KZ - EDC PRO

People still recommending the crin red as a beginner iem is crazy. The crin Red is overrated, overhyped and with some many options in the market is definitely overpriced, the only useful thing of the entire package is the white tips. As someone said in a comment below, if you want to try an iem just buy the KZ EDC PRO it's like 5 dollars in Aliexpress and the kbear 08 eartips works well with it, at least for me.

Under $10 the best is the KZ EDC PRO (edx pro is another iem), use it with Kbear 08 eartips. In Aliexpress (sometimes using coins) you can get for $8-15 the ND planet, KZ Castor Pro/OG, KZ Libra Balanced/Hi res/X, KZ Saga balanced/bass, KZ ZVX pro, all of them have good reviews and comments. The Kbear 07 and 08 eartips are good for them.

yep finally got it after many people recommend it, bought it for gaming and the metallic sounds from guns in PUBG became unbearable... can't return it, but good thing it's cheap and autoeq exist. eq to harman target and it's my beater sets until it's broken in gaming.

KZ EDC PRO IEM Wired Earphone,... https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0DHSFHZZ1?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share ( these are the basic ones for 1k but if your budget is good then pick some good one but KZ is a good company.

Really? I don't game with mine, feels like the bass is overwhelming in CS2.

G1 has to be my most disappointing buy of the year. Treble is just awful. Plenty of iems with better positional audio that sound much better. I would steer clear. If looking for a V shaped sound the KZ EDC pro is better, still a fun V shaped sound but overall better tuned, and if you want a step up from the G1, but like the metal build and small form factor, the Kefine Klean is a great option.

If you need good noise isolation you should try Etymotics. But get them from Amazon or somewhere in case you need to return, because the deep fit can be problematic depending on your ear canal shape (I found them painful). The ER2XR is slightly above your budget at around $100 IIRC, but it's worth a look. That's their entry level one with more bass (ER2SE is the same but with flat bass). Ignore driver count. That's mostly a marketing tactic by KZ, but their IEMs tend to be a bit shit and they have a pretty sketchy track record with various things (fake drivers, paid-for reviews, etc). Some of their models are supposedly good for the price, but it's hard to recommend them except for complete beginner level stuff to just try out an IEM for under $10. Spending any more than that with KZ is taking a bit of a gamble. That said if you want to just get one that's really cheap to try out, the KZ EDC Pro is usually under $5 and it's actually not bad. It's a balanced, mild v-shape tuning that leans towards a bit bassier. It won't give you the same levels of sound isolation as Etymotics, but it will give you a good idea of what to expect from most typical IEMs, as most of them have about the same levels of noise isolation. It's only Etymotics and some of the other pro-oriented ones (that I have no experience with) which have much higher attenuation specs than typical audiophile IEMs. Pretty much all KZs have slightly grainy treble, which would make them unsuitable for production work, but if you're talking about live mixing then it shouldn't matter much. I don't DJ, but from friends who do, I believe a v-shape signature is what they prefer, so they can track the bass and percussion more easily for beat-matching.

Not really in order, as different tunings: * Moondrop Chu 2 - mild v-shape, great IEM * QKZ HBB - warm/bassy, great IEM * Blon BL03 - fun v-shape (but the fit is terrible) Bright neutral has a few options - I prefer the original Chu but the crappy fixed cable lets it down. The 7Hz Zero is a bit better in that regard, but I don't think it sounds quite as good. Arguably it's better to pay the extra for the Moondrop LAN for this signature because it's the best one until you go up significantly, but OTOH it's also kind of overpriced for what it is (I think it's around $40 normally, but it's basically just a Chu 2 with less bass). The 7Hz Zero 2 is OK as well but I personally find it a bit of an overly safe middle ground between other, better IEMs. Like the QKZ HBB, if you want warm but don't want to go quite that warm. It's probably the one that's the closest competitor to the Wan'er, as a better all-rounder. Although I find the Wan'er has a stand-out feature in its vocals while being weaker elsewhere, but the Zero 2 doesn't have a single stand-out thing it does better than anything else. It could maybe get the award for the okayest $20 IEM, as it doesn't do anything bad, but nothing stands out as particularly good either. You also have things like the KZ EDC Pro as probably the best beginner IEM, for around $5. It's very close to the Chu 2 but a bit bassier and slightly less refined in the treble. Probably more comfortable than the Chu 2 and less prone to condensation issues. The KZ Castor Bass, around $15, is good for a really hard-hitting bass tuning, although it's not an all-rounder and the tuning is a bit grainy.

The Audio Technicas are more of a bright-leaning v-shape. The Red is a warm/bassy neutral. The Red has huge nozzles so isn't a particularly safe choice for a first IEM, it can cause a lot of people discomfort or pain, because the nozzles are so big, unless you happen to have above-average sized ear canals. I would recommend starting even cheaper and get the KZ EDC Pro as a first IEM, because you can find it for about $5. It's a mild v-shape tuning so it's not so far away from neutral that it's going to be missing too much anywhere, and it's not overly boring either. It's small and should fit most people's ears without any problems. Once you've spent a while with something like that, you'll have a much better idea whether to stick with that, spend more money on a different IEM, or buy a pair of over-ears. And while you can get a fairly good IEM for $5, you cannot get a good over-hear headphone for that price. Over-ears are a whole different thing to IEMs. Some people hate having their ears covered (and it causes more issues with heat, especially in summer). OTOH, some people hate having something in their ear canal. It's best to figure out which type of person you are, or alternate between them both at different times to minimise fatigue.

OK, but it's not uncommon for people to have issues with the shell size on the Zero / Zero 2 and its pointy edges. And it's 4x the price of the EDC Pro. That's why I recommend the EDC Pro for someone just starting out who doesn't know much about what they're looking for. If it turns out to not be for you, you're only down $5 not $20. And that's very unlikely to happen for comfort reasons. There are very few IEMs out there that are as small and ergonomic as it, irrespective of price. Plus the sound quality of the EDC Pro is at least competitive with all the other sub-$20 recommendations including the Zero 2. Which one is best is largely a matter of preference, but nobody knows their preference until they've tried at least one IEM.

As a first IEM, the KZ EDC Pro. Because it's only $5, it's tuned pretty competently and it's more comfortable than than 95% of IEMs, especially for anyone with small ears. People going around recommending things like the Zero Red as a first IEM really annoy me, because for a significant number of people it's just going to hurt their ears and put them off IEMs forever. It doesn't matter how well it's tuned.

My beloved edc pro

These were a surprise... I bought these because I had heard they were good and for $15 AU it was a no brainer to try them out, plus I needed a new set with a mic. Got them today and OMFG are they worth the money. Pair them with a good DAC and they come alive. These will now replace my blon b03 as they blow them out of the water. Great first set or a cheap backup set edit: these are not very good for gaming where directional queues are needed like in CS2 or CS:GO, but work well for other games. I also used the SpinFit 100 tips as I never like the KZ tips even though the new ones are softer

They are worth every $ and the sound is x2 per $

For a cheap set I don’t think anyone will give it a full review. What I am hoping for is that this sets a new benchmark in the race to quality’s cheaper IEMs

It’s a hard one, because if it were more than $40 then I would buy the KZ as pro 2 as form what I can gather it’s got a bigger sound stage, however for $15 … 3 cups of coffee… 1 burger … 2 beers, a bottle of wine … etc you can get a very good headphone. I have the Tenchjim Origin and Oxygen, the Simgot Supermix 4 and compared to those these $15 headphones are not too far off, don’t get me wrong, these $200 + headphones blow the KZ out of the water, but for a fraction of the cost you get at least 70% of the quality. I say buy them, at worst you’ve just shat out that burger

I got them from AliExpress

I’ve only used it for a couple of calls and the mic is on par with the Apple 3.5mm earbuds, which is what I was replacing for calls. The cable does not feel or look like the old KZ from 4 years ago. It’s decent

It’s no good for FPS, directional queues are not as good as the KZ AS 10 pro for example. But for a game like gran turismo 7 or anything where you just need nice sound they are good

Hi, these are OK for gaming, not the best. I tried them on CS2 and directional queues were not that clear. The old KZ AS pro are much better and were my gaming set until I replaced them with the supermix 4. They are good for other games like GranTurismo 7 for example

I agree, however upgrade the tips … I use spinfit W1 on them now, and you get an extra 10% sound quality boost … a good DAC added another 10% Man … this obsession/hobby gets expensive

I’ve never tried or looked into the castors so I don’t know … sorry. The bass is nice and not boosted. All I can say these are good value, they won’t blow you away but they don’t do anything wrong either.

They are not great for audio directional queues especially in FPS like CS2, Valirant. They are good for car games like GT7, Forza though

100% this. The ChU II is very boring. Not much bass, recessed mids, squishy trebles. And they fall out of my right ear, which requires larger tips for a sealed fit, Audio Amigo gives them a "brilliant" rating, and I cannot understand why. Even my KZ EDC Pro sounds far better for half the price. The only good thing about the Chu II is the metal build quality (unless you live in humid areas, then you're screwed)

I agree. I like my Zero 2. Great bassy sound. But I find the EDC Pro's sound to be better. That extra added treble agrees with my sound preference better, without being too harsh. I find the Zero 2's treble to be lacking a little.

Try finding the cheapest kz edc pro👍

Yes it’s great maybe the best for hip hop if you pick the right one My choices KZ edc pro - super budget option 5$ just sounds good overall. Kz castor pro bass (black) - 10-15$ give you that mid bass punch and slam Kz saga bass - 10-15$ give you that sub bass rumble and thump Kz zs12 pro x (with the tuning switches set to Up up down down) - overall amazing bass sound and texture but it’s 30-50$ CCA hydro - the king but it’s 80-100$ My personal pick is zs12.

KZ ZVX PRO for 15$ is insane, or like other guy said EDC PRO/SGOR Venus for less than 10$ if u just wanna try ur first Iem.

Sold both of them within 2 weeks😆 My head fi signature: Headphones: Fiio FT1, PSB M4U, Corsair HS70, Grado SR60X (rebought). IEM’s: Cambridge Audio Melomania 1+, NiceHCK Himalaya, Hidizs MP145, Artti T10, Aoshida E20, Aful 5+2, Tripowin X HBB Kailua, QOA Adonis New, HifiMan RE2000S Pro, Faaeal Iris 2.0, Faaeal Anchestor, Aful Explorer, Hiby digital XOE, TRN Shell(!), 7Hz Five, Kz EDC Pro, QKZ MDR, Kbear Rosefinch, Yincrow X6. DAC/Amplifier: Fiio Q3 MQA, Ifi hip dac 3, BGVP T01s , Olaf dual Bocheng chip dongle, NONAME 4.4mm dongle with Apple C101 chip, Aqua Nexum. Tested but send back: Inawaken Dawn-MS,  Fiio Q11, iBasso DX180, Joyodio Shine, Fiio Q3, Kz X Libra, Fiio JD3, Sony WF-C500, JBL Tune 130NC, Sennheiser HD 650, Simgot EW200, HiFiMan Sundara, Philips Fidelio X3, Philips Fidelio X2HR, Dali IO4, QOA Vesper (DOA), BeyerDynamic DT 900 Pro X, CCA Trio, Beyerdynamic DT 990 32Ohm, HiFiMan Deva Pro wired, Moondrop Kato, Moondrop Blessing 3, Truthear X Crinacle: Red, Tangzu X HBB XuanNV, 7Hz Timeless, Simgot Supermix 4, Tangzu Wan’er SG, Austrian Audio HI-X15, XSL X-One MK4, Sony WH-1000XM5, ThieAudio Hype 2, Owned but sold: SMSL C200, Fiio JM21, Hiby R4, 7Hz Timeless AE, Tripowin X 0DiBi: Vivace, Simgot EW-300, Denon AH-D5200, Artti R1, Aful Performer8, Jabra 75T Active Elite, TRN Conch, Ikko oh300, Fiio FP3, HiFiMan HE400SE Bilateral (China edition), Kefine Delci, iBasso SR2, Koss PortaPro, Ziigaat Nuo, Ziigaat X HBB Arcadia, Ziigaat Doscinco, Ziigaat X Jay Audio Estrella, Ziigaat Odyssey, Ziigaat Cinno, Ziigaat Cincotres, Grado SR60X(rebought), Kiiboom Evoke, Kiwi Ears Quartet, 7Hz Legato, 7Hz Salnotes Zero, 7Hz Sonus, 7Hz Timeless II, Etymotic ER2XR, Fatfreq X HBB Deuce, Blon BL-03 II, Kiwi Ears Crinacle Singolo, Faaeal Poppy, Qkz Cl8, Faaeal Rosemary, Sennheiser ie200, Fiio FH7S, Fiio JD7, Fiio FF3S, Fiio FF5, Fiio FD3, Hidisz MS3, Hidizs Mermaid MS2, Kiwi Ears Cadenza, Qkz X HBB, Meze 99 Neo, Moondrop Chu 2, Grado SR325X, HiFiMan RE800 Silver, HiFiMan RE400i, Kiwi Ears X HBB Punch, 1more Penta P50, Artti T10 Pro, Kz ZEX, Kz ZVX, Kz PR1 balanced edition, Kz X HBB PR2 (first batch), Kz PR3, Kz Castor bass edition, Moondrop Chu, Kz Krila, Kz ZEX Pro, Kz LingLong, Kz DQ6, Kz ZS10 Pro X and Denon AH-C620R (Worst IEM ever, possible AE imitation). Sources: Tidal, Ipad Pro M4 13’, iPhone 16 PM Wishlist: Ziigaat Lush, Ziigaat Arcanis, Fiio M21 (on pre order).

I will share my head-fi signature below (it’s long). I have/had most iem’s that are mentioned. I wanted also to buy the DaVinci but it was recommended not do buy them. For example I like the Ziigaat Arcadia (186,-) more than the Punch (449,-). Prices, and even graphs, don’t tell the whole story. It like someone said, most important question is if you enjoy them. Also Doscinco is very good. Headphones: Fiio FT1, PSB M4U, Corsair HS70, Grado SR60X (rebought). IEM’s: Cambridge Audio Melomania 1+, NiceHCK Himalaya, Hidizs MP145, Artti T10, Aoshida E20, Ziigaat X HBB Arcadia , Tripowin X HBB Kailua, QOA Adonis New, HifiMan RE2000S Pro, Faaeal Iris 2.0, Faaeal Anchestor, Aful Explorer, CCA Trio, CCA Hydro, 7Hz Five, Kz EDC Pro, QKZ MDR, Kbear Rosefinch, Yincrow X6. DAC/Amplifier: Hiby R4, Fiio Q3 MQA, Ifi hip dac 3, BGVP T01s , Olaf dual Bocheng chip dongle, NONAME 4.4mm dongle with Apple C101 chip, Aqua Nexum. Tested but send back: Inawaken Dawn-MS, Fiio Q11, iBasso DX180, Joyodio Shine, Fiio Q3, Kz X Libra, Fiio JD3, Sony WF-C500, JBL Tune 130NC, Sennheiser HD 650, Simgot EW200, HiFiMan Sundara, Philips Fidelio X3, Philips Fidelio X2HR, Dali IO4, QOA Vesper (DOA), BeyerDynamic DT 900 Pro X, Beyerdynamic DT 990 32Ohm, HiFiMan Deva Pro wired, Moondrop Kato, Moondrop Blessing 3, Truthear X Crinacle: Red, Tangzu X HBB XuanNV, 7Hz Timeless, Simgot Supermix 4, Tangzu Wan’er SG, Austrian Audio HI-X15, XSL X-One MK4, Sony WH-1000XM5, ThieAudio Hype 2, Owned but sold: SMSL C200, Fiio JM21, 7Hz Timeless AE, Tripowin X 0DiBi: Vivace, Simgot EW-300, Denon AH-D5200, Artti R1, Aful Performer8, Jabra 75T Active Elite, TRN Conch, Ikko oh300, Fiio FP3, HiFiMan HE400SE Bilateral (China edition), Kefine Delci, iBasso SR2, Koss PortaPro, Ziigaat Nuo, Ziigaat Doscinco, Ziigaat X Jay Audio Estrella, Ziigaat Odyssey, Ziigaat Cinno, Ziigaat Cincotres, Grado SR60X(rebought), Kiiboom Evoke, Kiwi Ears Quartet, 7Hz Legato, 7Hz Salnotes Zero, 7Hz Sonus, 7Hz Timeless II, Etymotic ER2XR, Fatfreq X HBB Deuce, Blon BL-03 II, Kiwi Ears Crinacle Singolo, Faaeal Poppy, Qkz Cl8, Faaeal Rosemary, Sennheiser ie200, Fiio FH7S, Fiio JD7, Fiio FF3S, Fiio FF5, Fiio FD3, Hidisz MS3, Hidizs Mermaid MS2, Kiwi Ears Cadenza, Qkz X HBB, Meze 99 Neo, Moondrop Chu 2, Grado SR325X, HiFiMan RE800 Silver, HiFiMan RE400i, Kiwi Ears X HBB Punch, Kiiboom Evoke, 1more Penta P50, Artti T10 Pro, Kz ZEX, Kz ZVX, Kz PR1 balanced edition, Kz X HBB PR2 (first batch), Kz PR3, Kz Castor bass edition, Moondrop Chu, Kz Krila, Kz ZEX Pro, Kz LingLong, Kz DQ6, Kz ZS10 Pro X and Denon AH-C620R🤮 (Worst IEM ever, possible AE imitation). Sources: Tidal, Ipad Pro M4 13’, iPhone 16 PM, Hiby R4 Wishlist: Ziigaat Lush, Ziigaat Arcanis, Fiio M21.

Chiming in from the future Incase new folks into IDMs stumble on this Have a music engineering background: I have like -- 7 pairs of IEMs, plus a wide range over-ears, from Beyerdynamics, Sennheiser, Sony, Audio-Technica and more — And pound for pound I think these are an UNBEATABLE value. For $5 (on AliExpress) they sound exceptionally good. I mean, they blow pretty much every TWS earbuds I’ve owned out of the water — and those are 20x the price or more. These have a very pleasant V-shaped sound signature out of the box. They seem to have a slight boost in the vocal range as well preventing vocals from sounding recessed as is often the case with V-shaped signatures. However this *does* result in some vocals sounding a bit artificial in some mixes, depending on the genre. They have great bass for the price — going surprisingly deep without sounding bloated or boomy. Good punch. Songs that have midrange bass or cellos really shine here (ex. “The Curse” by Agnes Obel, “The Equaliser” by The Midnight) Surprising amount width for the price point. However really busy mixes at higher volumes will start to lack some of the clarity you get with higher end sets but that’s to be expected. All in all these are a very easy to recommend set, they sound good to great with most genres. if I were to grab these on my way out the door for the day instead of my higher end headsets, I would not be upset at all. In fact they’re so cheap I bought an extra set just to keep in my travel bag as a spare. Other pros: good cable for the price — lightweight and doesn’t tangle easily. The stock tips are good, and imo comfy out of the box which is rare for me as I have picky ears. I can wear these for long sessions without feeling the urge to “let my ears breathe” like I get with other sets. So tldr: just get them. It’s $5. Less than the cost of a cup of coffee at a lot of places these days. They’re well tuned, versatile, comfortable, and good for both music and other media like gaming/movies. You could literally buy 20 of them and still spend less than a single pair of AirPods — just let that sink in.

yeah this earphone just buy it!!! its cheap

Yeah HBB hype cannot be taken literally, there's a reason why the ND Planet is so cheap, the tuning might be good idk but its technicalities simply cannot match more expensive IEMs considering they must have used a cheaper driver. I actually bought the KZ EDC Pro because HBB hyped it, the EDC Pro has a fantastic tuning on par with IEMs many times its price, but technicality wise even $15 IEMs like the KZ Saga wipe the floor with it.

EDX Pro has ear piercing treble. EDX Pro X has it mostly fixed but everyone I've seen on Reddit suggest the KZ EDC Pro, which is what I went with. It has balanced audio. But those IEMs have bad directional clues, so it might not be as suitable for gaming as a headphone might be

Everyone I've seen [rates the KZ EDC Pro over the EDX Pro and more expensive IEMs](/search?q=KZ EDC Pro vs EDX Pro)

FlipEars Aisha Electrii - Fun V-shape sound signature, MDR-7506 in an IEM but with tamed highs. Smooth highs, recessed vocals, but has that fun sub-bass to mid-bass performance. FlipEars Legion - Has a weird O-like timbre? But other than that, for a basshead set, the vocals are still full and clear. Lowkey nasal, but it’s not that obvious until someone points it out I guess. FlipEars Legion with Penon Liquier Black tips - vs the stock tips version, the midbass grit disappears in favor of emphasizing the sub-bass rumble and making the vocals full and pop out more. Everything becomes more balanced, yet still retains that “fun” the original tuning had. FIIO FH3 - Sub-bass heavy like the Kiwi Ears Cadenza, but has more mids. Scalability is great. Doesn’t have the peaks that the KE Cadenza has. Kiwi Ears Cadenza - Second cheapest option in the list. Great sub-bass rumble, clean (especially on the bass), and great midrange for vocals. A more complete and pleasing KZ EDC Pro. KZ EDC Pro - The cheapest option in the list. For the price it’s… fine. Got it for around $3.50. Non-offensive tuning. Sub-bass elevated and Mid-bass focused set in terms of bass, you can hear the bass guitar grit when doing slides. Vocals are slightly recessed. slightly aggresive U-shape.

Had all sorts of earphones and now I just run kz edc pro with reduced bass to match Harman response

i love it a lot!

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)

KZs are fine, I myself haven't experience any bad stuffs on my KZs. Only issue is for treble sensitive people as many KZ sets are treble crazy, with exception of the EDC Pro (more mellow and treble toned down, as well as one of their cheapest sets), there are also other non-KZ that also has these bad for treble sensitive people tuning In the end its your own sound preference will tell what you like **Before** you definitely buy your first IEM watch this [**video**](https://youtu.be/tdmXjBlgVxo?si=kNLxejchE9sgzW6y) from Sevensoul Constanza and go to our Community IEM ranking list, our **AutoModerator** automatically posts it. This will help you on your purchase of you first IEM, and to *avoid wasting alot of money initially*. **Also new in the IEM community?** Recommended to follow these things *before, while, and after* using your IEM. 1. **Buy an IEM case or if you have case for it**, make sure when you are not using it put it there to avoid accidental misplacement or possibly breaking your IEM or the cable, as well as avoid excess dust coming to your IEM. Higher priced IEMs have included case in the box, some are soft cases, some are hard cases. 2. **Put a silica gel packet onto that IEM case**, this is to avoid moisture seeping inside the IEM. It degrades the glue used, degrades the faceplate, sometimes even the design and finish of the IEM. It can also affect the actual drivers inside, which will degrade audio quality. Minimal moisture, happy IEM. 3. **Eartips**, make sure you have the best fit with the best sound isolation to fully experience the IEM. IEM nozzle sizes can vary, so adjust your eartips concurrently on your ear canal. Make sure it fits right and no weird feeling, you can definitely use different sizes of eartips per ear depending on how fitting are them, and eartip bore/hole size can also change how the sound feel. Wide bore enhances trebles and allows more sound from the IEM, narrow bore enhances bass, foam tips cuts the highs and lows, and the texture, material and whatever inside the hole of the eartip can change the sound profile as well. 4. **Cabling**, you are open to get a cable on your choice, with mic or no mic, use it like a fashion statement if you wanted to. But recommended to separate your microphone from the cable, as in-line microphones are usually sounds worse than normal microphones. 5. **Recommended** ***(but not a requirement)*** **to get at a DAC**, will definitely enhance your sound experience. With a much more proper DAC/AMP setup even your in-line microphone will sound nicer. Though because its much better to separate your microphone from the IEM cable, usually its recommended to at least get a USB dongle DAC like the Apple Dongle or for Android, CX31993 DAC + MAX97220 AMP from this [**Crinacle video**](https://youtu.be/a-jlS_OlSUg?si=Zm2oqWqnzwAcRkdO). Anything more expensive than that is mainly just additional features (4.4 balanced, Bluetooth support, app support, parametric EQ, etc.) and not better sound. 6. **Avoid accidental dropping or being too rough with your IEM**, so you won't need to always rebuying another set of IEMs. No IEM will survive if it keeps falling accidentally or being used too hard. 7. **You can EQ** ***(Equalize)*** **your IEM**, definitely you can especially if you want to enhance a specific frequency, or sound experience. **And welcome to the IEM community!**

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.

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

- 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

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)

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.

salnotes zero 1 has a clean, bright and neutral sound.. salnote zero 2 has a same tuning with a bass boost and slightly lower upper mid.. which one to pick??? its all depend on what u need and what kind of music in your playlist.. kz edx pro is an old model so its not relevan for today standard but for someone who want iems with a tight budget, go for kz edc pro.. so much better driver quality, doesnt have an agresive v shape like edx pro which make it more balance (especially in vocal)..

just go with kz edc pro if u want the cheapest one.. if ur phone dont have 3.5mm jack, just get the dongle.. if u are apple user, stick with apple dongle.. for android user, the best one that i can recommend is jcally jm6 pro..

Try out the KZ EDC Pro as long as you can buy it below 10 usd. You might like it more than its price suggests.

Here are some under $15 iems that I think are amazing: SGOR Venus, ND Venus, KZ EDC Pro, TRN MT1 Pro. All are solid, have good separation and a V or U shaped tuning.

Agreed, the cheapest "good sound quality" headphones I can think of are some Koss stuff and even those are around RM140-200. (If OP's priority is sound quality anyways) Some recommendations for OP if he doesn't mind IEMs: KZ Castor Bass edition, KZ EDC Pro, Moondrop Chu II, Tangzu Wan'Er original and SE versions, 7Hz Zero 2 and original versions, and the Truthear Gate. Note that I only specifically recommend those 2 KZ models since the rest of their lineup don't sound as good unless you move up the price bracket. KZ also has issues with deceptive marketing as well with certain models where they switch out the drivers randomly in the middle of the production run. The Chu II can occasionally be found for around RM40-50 in carousell, and if you live in the Klang Valley, starspicker's store sometimes have open box Chu IIs for sale.

KZ EDC PRO hands down

Yup first time i tried it was so harsh like bro wtf and not a great gaming set either but yeah the price i got it at i can't complain btw which software you used for EQ?

If it's your first time buying an iem then i would suggest you to save a little more and go for CHU2 cause the EDC PRO is very shouty and it will hurt your ears and trust me i also thought it won't be that bad but it was soo yeah instead of KZ go for Wan'er Chu 2 or Cadenza

I still don’t know my preference, but I tried a few different iems SM4: I really like it, but sometimes hurts my ear after long use. Vivace: Great Details, great IEM but not enough details. KZ EDC Pro: I loved this especially for the money I paid for it ($1) Tangzu Waner: I didn’t like this :( Can you tell me what iem fit my preference? Thanks!

The only KZ worth buying is EDC Pro or Castor Pro, unless you know how to mod and experiment with IEMs. Even then, sets like QKZ X HBB and Blon BL03 II exist for $30. Spend a bit more than bottom dollar to get value.

I'm going to get the castor pro after sending back my waner sg studio. I really like the kz edc pro for the 5 I paid.

Kz EDC Pro, great iem 4$. In some countries its 1$. For me it is better than hola, piccolo, castor and even truthear zero blue