KZ Castor in Ear Monitor Headphones with Mic, HiFi Improved Bass Earphone Sound Tunable Noise Isolating IEMs, Dual-Dynamic Driver Wired Earbuds, 2PIN-C Detachable Cable for Singers Musicians

I have used IEMs for the past 5 years ranging from a variety of price points. This IEM is not the best out there, but for the price, it’s phenomenal. The build quality is excellent. Although the buds are quite heavy, it’s not uncomfortable at all. It sits perfectly on the ear. The ear tips might have been a bit better but still, it’s not bad. The cable is the same, not entirely bad, but other vendors have more high quality cables. Would have been nice to have a pouch but I’m nit gonna ding it for that for the price it’s askingThe biggest thing for me was the sound clarity with the increased bass.I wanted something a bit bass heavy than something more balanced while maintaing a clean soundstage. This hits the right spot definitely. The bass is punchy and tight, whilst not making the mids and highs muddy. The mids are a bit recessed but that is expected. The highs are clear and not piercing which some IEM tend to do. The stock switch configuration ( there are 4 switches for increasing the sound level) isn’t bad, but making the first three on does make the sound more enjoyable to my preference as I listen to hip-hop, R&B and EDM more than other genres. I would definitely give the sound a 10/10 compared to others like the Waner, Salnotes and Zero 2. They are also good, but the sound is rather balanced and lacking in the bass department compared to the Castor.P.S. Sound Quality and Preference is entirely subjective. What might be good for me might sound the worst for you. If you prefer a good entry point IEM which tends to be a bit bass heavy, I would highly recommend the Castor. It does compete with other earbuds in much higher price points. Apart from the eartips and the cable being a bit cheap, it is overall one of the best IEMs under 20$!

In a word "detail", these have way more detail than my Pixel Buds (which I like). The stereo image is good. The sound quality is good. These things seem to have a balanced frequency response when I listen to music. Bright vocals. Good low end without needing to turn up the volume to 100%. Yet when I did turn it up they got loud and are punchy from low to high. When I listened to pink noise, the upper mid range is louder than the other frequencies. Not a deal breaker at all. Normally I use Comply foam tips with earbuds. These were good with the large tips that were in the box.So I listened to these on my Pixel 8 Pro via a USB adapter. I listened to Justin Timberlake's new song "Drown". I also listened to some songs from BEP "Energy Never Dies".I paid $17 for these! The quality to value is massive (quality really good / ultra low price). I won't say these KZ DQS in ear monitors/ear buds are perfect. But I will say they are really good and enjoyable. I'm glad I bought them. I will buy more (one in my backpack, one at work, ane at home.Update - March 8, 2024I put some unused Comply foam tips on them and they really helped to reduce noise around me. But my Comply tips are large and aren't as comfortable as the stock tips that came with KZ DQS.I plugged them into my laptop, played Apple Music's Hi-Rez audio and I am still content. In fact I happen to have some $99 Sennheiser HD 280 Pro headphones where I am at right now, AND... the KZ DQS are more enjoyable. Dare I say, sound way better? Um, ya. Ya they do. Probably cuz I don't have an external DAC and headphones amp for the Sennheiser to make it a fair comparison. The KZ DQS gets plenty loud and would blow up my ears if they got louder.I will to remember to add updates to this review over time.

Great sounding IEM. Break in period is LONG. Think 100 hrs at 85 to 90 dB. But that's a good thing. It already sounds pretty damn good out of the box. Just turn all the switches to ON. YES... all four. ON. Turn it to ON. Listen to them. It will sound... Rich. Almost too Rich, possibly unnatural. But even after 8 hrs burn in, you'll hear a change. After that they get better and better. Sont use the stock tips. The tips if you have any skin sensitivities, can be toxic. You'll notice by unusual sweating in your canal. If experience this with any tip, stop using them immediately. This means the tips were made using toxic materials. This isn't KZ's fault. This is the Tip manufacturer cutting costs and using cheaper toxic materials. Buy good preferably German made hypoallergenic tips. I'm not going into dynamics. There are plenty of YouTube videos explaining that. Bass is Great. Treble is revealing and and not overly smooth nor intense. Mids are good with very little bleed from mid bass. Vocals are good but they are slightly recessed. But most IEMs are unnaturaly forward in the mids, so for me this a positive. Soundstage ranges depending on the track you're listening too. They don't create unnatural width. They reproduce what is there and nothing more. So if you like an IEM that is Bass capable which hundreds of IEMs aren't, this is the IEM for you.