Saga Balanced

My current favourite IEMs are Artti T10, Tanchjim Origin, KZ Saga Balanced, and Delci AE. Overall it seems like I may have preference for a slightly stronger bass presence, although the Origin doesn't have quite as much sub bass as the rest. I have tried the Tanchjim Zero and Ola, and I was not really a fan.

Lately for me it’s been Apple Music, ibasso dc elite, and kz saga balanced. I would not really recommend that as a setup, but I don’t overthink anything with it. More music that I could possibly listen to, a top tier dac, and iems that sound good and can be replaced cheaply when I inevitably break them. I’ve auditioned a number of the multi kilobuck iems and ultimately decided I can live without.

KZ Saga Balanced with eq ~ •Preamp: -12.5 dB •Filter 1: ON PK Fc 32 Hz Gain -0.51 dB Q 0.62 •Filter 2: ON LSC Fc 41 Hz Gain -0.41 dB Q 0.707 •Filter 3: ON PK Fc 87 Hz Gain 0.98 dB Q 0.713 •Filter 4: ON PK Fc 282 Hz Gain -0.76 dB Q 0.583 •Filter 5: ON PK Fc 294 Hz Gain 0.25 dB Q 2.150 •Filter 6: ON PK Fc 506 Hz Gain 0.22 dB Q 2.994 •Filter 7: ON PK Fc 774 Hz Gain 2.55 dB Q 0.854 •Filter 8: ON PK Fc 1081 Hz Gain -0.72 dB Q 2.368 •Filter 9: ON PK Fc 1411 Hz Gain 1.70 dB Q 0.482 •Filter 10: ON PK Fc 3115 Hz Gain -0.92 dB Q 3.351 •Filter 11: ON PK Fc 3873 Hz Gain -1.48 dB Q 1.524 •Filter 12: ON PK Fc 6385 Hz Gain 1.15 dB Q 2.399 •Filter 13: ON PK Fc 7845 Hz Gain -4.66 dB Q 3.263 •Filter 14: ON PK Fc 8430 Hz Gain -2.17 dB Q 4.000 •Filter 15: ON PK Fc 9856 Hz Gain 2.51 dB Q 3.367 •Filter 16: ON PK Fc 10808 Hz Gain 3.20 dB Q 3.314 •Filter 17: ON PK Fc 12476 Hz Gain -9.50 dB Q 1.799 •Filter 18: ON HSC Fc 14707 Hz Gain 1.98 dB Q 0.707 •Filter 19: ON PK Fc 16000 Hz Gain 16.00 dB Q 0.495 •Filter 20: ON PK Fc 16000 Hz Gain -8.30 dB Q 2.439

The Iem itself is like 14$ i think and sounds pretty good without eq but with eq it essentially has perfect tonality

The Zenith is the best one by a large margin for me, the Gale would be my second choice (EDX Pro 2 has the same tuning and about 2-3dB more bass, I prefer the balance of the Gale though, both are an incredible value for the price (+/-$8-9)). I have or had at some point the Hydro, PRX, Saga (both), Castor (both), Libra (hi-res and balanced), ZVX, ZVX Pro, Vader Balanced/Trio, ZS12 Pro X, EDC Pro, D-Fi and Polaris, of this sets I like the Saga Balanced the most.

The original EDX Pro is really more on the V-shaped bright tuning, and many don't like its bright tuning. If you really like bass, Castor Harman is not your IEM. I would either suggest going to like Saga Bass or Castor Bass, or Dawn. Castor Harman (1100 switches), Gale, EDC Pro, EDX Pro 2, and Saga Balanced is more leaning towards balanced-ish tuning. Castor Harman (0000 switches) is more leaning to mild-V shaped bright, (0011 switches) neutral bright tuning Terms of improvement or any differences, if you want versatility and easy to adjust to almost any tuning, go for the Castor Harman (tuning switches and EQ) If you want to not fiddle with switches and/or EQ, go for the EDC Pro, EDX Pro 2, and Saga series.

EDX Pro 2 and Saga Bass would definitely be a slightly more warmer set than EDC Pro. EDC Pro would be similar-ish in bass and mids with the EDX Pro 2, but a brighter treble, abit closer to balanced than warm or bright. But the EDC Pro was original reference tuning for many newer KZ IEMs, like the EDX Pro 2 and Saga Bass. They just refined the sound overtime, Zenith was the pinnacle of that tuning, especially alot of people really preferred the warmer sound. Even other KZs have been tuned to a tamer treble than classic KZ sets. Though recent new new releases have been using the Castor and Castor Pro Bass tuning with refinements on treble, and bass for the bass versions of the new KZ IEMs. https://preview.redd.it/rwodxqaqc3yf1.png?width=2400&format=png&auto=webp&s=cef5c06819544d7d3340234c1640b7dc24e72474

EDIT, Please ignore some of this, after much recent listening, I am fairly certain that there is likely to be a hearing imbalance between my left and right ears, and they do not hear frequencies in exactly the same manner. One leans towards more sensitivity in high frequencies, and the other towards bass frequencies, so this is not just a volume imbalance, but more. So I have to revise my opinions. Definitely the ZVX and the two copies of SAGA Balanced, which I own, in spite of my own hearing situation, their imbalance was beyond what I can attribute to my own hearing. I'll revisit the PRX, cos it could be my own ears !! Initial Post below : I own PRX, Polaris, 2 of the SAGA Balanced, ZVX, EDC Pro, Castor Pro Harman, Libra X, CCA CRA, EDX Pro X. The bad. ZVX paint started peeling within 48 hours of use, and within 4 months, one earpiece of the pair, had a drastically reduced volume. Both SAGA balanced pairs are no longer usable cos of imbalances between left and right in the pair - maybe I'll see if I can salvage a working pair from the earpieces in both pairs ! By and large one main issue with KZ/CCA is the possibility of level imbalances between left and right earpieces, it seems to be a bit more pronounced, compared to IEM's from other manufacturers. My other IEMs are the 7Hz Zero 2 and the ARTTI T10. The EDX Pro X, I bought 3, sorry this product is abominable, and has no redeeming qualities. Not sure who this is for. Poor quality at a low price, not worth the false economy of a cheap product. The acceptable. CCA CRA was my 1st IEM, and I loved the improvement over my AKG K702's. ZVZ was OK, improved high frequencies and clarity, but the channel imbalance and eventual unreliability, as well as the inadequate bass, makes this a buyer beware product ! Libra X was too bright. Way too bright, all the EQ in the world could not address this flaw. Only for treble heads EDC Pro is excellent - best of the sub $10 KZ's. Polaris is OK, but I would not call it one with clarity, a bit harsh. SAGA Balanced - great balanced sound, but unfortunately the product has manufacturing flaws, which I experienced on 2 examples. I loved it so much I ordered a 2nd one, but sadly there is an issue with the product reliability, and consistency. And that includes different frequency response between left and right, on my 1st pair. The excellent With a few caveats, the PRX is a superb product, but the stock ear tips, in my opinion, do not pair well with the IEMs. So with 3rd party ear tips, and some EQ to reduce the excessive high frequencies, it's a decent product, with lots of clarity, and a very respectable audio reproduction. At this time I am interested in one or more of these, to complement the PRX, which I am relatively happy with (once EQ's and using better ear tips) : KZ AM16 KZ ZA12 KZ Decet Not easy deciding between them. In the same way that PRX introduced me to a commendable budget planar, which would need me to spend a lot more, to get any better, these other three seem to be the best bang for the buck, as an introduction to All Balanced Armature, Hybrid, and Multiple Dynamic Driver configurations. My preference is for neutral, maybe with a little bass emphasis. Analytical is high on my priority list, Clarity is ultra important, and above all if I spend money on a product, it MUST be reliable.

Indeed, I will keep a lookout, and on that note, I think, for the harsh top end on some of these KZ's seems I have found a solution. I received what I think is the solution, about an hour ago. A proper fitting set of foam ear tips from [Sonicfoam.com](http://Sonicfoam.com), ordered via Amazon.co.uk. The supposed harshness in the upper frequencies of the PRX, which I had with ill fitting smaller foam ear tips, and somewhat with many silicone ear tips, of what I realise now were a poorer quality, is gone. Now I can tilt the EQ curve the completely opposite way, cut the bass a bit and boost the highs, if I want to. But really no more need for EQ. The voices and instruments and effects are so life like. I forgot to mention what made me move away from the SAGA Balanced. I had one pair which had a frequency balance difference, and a volume balance, between the left and right ear pieces. I loved the product so much I ordered a 2nd set. After another few months, the 2nd set has also lost the balance between the earpieces, and in both cases, the difference is rather significant, so I must now find a use for these as decorative items !!. This happened to me with the KZ ZVX also, fault level balance after a few months. In fairness, with the Castor Pro Harman, I detect no such level or frequency imbalance. And with the ARTTI T10, any perception of an imbalance between the ear pieces, is negligible, I just checked. None. Why do I mention this. For a while, I thought my hearing was bad, cos of this imbalance noted on some IEM's. Not saying that my hearing balance is perfect, but for some reason, either due to failure of drivers, or manufacturing inconsistency, or possibly combined with a difference in my hearing, I developed a listening chain, where I store presets of stereo balance correction, as well as frequency (EQ), for each IEM. Actually a couple of presets, and typically check that mono signals are properly centered, each time I put on any IEM, cos I became quite sensitive to these things. With the PRX, I still have a bit of a difference in level between left and right, but this is a consistent difference, that has not changed over time, so I can address this via a stereo balance correction, something which thankfully is also possible on a smartphone. So pretty happy actually really really happy. PRX, now without EQ, via the new set of foam ear tips, sounds great on a good DAC, with sufficient power. No longer fatiguing in any way whatsoever. Crisp, smooth, lovely, precise, and very clear. All that is needed now, is my controlling the volume, adjust volume to fit my mood, and the level of the music/audio. The entire audio is now seamlessly well blended from left to right, back to front., even got a bit of height. Now I'm beginning to sound like an traditional audiophile, the kind who pen articles for Stereophile or similar journals !!! :) Hate taking off the foam ear tips, cos of minor variations in positioning, when I put them back in, which alters the stereo balance, and I have to recheck, and adjust or remove any deliberate stereo panning, that I had introduced. Well, nice problem to have, guess it comes with the territory, our ears are not exactly made of stone, neither are the foam ear tips, so its reasonable to expect that each insertion, could vary a bit. It does make me ask the question now, when I read a review, or listen to one on Youtube - what tips were they listening through, cos it certainly makes quite a difference. Your comments as usual have been a huge help. Thank you.

I got a little bit frustrated with the frequency and level imbalance on the PRX, moreso that now with the better foam ear tips, the anomaly between left and right is made more prominent. Using the same ear, and attempting to insert one earpiece after another, at about the same depth. It was now quite obvious, there is a mismatch definitely one earpiece is brighter than the other. I am aware that achieving consistency is easier with dynamic drivers, cos we have so much more experience manufacturing these. Guess where the cookie crumbles - QC, and the manufacturing process. Somewhat sad, that this is my 3rd KZ IEM product, with definite difference between left and right. Previously I had the same issue with a ZVX, 2 SAGA balanced, and now the PRX. All is NOT lost, all part of the learning curve. So unfortunately it is back to the drawing board. 1. I know I prefer the sound of Planars, for the clarity and transient response, and very life like natural portrayal of the audio, with lots of detail. 2. Definitely love them even more with foam ear tips. So for now, I have gone back to the ARTTI T0's, but now with my "best" foam ear tips, from Sonicfoam, which I took delivery of today. Excellent product I think, the larger and I think also shorter nozzle of the T10 seems to make it easier to fit the ear tips, in the ear canal, and not have to achieve this with much effort, and achieve a good seal. The massive relief, no perceived channel imbalance with the T10's. That is definitely a relief, so the issue with the channel variation on the PRX is thank God, NOT my hearing. Definitely relieved about that. The search continues, but it will take a lot to convince me to invest in any more KZ's. I'll most likely give the search a break, until the new year and use this interval to, with diligence, see what is available from other manufacturers. Channel imbalance in a listening device, with all due respect, that's a critical error that should NOT happen. The T10 will be sufficient, for now., until I find an alternative, that's definitely better.

I can imagine that the KZ related brands are responsible for an increase in the number of people who have taken an interest in IEMs, and I salute their continued improvement, but we have been the guinea pigs. I have bought at least 11 KZ related brand IEMs, before I found 2 of which were superb. SAGA Balanced and PRX. EDC Pro was OK, at least not fatiguing, only lacking in ability to deliver details and resolution. I actually bought 2 SAGA Balanced, cos when one went imbalanced, I thought I would get lucky with a 2nd set, but that also is not balanced. Sad for an IEM with "balanced" in the product name. 1. SAGA balanced was my 1st really nice IEM, but with this issue, unusable. 2. Before this I had ZVX which also went imbalanced 3. Then PRX same issue 4. Even the latest ZVX Pro, which has a lovely sound, has a channel imbalance. Initially one does not notice these things, but over time, especially as I have now moved over to foam tips, which deliver a more complete seal in the ear canal, it becomes easier to notice these things, and I would add, the better the drivers are becoming in KZ's IEMs, it also becomes easier to hear these anomalies, even small deviations are more discernible. On the other hand, to their credit, my non KZ IEMs, the 7Hz Zero 2 and ARTTI T10 have not portrayed any channel imbalances, Maybe I was lucky. KZ has a good thing going, I just wish someone in their leadership would grasp the potential that they have, and invest in the effort to deliver manufacturing consistency. Many of us would pay 10 to 15 dollars more, for an assured consistency, and better cables, and better ear tips. I am NOT encouraged to invest more than $10 at this time, in any KZ IEM, cos they are difficult to return to China, if something is not right with them. I've had to implement presets in software, cos I listen predominantly via a Windows PC(this is also possible on Linux or Mac), so for those IEMs with minor channel balance issues, I compromise and accept this, by rebalancing the stereo, using a mono signal as a test signal, e.g spoken voice. Or I convert a stereo source into mono, while rebalancing by ear. Guess this are the sacrifices one has to make, at the budget end of things. And occasionally we get lucky, like with the GK Kunten, superb results for a low price. Albeit seems that when their IEMs are selling well, they bump up the price, the price has gone up quite a bit, since I bought it !! Same with minor EQ issues, I've resorted to using a bit of EQ, broad strokes, rather than any precise surgery, more of a tone control, usually only to cool down some pesky high frequencies. Frequency response, balance issues, and any other manufacturing or design issues aside, the one thing that is indisputable, is that their drivers are getting better at clarity, resolution and a more neutral frequency response, that is not immediately fatiguing. The downside of this success, is having corrected what needs to done, the urge to try out the next great IEM, is gone. Prefer to invest that effort in improving my source audio, e.g buying and listening to the uncompressed audio extracted directly from the original CD into lossless FLAC format. I have discovered a terrible habit in the music industry - remastered. I would not want to see a "remastered" Mona Lisa in the Louvre, I want to see the original. Streaming services do NOT give us the luxury of listening to both the original as well as the remastered versions. Once it is remastered, they take away the original, and maybe the only way to find the original is if it was included in a compilation album, before it was remastered. Rant over.

We learn and learn. I discovered that the channel imbalance in some of the KZ IEMs, could be related to moisture condensation, and it seems that the IEMs with metal shells, seem to be more prone to this issue. With that in mind, I went back to a pair of the SAGA Balanced, which I had not used for a few months, cos of the channel imbalance. And it appeared that this imbalance was gone. Maybe the moisture condensation had evaporated. Its working fine, over the last few days. I assume you are prioritizing audio quality. So my comments below address this priority. I have the Zero 2, it is an OK IEM, comes with decent accessories, and looks great, but the sound is NOT exceptional. No regrets buying it and owning it, but only value is as a way to compare my listening observations, with what others think about their IEMs, cos so many of us own the Zero 2. It is a well made IEM, but the sound is NOT spectacular. The KZ ZVX Pro is a bit bright, otherwise its an excellent IEM to listen through. Value for money is incredibly good, cos it's a relatively inexpensive product. I still think the GK Kunten is a huge achievement. For the price there really is nothing to complain about. It is a V shaped frequency response, but not excessively so. The upper high frequencies are well controlled, so this is NOT a harsh fatiguing IEM. It is only when one compares with the SAGA Balanced or better IEMs, that any "weaknesses" become apparent. The SAGA Balanced sounds more resolving, and a bit more revealing in the mids and highs. The upper frequencies and mids of the Kunten are so well controlled, not harsh, and the bass is very present, so overall the Kunten may appear a bit recessed in clarity and resolution, but this is just a bit so. I find the Kunten sounds really easy to listen to, and does not have the typical high frequency boost of many budget Chinese IEMs. With Kunten, you may want to listen at louder volumes cos the mids and high frequencies are a bit recessed. Exceptional value for money. For the most natural, non fatiguing listen, the Kunten is the champ, and a phenomenal achievement. You can listen to this IEM for a whole day, without fatigue. The bass is a bit much, just a bit. But overall I would say - this would suit most people.. Cos you can listen quietly or loud on this IEM. Soundstage Kunten wins. If you want to listen without being distracted by every little detail this is the one. It sounds more like listening on good speakers in a room, and the bass goes deep, if not as accurate as the SAGA Balanced. KZ SAGA Balanced. This is another V shaped frequency response IEM. I'd say more so than the Kunten. Frequency response and detail/subjective clarity, the KZ SAGA Balanced wins over the GK Kunten, it is not as "dark" as the Kunten. A really lovely IEM to listen through - the KZ SAGA Balanced is. A bit bright I would say. Just a little bit. This is the IEM, if you listen at low volumes, cos even at the lowest volumes, everything is subjectively very clear, balanced and easy to listen to. At the current prices, this is another exceptional IEM, especially for the price. End of Part 1

When I compare with my more expensive and much better sounding ARRTI T10, the SAGA Balanced, comes closer to the clarity, and balance of the ARRTI T10, than the GK Kunten, but it is too bright, and long term listen will be fatiguing. For long term listen - its is the GK Kunten, which has more of a similarity to the frequency response of the ARTTI T10, i.e not fatiguing and not harsh., but does not have the clarity of the T10 or the SAGA Balanced. The ARTTI T10, then has both the detail and clarity, Better resolution, and excellent non fatiguing frequency balance. I think the GK Kunten, remains the best budget IEM, regardless of whatever I have said earlier. In comparison, the SAGA Balanced, will get tiresome and grating in the ear. End of Part 3

I think GK Kunten would be ideal. It is the most complete sounding budget IEM, I have heard. I have the Castor Pro Harman, and the Kunten is just so much better tuned, and balanced in every way, with definitely enough bass for anyone. NOT woofy bass, but solid tight clear bass, and everything else is also clear, without treble harshness. But there is a caveat. None of this goodness will you hear if you do not have a good seal in the ear canal, so your choice of ear tips will dictate how much of the Kunten goodness you will hear. In my case, I have larger ear canals, or over time using IEMs maybe my ear canals, have expanded!!, so the stock ear tips that come with Kunten are too small for me, And even with foam tips, I still have to do a bit of work, to get them to fit and sit properly. Finally you need a decent cable, the cables that come with all KZ products at this time, have a negative impact on the audio. Here are proven and tested suggestions for a good cable. (link below) [https://www.head-fi.org/threads/recommended-budget-to-mid-priced-iem-cables-with-low-estimated-resistance-as-a-desirable-target.978699/](https://www.head-fi.org/threads/recommended-budget-to-mid-priced-iem-cables-with-low-estimated-resistance-as-a-desirable-target.978699/) So with all those caveats taken care of, I with full confidence recommend GK Kunten. It is rather good.

Part 1 DACS - Digital Audio converters. And in this case, all of the ones discussed here also have an integrated headphone amplifier, but no one really talks about that aspect. We think of a DAC with an aux output as one integrated device - DAC + headphone amplifier, even if most people still refer to this as just a DAC, or more typically -a dongle DAC. I must have bought at least 6 different Type C to Aux cables, also known as dongle DACs, i.e dongle digital analog converters, ranging in price from about $2 to about $35. Truth be told, for casual listening when one is on the move, especially if you are listening in a public place, most modern phones which have an 3.5mm aux headphone socket, already have decent enough internal DACs, and I'm not sure any improvement by using a dongle DAC, is worth the effort. You just get one more cable that can get lost, or go bad, if one is careless with the dongle DAC cable. For critical listening, far more important would be the source of the audio. Free Spotify and Youtube, and Social media, like WhatsApp, etc, etc, and conferencing apps like Zoom, already compress the audio, so it is a bit of a waste of time and effort to get a dedicated dongle DAC, for these kinds of audio sources. Especially if one is out and about, the ambient noise supersedes any audio improvement of a dongle DAC, its ok to use the onboard headphone output of our mobile phones. Especially if it is a phone bought sometime within the most recent 5 years, they all have very decent internal DACs, cos the quality of even the most basic DACs is and has been pretty high for a good while. Only reasons to bother with a dedicated dongle DAC, or a desktop DAC product with an integrated headphone amplifier, would be : 1. Your playback device, does NOT have a headphone (aux) socket. 2. You are listening in a very quiet place, with low or no ambient noise, and can appreciate the improvements that you will hear from using a dongle DAC cable or Desktop DAC+Headphone Amp product. 3. You are listening to high quality audio sources, such as lossless audio on Tidal/Qobuz, Apple Music, etc, etc. 4. You do not want to use the headphone output from most computers and laptops, especially Windows computers, cos they may not deliver the best audio result. To be continued in Part 2

ZVX Pro and Saga Balanced. ZES is my favorite KZ for the gym.

Based on ONLY what you(OP) said about your usage, between those 2 IEMs the Castor Harmon is the better option. The 4 switches on the Castors control “Bass/Bass/Mids/Treble”. By default they are all in the Off position. Turning on both Bass switches will give you a nice and easily noticeable increase in bass response. The EDC Pro is an amazing sounding IEMs for how cheap it is, but that’s the thing, it is cheap. The materials used for the EDC Pro are of the lowest quality. This may not matter to you but just doing a simple side by side comparison of the Castors to the EDC Pro, Castors have a far better build quality. I would seriously look into getting the Saga bass version. Even the Saga Balanced version sounds “better” than the Castor Harmon versions and the Saga Bass has a noticeable boost in the low end over the saga balanced while still retaining its clarity.