but not not sure if they that well compares to Zero OG.

I was in the same boat and just bought a few pairs sight unseen - here’s my take on the ones I own (my references are the OG AirPod Pros, Pro 2, Sony XM4s, Grado 125i): These last few weeks I’ve used the KZ Castor Bass, Letshuoer S08, Simgot SuperMix 4 KZ Castor: Not the same level as OG AirPod Pros, treble is a bit muffled. Wouldn’t really use them over AirPods, but hey they were dirt cheap Letshuoer S08: Got them for a steal ($95AUD / $60USD). Great technicalities, instrument separation is amazing. Very interesting sound, can be a bit fatiguing on the treble. Bass is tight but punchy enough. I would put them equivalent to AirPod Pro 2. SuperMix 4: Fuller bass compared to the S08 but it doesn’t hit as acutely (if that makes sense), treble is smoother and easier to listen to. Would say they are still an AirPod Pro 2 equivalent or slightly better Of the 3, the S08s are the ones I keep going back to cause they are always interesting to listen to. Like others have said, the S12 or S12 pros might be worth a try as the S08s are so good already and its meant to be an improvement on top of that - but be careful of the treble Edit: For reference I normally listen to a lot of electronic, dance, pop

KZ Castor or Moondrop Chu 2, stay away from the rest (Especially Salzero 2, too muddy)

I recommend to choose on the basis of your music preference, but castor is good for bass , tangzu for vocals , https://preview.redd.it/594207ilsyre1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=45c7d8ae407cb16602086e85c31d5c6f4dd38f71

I have both in bass versions. Original has more bass but less clarity and pro has less quantity of bass, but it's cleaner and nicer cleared highs. If you want more bass go for the original castor bass, if you want a more balanced sound with still having more than average bass get the pro bass.

I love these as well. I use them on the PS5 and PC paired with the antlion Kimura mic and makes me not even want to bother with gaming headsets anymore

kz castor silver is a good choice.. i bought it july last year and it still solid..

Im a casual gamer on PC, mostly I play FPS game like PUBG, CS2, Squad and Battlefield. I mostly use KZ Castor and KZ PR3, I have CCA CRA, Salnotes Zero, JBL Quantum, Razer Hammerhead v2, Razer Hammerhead duo and couple of other budget iem. KZ castor has more boomy bass, so its great if u need more immersive sound with a lot of explosion and gunshot like Battlefield and Squad. But you can still tell what happen, where and how far.. But, when I need direction and detail like footsteps sound and gunshot direction I use KZ PR3.

Really like it. Good soundstage, nice full bass, built well and a very fun set to listen to. Only problem is listening to it over long periods of time desensitizes you to bass so less bassy headphones sound like they've got almost no bass. Also a user was saying that it's undergone a silent revision and kz swapped out one of the drivers. :/ https://www.reddit.com/r/iems/comments/1e1f8n2/comment/lcxm3dd/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

>While it is still a cheap IEM it still gives a massive difference compared to cheapy pay at my local market. Without a doubt. KZ Castors have a smoother frequency response and are a better match to Harmon Target than many of the more expensive, popular full sized studio headphones https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?attachments/kz-castor-tuning-adjustable-dynamic-dual-driver-earphone-iem-harman-target-2-frequency-respons-png.368042/ For example, now look at the Sony MDR 7506 https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?attachments/sony-mdr-7506-frequency-response-measurements-png.103799/ Or the Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?attachments/beyerdynamic-dt-990-pro-measurement-250-ohm-headphone-frequency-response-png.109720/ The Castors are objectively better for mixing. So it's no longer true that you can't get good IEMs for under $50 that are good for mixing. You just have to know which ones to buy, just like for more expensive headphones Here's another good cheap pair https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/truthear-gate-17-iem-review.61784/

Don't hate me for my choice Its kz castor

Kz Castor is technically superior to Gate , but has a bad tuning...If you know how to EQ , Castor's output becomes much better than the Gate....But Gate is more Comfortable than Castor for wearing.

Is the KZ Castor with big nozzle or is my ear that have a small channel? If I force with my fingers the sound explode, but don't stay in the position. I tested various types of eartips.

I will try with others sizes of tips. Maybe is the body of the Castor that is big.

I have the silver castor pros too but they don't drive as well directly on a ps5 controller compared to the bass version for some reason. Plus the punchy bass is sooo immersive. I'm not playing competitive games just fun single player stuff. Def using the silver ones on my laptop though!

It gets good starting from 1000 and upwards. I'm currently using the Kz Castor (1200Rs i think) and it's already very good.

I would get downvote but from plenty of $20 iems that I bought and tried, only 2 that fits the description. QKZ HBB and KZ castor. HBB has this advantage in imaging. It's not Truthear Zero red level yet but it's better than plenty of other $20. But the problem is it's a bass heavy + dark tilted iem. You have to buy a wide bore tips (included one is narrow which emphasize on bass). I used KZ whirlwind for this one. KZ castor got the sharpness and the positioning right (probably too sharp). The downsize is that it's a thicc iem. If you have a shallow ear pit then skip it. Also the tip is garbage. I used TRI clarion for this one as the Whirlwind is too short. Oh, you can get either bass or harman. If you purely for gaming then Harman but for others then bass. Edit : I have tried the OG Zero and it's surely clean but bad imaging & narrow soundstage so the positioning is slightly wrong. Hola has a good imaging but suffered from dark tilted tuning so I barely hear any footstep and plus it's already discontinued.

I recently received the the new Kz Castor Pro's a couple days ago and its definitely a big departure from it's predecessor. First things first, the build. It feels premium just like how the original castors did. I still don't know how they manage to make it feel as good as they do. It feels like your holding a peice of jewelry or something. Size wise, it's considerably bigger than the already chunky Castors. It's longer, thicker, heavier, and the stem goes in deeper to boot. All around, its about maximum of what I consider usable for my ears. Bass: the original kz castors posses bass that'll knock your socks off. It's not necessary the most high quality bass but it's definitely the most bass present iems ive ever heard. I like bass but the original castor's bass was to the point that all your songs felt "thick" and sloppy. On the other hand, the bass of the kz castor pro's are much more manageable and enjoyable (for me). The way it's implemented is as if the song has an emphasis on bass while still respecting the other parts of the mix. The kz castor pro's bass is noticeably less at UUDD then the bass on the original castors at DDUU. the original felt uncontrolled and messy while the pro's feel tigher and more responsive. If I had to compare it to something I'd say that the pro's bass feels like you're listening to a somewhat bassy set of closed back studio monitors. The bass is nice and warm but still not overwhelming. The originals on the other hand, feels like your uncle's Ultima with the 8 inch subwoofer thumping in the trunk. Tho, instead of a trunk it's thumping in your ear canal. Mids: the mids on the pro's are fairly present and noticeably warmer but not as dark as original castors. They feel more present but that may just be because of the lack of bass presence compared to the original. I don't have much to say about it's mids, it's nothing special but also nothing stands out as negative. Treble: Now, this is another big point of contention. The pro's have a sharper V shape sound signature with more recessed mids and a much sharper treble. I would even go as so far to say that when listening to my music at my prefered volume it boarders siblant. The original on the other hand, is lacking in treble and the upper signature sound lacking and empty. The treble on the pro's are definitely more dynamic and energetic as compared to the dark sound signature of the original. Even on UUDD the pro's still sound alot more treble emphasized then the original. The emptiness in the original castors end up making it more relaxed and less fatiguing tho so keep that in mind. Unfortunately, there is a noticable drop in my perceived sound quality. The pro's also offer a much more open and natural sound stage, there's also better sound seperation between instruments and vocals. Compared to the KBear Rosefinches: I would say the pro's are in-between the rosefinches and OG castors. The OG castors being dark and muddy while the rosefinches are sharp and a very heavy V shape. Last but not least, is it worth upgrading? That's up for you to decide bassed on what sound signature you're looking for. It's not a linear upgrade, it's soley a preference thing. Personally, I'm keeping both, the OG's for dumb fun and the pro's for more regular usage. The pro's are inexpensive enough that I don't feel guilty taking them with me everywhere Gear used for testing: S23 with a jcally JM6 pro dac amp. Drop 02 Amplifier and a Grace SDAC. Used tidal and vinyl copies for song testing. TLDR: If you want the most bass possible and that's all you care about, get the OG castors. If you value a more neutral but still bass heavy signature, get the pro's. In my opinion, they're different enough that they both have a seat in my collection.

If your ear size is small then don't prefer Castor.

Castor and chu 2 with dsp (usb) cable. I own/owned all of those. The Castor is what I loan to friends when I want to share the chifi experience.

For post rock chu2, but for your description kz castor. I wouldnt say the bass is very present, but its tight and defined. If you crank the volume medium/highish then go chu2. You can get cca trio right now on ali for $20 which to me is a very suitable iem for that genre. Engaging bass with clear transparent mids, well rounded soundstage, good seperation.

KZ Castor/Krila, Tangzu Wan er, 7hz Zero 2. No EQ needed (for me at least) or if you want EQ, search AutoEQ for available setting and tweak it to your own liking. Great audio doesn't require money these days (in IEM space at least)

Ooo DA, clar, 7Hz Zero 2 le bate grav, până și KZ Castor sună mai bine

I got Kz castor silver harman and tangzu wan'er . Would be used for pc gaming. Which would be go to pick ?

I agree it performs above it’s price tange

They have a bad rep sure, but some og their IEMs are really bang for your buck. Like the Castro that is decent for the price. The Edx Pro is also a pretty good one for the price. But it also depends on what you like to listen to. More bassy or more neutral?

KZ Castor bass on the 1-1-0-0 setting. Pair it with a Venture Electronics Odo and Tri Clarion eartips, it would easily compete with 40-50$ iems in terms of sound. It has dual dynamic drivers too, so you can guarantee the bass to be punchy.

One of the few cheap iems that audibly scales better with amplification.

Ive been rotating between the kz castor, tripowin viviace, and truthear zero. Castor for bass and vivace and red just based on what im feeling. But I do feel like the vivoace is a little bit better

KZ Castor is probably the cheapest bass iem you can get thats still insane quality.

I have the KZ Castor for like two weeks and they're awesome!

OG castor Harman? 🤔🧐 I'm tryna break it's tuning by heavily EQ'ing it. But unfortunately it responds well to wired EQ presets.

go for kz castor if you like bass i bought it recently and is very good for the price

The Punch is good. For a better Deuce, look for a cheap Aoshida E20. In the budget range, my basshead iems to go: 7hz x HBB Elua, Castor Bass og, Saga Bass, Libra Balanced, KBear Rosefinch

Sadly i don't have the Rosefinch, the others i think in my budget sets are the ones i go for when you talk about bassy boyz, not in any ranking, i love those cheap bangers. But if i want to recommend the best among those, the Elua, Castor Bass og and Rosefinch are the most basshead sets, with Rosefinch being the big cannon and Elua an underdog mini Deuce, the E20 is just a better and cheaper Deuce, lol.

the OG castor bass are my go tos for anything hardstyle (uptempo, raw style etc) lol, they’re incredible for that but for everything else i would absolutely not pick them 💀

They sound better with DAC. There's clearly a difference between listening to my OG Castor Bass straight out of the phone/PC, and when I connect it through my Fiio JA11.

i have both truthear gate and kz castor personally i think that vocals are very muted on castor and rest is boosted too much and they dont have a punchy bass while gate has everything balanced bass isnt outstanding but its more punchier i enjoy gate more cuz its also smaller fits better and it feels more premium

well i have both of them also now i have experience with more expensive iems and i can easily say that gate is a lot better than castor dont worry gate will handle every genre u listen to i listen to almost everything and gate never fails to deliver a good listening experience compared to castor so gate easy recommendation for every genre castor isnt bad but its just worse compared to gate

Small list of the ones I recommend for beginners with budget 1. Moondrop chu ii 2. Kz castor (original or pro) if you like bass, pick the black one 3. 7hz Zero Red 4.sgor adonis

I haven't watched the review yet, did he compare them to the Caster Black's? I just got those and I'm enjoying them (in some ways) more than sets 15x the price.

You're good, castor black is still way bassier than edc pro, I got both, the latter is just a tad bit more smoother and balanced.

Is the soundstage better than the Hola? My left Hola earbud got damaged, so I'm considering buying a new one. So far, I've only tried the Castor. While it was good, it lacked the soundstage of the Hola.

For me, Wan'er is better than Castors. I've used both and prefer wan'er 8/10 times.

I have been producing with castor for almost a year before it broke and i will tell you how much improvement it gave to my mix. While it is still a cheap IEM it still gives a massive difference compared to cheapy pay at my local market. I think while training your ear is good you also have to take into account what gear you are using. Castor not only improved my mix somewhat but also improved my daily music commute experience. I think spending a little bit will not make you better in mixing overnight but it will at least help your mixing activities much more comfortable.

Castor

It's pretty bassy, I don't know about gaming but it's good for movies

I am not an audiophile, I have been using the AirPods models for a very long time. I also have the Sony XM4 and nura phone headphones. As you can tell, I like bass. But I used the KZ ZS10 Pro x a year ago and was blown away. It sounds so great, the sound staging on it is amazing. It’s been my go-to ear IEM ever since and I made it wireless with the AS15. And I got hooked into IEMs. I have bought a few more IEMs since, wondering if it can get better than the ZS10 Pro X. I bought the Moon drop Chu after watching Crinicle’s review of it. I don’t get what the fuss is about, it sounds good, but even at peak volume, it’s does not get loud enough, and the fit is horrible for me. I prefer the KZ. Thinking I might like a different KZ, I bought the Castor, the EDX and the Dfi. There is very little difference between them and I still prefer the ZS10 Pro X. I have ordered the moon drop May hoping it will have enough for me to switch. Will let you know when it arrives.

At least those. Depends also on you favoured amount of bass, but Chu 2 (analog), several KZ, TRN etc cheap stuff like Castor. I'd need to remind me self of a bunch by listening again since it's been a while, but Gate just isn't good in today's market. Hola would be.

I did, Castor was good at its price. And I expected the Rhapsody would be a better version of Castor. And ye, good at technical term (clearer, controllable) and reducing bass amount a bit. Castor was not enough to please my taste of bass even though im not the basshead (or i am but not listening to bass so often haha). Btw, i know it was a trade off haha. And ye, Castor nearly had no rivals in this price range. What i did sharing were my first impressions, and im still pleased with Rhapsody.

The Zero 2 is a fantastic starting iem because it is very slightly v-shaped with a slight bass boost. I have them and they a good starting point. I also have the Castor Black, and the configuration you were probably looking for was UUDD. That said, they lack the clarity that the Zero 2 has. The Zero 2 is definitely lighter in the ears, but the stock cable is garbage. Like cables-you-find-on-free-headphones bad. Personally, I put on a pair of Tripowin Zonies on them. Lucky for you, the Zonie comes in pink and would make a MAGNIFICENT match. More importantly, the Zero 2 simply made music fun. Good luck with whatever you decide!

Glad the rankings helped! Dual Drivers can be better, but it is not necessarily always the case. I'd highly recommend either picking up the Cadenza or the Zero 2 as those are both safe options that are great for someone starting out! The Castor has a ton of bass and might not be for everyone

Planars are really bad for anything metal, thrash and little lackluster mix tracks from 80s metals, rocks. Any cheap DD is a better option. Maybe Timeless is an exception. My experience with KZ PR2 with even a FiiO KA11 was not so good. My Castor is far better for metal and rock. Fortunately, my current single DD is miles ahead of both PR2 or Castor. For me personally, DD >> Single Planar for most cases for such type of music.

Waners, Castors, Abyss, Cadenza, Moondrop Chu 2, Blon bl3 2 are some iems you can consider. Most iems these days are good enough for flac music in this price range, only the tuning differs. As they're wired, they dont have a battery to degrade so they can ladt you forever. Just keep them away from sweat and moisture of any kind since that damages them. Considering most iems are 3.5mm, you will need a dac which converts type c to 3.5mm (digital to analog) and lets you take full advantage of your iems as it improves the sound and volumes as well. Even if you have a 3.5 on your phone or laptop, a dac will make the iems sound better.

I currently use kZ castor IEMs and I've found them to be decent. Not too fatiguing and you don't need them loud.