ZSX Pro

IEMs don't break, and one person often owns separate pairs to see which ones they prefer for different types of sounds, including a cheap pair for everyday use, and really expensive pair for home use. It's not really about the "quality" per se, but more about features, sound signatures, and trust in the brand. I mean, you can get cheap Chifi IEMs for like $20-30, like the plain KZ ZSX Pro X (I actually have 2 sets of these), Sennheiser IEMs for $100-200 USD (or more expensive offerings from chifi) or Campfire Audio IEMs and other super-premium stuff for like $500-1500 per set. You *can* spend a ton of money on them, but what defines "good" for you?

KZ ZSX in-ear-monitors, with a Bluetooth receiver (avantree AS70 or ugreen CM724) connected to my phone. The ugreen one supports dolby atmos but sounds a bit compressed compared to the avantree

I used the KZ ZSX Terminator for a long time, but one night in the middle of a gig, I lost one of them, completely gone. On top of that, the other one suffered a serious loss in volume. That night was really difficult for me because I was sick and sweating intensely, like literal rain. The IEMs got extremely wet, and I believe that’s the main reason all this happened. Anyway, those IEMs are budget friendly and sound great. You can try them, but keep my situation in mind. Besides sound quality, details like durability and real world conditions matter a lot. I don’t know why, but almost everything I’ve bought that’s labeled ‘budget friendly’ has eventually given me headaches. After that, I switched to the KZ ZAS model, and so far it's doing well, no issues yet...Oh, by the way, your ear shape is important too. Some brands design their IEMs to fit certain ear shapes better. Some brands make it exclusively for your ear structure. I can’t remember the specific brands right now, but it’s definitely something worth looking into.

A meshuggah fan here! They sound tremendous on my kz zsx terminator

Back in 2022 I started playing drums in the praise band for my church's recovery program (I'm now 4 years clean and sober after 40 years in addiction thanks to it). I played in rock/metal bands all my life but never used IEMs, and had to purchase some as that's what they use. I bought several cheap sets from Amazon based on recommendations at the time to see which sound signature I preferred, but only used them at home plugged into my Roku remote as I played along to YouTube videos and tutorials on the TV in front of my kit. Tbh I was never really blown away by any of them, and didn't understand all the hype for them. UNTIL YESTERDAY! I finally ordered a Fiio BTR17 bluetooth dac to use for some headphones during the Aliexpress 11.11 sale and it arrived yesterday. I plugged in a set of KZ ZSX Terminators and my mind has been blown. I've never heard music sound so good, and can't believe I waited so long to buy a DAC. Now I can't wait for the nicer IEMs and headphones I ordered to arrive so I can really get the full effect! I say all this to emphasize the importance of a DAC so anyone who may read this in the future doesn't make the mistake I did. I see that you're already planning on a dongle so you're already on the right track. But I will say that the KZs were a cheap enough way for me to get a feel for the sound I was looking without spending a lot only to be disappointed (but back then there weren't nearly as many different manufacturers). As for the foam tips they are a huge improvement over the flimsy ones most cheaper sets come with. I order the Sonicfoam ones from Amazon which comes in packs of 20 (10 pairs) and they work great, while costing much less than most others. Best wishes on your purchases and the performances to come!