KZ ZAS

The KZ ZAS nails comfort at the 95th percentile but falls flat on sound at the 28th percentile. It's a wired 16-driver IEM with a mediocre build and a nearly useless mic. For the price, you're better off with almost any modern wireless bud.

Let's talk about what's inside these things. You get a 10mm dynamic driver with a PEK spring diaphragm handling the low end, plus 7 balanced armature drivers per side covering mids, highs, and ultra-highs. That's a lot of hardware for the price. But the sound score lands at the 28th percentile, which means all those drivers aren't translating into great audio. The bass has decent diving capability on paper, but the overall tuning just doesn't compete with modern wireless buds that cost less. The cable is silver-plated oxygen-free copper with 100 wire cores, which sounds fancy, but connectivity still ranks at the 12th percentile. That's mostly because it's wired and the 2PIN connection, while upgradeable, isn't exactly cutting edge in 2025.

Stacked against the competition, the KZ ZAS struggles. The Technics EAH-AZ100, Nothing Buds 2, Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro, and Apple AirPods Pro 3rd Generation all bring wireless convenience, active noise cancellation, and far better overall scores. Even the Soundcore P31i, which is a budget option, likely beats the ZAS on sound and features. The ZAS has one clear advantage: comfort at the 95th percentile. But comfort alone doesn't make up for sound at the 28th percentile and a mic at the 12th percentile. If you're buying an IEM specifically for wired listening, there are better options in this price range. If you're buying for everyday use, any of those wireless competitors will serve you better.

Pricing on the KZ ZAS is all over the place depending on where you shop. In Mexico, you'll see prices from MXN 1,599 to MXN 2,296, which is a MXN 697 spread across just two listings. That's a huge gap for the same product. In Europe, the range is tighter at EUR 81 to EUR 96 across four listings in Germany, Spain, France, and Italy. If you're in Mexico, the MXN 1,599 listing is the obvious choice, and in Europe, EUR 81 is the best deal. But here's the thing: even at the low end, you're paying for a wired IEM with sound that ranks below average. The value proposition is hard to justify when wireless buds with better sound and actual features exist at similar prices.

The KZ ZAS is a weird one in our database. It's a wired IEM with 16 drivers total, 8 per side, and it absolutely nails comfort at the 95th percentile. But the overall score lands at 20.2 out of 100, which puts it near the bottom of everything we've tested. The sound sits at the 28th percentile, which is rough for a product whose entire reason for existing is audio quality. The build quality is also mediocre at the 34th percentile, and the mic is basically an afterthought at the 12th percentile.

Skip the KZ ZAS if you care about sound quality, because the 28th percentile ranking is a real letdown for an audio product. Also skip it if you need a mic for calls, since the 12th percentile mic score is one of the worst in our database. The build quality at the 34th percentile means these won't survive rough handling, and the lack of wireless connectivity makes them impractical for most people in 2025. If you want wired IEMs, there are better-sounding options at this price. If you want convenience, get wireless buds.

The KZ ZAS is a niche product that doesn't quite deliver on its promise. The 16-driver hybrid setup sounds impressive on paper, but the 28th percentile sound score tells the real story. Comfort is fantastic, and the cable is decent, but the build quality, mic, and overall performance just don't justify the price. Unless you specifically want a wired IEM with excellent comfort and don't care about sound quality, mic performance, or modern features, there's no strong data-backed reason to pick this over the competition.