KZ - Vader Pro

I have two sets of KZ. Castor Pros and Vader Pros. Both are reallllly good sounding to me, especially Harmon Target with adjustments. The Vader Pros are incredible, honestly. The Castor Pros are like BASS, but still tunable. Depends on what kind of bass you're looking for. Sub-bass is best on the Vaders.

Bad PR history, and they did have a lot of 'misses' in the past. Some shops I know actively avoid them, not to boycott, but they are reluctant to deal with customer complaints about faulty units, when there is a good to fair chance its the 'fake drivers' shenanigans again. Plus every community need a heel, KZ plays that very well and keeps things exciting. It doesn't help that this community has an aversion to brands that pump out products very frequently, when in reality its a very respectable strategy. It allows non-enthusiasts to figure out their preference at a very low price. Imo recent KZ releases have been really good. I would have been a shill if they actually made shapes that can fit my ear without extensive tip rolling. Gale, Dawn, Zenith, Duet, ZVX Pro, Vader Pro, EDC Pro, all have been hits at their price brackets, and none of these are sets that you will feel pained if you end up misplacing them or damaging them by accident. I haven't tried the Hydro from their sister brand CCA, but some users have praised those sets into the high heavens. I unironically think KZ keeps the industry exciting. Having really respectable sets that can be priced similarly to a fancy meal should keep the other players nervous and honest.

ZS12 Pro X for amazing details and technicality PRX has the best planer tuning, almost DD quality bass with the details typical of a planer and wide soundstage. Vader pro bass enhanced has a very good balance of details and bass Hydro is a very fun set with flagship level details

Depend on your tastes The current darling would be Edx2/gale for the cheapos. Zvx pro for great budget balanced tuning Zenith, kz flagship one dd with balanced tuning Prx, zenith like tuning on planar which gives less "impact" but more details. Require more power. --- Cca trio/vader balanced, for fun v tuning with ample bass for rock music AM16, thick ish fun v with better res via multi BA setup Vader pro, attempt of giving kz fun v tuning more resolution at cost of reigning in the bass tuning. --- Sonata, kz true flagship. Detail monster for the price. --- According to some reviewers in head fi Top 3 kz (well, ish) right now would be KZ AM16, KZ ZAX/CCA trio, KZ ZVX Pro.

Depend on your tastes The current darling would be Edx2/gale for the cheapos. Zvx pro for great budget balanced tuning Zenith, kz flagship one dd with balanced tuning Prx, zenith like tuning on planar which gives less "impact" but more details. Require more power. --- Cca trio/vader balanced, for fun v tuning with ample bass for rock music AM16, thick ish fun v with better res via multi BA setup Vader pro, attempt of giving kz fun v tuning more resolution at cost of reigning in the bass tuning. --- Sonata, kz true flagship. Detail monster for the price. --- According to some reviewers in head fi Top 3 kz (well, ish) right now would be KZ AM16, KZ ZAX/CCA trio, KZ ZVX Pro.

I'm in love with the KZ Vader Pro personally. If you're into gaming and you want something that's detailed, bassy, and immersive, I'd absolutely recommend them. Especially if you're a console player. They're easy to drive, tuning switches and an enhanced mic

I doubt you've listened to any recent KZ releases if that's your take. Vader, Vader Pro, AM16, Zenith and other recent IEMs have all been excellent for their price

I doubt you've listened to any recent KZ releases if that's your take. Vader, Vader Pro, AM16, Zenith and other recent IEMs have all been excellent for their price

KZ hasn't really fallen and instead it's probably the opposite. They have improved their tuning and frequently get recommended in the sub $100 iem realm. Vader, Vader Pro, Castor Pro, Zenith, AM16 etc are all very good IEMs for their price.

KZ hasn't really fallen and instead it's probably the opposite. They have improved their tuning and frequently get recommended in the sub $100 iem realm. Vader, Vader Pro, Castor Pro, Zenith, AM16 etc are all very good IEMs for their price.

I went with the KZ Vader pro. Couldn’t be happier. They are great because I don’t want to bother roommates with my speakers and they exceed my expectations and work great with my dac/amp.

iirc there’s only one version, on Amazon at least and it has the switches but I haven’t touched them.

KZ Vader has been my favorite in the under $50 bunch. Gate looks so frail. Though the anime girl on the box almost always makes me buy it…

KZ Vader is also a good one here. Whatever you buy, you should pair it with a DAC like the Audiocular D07 for proper output.

Wtf. Vader is bloody bright. Nowhere comparable to castors. Also have you tried the castor pros?

Castor pro harman/bass, zvx pro..and both versions of vader.

Well it depends of course on your music preferences, finances and source of music. May I suggest you disclose a couple of tracks you absolutely adore and would want to sound brilliant with the new IEM. Based on the genres you're into, the recommendations will change. Also mention your budget. Second, unless you are monitoring recorded/ live studio music, analysing technicals, you are not going to enjoy flat tuned iems that people generally recomend. Most people prefer iems with overall good textured thumping bass and sub bass rumble, clean strong vocals and airy crispy treble with a wide soundstage. If you have the option to physically try out IEMs before buying them, you might be able to first time right on purchase. Else, start small and go for starter iems and accessories. Once you are sure about what you like, you'll be able to research and find your endgame iem. I am listing some starter iems based on my listening preferences: Single Drivers. 1. Truthear GATe - Good single 10mm Dynamic Driver, fun sound tuning. Nice bass and vocals , smooth treble. Can be Equlised to make it amazing. Cons. Cheap cable, plasticy, needs 8 core upgrade cable to improve music quality and eq above 4 db boost. 2. Kiwi Ears Cadenza - Good single 10mm DD , fun sound, nice bass , smooth vocals, smooth treble. Can handle EQ well. Looks great. EQ can boost bass and treble and vocals . Cons. Bass is good you will love iems with more thump. 3. 7Hz Crinacle Salnotes Dioko - Single planar driver 14.5 mm. Clean tuning , focus on mids and vocals. Great for vocals and classical music. Can EQ will to boost bass and treble to sound amazing. Good looking set and kit Cons. Can sound muddy with EDMs with out EQ. 4. ARTTI T10 . Good single planar driver 14.2 mm. Great tuning , good bass texture , mids and lows. Sounds amazing on female vocals and instrumental tracks. Good kit, ok looks . Cons. Looks, needs EQ to boost lower mids for male vocals . Tambre is very planar and may sound different to sensitive ears. I recommend Truthear GATe with a better cable or the Kiwi Ears Cadenza as is. Multiple drivers. 1. Kz Vader. 3, 8mm dd drivers. Good bass, mids and treble. Nice soundstage, can handle eq boosts well. Good sound stage. Cons. Need cable upgrade to 8 core (qkz t1 cheap will do) . 2. Kz AM16 bass edition- 8 driver all BA. Good bass, good vocals and treble. Great musicality and comparable to expensive DD iems. Cons. Need better cable 8 to 16 cores. EQ is tricky as the low frequency BA driver is easy to boost , mids not so much. 3. Kz Castor Pro. 2 10mm DD driver. Good bass , good mids and treble.. Can be Equalised to boost bass and treble to sound like endgame bass iems like Punch audio Martillo . Cheap and dynamic. Cons. Need a 8 or 16 core cable (qkz t1) . With EQ this can amaze people . 4. Letshuoer DZ4- three 6mm DDs with a passive radiator. Great sound, good bass and treble. Sounds nice without EQ. Mid focused and perfect for vocals . Good kit and cable. Cons. Looks. 6mm dds do not handle much EQ. Sound is not the best for EDM. I recommend the KZ Castor Pro bass version or the Letshuer DZ4. With EQ and new cable the KZ Castor Pro or Vader will sound better than others.

Wow more than me! My favs are ZS12 Pro X, Zenith, PR2 (black mesh), and Vader. How do you like the ZA12 and Hydro? I tried to get a ZA12 but it was a scam listing so I got a ZSN Pro X instead lol, at least it was free. Oh, and original CCA CRA, one of my favorite DDs to this day.

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.

Interesting. I took apart vader and i did not found any part number on them. Same with my zs10pro2 no part number on any components. Do you know by any chance if A30019 are superior to 31736 used in Rhapsody and zs10pro2? On paper both use the same ba but zs10 have piercing high notes,not the same case with Rhapsody so i assume the tuning is done on the circuit board. Also i think those ''silver'' wires have a role also,otherwise won't make sense to use coper and silver wires ( Rhapsody ) I swapped on my PRX those silver wires with thicker copper ones and i have the impression the bass is a bit stronger ( could be just on my mind ) Also there is a chance to remove hot glue with some chemical or something.Heat could damage the driver. In Vader they used some glue that got dissolved by acetone but in Rhapsody they used hot glue so no chance to disassemble them unless i find a way to get rid of that ho glue.

kz castor pro (harman tuned with improved bass) kefine delice ae kz vader (hi-res version) kz zs10 pro 2 or kz zs12 pro x

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.

Lmao, these people are gonna have you miss out on a really good iem for $13 because of their morality hyperbole. I have every iem in your pictures except the zsn and the Vaders are the best, imho. I've tried gaming with 3 of the 4 also. Don't want a lot of bass. Get the high-resolution version and find the QKZ T1 cable for $3-4, and you'll be set.

Vaders are the best out of the choices you have pictured imo. Balanced version for general music and single-player games. High-resolution version for competitive games with less bass.

Kz vaders are everything that the castor is but slightly better.

Good call. I play bass and the Sure single driver couldn’t cut it. A friend in Nashville recommended the KZ. I got the dual driver for $20 and the difference is night and day. The triple driver work well too I just didn’t find them as comfortable.

Yeah isolation is a tough one. I’ve had the KZ Pros and think they are garbage on all aspects from the fit, to sound isolation, to the sound reproduction. Probably my most hated IEMs that I’ve tried