KZ AS24 Pro

A 24-driver science experiment that actually sounds great, but it's strictly for wired audio nerds and gamers. The terrible mic and bulky build make it useless for everyday calls or commutes.

What surprised us most is how well those 24 drivers actually play together. You'd expect a phase-cancelled mess, but the AS24 Pro delivers genuinely crisp highs and a solid bass foundation that feels more cohesive than it has any right to. The tuning switches aren't a gimmick either, they make real, audible changes to the frequency response, letting you go from a bass-heavy thump to a more analytical, mid-forward presentation. The sound is detailed and clear, landing in the middle of the pack in our database. But that's where the good news ends. The built-in microphone is a letdown, scoring in the bottom half, and the sheer size and weight of these things at 68 grams means they're not exactly disappearing in your ears, despite the decent comfort score.

Pitting the KZ AS24 Pro against mainstream true wireless earbuds like the Sony WF-1000XM6 or Apple AirPods Pro 3 is like comparing a race car to a luxury sedan. The KZ is wired, has no ANC, and a terrible mic, while the Sony and Apple are wireless, smart, and great for calls. The KZ's only win is in pure, detailed audio dissection for a stationary listener. A more relevant fight is against other wired IEMs in its price bracket, where its 24-driver array and tuning switches are a unique party trick. But for most people, the convenience and all-around competence of something like the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro will make the KZ feel like a relic from another era.

Pricing for the AS24 Pro is all over the map, with a wild spread from $166 to over $3000 across different vendors. Let's be clear: nobody should be paying anywhere near the high end of that range. At the lower end, around that $166 mark, you're getting a unique, driver-packed IEM that's a fun experiment for audio tinkerers. At that price, it's a solid value for a specialist tool. If you see it listed for anything more than a couple hundred bucks, just walk away and grab a set from a store that isn't price gouging.

The KZ AS24 Pro is an absolute spectacle of excess, and we kind of love it for that. Twenty-four balanced armature drivers crammed into each earpiece is the kind of spec that makes you do a double-take. It's an IEM built for people who love to tinker, with eight tuning switches on each side that let you physically adjust the sound signature. But here's the one thing to know: this is a specialist's toy, not a daily driver. It's a wired, chunky monitor that sounds detailed and crisp, but it completely ignores modern conveniences like Bluetooth or a decent microphone. If you want to dissect your music or game audio with surgical precision on a budget, keep reading. If you just want something that works for a Zoom call, this is a disaster.

If you're looking for a single pair of earbuds to handle music, calls, and the gym, this isn't it. Go get a pair of Sony WF-1000XM6 or Apple AirPods Pro 3 instead. The KZ AS24 Pro is a tethered, specialized instrument that will frustrate you the second you try to take a call or walk down the street.

The KZ AS24 Pro is a niche masterpiece for a very specific person. If you're a gamer who needs zero-latency audio and loves tweaking an 8-band EQ on the fly, or an audio nerd who wants to hear every last detail in a FLAC file, this is a fascinating and affordable playground. For everyone else, it's a hard pass. The awful mic, lack of wireless, and bulky build make it a non-starter for daily life. Buy it as a fun second set for your desk, not your main pair.