Gale

for the money they're great yeah

if you have access to zvx pro i'd go for those otherwise i'd take the kz gale as a more balanced allrounder or caastor pro if you're a basshead

I would recommend kz castor silver(4k) or kz gale specifically for gaming(5k for type c variant). Don't get an edx pro for 3k it's not worth it at all. Another option is the gk kunten. Don't buy from temu or AliExpress tbh. Buy from a local seller. I can the contact info of the guy I bought my kz castor from if you want.

The KZ Gale's sound for me is so good that I get hard thinking how a much better IEM sounds like. It's why I am asking for recommendations at just a little bit higher pricepoint 😂

I always see something on my youtube feed like "This is good, but you know, it's KZ so don't" and I really don't have any context to understand what that means. I'm pretty happy with my KZ Gale myself, so I just want to understand why I always see videos saying avoid KZ.

Super cheap: KZ Gale (~$5 but you'd probably want to add the QKZ T1 cable on for another $4-ish). Better build quality: EPZ Q1 Pro (~$35) or Tin C2 (~$30). Neither is strictly speaking neutral, but neutral IEMs don't exist. These are "neutral-ish" and tuned quite similarly with a balanced, slightly brighter tilt (which is what you need for soundstage & imaging). They all have good instrument separation as well (which is different to imaging). The C2 probably has the best separation & imaging, whereas the Q1 Pro probably has the widest soundstage. The C2 is fairly tip-sensitive and probably the brightest out of the box, with the stock tips, but you can tone that down if you're prepared to experiment a bit with aftermarket tips. The Q1 Pro is probably a bit safer otherwise.

Stick to 1DDs (single dynamic driver) to run off old hardware, because they won't change frequency response if the headphone amp isn't great, and while Apple stuff is usually better, older stuff isn't always that great. For around $5 on sale you can get the KZ EDC Pro, although recently I have been preferring the KZ Gale (the EDC Pro is bassier, the Gale sounds more resolving). Both come with crappy cables so you'd probably want to upgrade that. The QKZ T1 is good and cheap. Fits the Gale but not the EDC Pro. For the EDC Pro, basically any KBear cable (8-core or 16-core, the cheapy 4-core ones are passable, but nowhere near as good) with a standard 2-pin connector. There's also the incredibly over-hyped GK Kunten (also made by KZ) but while people were getting those on sale for around $2 (and that's why there's so much hype) the price has gone back up to normal now, so whether or not you can find one under $10 will depend what regional offers are running. I'd say they're perform about the same level as the Gale, so look for whichever one is cheaper or you prefer in terms of looks. The tuning is slightly different, but they're nearly identical. Both are QDC so both will work with the QKZ T1 cable. There's also the KZ ZVX Pro which I haven't heard myself, but apparently is the exactly same IEM as the Kunten (same driver, same tuning), just in a slightly higher quality all-metal shell, and now that the initial sales have passed, it's usually cheaper. So that's another potentially good option. QKZ T1 cable again. Unfortunately under $10 pretty much all your options are made by KZ, who are a slightly dodgy company, but their QC has improved a lot in the past couple of years. If you prefer a bassier sound and can stretch to around $15 or so, the QKZ HBB is excellent (QKZ are not related to KZ). Unfortunately it also comes with a pretty crappy cable, and once again the QKZ T1 is the solution.

My kunten is still stuck on custom/postal service but just looking at the graphs and reading reviews i already kinda regret the Artti T10 tbh i rly hope Kunten will sound worse but let's see i'll update soon.. KZ i tested so far: D-fi (no switch), ZVX, Castor Silver, Carstor Bass, Libra X, Gale, ZSN Pro 2, EDC Pro, EDX Pro and PRX, KZ-like iems QKZ HBB and Sgor Adonis and non KZ ones Moondrop Chu 2, Truthear Zero Red, Tangzu Fudu, TRN V10 Pro and Artti T10. The KZ that i liked the most "stock" was Libra X it was very clean neutral and "correct" sounding but the bass was lacking while a EQed PRX with -2dB 8Khz and -10dB high-shelf on 10 Khz+ was insane good sounding and no worse than my EQed Artti T10 but the right driver died on me with only 5 months, i can confirm QC and build quality of KZ is kinda crap (brittle QDC connectors, exposed tunning filters) but as long as i'm paying less than a cheap meal for them it's fine cuz even if Kunten last me 6 months i can buy 9x Kunten (i.e: 54 months) with the price of an Artti T10 and idk if the Artti will even last 1 year!

I got both the Kz gale and Libra X and imho Libra x is still the king for budget gaming set cuz they sound cleaner (irrc Paul Wasabii said the same), gale/edx pro 2 is better for music cuz the Libra x's bass is kinda weak/neutral. 

I got one for less than 10 bucks on AliX using coins and this thing kinda slaps. I felt duty bound to leave a quick impression. I’d say it’s fairly neutral with a bass boost. Both mid and subbass are slightly elevated and the sound is more subbass focused. I picked this up with the more midbass focused Gale, which also slaps for the price. The edx pro 2 won out between the two in this case however because I couldn’t get over how clear the treble presentation was despite a fairly thunderous subbass, in a single dynamic driver set. For less than 10 bucks. The midbass still had plenty of kick and overall the low end was more nicely layered than it had any right to be. Vocals did not lag behind the bass and treble, and the set avoids the thin sound that typically plagues the under $10 price segment. Whenever I buy a really cheap set I don’t want to take out of my ears, that’s like crack cocaine to me. The resolution and tuning made this one impressive so I just wanted to give it a quick shout before the inevitable wave of “edx pro 2 gud” posts roll in. Slapped a KZ upgrade cable and some nicehck C04 tips on mine. KZ stock cables and tips suuuuck. So that’s it, just a quick super-budget update. Spend wisely friends.

I do believe the Gale uses the same driver, it’s a really nice set as well

KZ Gale(if you only care about vocals this is almost as good as the others), Dunu Kima 2, Tanchjim Nora/Fission.

To add on, I do buy from KZ, and I do have a Gale, but my unit sounds nothing like the EW300. Although it fits my taste better because of this, some people are **not** gonna be happy. My unit sounds like the one graphed here but with less subbass than the Nora, whereas the Gale on the Paul Wasabi graph is closer to the EW300. https://preview.redd.it/1da6wkv1wuuf1.png?width=2400&format=png&auto=webp&s=7cc7a9a4b0b0b2cfc184b387b8f1bd10ddb2d766 At ultra budget level there's bound to be some unit variation and poor channel matching.

KZ Gale(3.5mm version) is a less bassy EDX Pro 2 with a little more treble air. Sounds like a mild Vshape. I like that it can handle both male and female vocals well, and just a pretty versatile set overall. When facing off against my personal budget GOAT, the Tanchjim Bunny. The Gale holds up well except in subbass and treble extension, and poor isolation. On paper it has more rumble than the Bunny but it's not very textured and satisfying, and the treble rolls off sharply so I'm missing a little bit of airiness. The Gale does have a slightly more natural timbre though. I think it's fine considering 1 is $10 and the other is $20, but that's why my Gale is not really being used right now. I used stock accessories for everything, but the QKZ T1 is pretty bang for buck. I like it more than the KZ upgrade cable.

Not that it's not being honest, but you start seeing a cycle: when the Saga came out it too was being glazed, then faded into obscurity rapidly, being outshone by the ZVX Pro and the Gale. Now the Kunten is being called a better Gale and ZVX Pro. Many operate by new=better except for the really niche KZ tunings. I'm just more doubtful now after falling for the KZ Gale, KZ PRX and KZ Zenith hype now. Those were not bad IEMs, but not as groundbreaking as the people in that thread made it out to be.

Same I prefer the Gale! But this has better subbass and isolation.

I did fall for le hype train. Now I'm getting on the NiceHCK Tears train before it even starts, trying to find something to defeat the Bunny. Great take btw, I agree with your comparisons at least for the ones I've tried like the Gale and Bunny.

Idk about gaming but they sound great albeit lacking bass quantity and treble extension. Idk why Kunten was being shilled but these weren't, they are evenly matched, just for different preferences.