KZ - ZS10 Pro (Gen 1)

I wouldn't say so. I have the zs 10pro x and had the zs 10 pros with some other shittier KZ models. I still think these were the most thought through. The new slop they make feels like a way to pull as much money as possible, KZ ZS10,12,69 pro, x, extra, ultra. Just fuck off. Same opinion about other brands, moondrop, 7hz.....

I wouldn't say so. I have the zs 10pro x and had the zs 10 pros with some other shittier KZ models. I still think these were the most thought through. The new slop they make feels like a way to pull as much money as possible, KZ ZS10,12,69 pro, x, extra, ultra. Just fuck off. Same opinion about other brands, moondrop, 7hz.....

Truthear Hexa. The sub-$100 IEMs I've tried include KZ ZS10 Pro, CCA CXS, Tinhifi C3, KZ PR2, CCA Rhapsody and Truthear Hexa. I've EQ'd all of them but the Hexa requires the least to sound good to my ears. Just a single bass boost at 85 HZ, 2.8dB, Q = 0.5. I still prefer the sound of my EQ'd Ikko OH10s (2nd gen) but the hexas are hella comfortable and much cheaper! Without EQ, the hexas beat the OH10s.

KZ ZS10 Pro. Great gateway, but rapidly surpassed. The wax sealant melted in one of the units, completely eliminating the bass. Got chucked in the end.

Hah, yeh, I've read that they've ceased using a wax sealant, so that particular issue should be resolved in more recent models.

Dare I say KZ ZS10 Pro was the first to wow me with deep rich bass and still does. A little EQ knocks down the glare in the top end and makes it listenable for a long while.

Amen to that, I recently picked up a set of the ZS Pros, and some extra earbuds because the ones it came with weren't great, but they absolutely WALKED all over my 215s

Ear plugs are fine. Make sure you can hear your other members though. What I do is wear my IEMs. I have KZ zs10 pros ($50 on Amazon). Then I put a pair of open back headphones on top for cosmetics. With the in ears, I have a mixer with 4 inputs. 1 input from my DAC for metronome or backing track. 1 from my electric drums which I use as triggers for my pedals, and eventually 1 for PA input. That way, I can hear a metronome, my feet, and an output from the other band members using the PA. It’s a pretty cool setup.

Yeah I find those with regular bass (non-enhanced) works well for gaming, too much bass and it becomes unbearable for me. So far from what I have, I find KZ ZS10 Pro and KZ ESX works well for gaming though I still prefer speakers.

Linsoul KZ ZS10 Pro https://a.co/d/jigSbCR These are working WONDERFULLY for me. Shure level quality for a fraction the price. Get these to extend the cable https://a.co/d/c4rrasx And these for foam bud (worth it to switch out the stock version that come with the ZS10s) https://a.co/d/6uJm7ki

https://preview.redd.it/hy8h2esd91te1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e244416df0e81d07055713bbb0632d0a0be0bbd1 Hey all, I'm pretty new to the hobby and just wanted to share a quick impression. I’ve been switching between the KZ ZS10 Pros and the Aful Performer 5s for a few weeks now, and honestly, I keep reaching for the ZS10s more often. I mostly listen to bass-heavy tracks and female vocals, and to my ears, there's not a huge difference between the two sets in those genres. From my perspective, the KZ hate feels kind of overblown. For the price, I think they punch way above their weight. I’m planning to grab the DUNU Braindance next. But if it doesn’t offer a meaningful improvement to my (probably plebeian) ears over the ZS10s, I think those might end up being my endgame. 🤷‍♂️

The budget IEM recommendation is usually the KZ ZS10 pros. I got a set recently on sale for $40, but they’re typically $50 on amazon. Get some better fitting tips and they’re really solid for the price. They’re 5 driver and have a ton of low end. Almost too much honestly. I haven’t gigged with them yet but compared to the ultimate ears set I usually use the UEs sound much more balanced. I think the KZs might get boomy/muddy, but we’ll see. A lot of people like and recommend them. In both cases the headphones I have are universal fit, not custom molded, so finding the right tips is very important. If you don’t have a good seal on your ear you get a ton of external noise and end up having to crank the volume on the IEM which can just cause more problems, or they’re falling out all the time and you’re losing your monitor. When I first started using IEMs we all had the shure psm systems with the SE215 headphones. They’re fine. Like you said not the most robust bass response but they worked well enough for me. That band eventually split and I got away from IEMs for a while. Got back into using them more recently with some of my other projects.

For years, my audio journey was anchored in the vibrant world of Chi-Fi IEMs—budget-friendly gems like the KZ ZS 10 pro, Moondrop Arias to Multi kilobuck killer - Monarch mk2/3, Mest, QDC VX. These in-ear monitors delivered thrilling soundscapes with their bold price to performance value, punchy bass, and sparkling treble. Yet, curiosity led me to the Westone Mach 80, a flagship renowned for its clinical precision and studio-grade neutrality. The transition wasn’t just an upgrade; it was a paradigm shift—a rediscovery of what music could be. Build and Comfort: From Plastic to PrecisionMy audio journey and experience, while impressive in sound, often felt utilitarian in build—oversized shells, hefty cables, and fit that demanded frequent adjustments. The Mach 80, by contrast, felt like a bespoke instrument. Its SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT (Yes in Caps), ergonomic design, molded from lightweight medical-grade resin, disappeared into my ears. The over-ear cabling and deep-seated fit provided a seal so secure and isolating like a Custom IEM that subway commutes became silent even without music playing. Westone’s decades of expertise in pro-audio ergonomics shone through; these were IEMs built for marathon listening sessions, not just casual use. Sound Signature: Chaos to ClarityThe first listen was… jarring. Gone was the bombastic bass slam or the polished midrange bloom. The Mach 80 greeted me with a stark, unapologetic neutrality. Bass was lean and taut, not thunderous. Treble was detailed but never sibilant. Mids? They weren’t “forward” or “recessed”—they just were, pristine and uncolored. It felt like swapping a neon-lit carnival for a sunlit art gallery. * Bass: The Mach 80’s 8 balanced armatures delivered bass with surgical control. Sub-bass rumble in electronic tracks like Jacques Greene’s “Feel Infinite” was textured and articulate, not bloated. Double kicks in metal tracks retained their speed but lacked the visceral “thump” I’d grown accustomed to. This wasn’t a deficiency—it was accuracy. The Mach 80 revealed how much of most of the iems was bass boosted. * Mids: Vocals and instruments emerged with startling realism. On Norah Jones’ “Don’t Know Why,” her voice floated with breathy intimacy, free of the midbass bleed that muddied my Chi-Fi sets. Acoustic guitars on John Mayer’s “Neon” showcased string plucks and finger slides I’d never noticed—a masterclass in microdetail, its surgically incredible! * Treble: Cymbals on TOOL’s “Pneuma” shimmered without piercing, and orchestral highs in Holst’s “The Planets” retained their airiness. The Mach 80’s treble wasn’t “exciting,” but it was ruthlessly honest, it’s very very smooth to listen. Soundstage and Imaging: From 2D to 3DThe Mach 80’s soundstage felt expansive and holographic, a stark contrast to the intimate, head-filling presentation of my Chi-Fi collection. Listening to Hans Zimmer’s “Blade Runner 2049” soundtrack, synths swirled around my head with pinpoint placement, while the decay of reverb tails in a jazz club recording felt almost tactile. Instruments weren’t layered—they occupied distinct spaces, like actors on a stage. The Adjustment Period: Learning to Listen AgainFor days, I mourned the loss of “fun.” Tracks that once felt anthemic now sounded restrained. But gradually, my ears acclimated. The Mach 80 didn’t impose its personality—it revealed the recording’s personality. Well-mixed tracks (think Daft Punk’s “Random Access Memories”) became transcendent, while poorly mastered songs laid bare their flaws. This wasn’t an IEM for mindless head-bobbing; it demanded engagement, rewarding critical listening with revelations. The Chi-Fi Rat raceNowadays everyone is chasing the best of the best while many companies are releasing new items week in and week out, and we often forget to slow down and appreciate music more. And often with massive waves of iems releasing we often overlooked some of the brands that do not come out new model very often. Conclusion: A New BenchmarkThe Westone Mach 80 isn’t for everyone. If you crave bass heft, WOW factor or euphonic coloration, it might underwhelm. But as a tool for understanding music—for dissecting mixes, savoring acoustic textures, or simply hearing your favorite albums anew—it’s peerless. The is the most resolving IEM I have ever heard in any price range and I have heard a lot; and it’s redefined what I expect from them—and from music itself.

I just got the updated Drumeo ones with my membership renewal so basically for free. Way better than the Se215. I have the kz ZS10 Pro and I think they sound a bit better than the Drumeo's but I feel more confortable playing with the Drumeo ones, they are lighter. The kz ZS10 Pro are cheaper but you also need to get a better cable (the one that comes with it sucks) and a good pair of foam tips. The drumeo comes with lots of ear tip options including foam and 2 good cables.

They do. Bass on KZ zs10pro is a bit better imo. But Drumeo's bass is way better than the SE215s

Guitarist here. Full wireless IEM rig for our foldback. I have a few ZS10 Pros as backups, but I vastly prefer my Truthear Hexas. I honestly think what musicians really want, almost always, is neutral balance, which KZs are not exactly famous for. Never the less... - KZs are cheap. Some musicians splash crazy cash on gear, but there are so many bits of gear you need that IEMs aren't high up the priority ladder. - Musicians have mixers. I have access to all kinds of parametric EQs and other adjustments, I can make anything decent sound good with enough effort. - ZS10 Pros are much better than the Shure SE215s, for example. We started out on those because they came with our IEM wireless gear. The 215s are a reliable work horse, but they sound terrible compared to a lot of much cheaper IEMs these days. I think a lot of guys are just running what their systems came with, and from that position KZ is very good. - Marketing just worked. I don't know if it was truly grassroots stuff or if this was an intentional marketing campaign, but a lot of musicians forums and subreddits have been talking about KZ for the last year or two. Word got out, and many jumped on the band wagon. They're wrong though. I think Hexa or other more neutral IEMs would go in a lot more musician's ears if they knew about them. 🤷‍♂️

I’ve been using a set of KZ ZS10 Pro’s on gigs for the last 5 years. Original cable but comply tips. If they didn’t sound good I would be using something else by now.

KZ ZS10 pro. Usually about 40-50 of whatever your currency is on Amazon. Good enough for gigs as well as practice.

The KZs kept coming disconnected from the cable when I used them.  Other than that, they were great, but too frustrating for me to stick with 

Shure's have never impressed me - I've used the 215s and 425s. I currently use either KZ ZS10 Pro or DQ6s. Both are way better and WAY cheaper. For edrum use, I use the silicone dome tips. They're enough for that. For acoustic drums, I use foam tips for better sound isolation.

My KZ ZS10 Pro were $21 on AliExpress. They took about 2 weeks to get here. It’s way cheaper than Amazon for the same thing. Are good quality foam tips available for the moondrop ones?

So I have my KZ ZS10 pro for a year (going 2 years next month) bought it for work purposes. It's my first IEM since my KZ Zs3 broke on 2018. Got it for $25. Using it like just once a week. Very seldom use. Just this week, I bought Truthear Zero:Red for almost $55. Planning to use it for my band for live performance vocal monitoring. So I tested both just today. I am kind of disappointed in Zero's sounds bcos it's muddier and has lower volume compared to KZ. KZ's vocal output sounds brighter, louder and livelier. Zero on the other hand, sounds good if I did not test the KZ first. I read a lot of bad reviews for KZ but I think ZS10 pro wins this. Now, I want to put my hopes up that I did not waste money for Zero. Haven't tested it in band practice to check if we sound good on live. I'll test both IEM and will get back to this thread. And please. Put my hopes up that I did not waste money on this :( lol

Hey all! I tried the zero:red just yersterday and I was surprised how good the sound quality is compared to KZ ZS10 pro. I very much like the response of Zero as it is more balanced than the ZS10. ZS10 hi freq kinda hurts my ears in hi volume. I tried it with my click tracks and played drums too and FOR ME, I prefer the ZS10 for clicks esp my click sounds are high freq so I can feel my ears ticking (lol) For Zero red, I felt fatigue on my ear after using it for 2 hours. The nozzle is too big but my ear can handle it but not for long. Didnt feel any on KZ I am in a metal band btw. Hope this review helps!

Grab some in ears. Personally I like my KZ ZS10 pros, I would reccomend grabbing a longer aftermarket cable for them however. These will allow you to play along to music or a click as well as protect your hearing

They punch well above their cost for sure. The only gripe I have is their cables are quite shit to be honest

Never tried those but the most commonly recommended I see here are the KZ ZS10 Pro. Tho I’m with you I’ve tried multiple IEM’s and thought they were all far off in sound quality from my DT 770’s so I gave up the search.

I will add they were the best sounding of the ones I tried and I tried some 2x - 3x the price. Build quality is great too. I will say they are good for the price.

I have both, and I agree with you 100% Not a musician so idk about using them live and such. But i can say the KZ ZS10 Pro are my back up IEMs. The Zero red are sitting in the box till i find a use for them. Probably will sell them cheap or as a beater pair if my kid needs headphones.

KZ ZS10 Pro, they were far better than the old JBL T110 I used years ago but I hated how sibilant and harsh the treble was to my ears. At the time I didn't know much about EQ or audio as a whole, and I wasn't aware how sensitive I am to high frequencies. Now I've been using the Kiwi Ears Cadenza for almost two years and I love their warm, laidback tuning.

The KZs are on Prime Deal right now. They’re honestly awesome and well within your budget. Good have mire than enough to buy some spare tips, upgrade the cable if you want. I have customs and I frequently grab these because they’re so good, it’s not a downgrade at all. https://www.amazon.com/KZ-ZS10-Linsoul-Earphones-Detachable/dp/B09DK2N5G3

Moondrop chu 1st gen, kz zs10 pro. I’m listening now more on kz. Less bass than chu but they are fun sound and make me fell more „inside” music. Guitars and drooms sound awesome but sometimes bass is so hard to notice that i think they’re are broken but on other songs i feel it 🤷‍♂️ planning to buy something better but too much options and i can’t decide and no rush. After all ipod is not high end device but i like using it :) cant stand all this android DAP x)

Don't sleep on a good set of IEMs for gaming. I picked up the KZ ZS10 PRO's and I will never go back. There are decent options at every price point so look up some reviews.

I use that exact setup, P2 and KZ10 Pro. I'm extremely happy with it.

I use the KZ ZS10 Pro. They sound WAY better than my old Shure SE215 and are way more comfortable. Get some [Comply Memory Foam](https://a.co/d/cRC1KUp) tips to really up the game. They are easily the best value and you'd have to spend $3-400 to get better.

This is very true, or I'm just very unlucky. My ZEX Pro, ZS10 Pro and ZS10 Pro X all ended with one earphone dying after just a few months with minimal use. The same thing happened to my AZ09 Pro bluetooth, I purchased two and both had problems with one earphones. So I settled for a CCA CRA + TRN BT20XS and have been using it since last year, mainly because they're cheap. I'm thinking of getting a ZS10 Pro 2 + XZ10 bluetooth. I have no doubt with sound quality, but the build quality is what worries me.

I have the Arctis Gamebuds and it's fantastic on 2.4ghz. Never bothered to game on BT since latency will always be much lower over 2.4ghz dongle than BT. I've gamed for 6+ hours on my X on AC power and I still had plenty of juice left on the Gamebuds. Sound quality on the Gamebuds is awesome and I just set up the EQ. using my iPhone - the 2.4ghz dongle is configured for 1 EQ (for whatever game I'm playing these days), and BT is set up for another EQ (for music and calls). Plug the dongle into whatever laptop I'm using and it just works, no pairing or config needed. Aside from not having multipoint BT, I really enjoy the Gamebuds and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them if you're looking for something for gaming and everyday use. If you don't mind going with a wired IEM, it's worth considering the Linsoul SIMGOT EW300 DSP as it comes with a USB C end. And doesn't cost a fortune. Decent sound isolation, but not noise cancelling. can wear them for hours. Upgraded from Linsoul KZ ZS10 Pro which isn't bad but uses a 3.5mm jack and frees up a USB C port. Both have mics as well and work great with iOS, Android, WIndows, MacOS, Bazzite :)

All power to you, your ears are the best judge. Braindance and performer 5 both have less bass than zs10 pros so what made you choose those options?

Thank you for the list. I currently own KZ ZS10 Pro, not super happy with em. I'm now looking for a good IEM for watching movies and is stuck between buying Blon x HBB z300 or Kiwi Ears Cadenza, any recommendations?

I have well over 1000 spent on iems now lol and I've bought the kz zs10 pro and pro x multiple times I like it so much lmao. I probably won't use it after recently getting my fatfreqs but I gotta say something about the zs10 just slaps right man. I've gifted these to people and they always are shocked. Id say don't buy some of their other models knows for having pointless crossovers but that's about it.

Same here. They sound nice but don't fit as well as the se215, even after buying the suggested foam tips.

I own a set of KZ ZS10pro. (I’ve yet to find a good set of seals for them, but I’m looking into [these](https://www.adv-sound.com/products/eartune-fidelity-custom-fit-eartips) hopefully this will seal them for their bass response. I may also buy a set of reportedly neutral truthear hexa (the good thing about the system I linked is they make tips for all the popular IEMs based on your custom ear mold- send it once and order a different set as necessary.) How are you getting signal to pass into them when you’re on stage performing? That same system should work just as well in the studio.

i primarily game on my xbox series x and have been using Audeze Maxwell for 9 months. it sounds great but thought of alternating with an iem after reading rave reviews on them for gaming. Bought the KZ ZS10 Pro X after some research for a low price of sgd 29 (usd 21). it's generally good for music, videos and general gaming but I play a lot of COD MP and for that, i find it lackluster. The sounds gets muddy when too much things happen in the game and can't really discern the sounds. Directional / positional audio for COD MP is quite bad. Not contented with the performance, i researched more and got to know about the EM6L. Now i've got an EM6L on the way as my second IEM, probably will receive in next 1 or 2 days. Hope it does not disappoint. Got it at sgd112 (usd 83), 4x the price of the KZ. The Supermix 4 seems to have even better reviews and better consensus by reviewers. but the price is just too much of a jump as my second IEM. Right now with the sale on aliexpress, i found one at sgd 173 (usd 128). Although considered good price, it's still 50% more than the price i paid for EM6L. big price difference if it's only marginal difference

I bought the KZ ZS10 Pro as my very first IEM and sold it off.. bought simgot EM6L and happy with the purchase so far. If you have 200usd budget, perhaps can consider simgot supermix 4 which generally has consensus by reviewers that it’s really good

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.

For old J-pop, classical, and hip-hop?, Tangzu Wan’er, my friend. Smooth tuning, nice vocals, and enough detail to catch those background strings and classic beats. The ZS10 Pro's got punch but might be too shouty for the gentler stuff. And the 7Hz Zero:2? Clean and technical, good for hip-hop layers but might lack a bit of soul for J-pop vibes.

I purchased Linsoul KZ ZS10 Pro, 4BA+1DD 5 Driver in-Ear HiFi Metal Earphones with Stainless Steel Faceplate, 2 Pin Detachable Cable (with Mic, Dark Black) awhile back and was unable to get the mic to work with it so I was curious if it would be worth it to just get a separate mic or what.

My first purchase was the zero 2s. Just got the zs10 pro and man what a difference. More bass than you could need, I turned my switches down to just 1. Super detailed and much more spatial.

How people interpret sound is subjective. I’m by no means an expert but I like my KZ Zs10 Pros. They’re pretty detailed and as an entry level IEM, you could do worse. I will say they can border on harsh at times (at least for me). Hope you like them. Haven’t used the reds but hear good things.

My first ones were the KZ ZS 10 Pro and I had a similar experience. The sound wasn’t pleasant at all. I went to a friend and tried his FiiO something’s. And in the End I got Sennheiser IE 300s. Those were so muffled that I decided to get the IE600 which are absolutely everything I hoped them to be. More recently I have also gotten the IE200 which are much cheaper and sound 90% as good as the IE600. I recommend the IE200 to everyone in a heartbeat.

Kz zs10 pro, Artti T10, artti r2, Simgot ew200, 7hz sonus, 7hz zero, truthear zero red if you can spend a little more than truthear hexa.

Kz ZS10 Pro. Have since found much better.

I have the ZS10 and the Truthear Hexa ( very similar to the reds) and I agree to the point about the volume . Use a dongle DAC/Amp for the reds to get the best out of it. They need some extra power over the ZS10. Also,like everyone here mentioned they are both different sound signatures . It’s subjective. But I’ll tell you my experience, I liked the ZS10 initially like you but after that I got the Hexa and used the Hexa for long time (2-3 months or so ) continuously post that it was difficult to go back to the ZS10. There is a concept called ‘Brain burn in’. Your brain tends to like the sonic profile you feed it and gets used to it . Post which if you go to a new sound signature you’ll just hate it.

I have the original KZ ZS10 Pro ( not the KZ ZS10 Pro 2). It’s almost the same as the 2 . From my personal experience anything that’s bright will be fatiguing. You cannot get both crisp details , highs and long listening sessions in 1 IEM. You have to one or the other. It’s in these cases you would want to go for another IEM. I have a Hexa (bass neutral) for long listening sessions, ZS10 Pro for the details and highs and a Nicehck F1 pro which is balanced.Depending on how many hours I am listening to I pick one or the other.

IEMs. IEMs will always be superior to a gaming headset. If you got money to blow, anything from 64 Audio will be amazing. If you’re staying on a budget, the Linsoul KZ ZS10 Pro are a great budget choice.

Absolutely not! [I own a pair](https://imgur.com/lZfOReM) as well, and I adore them! They sound reallly good, so clear. The only negative comment I have heard of them came from a friend, he told me that the cable wear out really fast. I have mine since last november, and well I do take good care of them but as you can see in the photo, which I took a couple of minutes ago, they're still as good as new! I hope you enjoy them! Also, they're not that expensive so in the future if you feel like upgrading, now you have a reference. In my case, this is my second pair of KZ iems that I buy, and I'm really happy with both adquisitions, so now I trust the brand, so much actually that yesterday I bought the wireless KZ Carol Pro (I'll get them in a pair of weeks I guess) which I plan to use at the gym. I mostly use my ZS10 Pro for my commute, and I think you will enjoy them too!

Recently got the KZ ZS10 Pro and was in a similar spot ‘tip I used some third party ear tips, the SpinFit CP145. Suddenly they became something decently enjoyable. I’d suggest you try some other tips if you haven’t already

Exactly. I agree with subOP tho. They are not that fun, the original tuning is with no bass at all where it should be plenty. Depends a lot on the song. One EQ later and it's decent. My old kz zs10 pro have a lot more fun, pretty good bass. But letshuoers have A LOT more details, there is no competition there. Sometimes i think whether more expensive supermix 4 hybrids or aful explorer wouldn't be the better choice for me. Even s08, which are now cheaper.

I used the Vic Firth SIH2 - their isolation was unmatched so far but the audio quality is really bad and they were sitting so tight with glasses that I immediately got headache after wearing them. Went back to my IEMs KZ ZS10 Pro with memory foam tips - less isolation, more comfort and way better sound quality.

One: make sure you have a tight seal w your IEM. That is absolutely crucial to best low frequency response. Use different foam/flanges as everyone's ear canal is different Two: Get 5 driver IEM buds...you can get the 5 driver KZ linsoul on amazon for $50 Three: If not already, get your bassist on IEM too so he can turn his amp down. Also, make sure he is not turning up the low end EQ on his amp. One of the biggest mistakes bassists make (especiall in smaller rooms) is goosing their low end. It's already a bass guitar- he doesn't need to add more bass! Four: If using subs w your PA, make sure the bass itsnt too loud in them. Too much low end in subs especially in small rooms can muddy the stage area. Five: Have a big band meeting and make it known that playing loud is not helping your cause. If they won't be flexible, find another band:)

Which of these would you recommend where metal would come through clear and crispy? I'm new and my first IEMs were Linsol KZ ZS10 Pros with a mic. They're clear and work great for calls on my laptop as well as every genre \*except\* metal. I still want to listen to my other songs but I just want something that will give metal that punch it deserves.

I love mine. I don't have any bleed through issues. Mine came with different sized ear pieces. I use the bigger ones and I never have a problem with them. Sorry to hear that you're having issues with yours. They are the best things I've ever bought for listening to music.

KZ-ZS10 Pros are what I use and I absolutely love them. I bought 2 pairs a couple years ago because they were so inexpensive. I wasn't sure how long they'd last. The first pair are still in use and going strong. They go through a TASCAM Model 24 and the quality is excellent! I think I paid around $25 for each pair but now they're a little more expensive at around $50-$60 on Amazon. But still well worth that value I think!

Well, I've got a KZ-ZS10 Pros that I really like. AND I bought a 10' extension cable for them as well. I use the 10 footer because I run the in ears over the curtain rod in the bedroom my kit is in so they never touch the floor and I can just leave them hang when I'm all done. And 10' + the in-ears cable allows me to move around the kit a little bit if I need to adjust anything and don't want to pull my in-ears out.

Forgot to answer that last of your question. They sound amazing and I thought that would be a shock. But really, the shocking thing now is, I bought 4 sets of them back when they were only $20+ a set because I bought the one set to try out and like I said, they sound amazing. But I kind of figured they wouldn't last long because they were so cheap. So I liked the one set I tried and bought 3 more sets just to have as replacements for when the first ones finally died on me. But you know what, after 5 years, that first pair still sound as good as they did when I bought them. I think that because I have them hanging on a curtain rod, they're not falling on the floor or being knocked around on a desk. They just hang on that curtain rod and they are safe from any harm i think. These are great little in ears and even though the price has gone up on them a little, I think they are still well worth the $35-$40+ you're paying for them now for real.

If you can stand in ear monitors, the [KZ-ZS10 Pros](https://www.amazon.com/KZ-ZS10-Linsoul-Earphones-Detachable/dp/B07QKYTGH9) are excellent! I use them and I love them. I can mix my drum sound with the incoming music sound too. Excellent IEMs for sure! And honestly, the only reason I quit wearing headphones is because I sweat profusely with those headphones on my ears. I was never a big fan of sticking things in my ears but I got used to these IEMs because I'd heard and seen so many drummers use IEMs. These are great because your face can actually breathe and they're not trapping heat under the headphone ear muffs.

KZ ZS10 Pro is what I use. I bought them a few years ago. They were cheaply priced. I bought a pair, loved the sound and how they felt. But I thought, because they were only $24 a pair, I was skeptical about how long they would last. So I bought 3 more pairs. I still have those 3 pairs I bought and they are still wrapped in original packaging. I'm still using the first pair. So they were inexpensive but very very good quality. Still are.

If you're trying to hear your drums through the interface, then you've got something setup wrong. I have a mixer now so I have all of my audio coming into channels 1 & 2 (L & R) from the computer then the other mic inputs go out to my in ears (KZ ZS10 Pros) That may be the difference. I do have some KZ ZST In Ears that were a little bit uncomfortable. But the ZSN Pros with the larger ear nubbies (which you should have gotten a littl pouch with different sized nubbies in it) fit perfectly in my ears. They came with no nubbies on them. I pulled 2 medium sized ones out and they weren't quite right. So I swapped them out for the largest pair in the package and that's what I've been using ever since. Now, as far as hearing your drums through the in-ears. Yeah, I do kind of hear them under what's coming through the in-ears themselves. But it's not distracting me at all because it's all real time so what the interface is picking up, I'm hearing it as soon as I hit the drums. I probably can't help you with software or device settings especially if you're using Windows or Mac (I use Linux) but essentially it's the same I think. you have to select the interface as your output device. This lets you record direct to the computer. I also am plugged directly into the mixer so I'm hearing everything (drums and the music I'm playing along with) going directly into my ears in real time. So, you may have a switch off or main volume knob too low or something because if you're going direct to the interface with headphones, then you should be able to hear the mics. You shouldn't even need a computer to hear the mics if your in ears are connected to the interface. I had a Behringer 1820i (8 port interface) and I was able to hear everything through hat interface just fine. Even the music I was playing along to. I set the main volume for that on the PC. Then that fed into the interface in the audio settings and I could control the volume for everything going to my ears with the interface. It's been a while since I've used an interface so I honestly couldn't tell you how I set that up unfortunately. But, getting the audio from the PC to the interface through USB should be easy enough as long as you have that USB Device setup properly and the volume levels are up high enough so you can hear them okay.

Dude, buy the KZ ZS10 pro.. By far they are the best sounding IEM for the price!! I just bought then on Amazon and they sound amazing!!

Just got my KZ ZS10 pros and they’re absolutely amazing for the price.

The kz zs10 pro 2 are better than 215s imo.. they come with the memory foam tips and have 4 selectable eq settings to boost or cut high and lows. I have several variants of their zs10 pros and all work great to this day after a few years. Couldn't fathom dropping the money on the shures. Buy 2 or 3 pairs of kz off ali for the price of one set of 215s depending on the day.

If you're on the cheap. Kz zs10pro and any of their variants are prretty damn good compared to 215s . I bought several pairs off aliexpress for the price of a single set of 215s. All of them still work fantastic after a few years of use!

I switched to [these](https://www.amazon.com/KZ-ZS10-Linsoul-Earphones-Detachable/dp/B07QKYTGH9/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3OELGSAHY07C9&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.titHUIM_l27IfJxCPJWfRQL05NTHPlbjhfFiAl9NPlt6YxsO37dp6tNdN9GENQ6WWc1l-lT19K57R6YmpTNc53abFVzrJe-eG36903nFwAVzSPF3qW5dEzQpZ4l1Ao61COKG6UvUZYhKNTPC94kCjfO3wDA4O0yPhrZ3H9a8aE0Q4iMD7gILt3yKp6YKakAy85AIGnX_clkKQsVdVt923leqCA4bCK5mpUW85EEjClA.yoFyoqhx0kWmJnBfaUnWrJD6js-gmFUzxsYrXO0c48g&dib_tag=se&keywords=kz%2Bpro&sprefix=KZ%2BPro%2Caps%2C124&sr=8-3&th=1), which should be the KZ ZS10, after wearing a headset from 9-5 to then use another headset on my pc for games. I got tired of having it on my head all day lol. I don't have any reason to not switch back. Couple things to tell you is that I had to get a new cable cause I kept messing around with it and ended up breaking it or it kept like tangling up and ended up breaking. At least I didn't need to replace the actual earbud itself.

For practising at home, i use the Vic firth isolation hesdphones like everyone else said. But for out and about a pair of IEM'S (in ear monitors) were one of the best things I bought. I recommend kz zs10 pros and az09 bluetooth attachment. I find them perfect for playing hard-hitting songs and still protecting my ears. In you're case. Please stop turning the volume up because you'll develop tinnitus (invasive ringing in ears)

As a non-geek in IEMs, bought KZ ZS10 Pro for playing CS2, cuz I am not really feel comfy with headset (2 years on a Logitech G Pro + Elgato Wave 3 mic). In my experience, you should have soundcard for IEMs to sound not like a sh\*t. When I plug IEMs in Logitech soundcard or directly in mic, it sounds not as bad. But the first time, when I plugged them to PC, it was SO disappointing.. If I could boom-boom all IEM factories, I would do that. I dont know what people in this sub use, I mean, music player with soundcard in it? If not, IEMs are scam. Im not subscribed but see posts sometimes. So. They're ok with soundcard. No "wow" effect and not so bad (anyway, they cost me like $25-30). If you watch pro scene, they all play with IEMs with game sounds and headset for noice calcellation on LAN tournaments. But when they are home, they dont use IEMs at all. They're comfortable, but it could be tough to hear some detailed noises in "close combat shootings" (cannot explain well, I have small eng vocabulary). Wanna try it - try, but for FPS games like Valorant/CS2/Tarkov it is better to use headset. I use them like 30% of playing time and only when my ears are tired of Logitech (I have not really standard ears shape). Don't judge me hard, I just share my feelings. Good luck!

If you want in-ears: KZ-ZS10 pros were already recommended on this thread If you want headphones: Get a decent pair of wired headphones and just wear earplugs underneath (see next option). If you have over-ears that can deliver sound, those will work, you don’t even need to buy new ones. I’ve done this a lot. If you want an all-in-one, then get the Vic Firth drumming headphones—I don’t remember exactly what they’re called, but they have hearing protection and are headphones If you want earplugs (or are coming from the last option): Some people just use foam earplugs. BS. You can’t hear anything and they’re ridiculously uncomfortable and gross. Spend the $10-$20 on a good pair. Get some Etymotics or Vic Firth musician earplugs on Amazon. I personally am very involved in the marching arts, so I’m playing on marching drums all the time and use earplugs 100% of the time. My personal favorites have been the D’addario DBuds, but they’re a little pricier around $60. But they feel very similar to AirPods Pro’s with the silicon tip they have on there, which I love.

+1 on those KZs. I have a set and I like them. They’re relatively cheap but they work pretty well for the price.

I was impulsively writing "yes, you absolutely made an error", then I stopped. Why? Because I think you never go wrong if you buy something and that helps you understand what you like and what you don't. The 7Hz Zero 2 and Wan'er would probably more refined in terms of overall tuning, but the fact is that you may like the ZS10 Pro as well. Listen to it, then buy something else when you're ready on when you feel something is not sounding right to your ears with your ZS10 Pro. Best judges are your own ears

5ghz is a MUST. I'm sorry but theres no way around spending a couple hundred dollars to get yourself wireless.. and the reason 5ghz band matters is that ALL cellphones and most wireless things operate on the 2.5ghz bandwidth, so when you get into a venue EVERYONES digital EVERYTHING is going to interfere... take this from someone who learned the hard way trying to cheap out. Here is the best you can do cost/sound/interferance wise IEMS IEMS [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QKZ58XH?ref\_=ppx\_hzsearch\_conn\_dt\_b\_fed\_asin\_title\_2&th=1](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QKZ58XH?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_2&th=1) Swap out cable - [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RQ77BLM?ref\_=ppx\_hzsearch\_conn\_dt\_b\_fed\_asin\_title\_2&th=1](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RQ77BLM?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_2&th=1) Better Ear Tips - [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004HKIAHE?ref\_=ppx\_hzsearch\_conn\_dt\_b\_fed\_asin\_title\_1&th=1](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004HKIAHE?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1&th=1) Amp - [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0784TMYPN?ref\_=ppx\_hzsearch\_conn\_dt\_b\_fed\_asin\_title\_1&th=1](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0784TMYPN?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1&th=1) Wireless adapter 5ghz - [https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/U45--xvive-u45-wireless-in-ear-monitoring-system-5.8ghz?mrkgadid=&mrkgcl=28&mrkgen=&mrkgbflag=&mrkgcat=&acctid=21700000001645388&dskeywordid=92700080984888555&lid=92700080984888555&ds\_s\_kwgid=58700008756027684&ds\_s\_inventory\_feed\_id=97700000007215323&dsproductgroupid=2369687790442&product\_id=U45&prodctry=US&prodlang=en&channel=online&storeid=&device=c&network=g&matchtype=&adpos=largenumber&locationid=9032443&creative=709914980325&targetid=pla-2369687790442&campaignid=21587258354&awsearchcpc=1&gad\_source=1&gclsrc=ds](https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/U45--xvive-u45-wireless-in-ear-monitoring-system-5.8ghz?mrkgadid=&mrkgcl=28&mrkgen=&mrkgbflag=&mrkgcat=&acctid=21700000001645388&dskeywordid=92700080984888555&lid=92700080984888555&ds_s_kwgid=58700008756027684&ds_s_inventory_feed_id=97700000007215323&dsproductgroupid=2369687790442&product_id=U45&prodctry=US&prodlang=en&channel=online&storeid=&device=c&network=g&matchtype=&adpos=largenumber&locationid=9032443&creative=709914980325&targetid=pla-2369687790442&campaignid=21587258354&awsearchcpc=1&gad_source=1&gclsrc=ds)

First, you probably feel the zero red muddiee because it is a more Neutral iem, while this KZ is more V-shaped, but likely vocals on the Red are fuller, all that said, for your use case it sure isnt the best pick. besides, the lack of volume is lack of amplification, they will do a bit better with a dingle DAC. If you happend to need alternatives, Check the TKZK Ouranos and the Kefine Klean.

Excellent post. I've done pretty much exactly what you've detailed in this post by myself. I started out knowing pretty much nothing and picked up the KZ ZS10 Pro because it was reviewed well on youtube at the time. I now know that I absolutely despise that type of tuning. After picking up another few sets in the 20-50 range as well as the hexa and playing around a lot with EQ, I've finally settled onto a sound signature that I prefer for extended listening sessions. Just recently picked up the aful explorer and it's everything I could have wanted from an IEM. Incredibly comfortable and not at all fatiguing for me as someone that's quite sensitive to treble, while still giving me all of the details I want out of the highs. I don't foresee myself wanting to upgrade for quite some time now. My current finances honestly can't justify going into the 200+ market and even then I wouldn't even be sure the improvement over the Explorer would be worthwhile. Sure I could have probably afforded a $300 IEM with the amount I've spent so far but I would have been completely blind buying and would have likely ended up with something I like less than my current setup.

Most of my band members use Shure 215. I had a KZ ZS10PRO for a year and I thought it was a bit too harsh for live but sometimes the harshness is what gives you the energy for a better performance. As a singer, I can say that what I hear with the IEM affects drastically my performance. I also don't know the reason for the KZ ZS10 to still have such popularity between musicians when there are so much different choices now.

I had both (Kz zs10pro and the reds) and I preferred the zs10pro. The Reds were much better technically but I could not wear them without EQ and for me that was really annoying...

Hey all, First of all, very noob here without any idea of what sound signature i like. To give you some context, i've had several KZ low cost IEMs in the last years, always used mainly as monitors for live gigs. The last KZ ia had was the KZ ZS10Pro which i liked a lot for music, because it was so exciting. The issue was that the treble was sometimes piercing (annoying) with also not enough Bass, as i recall. Last year i've decided to sell my KZ and to upgrade to the **Truthear Zero Red**. Well, first impressions with the sound were not great AT ALL. Perhaps my ears were a lot used to other signature and the Reds sounded just wrong in terms of musicality.Truth was that i ended having to EQ a lot but could never get the enoyment i was searching. They were of course better with great bass quality, very relaxed highs but something was wrong when listening to vocals in Rock genres. Like, i had to increase volume just to get more pleasure from the vocals, but other instruments were just to much at that point. Sounded (still sounds) that the music is not right upfront. So, as you can see i'm totally lost, i need EXCITEMENT (without piercing treble), instrument separation, detailed highs and nice Bass also for movies. I know the soundstage can be a bit like a gimmick but if i could get something a bit more "airy", would be great to give more perception of space. \- > I use the IEMS mainly for PC now, so movies and music (Rock, Metal, Jazz, Classical, Funk). Usually with vocals. \- > Budget - Less than **150USD !** \- > Thinking getting one of these (need opinions!): SIMGOT SUPERMIX 4, LETSHUOER S12PRO , TRUTHEAR NOVA, TRUTHEAR HEXA, SIMGOT EA1000 (but exceeds budget). Thank you for the help yall!

I had the same problem with my KZs and tried a few aftermarket foam tips. I was very tempted to get custom tips made, but decided to go back to my Audio Technicas. The KS IEMs are now in my gig bag as a back up.

Dude listen, you’re not crazy. I had the ZSN Pro X, while it sounded great to my ears when I first got them, ZSN Pro 2 sounds significantly better in my ears, like pretty damn amazing. And also, I had ZS10 Pro X as well, and recently got the ZS12 Pro X and it sounded miles and above better than the ZS10…it’s is highly technical with absolutely fantastic soundstage and not at all sibilant with the 4th switch up. Tldr; I think it is simply a case of either upgraded BA drivers in these two newer iterations of KZ or much better tuning. ZS12 Pro X for me is one of the most underrated technical IEMs out there.

ZS10 Pro is an amazing IEM to step into this foray and trust me it is all subjective. I also own the Zero 2 and ZS12 Pro X. While I also really like the Zero 2, it’s a milder V shape than the ZS10 Pro. So they both have uses in my music genre preferences. You’ve made an excellent choice for now, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. Then later you can also experience the Zero 2 or waner in your collection as well

My linsoul kz zs10 pro iems do. They just have a bunch of background white noise from the switch and straight put of my phone TRRS out. The apple dac dongle helps a lot to remove it.

I have all 3. I definitely prefer the wan'er 2 and zero 2 but the kzs don't sound bad by any means. Especially for your first IEMs you will probably enjoy them a lot. My first pair of iems blew my mind with how good they sounded for how cheap they were. The nice thing about this hobby is the entry level is so cheap you can try out a few IEMs and find a tuning you like and explore other options. There are some great entry level IEMs I still listen to even owning 500 dollar sets. I'm still pretty new to IEMs but I've tried like 16 sets in 3 months. I went kinda of nutty with buying and trying IEMs. I've always been into audio gear and collecting headphones but now I love IEMs way more than headphones to be honest. I do have pairs of headphones I love but for the value IEMs bring they can't be beat.

Recently ‘upgraded’ my ZS10s with some custom ‘gloves’ that are made from proper ear impressions. Prior to that I could not use them as IEMs while playing, regardless or the tips (foam, double/triple flange). Now they are usable in a stage or rehearsal setting, while playing, not just as earphones for listening to music. They still have more bleed than my previous etymotics had. I think my next discretionary purchase may be a proper set of custom IEMs as the drivers appear fully encapsulated within the silicone, which I expect Eliminates most of the bleeding issue.

Absolutely. Anyone still suggesting Shire 215 never tied the ZS10 Probx. They sound better than my Shure 425 which sound much better than the 215.

KZ ZS Pro sound much better much more bass than the 215 at a fraction of the cost.

Yup. As I said I have a trusty set of 425 which cost over 400$ I thought they were the shit. Then I needed a second pair and thought I’d go cheap. I bout the KZ. Put them on and I was like : wait a minute. How can these sound so much better than the 425? I don’t know but they do!

You should go with the KZ ZS10 Pro because they cost les than the 215's AND they sound much better. I own both a set of KZ ZS10 Pro and a set of Shure 425 which are 2 step up from the 215, and the KZ still sound significantly better than the 425.. #

These are the ones I have: [https://www.amazon.com/KZ-ZS10-Linsoul-Earphones-Detachable/dp/B07QKYTGH9/ref=sr\_1\_1\_sspa?crid=3PPL7AH7FUFVF&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.esrRKTaQ72PkLr0cdc\_ZIBDf7kuuz-WquuxqkxnOuZ3gxANmA5Mag-7Y0sNXGxSPSoLf-pRUoJNLimtS1-fFNA7n3D9wuoVWTgdun4Gi1iZxxFg\_\_zDmBCKxzKYONlUYkCYxpXRg\_Ql9V1yxJMDnwnmc00teTaMUuPxloJ-S33nMsVV\_UufTDpybeY\_OBK\_fVjljZ2pclC0NbU-B18-NvDTZ3vfdzPJWYe7f0ksuZb4.bG\_iD3QZ\_fvhhenil73ldYnEgrK-KxZpS\_GtiYwDjKo&dib\_tag=se&keywords=kz+zs10+pro&qid=1716060874&sprefix=kz+%2Caps%2C92&sr=8-1-spons&sp\_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1](https://www.amazon.com/KZ-ZS10-Linsoul-Earphones-Detachable/dp/B07QKYTGH9/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=3PPL7AH7FUFVF&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.esrRKTaQ72PkLr0cdc_ZIBDf7kuuz-WquuxqkxnOuZ3gxANmA5Mag-7Y0sNXGxSPSoLf-pRUoJNLimtS1-fFNA7n3D9wuoVWTgdun4Gi1iZxxFg__zDmBCKxzKYONlUYkCYxpXRg_Ql9V1yxJMDnwnmc00teTaMUuPxloJ-S33nMsVV_UufTDpybeY_OBK_fVjljZ2pclC0NbU-B18-NvDTZ3vfdzPJWYe7f0ksuZb4.bG_iD3QZ_fvhhenil73ldYnEgrK-KxZpS_GtiYwDjKo&dib_tag=se&keywords=kz+zs10+pro&qid=1716060874&sprefix=kz+%2Caps%2C92&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1) But some people swear by the Zs Pro as well. Never tried them but I trust they are as good.

Forget Drumeo and forget the Shure unless you don't like having some bass in your mix. If you want bottom (and most drummer will), get a pair of KZ Zs Pro. Much better sound than my high en Shure 425 for a fraction of the price.

Try a pair of KZ ZS10 pros which are currently on sale for $40 on Amazon, so a very low risk to see how you like the concept. I’d also suggest the optional foam tips for extra isolation. I use these for home practice and recording. I can’t use standard headphones for long due to my head size, and I typically wear glasses.

For an acoustic kit the first step is isolation headphones like the Vic Firth cans or basic IEMs. I’d highly recommend Shure SE215’s for that, or KZ ZS10 Pros which run about $50 on Amazon but they’re a Chinese product so lord knows how much they’ll cost by the time you read this. I’ve used both and the Shures have better isolation, and come stock with foam tips whereas you have to buy them separately with the KZ’s. Besides that you’ll want to get a dongle to connect a phone or iPad to standard headphones. Usually $10 or so. I’d also get a headphone extension cord if using IEMs since they’re only designed to reach your pocket/belt and you probably want the device sitting next to you. The Vic Firths have a long cable. With that you should be able to play music at a safe volume and hear the kit’s noise behind the hearing protection. This is exactly how I practice most of the time. If you want to hear the kit better you’d need a small mixer and a room mic to provide what the hearing protection is eliminating. That can be done with a basic analog mixer and a dynamic mic like an SM57.

The KZ's braded cord sucks royal ass and I had to glue my tip connectors back on after they disassembled. If you're gigging the SE215's are substantially better made and they're a better product even if they don't have all the fancy features. And I noticed they isolate substantially better even using the same foam tips. The 215s have a design that nests in the earlobe/concha rather than hovering over it so they function more like a fitted set of IEMS.

try reading reviews muna :-), most of them are very detailed & technical. baka rin hindi mo gusto yung timpla nila. afaik Moondrop isn't for bass heads, i own 2 & mas trip ko pa yung tunog KZ zs10 pro ko.

goods yung KZ lalo na for bass heads. yung di ko lang gusto is yung build kasi nagtutunaw yung glue on the run & the cord quality is bad, but the mic is good & pwede gamitan ng bluetooth adaptor like az09

Liz zs10 pro will have the multiple drivers that you want when listening to media and chat at the same time. It has more sound separation than the other options.

KZ ZS10 Pro $50. As good as the expensive stuff.

KZ ZS10 Pro have been great for the last year or so I've been using them. The ZS12'S are out now so I'd take a look at those.

Yes. I used to own the KZ ZS10 Pro, then moved to QKZ x HBB, TangZu Wan'Er, and the KZ Castor Bass. And honestly the QKZ, Tangzu, and Castor Bass outperforms the ZS10. I haven't heard of the 7hz Zero:2, but I would put the Tangzu Wan'er over the ZS10 all day. It sounds cleaner, and better resolution. Although the tuning of the Wan'er isn't for me. It lacks the bass that I'm looking for. I think from the 3 that I mentioned earlier, I would go for the QKZ x HBB just for it's bass quality (I still think this is unique from the budget price point), the TangZu Wan'er if you prefer a more "balanced" tuning, then the KZ Castor Bass if you prefer a V-shape, fun sounding budget IEM.

I’m no connoisseur, but I’ve got a pair of KZ ZS10 Pros and Zero Reds. Neither of them satisfied my need for hip hop bass. Then I picked up a set of Kefine Delci AEs from AliExpress. I’m sure there are bassier bois out there, but I’m loving them so far. Dunu S&S tips.

This is the way. I've been using IEM for like 20 years now, with pretty good ones for like 15 years. I still bought these KZ when the chifi-hype really kicked in. Didn't like them at all compared to my UE900 or Etymotic, but how would I know if I don't try things? My UE900 have been broken for 6 or 7 years now, but I never replaces them with IEM in that price bracket. One thing is that I like Hexas way more already and don't need to pay more, but it's also fun to explore. Before I pay 400€ again I'd rather buy a bunch of 20€ IEM, like I did with the 7Hz Zero, even if they're worse than others I own. I still have to try Wan'ers and the Bunny, I think, I never tried planars as well, stuff like that. It's a hobby, and everyone should do whatever is fun to them within that hobby. There's no "wrong".

KZ ZS10 Pro daily IEM, "Okay" sound, but terrible Vocal and Upper trebble they fit in my ear so good, one of my favourite fitting iem

The kzs10 are fantastic for the price. I use them and holy hell. Blown away by the value

You’ll want something with extra drivers than. The KZ’s are way more bang for the buck than the Shure SE215s or even 315s. You can get a set of KZ ZS10 Pro headphones today for under $50 on Amazon, and they blow the 215s out of the water. I know because I have all of these. I keep the 215s as a backup in my stick bag, but use the KZs first for my primary in-ear setup. I leave the 325s and the 425s my brother gave me at home so I don’t lose them or have them stolen. I do recommend getting an extra upgraded cable (which is also super-inexpensive) for the KZs.

Wtf you removed the kz recs now. You should have left them there and added a disclaimer. I've had my zs10 pros for about 5 years now and I absolutely love them. So, I would at least consider them.

These are great for cheap in ear monitors https://a.co/d/dTsrJIM

I have audio Technica m30x over ears and these. The in ears actually sound better but sometimes I prefer just throwing on the over ears

I really like my Linsoul KZ ZS10 Pro and Final VR3000 for gaming, although I don't much experience with IEMs THESE both seem pretty good to me. Would you care to share your thoughts on the EW300 compared to these two and/or your thoughts on gaming with the EW300. Thanks

I have the ZS10 Pro and find them more than useful. I replaced the tips with foam ones and they are a much better fit for my ears (to me it's the most important feature, good fit so they filter outside noise and don't fall off).

I use the same ones on my TD17kvx and they’re great for what I need.

IEMs are just glorified earbuds. Custom IEMs have custom moulds that fit your ears specifically, they are very expensive. There are inexpensive IEMs available that will get the job done. I personally use KZ-ZS10 Pros, **specifically with foam tips**. I then wear a pair of hardware store earmuffs over the top of my ears for further isolation. Imho, the IEMs aren't enough to adequately protect your hearing, so wearing the earmuffs ensures you get as much protection as you can. I'd advise against letting "half your ear" hang out to hear the drums, you're just going to get more hearing damage in one ear than the other. **Always wear hearing protection while playing drums!** If you're really struggling to hear yourself when playing along I'd recommend you purchase a small diaphragm condenser microphone and a cheap mixer / audio interface. You'll be able to run both the microphone picking up the drums and your music into your IEMs and then adjust the volume of both.

I have the KZ ZS10 Pros and I really like them. Nice bass without being too crazy and they work really well with FPS games. I play a lot of COD/Warzone, Fortnite, XDefiant and The Finals

Kz zS10 pro is better for gaming too

Absolutely not! Just start with the ZS10 Pro and see how you like them! Are there better IEMs out there? Definitely! But there will always be better ones to chase… just enjoy the ones you have and see what your preferred sound signature is. And then you can always decide to upgrade to another set of IEMs, right? Enjoy your purchase once they arrive 😁

This advice is just for your: You need to connect to the last thing in the chain. This will either be the JOYO or your amp. Regardless, they'll do the same thing. There's a "thru" jack on the pedal or a "phones" jack on the amp. Get a TRS cable and connect from the jack to a headphone amp. [Donner](https://www.amazon.com/Donner-Rechargeable-Portable-Amplifier-Headphone/dp/B08D8WZDTC/ref=sr_1_1_pp?crid=1IBXN4NSVVJEY&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.WlVRt-RHPT45a_LO7ZzMuU-HGfhw6WaLbMI0DAEjCGDj1sT3deDbvOf3L-3neJqC_n8g30ZnIfZD-8H9Kjo0T_yRjwsXYOVjfGc4gZQK200TFEjPeY_7vDb48RiP22Bz3BtqqW60dVy2zHC8cZQ_u7tzEcgjrRLQCtHfiW11Srk47zItbZ8tWq0PiNQfbDgZXKw_jg9fypmY_ozmdDEN7jx_RqLMttcSvxEVAOzLF3c.Q5HV6niMjLz9c6d29ISAUJSi9PTxqo3fboirx7K6_oY&dib_tag=se&keywords=headphone%2Bamp&qid=1742822604&sprefix=headphone%2Bamp%2Caps%2C195&sr=8-1&th=1) makes a great one. Clip that to the back of the strap. Plug in your[ IEMs](https://www.amazon.com/KZ-ZS10-Linsoul-Earphones-Detachable/dp/B07QKYTGH9/ref=sr_1_6?crid=1EK9Q4ZY6OY9K&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Yud9ozazH6q8GWLlvnK9ZqLKJNFdG-aqAgHx8zP7OHm1UakVy48q3OhqBID-W4iY5P42wsQRtL-T8QHUVb2kOwEIUY4OTaQ2jUzjlhjDn-ZXIiDbTiCUuYvilAhw2kgqXhodJPPmBedEAzlu9lAyeBylljc3QngZydKoJtfmYZY_mClXm0InweZ5D4foV6q2qNyqWhiLD_ZLlcW_ijUrUIu5Ue2WyGc_saMSMbRlEuc.Ug0-0rnrTV3SVZUGr9020PnAk3UtB2x3fGwHlqQ33jY&dib_tag=se&keywords=in%2Bear%2Bmonitor&qid=1742822735&sprefix=in%2Bear%2B%2Caps%2C248&sr=8-6&th=1). More drivers, the better. This can also be applied to the band and a straight-to-house situation, but a mixing console and each person having IEMs will need to happen to work. \*cough\* your band should be utilizing this anyways since they act as ear plugs as well as hearing the whole band \*cough\*

I generally agree with your comment, some good recs, but compared to the Salnotes Zero (1 or 2) ZS10 Pro is better. However with his budget, there are so many better IEMs

Interesting, idk I might be deaf but I can't notice that much of a difference between my KZ ZS 10 Pro and Moondrop Aria, I actually regret buying the Aria for that reason, they also are waaaay more fragile and the paint coming off is a very common problem with them Maybe something changed in the last few years, I haven't bought a new IEM in a while (and I only have these two so I can't compare them with anything else)

The kz-10pros are the way to go 50$ on Amazon there good! For the price and what they offer

Linsoul KZ ZS10 Pro, 4BA+1DD 5... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QKYTGH9?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Yup no problem! Just I’d suggest if you ever think there to good don’t try to use them as original headphones lol, I plugged them up to my iPhone started bumping and after a little while it started static shocking my ears 😭 was not cool! But there fine for like IEMs there actual purpose so don’t use them for anything else just heads up😭😭 or just don’t blast them too loud like me :0

I’ll probably get flamed for this, but it’s true: I’ve had Shure 215s for a while and they’re fine. Heard so many good things about out the KZ ZS10 Pro that I recently bought some. In MY opinion, the KZs sound like shit comparatively and aren’t nearly as comfortable.

Just an observation, when I see budget IEM rigs by musicians for live performances, they usually use KZ IEMs, particularly the ZS10/ZS10 Pro. Meanwhile, in the audiophile world, they find the smoother/neutral tuning preferable. I just find the difference of preferences interesting. Maybe some musicians might find neutral tuning good if they knew about it? Maybe because KZ is just the default recommendation for IEM normies? Or is the ZS10 better for live monitoring for its tuning? Personally, I find the ZS10 a bit hyped/harsh in several frequencies, and FR graphs confirm that it is, but maybe musicians have a different perspective. What do you guys think? Edit: syntax for clarity. I wrote this while commuting lol, so grammatical mistakes were made

Kz zs10 pro x

haven't tried the Zar yet so I can't tell it but the pro x are way cheaper (19$ on Æ) and findem very versatile.

For that kind of music you need to look for iEMs like KZ ZS10 Pro X that are very neutral in frecuencies. Also, you better buy a good DAC instead of the Apple one, look for something from HiBy, iFi or Tempotec that are cheap but very good

I use Kz zs10 pro x + jcally dac with poweramp and flac files. But after switching to hiby music player I felt a dramatic increase in soundstage and imaging.

We all suffer from this problem we are always look for something new that we think will be better and the last thing we need. After a while, you get used to it and start looking for something new that may be better, so this problem begins after a while, you will find that you have more IEMS than you use. 2 months ago I have no iems now I have : KZ ZSN PRO X KZ ZS10 PRO X ZIIGAAT NUO KEFINE DELCI TRIPOWIN PICCOLO

I've been happy with KZ ZS10 Pro X. Had much more expensive ones and realized these do the same for much less. Get good foams as the seal is important. But regardless you likely need to adjust monitor mix for live gigs and its likely not at all a problem with your in-ears

If you can, go for custom molds. Otherwise you can get a lot of bang for your buck with chifi IEM. Something like KZ ZS10 Pro X are totally unrivaled in bang for buck to any name brand. You get alot more hardware for your money than with Shure. Attenuation is 100% about seal, so if no custom molds, get good quality foams

KZ ZS10 Pro X. Also have Pro 2 but despite the tuning option to boost bass, I think Pro X is better

Kz ZS10 Pro X is probably the best stuff for the price and even if it cost 5x as much itd still be the best. Just need to seperately get some proper foams for them as they arnt supplied

You want KZ. KZ ZS10 Pro X, or the new Pro 2 that has bass boost dip switches. Less than 50 usd. just get good foams to go with them as they arnt usually supplied with KZ ones. These things have more hardware than 500€ Shure IEMs and cost 10th of that....

Im receiving the ZS10 Pro 2 today as well! My Pro X has served me very well but at 35€ it felt like a nobrainer to order the Pro2 as well. It has dip switches for boosting bass so it sounds good to a bass player :D some prefer the Pro X but I dont mind even if they are left as spare IEM. Let me know how you like em!

Get kz ZS10 Pro X. Five drivers per side for third/fourth of the price

IEMs dont really have meaningful difference for hearing protection. Its just about all about the tips you use. That said the ZS10 does not come with sealing tips, so you need to get proper foams (Comply is likely the best, i use something i got with my previous IEM). But with some proper foams, these are incredibly good and dirt cheap

Not likely worth the effort. The foam size is quite standard, If you have any old earbuds with foams, you can probably scavenge some

Hi Am looking to get an IEM which is good for my treble sensitive ears I have the KZ ZS10 PRO X It was pretty shouty , fatiguing, and not tolerable Then I bought the Tangzu Warner Same issue shouty and fatiguing but not as much as KZ now looking for something under 120$ or 10,000 INR

Naah bruh No KZ it's shit After 6 months my PRO X is having channel imbalance

Something like the tripowin olina og or se. The isn or penon entry level models. KZ ZS10 Pro x, kZ castor normal edition. Simgot ea500 LM.

For gaming I’d recommend this version with the X, KZ ZS10 Pro X, those are the improved version and shots sound great or you can get the Dunu Titan S2, right now playing with them, Titan S2 sound even better imo.

I am not an audiophile, I have been using the AirPods models for a very long time. I also have the Sony XM4 and nura phone headphones. As you can tell, I like bass. But I used the KZ ZS10 Pro x a year ago and was blown away. It sounds so great, the sound staging on it is amazing. It’s been my go-to ear IEM ever since and I made it wireless with the AS15. And I got hooked into IEMs. I have bought a few more IEMs since, wondering if it can get better than the ZS10 Pro X. I bought the Moon drop Chu after watching Crinicle’s review of it. I don’t get what the fuss is about, it sounds good, but even at peak volume, it’s does not get loud enough, and the fit is horrible for me. I prefer the KZ. Thinking I might like a different KZ, I bought the Castor, the EDX and the Dfi. There is very little difference between them and I still prefer the ZS10 Pro X. I have ordered the moon drop May hoping it will have enough for me to switch. Will let you know when it arrives.

wait.. if I remember correctly 1&2nd switches are for lower and 3&4 for higher frequencies (though it might be reversed on the left one, not sure).. so you're upping the midrange and treble? I also have KZ ZS10 Pro X, but upper midrange and treble are killing me there, plus I'm a basshead so I barely hear bass, even tho, generally speaking I get why some people find them so pleasing.. p.s. could you give me an advice about castor if i needed it in chat/dm these days?

KZ ZS10 PRO X + FiioKa11

Funnily enough I thought I felt that way. I've had the KZ ZS10 Pro X, Simgot ew200 and ew300 and sold them all because I thought the treble was too much for me.  But I've just bought the NiceHCK E2BS Pro (chifi naming makes me want to kill myself) flathead earbuds and I'd say they're even brighter, but I love them.  I feel like a lot of people possibly just don't like that brightness in an IEM. I feel like it's uncomfortable having that much 'noise' trapped in your ear. But open-back earbuds fix that with being so well, open 

I'm currently using the KZ ZS10 Pro X and planning to upgrade to this. My Question is, which is better? The switched version or the non switch version? I heard some people liked the non switch one. I'm a bit worried about a drop of water, rain or sweat can easily enter the switch area too.

I bought the ZS10 Pro X this Prime Day just because I wanted to try a cheap iem that was supposedly good for gaming. If I keep in mind I paid £36 then I am pleasantly surprised. They are quite fun tuning and a good bass feel. They are not overly detailed and they have a slight metallic, grainy sound. Although I said they are not overly detailed they do provide more detail than any gaming headset I have had up to £150, I guess this is why gamers like them. However, they have very little soundstage or imaging when compared to a good (far more expensive) set of open back headphones. I’d say they are very good for the price, but they definitely have a cheap and cheerful sound. They won’t be replacing my headphones for gaming or music. It’s confirmed my thoughts, iem’s are not that great for gaming when compared to good headphones, I think gamers like them as you can get more bang for your buck on a lower cost budget.

These are amazing, especially for the low cost.

The kz zs10 pro x are indeed great! But if you have a little more to spend, then the new Zs12 pro x series are just the way to go. Everything is better, and just pore refined.

No, quite the contrary! Actually the mids are the strong points of this set in my opinion, it's very refined and voices render very very well! It doesn't sound metallic or unnatural as the zs10 pro x can be. You do feel the difference that the placement in the nozzle makes. It's very well executed.

The kz zs10 pro x are a solid pair of iems, good for any genre, and very musical in my opinion. I think they are sold at 28 dollars or something like that.

1) If you can't spend more than 50 euros, then yeah 30 dollars iems are a good value. If you can, then no because 50 dollars iems are going to give you much better value for the money. So it really depends on your budget in my opinion. 2) I don't have a clear opinion on that, and haven't studied the topic enough. But knowing that most dynamic drivers membranes are polymer based, and having studied polymer behavior a little bit during my engineering courses, burn-in seems possible to me from a macro-molecular point of view, now does it affect the sound in an audible way? I don't know.. 3) I hear a significant difference between Mp3 320 and flac. In terms of resolution or detail I'm not sure, but in terms of background noise/hiss. It might have something to do with the specific combination of my dac/amp and my iems (LG v50 and KZ Zs12 pro x, same thing with kz zs10 pro x). Each time I listened again to the same song but in flac, the hiss/noise was gone. 4) Could not agree more. People got scammed since phone manufacturers removed the 3.5mm jack. But nobody said anything. 5) Collecting is stupid indeed. But Trying a lot of cheap iems to know what sound you like isn't.

I've tested them just yesterday and can confirm it's better, yet a little bit different in its signature (more natural, less v-shaped).

My intro into the IEM world was the Kz Zs10 Pro X. I bought them for the sound stage and detail for gaming. For that price and purpose, they did the job. However when I used them to listen to my catalogue, I found them just a little above average in performance. The muddiness was my main gripe. I now rock the Simgot EM6L and they are phenomenal for their price range, infact punching way above their weight class. Though I havent experienced it, KZ has had QC problems, judging from the community's feedback. And their PR practices can only be described as sleezy.

The kz zs10 pro x is the best one from those, except the zs12, no idea on those.

CCA Rhapsody less V shaped than the KZ ZS10 Pro X, more refined,but still a lot of fun and great soundstage!

I like the KZ ZS10 Pro X, Moondrop May, Letshuoer D13 and simgot EA500 for fps gaming. The zero Red has Very poor performance on FPS games for me, too much bloated Bass and bad Sense of directions.

Get ready for the "Why get many cheap iem instead of one overpriced iem?" Comments. 😅 Great collection! Love my KZs. My ZS10 Pro X and castor puch way above their price. The linglong was a great surprise too

Here is my list of headphones and iems that I have used to play games that are better than my Hyperx Cloud 2: Headphones - Philips SHP 9500 - Philips X2HR - Takstar Pro 82 - Oneodio Pro50 And more expensive ones that are too obvious like Hifiman Ananda. IEMs - Tin Hifi C2 Mech Warrior - Moondrop Aria - Moondrop May - Tangzu Heyday - 7hz Timeless AE - KZ Zsn pro - KZ ZS10 Pro X ALL that you cant get the most out of with something like a Moondrop Dawn Pro Dac/amp or similar. In my experience, any decent headphone or iem gives a better sound experience than most high end gaming headsets, you Just Need to do a little research on sound signature that you think you Will like and see what its best within your budget. In the long run its always better to invest in proper audio gear because you cant replace most things that break easily.

The best ones I have ever had are the Hifiman Ananda (headphone) and the Tangzu Heyday (iem) but they are also the most expensive I own. I would say that the best Bang for Buck on a entry level are the Philips SHP 9500 and the KZ ZS10 Pro X.

I have the AKG K712 Pro and the KZ ZS10 Pro X. I love both. Soundstage in AKG is logically better, but the KZ ZS10 Pro X sound great.

I had KZ ZS10 Pro X, it's a fine choice for it's price. I have recently upgraded to Letshuoer S12 Pro and quite happy with it. It has better fit and I like its tuning more.

During the practice I use KZ ZS10 PRO X, with DIY custom mold housing, and over the ear protection on top. During gigs I use iem's only. I can't say how happy I am as I only hear the mix with almost no acoustic bleed. The drum sound in my ear is pretty optimized, that alone pushes me to play more enthusiastically, and possibly longer if needed, as I don't get as much auditory fatigue. https://preview.redd.it/rx6itw3g7g0d1.jpeg?width=1400&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=33b3e3b5a411aae6a91c46e0f7227413a8abb097

Drummer, using ART HP-1, with KZ ZS10 PRO X. Incredible headroom, battery powered. Guitar player has Behringer PM1, I tested with my IEM's with his belt pack, it was an absolute joke compared to mine.

I use KZ ZS10 PRO X embedded into Radians Custom Molded Earplugs, followed this https://youtu.be/lBJqPh8rbCY

# HOW TO FIX KZ IEM'S LACKING BASS (ZS10 PRO X AND OTHERS) My zs 10 pro x came with a very weird sound compared to my old zs10 pro(lacking bass, too much treble). i thought it was a faulty unity but i managed to fix it. **The problem is the excessive glue in the filter**, just remove it carefully, clean it, remove all the glue and just put it back. I think a lot of people don't like this iem because of this problem. It's amazing now, good bass and less treble than the old pro, i didn't find this tip anywhere so i hope it help someone else, probably work with another models too.

# HOW TO FIX KZ IEM'S LACKING BASS (ZS10 PRO X AND OTHERS) My zs 10 pro x came with a very weird sound compared to my old zs10 pro(lacking bass, too much treble). i thought it was a faulty unity but i managed to fix it. **The problem is the excessive glue in the filter**, just remove it carefully, clean it, remove all the glue and just put it back. I think a lot of people don't like this iem because of this problem. It's amazing now, good bass and less treble than the old pro, i didn't find this tip anywhere so i hope it help someone else, probably work with another models too.

Zero red.is more neutral (not totally neutral tough) ZS10 pro is more fun with enhanced bass and treble. Check squiglink and check the IEM graphs of both, the graphs are not everything but can show at least the sound signature of the IEM (zs10 is more V shaped) EW200 from simgot os V shaped as well, can be decent for music and FPS. I just don't like to use it to play genshin, star rail, wuthering waves. It seems many Chinese gacha games use A LOT of high frequency sound effects and the EW200 become very shouty in those games Edit: if you want IEM with more bass you can also check: QKZ HBB which is cheap and very fun for music and decent for FPS (around 20 USD, perfect to check of you would like a bassy sound signature), artti R1 for around 65 USD has great bass quality and intensity but enough treble for vocal to sound good, people also praise the kefine delci but I don't have it

First time I feel like living with deaf ear when I tried chinese IEM for fun. It turns me into audiophile for a while. KZ EDX then ZS10 Pro, now Zex Pro. First two less than rm100 on shopee. Got other brands with match quality sound and price but only tried KZ. Tried alot of ear/headphone at same price range. Meh. Even airpod/buds hardly match with details I used heard to.

As everyone mentioned here,Both have very different tunings so it is maybe that you like the tuning of zs10 more.HOWEVER zero red is a very power-hungry iem.You will require a good dac like moonriver 2 ti to bring out it's true potential

AirPods Pro 2 for the most part but I will bring a pair of my cIEMs or a pair of ZS10 Pros for if I need to work with a wired connection

I used to used something similar to those Eargasm earplugs. Now though I mostly use in ears so I just keep a box of the cheap foam ones just in case. If I don't hear well with them, I just take them slightly out so dome sound can get in but not the full amount. For IEMs I like the KZ S10 Pros cuz for $50 they sound pretty amazing to me.

First, you need some proper ear protection- ANC headphones or earbuds like Air Pods are better than nothing but the general consensus is that they should be used with either protective earbuds or cans. Adding even the cheap little foam buds to your current setup will help protect your hearing. Steps 1 & 2- get yourself some IEMs like Shure 215s or ZS10s (or whatever you find and like) with foam tips- they will provide protection even unplugged for practicing or whatever and you can connect these to your phone to listen to tracks or a click while you're practicing or to a computer or mixing board to monitor yourself while recording. You'll likely need a headphone adapter since phones no longer have headphone jacks. Steps 3 & 4- I have a Behringer P2 which allows you to pull the XLR cable from your stage monitor and put that signal directly into your ears. It has an amplifier in it so you can adjust the volume as you need. I use this for rehearsals and gigs where our usual wireless IEM system is unavailable. There are other models that do the same thing at other price points. Beyond that you're looking at wireless IEM systems which are a way more expensive and complicated bag of worms.

There are two parts. One, you get a transmitter and receiver. You buy them together, I like the XVive system. Plug your transmitter into the monitor send from your board. The receiver you’ll wear on your belt or your strap, and you’ll plug in ear monitors into it. These can be basic wired earbuds but good ones both block noise from other instruments and provide clear sound. I like the KZs you get on Amazon that have 5 drivers, I think they were $50 last time I checked. At that point you’re protecting your hearing and getting a mix you can hear really well.

Quality that lasts and cheap iems don't exist. That being said, kz10 pro are about £50 and are a lot of people's go-to for cheap iems. I use sennheiser SE215 for about £100. They aren't amazing but they do the trick. If I used Kz10s I'd buy two pairs incase one breaks on the job though.

I use KZ10 Pro

I have the same ones, they work great for the price.

I have the KZ 10 Pro. Love it them.

Linsoul zs10 pros work nicely and can be had for around $50

I have had the KZ 10 Pros and KZ ZAR’s and they have been great for the price. Maybe someday I will size into customs but for now the KZ’s are great

I go hardwired, rest of the band uses wireless packs (i’m not leaving the kit during our set so i prefer the reliability of a wired setup). Currently using KZS10 Pros.

KZ-10’s. I just love them.

Another vote for these.

just get the cheap ones.KZPro. they're totally fine. The Shures are kinda shitty honestly. I broke like 3 pairs of those before I figured it out...

I recently went through this process. I use the KZPro. You can find them on Amazon for less than $50. They are amazing.

Yep! Entire band uses them. 100 gigs a year. Quality sound and durable.

I have Drumeo IEMs, SE535, SE215, Moondrop Aria, KZ Pros. I cannot recommend the Drumeo IEMs unfortunately. They are just tuned weirdly. If you get them free, go for it. Otherwise I would get Aria or KZ, if you want to spend, look at Shure.

They have excellent audio quality. It's just that their microphone is shit. Source: I use KZ Pro.

Thanks for the response my man!!! Check out my response to fewell above - pretty much is my exact response to you too! It explains that I do actually have a weird aversion to in ears for home studio daily use lol (I do use in ears live: basic Shure ones and the KZ pro ones). Over ears just feel more comfortable to me and in a strange way feels like a more immersive musical experience. I do actually have those Vics you mentioned which are my daily drivers in the home studio. Their audio and comfort just sucks in comparison to the Sony’s. A pair of over ears that sound as good and are as comfortable as the Sony’s made specifically to also protect ears from drums is a value proposition I would jump at immediately, but to my knowledge no such headphones exist 🤷🏻‍♂️

All IEMs break or get lost or get left behind. I’d much rather replace a perfectly fine pair of IEMs that cost $60 than a pair that cost $1200. That’s personal preference. I personally think that clarity and detail are completely unimportant in a live situation. There are lots and lots of people who will disagree with me. But my hot take is to go the less expensive route If money is an issue. I currently use the KZ Pros and they sound just fine.