KZ - ZS10 (Original)

The kz zs10’s have become my go to in ears for everything now. I haven’t found anything else around the 50 dollar range that has the same sound quality. I would go as far as to say that they are the best budget in ears on the market right now.

100% would recommend - all the other guys in my band use them and I have a set as spares

DT 770 pro’s imo are the best over ear headphones. If you want something with better noise cancelling, you can also try the Vic Firth SIH3’s. I’ve yet to find a good pair of IEM’s under $200. I tried several. I guess if I had to choose one it would be the KZ ZS10’s but the sound quality is nowhere near the DT 770 pro’s. But the KZ’s will also offer better sound isolation if that is important to you. I would put the Vic Firths in the middle. Isolation not as good as the KZ’s, but better sound quality for sure just not as good as the DT’s.

I think this is highly personal and depends on what kind of sound you prefer, as an anecdote, I had the KZ ZSX (Terminator) and loved them, then I lost them during a business trip and I saw many reviews claiming that the ZS10 pro where even better, so I replaced my ZSX with the ZS10 and felt disappointed as those had a less analytical sound and I felt I was missing a lot of detail on the high frequencies, but many people feel that the ZSX are harsh and sibilant on the higher frequencies, so again, depends on your taste.

KZ ZS10. Crazy good value. (Memory foam ear-tip upgrades recommended for improved isolation: Eg Comply TX500) (Note. You likely need *isolation* rather than ‘noise cancellation’. The latter can be problematic for live performance.)

My first experience that got me REALLY into music was the kz zs10. I could hear all the drivers and the music had seemed so much fuller, but now when I compare them to a better iem like the dunu davinci which isn't considered highly technical the zs10 just sound like a handful of speakers all playing the same song where on the davinci the crossover is done so well that it sounds like there are very special drivers for each instrument all played together like an orchestra. Not just a lot of noise on top of each other. Had I never upgraded I could have died happy with my 50$ iems instead of having spent 1000's of dollars on audio Too late though

Oof. I have an addiction, like a dragon building a lair. To keep it to just iems I got interested in the idea of multi drivers with crossovers and started with a cheap kz zs10 Then I went and got a kinera Phoenixcall Duece Orchestra lite Davinci Cadenza Pandamon RSV MK2 Ice labs prismatica But right now I'm trying to round things out with some headphones, I just picked up a new tube amp, something simple and to pair with a 105 aer, and I'm currently learning about vacuum tubes lmao.

Only moisture. Putting them in a box with a couple silica packs is usually enough to keep them for many years. Not running them will not harm them. I have kz zs10s which are poorly made that work like new and are a few years old Many people have 2020 sets that have had 3, 4 , 5 owners and work like new.

My KS ZS10s sound absolutely great, but they don't isolate nearly as much as I'd like them to, even after upgrading to foam tips. TBF they state 26db of isolation and I do believe the construction of the shell is capable of that, it's just that none of the tips seal quite right and that might very well be because of my ear shape or something.

I have those as well, the 425s are more natural/neutral, closer to the source. The ZS10s definitely add a lot of bass which sounds great and helps especially for us drummers. 

I practice with my 425s with earmuffs over them so I don’t really notice the lacking bass honestly. If I ever start playing live again I’ll probably buy a new pair of KZs

I use the KZ ZS10 from amazon. They work and sound great when I play bass or acoustic guitar. They sound as good as my buddy’s $400 shure ones. They often go on sale.

If you do go with the KZ's, I do recommend the castors as the have the best low end of the brand. I also own the zs10's and stopped using them because the bass was lacking. Of course this is just if you are keeping the budget at a minimum. More expensive brands will respond much better than the KZ's