KZ seems to be pretty good at balanced armature & dynamic driver tuning and setup.

I don’t think anyone has solved the energy efficiency problem with planar magnetic drivers

Since all the IEM producers have figured out 3d printing sound channels from the driver to the output canal… it becomes a question of tuning (which you can edit a bit with your DAC), & quality/design of the shell encasing drivers & board.

Value?

The non-KZ brands mostly have nicer packaging and accessories. KZ accessories aren’t great… but a decent cable upgrade is $15-$30, & good ear tips for $5-$20. Choose at will from other brands.

I really don’t think there is much sound improvement gained when spending over $150. Accessories and packaging sure does get better, but you don’t need everything to come in one box together, from 1 company. (Almost an anti-Apple statement.)

My friends compared hardware with me, who have high end UE custom IEMs, Etymotic ear penetrators, and other $400+ setups. They were all blown away by how a $50, $80, and $120 IEM sounded so good & satisfying compared to their more expensive setups.

The CIEM owner was the only who stayed with his brand… because they were custom fit.

With KZ the real problem becomes the shape of the IEMs. Some have a bump opposite the ear canal insert, some are smooth.

Example: AS16Pro & AST are both balanced armature setups. AS16Pro - $50ish 8 BA per ear No bump Wide ear nozzle (part you put the tips on)

AST - $120-140ish 12 BA per ear Has bump Standard ear nozzle

I love the sound of both. They are almost identical in terms of sound out put.

I’d love to use the AS16Pro. It looks better to me, it weighs less, but the ear nozzle is so wide I can’t wear them & be comfortable. I have narrow ear canal.

My friend who went from a $400 setup to AS16Pro loves the sound of the AST more, but the bump makes them not fit his ear. He has a giant ear canal by comparison. I use the smallest possible ear tips, he uses some triple flange giant tip that looks like an ear dildo. We are all different…

Oddly enough the bump seems mostly cosmetic in the AST. Straight up empty space in the bump (I love clear setups).

*I’m into detailed transparent sound output most of the time, so I prefer balanced armature setups from KZ most of the time. Sometimes I listen to the ZAS. It’s the nicest looking KZ IEM I have, so I’ll use those when I’m going places in the evening.