Vader Balanced Version

Snobbish, deluded and dumb. There's no freaking way the AM16 sounds "cluttered". OP's earwax must be impacted, which is probably given he doesn't hear the flat coldness that the apple dongle has to it's sound signature. PRX (if you can get one without QC issues) AM16, Decet, ZS12 Pro X are all fantastic sets. And sets like the Vader Balanced and Kunten are pretty great when you factor in that they're $10. I dgaf how stupid their marketing is or what shitty things the brand did previously with bargains like that. The hurrr durr KZ bad group think is so dumb and seems to be parroted by people that haven't been into iems pre 2020.. what you can get these days in the budget space is nuts and KZ's sets in the last year or so are even out competing a lot of other budget sets on price/performance.

I just entered the IEMs world with one lucky purchase of KZ Vader balanced in heavy discount for only 5 EUR. I have never experienced so clean bass as in the beginning of the Pink Floyd - Dark side of the moon album. I’m not a pro user and only wanted to try it out for not so high noney if daily use case will not come. But despite the use of AirPods in the gym, I use only these KZs for everything else.

From that list Castor or Castor Pro but honestly I prefer Vader Balanced, Zenith, AM16, and ZS12 Pro X as my favorite KZ IEMs.

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 og KZ Castor has more bass than the Castor Pros, The og Vader balanced Edition sounds more cleaner than the Castor/Castor Pro with good bass punch & rumble. The KZ Saga Bass Edition is another set to consider, its less technical with details then castor & vader but has more subwoofer bass thump with a smoother treble than them & is an all metal. The Moondrop Chu II DSP is a safer pick if you get fatigue or dont like the sharp treble tuning from kz iems also is all metal with brass nozzle

* QKZ x HBB * KZ Castor Bass Edition * KZ Vader Balanced * 7Hz Zero 2 * GK Kunten These would be my top picks under $30 on Aliexpress, QKZ x HBB is my personal favorite as its vocals are smooth & warm with thumpy sub-bass that got some rumble to it good for all day listening & those sensitive to treble. KZ Vader Balanced is an amazing paired with a DAC+EQ gets more punchy & scales better than the Castor, Castor Bass Edition has more bright & energetic treble with very punchy mid-bass.

**KZ EDX Pro** *More of a fun tuning with ok details & bass but very sharp treble* **Tangzu Wanner SG 2 (Red Lion Edition)** *More of a natural tuning with forward vocals & smoother treble than EDX Pro* **KZ Vader (Balanced Edition)** *More of a Balanced tuning with better clarity, detail & less sharp treble than EDX Pro but slightly less bass impact, I prefer the Vader over the Vader Pro as the treble is not as sharp* **KZ Castor Pro (Bass Edition)** *More of a fun tuning with slightly less detail than Vader but more bass impact, I prefer the Castor Pro over Castor as they sound cleaner overall* **KZ Decet (Tuning Edition)** *More of a fun bass heavy tuning with way more bass presence than EDX Pro but slightly less detail than the Vader* **Kiwi Ears Cadenza** *More of a natural & relaxed tuning with smoother treble, better clarity & overall cleaner sound than EDX Pro* **Truthear Zero Blue** *More of a fun tuning with better detail, deeper & cleaner bass than EDX Pro but slightly less bass slam than Decet* **Simgot EW200** *More of a natural bright tuning with better detail, clarity & cleaner bass than EDX Pro* * *Want the same fun vibe as EDX Pro but more bass?* **Decet** * *Want more detail with a balanced but still bassy sound?* **Vader** * **Castor Pro** *sits somewhere in-between the Decet & Vader* * *Want slightly less bright treble & less boomy bass than EDX Pro but biggest clarity upgrade?* **EW200** * *Want smoother & balanced sound than EDX Pro?* **Cadenza** * *Want smoother & balanced sound than EDX Pro but also more bass?* **Truthear Zero Blue** * **Red Lion** *sits somewhere in-between the Cadenza & Truthear Zero Blue*

I would grab the KZ Castor Bass Edition or KZ Decet if you want bass, or if using a DAC+EQ the KZ Vader Balanced Edition is a good cheap option as it scales very well with EQ and gets more punchy than the Castor. The Kunten will have more bass than the Gale for sure

KZ Vader Balanced + KZ AM02 + Tangzu HE Sonic Eartips After buying so many chifi sets i can confidently say this is a very underrated IEM it doesnt scream bass heavy but trust me with this exact setup its reaches basshead levels you wont be disappointed it honestly makes me question why i got the kz castor bass edition or fatfreq deuce sometimes as the vader is good enough for what it is as the vocals are very detailed & clean the bass is more on the sub-bass thumpy side like the kbear rosefinch especially when your pair it with a dac + eq without dac or eq i would say the QKZ x HBB as it has warm & smooth treble with thumpy sub-bass it doesnt give me any fatigue at all even at max volume same with kbear rosefinch but the vocals are slightly recessed on them and they arent as detailed just more bassy overall and wont eq well in my testing but a very fun set non the less.

KZ Castor Bass Edition, it will have more punch than the castor pro or Duonic, but the Duonic has more detail compared to the other two. QKZ x HBB this has more deep sub-bass rumble than the castor with strong punch and warmer smoother treble this is one of my favorite beater sets with DAC & EQ it will tickle the inside of your ear canals Vader Bass Edition is another I like it scales better with EQ & DAC without distorting, the vader pro is also good but same thing as castor pro they refined the sound by lowering the bass & raising the highs so you get treble cannons I do like the Red lions & zero 2 sound but not a big fan of the plastic builds not that kz is any better but it feels somewhat cheap feeling in the hand, the moondrop chu II is alright but it does have issues with oxidation from moisture & it's brass nozzles

KZ Castor, Vader, Duonic, Decet, PRX, AM16 & Zenith are the only KZ iems worth it IMHO others are just kinda slightly refined spin-offs that sound similar to other models in the lineup. GK Kunten (made by KZ) is really popular due to the hype its basically a better EDC Pro, good if on sale or under $15

* Kbear Rosefinch * KZ Castor Bass Edition * KZ Saga Bass Edition * KZ Decet Tuning Edition * QKZ x HBB * CVJ Vivian * 7Hz x HBB Elua * ND Planet * Aoshida E20 * Kbear KB02 * KZ AM16 Balanced Edition * Kefine Delci * CCA CRA * QKZ AK6 Pro * 7Hz G1 * KZ Vibe X * Truthear Zero Blue 2 (with Bass+ Impedance Adapter) * 7Hz Legato * Fatfreq Deuce * Ikko OH10 * TSMR Armor * ISN H20 * Dunu Titan X * Ooopus X op.22 * CCA Hydro * Punch Audio Portazo * Ziigaat Arete II * 7Hz Diablo * Artti R1 * Juzear Defiant * Simgot EW300 (with EQ) * Aful Explorer (with EQ) * KZ Vader (with EQ) My personal favorites are the Kbear Rosefinch as its less than $20 has almost the same bass quantity as the 7Hz Legato when you EQ them though they are not the most detailed & vocals are slightly recessed with a dark treble tuning, QKZ x HBB is a bassy set with warmer tuning this used to be a daily beater of mine and still kept in my personal collection, the KZ Decet as the mid-bass slam is hard almost as hard as the TSMR Armor but not quite, again its not the most detailed & the Decets are rather large/heavy sets & you can experience pressure build-up depending on tips used, Fatfreq Deuce is my endgame basshead set, lightweight shells, the mids are very recessed & its not the most detailed but fun for EDM & Hip-hop something like the KZ Castor Bass Edition or Aoshida E20 can be EQ to get you close to the bass levels of the Deuce again neither is on the same level as the Fatfreq when it comes to bass quality & clarity but they both can get up there with a decent dac like the JM6 Pro/Fiio KA11 especially if paired with a 75-100ohm impedance adapter. I personally find most planar & BA sets to be meh in general for bass as they can sound loud but feel flat/thin but the Diablos are somewhat of an exception for me as the treble is smooth and the bass on them hits pretty hard though i think they are a little overpriced imho. If you want something that scales very well with EQ then i suggest the Aful Explorers, KZ Vader/Vader Pro or Simgot EW300